20 May 12 China to Google: Android must remain open
In giving the thumbs-up to Google’s acquisition of Motorola, regulators in China stipulated that Google must make
Android free and open for five years, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed with CNET today.
The stipulation would seem to be designed to keep Google from denying Motorola’s handset competitors access to the mobile operating system, or from giving Motorola an advantage of some sort — such as integration between its handsets and Android that’s tighter than connections between rival phones and the OS.
From the beginning, Google has taken an open approach with Android, making it free and available to any hardware manufacturer — a strategy that’s helped to quickly make Android the No. 1 mobile OS globally.
“Many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success and we look forward to continuing our work with all of them on an equal basis to deliver outstanding user experiences,” Google CEO Larry Page said during a conference call last August, at the time the intended acquisition was announced. “We built Android as an open-source platform and it will stay that way.”
Still, despite the offering of such olive branches, and despite Android’s great success as an open OS, Motorola rivals may well have been nervous. “Any way (Google) tries to couch this, there’s no doubt Motorola is the most favored player,” Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg told CNET’s Roger Cheng in August. “If I’m a third-party vendor, I have some real concerns here.”
That’s in part because it could have at least crossed Google’s mind to integrate its software and services more tightly with the Motorola hardware, following Apple’s end-to-end approach with its own hardware and services.
Apple uses the sale of its iPhones and iPads to drive sales of iTunes, the App store, iCloud, and other offerings. Google, of course, has its own services — Google Drive, Google+, and so on — and a Google-focused Android device could further push subscribers to them. Ultimately, it’s these services that are the money-makers for Google. Fragmentation of Android is another concern, and a dominant, tightly integrated Android handset might help to address that.
What, then, would rival phone makers do? There aren’t many alternatives to Android. Windows Phone might become a more attractive option, but then, Microsoft has a cozy relationship with Nokia, so it could be deja vu all over again. Here’s what CNET’s Maggie Reardon had to say back in August, in a discussion of the merger’s possible impact on consumers:
What is likely to happen is that HTC, LG, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung will remain Android partners, but they may have to find new ways to differentiate their products from Motorola’s more Google-centric hardware. This may mean that HTC offers more advancements for its Sense software, which rides on top of the Android software. And Samsung may develop more TouchWiz customizations.
For consumers this could either be a good thing or a bad thing. If executed well, it will offer consumers more variety in device capabilities as well as look and feel. But if it’s not executed well, it could just mean more fragmentation in the Android ecosystem.
Reardon also wrote that the merger would probably lead to more-advanced devices from Google, a good thing for consumers.
With the stipulation from China’s regulators (which was reported earlier today by several media outlets), all this may have become moot. And if Google is to be believed, it may not have been an issue anyway.
A company representative told CNET today that Google’s “stance since we agreed to acquire Motorola has not changed and we look forward to closing the deal.”
So, had it crossed Google’s mind to tie Android tightly to Motorola handsets? We might have to wait five years to find out. And who knows what the landscape will look like then?
We have an e-mail out to Motorola for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-32969_3-57437774-300/china-to-google-android-must-remain-open/
Tags: China, CNET, Google Drive, HTC, Michael Gartenberg, OS
14 May 12 How money matters when luring developers to RIM, Windows Phone
Apple’s iOS and Google’s
Android are where all the users are, but Windows Phone and BlackBerry may be where the money’s at.
It isn’t enough to have extensive outreach programs, or even to give out free test devices anymore. With Android and iOS far and away dominant in the market, companies outside of the iOS-Android duopoly need to go the extra mile to lure in developers.
So, of course, it comes down to financial incentives. Microsoft has long paid high-profile developers to port their apps over. Last week, Research in Motion guaranteed developers that they would make $10,000 in their first year, or be compensated by the company directly. While not going so far, Nokia said it would offer developers a business development kit, or the financial equivalent of an SDK.
“Developers feel like a number with (the iOS and Android platforms), but we’ll be a partner with them,” Richard Kerris, vice president of global developer relations for Nokia, told me last week at the CTIA Wireless show.
The moves highlight the lengths these companies will go to ensure that they have a healthy following of developers. More and more, applications are making and breaking operating systems, and lack of developer support can deal a crippling blow to one’s cause. The stakes have never been higher for Microsoft’s Windows Phone and RIM’s BlackBerry 10, both of which are desperate to rally developers to their standards.
