The battle to dominate the mobile market has never been about smartphones. Android, iOS, and Windows Phone are attempts to use the most personal computers ever made to lock users into one ecosystem. Google is using Android, an open ecosystem, to lock users into Google apps and services.
Lately Business Insider (BI) has been announcing the imminent death of Android based on iPhone and iPad sales, reported disinterest in the platform by developers, and upset manufacturers. According to a handful of their writers, Android is poised to lose market share to both iOS and Windows Phone. Is the end near for Android?
Microsoft has launched the classic OneNote application onto the Android platform. What is OneNote? It’s a classy note taking app that allows for users to place pretty pictures, bullet points and text notes from their mobile device for later usage. You can then open up your notes from your mobile or your PC whenever you need them. All you need is a Windows Live ID and you’re able to use the app to its full extent.
For the past week I’ve been reviewing the Samsung Focus S. I believe that competition drives innovation, so I love spending time with multiple devices and operating systems to see what works well and what doesn’t. I think most of us have spent some quality time with an iOS device and are aware of the competition it presents, but I’m guessing that most of us haven’t played with Windows Phone very much. So how does Windows Phone 7 stack up against Android?
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Microsoft is boasting their ever expanding blitzkrieg of the Android market today by announcing that they have signed a deal with LG over patents related to their Android phones and Chrome OS devices. LG now joins the ranks of Samsung, Acer and HTC as companies to fall to Microsoft’s patent bullying over the Android ecosystem. “This agreement with LG means that more than 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. are now receiving coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio,” Microsoft said in their press release.
Microsoft unabashedly makes more money off of Android than they do off their own Windows Phone 7 platform. How far will this campaign go to sign every company that has anything to do with Android?
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According to a job posting, Microsoft is looking to bring Xbox Live to other mobile platforms besides their own. Along with the posting, a developer who works closely with Microsoft confirmed the info to Business Insider. If this pans out to be true, then we can say, “au revoir” to Microsoft’s marketing scheme of listing Windows phones as being the only ones with Xbox Live built in. A clip from the job posting reads as:
“As the team inside IEB (Interactive Entertainment Business) dedicated to mobile experiences, we work closely with console software team and Xbox LIVE services team to bring the latest and greatest gaming and entertainment experience to mobile platforms including Windows Phone, iOS and other mobile platforms.“
As Android users, we don’t even have an official way of signing into our Xbox Live accounts yet, so an entire app that would include games would be fantastic. No time frame has been stated, but rest assured we’re looking out for one.
Via: Business Insider
Our instant reaction after learning that Microsoft had released an official Hotmail app on Android is something that probably can’t be repeated in public. It’s just sooo….hilarious on so many levels. Memories of spam-filled inboxes, horribly placed ads, and 15 or so non-user friendly make-overs come immediately to mind. Wow, Hotmail.
For those of you that still use it, feel free to jump on it and let us know how it works!
Cheers Anish!
In the past few weeks, the tech world has been shadowed by a bunch of lawsuits filed by all of the big names. Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, and Google, all seem to be preparing for an epic showdown in the court room.
Two weeks ago though, Google made the huge announcement that they would be purchasing Motorola Mobility for the tune of $12.5 billion. The reason behind the purchase was quite obvious, in that Google needed the 17,000 patents that Moto held (7,500 additional still pending), to protect their beloved Android OS from other sue happy corporations. It is now making light, that 18 in particular of some 17,000 patents may be needed to secure the future of Android against other mobile operating systems. So of those 24,500 patents, it the battle for Android could come down to a select few. As in the wise words of Bart Simpson, “Ay caramba!”
This quote from patent lawyer David Mixon was put on record over at Phandroid:
One patent from 2001 disables a “touch sensitive” sensor when a smartphone is near a user’s head to prevent inadvertent hang-ups or dialing. Another from 1994 aims to increase data storage, while a third enables users to control when a global positioning system sends their location data over a network.
At the start of 2011, Google was the holder of just over 1,000 patents of their own, so adding Moto’s 17,000+ should definitely broaden their chances of crushing any lawsuits aimed at them. It is still anyone’s guess as to when this will all shake out, but this battle is far from over.
What is everyone’s views on all of the legal news? Getting tiresome? Maybe we can get #TeamGoog trending on Twitter?
