In a move that signals a greater commitment to hardware design and manufacture, Google has purchased industrial design firm Mike and Maaike. Mike and Maaike is a studio that worked on the first Google Nexus phone, and the purchase seems to indicate a greater focus for Google on hardware design in the wake of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
Google is reportedly preparing to shift its Android strategy away from exclusive partnerships that have resulted in the existing Nexus-branded devices. The search giant is said to be embracing multiple hardware makers that will simultaneously develop different devices powered by the next major Android release, referred to as Jelly Bean, unnamed sources have told The Wall Street Journal (sub. required).
Google chief Larry Page hinted at a shift in his company's Android tablet strategy during his company's quarterly results call on Thursday. When asked about what Google would do to improve Android's poor showing on tablets, he believed that most success would come at the lower end of the market. Google was "quite focused" on the category, he said, without saying what that meant.
Rumors percolating for a Google reference Android tablet were supplemented by a brief tip late Thursday. A Google staffer claimed to the New York Times that the hardware would be available later in the year. Details were scarce in the tip, although the newspaper supported the idea that it was aimed as much at the Kindle Fire as at the iPad and other, regular tablets.
NVIDIA's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang in an interview mid-week has predicted that Android tablets will hit $199 by the summer. Speaking to the New York Times, he predicted that the presumably Tegra-based hardware would shave about $150 in costs. Some of this would come from reducing flash storage, although he also implied that quality might take a drop through reductions in "build materials."
Google as anticipated started taking registrations for Google I/O 2012. The tickets to the developer event, which cost $900 for regular developers and $300 for education, sold out in less than one hour. In an unusual step meant to drive adoption, anyone who signed up had to do so both as a Google+ member and by using Google Wallet, neither of which was a deterrent.
ASUS' global vice president Xu Youjia, while speaking at conference in China earlier this week, revealed the company aims to be the top tablet maker, behind only Apple and its iPad. In order to do so, Youjia indicated the company will innovate rather than follow others, though any specifics, technical or otherwise, weren't shared by the China Times. The company's current flagship tablet is the quad-core Transformer Prime, which uses NVIDIA's Tegra 3 processor.
(Update: extra rumors) Google's repeatedly rumored reference Android tablet, informally thought of as a Nexus tablet, may be focused on cost even more than thought. A senior staffer at an American supply chain firm claimed to Android and Me that the price window had been dropped by $50 to $149 to $199. However, any chance at a quad-core Tegra 3 might be dashed, as it would use an unnamed chip to save money.
Google's rumored Nexus-like Android tablet has once more been attached to ASUS by a leak late Thursday. The seven-inch tablet was now thought by Digitimes' contacts to be coming as soon as May for between $199 to $249. ASUS had been picked because it could manufacture the devices itself and had "good product quality."
Isis, which is due to kick off this summer, has now secured cash register and payment hardware makers VeriFone, Ingenico, ViVOtech, and Equinox Payments as partners. They have vowed to integrate the Isis Mobile Commerce Application wireless payments technology into their future products. Isis will use NFC technology for payments, digital couponing, location-based social media offers, and more. It's a competitor for Google's Wallet offering.
Just days after rumors suggested LG is involved in talks with Google to produce the next Nexus handset, a fresh report suggests HTC may be vying for the same position. HTC's Jeff Gordon told Tech Radar that Google "hasn't chosen its Nexus partner," however he also noted that "all the manufacturers are crossing their fingers."
LG has reportedly confirmed that it is involved in ongoing discussions with Google in an attempt to be considered as the next manufacturer behind a Nexus device. LG's smartphone division head, Ramchan Woo, told CNET that the companies are "heavily in discussions," though he cautioned that a final commitment has yet to be sealed.
Google's rumored self-designed tablet got unusual anecdotal support from NPD's DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim. He still saw it as a seven-inch tablet, with a 1280x800 display, but told CNET that he understood production would start in April. As many as 1.5 million to two million would be made, Shim claimed.
Motorola was unusually critical of its likely future acquirer Google late Wednesday in an interview. Senior enterprise business VP Christy Wyatt claimed to PCMag that Google made timely Android OS updates difficult because of its tendency to target each major release against a reference phone like the Galaxy Nexus. Since the initial release only supported that hardware, no other Android partner could get started on drivers and other code they needed to get moving.