Nokia wants to work with developers in bringing their apps to market. It’s not just a matter of giving them code and walking away. The company will provide business education, in-app analytics, and teach them how to make websites, put up videos, and promote their apps. The key is to increase the percentage of developers that make a profit.
“We want to work with developers on a one-on-one basis,” Kerris said.
Nokia has been slowly rolling out a BDK to its developer partners over the last few months, and plans to a more extensive expansion of its support over the next few months. The BDK was formed from several conversations with developers, identifying what they needed to have a successful app.
RIM is taking its outreach program even further, guaranteeing developers $10,000 in sales in the first year on the BlackBerry 10 platform. There are, of course, some conditions, including the requirement to make an actual quality app. But for those that qualify, RIM will pay the difference if their app doesn’t meet that threshold.
That’s a bold move that should get some developers are least curious about the BlackBerry 10 platform. Of course, RIM said it isn’t a huge risk, as it claims that most of its apps already make a ton of money.
“We can tell you from our experience that if someone has an app with a good business model, it won’t be difficult for them to reach $10,000 in revenue the first year,” Christopher Smith, vice president of application platform and tools for RIM, told CNET last week. “The $10,000 guarantee program is more of a statement of confidence to our developers.”
In fact, that’s been RIM’s message for a while. Alec Saunders, vice president of developer relations, has long maintained that BlackBerry World is the second most profitable app store after Apple’s App Store.
Even Nokia won’t go where RIM is willing to in terms of financial support. The company won’t pay for support or even guarantee revenue.
“Writing a check is not the same as working with a developer,” Kerris said.
While iOS and Android offer a huge customer base, there are also proportionally way more flops on those platforms. With so many apps, it’s difficult to stand out unless you already have an extensive marketing strategy prepared or a track record of great apps. Which might make the fringes of the mobile business a more attractive place to be — or at least start.
“There is real money to be made here, unlike some of our competitors,” Smith said.
CNET senior writer Marguerite Reardon contributed to this story.
Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57432991-94/how-money-matters-when-luring-developers-to-rim-windows-phone/
Tags: BDK, CNET, Marguerite Reardon, Richard Kerris, RIM, Windows Phone
27 Apr 12 Chrome for Android Soon to Exit Beta
Google’s Chrome for Android browser could soon complete beta testing and go into general release. This move could mean an end to the “app era” for mobile devices. A capable browser tailored to Android devices could give mobile computing (at least Android mobile computing) the flexibility we associate with the wired Internet.
This would be a blow to the re-emerging walled garden model of captive consumers, along with the firms building those walled gardens. And a mobile environment more like the wired Internet could mean new freedom for midsize firms. Freedom for consumers also means freedom for firms seeking to reach those consumers.
Swatting Bugs
As reported by Stephen Shankland at CNET, Google’s Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Chrome and Apps, outlined expectations for Chrome for Android in a recent interview. The interview coincided with the release of the second beta version. According to Pichai, Chrome developers are still working on bugs and stability. But the mobile version of Google’s browser is expected to be ready for general release in “a matter of weeks.”
The initial beta version was released in February, and drew positive reviews. Chrome will be available only for Android 4.0, better known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). At this point few ICS phones have entered the marketplace, but Google obviously expects that to change.
Leapfrogging Apple and Facebook?
Browsers are such a familiar and established technology that we can forget their central importance in providing full access to the Internet. But the limitations of mobile-device browsers have caused the mobile environment to develop thus far in a quite different way.
The mobile world is dominated by apps. These are typically small programs that support only one activity and only on one site. This is great news for the app’s provider–the user is much less likely to click away to some other site.
Thus, apps support a walled-garden model of online experience. Apple has built its entire iGadget experience around a walled-garden model, while Facebook is promoting a walled-garden model even for the wired Internet.
With Chrome for Android, Google is challenging this walled garden and seeking to encourage full access to the open Internet, even for mobile devices.
If consumers accept this invitation, midsize firms stand to be major winners. The walled-garden model, promoted by giants like Apple and Facebook, shuts midsize firms out. At best, they can reach consumers only on terms dictated by the walled garden’s owner.
