Motorola Acquires Web App Developer North 280 For $20M

Motorola has just acquired web-app developer, 280 North. The deal, rumored to cost about $20 million, will give the company access to the programming platform known as Cappuccino which aims to simplify the creation of deeper web apps. Motorola has stated that the deal will be used to foster the Android ecosystem through web-based apps and technology. While it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the deal is also expected to have an effect on Motorola’s MotoBLUR user interface that is available on its Android devices. It’s also interesting to note that the acquisition also brings a pair of former Apple employees, one of which was involved in the early iPhone team, and another that worked with Apple in developing the charting, recommendation, and search engines for the iTunes Store.