Foursquare Update Review for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 - Chip Chick

It’s only Monday and so far Foursquare has lots of news to share. One of which is that they now have over 10,000,000 folks using the the social geo-location service. They have also just announced that they would start partnering with Groupon, Gilt Group, and others for daily deals and specials.So all of this is great news for Foursquare… heck, I’m becoming an addict, but what about the actual app?

Well if you recently updated your Android, iPhone and Windows Phone 7, versions of Foursquare you would be welcomed with a nice surprise – a slick new interface for all the three devices that is a bit more intuitive and faster than before.

As for the iPhone update, the iPhone version of Foursquare is still pretty much the same overall. There are a few subtle updates that a true Foursquare junkie would notice, but overall the app update is consistent with its previous release.  The one major update however is the dedicated check button on the bottom. Tap it, and you will automatically be redirected to nearby places that are ready to give you points.

But be careful cheaters… the Foursquare app is getting smarter and won’t let you check in if it determines that you are too far away from the point of interest. In fact you will be greeted with a “Your phone thinks you are too far away, so no points or badges will be earned for this check-in.” Sure go ahead and blame it on your poor phone…. Foursquare is too big for its britches now to tell you directly, instead it blames something else. Hmph…

The Android version of Foursquare is also looking pretty much the same as before. However, the most significant addition is the Notification Tray, which will notify you of new alerts about Foursquare activity, such as comments, points, and friend invites. The interface is also more stable than before and it’s now quicker to find nearby locales.

Lastly the Windows Phone 7 version of Foursquare is perhaps the most different out of the three. The app is quite loud in a fun sort of way with rich colors accentuating the Foursquare colors. It also loves its many icons. Till now I mostly used the 4th and Mayor app for my Windows Phone 7 Foursquare needs. It has been a tried and true stable app that found all my nearby locales easily and quickly. However, the Windows Phone 7 version of Foursquare is anything but straightforward. If you like icons and things located all over the place, then you will love this app. Nothing is straightforward or very intuitive. It’s very pretty to look at but even the icons that I have grown accustomed to in the other platforms, look completely different here. Fortunately, the recent update of the WP7 version of Foursquare is much faster than past versions off the app, but when operating both on 3G or Edge it’s as slow as a snail to load up and pick up nearby locales.

So in the end which platform shows off Foursquare’s muscles best? Well that would be a tie between the Android and iPhone versions with the Windows Phone 7 version placing a distant 2nd. The WP7 version gives Foursquare a whimsical feel but its lack of ease of use could leave you frustrated at times. The update certainly improves upon the previous versions sluggishness and crashes, but it may lead you to checking-out versus checking-in.

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Apple, Microsoft Leading Non-Android Makers' Nexus to Bully Android - International Business Times

In an allegedly unholy coalition, Apple, Microsoft and Research in Motion have joined hands to demote Android's position in the smartphone market.

Six of Google's rivals tied up recently to prevent Google from buying a critical trove of telephony patents, at Nortel's wireless technology patents auction, with judges in the United States and Canada approving the $4.5 billion transaction.

The American Antitrust Institute has asked the US Department of Justice to intervene and to probe whether the tech-giants' tie-up against Google is lawful. Apparently AAI believes the coalition is illegal and points out that the consortium, which called itself Rockstar Bidco, bid five times as much as Google's opening bid for the wireless technology patents.

MUST READ: How Facebook Can Get You Kicked Off Flights

Nortel, which went bankrupt recently, has been in phone manufacturing business for decades, which means they owned patents that cover some of the most basic technology features in telephony. These patents would prove noxious to rivals, as most mobile device makers invariably use some of these basic technologies.

Since the rivals bid five times as much as Google at the high stake auction, it seems the companies had a complete plan of action in place even before acquiring the patents, to use them as a weapon for achieving what they haven't been able to achieve through a fair market competition.

Even among the Google rivals, Apple does get sued every now and then; Microsoft too had been a target for several lawsuits and leveling things in court isn't unprecedented among tech companies. What is somewhat unprecedented here is the coalition set up with almost all major non-Android makers to fight Android.

While a section is crying foul about the dysfunction of US patent system, more often than not, acquiring basic patents for sky high prices seem to work for bigger corporations in court. Sheer amount of litigation is enough to smother a rival, who will be forced to spend resources to fight it out till the end.

For instance, Apple filed motion for Preliminary Injunction in US District Court in San Jose, last week, to halt the sale of four Samsung devices, Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Droid Charge, and Galaxy Tab 10.1. Granting Apple's motion is speculated to have disastrous effect on the sales of Samsung's flagship Android-based products which will force Samsung to take the four mobile devices out of US market.

Though the Apple- Samsung patent dispute is an altogether different story, this is a clear example of what a court case can do to businesses.

By acquiring an injunction on the lawsuits, until the AAI and DoJ investigation is settled, Google could save itself for the time being. In case AAI thinks that the coalition and auctions were fair enough, Google might have to fight it out in a court again.

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Can Microsoft and Apple Kill Google's Android with Lawsuits? - DailyTech

U.S. antitrust regulators fear "Rockstar" coalition could litigate Android phonemakers to death

The smartphone war continues to rage on and Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android has stepped out into the lead.  It outsold Apple, Inc. (AAPL) smartphones over 2 to 1 globally in the last quarter.  And minority players like Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) were struggling to cling on to insubstantial market shares.

I. Google: Market Champion or Buying Time?

Android's race to the top was fueled by its support of an open ecosystem in which players like Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI), Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (SEO:005930), and HTC Corp. (TPE:2498) could all make Android devices without direct licensing fees (Google profited off of app sales and mobile advertising).  

The result was an ecosystem which frequently delivered hardware that was more advanced than Apple, Research in Motion, Ltd. (TSE:RIM), and Microsoft's offerings.  And not only was the hardware better, the selection was broader too.

But despite the appearance that Android won, the ecosystem is now facing the looming potential of doom.  That doom could come thanks to Apple, RIM, and Microsoft's growing portfolio of purchased intellectual property and desire to sue Android handset makers into submission.

Apple currently is suing HTC, Samsung, and Motorola in cases that stretch across multiple countries and continents [1][2][3][4].  Microsoft is suing Motorola as well and is using legal threats to try to force Samsung into a per phone licensing deal (as much as $15 USD per Android phone sold), as it did with HTC last year.  Likewise, Oracle Corp. (ORCL) is seeking $6.1B USD in damages, claiming that Android is infringing on the Java patents it obtained in its acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

The combined picture is clear.  Apple and Microsoft have sued or entered into sweet licensing agreements with virtually every major Android maker (a few like LG Electronics Inc. (SEO:066570) have been spared, presumably on the merits of their smaller market share).

II. Android Faces Death by Multiple Means

The question becomes whether Android handset makers can remain viable in the face of these lawsuits.  While a $15 USD licensing fee to Microsoft might not be lethal, if Samsung and HTC have to pay an additional $15 USD to Apple and $15 USD to Oracle, the result may be the phones will become unprofitable.

