of peripheral interest:  Google Pulls Samsung Back Into Its Orbit
Jan. 31, 2014 2:53 PM ET |   32 comments |  About: GOOG, Includes: ARMH, INTC, SSNLF

In the world of tradeable Mobile Assets, having Android run on Samsung's full line of devices and tablets is worth more than the roughly $10B write down that Google (GOOG) took in unloading its Motorola hardware group onto Lenovo. It was a necessary move to enable Android to become relevant as a high end and corporate ecosystem. Without Samsung(OTC:OTC:SSNLF), Android rattles around in lower cost consumer devices and weakens Google's attempt to be a credible alternative to Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL) in the lucrative corporate world where legacy PCs are declining at the expense of smartphones and tablets. It also appears that Intel (INTC), without a software ecosystem partner falls further behind.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1985721-googl...&ifp=0