Microsoft Argues That Android Isn’t ‘Free’

“As the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 devices nears, the
company has been telling those who will listen that one of its
prime competitors’ mobile operating system — Google’s Android —
is more costly than its own offering, even though the open source
OS is free.

“Earlier this week, industry commentator Henry Blodget published
a short list of “gotchas” that he said a Microsoft source trotted
out to explain how “free” isn’t really free when it’s Android,
while Windows Phone 7, at a reported cost to OEMs of $15, is more
economical.

“High on the source’s list is the question of whether Android
infringes on any other company’s intellectual property (IP). That’s
illustrated by the lawsuit filed last month by Oracle, which now
owns the rights to Java, against Google for patent infringement in
its Android operating system.”

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