Google to Expand Mobile-Device Partnerships

Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers -- rather than just one partner -- early access to new releases of its Android mobile operating system and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter.

Google's strategy is a shift from its previous practice, when it partnered with only one hardware maker at a time to produce seven "lead devices" that showed off the newest Android software features, before releasing the software to other device makers. The change is a bid to exert more control over the apps that run on smartphones and tablets powered by Android, thus reducing the influence of wireless carriers over such devices, these people said. The plan also aims to assuage concerns of smartphone and tablet manufacturers that build devices using Android, many of whom are wary of Google because of its pending acquisition of device-maker Motorola Mobility Holdings, these people said. Many manufacturers fear Google will try to boost the struggling Motorola business at their expense, something Google has assured them won't happen.