They say Motorola is worried about Android fragmentation and Google support:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/03/motorola-create-own-os/?

It's spooky though because fragmentation was one of the things that killed CP/M and now we look like we are headed to competing "flavors" of Android, plus HP pushing an alternative and maybe Motorola doing the same.

I can't see how Motorola can achieve critical mass, unless they come out with something truly superior to Android.

That doesn't seem like the wisest move they could make in this market unless this Azingo company's OS is really outstanding. If it were that good you'd think there'd be more press on it.

Motorola has a chance to make some moves into other markets with Android. I was thinking Asia might be a potential market as they're relatively unknown here. A new OS would probably only be in English at first and then be phone model specific. Didn't Nokia just go through a similar dilemma?

I don't think Motorola has the deep resources to make a new OS work unless they go open source and attract a commumnity.  HP might have the resources with WebOS but frankly it will take some time, and they are going to have to step up the update cycle and show some commitment to that platform over time.

OTOH, Google seems to be closing off Android's source which could backfire on them if they misstep.

Nokia had their own OS a few years back..I'm surprised they haven't dumped money into it and made it really good...they've already ported it to work with MS aps, you'd think it would not be a big jump just to "fix it up" and make enough of it open source so developers could make aps...

*thinks* Can't open source make aps for Symbian?

Although, perhaps I need to ask the stupid question:  Why would anyone want an OS in the first place?  Do they get a percentage of sales from the aps that are put on it?  How does having the OS make a company money?

>How does having the OS make a company money?

Everybody thinks that because Android is kindasorta open source that it is free, but Google makes some money from each Android unit sold, so yes it is a source of direct income.