In $12.5B Deal, Google Gobbles Up Motorola Mobility

By Matt Egan
Published August 15, 2011
FOXBusiness
Reuters

Ratcheting up the pressure on Apple (AAPL: 384.01, +7.02, +1.86%), tech heavyweight Google (GOOG: 553.86, -9.91, -1.76%) unleashed a $12.5 billion deal on Monday to acquire Motorola Mobility (MMI: 38.31, +13.84, +56.56%).

The transaction launches Google into the phone-making business and allows it to pair its popular Android operating system with handsets of its own design, much like Apple does with its popular iPhone.

The deal, Google’s largest ever, also marks a vote of confidence in the global economy at a time of great uncertainty and unprecedented market volatility.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google agreed to pay $40 in cash per share of Motorola Mobility, translating to a hefty 63% premium on the company’s Friday close of $24.47.

“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies,â€