Way back when Google first launched, the new company came out with a moral stance that stated “don’t be evil.” A lofty, but noble goal that the company has tried to live by for sure, but in a recent interview Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt said he thought that it was a pretty dumb idea. “When I showed up, I thought this idea was the stupidest rule ever, because there’s no book about evil except, maybe, you know, the Bible or something.” 

Schmidt brings up a good point about the motto, but points out that it was mostly a good thing that allowed employees to speak up about things that they weren’t sure about. Schmidt was brought onto the old company slogan through the discussion that Google holds a lot of info on it’s users and he assured that if someone were to sell or look through the data, “someone would find out, trust me.” Assuring words for those who fear of Google’s amount of information.

Via: The Verge

Eric Schmidt Thought Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” Rule Was the Stupidest Thing Ever is a post from: Droid Life

The Explorer Editions of Google Glass are slowly shipping to early adopters as you read this, but since the $1,500 price tag attached to them was more than likely out of the range of most, you can imagine that the official retail launch is what’s on radars. We had originally heard that Glass in its retail form would arrive this year with a price below the $1,500 Explorer Edition, however, Eric Schmidt made comments this weekend in an interview with BBC radio that suggested otherwise. 

When asked how soon it is likely to come to the market, Schmidt responded with, “Well, the developers are beginning now. It would be fair to say that there will be thousands of these in use by developers over the next months. And then based on their feedback, we’ll make some product changes – and it’s probably a year-ish away.”

That’s a bit disappointing, but Glass in its current state probably needs a ton of work. Early reports from developers are just now coming in, so we don’t necessarily have any official reviews to go by. With that said, anything Google can do to fine tune the hardware, polish the software, and add in new features is going to help with adoption. Google I/O should be filled with Glass topics and announcements – hopefully they include more definitive news on a retail release.

You can hear Schmidt’s comments on Glass at the audio link below, starting with the 4:28 mark.

Via:  dvice [Audio]

Eric Schmidt Says Google Glass is a “Year-ish” Away From Its Retail Debut is a post from: Droid Life

Speaking at AllThingsD’s Dive Into Mobile conference this morning, Eric Schmidt was asked about his thoughts on where Motorola stands and how we can expect to see Google use them in the future. His comments were brief but powerful, to say the least. After hearing Google’s CFO Patrick Pichette discredit any of Motorola’s near-future products as not having the “wow” factor that Google likes to see, Schmidt went the opposite direction. 

Eric Schmidt said that Motorola “have a new set of products that I have seen that are phenomenal.” He continued on saying that with prices falling in the industry we should all “wait and see for this next generation of technology, it’s very impressive.” When pushed to see if he meant something beyond phones, he said, “Think of it as phones plus (+).”

Motorola’s new product line has been kept mostly secret over the last few months, outside of a leak of a Nexus-styled device in Vietnam. We could see something at Google I/O next month or we may not see something until the fall. At this point, no one outside of Motorola or Google knows. As long as it’s “phenomenal,” I think I can wait a bit.

Eric Schmidt on Motorola: Their New Set of Products is “Phenomenal” is a post from: Droid Life

During a recent discussion with reporters in India, Eric Schmidt took the time to set some things straight in regards to Android, the Chrome OS, and even rumors that Schmidt was looking to leave Google. There has been slight speculation that Chrome and Android would somehow merge, with Andy Rubin leaving Android, and Sundar Pichai taking over both sections, including Chrome and Apps. 

Although Schmidt claims you may see overlap of the two, that Chrome and Android will remain separate. Lastly, as for Eric having thoughts about leaving Google, he dispelled that by saying the rumors are completely false and that, “Google is my home.”

Were you one of the folks hoping to see a merger? As for me, I would have liked to see some Android functionality in Chrome, but we will have to see what some of these “overlaps” entail.

Via: CNET

Cheers Dan!

Eric Schmidt Says Android and Chrome Will Stay Separate, But You May See Overlap is a post from: Droid Life

In an hour-long interview with Bloomberg, Google’s Eric Schmidt touched on a few things, namely the ongoing “war” as some would call it with Apple Inc. Luckily for Schmidt, he doesn’t have to do much convincing when says Google is “winning.” In a recent analysis, it showed Google holding to a strong market share of 72% in Q3, while Apple sat at 14%. Schmidt declared that 1.3 million Android devices are activated daily, a number that only seems to go up and up. 

Another interesting subject that was lightly touched on was Google’s overall plan for Android. By creating a free platform that allows hardware makers to gain revenue from, Google takes the initial loss, but knows the overall future profits will outweigh them significantly. By creating a new market for advertisements and other Internet-based services, Android will help usher Google onto the road ahead.

The core strategy is to make a bigger pie. We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems.

Classic Eric Schmidt.

