Samsung Might Have Made Offer To Buy Nokia

This is talk on Wall Street that does have a feel of truth to it.  Samsung is looking to buy out Nokia.  Obviously, this is a huge huge play.  

And this could change the landscape of the mobile market.  Remember that Nokia has signed a multi-billion dollar deal with Microsoft to use Windows Phone 7 as its default mobile OS.  Meanwhile, Samsung has the best selling Android phone in the Galaxy S and probably going to do even better with the Galaxy S II.

I can't say that Microsoft would be too happy about that.

Another interesting note here is that Samsung also has its own mobile OS, Bada, that is has been trying to promote and gain traction as an alternative to current incumbent mobile leaders like the iPhone and Android.  I think this could be the key point here.  while Samsung has found success with Android, there are two points to consider why Samsung is making a play for Nokia and why it's good for them as well as competition in general.

First, everyone who makes an Android phone is basically at Google's mercy.  In an attempt to gain control over Android and also to prevent further fragmentation, Google has tightened the reins on what its partners can or cannot do.  Motorola has come out and say some pretty nasty things about Android and the app environment in general and is thought to be working on its own OS.  Samsung could be thinking along the same line and it does have Bada ready to go.

Second, there is the lawsuit between Oracle and Google over Java.  And from what I'm reading, things could go bad for Google - so much so that if Oracle, which isn't looking to settle at this point, wins big, Android could be very different from what it is today.

More at Electronista.