In light of the recent events unfolding in courtrooms around the world between Apple and Samsung, it seems the war in mobile will be won based on patents. With a healthy library of 17,000 patents, Motorola Mobility was the perfect acquisition for Google, an acquisition which may have single handedly saved Android.
August, 2011
We’ve heard of throwing someone under the bus, but Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour of Heavy Iron Studios have run the PlayStation Vita over with an 18 wheeler. The two believe the PS Vita is over priced and that consumers are no longer willing to pay out for a single-function gaming device. “If people aren’t willing to pay $249 for the Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for the Vita”.
They say it’s hard out here for a pimp and apparently that also includes the Nintendo 3DS. Following last week’s price cuts, the 3D portable console has only seen one title jump into the top 40. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D saw a 60 percent rise in sales compared to last week, driving the game from number 39 to 13 in the charts. Meanwhile Zumba Fitness for Xbox 360 Kinect remains in the pole position for its 12th week.
Christmas has arrived early this year for die-hard Android fans. An early prototype of the HTC Holiday has been put up for sale on Craigslist, the neighborhood not-so-safe bartering website destined to send you to a coffee shop for pickup. According to the owner of the HTC Holiday (and the included screen shot), the device touts a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, a 4.5-inch qHD resolution display, and 8-megapixel rear facing and 1.3-megapixel front facing cameras.
With the iPhone 5 allegedly due out late next month or early October, industry insider DigiTimes has come forward with its 2011 iPhone shipments and forecasts. The site believes 2011 iPhone shipments will reach 95 million units, a surge of 138 percent compared to the 39.85 million shipped in 2010. Even more impressive are the iPhone 5 shipments which are estimated to reach 25.5 to 26 million in 2011 — that’s more than the combined 2010 third and fourth iPhone shipments.
Huge news: Google has announced a deal to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn. Google says the Android tablet and smartphone maker will be run as a seperate business licensing Android but it looks like those rumours of a Motorola Nexus phone will be coming true.
In the company’s official statement, Google CEO, Larry Page, says the deal “will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem” but says the OS will remain open and available to other manufacturers. Interesting the bosses of HTC, LG and Sony Ericsson have all released official statements welcoming the deal.
The reason for their enthusiasm is contained Page’s blog post on the official Google blog when he says the move will enable Google to “better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies”. Motorola’s vast patent arsenal was a big part of the bargain.
Google and Motorola are currently speaking about the deal on an investor call and we’ll bring you all the developments throughout the afternoon. In the meantime, hit the headline and jump into the comments to let us know what you make of the bombshell.
Out now | £NA | Google
The day after WWDC, Steve Jobs presented to a much smaller audience as he showed off plans for a new spaceship-style Apple HQ to the Cupertino city council. Now Cupertino has released a treasure trove of documents showing just what the prosaically named Apple Campus 2 will look like.
The ring-shaped Apple HQ will be home to 13,000 employees while the current Apple offices at 1 Infinite Loop, which has space for 2,800 staff, will remain open. Work on the new Apple HQ is due to begin next year with a completion date of 2015. The documents published by the council give you a chance to explore the complex with renderings, a site plan and an in-depth look at the landscaping which will plant 6,000 trees on the site including apricot orchards.
Click through to grab the Apple HQ PDFs and watch Steve Jobs talking about the plans for his new mothership. If you spot anything interesting in the documents, share your discoveries in the comments.
The recession means tough times for us all, and it seems the MoD is no different: it’s auctioning off gear formerly issued to spies to raise funds to fill a £36 billion black hole in its finances. Ouch.
But that’s good news for the rest of us, as we can get our hands on all the gear you need to be Bond for a fraction of the price – just stop by the MoD’s Disposal Services Authority site and have a look around. Read on to see how you can get yourself a bomb-proof Jag, an armoured personnel carrier, and a watch fit for Daniel Craig.