Microsoft Puts Squeeze On Motorola Solutions For Android Patents

Microsoft has inked another deal to squeeze cash out of an Android and Chrome OS device manufacturer, adding Motorola Solutions to its roster of firms coughing up for patent licensing. Microsoft has made a healthy sideline in profiting from Android's success, signing up firms like Dell and ZTE even if the devices they're paying for aren't running Windows Phone or Windows.

The latest deal covers any of Motorola Solutions products running either Android or Chrome OS. The enterprise and government device and services manufacturer was the professional half of Motorola left behind when Google acquired Motorola Mobility.

As a result, its products – which include ruggedized handhelds, arm-mounted computers, and tough tablets – are seldom seen on store shelves, but are often involved in managing the restocking of those shelves. So far, there's no sign of a Chrome OS device on the Motorola Mobility books, however.

Terms of the deal have not been confirmed, though unofficial figures have suggested Microsoft is making plenty from its licensing deals with Android OEMs. Back in 2012, the company flaunted its agreements in Google's collective face, having earlier signed up heavyweights like Samsung.