Nokia’s decision to partnership with Microsoft rather than adopt Google’s Android may ease patent negotiations between the company and Apple, which is more likely to support strengthening weak rivals rather than empowering an already ubiquitous one.
One reason why Nokia rejected Android: patents
Nokia’s WP7 deal creates an Android competitor for Apple
There’s no doubt that Google’s Android mobile operating system has exploded from its first foray in October 2008 to become–for many–the everyman’s smartphone OS.
Google’s breakneck development speed has paid off since it acquired Android, then a start-up, in 2005. The mature Android now accounts for 53 percent of smartphone sales as of the final quarter of 2010, according to research from Canalys–and there’s no slowdown in sight.
The Nook Color has been selling like crazy, and for good reason — it’s a great e-reader, and also functions as a very capable Android Tablet. Because of this, we’re glad to see Barnes and Noble giving it the support they need, and they’ve released an update that includes a ton of bug fixes — though no Froyo yet. The update includes:
[via Android Central]
As crazy as that sounds, we have been told by multiple trusted sources that RIM is seriously considering a feature that will allow BlackBerry devices to run Android apps. Here is what we know… Research In Motion has been trying to figure out the path it wants to take as far as how the existing Java environment will work on its upcoming QNX tablet and smartphones. The company has publicly stated that it is looking at getting a Java virtual machine running on the PlayBook — not so much for app development going forward, but for legacy support, custom apps corporations have deployed and don’t want to recreate, etc — but RIM hasn’t yet decided what kind of Java VM it will use. Hit the break for the rest!
via BGR
I signed up with Grand Central way back when it first launched and then transitioned to Google Voice along with everyone else. I then paid $10 for a custom Google number and love the experience on Google Android devices. I was browsing through the Google blogs and discovered that Google is now offering you the ability to use Google Voice with your existing phone number instead of having to select and use a new number. Keep in mind this is a lighter version of Google Voice as you can see in this blog post and in the chart shown below. If you have a Google Voice account, you can add Google voicemail to any mobile phone linked to your account.
[via ZDNet]
Starting this year and rolling into 2010, expect to see a slew of new smartphones, ranging from Google’s Android platform to Windows Mobile, capable of displaying Flash-powered content and video in their Web browsers. And what about the iPhone, you ask? Good question.Adobe announced early Monday that its Flash Player 10.1 for desktop PCs, netbooks, and smartphones (indeed, Adobe is calling its latest Flash Player the first to allow “uncompromised Web browsing” on mobile devices) is poised for launch, promising public betas of the Windows Mobile and WebOS (think Palm Pre) players by later this year. Android and Symbian (read: Nokia) support should come by early 2010, with BlackBerrys also on board, although no dates have been set.
[via Yahoo Tech]
LOS GATOS, CA–(Marketwire – October 1, 2009) – Mark/Space, creator of award-winning desktop and handheld synchronization software, announced today that they are developing an all-in-one desktop sync solution for phones powered by the Android OS, such as the T-Mobile myTouch and HTC Hero. The Missing Sync for Android will easily and reliably synchronize contacts and transfer media files between an Android phone and a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Mac OS X.
“The Missing Sync for Android comes just in time to meet the arrival of exciting new Android powered phones from Motorola, Samsung, LG and others expected to shake up the mobile phone market this quarter,” said Mark/Space CEO Brian Hall. “In adding Android OS to the list of mobile phone platforms supported by The Missing Sync, we now provide complete coverage for all popular smartphone platforms worldwide.”
[via marketwire]
