Android: Motorola's Salvation

From PC World: Not that long ago, Motorola was struggling to survive in the cell phone business, just like Palm. But then Motorola took off, while the Palm continued its death spiral before being bought by HP. What saved Motorola? Put simply, it was Google's Android operating system.

The New York Times has an excellent article, "How the Destinies of Motorola and Palm Grew Apart," analyzing the diverging fates of Motorola and Palm. It describes how both companies had been among the earliest innovators in mobile phones, but how each of them ended up struggling.

So why did Motorola become a cell phone hit maker, while Palm spiralled downwards? Here's what the article says:

The reason for the different outcomes, in a word, may be Android, Google's operating system for mobile devices. "Motorola did quite well by jumping on Android's bandwagon," said Roger Entner, a mobile analyst with Nielsen. "Whereas Palm went the route of having their own operating system and launching that with Sprint, right against the iPhone."

Sanjay Jha, Motorola's co-chief executive, explains why the Android has been central to the company's success:

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