It seems like ages ago when Google announced it was buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. It was actually about 6 months ago, and at that time we figured it was going to be a battle with the U.S. Justice Department as well as the European Commission. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the U.S. Justice Department will clear the deal as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter. The European Commission will also decide next week on whether to approval the deal as they’ve set Monday, February 13 as a deadline.

Even if both clear the way, it won’t be smooth sailing as both departments are concerned with Google’s commitment to license Motorola patents to competitors under FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non nondiscriminatory) rules. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have read all about the various lawsuits between Apple, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Microsoft, and others. The concern is that many of these suits involve patents that are essential to making smartphones, like 3G and WiFi. Some of these patents have become industry standards and companies who own those patents need to agree to issue licenses under FRAND.

Google did promise organizations that it would offer licenses for FRAND patents in Motorola’s portfolio, but didn’t rule out seeking injunctions against those that refuse to license those FRAND patents. On the other hand, Apple and Microsoft also said they would offer licenses, but wouldn’t seek injunctions from those they feel violated those industry standard patents.

I certainly don’t see any of these legal battle slowing down, but I’m excited to see what Google and Motorola are going to do together. Motorola has been behind the shadows of Samsung, but they make the best hardware hands down. Motorola may or may not make the next Nexus device, but I believe we should see some interesting things out of Motorola by the end of the year, assuming this deal is finalized.

source: wall street journal

I don’t remember ever complaining that the Google+ app had performance issues, but Google thought so. Google has been busy this week with updates to Talk and the release of Chrome Beta for Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Things keep rolling as Google+ was just updated, and according to Google, you should notice “massive performance improvements.”  That’s not all as the full change log includes:

• Massive performance improvements across the app
• What’s Hot!
• View who +1′d a post or comment
• Stream posts shortened to fit more per scroll
• Infinite photos feed in ‘From your circles’
• Stream no longer jumps to the top for an automatic refresh

Let us know what you think in the comments and if you haven’t downloaded Google+ yet, hit one of our links after the break

Android Market Link

Have you ever found yourself reading a page on your computer and wishing you had a fast way to get that same page on your phone or tablet?  With the recent release of Google Chrome Beta, an extension for your desktop’s Chrome browser will allow you to send your web pages from your computer to your mobile device in an instant.  The extension is named Chrome to Mobile, and you can choose which device you’d like to send the webpage to, and you can even send a copy for offline viewing.  This a perfect feature to keep you occupied on a long (and normally boring) airplane ride.  This feature is very similar to Chrome to Phone that debuted with Android 2.2 Froyo; however, Chrome to Phone will not allow you to specify to which device you’d like to send the web page.

To get started, install Chrome to Mobile on your computer (see source link).  Next, install and sign into Google Chrome Beta on your phone, but keep in mind that it is currently only available for devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  Finally, just click on the phone icon in the browser’s omnibox, and send away!  The rest of us who are not running Ice Cream Sandwich will have to hope for this function to be available in the coming months.

Source: Chrome Web Store

2012 promises to be an interesting year for Motorola. Ever since Google confirmed their buyout of Motorola Mobility back in Q.3 last year, Android enthusiasts worldwide have been speculating what may come from the partnership. Already this year we’ve seen seen confirmation of the much anticipated Droid 4 and next up is the cheap and cheerful, MOTOLUXE.

Motorola is touting the Motoluxe as an affordable handset for the fashion conscious. This Android 2.3 handset sports a 4″ screen with a resolution of 480 x 854. There’s an 800 mhz processor and 512mb of RAM in the engine room. There’s also an 8mp camera on board to make sure you can get a quality HD snap of that new Prada outfit you’ll no doubt be ordering alongside the phone.

Amazon and Clove are Motorola’s partners of choice for this red-carpet ready beauty, with prices starting from as little as £250!
Full press release after the break.  

Motorola Mobility’s MOTOLUXE™ Smartphone to Launch in the UK

Ultra-stylish, ultra-vogue smartphone from Motorola Mobility coming soon to UK fashionistas. At a price that looks good, too.

Feb. 08, 2012

Embed: <input id=”ctl00_body_ctl00_rptYouTube_ctl00_embededNormalTxt” type=”text” name=”ctl00$body$ctl00$rptYouTube$ctl00$embededNormalTxt” value=” ” />

LONDON – Feb. 8, 2012 – Calling all British style gurus! Get ready to flaunt your fashion flair with the ultra-vogue, rail-thin MOTOLUXE^™ from Motorola Mobility UK Limited, expected to be available late February.

When it comes to panache, this Android^™ 2.3 powered smartphone sets the bar high. With a 4-inch touchscreen that’s perfect for writing emails, surfing the Web and watching movies, you’ll always be connected, clued-up and entertained – whether at work, hanging out with friends or out on the town.

For photo buffs, an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with flash lets you shoot like a pro. You can even instantly share the pics with friends and family using the phone’s pre-loaded social networking apps.

But there is a reason this is called a smartphone! Incorporating Motorola’s MotoSwitch user interface, the MOTOLUXE learns who you talk to and which apps you use the most, and puts all that information front and center.

The Social Graph feature gives you easy and fast access to the people who really matter. It learns who’s most important to you and uses that information to populate the home screen. The more frequently you communicate with someone, the bigger their icon becomes. The Activity Graph focuses on your app habits; automatically changing to reflect the apps you use the most to provide customised menus.

With Music Now you can now play your favorite music while the Smart Gallery feature displays your favorite pictures as collections.

When you’re on the go, MOTOLUXE’s GPS technology will point you in the right direction and make sure you get to where the action is. If that isn’t enough, the phone is Bluetooth^®1-enabled, as well as your portal into the Android Market^™ where you’ll find thousands of games, apps, music, books and movies.

MOTOLUXE also sets itself apart with a lanyard slot that lights up. So you can see when you’ve missed a call, received a text or have an email waiting for you.

“By combining sleek style with Android brains, MOTOLUXE is ideal for people who want the latest technology in a sophisticated package,” said Marcus Frost, senior marketing director, Europe, Motorola Mobility. “Not only does this smartphone have a big screen and the latest, greatest entertainment tools, it’s affordable and won’t take a bite out of your budget.”

Price and Availabily

Motorola MOTOLUXE is expected to be available from authorized Motorola resellers from late-February.

For more information please click here.

Media Contacts (for media and analysts only):

• Billy Burnett
  +44 7595 708751
  billy.burnett@motorola.com
  Motorola Mobility, Inc.

source: Amazon UK, Clove

Google has finally release its long-wanted Chrome browser for Android roughly a few minutes ago. In order to run the app you must have Android 4.0 installed. It’s in beta right now so expect a few bugs and while we haven’t had a chance to play with it yet you can expect a review from us here in the next few days or so. According to Google the Android version has the following features:

- Browse fast with accelerated page loading, scrolling, and zooming,
- Search and navigate directly from the omnibox,
- Open and switch between unlimited tabs in an easy-to-view stack,
- Sign in to Chrome to sync your bookmarks and view tabs you have open on your computer,
- Send pages from desktop Chrome to your smartphone or tablet with one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline,
- Browse privately in Incognito mode,

You can check to see if it is available in your country by going here. Hit the break below to for the QR code, market link and marketing video. It is certainly a great day for Android users and Chrome fans everywhere! Again, look for our review of the app shortly. Enjoy!

QR Code

Android Market Link

Click here to view the embedded video.

Google is looking to bring cool to heads-up display glasses. 9to5Google reports an anonymous individual has seen a prototype which looks similar to a pair of Oakley Thumps sunglasses. While it features a HUD display… keep in mind the HUD will be for one eye, not both. However, don’t let it stop you from drooling as it has some innovative features. Can you imagine being able to scroll and click in a UI just by moving your head around and nodding? It will be a reality as Google is implementing the feature into the cool pair of glasses. Moreover 9to5Google reports it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.

The HUD unit also features some impressive specs as well rivaling that of some smartphones. Speculation has it the glasses will feature a possible 1GHz ARM A8, 256MB RAM and 8GB of storage. Moreover, the I/O includes voice input and output, meaning you’ll likely be able to connect a mic or bluetooth-type device in order to give commands. Oh and there’s a front-facing camera too to put the cherry on top.

Google is tight-lipped about the uber-interesting project. Stay tuned with Talk Android for any further developments or news regarding this potentially breakthrough device.

source: 9to5Google

For those of you who don’t know Google dropped official “developer device” support for the CDMA (Verizon) version of the Galaxy Nexus last week. While a statement was released explaining why, it apparently required further explanation as it wasn’t officially explained in full as to what this drop actually meant. So without futher hesitation here is what the official Google Group’s post has to say:

“Hi, all! Thanks for all the questions. Here’s a quick omnibus to answer the questions folks have asked…

First, just to be clear this change is only related to AOSP support for these devices — that is, personal custom builds. These are obviously still officially-supported Nexus devices for everyday use, they will receive official software updates, and so on. Similarly, these are still fully-supported development devices for app developers.

Second, as I noted at the top of the thread, Nexus devices will still have unlocked bootloaders, and we’ll continue to make available as many of the closed-source binaries as we can. CDMA support in AOSP has always been more challenging than GSM, and this change is a reflection of that reality.

On that topic, here’s a quick clarification on the core issue. Every device has a number of closed-source software packages included on it. Though Google distributes some of these binaries for Nexus devices for use with AOSP, Google does not own the software. Rather, this software is variously owned by the device manufacturer, the carrier, and their suppliers. We try to get distribution rights for as many of these binaries as possible, but in some cases it is difficult or impossible to obtain these rights. (CDMA specifically has a tricky history of intellectual property.) Combined with the technical issues of needing to sign the apks correctly, this has prevented us from obtaining the distribution rights we need to support these devices in AOSP.

Finally, we will of course continue to work on improving support. If we can resolve these issues, we’ll certainly restore CDMA support to AOSP. In the meantime, we’ve updated our docs to be more accurate about the degree of support.”

For those of you worried that custom ROMs won’t work or that development has been halted this is simply not true. Usually developers take the time to pull the CDMA binaries straight from the device at hand. Even with Google not distributing them this should not be an issue. Given that Google doesn’t have license to use the binaries they can’t fully come out and say that the device is supported. The device will still get timely updates and is officially supported for every day use. Also it will come with an unlockable bootloader so it is still very much a Nexus device. If you want the technical break down you can also check out the link below. While some may still cry foul I feel that this can help the rest us breathe a sigh of relief. What do you think?

CDMA devices in AOSP: technical details – link

source: Google Groups

In June of last year, the Taiwanese government issued a complaint to multiple companies including Microsoft and Apple, defending a certain law they have in place that details anything downloaded from the internet must be subject to a mandatory seven-day trial period in which the user can request a complete refund. Both Apple and Microsoft yielded, complying with the Taiwanese law. Google however, argued that users have ample time – even within the 15 minute window Google allows – to use the app and determine whether or not they want a refund.

As a result, Google was fined NT$1,000,000 (about $34,000 US), which they appealed. Google’s final appeal ended yesterday, and it didn’t bear any good news for the internet giant. The Taiwanese government gave a statement, saying “We urge Google to respect Taiwan’s laws and the rights of our consumers to resume sales of its Android Market paid apps.”

Google’s been fairly quiet thus far, but it’s only been a day. I don’t believe they’re necessarily too worried about it, though. Do you?

Source: India Times

Those of you in the U.K. can mark your calendars because the white Galaxy Nexus has been officially confirmed by Samsung for release on Monday, February 13th — just in time to buy one for your special someone on Valentine’s Day. The sleek looking Samsung flagship model comes with the same color scheme as yester-years’ white Nexus S, a white chassis and a black glass face. The internals remain the same.

It’s disappointing – to say the least – that nothing has been hinted thus far at any North American release to satisfy our white GNex hunger, though one can still hope, right?

Press release after the break.

6th February 2012, London, UK – Samsung has today confirmed the availability of a white variant of the Galaxy Nexus in the UK. The first smartphone to feature Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus White can be bought in a range of stores across the country from 13th February.

Simon Stanford, UK & IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division said: “After much speculation, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Galaxy Nexus White which follows the great reception the phone has received since it was launched back in November. One of the things we at Samsung pride ourselves on is the choice we offer customers, and we’ve enjoyed huge success to date by introducing white variants of our most popular models to our product portfolio.”

The Galaxy Nexus™ White offers customers all the features found in the original Galaxy Nexus, from the 4.65’’ HD Super AMOLED display which boasts a market-leading resolution of 720p (1280×720), to the 5 megapixel camera and super-fast 1.2GHz dual core processor and HSPA+ connectivity so owners can connect to and browse the internet quickly and easily when they’re out and about.

As the first  smartphone to run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Nexus White offers customers an entirely new look and feel, including a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, NFC support and a full web browsing experience. In addition to a rounded slim design, the Galaxy Nexus White also introduces new innovations such as ‘Face Unlock’, which uses facial recognition to unlock the phone. Whilst integration with Google+™ means owners can easily stay in touch with friends and family and talk over Google+ Messenger.

Well this certainly isn’t going to help with Apple/Google relations. We’ve just learned Google just hired Simon Prakash… better known as Apple’s former senior director of product integrity. In his 8 years at Apple, Prakash was most recently responsible for product quality control across all of Apple’s product lines. He now moves on to Google to work on an unspecified “secret project” and of course we have no idea of what this project might be. What’s significant is while employees and talent go back and forth between Apple and Google all the time, Google’s hire of Prakash is the first such hire of a senior-level executive directly from Apple.

Who else is excited about the when this “secret project” is finally revealed?

source: Venture Beat
via: The Verge