Thursday, April 12, 2012

Android and Me

Android and Me

Google doesn’t know what to do with Motorola; might be looking to sell to Huawei

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:23 AM PDT

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Well that was quick. Just eight months ago, Google announced plans to acquire Motorola, and all the patents they own, for $12.5 billion. In that time, Google has gone from country to country getting the acquisition approved with great success (China is the only country that hasn’t approved the deal). But for what? To keep Motorola afloat, pumping money into the once-mobile-giant until they can get back on their feet? To eventually totally merge the two companies, creating real, honest-to-goodness Google manufactured Android devices? (Rubin promised this wouldn’t happen, so don’t bet on it). Or is Google simply looking to off Motorola as soon as the acquisition is complete? If the latest rumors out of Asia are right, Motorola might be a Huawei-owned company before long.

According to an article from the Wall Street Journal today, no one at Google really knows what to do with Motorola. Or the 20,500 Motorola employees working in 92 facilities across 97 countries.

While Andy Rubin says the two will operate as entirely different companies, Larry Page is “excited about the opportunities” Motorola would bring to Google. Other rumors suggest that Google might be looking to sell Motorola to Huawei, who has been hell bent on breaking into the smartphone market in a big way. Which one do we think makes the most sense? If the price is right, Motowei is a definite possibility.

It’s no secret why Google really wanted Motorola:  for the patents. It’s also no secret that Google makes their money by giving out free software to distribute their ads. Google couldn’t give out free software to make money on ads if they were being sued into oblivion. So they bought a bunch of patents to use as a security blanket. The way they see it, the patents alone are worth $12.5 billion. If Google is able to sell Motorola, while still keeping the patents, it’s a theoretical win-win.

Not only do they not have to worry about managing a sinking ship, they get back some of the money they spent on patents. Of course if Google’s real intentions are to use Motorola’s hardware division to make their own handsets, selling wouldn’t make sense. But there’s a very slim chance that will happen.

We’ve been waiting for some kind of sign indicating what Google will end up doing with Motorola, and selling to Huawei makes quite a bit of sense. What would you like to see happen to Motorola?

T-Mobile schedules HTC One S press event for April 18

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:50 AM PDT

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T-Mobile may finally be ready to announce the pricing and launch details for the HTC One S. An invitation has been sent out today, inviting members of the press “to be among the first to experience the HTC One S” at a private event in New York City on April 18t featuring a musical performance by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Pre-orders for T-Mobile phones are rare, but we wouldn't be surprised if customers would be allowed to pre-order the HTC One S starting on April 18 (after the event, of course) so that the phone arrives at their door step on April 25.

How many of you are excited for the HTC One S and have plans to buy the phone? It may not be as spec heavy as the HTC One X, but it will be the best Android phone available on T-Mobile.

Armed with 170 million users, Google+ gets an extreme makeover

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:54 AM PDT

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Google has announced that over 170 million people are now using its budding social network. Still just about one-fifth of the size of Facebook, Google+’s growth has been exponential since it launch last summer. How is Google celebrating their runaway success? Why, with a massive makeover, of course.

Users are waking up this morning to a drastically redesigned Google+, which Google claims makes the social network a simpler, more beautiful one. Gone are the buttons fixated on the top of the screen, replaced by a customizable application ribbon on the left-hand side, which you can drag to rearrange to make the layout truly your own.

The stream features bigger and more robust media content such as photos and videos, and streams are now organized into cards for easier viewing. With the move, Google is hoping to emphasize photo and video content. Now, where have we heard that before?

Hangouts gains a bit of prominence in the update. Users will be presented with a constantly updated list of invitations to hangouts, as well as a rotating billboard of public and popular hangouts you can join on a whim. Google wants Hangouts to really take off, and make it easier for users to connect with others around the world who share similar interests.

Images of the newly-redesigned Google+ follow, and you can find a plethora of videos available on Google’s Blog. We’ve already heard from several of you, with opinions ranging from “OMG, I totes LOVE the new Google+” to “Great, Google+ now looks exactly like Facebook,” but we want to hear from more of you. How do you feel about the newly-redesigned Google+ network? Sound off in the comments.

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ASUS Transformer Pad 300 gets an early retail debut, may start at $379

Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:12 PM PDT

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ASUS certainly isn’t going to be challenging Samsung anytime soon for the “ridiculous number of tablets crown,” but with the Transformer Prime TF700T, the 370T (Nexus tablet?) and of course the Transformer Pad 300 pictured above, they aren’t exactly slouches either.

Those first two are certainly grabbing a few more headlines as the TF700T is basically a Transformer Prime with a 1920×1200 display – and while that may not be resolutionary (yeah I just threw up a little) – it’s definitely a welcome upgrade to an already fantastic piece of hardware. Then of course you have the 370T, which fortunately or unfortunately may have been co-opted by Google to do duty as the first true Nexus tablet.

The Transformer Pad 300 still deserves a look as well though, as it offers virtually all of the features of the Transformer Prime with just a slightly diminished screen (IPS rather than IPS+) and a thicker frame being the two concessions. Your reward for accepting those compromises is a fairly significant savings with the 16GB version of the Transformer Pad 300 ringing up for just $379 and just $20 more for 32GB (according to a J&R representative that spoke to the Verge). The same representative claimed that they should have them in stock “in about a week.” Internationally, the 32GB Transformer Pad 300 also appeared on the French Tablette Store for €499.

As you probably surmised from the picture and the Transformer name, the keyboard dock is alive and well for the Transformer Pad 300 and should be setting you back an additional $149.

Anyone looking to save a little coin and go with the Transformer Pad 300 when it launches or do you have your heart set on either the full HD or more pocketable additions to the ASUS tablet family?
Posted by at 7:59 AM

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