GeeksNGears

Chinese antitrust and competition authorities have approved Google’s deal to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion dollars, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The merger, which was announced nine months ago in August 2011, will likely close next week.

China was the last regulatory hold-out to approve the merger, which was approved by the United States Department of Justice and European Union regulators in February 2012. Now that China has given the go-ahead, the deal can be finalized. Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick confirmed the news, according to the Associated Press.

Antitrust issues were a major reason that regulatory boards had to mull over before approving the deal. Mainly, there were concerns that Motorola would be given preferential treatment for the Android operating system, which runs on Motorola devices. New updates or brand new versions of Android might go directly to Motorola, while taking much longer to reach other smartphone manufactures.

Google defended itself saying it has no intentions of giving Motorola special treatment over other Android-running OEMs such as HTC, Samsung, and LG. Apparently the argument was enough for Google it get over all of the regulatory hurdles it needed to close the deal.

Google is interested in purchasing Motorola mostly for its patents. Motorola holds 17,000 patents and 6,800 pending patent applications, many related to smartphone technology. Now that Google is duking it out in court with Oracle over Java-related patents, its more important than ever for Google to have a large patent shield so it can defend itself against future Android lawsuits.

Google lego sign image via Flickr user Simon Law

Filed under: mobile

Chinese antitrust and competition authorities have approved Google’s deal to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion dollars, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The merger, which was announced nine months ago in August 2011, will likely close next week.

China was the last regulatory hold-out to approve the merger, which was approved by the United States Department of Justice and European Union regulators in February 2012. Now that China has given the go-ahead, the deal can be finalized. Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick confirmed the news, according to the Associated Press.

Antitrust issues were a major reason that regulatory boards had to mull over before approving the deal. Mainly, there were concerns that Motorola would be given preferential treatment for the Android operating system, which runs on Motorola devices. New updates or brand new versions of Android might go directly to Motorola, while taking much longer to reach other smartphone manufactures.

Google defended itself saying it has no intentions of giving Motorola special treatment over other Android-running OEMs such as HTC, Samsung, and LG. Apparently the argument was enough for Google it get over all of the regulatory hurdles it needed to close the deal.

Google is interested in purchasing Motorola mostly for its patents. Motorola holds 17,000 patents and 6,800 pending patent applications, many related to smartphone technology. Now that Google is duking it out in court with Oracle over Java-related patents, its more important than ever for Google to have a large patent shield so it can defend itself against future Android lawsuits.

Google lego sign image via Flickr user Simon Law

Filed under: mobile

I have been using Windows 8 for awhile now on my home computer. The first thing I noticed about windows 8 is how fast and clean everything feels.  It does not have the lipstick on a pig feel that was Windows Vista. After reading Brooke Crothers post on cnet, it reminded me as to why Aero was created, and why its now being dumped.  They were playing catch up to Apple.

Aero, a short hand I’m using here for the glossy reflective glass candy look and feel that was pioneered by Apple, was just that, a reaction to the success of Apple.  Somehow the designers at Apple can take the whole Candy look and make it work.  Windows, not quite as well.  Worse, all the computer resources needed to run Aero taxed some older and not so old systems.  I have a pretty powerful 8 core gaming desktop at home, and I do not run it. Now that we are coming up to Windows 8, its clear Microsoft has realized Aero needs to be dumped.

And I agree.  I like the idea of having a very clean simple design, not only because it appeals to me, but because it takes far less computer resources to support.  That means you do not need to have as powerful graphics card, memory both on the card and computer, and CPU and thus battery.  So by making things clean and simple, the rewards go far beyond the look and feel, but the whole on to off experience.

If you think that windows 8 Metro feels like something you would see on a phone or tablet, that is because it is.  Be starting design at the tablet level, including keeping things light for lesser powered tablets, we are benefiting every time we start or awaken our PC’s in windows 8.  Windows 8 starts almost as fast as a modern Mac and actually executes faster then a Mac.  By removing all the unnecessary overhead of the Aero system as well as other improvements, the system actually feels fast, clean and more importantly, NOT like a Mac.  The desktop experience still feel the same in general, but when I go from my Win8 PC to my Mac, I can feel that I’m using two different products, where before it just felt like both OS were the same, but a few styling differences.

