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  • Google and Verizon Break the Ice to Jointly Deliver Android Devices

    Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google, and Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless, held a joint conference call in New York to announce their companies’ new partnership.

    They said Verizon will deliver “devices of the future” with leading-edge mobile applications and services using Google’s Android open platform in coming weeks.

    During the conference McAdam confirmed Verizon plans to support Google Voice.

    This groundbreaking partnership is supposed to leverage the Verizon network and the best of the Android open platform to deliver mobile applications, services and devices.

    The CEOs didn’t unveil many details, all we know is that the companies plan to co-develop several Android-based devices that will be pre-loaded with applications from both parties as well as third-party developers. According to press release, the family of Android phones on the Verizon network will come from “leading handset manufacturers.”


    Eric Schmidt (left) and Lowell McAdam
     

    Both companies view this agreement as an opportunity to offer consumers the products that combine the speed of Verizon’s 3G network with the flexibility of the Android mobile platform.

    They committed to devote substantial resources to “accelerate delivery of leading-edge innovation that will put unique applications in the hands of consumers quickly”.

    Google and Verizon will create market and distribute products and services, with Verizon also contributing the breadth of its nationwide distribution channels. The products resulting from the collaboration will be available in Verizon Wireless retail and online stores.

    "The Android platform allows Verizon Wireless customers to experience faster and easier access to the web from any location," said Eric Schmidt, chairman and chief executive officer for Google. "Through this partnership, we hope to deliver greater innovation in the mobile space to consumers across the U.S."

    The agreement will come to fruition within the next few weeks as Verizon Wireless introduces Android-based handsets.

  • D2 Technologies Showcases its mCUE Converged Communications Client with Embedded VoIP for Android


    D2 Technologies has demonstrated its mCUE converged communications client for Android-based devices at an event designed to promote the adoption of Google’s Android operating system beyond mobile phones.

    During this demonstration, the embedded IP communications software platform specialist showed OEMs and ODMs how embedded software products such as mCUE can enable VoIP, video chat and other IP communications capabilities in stationary Android-based embedded equipment and consumer electronics devices.

    The company showed how, with mCUE, these devices can offer premium multi-service unified communications capabilities and deliver simultaneous interoperability with any communication service provider, Instant Messaging (IM) community or social networking platform.

    The client enables all popular communication modes to be converged to a single communications user interface (UI), including circuit switched voice (PSTN or cellular), VoIP, Instant Messaging (IM), SMS and video chat.

    mCUE includes D2 Technologies’ carrier-class vPort MP VoIP platform that is completely integrated into the Android framework, Linux kernel and hardware platform BSP.

    The free event in Tokyo, Japan, was sponsored by the Open Embedded Software Foundation (OESF).

    Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing and sales at D2 Technologies, said the OESF’s goal of ‘Android Anywhere’ will facilitate the expansion of the Android platform beyond mobile phone applications to many different embedded applications and consumer electronics devices.

    He said as an embedded VoIP technology specialist, D2 is working closely with OESF members such as MIPS Technologies and RMI.

    The aim is to develop and promote the adoption of IP communications and VoIP technology extensions to the Android framework for digital consumer devices.

    "These include mobile internet devices (MIDs), DTVs, digital picture frames (DPFs), portable and home media players, and set-top boxes," he said.

    Developed by the Open Handset Alliance, the Android platform is a Linux-based software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.

    D2 Technologies was the first to demo a complete communications interface, mCUE, on the HTC G1, the first commercial smartphone to market running on the Android mobile operating system.

    Formed in March 2009, the 25-member OESF is focused on expanding market reach for the Android platform.

    Founded by ARM, KDDI, Japan Cable Laboratories, Alpine Electronics and Fujitsu Software, the organization works with member companies on sharing technical information, co-development and co-marketing initiatives.

    The OESF and its member companies are working on standards and development of Android for embedded equipment such as consumer electronics and in-car navigation systems other than mobile phones.

  • Acer First to Make Android Netbooks


    Acer is to sell netbooks running Google’s Android operating system – with the first likely to be available before the end of the summer.

    The move is a setback for Microsoft, which was already selling its Windows OS at a reduced price to counter the threat posed by Linux.

    Making the announcement at the Computex PC trade show in Taipei, Jim Wong, Acer’s global president for IT products, said the current netbook offerings were "not close to perfection at all".

    He said if mobile Internet devices were not continually changed, consumers might not choose then any more.

    Acer recently announced that it is to launch smartphones with the Android platform later this year.

