Report: Moto Building Web-based Smartphone OS

Word on the street is that Motorola is working on a web-based mobile operating system to serve as a back up for the company's Android dependency.

InformationWeek last night reported that Motorola has hired a number of experienced mobile and Web engineers from Apple and Adobe and that this team is hard at work developing a web-based OS. The aim of developing the new OS is said to be a reduced reliance on Google's Android OS. Should something happen to Google, Android or Motorola's partnership with the company, it would seem Moto doesn't want to be left high and dry.

Google sees its fair share of patent infringement suits and InformationWeek suggest these might be a more immediate concern for Motorola and serve as part of the motivation behind creating a new OS. According to a source familiar with Motorola's plans, there are a number of reasons, including Android fragmentation, product differentiation and issues related to the Google’s support for its partners.

Despite not denying the development of a new OS, Motorola has said it is still committed to Android.

"Motorola Mobility is committed to Android," a Motorola spokesperson told PCMag. "That's our statement, and I can't control how you interpret or print it."