For midsize firms, an open Internet for mobile devices will open new channels that IT managers at those firms can offer to marketing and other departments seeking to interact directly with consumers, not limited by the narrow confines of apps and walled gardens.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Article source: http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/chrome-for-android-soon-to-exit-beta
Tags: CNET, Google Sundar Pichai, IBM, IT, Midsize Business, Stephen Shankland
26 Apr 12 Android and Windows phones with gorgeous displays
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/samsung-galaxy-nexus-verizon/4505-6454-7-35099738.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)
The good: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus marries the power of the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS with the speed of Verizon’s LTE network. The phone’s beautiful screen and internal performance are top-notch.
The bad: The Galaxy Nexus lacks a slot for expandable memory, and the 5-megapixel camera isn’t Samsung’s best. There’s no support for Google Wallet, and several Ice Cream Sandwich features take some getting used to.
The cost: $49.99 to $299.99
The bottom line: As the first U.S. phone with Ice Cream Sandwich, Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Nexus took a coveted, solitary step forward. However, once other premium handsets receive the updated Android OS, the Galaxy Nexus loses some of its competitive edge.
LG Nitro HD
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/lg-nitro-hd-at/4505-6452-7-35089068.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The LG Nitro HD has a stunning 4.5-inch HD display, 1080p HD video, an 8-megapixel camera and support for 4G LTE. There’s a 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats.
The bad: There’s a pronounced camera shutter lag on the Nitro HD, and the battery drained faster than it should have.
The cost: $79.99 to $499.99
The bottom line: With its gorgeous display, high-def everything and 4G speeds, the LG Nitro HD has what it takes to compete; however, a few flaws keep it from trampling the competition.
HTC Rezound
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/htc-rezound-verizon-wireless/4505-6452-7-35023866.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The HTC Rezound has a gorgeous 4.3-inch 720p HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and Verizon’s 4G/LTE speeds. It ships with a pair of Beats earbuds along with a Beats Audio algorithm designed to enhance audio quality.
The bad: The HTC Rezound is quite bulky and call quality could be better. The Beats Audio software can only be toggled in the Music app.
The cost: $99.99 to $199.99
The bottom line: While it may have a hefty build, the HTC Rezound’s beautiful display, commendable performance, and multimedia-rich features make it a top phone for Verizon customers.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s-ii/4505-6452-7-35055815.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket has a beautiful 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display along with a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, an NFC chip and support for ATT’s LTE network. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and has an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The bad: ATT’s LTE network is only available in a few cities at the time of the Skyrocket’s launch, it has a somewhat cheap, plastic feel, and you can’t remove bloatware.
The cost: $99.99 to $449
The bottom line: If you live in an area that gets ATT’s LTE network, we highly recommend the powerful and beautiful Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.
The following CNET staff contributed to this story: associate editor Lynn La, senior managing editor Kent German, senior editor Jessica Dolcout, former senior associate editor Nicole Lee and senior editor Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, please visit www.cnet.com.
2012, CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Article source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/04/25/2496165/android-and-windows-phones-with.html
Tags: CNET, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jessica Dolcout, Kent German, Lynn La, Nicole Lee
18 Apr 12 iHome intros budget line of Android accessories
The iHome iC50 FM clock radio and speaker dock retails for $59.99.
(Credit:
iHome)
A lot of CNET readers like to complain that we cover too many Apple accessories and not enough
Android ones. Well, the truth is there just aren’t nearly as many accessories out there marketed toward Android users.
But iHome, after specializing for years in
iPhone/iPod docks, is jumping on the Android bandwagon with a new line of budget-priced Android accessories.
Priced at less than $60, the number of products is rather limited at launch, but will obviously grow over time.
Featured items on iHome’s site include the iC50, a $59.99 alarm clock radio dock, and the iC3, a $39.99 charging dock for
Android tablets and smartphones that includes a speaker and doubles as a stand.
Naturally, any of iHome’s Bluetooth accessories will work with Android devices, but these products are being branded as true Android accessories.
The iHome iC50 and iC3 are available now and this summer the company will release a third product in the line, the $59.99 iC16, a compact portable alarm clock stereo speaker with USB charging.
