Android Authority |
- Google Play Music now available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK
- Microsoft vs Motorola trial could reveal patent deals and sales figures
- Walmart’s Head of Mobile doesn’t believe in NFC, says there’s no problem with using cash and plastic
- Apple’s new “Blue Sky” initiative sounds a lot like Google’s 20% time
- The first drop in text message use among Americans has just been recorded
- Tech juggernauts Microsoft and Motorola to match up in court over royalty payments
- Google Music update brings better offline listening using the recent played lists and gapless playback
- Galaxy Nexus Android 4.2 update rolling out now, only GSM units getting it so far
- Android 4.2 update for Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 rolling out: lock screen widgets and multi-user support included
- Black Nexus 4 bumper spotted in the Play Store, costs $19.99
| Google Play Music now available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK Posted: 13 Nov 2012 02:34 AM PST
The Android ecosystem has always been mostly about apps, with the rest of Google's entertainment services being either unavailable to a lot of users or simply not very attractive. But with Google Play apps so close of overtaking iOS in both quality and quantity, we can finally say that Google is looking to up the ante in the music and movies departments, too. And how do you do that? Through promotions and special offers, of course, but also by making the services available to previously "underprivileged" users. Starting today, Google Play Music is officially and legally accessible to new users in "select" European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
This still leaves all of Asia in the fog, as well as Canada or Australia, not to mention a large part of "The Old Continent", but it's clearly a big step in the right direction. It also closely follows Google's newly signed partnership with Warner Music Group, which ensures Google Play Music users that they can download all their favorite tracks and albums across all of the major record labels globally. To wrap it all up with a pretty little bow, Google has also updated the Play Music app for Android and Google TV. The 4.4811H version of the app brings the usual bug fixes, but also the adding of a much awaited gapless playback feature (only for Jelly Bean-based mobile devices), improvements for keeping music on gadgets for offline playback, and the added ability to keep Thumbs Up, Last Added, and Free and Purchased playlists on your devices. Meanwhile, Google Play movies have been recently made available to new users in Australia, Canada, Germany, France and the UK, while other countries should get the service "over the next few months". Now that’s what we’d call commitment towards creating a unified and solid ecosystem across the world! Related Posts |
| Microsoft vs Motorola trial could reveal patent deals and sales figures Posted: 13 Nov 2012 02:31 AM PST
You'd be forgiven if patent war fatigue is starting to set in. The petty squabbling over patent licensing has reached epic proportions in the mobile industry. The good news is that juicy details you'd never otherwise hear about the giants of tech are often revealed in the courtroom and it looks as though that will be the case in the Microsoft vs Motorola trial which kicks off today. Microsoft and Google-owned Motorola both submitted a request to Judge Robart ahead of the trial to request that he keep certain financial details secret – they actually want him to clear the Seattle courtroom when licensing deals or sales projections are discussed. Robart said no. The actual documents won't be made public, but testimony will be given in open court. In his statement he wrote that if a witness discloses "pertinent terms, rates or payments" the information will be public and so will any documents the judge relies on to reach his opinion. If you missed the news Microsoft and Motorola are fighting over fair rates for patent licensing on standard essential patents or FRAND patents. Basically Motorola requested 2.25 percent of the sale price of infringing hardware and software, in this case that includes the Xbox 360. Microsoft said, no way, that would cost us over $4 billion, and then suggested $1.2 million would be fair. As you can see there's a bit of gulf between the two. This case will have serious ramifications going forward. Google acquired Motorola Mobility in large part to get its hands on a patent portfolio which is packed with essential patents and has been trying to use them to combat major patent infringement suits from Apple and Microsoft. If the judge decides that a relatively low royalty is fair then his opinion is likely to be referred to by other courts and it will seriously weaken Google's arsenal. The ultimate aim is to keep these essential patents out of courtroom disputes by establishing a fair rate. It won't stop Apple from aggressively pursuing cases with its portfolio of non-essential patents. A similar case with Apple claiming Motorola's demands for royalties on its FRAND patents were unfair was canceled last week because Apple refused to pay more than $1 per iPhone and the judge felt that was inappropriate. It seems the judges are getting sick of all this too. Judge Robert actually said back in the summer that he feels the companies are using the courts “as a pawn in a global, industry-wide business negotiation”. We'll keep you posted on what he decides, and on any juicy financial details that might emerge. Related Posts |
| Walmart’s Head of Mobile doesn’t believe in NFC, says there’s no problem with using cash and plastic Posted: 13 Nov 2012 01:19 AM PST
