Microsoft to Buy a Maker of Consumer Smartphones - New York Times

An interesting pattern

The acquisition came after an on-again, off-again series of talks with Danger, based in Palo Alto, Calif., beginning in the middle of last year. According to a person familiar with the negotiations, Microsoft ultimately doubled what it was willing to pay to keep Danger out of the hands of other suitors, including Google.

Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

The transaction is evidence of the accelerating shift away from the personal computer and toward a proliferating array of hand-held devices that can access information and entertainment on the Internet.

Microsoft to Buy a Maker of Consumer Smartphones - New York Times