Over the past couple of years, Motorola has been known for shipping Android smartphones with little to no bloatware, but that’s about to change.
In a press release sent out late last night, Microsoft announced a new software patent licensing deal with Motorola’s parent company, Lenovo. The partnership will see the Chinese manufacturer and Motorola preload several Microsoft apps, including Office, OneDrive and Skype, onto a number of future Android smartphones the two companies plan to release.
Microsoft did not provide a specific list of smartphones that will ship with the preloaded software, but, based on a quote from the company’s Nick Parker, the apps will show up on a variety of premium devices from both Motorola and Lenovo. “Microsoft’s thrilled that our productivity apps will be pre-installed on Lenovo’s premium devices,” said Parker.
Lenovo is just the latest in a long line of Android OEMs to agree to include Microsoft’s software on its own devices. Since 2010, a number of companies, including HTC, have struck deals with the Redmond-based company. Even Samsung, the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer by volume, has a similar agreement in place with Microsoft.
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