Gibu Thomas, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Digital at Walmart, doesn’t think mobile payments are going to be a big thing according to FierceWireless. He even went so far as to say that people are already used to paying for products with cash and credit cards, so what’s the point of introducing a third payment method? Does this mean Walmart doesn’t understand the future? Not in the slightest. In fact, the company is looking into launching a smartphone application that helps customers navigate their massive stores. Using the latest in indoor location technology at their San Jose, California store, customers will soon be able to search for items and then see exactly where to find them on a map. In the future, Walmart shoppers might also be able to scan barcodes using their phones to help speed up the self checkout process. But back to his comments about NFC, does he have a point? As much as it might pain you to hear this, we think Thomas hit the nail on the head. Cash and plastic work, there’s no denying that. All these companies fighting over making NFC the next big thing are just “more mouths to feed”, says Thomas. What he means by that is that Visa already takes a chunk out of processing payments. Operators and handset vendors want NFC to become the defacto payment method because they too want a slice of every transaction to flow into their pockets. This “battle”, if you want to call it that, is why the whole NFC scene today is a mess. When multiple parties fight for control, no one wins. All that being said, we’re super excited that there are rumors floating around the internets that say Google is planning to launch a plastic credit card. Even if it means manually having to top it up, just imagine what online banking would look like if Google got in the game? Related Posts |
| Apple’s new “Blue Sky” initiative sounds a lot like Google’s 20% time Posted: 13 Nov 2012 12:24 AM PST
Google is famous for the “perks” that they give their employees. Things like gourmet free lunches, shuttle service to and from work, an on-campus laundromat, but their most recognized program is easily “20% time”. In case you haven’t heard of it by now, Google basically gives employees one day of the week to work on whatever it is they want. Here are some Google services you might have heard of that started out as a 20% project: Gmail, Google News, and AdSense. Apple, looking to copy the best parts of Google, began something called the “Blue Sky” initiative earlier this year according to The Wall Street Journal. Here’s the exact wording:
It’s obviously not as widespread as Google’s 20% time since “Blue Sky” is only open to a select few, but it is a sign that even Apple is starting to recognize that some of their ideas are getting a bit stale. Scott Forstall, the former Head of iOS, is said to have been a part of this program. Will Apple’s employees come up with something as ground breaking as Gmail or as profitable as AdSense over the coming years? That’s hard to say. As much as the media loves to give Apple attention and call them an innovative company, they’re fundamentally in the box moving business. By that we mean they make money by selling you physical goods. That’s made them the biggest company America has ever seen, but all it takes is a few misteps for the empire to crumble. Google meanwhile, as long as advertising exisits, they exist. We don’t see the death of advertising happening anytime soon. Related Posts |
| The first drop in text message use among Americans has just been recorded Posted: 12 Nov 2012 11:36 PM PST
Text messages, those lovely succinct 160 character bursts of the human expression that are infinitely more practical than a phone call, are in danger. According to a report published earlier this week by the analyst firm Chetan Sharma, the average American sent 678 text messages per month during the third quarter. That’s down from 696 text messages in Q2. Why is this seemingly small drop so significant? Because this is the first time that a decline has been recorded. So why are people texting less? Here’s a few obvious ideas: Since smartphone penetration in the United States has now exceeded 50%, that means the average American carries a device in their pocket that can do email, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber, and various other services. Those services don’t need to use the ancient text message infrastructure to operate. Just look at Apple’s iPhone, which by default uses iMessage to text between other iPhone users. Considering how many people in America have iPhones, this drop was pretty much guaranteed to happen. What are operators going to do to recoup the revenues lost from the decline of texting? Easy, they’re going to start charging more for data. Most operators have also already made text messaging an unlimited or nothing proposition. You either pay $20 per month and can send as many texts as you want, or you pay absolutely nothing on your monthly phone bill, but then get price gouged to the tune of $0.25 per text. That scare tactic forces people to sign up for the unlimited plan, irrespective of the amount of text messages they know they’ll send in any given billing cycle. Back to iMessage for a second, we’re really curious as to why Google hasn’t rolled out something similar. Yes, every Android device has Google Talk, but that’s not the same. Services like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Viber are tied to your phone number, not your email address. That’s the key difference. Related Posts |
| Tech juggernauts Microsoft and Motorola to match up in court over royalty payments Posted: 12 Nov 2012 11:00 PM PST
