Google Purchases Motorola Mobility for $12 Billion in Ongoing Android Patent War
In news sure to shock the markets this morning positively ahead of the opening bell, Google has announced that it has purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in a cash transaction, with Google’s goal being to leverage Motorola Mobility’s extensive patent portfolio in the wake on continuing litigation concerning its Android operating system and recent […]
Google Adds Offline Map Caching to Maps for Android as Labs Feature
Google has quietly added offline map caching to the latest version of Google Maps for Android, though it cautions that the feature is a part of its Google Labs suite of experimental features and is not feature complete. The offline maps caching feature is also different from similar functionality in other applications in that it […]
FTC Approves Google, Apple and Intel Bids for Nortel Wireless Patents
The United States Federal Trade Commission has approved both Google’s and Intel’s preliminary bids for former Canadian networking giant Nortel Networks after weeks of deliberation. Google has already bid $900 million for the assets, which range from 6,000 patents to satisfy bankruptcy obligations. The patents in question cover 3G/4G wireless, internet, voice, data, optical networking, […]
PayPal Files Suit Against Google for Wallet Payment System
Not long after the announcement of Google’s Wallet initiative yesterday, PayPal retaliated with litigation against the search and advertising giant for developing the service with trade secrets based on the hiring of former PayPal employees who are also being sued in Osama Bedier and Stephanie Tilenius. Below, PayPal’s official statement on the matter and a […]
Google Announces Wallet NFC Initiative with Groupon-Alike Offers
Google has announced its plans to launch Google Wallet, a new mobile payment system in tandem with Citi, Mastercard and Sprint. The goal of the initiative is to build an open mobile payment ecosystem with an API to allow merchants and customers to buy and sell product quickly. Along with the announcement of Wallet, Google […]
AT&T Officially Confirms Third-Party App Installs on Android with Sideloading
AT&T has sent out a letter to its developer program members and partners confirming that the carrier will now allow third-party applications to run on its stable of Android devices, effectively ending its blockade and opening up its Android lineup to behave closer to other Android devices. Currently, the Samsung Infuse 4G is the only […]
Sprint Announces Nexus S 4G for May 8th
Sprint has officially announced that it will launch the long awaited Nexus S 4G on May 8th for $199.99 after a new 2 year agreement and instant rebate. Like the Nexus S released last year with support for T-Mobile, the Android Gingerbread device features hardware support for NFC with the addition of a WiMax radio. […]
Google Responds to Recent Media Reports Regarding Fragmentation
Google VP of engineering Andy Rubin has responded to recent media reports regarding Google’s commitment to end fragmentation on Android and the delay of the release of Android 3.0 source code to the public in a new blog post. The blog post reiterates that the anti-fragmentation measures which have been the crux of the reports […]
Google Pulls Popular PlayStation Emulator Ahead of Xperia Play Release
Noted developer ZodTTD, best known for developing the popular PSX4Droid Sony PlayStation emulator for Android has taken to Twitter to announce that Google has pulled the application from the Android Market, eight months after being first approved and released. The timing for the removal is coincidental, as the Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson is expected […]
Google Delays Honeycomb Source Release to Developers
Google has confirmed to BusinessWeek that it will delay the long-awaited release of the complete source code for Android Honeycomb, citing and reiterating its intentions for the Android version to be used on tablets and never intended to be ported to any other devices such as smartphone hardware until the company feels its ready to […]