Google buys chip start-up from ex-Apple designers

> But I'd doubt google bought it for the same reason as apple bought semi-pa. Google seems pretty adament on working qith existing handset providers.

Apple made their first Phone with Motorola.[1] It is not easy to enter a hardware industry; more so if you have no prior experience with consumer hardware market (unlike Apple). I think its more likely that Google was testing the water with Nexus One to see how people will react to it and how the process of manufacturing phones work. If I remember correctly they worked closely with HTC and had quite a bit influence on how the final product will look like. Remember, they are also working on a slate device and a net-book device, which will debut sometime this year. While this acquisition might not have any direct relation to the Google hardware devices coming out this year. I think it is highly likely that they might start building their own devices with custom processors soon.

1. http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/07/the-motorola-rokr-e1-appl...

Why would a patent lawsuit directly affect these guys? It would be between the Apple and Google corporations, and absent an impossible temporary injunction (you can only get those by assuming the facts all fall in favor of the other side) while it was being litigated they and Google could continue their work.

As it is, Apple has already shown its reluctance to sue Google WRT to Android by suing HTC; I suspect Google holds one or more patents that Apple wouldn't like to get enforced against it.