Google acquiring Motorola next week, Android staying free
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 12:00pm
That’s it. Chinese regulators have given Google the green light to take over Motorola, The Wall Street Journal reports. Along with the antitrust regulators in America and Europe giving the rubber stamp a few months ago, Google is all set to swallow up the US mobile company.
The $ 12.5bn (£7.9bn) deal is expected to go through early next week. One rather big caveat was attached — that Google keeps Android completely free to use for the next five years, so expect no let up in the number of Android devices.
The deal lets Google get its mitts on more than 17,000 Motorola patents, which will no doubt help as the search giant expands into making its own hardware. We’re expecting Google’s first tablet to launch around July time.
“We look forward to closing the deal,” Google spokesperson Niki Fenwick told Associated Press. The Chinese government approved the deal on Saturday.
Android will stay completely gratis to prevent Google giving unfair advantages to Motorola products, like preferential updates. Though judging from the arduous process of pushing out a software update, and the fact Google takes months to update its own products as is, that seems unlikely.
The deal was announced in August. It’ll help Google mount a challenge to Apple’s smart phone offerings, with Google CEO Larry Page saying it would “supercharge the entire Android ecosystem”. The sizeable patent portfolio will also help Google defend Android against its detractors. Whether we can expect even more tortuous legal disputes, we’ll have to wait and see. Apple and Samsung are due to sit down tomorrow to try to resolve their differences, though things haven’t exactly got off to the best start.
What difference do you think this deal will make to Motorola’s products? And is it good for competition, or does it make Google too big for its own good? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 12:00pm
That’s it. Chinese regulators have given Google the green light to take over Motorola, The Wall Street Journal reports. Along with the antitrust regulators in America and Europe giving the rubber stamp a few months ago, Google is all set to swallow up the US mobile company.
The $ 12.5bn (£7.9bn) deal is expected to go through early next week. One rather big caveat was attached — that Google keeps Android completely free to use for the next five years, so expect no let up in the number of Android devices.
The deal lets Google get its mitts on more than 17,000 Motorola patents, which will no doubt help as the search giant expands into making its own hardware. We’re expecting Google’s first tablet to launch around July time.
“We look forward to closing the deal,” Google spokesperson Niki Fenwick told Associated Press. The Chinese government approved the deal on Saturday.
Android will stay completely gratis to prevent Google giving unfair advantages to Motorola products, like preferential updates. Though judging from the arduous process of pushing out a software update, and the fact Google takes months to update its own products as is, that seems unlikely.
The deal was announced in August. It’ll help Google mount a challenge to Apple’s smart phone offerings, with Google CEO Larry Page saying it would “supercharge the entire Android ecosystem”. The sizeable patent portfolio will also help Google defend Android against its detractors. Whether we can expect even more tortuous legal disputes, we’ll have to wait and see. Apple and Samsung are due to sit down tomorrow to try to resolve their differences, though things haven’t exactly got off to the best start.
What difference do you think this deal will make to Motorola’s products? And is it good for competition, or does it make Google too big for its own good? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Samsung Galaxy S3 ROM leaks, S-Voice et al up for download
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 10:30am
Read hands-on test
The Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t go on sale until 30 May — or 29 May if you head down to the Samsung store in London’s Westfield shopping centre in Stratford — but here’s how to get a taste of it right now.
The full ROM has leaked over at Android Police. So if you have a rooted Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich, you can download the S3′s version of Touchwiz. That’ll bring all the extras like S-Voice (Samsung’s Siri-style voice activated personal assistant), Pop-up Play, and Smart Stay to your handset. Handy if you want a taste of what to expect before you buy.
It’s a hefty 800MB download, so be prepared to wait a while if you do want it. And seeing as it isn’t an official release, you download at your own risk, so please don’t hold us responsible if anything goes awry. S-Voice is also available as a separate download, if you want to see what all the fuss is about. Pop-up Play lets you watch video in a shrunken window floating on top of the browser, while Smart Stay detects when you’re looking at it, and keeps the screen on until you look away. So no more prodding to wake it up. They’re all nifty features, and all seemed impressive in our hands-on.