Motorola on Sunday night briefly teased (now pulled) a special Developer Edition of the modern RAZR. The new version will make the promised unlocked bootloader readily available so that users can easily load custom firmware or otherwise go beyond what carriers and Motorola allow. It should ship this week in Europe, and a "developer device" that may or may not be the RAZR should come to the US in "coming months."
A pair of sources claimed Friday that Google was partnering with LG to develop a refernece Google TV set. Much like the Galaxy Nexus or the Nexus One before it, the display outlined to Bloomberg would run the latest version of the Android-based interface, possibly before anyone else, and would go without any customizations. The set would be running the next major version, which Google has already said should arrive before the end of the year.
A contentious rumor late Wednesday had Google's self-made tablet focusing on a very different segment of the market. Part suppliers alleged to Digitimes that the Android 4.0 device would compete with the Kindle Fire, not the iPad. Accordingly, they suspected it would have a seven-inch screen but cost $199 or less when it shipped in March or April.
There's a moment at the end of the movie 1900 (one of Robert De Niro's great early roles) where the peasants think they've finally won the revolution as Italy's fascists are overthrown. We're free, our harsh rulers are dead or gone! Then, however, the "revolutionary committee" comes and says they must give up their guns. After they do, they realize that they have just as little power as they did before; they just handed the power to another master, and now they don't have the righteous energy to fight back.
Google's Android 4.0 update for the Nexus S stalled out Tuesday. The company posted on its forums that it was holding the update to "monitor feedback" after users reported unusually high battery drain. Possibly triggered by a processor use spike, the problem wasn't enough to stop updates worldwide, but the upgrade wouldn't return until Google was satisfied there wasn't an issue.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt in an interview with Italy's Corriere Della Sera raised the prospect of a Nexus tablet. The search firm planned to sell a tablet of the "highest quality" within six months' time. He didn't mention the Nexus label by name, but Google usually hasn't marketed anyone else's tablet itself, even for the reference Xoom.
Google confirmed Friday that it was rolling out Android 4.0 to the Nexus S, making it the first device outside of the Galaxy Nexus to get a finished version. GSM versions of the earlier reference phone will start getting the update over-the-air now and finish within a month. They get all the features of the update save for the on-screen navigation buttons they don't need.
Largely unknown company Garnet Digital hoped to profit from the work of the US cellphone field with a lawsuit quietly filed late last week. It accuses those who make the OS, device makers who sell in the US, and most major US carriers and distributors of violating one patent for a generic "Interactive Terminal For The Access Of Remote Database Information." Among those named are Apple, Google, and RIM, pure hardware makers like HTC, LG, and Samsung, stores like Radio Shack, as well as carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Samsung late on Monday brought out a new NFC (near-field communications) chip that promised a tougher level of security for paying through a smartphone even as it became more elegant. The Secu-NFC, known also as the SENHRN1, borrows technology from smart cards and "advanced" encryption to keep payments, such as tapping the phone at a subway turnstile, safe. As a system-in-package, though, it doesn't need to consume as much space as a completely separate NFC chip, improving the footprint in the tight spaces of a smartphone.
Rogers revealed that it's making good on its promise to ship the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphone. A limited number of customers who reserved it should get the phone no later than next week with more shipments scheduled for next week. The carrier also said it plans to have enough devices to fulfill all pre-orders.
HTC in an update Friday gave an early sign of its plans to upgrade phones to Android 4.0. While vague, it set out to upgrade "as many HTC devices as possible". More details would come in the weeks ahead, the company wrote.
Motorola in responses to fans revealed that the Droid RAZR's bootloader would stay locked and prevent customers from loading their choice of firmware. In a pre-made statement, it claimed that it had to lock the bootloader due a request from Verizon. There were also "security, safety and regulatory guidelines" that had to be met, it claimed.
Google may unintentionally follow Apple with a key feature in Android 4.0, better known as Ice Cream Sandwich. A set of icons spotted on Saturday by Android Police are believed to be for editing in the Gallery app and go slightly beyond what such apps offer. Along with basic cropping and automatic fixes, it should have exposure compensation, sharpening, color modification, and "artistic" effects filters.
