Should Google Selling Motorola Concern Microsoft?

If you follow Google , you've likely heard about the $2.9 billion sale of its Motorola unit to China-based Lenovo. What was interesting, though not surprising, was that Microsoft was almost instantly linked to the Google-Lenovo deal. With its pending foray into devices and services via the Nokiaacquisition nearing completion, some pundits cite the Motorola deal as a warning for Microsoft.

According to some, the problem the Google-Motorola deal demonstrates is that Microsoft must choose between hardware and software. As Google learned the hard way, tech companies can't be both a hardware and a software provider, so say the pundits. While not completely without merit, the argument loses a bit of its luster when you consider the particulars of both the Google-Motorola and pending Microsoft-Nokia deals.

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Cheap Motorola smartphone available in US Tuesday, ahead of scheduled January launch

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Motorola will start selling a cheap smartphone in the U.S. more than a month ahead of schedule.

The company says it was able to produce the Moto G phones faster than expected. The U.S. launch was initially planned for January. But it is going on sale Tuesday.

The phone starts at $179 without a contract requirement. That compares with $600 or more that people must typically pay for high-end phones without traditional two-year service agreements.

With the Moto G, Motorola is trying to offer a device that is closer to what's currently available on leading high-end phones, although it won't work on the faster 4G LTE networks.

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