Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NOK), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) and the Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY) Target

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Google doesn’t make the phones, of course. But its Android operating system sure runs a lot of them. That’s where they are in the market right now, though, honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if the company launched its own hardware at some point. Even working with LG and Samsung, though, it’s gained a lot of market share.

As I write this, Google has again climbed above the $800 per share value, and I don’t see that as any sort of obstacle. The firm’s P/E of 24.74 still indicates to me that I’m not alone in thinking there’s still growth out there for Google. If it would just grow up and pay a dividend it would be a perfect investment.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple, of course, is one of the major reasons that BlackBerry took its dive. It’s also one of the reasons that Microsoft and Nokia are targeting BlackBerry. The two are taking aim at one of the weaker competitors in the field before trying to take a shot at either Google or Apple. It’s unknown how many smartphone makers the market actually needs, but it’s a safe bet that Apple will be in that final count.

Yes, Apple stock has tanked lately. We should all know that already. But I think that just makes it a strong value proposition at this point. The board got approved. A dividend is being paid now. There’s a lot of room for Apple to grow quite a bit after the nonsensical stampede (based largely on media pressure and not on reality) burns out. Now’s the time to get AAPL if you’re going to.

As I said in the beginning, the smartphone industry is rapidly advancing. And big, big players are involving themselves and lining up for the fight. How little BlackBerry comes out of this, having been abused by Google and Apple and now in the sights of Microsoft? I’d suspect the firm is in for a rough ride. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a buyout at some point to ally the platform with some other monster tech giant. But who that’ll be, I don’t know.

Follow Nate on Twitter: @natewooley

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The article Nokia, Microsoft and the BlackBerry Target originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Nate Wooley.

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