    Wong stressed that Acer will continue to use the Windows OS in its other netbooks.

    However, the cost of the Android-based devices should be less than Windows equivalents since the Linux-based Android system is free.

    Microsoft charges USD $15 for each copy of Windows XP.

    The Android netbooks will still use Intel Atom processors.

    Acer, ASUS and other netbook makers had choosen to use Linux before but had experienced high return rates for those Linux models.

    Users complained about difficulties using the OS.

    Android has promised to simplify the experience without limiting support for 3G or other extras.

  • iPhone Gets Copy and Paste – Finally


    Apple has released details of a new version of the iPhone OS, with over 100 new features including finally adding copy and paste.

    However, another much desired issue – allowing for background tasks from third party applications – remains unresolved, despite rival handsets running Google Android and the as-yet unlaunched Palm Pre able to support background apps.

    The reason given for the delay in delivering such an obvious feature as copy and paste – Apple said it wasn’t easy to do and security issues needed to be resolved with copying information between applications.

    Apple also announced that there are to be over 1,000 new APIs for iPhone developers.

    Among some of the other new features that will be introduced on OS 3.0 this summer are:

    • Push notifications will be standard in iPhone 3.0.
    • In-App purchasing
    • MMS
    • Peer-to-Peer connectivity
    • Third-party Accessories
    • Turn-by-Turn directions
    • A landscape keyboard option
    • Voice memos
    • System-wide Spotlight searching
    • Stereo Bluetooth audio devices are now supported through the use of A2DP technology

    iPhone OS 3.0 will be available in the summer. It will be a free update to all iPhone users, while iPod touch owners will have to pay USD $9.95 for the upgrade.

    Due to hardware differences, features such as A2DP and MMS won’t be available on the original iPhone.

    iPhone developers will be able to get the beta of OS 3.0 almost immediately.

    During today’s iPhone 3.0 Preview Event, Apple announced that its iPhone OS, which powers both the iPhone and the iPod touch, is now on 30 million devices — including 17 million iPhones by December, 2008.

    Apple also announced over 800 million App Store downloads to date, and 800,000 iPhone SDK downloads.

  • Location Sharing Start-up Wizi Sees Google Latitude As Challenge


    For a start-up like Wizi having Google launch a competing product might seem like the kiss of death.

    Not so with the Lisbon, Portugal-based developers who have welcomed the launch of Google’s Latitude as a way of bringing attention to their instant location sharing application.

    The free mobile application allows you to share your location instantly by e-mail or SMS.

    André Gonçalves, Wizi’s marketing manager told smartphone.biz-news that they saw Latitude’s launch as a challenge and an opportunity to let consumers find out about their product.

    He said Wizi’s focus was on individual networks rather than social networks and the app is typically used to tell friends your location or where you are going to meet.

    "We are something like Latitude but a bit different," he said. "Our focus is on instant location sharing.

    "We cannot compete with Latitude but it is a challenge to tell people how our app is useful to them."

    Locations can be shared between Wizi users or with an email or SMS.

    Privacy is a key feature and visibility is totally controlled by the user: with the option to become invisible to friends or disable the link to a location map.

    Wizi works on Windows Mobile or J2ME compatible devices but versions are in the pipeline for Blackberry, Android and the iPhone.

    Wizi for the Apple handset has already been used by a restricted community of early adopters who volunteered to be part of the Beta Testing Program.

    Another feature of Wizi is recommending the best routes when driving in the city using traffic data collected in real time by its community, helping to save time and the environment.

    Gonçalves said they are currently talking to handset manufacturers and operators. The former were interested because Wizi was a useful add-on to show the potential of the latest phones.

    He said the latter saw Wizi as an opportunity to increase ARPU.

    Wizi will be launching Brazil this year and the start-up is in discussions with operators in Spain and the US.

  • Paid Apps Imminent For Android Market


    Google’s Android Market is expected to begin accepting paid applications this week for the first time.

    The move could provide a much-needed boost to the platform, which currently has around 800 applications.

    This is far below what Apple’s App Store had achieved in its early months. Incidentally, the App Store has just passed the 20,000 mark for apps, with over 500 million downloads.

    While Android Market’s position can partly be attributed to the G1 not being as popular as the iPhone, that’s not the whole story.

    Another key element could be the fact developers haven’t been getting paid to come up with shiny new apps for Android.

    With the incentive of remuneration thrown in, the desite to create software for the G1 and soon-to-be launched handset additions to the Android platform is likely to be much stronger.