The S3 is the biggest phone to launch this year (not literally, though it is pretty large, with a 4.8-inch screen). It features a pebble-like design, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. If you are considering splashing out, check out our handy guide to the prices. And have a look at the video below to see it in action. Accessories are also available, including a C-Pen stylus and Flip Cover.
Will you be picking up the S3? Or downloading the ROM? Let me know how you get on in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 10:30am
Read hands-on test
The Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t go on sale until 30 May — or 29 May if you head down to the Samsung store in London’s Westfield shopping centre in Stratford — but here’s how to get a taste of it right now.
The full ROM has leaked over at Android Police. So if you have a rooted Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich, you can download the S3′s version of Touchwiz. That’ll bring all the extras like S-Voice (Samsung’s Siri-style voice activated personal assistant), Pop-up Play, and Smart Stay to your handset. Handy if you want a taste of what to expect before you buy.
It’s a hefty 800MB download, so be prepared to wait a while if you do want it. And seeing as it isn’t an official release, you download at your own risk, so please don’t hold us responsible if anything goes awry. S-Voice is also available as a separate download, if you want to see what all the fuss is about. Pop-up Play lets you watch video in a shrunken window floating on top of the browser, while Smart Stay detects when you’re looking at it, and keeps the screen on until you look away. So no more prodding to wake it up. They’re all nifty features, and all seemed impressive in our hands-on.
The S3 is the biggest phone to launch this year (not literally, though it is pretty large, with a 4.8-inch screen). It features a pebble-like design, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. If you are considering splashing out, check out our handy guide to the prices. And have a look at the video below to see it in action. Accessories are also available, including a C-Pen stylus and Flip Cover.
Will you be picking up the S3? Or downloading the ROM? Let me know how you get on in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Samsung Galaxy S3 Hands-on Test
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Samsung Galaxy S3 ROM leaks, S-Voice et al up for download
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 10:30am
Read hands-on test
The Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t go on sale until 30 May — or 29 May if you head down to the Samsung store in London’s Westfield shopping centre in Stratford — but here’s how to get a taste of it right now.
The full ROM has leaked over at Android Police. So if you have a rooted Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich, you can download the S3′s version of Touchwiz. That’ll bring all the extras like S-Voice (Samsung’s Siri-style voice activated personal assistant), Pop-up Play, and Smart Stay to your handset. Handy if you want a taste of what to expect before you buy.
It’s a hefty 800MB download, so be prepared to wait a while if you do want it. And seeing as it isn’t an official release, you download at your own risk, so please don’t hold us responsible if anything goes awry. S-Voice is also available as a separate download, if you want to see what all the fuss is about. Pop-up Play lets you watch video in a shrunken window floating on top of the browser, while Smart Stay detects when you’re looking at it, and keeps the screen on until you look away. So no more prodding to wake it up. They’re all nifty features, and all seemed impressive in our hands-on.
The S3 is the biggest phone to launch this year (not literally, though it is pretty large, with a 4.8-inch screen). It features a pebble-like design, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. If you are considering splashing out, check out our handy guide to the prices. And have a look at the video below to see it in action. Accessories are also available, including a C-Pen stylus and Flip Cover.
Will you be picking up the S3? Or downloading the ROM? Let me know how you get on in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Samsung Galaxy S3 Hands-on Test
iPhone 5 hint as Apple secures iPhone5.com
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HTC Desire C tested with first benchmarks
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Joe Svetlik on 20 May 2012, 10:30am
Read hands-on test
The Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t go on sale until 30 May — or 29 May if you head down to the Samsung store in London’s Westfield shopping centre in Stratford — but here’s how to get a taste of it right now.
The full ROM has leaked over at Android Police. So if you have a rooted Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich, you can download the S3′s version of Touchwiz. That’ll bring all the extras like S-Voice (Samsung’s Siri-style voice activated personal assistant), Pop-up Play, and Smart Stay to your handset. Handy if you want a taste of what to expect before you buy.
