TAIPEI — After tons of rumors, leaked memos, and article after article of intense speculation, the news is out: Google is buying HTC — at least part of it. <br /> <br />Reuters reports that the Taiwanese smartphone maker suspended trading of its shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Thursday, pending a 'major announcement.' <br /> <br />That announcement involves Google forking over $1.1 billion for part of HTC's mobile division, which includes a non-exclusive license for HTC IP, and a chunk of the R&D team that's been working on Google's Pixel phone. <br /> <br />About half of HTC's R&D people will soon be Googlers. The other half will stay on at HTC to work on their next flagship phone. <br /> <br />Guess the original smartphone maker doesn't want out of the game just yet, even after plummeting from the top spot in 2010 to this year's pitiful 0.6% global market share. <br /> <br />HTC's quiet brilliance did bounce back with the Vive, largely considered the best virtual reality headset on the market. <br /> <br />The company was also responsible for the the ravely reviewed Pixel and Pixel XL phones in 2016, as well as the Pixel 2, which will be unveiled in October. <br /> <br />Despite its lack of home runs, HTC does have a reputation for producing excellent hardware. Google is hoping to get the hardware-software synergy that's been the iPhone's secret sauce. <br /> <br />With the deal expected to be done by early 2018, here's hoping the tide will soon turn for HTC.