Photos allegedly taken by Samsung's new Android 4 flagship handset, Galaxy Nexus/Nexus Prime, have appeared on Google+. The pictures were shared by two Google engineers, Roman Kirillov and Chris Yerga, and show "Galaxy Nexus" as the camera name in the EXIF data. The photos use the default resizing for Google+, which limits them to 3 megapixels instead of the 8 megapixels indicated by previous leaks.
Both Google and T-Mobile attempted to stave off a possible ITC ban on HTC devices Friday with responses to the ITC's requests for input on Apple's win in the trade dispute before a December 6 hearing. T-Mobile wanted to deny a ban regardless of whether or not the ruling upheld infringement since it saw the loss of HTC's hardware as irreplaceable. Android buyers tended just to look for other Android devices, and Apple's suggestions of device picks as workarounds were disingenuous: it simply wanted to shut down competition from Android and suggested everything else that wasn't a similar threat, T-Mobile said.
Much of the Galaxy Nexus' mystery was taken away Friday after a Romanian leak and video (below). The Gadget.ro slip shows a design mostly in line with a small peek where the entire front is dominated by its touchscreen. Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) would let it use software-based buttons and, significantly, drop the search button that had once been common to most Android phones.
New details of Samsung's Android 4 flagship may have surfaced in a late leak. The curved design, possibly called either the Nexus Prime or Galaxy Nexus, is expected by a reliable BGR source to be thicker than the Galaxy S II but thinner than the iPhone 4S, at about 9mm (0.35in) thick. As the banner phone for Google's new OS, nicknamed Ice Cream Sandwich, it's also now believed to carry the 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor that will be the reference chip for Android 4 phones.
Samsung is apparently taking the final steps it needs to prepare the Nexus Prime for launch. The phone maker has listed its GT-i9250, believed to be the GSM version of the Nexus Prime smartphone, with the Bluetooth SIG. This is usually done shortly before a product begins shipping.
As hinted earlier, Google Wallet on Monday went active for real users. The service in starting off will still work on just Citi MasterCards and the virtual Google Prepaid Card, but is now opening to rival cards. American Express, Discover, and Visa are all making their NFC specs available to let banks add the cards to the mobile payment system.
A further Twitter clue from leaker Tom Fleming has hinted that the Google Nexus Prime will still aim for a global launch and more directly take on Apple once again. While only Verizon has its rumored November 3 date, the phone will still be available worldwide. The phone will be available with "GSM or WiMAX radios inside," implying that GSM carriers like AT&T or most Canadian providers as well as Sprint will be on tap.
A series of Twitter hints from possible insider Tom Fleming may have narrowed down the release details of the Nexus Prime. Backed by the historically very accurate leaker black_man_x, Fleming claimed that the smartphone will be available on the day "Bruce Wayne's true father did die," hinting at the November 3 death of author Bob Kane. He backed the widely reported talk of a Verizon release in noting that it would be available in the "stores of red and black."
The first official phone running Android's Ice Cream Sandwich update, alternately called the Google Nexus Prime or Samsung Droid Prime, may ship to Verizon roughly in sync with the iPhone 5. A rumor from a reported Verizon corporate worker claims that the flagship should be available "around [the] release of iPhone 5." He also told Droid-Life that there weren't indications at his level of the Droid badging reserved for Verizon-only phones, although he didn't rule it out.
More documents just publicized in the Oracle lawsuit against Google could have far-reaching implications for Google's buyout of Motorola. Although largely confirming existing beliefs, it shows that Google's official strategy is to "give early access" to Android code to those who use the stock OS. Motorola's original Droid and Verizon were singled out by name.
At last week's Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, Google Chairman and ex-CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that the code-named Ice Cream Sandwich build of Android will arrive in October or November. The software is expected to bring together the smartphone and tablet versions of the OS, making it easier for developers to create apps for both device types. The Droid Prime or Nexus Prime, a smartphone showcase for the OS, is expected to arrive at or near the same time.
Samsung's Droid Prime, possibly the Nexus Prime, has had its user agent profile leaked in a form that at once called into doubt and confirmed rumors. The web recognition code for the phone, the i9250, has the Android phone running a 480x800 screen and not the 720x1280 screen commonly rumored before. It would also use an ARM11 architecture more closely linked to TI's OMAP chips, which could support its using a dual-core 1.5GHz processor.