It seems that Microsoft is committed to the Metro system and good or not, its a departure from the old way of doing things.  Since Windows95, it always seems Windows was playing catch up, for once it seems, they are trying to form a new path.  Fingers crossed.

A back room battle has been raging in recent months over the future of something very small:  the nano-SIM, a smaller SIM card design that would allow phone makers to fit more hardware in their increasingly thin devices.

For the vast majority of smartphone users, the shape of their phone’s SIM cards is not something of any real, pressing importance. But for Apple, Nokia, RIM, Motorola and the rest of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), it’s vital.

As exhaustively detailed by The Verge, the debate over the design has been split on a number of points, but one most significantly: Companies like Nokia were adamant about the design having a “push-push” mechanism, which would allow the card to eject once pushed.

Apple, on the other hand, uses a SIM tray design in its devices, so it has no need for such a design. That, along with its desire to keep the new design compatible with previous ones, explain most of Apple’s design decisions.

The central problem is this: Having two SIM card standards floating around is not something anyone wants.

So, as a result, compromise: The new design, proposed yesterday by RIM and Motorola, features elements that are 80 percent Apple’s and 20 percent RIM’s and Motorola’s – an ironic metaphor for the smartphone space that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Essentially, the new design takes most of the elements from Apple’ own and adds the “push-push” mechanism.

Most of the ETSI momentum is going in Apple’s favor, though we will find out which way the group votes when it meets later this month.

Photo: Flickr user cvander

Filed under: mobile, VentureBeat

I just got a personal demo of Leap Motion’s new hands free controller. Leap Motion (formally Ocuspec), is a San Francisco based motion-control software company that is changing how people interact with their computers by using motion sensors and 3D technology for a full-body experience. To date, the company has raised over $14.55 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, SOSventures International and a number of angel investors.

I can’t say too much on the specifics yet, but the device, which is a tad bigger than a normal flash drive, sits at the head of your keyboard and creates a hands-free ‘bubble zone’ for ultra precise hands-free control. The control and accuracy goes far beyond what is currently possible with the Kinect for such close range sensing.

Keep an eye on the major tech publications over the next few days for more info.

Amazon is pitching companies on the idea of advertising on the welcome screen of its Kindle Fire tablet — except that it will cost a minimum of $600,000 to do so, according an AdAge report.

Even though Amazon has frustratingly not said how many Kindle Fires it has sold, Amazon claims it is the best-selling, most gifted, and most wished for product since its November launch. That would indicate that there are at least a few million Fires out there in the hands on Americans and those welcome screens are ripe for ads to annoy Kindle owners.

The Fire ad campaigns will reportedly run for two months and get your ad included on regular Kindle’s “Special Offers” advertising. If advertisers are willing to pony up $1 million, your company would be included in Amazon’s public relations materials as well.

It’s unclear at this time out similar the Kindle Fire ads would be to the current Kindle’s “Special Offers,” which appear on Kindles as a screensaver when you shut down the device. There are no visible ads when you are reading a book itself on the Kindle. We could imagine the Kindle Fire ads working in a similar manner.

Amazon has not yet decided if the ads will appear on all Kindle Fires or if it will just be on new Kindle Fires that are sold. The lack of clear direction has caused advertisers to decline the offers thus far, but that could change.

Let us know in the comments if you would be upset if your Kindle Fire starting showing ads.

Filed under: media, mobile

Pre-orders for Samsung’s next flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, have already reached 9 million just two weeks after it was announced. In comparison, the last Galaxy phone took several months to reach 3 million pre-orders.

The early orders come from the more than 100 global carriers who will be offering the phone, Reuters reports. The 9 million figure was divulged to the Korea Economic Times via an unidentified Samsung executive.