Via: Bloomberg

Google’s Eric Schmidt On War With Apple, “We’re Clearly Winning” is a post from: Droid Life

Eric Schmidt is Google’s Executive Chairman and also the company, and Android’s, biggest cheerleader when it comes to the media. In a recent interview, Schmidt sat down and talked business about a lot of things going on with Google and the conversation inevitably leaned towards their patent struggles with Apple. Schmidt said, “It’s extremely curious that Apple has chosen to sue Google’s partners instead of Google itself.” But he didn’t stop there. 

He continued about Apple v Google, “The adult way to run a business is to run it more like a country. They have disputes, yet they’ve actually been able to have huge trade with each other. They’re not sending bombs at each other.” It seems as if there is a mutual respect between the two companies, but Schmidt would like to see it go down in a different way.

Schmidt was also asked about the juicy rumor that Google is looking into making their own wireless carrier, to which Schmidt didn’t really say no. After saying that their current focus is Kansas City and their new Google Fiber, Schmidt said “The current spectrum shortage is real, but it’s an artifact of a licensing and regulatory error. New technology allows there to be lots of spectrum, far more than you could use.” Sounds like Google might just be waiting on this “new technology” before launching into the spectrum game.

Via: Wall Street Journal

Eric Schmidt Thinks It’s ‘Extremely Curious’ That Apple Hasn’t Sued Google Directly is a post from: Droid Life

Eric Schmidt has never been one to shy away from comments on Android’s biggest competitor, Apple. Speaking yesterday in an interview, he said that there was a platform battle between Android and Apple and that it was the “defining” battle of the industry. 

Schmidt went on to say the battle between the two companies would benefit the consumer in the end. More competition means more innovation which gives us better mobile devices in our hands. He also threw in a jab at Apple’s decision to switch away from Google Maps, saying, “Maps are hard, Apple should have kept our maps… They’re better.”

Do you feel that this defining battle will in fact benefit the end user?

Via: The Verge | AllThingsD

Google’s Eric Schmidt Says “Android vs. Apple is the Industry’s Defining Contest” is a post from: Droid Life

In a recent outing, Google’s Eric Schmidt made one thing very clear – Google has no Maps application in the works for iOS devices. According to Schmidt, the decision was entirely Apple’s and he still feels that they should have stuck with Google’s app. Both Google and Apple were in constant communication on the matter, but in the long run, Apple decided to go with a homegrown alternative instead. 

We think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know? What were we going to do, force them not to change their mind? It’s their call.

Schmidt went on to clarify that Google did want them as a partner, but with the tensions between the two companies at an all time high, it just wasn’t meant to be.

While in Japan to announce the availability of the Nexus 7, Schmidt took a moment to show off some of the more unique features of their Maps application. By moving the tablet around, instead of using your fingers, you get the sense of “looking around” and he quickly added, “Take that Apple.” Of course, he said it jokingly.

Via: Reuters

Cheers Craig!

iPhone Owners Waiting on Google Maps App, the Wait is Over – It’s Not Coming is a post from: Droid Life

Today at Motorola’s press conference, Eric Schmidt surprised everyone with his presence and laid out some numbers for all you Android fans out there. As of today, 1.3 million Android devices are activated daily, 70,000 of those are Android tablets totaling at a whopping 480 million. As we’ve seen, these numbers continue to grow and become even more impressive. With Nexus 7 tablets flying off the shelves and a new lineup of DROID devices coming out, it’s only going to enlarge.

Watch the live event here.

Eric Schmidt: 1.3 Million Android Activations a Day, 480 Million in Total is a post from: Droid Life

Recent reports from various sources are stating that Google has plans to release specially designed glasses for consumers by the end of this year. Shown above is a pair of Oakley Thumps with the Google logo crudely shopped onto them. Minus the logo, sources close to the project have stated the glasses could look like Thumps but of course, will have a small screen built into the lenses for viewing by the wearer.

The glasses would be based on Android and even have 3G/4G data connections, plus GPS capabilities. If that isn’t enough, there are also indications that the glasses will come with a low resolution camera, for real-time layering of information on locations and other various things such as navigation. The most impressive part so far is what the price may be for technology like this. Sources state that they should cost no more than a regular smartphone. So we may be looking at about $300-$600 for a pair of these Terminator-like pieces of hardware.

Is this the next big thing, or is this just in gimmick phase? Would you be seen wearing these things and walking down the street? So far, I can only picture Eric Schmidt wearing these around town and thinking he looks awesome.

Via: NY Times

Google’s Android Glasses With Built In Screen To Become Reality By This Year’s End? is a post from: Droid Life

Google’s Eric Schmidt stopped by CES and offered another classic comment that is sure to spark up some interesting conversations for the next couple of days. When asked for the billionth time if Android has a fragmentation problem, Schmidt used the word “differentiation” to describe the platform instead:

“Differentiation is positive, fragmentation is negative,” Schmidt said during an appearance here at the Consumer Electronics Show. “Differentiation means that you have a choice and the people who are making the phones, they’re going to compete on their view of innovation, and they’re going to try and convince you that theirs is better than somebody else.”