On the other hand, if Google's handset partners refuse to play ball, they may be forced to pay even worse damages by international courts.

Apple, Microsoft, and others have multiple routes to use their intellectual property to kill Android.

III. Shadowy Alliance Beats Google for IP Treasure Chest

Those efforts have been strengthened by the purchase of Nortel Networks' portfolio of over 6,000 patents.  The telecom equipment maker put the portfolio on the market after it was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2009.

Google hoped to win the portfolio, bidding $900M USD.  It insisted that its purposes for acquiring it would be peaceful.  In its blog its Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kent Walker explains, "[O]ne of a company’s best defenses against .?.?. [patent] litigation is (ironically) to have a formidable patent portfolio, as this helps maintain your freedom to develop new products and services."

The comment would prove fortuitous, as Google was beat by a shadowy bidder calling itself "Rockstar Bidco".  That bidder offered up $4.5B USD, an offer that was embraced by a cash-thirsty Nortel, leave Google's potential offer in the dust.

So who was Rockstar Bidco?  Turns out it was none other than Apple, Microsoft, RIM, and three other companies -- the same players who are working to use their already substantial IP to try to sue or license Android handset makers into the red.

IV. U.S. Antitrust Regulators May Step In

The plot to kill Android is so obvious that it has top antitrust experts screaming foul.  Robert Skitol, an antitrust lawyer at the Drinker Biddle firm, opines in a Washington Post interview, "Why is the portfolio worth five times more to this group collectively than it is to Google? Why are three horizontal competitors being allowed to collaborate and cooperate and join hands together in this, rather than competing against each other?"

Brian Kahin, a senior fellow at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, adds, "The one thing that's significant here is you have three of the four smartphone platforms ganging up on the fourth. You want patents for an economic benefit, not as a legal instrument."

The questions Mr. Skitol and Mr. Kahin raises are reportedly being echoed among top U.S. antitrust officials.  Pressure is mounting for the U.S. government to block or place serious restrictions on the "Rockstar Bidco" acquisition of the Nortel IP.

The American Antitrust Institute sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, begging them to limit the purchase.

The sale is set to be made official on Nortel's antitrust proceedings today, though regulatory approval still awaits.

Mr. Walker says the outcome of the pending sale could be a matter of life or death for the Android ecosystem and free market.  He states, "This outcome is disappointing for anyone who believes that open innovation benefits users and promotes creativity and competition. We will keep working to reduce the current flood of patent litigation that hurts both innovators and consumers."

V. From Bully to Victim: Google's Unusual Situation

Google clearly won't go down without a fight, nor will its handset partners.  But if the intellectual property pressure grows too great, the Android coalition may be rendered unable to compete.

The situation is highly unusual, due to a number of reasons.  First, Google itself is the subject of antitrust scrutiny on reports that it abused its dominant Android position to bully service providers.  Second, the case represents a situation in which small players are able to team up and legally damage a clear-cut market leader -- a relative rarity.

Thus Google -- which of late has become viewed as a bully of sorts -- finds the tables turned, and finds itself a clear victim.

VI. The Big Picture

While the possibility that Android, a beloved smartphone institution, could be sued out of existence by Apple, Microsoft, et al. is alarming to many, this incident in many ways serves most of all to illustrate much broader problems with the U.S. intellectual property system.

Companies in the U.S. are laying claim to increasingly generic intellectual property and using that IP as instrument not to innovate, but to litigate.  The street runs two ways in most cases -- often times IP lawsuits are followed by IP countersuits [1][2].  But often one player in the market is using IP as the general bully, while the other is trying to defend itself.

Many argue the U.S. desperately needs intellectual property reform.  But the federal government under both former President George W. Bush (R) and under President Barack Obama (D) has been slow to act.

The Nortel sale should offer a key signal to the market.  If the federal government blocks it, it may be a sign that the era of using IP as an offensive weapon is coming to an end.  On the other hand, if it's approved without restriction, it will offer a virtual blueprint of how to defeat your competitor.  If the latter scenario plays out consumers may find themselves in an odd market where it's not the competitor with the best products that wins, but the company with the best lawyers and patent portfolio.

"Young lady, in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" -- Homer Simpson
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The web strikes back - BBC News

12 July 2011 Last updated at 08:13 GMT By Dave Lee BBC technology reporter You only have to look to the Oxford English Dictionary to see how much apps have become part of our day-to-day existence.

The word sits among others that define key technology in the modern world. Words like wiki, LOL, or the verb "to Google".

And if you do not have a dictionary to hand, there is, naturally, an app for that.

In just three years, Apple proclaimed last week, it has served up 15 billion apps through its online store.

With a sizeable revenue cut of paid programmes, it has become the goose that laid the golden egg for Steve Jobs.

And although Apple did not invent the smartphone application, its system has defined the user experience. iOS apps are simplicity at every turn - payment, installation and use.

Others have followed-suit, with great success. Android Market passed three billion downloads in May.

But after a period of rapid growth, native smartphone apps are facing a fight for survival.

That threat comes from web apps - software that runs in a browser rather than being downloaded and installed on the device's operating system.

Mubaloo, one of the UK's biggest mobile app developers, estimates that requests from clients for web apps has doubled in recent months - enough to make them the third big player in app development.

"We're probably doing iPhone, Android and web apps all about the same at the moment," said the company's founder Mark Mason.

"Those are the three platforms. We see Blackberry slowly dying a death, and we see Windows probably growing to be the fourth player."

The reason for that is simple - developing web apps solves several headaches.

Firstly, like the regular internet, a good web app can be made to adapt to a wide variety of devices rather than forcing the developer to create different products for each platform - be it iPhone or Android, smartphone or tablet.

Developer Oli Christie explains the economics of apps.

Secondly, by circumventing the strict guidelines associated with official stores, Mr Mason's clients can have exactly what they want, and can say for certain when it will be ready for the public.

Should any changes need to be made once the app is live, they can be made instantly, rather than wait several days for approval.

And then there's the matter of money.

Put an app in the App Store and 30% of each sale goes to Apple. Android takes the same, but the cash goes to payment processors and mobile carriers.

Microsoft and BlackBerry also get a cut of what sells in their stores.

Web apps offer developers the chance to cut out the middle man.

Final straw

If that was not enough of an incentive to fly solo, in February of this year, Apple announced that it would also be taking 30% of revenue from in-app subscription payments.

It is that levy which may have proved be the final straw for cash-strapped publishers relying on a lucrative digital strategy to keep operations moving.

The first major player to adopt a web-apped approach to mobile subscribers was the Financial Times (FT). In June, the newspaper released its debut web app. Since launch it has attracted 200,000 users.

FT bosses have said subsequently that future app development will be focused on web platforms rather than native.

Apple's App store set the standard, but now faces a challenge from browser-based software.

"The main factors on our mind when we launched app.ft.com were that it just isn't practical to maintain separate development for each individual technology platform," Stephen Pinches, the FT's group product manager for emerging technologies, told the BBC.

