Windows Mobile lost to the less capable OSs (iOS and Android) because of terrible user experience. Capabilities do not matter to anyone but hardcore geeks. It is user experience that matters.

Motorola are the only one fighting and I think we all know why. If Google pays it will be equivalent to them telling everyone who uses Android that they should pay Microsoft. Not that it is not the case already. BTW claiming that behemoths like Samsung can't defend themselves if they think Microsoft do not have anything real is absurd.

And Google act as if their decision makers learn about the industry from /. comments. The result is they lose all battles in court.

I can't blame them for playing the game. They pay other companies tons of money for patents why wouldn't they take tons of money for their patents? In addition Microsoft are company that produces actual products with the patents they own.

Motorola sued Microsoft over H.264 related patents in Germany and demanded a ban on Xbox and Windows :) Microsoft countersuit may potentially lead to the ban of Google Maps in Germany. We're far from safe from all this bullshit.

OK but I think you can't blame Microsoft for the patent system. They did not invent it. They suffered from it and it is well known Bill Gates warned about this. Nobody listened and Microsoft eventually proved he was correct in a "if you can't fight them join them kind of way". In my opinion the patent system for IT is currently a form of tax when entering the field. Microsoft and Apple paid it once upon a time and now they demand it from newer companies. It would be almost unfair if some companies have this obstacle while others don't. Something like applying taxes to one company but not another.

I assume you are a geek. You might want to check my visual brainfuck interpreter (called BF for WP). It sure beats the ones I've seen on Android. Then you may claim to your Android geek friends that WP has better apps because it has better brainfuck interpreters :)

Yes, this post is shameless self-promotion... of WP app... on /. I am doing one hell of a marketing.

Because this is not how patent settlements work. Patent settlements do not list patents they license the entire portfolio related to the product. This means that if tomorrow MS invents something and Google puts it in Android Samsung will be able to use it because they are paying for it even though it is not invented yet. Actual patents are only shown in court and they are certainly showing some patents when suing Motorola. The Motorola case will certainly prove if MS has relevant patents as the legal system defines them although I am sure /. people will invent a "rounded corners" meme and claim that the judge is corrupted or something.

But Microsoft are justifying themselves. They are going to court where companies justify themselves. IANAL but if I read the news correctly they are currently crashing Motorola in each and every court they sue each other. Of course none of the cases is over yet but the "justification" has certainly began.

I like it how the /. crowd assumes that behemoth companies like Samsung and Foxconn would just pay protection racket to MS instead of fighting in court if they thought Microsoft were full of shit. But don't you worry Google (via Motorola) are standing up. IANAL but if I interpret the news pieces I am reading correctly it is not going very well for them even though they paid 12 billion for Motorola patents.

This recursion thing is hard!

When I was young we did not call companies with actual products patent trolls.

I don't think the publicity aims to show that Microsoft is relevant or that Foxcon is friendly company. It aims to show Android OEMs that they must pay when Microsoft visits them.

Simplest explanation (and therefore most likely to be correct) is that they were hiding. Until yesterday's leak this was all confidential and they did not want to leak information via user agent stats.