He continued:

“We absolutely allow [manufacturers] to add or change the user interface as long as they don’t break the apps. We see this as a plus; [it] gives you far more choices.”

The fragmentation argument is beyond played out, so I’ll admit that I actually like this take on Android. While most of us are not interested in skins or custom UIs, they do make one phone different from another. And since so many manufacturers produce Android handsets these days, skins are by no means going away any time soon. We just need to see OEMs spend more time putting in polish and adding useful features that would make them somewhat desirable.

Your thoughts? Buying Schmidt’s “differentiation” argument?

Via:  PCMag

Eric Schmidt: Android Is All About Differentiation, Not Fragmentation is a post from: Droid Life

In a conversation with an Italian newspaper, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has gone on record that Google is pushing hard to bring a Nexus tablet to the market within six months.  Schmidt gave little on details of the tablet, but stated that it would be “of the highest quality.”  With Google and Motorola’s new relationship, could we see Moto being tasked with the tablet project?  Or possibly Samsung?  It seems as if they have been in Google’s favor after being commissioned to produce the last two Nexus devices including the Galaxy Nexus.

With the already abundant supply of different Android tablets, maybe it is time Google came out and made one definitive tablet that people knew and recognized as Google’s answer to Apple’s iPad.  Schmidt also weighed in ever so slightly on Google’s plans to possibly have Majel, Google’s counter to Siri, on board the device.  No matter who makes the tablet, we as consumers are sure to win. While we wait for pricing, release dates, specs and hypebeasting, tell us what you would hope a pure Google tablet would have on board.  Huge processor?  Newer operating system? Let us know.

Via: Slash Gear

Eric Schmidt: “In the Next Six Months We Plan to Market a Tablet of the Highest Quality” is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you have an hour to blow through today, check out the appearance that Eric Schmidt made this week at LeWeb 2011 in Paris. Within the first few minutes, you will see a full 8-minute walk-through of Ice Cream Sandwich by Google’s Hugo Barra. Included in his demo, is one of the first appearances of ICS on a tablet. The rest of the features he shows were seen in a variety of videos we have done over the last few weeks and at the Hong Kong unveiling event.

Schmidt also talks Android vs. Apple, Google+ vs. Facebook, and then fields questions from the crowd on hand. It’s a good watch just because it’s Eric – meaning, you never know what kind of random stuff he is going to spit out. Within the first 10 minutes, you may run out of fingers if you try to count the number of awkward pauses between Hugo, Schmidt and the show’s host.

Video: Eric Schmidt at LeWeb 2011 – Demo of ICS on Tablets, Android vs. Apple, and a Lot of Awkward Comments Included is a post from: Droid Life

At a recent conference, Eric Schmidt has declared that Android has now surpassed the iPhone.  But, how? Schmidt goes on to explain that when measuring pure unit volume, OS, price, and availability that Android is a clear winner.  What Android still lacks is a developer backing though.  Many app vendors just don’t see the numbers yet and are sticking with just supplying iOS customers with their apps until the numbers are in Android’s favor. 

Schmidt thinks that the numbers will reflect Android’s power very soon though.

“Ultimately, application vendors are driven by volume, and volume is favored by the open approach Google is taking. There are so many manufacturers working to deliver Android phones globally. Whether you like Android or not, you will support that platform, and maybe you’ll even deliver it first.”

With the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich, the mighty Googler feels that in a short “six months,” users will no longer see their favorite applications come out for iOS first anymore, but for Android.  Is ICS going to change that much in terms of benefits for developers?  Will we see a complete 180 degree turn in which OS applications make it to first? According to Eric Schmidt, it will.

Via: CNET

Google’s Eric Schmidt: “Android Is Ahead Of The iPhone Now” is a post from: Droid Life

A lot of things came out in Steve Jobs’ biography that was published after his passing last month. One of the things that was more prominent than others was that he really, really wanted Android to do poorly:

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

Eric Schmidt, Google executive chairman, has claimed that even with this competition he and Jobs held a friendly relationship. And he recently pointed out that the Android project was started before the iPhone. Android Inc. was founded in 2003 and then acquired by Google in 2005 where work started under Andy Rubin. Granted, the first Android phone did not come out until after the original iPhone, so each side of this argument can say what they will. At this point it is just mincing words, but Schmidt – who has remained tight-lipped on most topics concerning Jobs since his death – felt enough that he needed to comment on the subject.

Should give Android addicts some added firepower when they meet up with their friendly Apple connections. Or does it even matter anymore? Are we beyond the Apple vs. Android stuff these days?

Via: CNet

Google’s Eric Schmidt: “Android Effort Started Before iPhone Effort” is a post from: Droid Life