Samsung to Pay Microsoft for Every Android Device Sold
Samsung and Microsoft attempt to ruin Android for everyone with patent sharing deal. Will this make all Google's base are belong to them?
Google's strategy of making Android available to developers for free has paid off extremely well. The operating system quickly mounted serious competition for Mac OS and Windows and emerged as the world's best-selling smartphone platform by the end of 2010. Naturally, that made Microsoft, still reeling from the end of Windows Mobile, and Apple, unhappy with anything less than Blofeld style world domination, feel somewhat uneasy. Both companies have long claimed that Android 'incorporates' significant aspects from their operating systems and have demanded that Google either pay them or change Android to remove the contested elements. The legality of those claims is still undecided and so far no litigation has resulted, but in a move that the Wall Street Journal notes may move that kind of activity forward, Samsung and Microsoft have reached a huge patent sharing deal.
Samsung will now pay royalties to Microsoft on its Android-based smartphones and tablets, and the two global supercompanies will collaborate to develop new phones and tablets based on Windows rather than Android. Window's stake in the deal is obvious, as it gives them official acknowledgment from the world's second largest smartphone maker that their claim against Android may have merit. It also provides leverage to pressure other cellphone makers to cut similar deals. But Samsung's reasons for pursuing the deal may have to do with more than simply protecting themselves from Microsoft's lawyers. The South Korean company is in the midst of a very bitter worldwide legal battle with Apple involving charges of patent and trademark infringement. Partnering with Apple's chief rival may provide them with an easy out, should they lose that battle and find their current slate of tabs and phones kiboshed.
As of this writing, Google has not made any official comment, but one imagines there are some very loud swear words being exchanged at the top of the company. In a month that has seen them taken to task for alleged anti-trust violations, this is one more headache they don't need.

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MS Ali has been on the ropes bobbing back and to while Google Foreman thumps hell out of it, now it seems with this deal Foreman has run out of steam and Ali is going for the knockout
I don't know what those 'elements' are but I suppose changing them would put Android way behind??
I also agree we are seeing a moment in history, but it is a larger part of an ongoing battle to gain ownership of ideas and advancements as "value added" products. It is the notion that we are serfs, we don't own what we own but merely "lease" it from out kind landlords - but unlike feudalism, these landlords don't have any obligation towards us peasantry.
Nah, Samsung will continue to make Android, Bada and WP7 devices. No way they would abandon the other OS' since in terms of phone sales it goes Android (by far), Bada and then WP7 (way down at the bottom).
Samsung also sell Windows laptops and maybe desktops in some markets, so they are definitely somewhat tied to MS.
I guess expect to see Tizen devices from Samsung in the future as well as Windows 8 tablets.
Why would 'admire' Samsung devices at all. They make cheap plastic chinese build subpar quality devices with one (or perhaps 2) outstanding features (usually the screen). Without much support or longevity for these devices at all. They lack any vision or forward thinking and just dumb their shit on the world. They don't care what device you buy or what OS it runs as long as THEY sell it. I loathe Samsung and am glad they finally get their ass kicked!
As for M$ and Android. It's clear that Google's "linux variant" is quick rehash using more than free/GPL-code. Propably in their own effort to cash in on it. So much for "open source". Appareantly it's so open that M$ has enough cause to retrieve fees.
A reason enough to steer away from it. If this continues then I hope at least RIM has the guts to stay alive and defend their own OS because that's gonna be the only alternative left.
eh?! Why would it matter. They pay Microsoft anyway regardless whether Samsung use Android or Windows Phone 7 on their devices. So what's the big deal? It's obvious that both Apple (indirectly) and Microsoft (directly) want Android (and probably Google with it) of this planet.
Secondly I don't get. Ppl have been complaining about Microsoft for ages. Windows Mobile sucked big time and now suddenly it's all kiss and make up. WTF! Are you folks braindead or what? Microsoft are bad guys remember! THEY enforced the world into DOS/Windows while other much better alternative OS's and computersystems have been totally wiped out.
Ask any RISC OS user, any Psion Series 5 owner, or even any Amiga/Atari owner which system they prefered. Particularly the demise of RISC OS system is a real SHAME for the European IT world. It was amazingly fast, very simple userfriendly and yet amazingly simple of structure. Unlike ANYTYHING else on the world. They invented low power high performance RISC-based desktop computing and it was British! Yet no one praised it. Now whenever there's a new fucking iPhone all the lemmings stand inline for hours with their glazed eyes waiting to get their paws on yet another hyped up geeky toy. It's disgusting!
Shouldn't "Mac OS" be "iOS", and shouldn't "Windows" be "Android"???
Samsung is very happy with how its Android phones are selling. They're just hedging their bets (and why shouldn't they?), so no matter what happens with Android or Windows, they'll still have a strong product portfolio left.
And for like 95% of users out there, Android is as "closed" as any other OS.
In any case, if HTML5 does what it's supposed to do, the line between sites and apps will blur and it won't really matter that much which OS you're using.
you either meant Chrome their instead of android (which isn't providing any competition), or you meant it's competing the iOS and Windows Phone (which wasn't even released when android was, so I think you meant RIM)
naming fail..