Tag: google (Page 6 of 9)

      Samsung Wave: The phone that should run Android

      February 14, 2010 /

      Samsung Wave.Samsung has always impressed me as a hardware manufacturer. Their phones are usually decent looking, easy to use and personally I’ve experienced minimal hardware failures. The same holds true for the Samsung Wave, which, if anything, is their most impressive handset to date.

      Just unveiled at a Valentine’s Day press conference, the Wave is Samsung’s entrant into the upper tier of the smartphone market. It runs a 1 GHz processor and boasts 802.11n, an 800 x 480 AMOLED, Bluetooth 3.0, a 5MP camera, 2GB or 8GB internal storage with a microSD slot for expansion, and codec support for WMV, DivX, XviD, MP3 and 720p decoding and recording. The spec sheet is incredible, until you get to one little detail.

      Bada. Samsung dropped its brand-new OS on this phone – yes, it’s the operating system that’s meant to make feature phones all fun and featurey. I tried to be understanding when Samsung launched Bada, but with a phone this fantastic there is no reason to run anything but Android.

      The phone launches in April. Prices remain unannounced.

      Mobile, News

      Google picks up Aardvark

      February 13, 2010 /

      Aardvark logo.Google made another acquisition this week, this time in the form of Aardvark. Aardvark is an answer service that relies primarily on crowd sourcing to get the job done. It can be a fun way to kill some time, especially if you’ve got it on your iPhone, but people tend to ask fairly vague questions that can be difficult to answer.

      Aardvark is joining the Google Labs line of products but will continue to function as normal. That’s a bit of a shift for Google. Acquisitions usually have a hold put on new memberships or even go through a period of service outage before being re-released under the Google name. Really the only change is that Aardvark will be getting some Googlers in addition to its current staff.

      The best news in it all is that changes to the Aardvark service will come a lot faster now that it’s in Google’s hands.

      Source: Google

      Apps, News

      Google pays Apple more than $100 million annually for iPhone search

      February 12, 2010 /

      Jobs and Schmidt.Rumors have been flying ever since Android launched that Apple will be replacing the search giant’s services on the iPhone. The latest, which seems completely ridiculous for a reason, is that Apple is going to build a search engine. The Business Insider says the biggest reason to keep Google on is that the search provider pays Apple upwards of $100 million a year for the iPhone deal.

      For a company like Apple, $100 million isn’t exactly a lot. It’s more like mortgage payment, but it’s enough to keep Apple from entering an already saturated search market. There’s no denying that Google and Apple now have a contentious relationship. As Business Insider has it, it only took two weeks to nail down the original Google Maps deal for the iPhone. When the 3GS launched it took six months.

      Source: Business Insider at Gizmodo

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile, News

      Google Buzz: The followers you never knew you had

      February 11, 2010 /

      Buzz LogoI was a little alarmed when I opened my Google Reader and found eight new followers. Nearly everyone I know has used Gmail for years, and I’ve had a few followers since Google rolled out more social networking features, but eight in two days? Madness.

      When I opened Google Buzz I understood. The service creates a profile for you and automatically follows the people you have conversed with in the past. Thankfully, it’s transparent enough that I realized what I was doing and cancelled a few follows that I just don’t want. It’s strange, though, since your followed profiles can be viewed publicly unless you mess with your privacy settings. Not a bad thing, unless you have particularly jealous friends/roommates/significant others.

      Just remember to dig through whatever Buzz automatically sets up for you. It could save you a lot of “and who the hell is she” arguments down the road.

      Apps, News, Websites

      Nexus One only moved 80,000 units in its first month

      February 6, 2010 /

      Google Nexus One.The world’s first self-titled “superphone” isn’t posting super sales. Frankly, the numbers are terrible. Embarrassing. Worse than I ever would have expected. The Nexus One has only sold 80,000 units in its first month.

      It’s hard to say where the problem lies. Sure, the phone wasn’t marketed very well, and what efforts were made were aimed a demographic that likely already has their smartphone of choice. It also launched shortly after the Droid, so Android fans had just picked up a new phone. There’s also the fact that it was being subsidized by T-Mobile, which just doesn’t have the kind of support Verizon’s got.

      Whatever the reason, I was surprised by the number. The iPhone, by comparison, sold 600,000 units in its first month. The Droid sold 525,000.

      Source: Wall Street Journal

      iPhone, Mobile, News

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