Some rather interesting news taking place out in the Android world today as Google announced this morning that they have acquired Motorola Mobility for 12.5 billion dollars. This move is huge on Google's part, and they have said that they made the move to "supercharge the Android ecosystem" and believe that it is beneficial to partners, developers and consumers. While we all know the Kevin believes that Google should buy RIM, do you think that the move to buy Motorola Mobility was their first of many, or a solo deal just to get the patents that they owned, and that is it? Be sure to let us know your thoughts!

Source: Android Central 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I hate wires. They're cumbersome, always getting tangled in things, and half of the time you grab the wrong wire anyway. I love the freedom of movement afforded by Bluetooth headsets, the ease of paring the headsets, and the myriad voice responses built right in. Audio instructions, automatic pairing mode and a thankfully abset "Enter Code 0000" made for a surprisingly pleasant experience, pairing the devices with my BlackBerry.

In the past, I've written about Stereo Bluetooth Headphones; today, I'm taking a look at two Bluetooth headsets: the Motorola Oasis and the BlueAnt Q2. Both impressed me with their signal range, call quality and comfort. In the end, there could be only one winner.

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At least one court has sided with Research In Motion in regards to Motorolas patent claims. As reported by The Calgary Herald, the High Court Justice in London, England invalidated Motorolas  patent related to email gateway systems and went so far as to say even if it had been valid it hadn't been infringed by two communications systems used by Research In Motion.

Motorola had requested that the ITC look into the actions of Research In Motion and their use of Motorola patents but with the London court ruling, the chances of the ITC weighing in now have just gotten a little slimmer. Invalidating one of the patents called out in the claims to the ITC Motorola has no choice but to pull that patent from their paperwork and subsequent claim to the ITC.

[ PhonesReview via Calgary Hearald ]

In what seems to be a never ending battle between Research In Motion and Motorola, Motorola has once again filed patent complaints against Research In Motion. This time however, things are little different. Motorola has stepped up to the ITC (International Trade Commission) to ask them to investigate RIM and their continued use of Motorola patents as well as impose and Exclusion Order to stop RIM from importing, selling and marketing said infringing products. The five patents listed in the complaint pertain to WiFi, power saving methods, application management and user interface. For lack of better word, Motorola is pissed off at RIM.

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I got an early look at the new Motorola Q, affectionately known in some circles as the “RAZRBerry”. Available “any day now”, this fun little device sports a QWERTY keyboard in a light, slim package, advertised as the thinnest QWERTY device in the world.

From the Motorola website, here is a list of the key features:

• One of the first devices to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0; Optimized for Microsoft Exchange 2003 and a variety of third party e-mail solutions that enable a broad set of corporate e-mail capabilities*
• Thinnest QWERTY device in the world - 11.5mm
• Full, ergonomic QWERTY keyboard, 5-way navigation button and thumb wheel
• Video clip capture and playback
• Connectivity via Bluetooth, IrDA and mini-USB; compatible with Motorola’s line of Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets
• Multi-Media Messaging (MMS)
• Dual, stereo-quality speakers
• Audio formats supported: iMelody, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, WAX, QCELP
• Image formats supported: GIF87a, GIF89a, JPEG, WBMP, BMP, PNG
• Video formats supported: H.263, MPEG-4, GSM-AMR, AAC, WMV
• Mini-SD removable memory card slot
• Large, high-resolution display (320 x 240 pixels, 65K TFT
• 1.3 mega pixel camera with photo lighting
• PIM functionality with Picture Caller ID
• Advanced speech recognition and speakerphone

I was told that this device will also feature BlackBerry Connect, enabling it to take advantage of the BlackBerry push technology for e-mail. All those BlackBerry users out there clamoring for a camera on their BlackBerry might have a reason to jump over to Motorola.

But with so much time spent thumbing away on a QWERTY device, form factor is pretty important. How does this one feel? As I picked it up, I was reminded of my old Scientific Calculator that I (thankfully) haven’t touched in years. It was solid and thin. And a little blockish. It lacked that sort of smooth rounded back the makes a BlackBerry nestle so snugly into your palm.

It is light. Oh my is it light. I briefly slipped it into my shirt pocket and it was so slender that I barely felt it. Very nice. Current BlackBerry users might miss the familiar rounded edges and comforting heft of their traditional Berries. Or they might not. But with a camera, memory card slot, Bluetooth, and BlackBerry Connect all crammed into the thinnest and lightest QWERTY device on the market, this is a very compelling product for some.

I whipped out my camera to take a few pictures, and the Moto Q was quickly squirreled away. Here’s what I managed to get.

## This Article Was Originally Published on AllBlackBerry.com on May 19, 2006.