Microsoft owns quite a few patents, enough that they’re getting a check from 70% of the Android devices being sold in the United States. That’s right, for every 10 smartphones or tablets that get sold running Google’s operating system, Microsoft makes money on 7 of them. We don’t know the exact amount of money they’re making, but analysts much smarter that us assume that it’s in the $5 to $10 range. HTC, Samsung, LG, they’re all paying for Ballmer’s anger management courses, and rumors bubbling up say Pantech is about to sign a deal with the Devil. Now if you didn’t even know Pantech was selling Android smartphones and tablets then we’re not going to hold it against you. In today’s market with the Apple iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Motorola RAZR, and HTC Titan on sale, are people really paying attention to devices like the Pantech Pocket? Not really.
The bigger theme here is that Google conned everyone into thinking that Android was free, when in fact it isn’t. Several times a year Google throws Android’s source code over their campus walls and lets everyone run with it. There’s a lot of work that has to be done to get said code running on a retail device. Plus there’s the research that a company’s lawyers have to do so that said company doesn’t get sued. All that makes Android a rather expensive proposition. Isn’t developing an operating system from scratch, then all the services that need to tie into that operating system, a more expensive proposition? Yes, just look at the massive failure that is Symbian and was Ovi. Microsoft’s solution is to get people to make Windows Phones. The money that a company pays Microsoft per handset gives said company not only Microsoft’s OS, but drivers so that it runs with little to no effort. If you’re lucky then you may even get some cash to help you market your device. What’s not to like?