For those who don’t know, here is pretty much how it works. When a company uses a patent from another company, they pay the patent holder royalties. All these lawsuits are stemming from companies claiming that others aren’t paying royalties for their inventions. We’re talking real inventions, not imaginary ones. Microsoft has taken it a step further by claiming that Motorola is charging an unfair amount for use of their industry standard patents. Industry standard patents are patents that are absolutely required for tech. Things such as wireless connectivity and video playback. As the Seattle Times reports, courts in Wisconsin were supposed to determine what is fair for patent payments. However, the courts there didn’t do it, so Microsoft is taking Motorola to court to try again. Even though the trial is taking place in Seattle this time, don’t be fooled. The decision for this case is very important and could cost or save companies billions of dollars. How much is Motorola even asking for these patents?According to the Seattle Times, Motorola asks for 2.25% of the sales price. So if a product costs $500, Motorola would make $11.25. It may sound trivial. However, when you add in the cost of building materials, other patent payments, distribution, and other costs, it adds up quickly. The results of this trial could also have big impacts on other cases involving the two tech juggernauts. This includes a potential injunction on Microsoft products in Germany as well as the United States. At this point, it’s hard to determine a side to root for anymore. Is Microsoft correct in thinking Motorola charges too much? Is Motorola going too far with the product injunctions? Let us know your thoughts. Related Posts |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:00 PM PST
Currently, there is a very efficient way of getting music onto your device from your Google Music account. You open the app, hit the menu button, and select to choose on device music. From there you can pick songs by artist or individual songs. It’s very handy to keep a small cache of your favorite tunes always available for offline consumption. The only downside is if your music collection is huge. Then it could take some time to weed out your favorites. Google Music is changing this by allowing users to create Instant Mixes by automatically selecting music from their Recent tab. This can be useful in a number of niche scenarios. Like if you just listened to an album you’d like to pull off your Google Music and keep on your phone to show to your friends. That’s just a single example out of many other uses. Did Google Music add anything else to the update?There were some other things included in the update. There is now gapless playback support. According to The Next Web, that part of the update is only applicable for devices running Jelly Bean 4.1 or higher. When combined with all the other features of Google Music, it shows Google Music is doing its best to improve. There are various sharing options, offline options, and they still let you add up to 20,000 of your own songs. After their rough start, there are many who’d like to see Google Music become a force in the music business. Is anyone excited about using the new offline features? Is anyone on Jelly Bean or higher experienced the gapless playback yet? Let us know what’s up. Related Posts |
| Galaxy Nexus Android 4.2 update rolling out now, only GSM units getting it so far Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:57 PM PST
It's November 13, at least in some regions of the world, which means we're about to get flooded by a variety of Nexus and Android 4.2 news. Earlier today we found out that the 16GB Nexus 4 is already sold out in Australia, but we also learned that Google is issuing an Android 4.2 update for Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 units that certain individuals have had the pleasure to work with in the past few weeks. Now, it's time to deliver some good news to (some) Galaxy Nexus owners. In case you own a GSM version of the handset, you'd better check out for updates, as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean may be closer than you think. Android Police reports that some GSM Galaxy Nexus users have already received the update, version JOP40C, but Verizon and Sprint Galaxy Nexus may have to wait a while until they'll be able to enjoy the new Android 4.2 features, at least officially. We're certainly curious to hear more from Galaxy Nexus owners out there. Have you received your Android 4.2 update yet? Related Posts |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:35 PM PST
While the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 are just about getting ready for launch – or were just launched in certain markets – some lucky folks got to play with Google's new smartphone and tablet for a few days now. And it looks like those units were not running the final Android 4.2 Jelly Bean version Google had in mind for them.
Engadget reports that an Android 4.2 update for the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 has been rolled out, enabling features such as lock screen widgets and multi-user support (this feature is going to be available only on Android tablets). According to the same publication, Google confirmed that this Android 4.2 build will be found on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 units that are getting ready to ship, which means buyers will be able to enjoy features like lock screen widgets and multi-user support from day one.
We'll definitely have more detailed Nexus and Android 4.2 coverage for you in the coming days, so don’t go anywhere! Related Posts |
| Black Nexus 4 bumper spotted in the Play Store, costs $19.99 Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:05 PM PST
It's almost November 13, which means new Nexus devices will be available for pre-order in various markets in the following hours. In fact, Australians can already order the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, with the 16GB Nexus 4 being sold out minutes after its official launch in the country. While you anxiously wait to purchase you next Nexus smartphone, we'll remind you that Google also has a special protection accessory for the handset, a bumper that's very much like the iPhone 4's bumper that got famous due to the Antennagate issues in 2010, and which was confirmed only a few weeks ago. The Nexus 4 bumper has apparently been listed in the Google Play Store already, so future Nexus 4 buyers will be able to get one for $19.99. The accessory is available in black only at this time, measures 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm and weighs 20g. The other, more interesting Nexus 4 accessory which should also be available from the Play Store later on, the wireless Charging Orb, is not yet available to interested consumers. Are you buying a bumper for your Nexus 4? Related Posts |
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