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Google buying Motorola: Nokia, Samsung, and other industry players react

Google buying Motorola: Nokia, Samsung, and other industry players react

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Google said this morning that it dropped its "top five" Android partners a line yesterday to let them know that this Motorola acquisition was taking place -- so naturally, many of them had prepared statements ready to go. The move will have ripple effects across several entire industries, though -- not just the Android ecosystem alone -- so we wanted to reach out and get reactions from a few companies that have a vested interest in Google's successes and failures.

Overall, the theme across Android licensees' initial statements is unwaveringly supportive at this point. Considering that Google's primary goal is to shore up Android's shaky patent situation, that comes as little surprise -- though the striking similarity in some of the messaging suggests that Mountain View may have applied some pressure to show a unified front today. Regardless, the ball will be in Google's court going forward to make sure that these guys aren't put at a competitive disadvantage against Motorola -- a move that could drive them away from Android altogether and into alternatives like Windows Phone, as Nokia's statement seems to imply.

Follow the break for the full rundown from Nokia, HP, Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, and LG.

Nokia

From Nokia, which had bypassed Android for its "commoditization risk" and is preparing to introduce a lineup dominated by Windows Phone devices in the coming years:

"This further reinforces our belief that opportunities for the growth of Nokia’s smartphone business will be greatest with Windows Phone. This could prove to be a massive catalyst for the Windows Phone ecosystem. Additionally, with our respective intellectual property portfolios, Nokia and Microsoft are working together to build and nurture an innovative ecosystem that benefits consumers, operators, developers and other device manufacturers."

HP

HP hopes to go big with webOS through its own devices (and perhaps licensing deals at some point), which means it's not directly affected by the Google-Motorola deal -- but the seismic shift in the wireless ecosystem has the potential to affect the company's fortunes nonetheless. Alas, they've issued a standard "no comment" today.

Samsung

Though Samsung Mobile US hasn't specifically weighed in on the deal, JK Shin, President of Samsung Mobile's global operations, had this to say:

"We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem."

On Tuesday, Samsung provided an updated statement that says essentially the same thing but echoes HTC's sentiment (see below) that the move won't strain Samsung-Google relations:

"Samsung welcomes Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which we believe will provide intellectual property protection for the Android ecosystem. We do not expect this to have any impact on our mobile business."

HTC

HTC -- which splits its time between Android and Windows Phone -- called on CEO Peter Chou for this quote:

"We welcome the news of today's acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem."

Additionally, the company insists that the deal won't have an effect on its working relationship with Google:

"We are supportive of Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility as this is a positive development to the Android ecosystem, which we believe is beneficial to HTC’s promotion of Android phones. The partnership between HTC and Google remains strong and will not be affected by this acquisition."

Sony Ericsson

Bert Nordberg, CEO of the embattled company, released one of the briefest comments of the day -- though it echoes the same sentiment that's being conveyed by other Android manufacturers:

"I welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners."

LG

LG Mobile boss Jong-Seok Park seems to have cribbed off Nordberg's notes (or vice versa):

"We welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners."