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Android tethering could be threatened by judge’s patent ruling in favor of Nokia

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by Jeff Causey on
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In case you missed it among the seemingly constant back and forth between Samsung and Apple in the world’s courtrooms, there is a patent case about to get underway between HTC and Nokia regarding some alleged patent infringements. The bad news for Android fans is that Judge Thomas Pender has issued a ruling that could negatively impact any Android devices that make a tethering feature available. Nokia has asserted that HTC is infringing on U.S. Patent No 5,884,190 describing a “method for making a data transmission connection from a computer to a mobile communication network for transmission of analog and/or digital signals.” The court case between Nokia and HTC is scheduled to start in a couple months, but this ruling regarding the interpretation of the 190 patent makes it difficult for HTC to deny infringement.

The case between the two companies involves about 40 patents that Nokia has asserted HTC infringes. Google is involved in the case as a third-party intervenor supporting HTC. Both HTC and Google had hoped to narrow the scope of the 190 patent, but failed to do so. The two companies will now have to somehow prove the patent is invalid, such as due to prior art. Proving the existence of prior art could be a challenge since Nokia obtained the patent in 1995, a time when the web was still in its infancy and mobile devices were closer to bricks than what we have today. If HTC fails to make their case during the trial, they may also try to sway the ITC commission to overrule the judge.

If Nokia succeeds during the trial in showing HTC has infringed on the 190 patent, one of the likely results will be an import ban on all HTC devices into the U.S. Nokia will also be in a strong position to pursue other Android device manufacturers, much like they have already done against Apple and Blackberry. In the end, most companies will probably opt to pay a royalty to Nokia in order to keep the feature available.

source: FOSS Patents
via: PhoneArena

Nexus 5 to be all about the camera, will be more compact, and will skip the 1080p display

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by Robert Nazarian on
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Nexus phones were never complete spec beasts as in one or two items always seemed to trail other high-end devices. The Nexus S had a mediocre CPU, the Galaxy Nexus had a horrible camera, and the Nexus 4 didn’t offer an LTE option. While most high-end phones in 2013 will probably sport a 1080p display, this week’s rumor says the Nexus 5 won’t. In fact according to a tipster, it will be more compact than the majority of upper echelon phones, featuring a 4.5-inch 720p display. The display itself will cover 88% of the phone, which would be the most of any phone.

According to Phone Arena the tipster told them the Nexus 5 will put a bigger emphasis on the camera instead. This isn’t really all that surprising when you consider Vic Gundotra’s comments last month about how Nexus devices will have insanely great cameras in the future. To top things off, last week we heard that the next Nexus phone will have Nikon-branded camera module that will sport a “triple camera sensor.” Of course this same report said the Nexus 5 would indeed have a 1080p display. Back to the camera, the tipster says that the Nexus 5 will come with a 9MP CCD camera, which is a little bizarre since most cameras come with a CMOS sensor for speed.

The rest of the specs include a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor as well as a 2,800mAh battery. Last week’s report said it would have a 3,140mAh battery, but the processor wasn’t mentioned. I don’t know about you, but I would love to finally see an “insanely great” camera on any phone.

source: PhoneArena

 

New widget puts the latest Google Doodle on your home screen

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by Jared Peters on
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Chances are you’ve seen a few Google Doodles during your adventures on the internet. Google occasionally puts some artistic flair into their logo on their search page, and it’s generally some pretty cool stuff to see. Unfortunately, with our search widgets and Google Now and mobile browsers, we miss many of those doodles. Today, however, thanks to XDA member emprize, you can grab a neat widget that puts the doodle of the day right on your home screen, so you’ll never miss another iteration again. » Read the rest

Is Android vulnerable because of Samsung’s dominance?

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by Robert Nazarian on
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Recent reports have indicated tensions could exist between Google and Samsung, but were downplayed by Google CFO and Senior Vice President Patrick Pichette as well as Samsung Mobile Chief JK Shin. Although their working relationship is probably amicable, I have to believe that there is a little uneasiness at Google. Consumers continue to buy Samsung Galaxy branded phones in droves. So much so that 40% of all Android phones sold are Samsung branded. In fact, Samsung has sold 200 million more phones than the next Android manufacturer.