"It's unwieldy and ultimately unsustainable. We are planning to push our web app out to multiple platforms this year: Android, PlayBook, WebOS and others, and this really is the most logical and strategic approach."

Key improvements in smartphones' ability to power staple web components mean the FT web app does almost everything the company would expect from a downloaded app - including offline reading.

"The developments that have made this happen really are mostly to do with the way the hardware and the software on a phone play together," Mr Pinches continued.

"We now have much faster implementations of core web technologies such as JavaScript combined with much better hardware acceleration from the device itself."

There are still limitations, however. Web apps, for the time being at least, have less access to in-built functions that many popular native apps utilise, such as the compass, accelerometer or camera.

"On iOS devices particularly," Mr Pinches continues, "there are limitations as to how much data you can store in an app. It is capped at 50MB, and you have to explicitly ask the user for the space.

"This means we have to be smart about what we store, but limitations like this can be very good for developers as they force discipline and good design."

Hurling pigs

Technology aside, by far the most pressing hurdle facing web apps is one of discoverability.

Continue reading the main story

The main factors on our mind when we launched app.ft.com were that it just isn't practical to maintain separate It's unwieldy and ultimately unsustainable.”

End Quote Stephen Pinches FT group product manager On all the market leading smart phones, a ready-made store for downloading apps is available to users from the word go. For web apps, there is a reliance on the user to consciously go to a web address.

In an industry that typically relies on recommendations and algorithmic indexing, this is a problem.

As the most widely read business newspaper in the UK, the FT may not have a problem getting its URL to the audience - but smaller operations without advertising budgets will struggle.

Teck Chia, a San Francisco-based developer, thinks he has the solution to this problem with his product, OpenAppMkt.com - a store for web apps.

"We identified two major problems for web apps on mobile," he told the BBC.

"One is discovery, and the other is the easy way to monetize their apps. Both of which were very well supported on the native platforms, but nothing of that sort exists on the open web for mobile."

To all intents and purpose, OpenAppMkt is just like any other app store.

"From the user's point of view, they see us as an alternative app store where they can discover apps that are not found in the Apple app store or Android Market.

"We support paid apps - and the way that people buy apps is very similar to the way they do it on the native app stores. They fill in a credit card once, and after that it's a one click process."

Web versions are now available of many of the most popular games and productivity applications

Of the revenue generated, Mr Chia's business takes a 20% share. In-app payments or subscriptions are not shared.

The site, which launched less than a year ago, has served up over one million app downloads, with an average of over 100,000 downloads a month.

Mr Chia concede that the overwhelming majority of apps downloaded are free - and this could pose problems in the long run.

"Every day we sell a few apps here and there - but there are not a lot of good quality paid apps yet."

Change of heart

When asked by the BBC, Apple declined to offer any comment for this article. But its strategy seems fairly solid: the native app is king.

Yet even in Cupertino it has not always been that way.

"When they first launched the iPhone it was all web apps, web apps, web apps!" Stuart Miles from UK-based Pocket-lint.com recalls.

"But then when they launched the iPhone 3G, it was 'you don't want web apps, they're rubbish!

"You want native apps so then we can charge you for them... and we'll take 30%"

For now, that's a business model that works, and makes a lot money.

A third may be a sizeable slice of the developer's revenue, but it gives them access to the biggest pie around - for now.

But on an internet which was built on the spirit of openness and free content, the modest yet solid emergence of the web app as a low cost, featured-filled alternative is a sign that both users and developers may be drifting away from the walled-garden of mobile apps in search of a more liberated experience.

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Trend Micro Protects Android, iOS With Mobile Security Launch - CRN

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Trend Micro is moving further into the mobile space with the launch Monday of Mobile Security 7, targeted at partners who might use it to help businesses struggling to protect corporate data stored on Android and Apple’s iOS mobile devices.

Mobile Security 7 combines both security and management capabilities for a slew of new mobile devices, including Android, iPhones and iPads, touting threat prevention, data protection and mobile device management operated by a single console.

The offering was coupled with the release of a Trend Micro study of the consumerization of IT, which found that almost two-thirds of organizations allow employees to use personal mobile smartphones and tablets for business functions.

“There are challenges to consumerization that expose organizations to greater risk," said Patrick Wheeler, Trend Micro, senior product marketing manager for mobile device management. “These devices are like unprotected PCs. Why would I lower the bar? You have full browsers, word processing tools, spreadsheets, collaborative tools—we’d be crazy not to try to secure them. That’s the approach that we take.”

Mobile Security 7 isn’t the first product of its kind for the Tokyo-based security company. Trend Micro first launched its Mobile Security version 1.0 in December 2004 as a free download, which initially offered protections for the Symbian operating system.

The most recent version 7 now incorporates protections for Android, with capabilities around BlackBerry and iOS coming out later this year, and comes equipped with expanded data protection and security features, including power-on-password enforcement and device security event notification.

Stephen Nacci, regional account manager at Everything Maintenance, a division of TLIC Worldwide, based in Exeter, R.I., said that the Trend Micro mobile offering comes at a good time as he sees customers struggle to deal with a growing number of disparate mobile devices. As such, it will likely provide a much-needed value add for their business in a rapidly growing space, he said.

”Because so many customers right now are very aware of mobility and its use, being able to tell them today that we have them covered is a great boost for our overall practice,” Nacci said, adding that down the road, the mobile security offering could be used as an integral part of a niche vertical practice.

“There are also a lot of niches that are actually pretty big: for instance, health care and their adoption of mobile devices for use by patient care professionals,” he said.

Wheeler said that while many of the mobility offerings focus on management, Trend Micro’s new offering in particular focuses on security with an array of features dedicated to protecting mobile devices used in the workplace.

“Most of what you hear in the industry is about mobile device management,” Wheeler said. “But protecting data is the next big challenge. As much as you think your iPhone is physically attached to you, it's not.”

Specifically, the mobile security product incorporates malware protection and intelligence infrastructure, firewall/IDS call and message filtering and logging and password enforcement.

In addition, Mobile Security 7 features centralized device management, which includes enrollment, provisioning and de-provisioning, as well as data protection for mobile devices, along with enhanced visibility into devices and status. It also comes equipped with data protection capabilities, which enables remote device lock and wipe of corporate data if the device is lost or stolen.

Next: Mobile Security Offering Addresses MSPs With Multiple Customer Environments

1 | 2 | Next >>

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Apple targets HTC in second ITC patent case - SlashGear

Apple has filed a new ITC complaint against HTC, the second such suit alleging patent infringement. The exact devices covered by the complaint are unknown at present, though Apple’s complaint – “Portable Electronic Devices and Related Software” – looks broad enough to cover not only HTC’s smartphones but tablets and perhaps HTC Sense, the company’s custom interface primarily found on Android handsets as well.

