Here's a strange one: Wall Street Journal columnist Dennis Berman says that rumors are swirling in Asia that Google has already offered to sell Motorola's handset business to Huawei for a "high price." That's the first we've heard of any such plans, but they would line up well with previous rumors that Google also wants to sell Motorola's cable box division — as well as underline the patent-centric nature of the acquisition. After all, Andy Rubin told us flat-out that Google would build a "firewall" between Android group and Motorola after the deal closed, and Google's already replaced Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha with former ad sales exec Dennis Woodside — not necessarily the moves one would make in preparation to dig in and revive Moto's unprofitable handset business.
Of course, none of these rumors are confirmed, and it's possible Google has a grand plan to bring Motorola back to glory — but until we actually hear what that plan might be, we're going to keep our ears to the ground. We've reached out to Google for comment, we'll let you know if and when we hear back.