The iHome iC3 is a $39.99 speaker dock that works with both Android smartphones and tablets.
(Credit:
iHome)
Article source: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57415804-251/ihome-intros-budget-line-of-android-accessories/
13 Apr 12 Sony Android SmartWatch And inPulse Pebble Compared (VIDEO)
On Wednesday a Kickstarter campaign for the inPulse Pebble, a smartwatch that is compatible with both Android and iPhone, met with almost instant approval and reached its fundraising goal of $100,000 in just two hours. Now, Sony has announced its own smartwatch that is designed to sync solely with Android.
The devices are similar in that they both run applications that sync with smartphone operating systems and allow for control of those apps from a convenient wrist-mounted display. So is there an advantage to buying a smartwatch that works with one leading device instead of two?
In short: No.
Let’s be realistic — the mere fact that the Pebble works with two operating systems puts the Sony watch at a disadvantage, especially since the watches are both priced at $149, according to the Web sites of inPulse and Sony. A user who wanted the flexibility to move from Android to iPhone or vice versa would be better served by the Pebble.
There are other key differences. The Sony watch has a snazzy touch display, but the functional e-paper watch face of the Pebble is viewable in direct sunlight. The battery life of the Pebble claims to last for seven or more days, while a CNET review of the Sony device puts its longevity at two days, max.
In terms of aesthetic differences, the Sony watch offers a variety of colored watch bands to liven up its product, while the Pebble so far only comes in three colors — with a fourth to be decided — but has customizable watch faces.
The watches appear to offer similar apps, such as remote controls for music and stats displays for jogging and cycling, and both companies plan to release a software development kit so that more applications can be created.
However, in a video (above) by the Wall Street Journal‘s Digits blog, Ina Fried of AllThingsDigital surmises that developers “are only going to build [apps] if [the watch] starts selling well.” With the competition offered by the Pebble, that might be a big if. The only thing that Sony seems to have going for it is that its Android-compatible watch is already available for purchase.
While the Digits blog reporters seem skeptical of the usefulness of smartwatches in general, the enthusiasm for the Pebble is undeniable: At time of writing, the Pebble Kickstarter had drawn more than $1.9 million in pledges, having surpassed $1 million in just 28 hours.
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Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/13/sony-android-smartwatch-inpulse-pebble-comparison_n_1423643.html
Tags: CNET, Ina Fried, Pebble Kickstarter, Wall Street Journal
21 Mar 12 How to control music without switching tabs in Chrome
Whether you’re the DJ at your workplace or you just like to browse Web radio at home, there are a zillion options for listening to your favorite tunes. One drawback of Web-based listening is keeping track of the tab that’s playing the music when you need to backtrack, skip ahead, or otherwise control the flow. Unity Player is a great, free Chrome extension that lets you use basic controls from any tab. Here’s how to use it:
- Install Unity Player here.
- You should now have an icon in the upper right of Chrome that looks like a musical note. When you’ve got music playing in some other Chrome tab, just click that icon to bring up a small control panel featuring the album art.
Unity Player in action.
(Credit:
Rob Lightner/CNET) - Skip ahead, pause, backtrack, thumbs-up, or thumbs-down as you wish.
- You can also click the album art thumbnail to bring up the tab that is playing the music if you want to make changes or close it entirely.
That’s it! The range of music apps covered is fairly broad and includes Grooveshark, Turntable.fm, Google Music, and Pandora. There’s no support for Spotify or Last.fm yet, but I’d expect the developers to add them pretty quickly if they can. (Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET.)
Article source: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57401231-285/how-to-control-music-without-switching-tabs-in-chrome/
Tags: CNET, DJ, Install Unity Player, Unity Player
14 Mar 12 Google to give Chrome a Metro sheen
Never fear, Windows 8 Metro browsers that aren’t Internet Explorer are near. Google says that Chrome will go Metro for the new operating system.
Chrome will come to Windows 8 Metro when Microsoft’s in-development operating system is released to the public, a Google representative has confirmed with CNET.
