Microsoft’s Ballmer: Android Isn’t Really Free — You Have To Pay Us For Patents

Perhaps you've heard that Microsoft is about to re-enter the smartphone fray with their new Windows Phone 7 phones in a few weeks. While Microsoft's unique mobile OS makes it an interesting entry into the space, there is no shortage of thought that they may already be too late to a market dominated recently by Google, Apple, and RIM. And since Microsoft's strategy for the new phones seems to be go after Android head-on, you have to wonder how on Earth they're going to get away with continuing to charge a licensing fee for their software when Android is free? But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sees things a bit differently. " It's not like Android's free ," Ballmer told WSJ in an interview this weekend about Windows Phone 7. " Android has a patent fee ," he said. " You do have to license patents ," he continued. So Ballmer's stance is that while Google may not charge a licensing fee for Android, there is a hidden free -- one compliments of none other than Microsoft.