In today’s mobile and social news roundup: Motorola making ample-sized Android phone; Microsoft and Foxconn parent signs licensing patent; and Chat Heads invade iOS.

Motorola making ample-sized Android phone

When Google acquired Motorola, everyone was expecting that the next Nexus device would be from Motorola, or that the next Razor line would be Google-centric, but that never happened.  Google has an explanation though, as the company had no input regarding Motorola’s releases last year.  But things are about to change as the two prepare to reveal better devices, not bigger, but better.

What this could mean is that Motorola and Google won’t be joining the phablet parade, concentrating on devices with just the right size to deliver a better consumer experience.

The Google-Motorola phones are expected to appear some time in the second half of 2013, boasting smaller form factors and stock Android OS features.

Google has been turning to Motorola for advice regarding areas of its expertise, and vice versa. At AllThingsD’s  D: Dive into Mobile, Google chairman Eric Schmidt stated that the company will be releasing a new line of products, “which are phenomenal.”

The two could be talking about the same set of devices or not, but one thing’s for sure, new Android devices are coming this year.

Microsoft and Foxconn parent signs licensing patent

Hon Hai, Foxconn’s parent company, has signed a patent licensing deal that covers Microsoft’s patent portfolio for devices running the Android and Chrome OS, including smartphones, tablets and televisions.  Details of the agreement were not made public, but indicated that Hon Hai will pay royalties to Microsoft.

Hon Hai is just one of the many manufacturers supporting the Android platform that signed a patent licensing agreement with Microsoft.  More than half of ODMs supporting Android, including Samsung, Compal, Amazon, Quanta, and HTC have signed a deal with Microsoft in past.

Chat Heads invade iOS

iOS users who are wondering when Facebook Home will hit their Apple devices will probably never see this happen, as it is very doubtful that Apple would let anyone mess with its mobile interface.  But all is not lost as Chat Heads, the new messaging feature included in Facebook Home, is now available for iOS users when they update to the latest version of the Facebook app.

The news was announced yesterday when Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer and mobile head Cory Ondrejka dropped by at AllThingsD’s  D: Dive Into Mobile conference.  The update brings Chat Heads as well as message stickers, but some users who updated early complained of losing some features, such as Groups and Interests.