Tech Daily Dose

The Justice Department has asked Google for more information about its proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of handset maker Motorola Mobility, Google said Wednesday.

Google already has a strong foothold in the mobile market with its Android mobile phone operating system but the deal to buy Motorola Mobility, announced in August, will allow it to get into the hardware market and expand its patent portfolio.

In a blog post, Google Senior Vice President Dennis Woodside said the request for additional information is "routine" and the firm remains confident that the deal will be approved. Still, the company has come under increased scrutiny by lawmakers and antitrust regulators. The Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee held a hearing last week on whether the company favors its own products in its search results, a subject the Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating.

"While this means we won't be closing right away, we're confident that the DOJ will conclude that the rapidly growing mobile ecosystem will remain highly competitive after this deal closes," Woodside said. "We'll be working closely and cooperatively with them as they continue their review."