Apple’s first suit was filed in early March 2010, alleging that the Nexus One, Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, Touch Pro2, Tilt II, Pure, Imagio, Dream / G1, myTouch 3G, Hero, HD2 and Droid Eris all used design and other technologies that the Cupertino company holds patents in. However, while there was a mixture of Windows Mobile devices and Android devices, the only technologies infringed by the WM handsets covered DSP.

This new complaint could well simply be bringing the suit up to date to cover HTC’s more recent handsets, such as the flagship Sensation and the Flyer tablet. In the intervening time between March last year and today, HTC’s Android line-up has increased hugely. HTC has also bought up companies for their patent portfolio, including graphics company S3 which Apple was recently discovered to have infringed the IP of.

[via FOSS Patents]

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Recommended: Android phone goes into orbit - msnbc.com

D.W. Wheeler / NASA / Ames

A prototype SPHERES satellite has a Samsung Nexus S attached to an expansion port.

The mobile-phone space race has ended in a tie: Last month we found out that NASA's final space shuttle flight was taking a couple of iPhones to the International Space Station, and it turns out that an Android phone was aboard the shuttle Atlantis as well.

The Google-powered Samsung Nexus S phone will be used on the station in a series of experiments aimed at developing free-flying robotic assistants — zero-gravity gizmos that were inspired by the zippy little training sphere that helped Luke Skywalker practice his lightsaber skills in "Star Wars." These volleyball-sized free-fliers are known as SPHERES — which is short for Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites.

SPHERES prototypes have been in the works for more than a decade. The camera-equipped, thruster-driven devices were developed by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in cooperation with the Defense Department and NASA, for possible use as remote-controlled observers in microgravity environments. You could imagine a spyball floating through far-off modules of a space station to make sure all systems were go, during times when the station's human crew is otherwise occupied. Future versions of the device could also look over the shoulder of a spacewalker to give Mission Control an up-close video view of the action.

The beauty part is that the SPHERES prototypes have an expansion port for plugging in extra devices or appendages — and the Samsung Nexus S is the first smartphone to be plugged in.

"By connecting a smartphone, we can immediately make SPHERES more intelligent," D.W. Wheeler, lead engineer in the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA's Ames Research Center, said in a NASA news release. "With a smartphone, the SPHERES will have a built-in camera to take pictures and video, sensors to help conduct inspections, a powerful computing unit to make calculations, and a Wi-Fi connection that we will use to transfer data in real time to the space station and Mission Control."

Neither the Android phones nor the iPhones are being used to make actual phone calls: Space station residents have special satellite-linked Internet phones for that. But today's smartphones pack so much computing power that they could come in handy as backup navigation devices (in the iPhones' case) or satellite controllers (in the Android phone's case).

"We'll start by simulating a mobile inspection of the station to test how well SPHERES can move around and collect data using the smartphone's camera and sensors," said Terry Fong, director of the Intelligent Robotics Group. "This will tell us basic information about the light and sound levels inside various areas of the station. Then we'll use SPHERES to conduct an interview with a crewmember — a task that usually requires two crew members to complete. We'll have Mission Control and the smartphone-enhanced SPHERES take the place of the astronaut holding the video camera." 

Just having the phones on the space station serve as status symbols for the companies involved.

"Samsung is proud to have the Nexus S chosen to be aboard NASA's final space shuttle launch, an event that is historical," Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, said in the news release. "The research that is being conducted with SPHERES using the Nexus S will help monitor and communicate from the International Space Station."

So what about all the other smartphones and tablets that are out there? Because this is the last shuttle flight, future gizmos will have to be certified for flight on other types of space transports, such as the Russian Soyuz or Progress craft, European and Japanese cargo spaceships, or on commercial vehicles that are currently under development.

The future telecom space race may well be a contest to see which company can extend its calling network to the final frontier. I'm sure there are some future space tourists who'd love to flip on their phone while flying on SpaceShipTwo, call down to their pals and say, "Can you hear me now?" What do you think?

More about phone connections in space:

Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," Alan's book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds. 

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Apple's iPhone sales surge as Android slows - Bizjournals.com

 

Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Google Inc.'s Android phones still sit atop the smartphone market, according to a new report.

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3U.S. boosts high-tech weapons developmentApple, RIM trade ruling hits Eastman Kodak investors Follow this company 's iPhone sales growth is outpacing that of its chief rival, Google Inc. Google Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3U.S. boosts high-tech weapons developmentApple, RIM trade ruling hits Eastman Kodak investors Follow this company 's Android mobile phones.

However, the new numbers from Neilsen show that Google's Android operating system is still No. 1 among U.S. smartphone activations. Apple's iPhone has won the title of the fastest growing in market share.

About 27 percent of the smartphones sold in the country from March to May used the Android system developed by Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). That number has remained flat this year.

Those buying iPhones, though, rose to 17 percent in the May quarter compared to 10 percent in the previous quarter.

Android is the most used among all smartphone owners in the U.S., as well, with 38 percent of the market vs. 27 percent for Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) device.

Dallas-based AT&T AT&T Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3Convergys closes 0M sale of wireless operations to AT&TApple's iPhone drives U.S. smartphone growth, Android stalls Follow this company offers both Android-powered phones and iPhones. AT&T has more than 1,000 employees in Dayton.

AT&T had been the exclusive provider of the iPhone, but Verizon Wireless, part of Verizon Communications Inc. Verizon Communications Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3Sedgwick purchase spells 200 jobs for Hilliard, revived office buildingFedEx adding all-electric vehicles to Memphis fleet Follow this company , was granted permission in January to start selling its version of the popular smartphone. Verizon began selling the phone in March and it can be bought at local Best Buy Co. Best Buy Co. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3HP blitzes Best Buy for TouchPad debutHewlett-Packard finally jumps into iPad battle Follow this company stores as well as through Verizon’s retail outlets.

While iPhone and Android dominate the smartphone market, Research in Motion Ltd. Research in Motion Ltd. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3Apple, RIM trade ruling hits Eastman Kodak investorsStarbucks launches new mobile app Follow this company 's Blackberry and phones by Nokia Corp. Nokia Corp. Latest from The Business Journals 5 great cellphones that are doomedApple seen with 2 new iPhones in SeptemberApple seen with 2 new iPhones in September Follow this company are struggling, as well as those on other operating systems such as Microsoft Corp. Microsoft Corp. Latest from The Business Journals Report: Apple set to launch iPhone 5, iPad 3Google, Yahoo, Microsoft seen as Hulu suitorsNortel patents sold at auction for .5B Follow this company

Written by Cromwell Schubarth of Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, a sister publication.

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Apps absolutely a necessity - Jackson Clarion Ledger

With every generation comes innovation that changes how we work.

Sherry Vance, chief marketing officer at Butler Snow law firm in Ridgeland, can attest to this.

With a single swipe of her index finger, Vance unlocks her iPad and, in a sense, unlocks the world.

"I'm still a novice at this," Vance said of her new tablet. "You could spend your day every day investigating all these apps, but unfortunately we can't always do that."