The company hasn’t officially acknowledged the figure yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.

The Galaxy S III sports a massive 4.8-inch screen with a 720p resolution. Samsung unveiled the phone earlier this month and showed off a Siri competitor, dubbed S Voice, that will function as a digital assistant. It also has eye tracking features, to keep the screen active while you’re viewing it.

Spec-wise, the Galaxy S III features an 8-megapixel rear camera with burst and best-shot modes (similar to HTC’s One series), a huge 2,1000 mAh battery (necessary for that massive screen), NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0. It weighs only 133 grams and is 8.6 millimeters thick. A 3G HSPA+ version of the phone will launch at the end of the month, while a 4G LTE version is coming later this summer. The launch will begin in Europe on May 29th, followed by North America in June, and then Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Filed under: mobile, VentureBeat

Pre-orders for Samsung’s next flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, have already reached 9 million just two weeks after it was announced. In comparison, the last Galaxy phone took several months to reach 3 million pre-orders.

The early orders come from the more than 100 global carriers who will be offering the phone, Reuters reports. The 9 million figure was divulged to the Korea Economic Times via an unidentified Samsung executive.

The company hasn’t officially acknowledged the figure yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.

The Galaxy S III sports a massive 4.8-inch screen with a 720p resolution. Samsung unveiled the phone earlier this month and showed off a Siri competitor, dubbed S Voice, that will function as a digital assistant. It also has eye tracking features, to keep the screen active while you’re viewing it.

Spec-wise, the Galaxy S III features an 8-megapixel rear camera with burst and best-shot modes (similar to HTC’s One series), a huge 2,1000 mAh battery (necessary for that massive screen), NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0. It weighs only 133 grams and is 8.6 millimeters thick. A 3G HSPA+ version of the phone will launch at the end of the month, while a 4G LTE version is coming later this summer. The launch will begin in Europe on May 29th, followed by North America in June, and then Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Filed under: mobile, VentureBeat

Fun Machine, a new mobile entertainment software company based in Austin, Texas, was founded in early 2011. So why did it wait until today to let the world know it was officially open for business?

“We decided that launching our first game was more important than telling the world that we existed,” CEO Patrick Curry (pictured) told GamesBeat via email. “Anyone can say they’re switching gears and leaving consoles behind to make mobile games. It’s something else altogether to actually go do it. So we launched Awesome Eats and were totally blown away with the response!”

A free app for iOS devices, Awesome Eats has gained over 800,000 players and has been featured by Apple in over 100 countries. The company made the game for the Whole Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve children’s nutrition and wellness at home and in schools. “The Whole Kids Foundation and Whole Foods Market are both headquartered here in Austin and happen to be good friends of ours,” Curry explained. “We were starting up and looking for a pilot project, and they approached us about the idea of a game that encouraged healthy eating.  That was a perfect fit for us as Disney vets (and parents). We really like the idea of reinforcing positive messages back into the world with our games.”

Besides Curry, who was formerly vice president and creative director at Wideload Games, three other video game industry veterans are behind the startup: Michael Hadwin and Neill Glancy, former directors at Disney Interactive’s Junction Point Studios; and Stephen Palmer, former lead producer for Gearbox Software’s Borderlands.

“We believe that games can do social good, so we are always looking to put positive messages into our gameplay,” said Hadwin (pictured). “But that’s not to say that we’re going to shy away from other genres that we love. You don’t work on Stranglehold and Borderlands without a serious action-gamer streak!”

Curry said the team’s experience at Disney working on games like Epic Mickey, Avengers Alliance, and Guilty Party taught them how to create content for a broad audience, but they were still surprised at how much larger and broader the mobile gaming space was. “We had a lot to learn about making mobile games, and actually to unlearn about making console games,” he said. “For the last 10 years, we’ve been dealing with teams of hundreds of people, budgets in the tens of millions, and high-res graphics on computer monitors and HD televisions. In many ways, mobile gaming is a return to form, where the right five or six people can make something phenomenal, so long as they aren’t afraid to embrace this new audience and marketplace.”