“Our goal is to be able to offer our users a speedy, simple, secure Chrome experience across all platforms, which includes both the desktop and Metro versions of Windows 8. To that end, we’re in the process of building a Metro version of Chrome along with improving desktop Chrome in Windows 8, such as adding enhanced touch support,” wrote the representative in an e-mail to CNET. As first reported by Mashable, this indicates so far that Google will be following Microsoft’s lead by developing two interfaces for Windows 8: one for Metro, and one for the desktop view. Beyond that, Google would not confirm any other plans for Chrome in Metro. However, Mozilla revealed last Friday many of the challenges in developing a third-party browser for Windows 8 that go beyond just two different interfaces. Problems include a “very large” amount of new code, according to Mozilla developer Brian Bondy, but also a limitation imposed by Microsoft that currently prevents third-party browsers from running in Metro mode unless they’re chosen as the default browser.Opera is also keeping a close eye on Windows 8, although the company wouldn’t confirm whether development on a Metro version of Opera had begun. “Unfortunately, we can’t comment on any specifics yet, other than we are currently looking into Windows 8. The new OS and the Metro UI offers an interesting new platform and we know users will want to run Opera on it,” said Arnstein Teigene, the Opera desktop product manager.
At the time of writing, Apple has not commented on Windows 8 plans for
Safari.
Updated 1:05 p.m. PT: Added a statement from Opera.
Article source: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57396484-12/google-to-give-chrome-a-metro-sheen/
Tags: Arnstein Teigene, CNET, OS, PT
14 Mar 12 Google to give Chrome a Metro sheen
Never fear, Windows 8 Metro browsers that aren’t Internet Explorer are near. Google says that Chrome will go Metro for the new operating system.
Chrome will come to Windows 8 Metro when Microsoft’s in-development operating system is released to the public, a Google representative has confirmed with CNET.
“Our goal is to be able to offer our users a speedy, simple, secure Chrome experience across all platforms, which includes both the desktop and Metro versions of Windows 8. To that end, we’re in the process of building a Metro version of Chrome along with improving desktop Chrome in Windows 8, such as adding enhanced touch support,” wrote the representative in an e-mail to CNET. As first reported by Mashable, this indicates so far that Google will be following Microsoft’s lead by developing two interfaces for Windows 8: one for Metro, and one for the desktop view. Beyond that, Google would not confirm any other plans for Chrome in Metro. However, Mozilla revealed last Friday many of the challenges in developing a third-party browser for Windows 8 that go beyond just two different interfaces. Problems include a “very large” amount of new code, according to Mozilla developer Brian Bondy, but also a limitation imposed by Microsoft that currently prevents third-party browsers from running in Metro mode unless they’re chosen as the default browser.Opera is also keeping a close eye on Windows 8, although the company wouldn’t confirm whether development on a Metro version of Opera had begun. “Unfortunately, we can’t comment on any specifics yet, other than we are currently looking into Windows 8. The new OS and the Metro UI offers an interesting new platform and we know users will want to run Opera on it,” said Arnstein Teigene, the Opera desktop product manager.
At the time of writing, Apple has not commented on Windows 8 plans for
Safari.
Updated 1:05 p.m. PT: Added a statement from Opera.
Article source: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57396484-12/google-to-give-chrome-a-metro-sheen/?part=rss&subj=software&tag=title
Tags: Arnstein Teigene, CNET, OS, PT
22 Feb 12 Chrome for Android’s Pichai promises major improvements ahead
In an interview with CNET, Google’s Senior VP and head of Chrome, Sundar Pichai, made some exciting promises on the future of Chrome for Android. The beta browser optimized for the mobile Android platform was released just two weeks ago and is available only for Android 4.0, but has already reached 500,000 downloads.
The general response to Chrome for Android has been positive although there’s still much room for improvement. Google is good at taking feedback and quickly tossing out updates and this will certainly be the case according to Pichai. He is confident that the browser will improve by “leaps and bounds” over the next year. Although Pichai didn’t give too many specifics, he did mention that the browser will be getting the option to view desktop versions of webpages along with full-screen browsing and an automatically hiding Omnibar. Flash, however, will not be supported, an issue that’s been attributed to Adobe’s unwillingness to update Flash support for Chrome on Android. [via Android Community]
Article source: http://www.slashgear.com/chrome-for-androids-pichai-promises-major-improvements-ahead-20214440/
Tags: Although Pichai, CNET, Sundar Pichai
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