Fortunately for Vance, her short list of go-to apps for tablets and smartphones prove to be effective at the office, just as the telegraph and typewriter were in their day.

Atlanta-based tech analyst Jeff Kagan said while some apps are tailored for professionals in real estate or sales, others appeal to the broad business sector.

"Apps empower the workforce to be more competitive and provide better service to the customer," Kagan said, adding some companies have launched their own private apps for employees.

Since their inception just four years ago, downloadable apps have grown from a handful of niche games to a $6.1 billion industry.

"This is just the beginning of this revolution," Kagan said. "It's going to get better and more interesting as the years go by."

Becky Bates, a women's health nurse practitioner in the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said her iPhone comes in handy at all times of the workday.

Because UMC is a subscriber to DynaMed, a clinical reference tool for physicians and health care professionals, Bates can access articles on the latest medical research using her iPhone.

"Rather than having to grab a book, I reach in my pocket, type something in and pull it right up," she said. "It's definitely more efficient."

Bates also calculates baby due dates, makes physician referrals and tracks her continuing education units using her smartphone.

She even "prescribes" apps to smartphone-using patients who want to keep track of their diet and exercise regimen.

As Mississippians continue to ditch landline phones for cellphones at growing rates, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report released in April, users are downloading apps for both business and pleasure, said Dennis Graham, data sales engineer at Ridgeland-based Cellular South.

Last month, Graham led a Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership professional development workshop on "Mobile APPtitude," shedding light on apps rooted in everyday business happenings.

Among those apps is eTrace - a program that monitors mobile workforce productivity. Through eTrace, employers can track workers out in field and workers can stamp their time cards.

Here are several apps recommended by area business professionals.

•TripIt: This personal organizer allows users to sync all travel confirmations (airline, car rental, hotel) in one place. The app also alerts to changes in flight status and alternative flight options.

Cost: Free. Downloadable for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad.

•Flight Tracker: Vance uses this travel app to view airline departure and arrival times worldwide as well as gate numbers, baggage claim information and weather delays. Flight Tracker accesses the same database used by major airlines, providing reliable updates.

Cost: 99 cents. Downloadable for iPhone and iPad.

•Splashtop: This remote desktop app streams high-resolution video and audio from a PC or Mac, allowing users to access PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Quicken and other applications on their mobile device. Users can also access Internet browsers and bookmarks.

Cost: $1.99-4.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Palm.

•Dragon Dictation: Users can speak and instantly send emails, text messages, Facebook statuses and Twitter updates with this multilingual voice recognition app. The app's developers claim dictation is five times faster than typing on a keyboard.

Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.

•PDF Expert: Users can highlight text, make notes, save changes and share files. The app supports documents created in Apple Preview or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Cost: $9.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad.

•CamCard: Simply take a picture of a business card and this reader recognizes the contact information and saves it to the mobile device. A free trial titled CamCard Lite is available to test before buying the full version.

Cost: $6.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.

•eTrace: Available through Cellular South, this workforce productive app tracks field personnel, workflow, timecards and work orders.

Cost: Monthly rate. Downloadable for select phones.

•DailyFinance: Tailored for investors and market followers, this app provides real-time quotes from BATS Exchange and 15-minute delayed quotes from NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX. DailyFinance also creates and tracks up to 25 portfolios and watchlists and customizes news from 3,000-plus sources.

Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.

•LinkedIn: The app version of this business networking website connects more than 100 million professionals worldwide. Users receive the latest updates and messages in real time.

Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Palm.

•iProcrastinate: Users can color-code task lists and list steps. Task lists can also be shared with others to keep tabs on group projects.

Cost: 99 cents. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad.

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Samsung I9100 Galaxy S2, HTC Wildfire S and HTC ChaCha now on sale at GO - Malta Independent Online

GO is now selling the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S2 and the HTC Wildfire S and HTC ChaCha.

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S2

One of the latest additions to Samsung?s Galaxy line-up, this is one of the hottest and most powerful android superphones to hit the international mobile market. The retail price of this smartphone is ?649 but customers can get it for as little as ?50 with a GO Pay Monthly plan or enjoy six months? free mobile internet with all Pay-As-You-GO plans.

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S2 runs the Android OS v2.3 (Gingerbread) on a 1.2 GHz dual-core chip and features a large Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen display (16M colours), quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900), a slim-line design, EDGE/3G technology and an internal memory of 16GB with microSD expansion of up to 32GB. It includes an 8MP camera with full HD video and 2MP secondary video call camera, internet and email, games, MP3 player and ringtones, unlimited Phonebook, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi Hotspot, document editor, social networking integration and much, much more.

HTC Wildfire S

HTC Wildfire S comes equipped with a 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with a display of 256 K vibrant colours and is packed with an impressive style and a cluster of higher technological features and specifications. The device measures 101mm x 59mm x 12mm and weighs about 105 gram. An accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, HTC Sense v3.0 UI and touch-sensitive controls make it even more user-friendly and convenient to use.

HTC Wildfire S includes a great storage capacity of 512 MB ROM and 512 MB RAM, which can be further extended up to 32 GB via microSD card slot. Its great connectivity features such as GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA and Wi-Fi provide high browsing speed. Other benefits include data sharing via upgraded Bluetooth features and microUSB, satellite navigation with A-GPS support. The device is powered by a 600 MHz processor, runs on Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) platform and includes 5.0 mega pixels camera.

HTC ChaCha: The first smartphone with a Facebook button

The HTC ChaCha is a perfect smartphone with all the latest features. The QWERTY keypad is very attractive as well as a great help for faster typing. It comes equipped with a 2.6-inch TFT touchscreen along with an accelerometer sensor, built-in speaker phone, MicroSD card slot, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and practically unlimited phonebook, as well as social networking integration. HTC ChaCha is equipped with a 5 megapixels camera with a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels and a 600 MHz processor as well as an internal memory of 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM, and more.

Both HTC Wildfire S and HTC ChaCha retail at ?299 but can be acquired free of charge with GO Pay-Monthly plans. Alternatively, customers can opt for six months free mobile internet when subscribing to any one of the Pay-As-You-GO plans.

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Newest tablet arrives a bit late - Worcester Telegram

Have you been reading the headlines? There was a big earthquake in Haiti. Some men were rescued from a mine in Chile. Oh, and apparently there was a gigantic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What?s that you say? This all sounds like last year?s news?

Well, don?t tell that to Hewlett-Packard. Last week, it introduced what it considers a groundbreaking new product: a tablet with a touch screen!

It?s the HP TouchPad ($500 for the 16-gig model, $600 for 32 gigs): a black rectangle with a glossy 9.7-inch multitouch screen. You can zoom into maps, photos or Web pages by putting two fingers on the glass and spreading or pinching them. The screen image rotates when you turn the tablet 90 degrees.

The only buttons are a Home button below the screen and volume up/down buttons on the edge.