Apple's plans to bring the iPhone to Sprint are accurate, sources gave out Tuesday. The iPhone 5 is now set to reach the third-largest US carrier at the same time as it does AT&T and Verizon, in mid-October. The WSJ sources didn't confirm T-Mobile, although a prototype has been seen.
Verizon might get a Google Nexus phone for the first time if rumors are accurate. A "Samsung Prime," a reference to the Nexus Prime, has supposedly been seen in Verizon's offices, supporting the notion that it was in testing. What TechnoBuffalo was told lined up with earlier talk that had it carrying very advanced 4.5-inch, 720p display and Ice Cream Sandwich.
Google and Motorola may face a greater rift than the two companies' executives will let on, contacts inside Motorola said late Tuesday night. The Droid designer is still trying to overcome a legacy of management-heavy structure that emphasized formula and long development times. A one-time Motorola manager added to the WSJ that his company's engineers have been demoralized by years of excess management and won't be used to Google workers, who are used to being independent and authoritative.
Google in the call discussing its buyout of Motorola took further care to downplay concerns about it locking down the platform. Despite now having a hardware maker of its own, other companies would still have the option of bidding to make Nexus phones, as they have before. Concerns had existed that it would automatically grant Motorola the Nexus deal and leave partners like HTC (Nexus One) and Samsung (Nexus S) to fend for themselves.
An uncommon Lithuanian leak of a Samsung roadmap for the latter part of 2011 may have given out plans for a handful of future, very advanced phones. The i9250 seen by Mobili Linija would be Samsung's first-ever phone using Ice Cream Sandwich (possibly Android 4.0) and would have a larger screen to match, carrying a 4.65-inch display with an unprecedented 1280x720 (720p) resolution.
A follow-up scoop has filled in details of Google's third-generation Nexus phone. Currently nicknamed Prime, it may be built by Samsung for the second time in a row but would have less of Samsung's imprint than the Nexus S. The processor has been narrowed down by BGR's source to a 1.5GHz TI OMAP4460 and has fueled talk that TI is the reference for Ice Cream Sandwich just as NVIDIA's Tegra 2 was the basis for Android 3.0, or Honeycomb.
Google's promised Nexus phone may be one of the most advanced phones ever when it ships this fall, according to a detailed rumor on Wednesday. Tentatively called the Nexus 4G, it would be a centerpiece for Ice Cream Sandwich's all-touch interface with a "monster-sized," 720p screen. It would also pack LTE-based 4G and could even be the first cross-carrier LTE device since it will follow after AT&T's LTE network launch.
Google's third-generation Nexus phone may have been spotted for the first time in a sighting late Friday. The device, called just the Nexus 3 for sake of reference, was clearly designed by HTC with its signature curves and top grille. More crucially, the "Android Dev labs" source for TechHog showed a photo of a device that would scrap all front buttons in favor of nothing but touch, hinting that it would be the reference phone for Ice Cream Sandwich and its tablet-like interface.
HTC tonight followed up on its policy rethink with an official statement on Facebook that it would no longer lock bootloaders on its phones. CEO Peter Chou acknowledged criticism and vowed that customers could more easily modify Android devices' firmware from now on. He stopped short of saying whether the change would be retroactive or if it would be limited to upcoming hardware, but made clear that keeping loyalty was important.
T-Mobile Nexus S users trying to use the updated version of Google Talk video chat over 3G have discovered the new feature enabled in the Android 2.3.4 update has been blocked. Instead, users who try to place a video chat are presented a short message stating "You must be connected to a Wi-Fi network to start a video chat." The feature functions as expected over Sprint’s 3G network for users of the Nexus S 4G making it apparent that Google has left the functionality for networks to deploy as they choose.
Isis, the coalition of US wireless carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to bring NFC payments on handsets to the masses, will not go forward as planned earlier, according to reports on Wednesday. While trials were due to start early in 2012, the three carriers have now purportedly agreed to change their approach and make it less advanced. Instead, they will create a "mobile wallet" that will link users' existing Visa, MasterCard or other major credit cards to the account, though this is not official yet.
