A lot is being / has been made about Google’s purchase of Motorola’s patents regarding cellular technology (aside from the hardware expertise the firm also acquired within their, now-former, mobile division) including how this move might drive developers to more fully embrace Microsoft / Nokia, etc. as an alternative to Android (for that matter in the same fashion that they were in all probability originally / previously drawn to Apple…)
That said; until a smartphone launched by Redmond (independent of the hardware that it runs on) is a bonafide market hit (even marginally so whereas real sustained interest / traction results) RIM certainly is not a viable option… In other words, Google is the current avenue (for those developers who don’t want to simply just embrace Apple and/or are looking to capitalize further within the application-space itself).
No offense to Microsoft / Nokia and/or RIM but it’s a two-horse race at this point in time. And, if one of the aforementioned vendors or another unknown firm suddenly gains traction… it should ultimately benefit both consumers and the developer community itself (which at this juncture is a big ‘if’).
From CNN: http://goo.gl/xgHw0