If that description sounds just like the iPad (and the 47,298 Android tablets that compete with it), you?re right. HP has some nerve coming out with a tablet now ? especially because the biggest distinguishing component is its operating system. It?s WebOS, a variation of the software that runs the Palm cellphones (the Pre, Pixi and so on) ? but it?s new to tablets.

Which means, of course, that there aren?t many apps for it yet. How many is ?not many?? Well, 300.

(HP points out, however, that there are even fewer for Android tablets, even after several months: only 232.)

There?s a Kindle app, Pandora and Angry Birds, thank goodness. But some pretty popular apps are among the missing. No Flixter or IMDB. No Pocket God. No Google apps like Google Mobile, Google Earth or Google Voice. No Netflix.

Now, from a hardware-checklist perspective, the TouchPad doesn?t get off to a good start. It?s the same size as the iPad, but it?s 40 percent thicker (.75 inches thick) and 20 percent heavier (1.6 pounds) ? a bitter spec to swallow in a gadget you hold upright all day long.

It has a front camera for video chatting but, unlike its rivals, no camera on the back. It has Wi-Fi, but can?t get online over the cellphone network, too. It can sometimes pinpoint its own location on Bing Maps by referencing nearby Wi-Fi hotspots, but it doesn?t have real GPS (what were they thinking?).

It supposedly has a blazing-fast chip inside, but you wouldn?t know it. When you rotate the screen, it takes the screen two seconds to match ? an eternity in tablet time. Apps can take a long time to open; the built-in chat app, for example, takes seven seconds to appear. Animations are sometimes jerky, reactions to your finger swipes sometimes uncertain.

And despite being thicker, the TouchPad?s battery life lasts only about eight hours on a charge (the iPad gets 10 hours). .

Now, even HP understands that the TouchPad?s only hope is differentiating itself from the better established tablets. The only buying question you have to ask yourself, then, is: Does HP make a convincing enough case that you should gamble on this unknown quantity?

Here?s the crux of HP?s argument.

First of all, the TouchPad is beautiful. It?s iPad beautiful. The case is glossy black plastic ? a magnet for fingerprints, unfortunately, but it looks wicked great in the first five minutes.

The WebOS is beautiful, too. It?s graphically coherent, elegant, fluid and satisfying. That, apparently, is the payoff when a single company designs both the hardware and the software. (Android gadgets, by contrast, are a mishmash of different versions and looks.)

The central conceits of WebOS are the same as on Palm?s phones. For example, when you press the Home button, all open apps shrink into half-size window ?cards?; at this point, you can swipe with your finger to move among them, or swipe an app upward to close that app. It works beautifully, and conveys far more information than the iPad?s application switcher (which is just a row of icons).

HP says that the TouchPad offers real multitasking: all open apps are always running. On the iPad, by contrast, only certain apps (like music playback and GPS tracking) chug away in the background; everything else is just suspended until you return. Apple argues that true multitasking runs down the battery ? and the battery-life stats prove it correct. Choose the compromise you like best.

The other big win with the WebOS is something HP calls Synergy, which means that it consolidates your data from different online accounts. You might keep your family schedule on Google Calendar, your work calendar in Exchange or Outlook and some events in Facebook. The TouchPad consolidates them onto a single color-coded calendar.

It does the same thing with your online address books, email accounts, chat accounts (Skype, AOL, Yahoo, Gtalk) and photo libraries. In each case, the TouchPad shows you everything in one place.

The onscreen keyboard has a couple of advantages over its rivals?. First, you don?t have to switch keyboard views to see the number keys; they?re right on the top row. (Why didn?t anyone think of that before?)

HP has also made excellent hay from Palm?s charging innovations. For example, the optional $80 TouchPad dock not only holds the TouchPad upright, it also auto-activates a useful screensaver mode, like photo slide shows or weather. Best of all, it charges the TouchPad magnetically, without your having to connect anything. Meet George Jetson.

The TouchPad will perform a similar wireless stunt once HP releases its Palm Pre 3 cellphone. If there?s a Web page on the tablet, you can transfer it to the Pre just by holding the phone against the TouchPad?s bottom. That?s fantastic if you?ve just called up some driving directions, for example, or a recipe, that you want on your phone without having to copy out a Web address.

The TouchPad will also be able to alert you when phone calls or text messages come to your Palm Pre 3.

You know how people ?jailbreak,? or hack, the iPhone to run unauthorized apps? Apple fights jailbreakers incessantly with software warfare. But HP welcomes such shenanigans. You agree not to bother HP with whatever trouble results, and you can restore the factory settings by resetting your tablet.

Now, much of the TouchPad?s promise remains theoretical; all kinds of stuff is ?coming soon,? including music or movie stores and a Mac/Windows utility that will copy your computer?s music files to the tablet. HP emphasizes, of course, that many more apps are on the way. It says that its workshops for programmers are sold out for the summer. That?s good, because, well, did I mention no Netflix?

(The tablet can run most of the 8,000 apps that were designed for WebOS phones. Absurdly enough, though, it runs them at phone-screen size ? tiny, floating in the middle of the black screen. There?s no option to blow them up, as on the iPad and Android.)

HP says that its TouchPad is only the first of a family of models. Eventually, it expects to bring WebOS to laptops, computers and printers.

In this 1.0 incarnation, the TouchPad doesn?t come close to being as complete or mature as the iPad or the best Android tablets; you?d be shortchanging yourself by buying one right now, unless you?re some kind of rabid A.B.A. nut (Anything but Apple).

But there are signs of greatness here. HP is coming to this battle very late, but it says it intends to stay the course. True, it?s tilting at windmills ? but at least it?s riding an impressive steed.

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Android has sights set on innovation - The Independent

The robots are taking charge. A friendly looking green droid now dominates the smartphone world, says Nick Clark

The robots are taking charge. Rather than fearsome cyborgs created by Skynet, the march is by a friendly looking green droid, which emerged two years ago and now dominates the smartphone world.

This week Google revealed that 500,000 phones running its Android operating system (OS) are activated every day. Senior managers say this is only the beginning, as they look to expand the system to running homes and cars, adding that the UK will play a crucial role in its development.

Dave Burke, engineering director for Google in the UK, oversees Android development in the region and has been working on the system since its launch. He said the success of the platform so far had "exceeded our wildest dreams".

Google had already developed a "mobile excellence centre" before it bought mobile software developer Android in August 2005, which brought current Android head Andy Rubin with it. Yet despite rumours, Android did not emerge on a handset until October 2008, with the launch of T-Mobile's G1. Mr Burke said: "It was clear we were seeing a dominant source of traffic from smartphones. They were using a disproportionate amount of data. It became about usage not units."

Since then the popularity of the OS has soared and there are currently 310 Android devices available.

Mr Rubin revealed the latest Android statistics this week, which also showed the levels of activations were growing 4.4 per cent week on week. Mr Burke added: "We are only just over two years into this. This is still early for a hugely dynamic industry."

London's operations are a key part of Android development. Mr Burke's team focused on the system's mobile web browser and is responsible for the voice-recognition operations. He said there are huge developments in the space that has led to a "much faster interaction now".