    Interestingly, Google is deviating from Apple’s revenue model in that it receives nothing from the downloading of paid apps.

    Both app stores will give developers 70 per cent of the revenue, but whereas Apple pockets the other 30 per cent Google is passing it on to the carriers and to pay settlement fees.

    Anything that gets the Andoid Market rolling has to be welcome, expecially as others – including RIM, Microsoft and Palm – are expected to launch their own app stores very soon.

  • eBay To Sell Skype?


    Skype’s future as an eBay company is looking increasingly unsure as speculation mounts over its possible sale.

    eBay’s chief executive, John Donahoe, has done nothing to ease expectations of a sell-off. Last week he told analysts that "synergies between Skype and the other parts of our portfolio are minimal" and that it is "a great standalone business".

    This follows his comments early last year when he said the company would be reassessed and sold if it did not benefit eBay or Skype.

    Analysts point to the lack of a logical integration between the telephony service and the auction site.

    Names being touted as potential buyers, include Google, which has shown interest in Skype in the past, and US telecoms giants AT&T and Verizon.

    eBay purchased Skype for USD $2.6bn purchase of Skype in 2005.

    In the auction company’s financial results for the last quarter of 2008, revenue fell 7 per cent to USD $2.04bn, below market expectations.

    Skype has seen revenues rise by 26 per cent.

    Skype is also said to be preparing new applications for its VoIP software which could be introduced at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Spain.

    These are expected to involve a dedicated application for Apple’s iPhone, a similar app for the BlackBerry Storm and via an update to Windows Mobile 6.5 itself.

    This month, the company introduced Skype lite, a no-frills client meant for Android-powered devices and the many mobile phones that are capable of running Java applications.

  • AdMob Strengthens Position With $ 12.5m Funding


    The mobile ad network AdMob has raised USD $12.5 million in a further round of venture funding.

    The new investment is its third round of funding, which now totals USD $28.2 million.

    Chief executive Omar Hamoui said the new funds will be used to make investments to ensure AdMob comes out of this "challenging economic environment" in a strong position.

    The San Mateo, California-based company has made a number of announcements recently.

    These include offering, first iPhone-customized ads and metrics, and then earlier this week a similar service for Google’s Android smartphone.

    The new funding comes from Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

  • Android App Developers Get AdMob Option


    AdMob has announced that it has launched its first advertising unit for Android applications.

    The move by the world’s largest mobile advertising marketplace will give developers an option for monetizing their applications on the open source device platform.

    The first developers to leverage AdMob’s new Android ad unit in their applications include AccuWeather, Jirbo, and TapJoy.

    AdMob’s presence will add another dimension to Google’s Android Market.

    While it now has more than 800 applications, that figure is dwarfed by Apple’s App Store, which has more than 15,000 apps.

    One reason for the gulf – aside from the fact Android only launched three months ago – is that Apple has the ability to offer paid apps.

    So the flood of developers rushing to the platform following the launch of T-Mobile’s G1 last October never happened.

    This is despite Google being seen as far less restrictive with regard to what apps could be created for Android.

    Android Market’s lack of a payment system is one reason.

    AdMob’s new Android ad unit will also allow brand and performance advertisers to reach consumers engaging with applications on their Android device.

    Advertisers will be able to use these ad units to drive customer actions such as going to the Android Market to download an application.

    AdMob already serves ads on mobile Web sites on the Android platform and received more than 27 million requests in December 2008.

    Building on the initial success of the G1 device, several new devices expected to come to market in 2009.

    More than 6,000 mobile sites and 450 iPhone applications are a part of AdMob’s publisher network worldwide.

  • Truphone Anywhere Launches on Android G1


    Truphone has announced its Truphone Anywhere application is now available for Android-enabled mobile handsets.

    The offering coincides with T-Mobile’s announcement earlier this week that the G1 mobile phone is be rolled out into various continental European markets.

    A German version of Truphone Anywhere for Android is being made available and will be the first native language multi-communications application in the Android Market in Germany and Austria when it launches at CeBIT in March.

    The application is available now as a download on the Android Market in the UK and the US.

    The company says Truphone Anywhere for Android delivers an all-in-one conversations hub that offers customers low international call rates, in addition to the cost of a local call.

    Truphone customers can also Instant Message their friends across a variety of networks including MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Twitter from within one Android application.

    Users can acces Google Talk for the price of a local call, and similarly will soon will be able to Instant Message and call their friends on Skype.

    The launch means that Truphone is now available on Android, the Apple iPhone, the Apple iPod touch, Blackberry and Nokia devices.