On one hand, Google should be delighted in what Samsung has accomplished. Android is now a dominating mobile OS, and a big thanks has to go to Samsung for being a big part of that. On the other hand, it’s never a good idea for one entity to have such a large piece of the pie. Companies with too much power can dictate and give less choice to consumers. If Google had their choice, every manufacturer would be equally as successful, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way in the real world.

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Google’s upcoming smartwatch is an Android project not X Lab

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by Robert Nazarian on
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It was last October when we first heard rumors that Google could be working on a smartwatch. At that time, a patent based on a smartwatch with a flip up display was awarded to Google.  Of course many companies are awarded patents for products that never actually come to market. However, with Samsung and Apple now working on watches of their own, it certainly isn’t out of the question that Google will definitely come out with one, hopefully Nexus branded. Don’t forget, Motorola has some experience in this area with the MOTOACTV.

The Financial Times is reporting that not only is Google working on a watch, but it’s an Android unit project, not an X Lab project like Google Glass. It makes perfect sense for Android to be part of the watch since it’s more of a mobile device than Glass. Unfortunately no timeframe was mentioned, but hopefully we will see something this year.

source: Financial Times
via: TheVerge

Chrome and Android to remain separate products, but expect more overlap

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by Robert Nazarian on
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There has always been rumors that Google and Chrome could become one, and last week’s announcement of Andy Rubin leaving the Android team added a little fuel to that fire. The fact that Sundar Pichai, who is also the Senior Vice President for Chrome, will now lead Android, really made people wonder. Well wonder no more because Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said they will remain separate products, but they would probably overlap a little more.

These comments took place in India, which is just one stop in a multi-country Asian tour promoting Internet access. Schmidt was also asked if he plans on leaving Google and selling his 42 percent stake. His response was, “Google is my home,” and later said he has no plans to take on a job in government.

source: Reuters

 

Motorola X Phone won’t have customizable hardware after all

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by Jared Peters on
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Remember that awesome rumor about the Motorola X Phone’s customizable hardware we told you about less than 12 hours ago?! Well, turns out it was just a rumor. Sources close to the development of the X Phone have completely destroyed our high hopes debunked that rumor, saying it will be very unlikely for the X Phone to launch with customizable hardware.

But, there’s a silver lining to this. The X Phone isn’t the only device Motorola will ever launch again, so the same sources say there is a possibility that Moto will release a phone at some point in the future that does feature user customized hardware. Google wants Motorola devices to be more innovative, so hopefully we don’t see this idea scrapped before it’s tested in a few consumer devices.

source: Phone Arena

Google Currents adds support for audio playback in app

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by Jeff Causey on
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With many people looking for replacement news readers after Google announced the demise of Google Reader, Google has struck while the iron is hot with another one of their products. They have added audio playback support to their Google Currents app for Android devices. According to Google’s list of new features in the news reader, audio playback will work with publications that enable audio. Control can be achieved both in app and via the status bar with audio easily launched using icons in a story. Along with the new audio features, Google Currents can now sync read state between devices and some bug fixes were included in this release.

If you haven’t tried Google Currents or want to update, use the download link below.

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Google Play Download Link

Google Play Store Version 4.0 Gets Leaked and Previewed

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by Jack Holt on
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Just like other Google apps (and Android has a whole) the Play Store has been going through a constant metamorphosis. The last major makeover for the Play Store was back in July of 2011 with subsequent tweaks since. It appears that it will be seeing another major facelift here soon. The folks over at Droid-Life gave everyone a taste of what’s to come with Google Play 4.0.  As you’ll see from the images the UI has been redesigned with a more holo-esque theme in mind. The shift gives the Play Store a cleaner and more appealing look. Images are more prominent and eye-catching while text is used sparingly.

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Google Keep now available in the Play Store

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by Robert Nazarian on
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A couple of days ago, Google Keep was leaked and now it’s an official app in the Play Store. The tag line is “save what’s on your mind.” Google Keep allows you to quickly jot down a note or idea to be saved in your Google Drive account and synced across all your devices. You can even add a checklist or photo. If you can’t type it out, you can say it out loud, and Google will transcribe it. You can prioritize you notes and color code them via the home screen widget, and if you’re running Android 4.2+, you can see your notes via the lock screen widget.

You can access, edit, and create new notes on your desktop by going to http://drive.google.com/keep, and Google will allow you to do this directly from Google Drive in the coming weeks. Google Keep is available now in the Play Store for devices running Android 4.0 and higher. Hit the break for the video demo and download links.

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