Why Google Kept Motorolas Research Lab

Motorola Mobilitys sale to Lenovo only looks like a lossthe patents were cheap, and Google might yet advance wearables, home devices, and modular phone hardware.

Googles $2.9 billion sale of Motorola Mobility to Chinese PC maker Lenovo might seem like lousy business, given Googles $12.5 billion purchase in 2012 and losses of $1 billion in the interim. But it leaves Google with a mobile research unit and a war chest of patents arguably bought at a very good price. And it gives a boost to Android in developing countries.