Android has a 36 per cent share of the market up from 0.5 per cent in 2008, according to Gartner, overtaking Apple, which revolutionised the smartphone market with the launch of the iPhone in 2007. By May of this year, 100 million devices running Android had been activated.

Steve Brazier, chief executive of research group Canalys, said: "The success of Android on smartphones has been phenomenal thanks to their rapid innovation and the fact it is free to license." He added: "Android is popular because it is a modern operating system that isn't Apple. There were many who did not want an iPhone, for whatever reason, one of which is price."

Google has invested heavily in making the platform work. Analysts pointed to the strength in its engineering team to create a platform that consumers wanted. It has continued to develop the system, with the ninth update – codename Ice Cream Sandwich – due for release later this year. It has been designed to run smartphones and tablets. It makes its own phones, but normally as Mr Burke puts it, as "reference devices". Following from the Nexus One and the Nexus S, a phone is in development with the new platform and will launch this year.

Part of its success has been driven by the mobile operators. Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at IDC, said: "They were concerned first about the dominance of Nokia, then of Apple. They started pushing vendors to make Android devices. It snowballed." The handset makers were also keen as Google charges no licensing fee for the software.

Android is important for Google, despite not receiving fees for the software, as it has helped the group cement its position in mobile search. In the past two years the rise in mobile search traffic at the company has increased five-fold. On Android phones, it has risen 10 per cent.

The advance of innovation at the operating system has been helped by the arms race taking place in mobile phones. Smartphone makers Apple, HTC, Motorola and Samsung especially are packing ever more power into the devices.

This, along with the rise of cloud computing, has given the Android developers licence to be more creative. "You will see more and more processing power, while the cloud makes sense for some of the heavier lifting," Mr Burke said.

He is hugely excited about the prospects for Android. "Currently we are focused on tablets and phones, but we encourage innovation. People can take the system to places we hadn't even envisioned. It can be used in control systems for houses and cars, as well as to run cameras and televisions," he said.

This includes the software which is running lighting , home stereos and alarm clocks. Companies have also designed a protocol that extends to diswashers and thermostats. "People are building stuff right now. I'm pretty excited to drive in my first Android car," he said.

Google will face challenges, analysts said. Partly this is because the devices are becoming so widespread that operators will fear a lack of differentiation in the market. Another issue is the one that helped its rise. The operators are expected to back rivals, especially Microsoft, to avoid the dominance of Android and the iPhone.

"Android will get stronger, but this will become a problem for operators because it can get too powerful," Mr Jeronimo said. "No one wants a market dominated by two players."

Emerging markets have been hugely important for Android, but one critical country is limited.

Google has a chequered past with China. Currently, Android devices shipped into China do not have Google search. Others have raised privacy concerns over the devices tracking users. Mr Brazier added that for a young industry it was "perfectly possible new entrants can shake up the market. Android is only two years old and the iPhone is less than four."

He pointed to moves by HP and its WebOS and a new OS developed by Research in Motion, adding: "Both Google and Apple will need to keep moving forwards."

Geoff Blaber, an analyst at CCS Insight, said: "Android is critical for Google as mobile search is becoming increasingly important... This is a market in its infancy, but Android currently has a stranglehold".

In the space of two years, Android has taken a dominant position in its core market and, according to Mr Burke, has set no limit on its plans for innovation. "We want to speed up innovation in the industry," he said.

Source : Click Here

Android Royalties Are Going to … Microsoft? - Motley Fool

Android Royalties Are Going to … Microsoft? (AAPL, EMC, GD, GOOG, MMI, MSFT, RIMM) Fool.comThe Official Website of the Long-Term InvestorWelcome! Premium Advice My Services None Other Services Alpha Big Short Duke Street Global Gains Hidden Gems Income Investor Inside Value Million Dollar Portfolio Motley Fool Options Motley Fool Pro Rule Breakers Rule Your Retirement Special Ops Stock Advisor HelpJoin NoworLogin The Motley Fool Home All Fool Headlines Fool Labs Fool MilitaryAbout The Motley Fool My Fool My Profile My Watchlist My Scorecard My Boards My CAPS My Reports My Settings How To Invest 13 Steps Find a Broker Investing Wiki Personal Finance Investing Commentary Basics ETFs Options Small-Cap Dividends & Income High Growth Value Mutual Funds International CAPS Community CAPS Home CAPS Home My CAPS Stocks Screener Players Blogs Top Tens Tags Contests Contact Us Help Retirement 13 Retirement Steps IRAs 401(k)s, Etc. Asset Allocation Boards Best Of Favorites & Replies Customize Start a New Board Fool Store Stock Advisor Hidden Gems Rule Breakers Income Investor Million Dollar Portfolio Motley Fool PRO Global Gains Inside Value Email Print Tweet

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Mr. Softy is putting some patented pressure on the Android community.

In a series of press releases over the past week, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) has touted patent agreements with a variety of small bodies in the Android universe. The contract partners range from privately held PC and tablet designer Velocity Micro to Japanese audio expert Onkyo and a division of defense contractor General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) .

The announcements were made with hard-to-hide glee: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with General Dynamics Itronix, which is an example of how industry leaders address intellectual property," says deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez in one of them, for example.

Microsoft is also part of the consortium that won the auction for a bundle of Nortel technology patents, alongside such unlikely allies as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL  ) , Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM  ) , and EMC (NYSE: EMC  ) . Taken together, the rash of license agreements and the heavier patent arsenal in the wireless arena form a potent platform from which Microsoft can launch a licensing campaign among larger Android partners, from Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI  ) to Google (Nasdaq: GOOG  ) itself.

The Android software doesn't come with licensing fees to Google or anyone else, but Microsoft might be able to collect royalties directly from handset and tablet makers instead and then trumpet that Android really isn't all that free. Although unlikely to boost business for Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, at least Redmond gets to take part in Android's proven success story. When you consider that HTC is reportedly paying Microsoft $5 per Android phone and that there are 500,000 Android activations per day, far-reaching licensing fees could quickly add up to be a surprising contributor to Microsoft’s bottom line.

How far will Microsoft stick its fingers into the Android pie? Add Microsoft and Google to your Foolish watchlist, and then sit down with a bag of popcorn to watch the news and analysis flow in. Both tech giants also look temptingly cheap these days, giving you all the more reason to keep a close watch on 'em.

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Fool contributor Anders Bylund owns shares of Google, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Check out his holdings and a short bio. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google, Microsoft, Apple, EMC, and General Dynamics. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Our newsletters have also recommended creating a bull call spread position in Apple and a diagonal call position in Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Read/Post Comments (4) | Recommend This Article (1)

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Report this Comment On July 02, 2011,at 11:28 AM, ConstableOdo wrote:

And despite Android's crappy business model, Wall Street's love goes to Google by claiming that iOS doesn't have much of a chance of beating the open and supposedly "free use" Android model. What a bunch of putzes on WS.

