THE DEAL: Google wants to buy Motorola Mobility, a maker of cellphones, for $12.5 billion.
NOT FOR THE PHONES: The deal would give Google access to Motorola’s trove of 17,000 patents. That’s important for Google in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and others to control the market for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
MORE TO COME?: If federal regulators approve the deal, other companies may be looking to buy phone makers as well. Nokia and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion loom as prime targets.