Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing is hoping Americans will be willing to buy smartphones from Lenovo, which last week unveiled a $2.9 billion deal to leapfrog the Chinese PC company into the top tier of phonemakers by agreeing to purchase Motorola Mobility from Google. Lenovo investors aren't yet persuaded. Until last week, the hottest tech stock around wasn't Apple or Samsung -- it was Lenovo itself. The company's shares had jumped more than 50% over six months, far better than the Big Two. Motorola does have a stronger position in Latin America, a market Lenovo would like to develop, with 6.9%. Still, the deal seems questionable for Lenovo as Motorola has continued to suffer from core R&D personnel defections and brand value deterioration.