May be they need money for the Nest deal (just kidding). Very strange to think of the recent Nest acquisition and this sale! Someone opens my eyes please!
It seems that Google isn't interested in being just another hardware/phone manufacturer. They want to make revlutionary and unique products. So they sold Motorola, but kept the R&D division. The same goes for why they bought Nest, are investing Google Glass, etc. - they want to be on the next frontier. Plus, they just built a great Android partner/manufacturer that will (if Lenovo is smart) continue to promote [near] pure Android and the Android ecosystem.
To my understanding, Google will devote their energy to the new market, such as robot and home automation, plus Glass and self-driving car, which is already enough to deal with for a software company. No need to compete in the smart phone market with lower margin any more. Focus is very critical to a company's success and sustaining in business.