It’s a hefty 800MB download, so be prepared to wait a while if you do want it. And seeing as it isn’t an official release, you download at your own risk, so please don’t hold us responsible if anything goes awry. S-Voice is also available as a separate download, if you want to see what all the fuss is about. Pop-up Play lets you watch video in a shrunken window floating on top of the browser, while Smart Stay detects when you’re looking at it, and keeps the screen on until you look away. So no more prodding to wake it up. They’re all nifty features, and all seemed impressive in our hands-on.
The S3 is the biggest phone to launch this year (not literally, though it is pretty large, with a 4.8-inch screen). It features a pebble-like design, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. If you are considering splashing out, check out our handy guide to the prices. And have a look at the video below to see it in action. Accessories are also available, including a C-Pen stylus and Flip Cover.
Will you be picking up the S3? Or downloading the ROM? Let me know how you get on in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.
You might like these…
Samsung Galaxy S3 Hands-on Test
iPhone 5 hint as Apple secures iPhone5.com
Samsung Galaxy S3 shipping 9 million phones ahead of launch
Apple defends ‘deceptive’ Siri in lawsuit
HTC Desire C tested with first benchmarks
Mobile Phone Reviews
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
Apple defends ‘deceptive’ Siri in lawsuit
By Luke Westaway on 18 May 2012, 11:27am
Read Full Review
Apple’s fighting back against claims that its Siri voice-controlled assistant isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, saying legal complaints filed in March against the snarky robot butler are too vague to be taken seriously.
Legal action taken in March by a New York man called Frank M Fazio moaned that Siri wasn’t performing with the same finesse as in the TV ads, which show Siri doing things like making appointments or looking up guitar chords.
“In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri,” the initial complaint reads.
Apple’s having none of it, the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog writes. Apple’s reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the original complaint along with similar lawsuits, saying the gripes “offer only general descriptions of Apple’s advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple’s website materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged — and highly individualised — disappointment with Siri.”
Apple’s response also says that those unhappy with Siri didn’t try to return their iPhones under Apple’s 30-day returns policy, and points out that while Siri is “cutting-edge”, the mechanical maitre d’ is still in beta — something that was stated during Apple’s October press conference and on its website.
Legal nitpicking aside, Siri is rather disappointing, doing a poor job of figuring out what I’m saying most of the time. Despite Apple’s flurry of toothache-inducingly twee ads, Siri remains unappealing in the UK, where Apple has no partnership with a broker of local information, meaning it can’t look up businesses, shops or give directions.
That said, it can tell you how old Kevin Costner is, which some would call an invaluable service. On the other hand, Siri did break my colleague’s heart — something I can never forgive.
Do you think Siri’s any cop? Are the ads misleading? Record your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
By Luke Westaway on 18 May 2012, 11:27am
Read Full Review
Apple’s fighting back against claims that its Siri voice-controlled assistant isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, saying legal complaints filed in March against the snarky robot butler are too vague to be taken seriously.
Legal action taken in March by a New York man called Frank M Fazio moaned that Siri wasn’t performing with the same finesse as in the TV ads, which show Siri doing things like making appointments or looking up guitar chords.
“In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri,” the initial complaint reads.
Apple’s having none of it, the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog writes. Apple’s reportedly filed a motion to dismiss the original complaint along with similar lawsuits, saying the gripes “offer only general descriptions of Apple’s advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple’s website materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged — and highly individualised — disappointment with Siri.”
Apple’s response also says that those unhappy with Siri didn’t try to return their iPhones under Apple’s 30-day returns policy, and points out that while Siri is “cutting-edge”, the mechanical maitre d’ is still in beta — something that was stated during Apple’s October press conference and on its website.
Legal nitpicking aside, Siri is rather disappointing, doing a poor job of figuring out what I’m saying most of the time. Despite Apple’s flurry of toothache-inducingly twee ads, Siri remains unappealing in the UK, where Apple has no partnership with a broker of local information, meaning it can’t look up businesses, shops or give directions.
That said, it can tell you how old Kevin Costner is, which some would call an invaluable service. On the other hand, Siri did break my colleague’s heart — something I can never forgive.
Do you think Siri’s any cop? Are the ads misleading? Record your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Copyright © 2012 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All rights reserved.