Report this Comment On July 02, 2011,at 12:36 PM, techy46 wrote:

Microsoft gets $5 for each Google's Android device and I wonder how much Oracle's going to get for Android considering it violates the Sun Java IP which Oracle now owns. Socialism, even in patents and software, usually backfires. Building a revenue model on searching everyone elses content is the ultimate scam anyway. I'd love to see Apple, Microsoft and Oracle nail Google to the wall.

Report this Comment On July 02, 2011,at 8:18 PM, InfoThatHelp wrote:

It had become rare to see any more mentioning of Rim anywhere. Rim is irrelevant, disappearing everywhere especially in EMEA and Latin America very rapidly. QNX has been discarded also along with the Playbooks, like a flash in the pan.

Report this Comment On July 03, 2011,at 12:05 AM, wck59 wrote:

If anything this week shows that Google doesn't take IP seriously. The Nortel patents would helped defend Android and probably pushed Microsoft back. Instead Microsoft wins by being in the winning group headed by Apple. The handwriting is on the wall for Android, probably a few years down road Android might be making RIM look like a success.

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Microsoft bags two more Android patent deals - Register

Microsoft has inked two more patent licensing agreements with Android hardware manufacturers.

Onkyo Corp and Velocity Micro have each signed agreements with Redmond that will mean Microsoft receives royalties on Android tablets sold by the two companies.

Details of the agreements were not revealed, but it's standard practice for Microsoft to license part of its patent portfolio and agree to not to sue for infringement.

It's been quite a week for Microsoft in signing up Android OEMs. On Monday, General Dynamics Itronix agreed to pay Microsoft royalties on devices in return for the same "broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio".

What's curious, ss patents expert and blogger Florian Mueller points out, is that these three companies are not exactly the biggest OEMs working with Google's mobile operating system.

Also, two of this week's licensees have some experience with the patents system: General Dynamics Itronix is a subsidiary of the mighty General Dynamics defense contractor, which, as Mueller notes, has almost 1,000 patents registered under its ownership and would have the money to easily see off any potential patent action. Onkyo has 100 patents.

Microsoft also has a patent agreement in place with HTC on Android, and on the Linux side, Redmond has signed up Amazon over its Kindle reader and TomTom over in-car satellite navigation systems.

Those still resisting Microsoft include Motorola over the Droid X and Droid 2, and Barnes & Noble, Invetec, and Foxconn International over the Nook e-reader sold by Barnes & Noble.

Microsoft is adamant that Android violates its patents. The chief financial officer for Microsoft's mobile communications business in September 2010 told investors: "It [Android] does infringe on a bunch of patents, and there's a cost associated with that." This cost would seem to be legal and licensing. ®

Source : Click Here

Sony Ericsson bids for Android leadership - AsiaOne

The Nation/Asia News Network

Sony Ericsson has announced the release of two new smart phones and a new feature phone on Asia-Pacific markets in a bid to support its business position as a communication entertainment brand and to make itself the markets' leading supplier of mobile phones based on the Android operating system.

The new phones - the Xperia ray, the Xperia active and the Sony Ericsson txt - will be available in the third quarter of this year.

Sony Ericsson's corporate vice president and head of Asia-Pacific region

Matthew Lang said that the firm wanted to become the No 1 supplier of Android-based mobile phones and it saw the opportunity for growth in Asia Pacific.

"We see great opportunities in the market for our new products. We have great expectations for active markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and India. We need to be No 1 in Android-based mobile phones to be the market leader," he said.

Moreover, Lang said Sony Ericsson would introduce a new tablet PC to the market when it was able to develop something unique and different. At present, it is waiting to see how the market segment emerges.

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International's corporate vice president and head of marketing Steve Walker said that the growth of the Asia-Pacific mobile-phone market had led his company to unveil the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray and Xperia active, to give consumers access to the world of Sony Ericsson and Android.

The Xperia ray and Xperia active smart phones both run the latest version of the Android platform (Gingerbread 2.3) and deliver rich consumer experiences.

"As the Android platform gains market share in Asia Pacific, the Xperia portfolio is positioned to deliver consumers a unique and differentiated experience. We continue to deliver a portfolio to make the Sony Ericsson experience available to a broad range of consumers," he said.

Walker said the two new smart phones were designed to offer consumers unique design and technology for an entertaining experience.

The Xperia ray, combines a slim 9.4mm form factor with a high quality aluminium frame and a 3.3-inch screen. The phone has a 1Ghz processor and uses Sony technology such as Reality Display with a Mobile Bravia engine and an 8.1-megapixel camera with a Sony Exmor R CMOS sensor.

Meanwhile, the Xperia active has a compact design combined with a number of innovative hardware features including a 3-inch screen, a 1Ghz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. It is also dust proof and water resistant and incorporates wet-finger tracking.

It features pre-loaded sports apps that enable users to easily track their fitness levels. By using built-in GPS, barometer and compass in combination with an on-screen heart rate and pulse monitor (enabled by ANT+ wireless networking technology), and the iMapMyFitness app, users can easily monitor their day to day performance.

The company also introduced the Sony Ericsson txt, a feature phone designed for the entry-level market. It offers a full Qwerty keyboard, a 2.6-inch screen and an SMS shortcut key for easy and fast messaging. It also comes equipped with a "friends" application that enables users to see Facebook and Twitter updates from their top five friends at a glance.

"The Sony Ericsson txt is Wi-Fi enabled and comes equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording. The phone feels comfortable in the hand with a rounded back. It is a phone for easy and fast messaging on the move," Walker said, adding that all three phones would be available in the third quarter of this year.

Illustrating the rate of growth that has spurred not only Sony Ericsson but many other phone makers to develop new products, market-research firm IDC says that Thailand's total mobile phone market is expected to reach 21.1 million units this year. Smart phones will make up 16.6 per cent of these and feature phones 83.4 per cent.

IDC's first quarter Thailand Mobile Device Tracker reported year-on-year growth of

66.7 per cent in smart-phone sales.

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Patch Launches Andoid App - Patch.com

The Patch folks at our HQ in New York have just announced a new Patch Android app called 'Patch Places', which allows you to navigate every place in every Patch town in the country. So awesome!

Select any Patch community and tap into a mobile directory of every place in town with Patch Places for Android. And when we say every place in town, we mean it – from local businesses and organizations to government offices and public parks. With hundreds of comprehensive listings in the palm of your hand, you can find what you need anytime, anywhere.

Search and browse nearby shops, restaurants, nightlife spots, salons – anything you can think of. Once you find the spot you’re looking for, Patch Places maps it out so it’s easy to locate. Plus, browse pictures, rate and review, or share a place page via email, Facebook and Twitter. You can even call a place straight from its page for more info on their goods or services.

Place Pages let you easily:
• Search alphabetically or by category
• Find a place via an interactive map
• Call a place for more info
• Browse place photos or upload your own
• Rate and review places
• Share a place page via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter
• View the place’s own website
• Save a place page in your favorites for offline viewing

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