Moto goes to google -- good or bad for Chicago / region??

[Aleking]

per crains google is looking into 300,000+ sqft of office space in chicago

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Aleking

per crains google is looking into 300,000+ sqft of office space in chicago

sounds good.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Google's office in Chicago is almost completely focused on interfacing with the Chicago based advertising agencies and selling direct ads for local firms. There is slim chance for any "synergy" with Moto.

While agree that this is better than seeing Moto get snatched up by somebody like Paul Allan that would have just wanted the patents and shut down the HW business, the fact is that without some heroic efforts to get some hardware geniuses working to beat back the cost cutters and copy cats at HTC and Samsung the long term future of Moto is grim. In some ways, the potential for Google ownership to HURT the release of HW is a real concern -- if Moto gets any "insider edge" from being the defacto "keeper of the HW reference platform" that will cause the OTHER Android companies to seek injunctions... And the real issue that Moto has had for a LONG TIME now is not that they don't make quality phones, but that they are unwilling / unable to "give them away" as cheaply as Asian competition. Google's hoard of cash doesn't do much to change that nor does Google's ham fisted / failed efforts at selling direct to consumers -- that p.o'ed carriers so much that they GOT OUT of the "direct to consumer" selling that they were doing to focus on releasing even more feature laden versions of Android with ever cuter names... That is not the "military spec" heritage of Motorola.

^^ Also because their marketing sucks. Too many engineers involved in the sales and marketing aspect. Instead of seeing what the market might want, it's the engineer saying, "I think this is cool" and then scratching their head when it doesn't sell.
I like Moto and know people who work there and have come up with good products, but they are engineering oriented and not marketing oreinted. They need a much better balance between the two!