Curry said smart phones, smart TVs, and tablets are changing the video game industry in fundamental ways, creating an ecosystem that lets you play across small, medium, and large screens. “The next generation of gaming isn’t going to come on a disc or be bought in a store,” he said. “It’s going to be downloaded and streamed to every screen in your household — and in your pocket — in the blink of an eye.”

Hadwin added that the team is building some “really cool technology” for this ecosystem that it can’t talk about just yet. “As we get closer to announcing our next game, people will completely understand where we’re going, our mission, and what we are looking to accomplish.”

GamesBeat 2012 is VentureBeat’s fourth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. This year we’re calling on speakers from the hottest mobile, social, PC, and console companies to debate new ways to stay on pace with changing consumer tastes and platforms. Join 500+ execs, investors, analysts, entrepreneurs, and press as we explore the gaming industry’s latest trends and newest monetization opportunities. The event takes place July 10-11 in San Francisco, and you can get your early-bird tickets here.

Filed under: games, mobile

Sitting at the intersection of group messaging and social networking is Everyme, a startup so zeroed in on private communication that it prevents sharing beyond its walls. Today the company, which allows users to post updates and photos to groups, has released apps for Android and the web to make its growing service accessible everywhere.

Founded last year, Everyme is a Y Combinator graduate that started its life as a mobile address book assistant. It soon switched to a private social network, and began applying its technology to help people create automatic groups, called “magic circles,” using address book and social network data.

Everyme is the anti-Facebook, meant to satisfy the changing needs of web denizens who grow out of the desire to share their most intimate moments with a burgeoning list of people, accumulated over the years, they may or may not know.

“Our app is a realistic way for you to share things — and it’s working too,” Everyme co-founder and CTO Vibhu Norby told VentureBeat. “People really do want a private alternative.”

Launched on iPhone about one month ago, Everyme has 400,000 subscribers across 40,000 circles — and that’s without any help from Facebook or social distribution. Everyme’s subscribers are akin to service users, but they’re not all registered members as the company lets circle participants share in the experience through email and text without requiring them to sign up.

The Android application (seen below) is an almost perfect replica of the original iPhone version, and was built to be particularly speedy. The Everyme web application (pictured above) is intended for non-application users who’ve been roped into circles but opt to participate via email and text message instead. Everyme’s flagship iPhone application has also received an update and now features photo filters, mentions, and improvements in the circle creation process. All of these updates, save photo filters, have been baked into the Android and web apps as well.

All three applications share a similar design aesthetic and seem especially adept at bringing shared photos and moments to life.

Circles, private-sharing, group communication, and photos. This all sounds pretty darn familiar, you say. You’re right. Everyme borrows elements from today’s trendiest social constructs. It’s focused on groups, like Google+, but it creates its circles automatically. It’s meant to be a more private way to share things, so it overlaps with Path in purpose. It allows for cover photos, so it’s purloining from Facebook’s Timeline storybook style. But Everyme most resembles Twitter-owned, blogging-turned-group space Posterous — if Posterous had a more elegant look and had been originally built with mobile in mind.

But here’s the kicker: Everyme is private. Really private. And no, we’re not kidding. This isn’t a Path-like experience where you can share with a smaller group of social network friends but also simultaneously publish updates elsewhere. Instead, Everyme has gone to the extreme to prevent sharing outside its secluded circles. You can’t post to Facebook, tweet to Twitter, or check-in anywhere. And that’s its hook.

Though seemingly counterintuitive to growth, Norby said its this type of extreme seclusion that has helped Everyme win over new users. “It creates an atmosphere of trust. Each circle is kind of like a community,” Norby said. “And people share more. When you have privacy like we have … you share a lot more interesting things.”

Everyme has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from investors and Angels including Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock, SV Angel, and CrunchFund. The company is based in Menlo Park and has a small, five-person team.

Filed under: mobile, social