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Google buys Motorola, App Creator dies and Facebook Messaging for Android
#26 | 6:25 |
Wednesday August 17, 2011
Android Weekly
Wednesday August 17, 2011
Earlier this week, Google announced it was buying Motorola Mobility, Motorola's mobile phone arm, for $12.5 billion dollars. It looks like win-win. As part of the "more wood behind fewer arrows" approach announced by Google big wigs in its latest earnings conference call, the Android App Creator project gets scrapped. Finally, Facebook looks to be the BBM of the Android and iPhone world with its new Facebook Messaging app. Also, Kate Abraham brings us her review of the Google Translate Android app.
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Google buys Motorola Mobility
Motorola has been a long-time Android adoptee. Its MOTOBLUR Android skin has not exactly impressed though. To put it delicately, it's been a resource-hogging POS that actually detracts from the Android experience.
Google has been getting railroaded by patent claims, as we've discussed at length on this show and in the butterscotch.com news feed. They just can't defend themselves against patent disputes.
The latest major Android development might just fix both of these issues.
Google is in the process of acquiring Motorola Mobility, the smartphone arm of Motorola's business. The buyout price? A hefty 12.5 billion dollars. In cash.
Aside from giving Google a hardware division, it gives the company a leg to stand on with patent disputes. Interestingly, if you go to the press page dealing with the recently announced acquisition, you'll see CEOs from leading handset makers saying effectively the same thing.
Each of the four quotes from HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG say, in effect, Good stuff, Google. All four use the words "Google + commitment + defending + Android + partners."
Coincidence? Certainly not. A decisive blow to stem the recent patent fallout? Yes indeed.
Motorola Mobility and Android will operate as separate businesses with Motorola Mobility licensing Android, just like everyone else. Android, Google assures, is and will remain open source.
If nothing else, we've got a pretty good idea who will be making subsequent Nexus handsets...
Alas, Poor Android App Inventor
Not too long ago, in a quarterly earnings conference call far, far away, Google announced it was focusing. No more would it flit about, investing in a series of projects. In effect, it would cease throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick.
Google Labs was a casualty. Some projects die along with it. The only Android hit is the Android App Inventor. App Inventor is a learning tool and WYSWYG editor that allowed even those of us with no programming chops to build convincing Android apps.
App Inventor is a popular learning tool and allows students to begin developing for the leading mobile platform. There was no way to upload completed apps to the Android Market, however.
Google is looking for ways to keep App Inventor running as an open source project. With a dedicated community such as App Inventor enjoys, it might actually end up being the best thing that happened to the project.
It's important to note that things many of us now use daily and couldn't imagine life online without came out of Google Labs. Gmail for one, Google Maps for another.
Facebook's One Messenger to Rule them All
Could this be the new BBM, minus the BB part of the equation?
Facebook recently released its Facebook Messaging app for Android and iPhone. It promises message delivery in real-time, group messaging, integration with your address book, location sharing and more.
BBM has made itself indispensable by doing effectively the same thing, exclusively on BlackBerry handsets (for now). In fact, ask a younger BlackBerry user why he or she uses the platform over iPhone or Android and, almost invariably, the answer will be BlackBerry Messenger, BBM.
Facebook chat on your mobile device is not new. You've been able to do that within the Facebook app for almost as long as there's been a Facebook app. However, it's been buggy and requires jumping through too many hoops for it to become anyone's mobile messaging platform of choice. Facebook Messenger is a completely separate app.
This is an obvious effort to create the one messaging platform to rule them all.
Others have tried... PingChat!, Beluga Messenger, WhatsApp Messenger to name a few. Heard of them? Probably not. Turns out, Facebook bought Beluga and it's the basis of Facebook Messenger.
All of the aforementioned apps failed for one very important reason. People aren't really looking to sign up for yet another way to connect. Just about everyone with access to the webs has a Facebook account. It stands to reason this could be the one that finally makes an impact and becomes the mobile standard for non-BlackBerry users.
Review of the Day
Google Translate
Free
Motorola has been a long-time Android adoptee. Its MOTOBLUR Android skin has not exactly impressed though. To put it delicately, it's been a resource-hogging POS that actually detracts from the Android experience.
Google has been getting railroaded by patent claims, as we've discussed at length on this show and in the butterscotch.com news feed. They just can't defend themselves against patent disputes.
The latest major Android development might just fix both of these issues.
Google is in the process of acquiring Motorola Mobility, the smartphone arm of Motorola's business. The buyout price? A hefty 12.5 billion dollars. In cash.
Aside from giving Google a hardware division, it gives the company a leg to stand on with patent disputes. Interestingly, if you go to the press page dealing with the recently announced acquisition, you'll see CEOs from leading handset makers saying effectively the same thing.
Each of the four quotes from HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG say, in effect, Good stuff, Google. All four use the words "Google + commitment + defending + Android + partners."
Coincidence? Certainly not. A decisive blow to stem the recent patent fallout? Yes indeed.
Motorola Mobility and Android will operate as separate businesses with Motorola Mobility licensing Android, just like everyone else. Android, Google assures, is and will remain open source.
If nothing else, we've got a pretty good idea who will be making subsequent Nexus handsets...
Alas, Poor Android App Inventor
Not too long ago, in a quarterly earnings conference call far, far away, Google announced it was focusing. No more would it flit about, investing in a series of projects. In effect, it would cease throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick.
Google Labs was a casualty. Some projects die along with it. The only Android hit is the Android App Inventor. App Inventor is a learning tool and WYSWYG editor that allowed even those of us with no programming chops to build convincing Android apps.
App Inventor is a popular learning tool and allows students to begin developing for the leading mobile platform. There was no way to upload completed apps to the Android Market, however.
Google is looking for ways to keep App Inventor running as an open source project. With a dedicated community such as App Inventor enjoys, it might actually end up being the best thing that happened to the project.
It's important to note that things many of us now use daily and couldn't imagine life online without came out of Google Labs. Gmail for one, Google Maps for another.
Facebook's One Messenger to Rule them All
Could this be the new BBM, minus the BB part of the equation?
Facebook recently released its Facebook Messaging app for Android and iPhone. It promises message delivery in real-time, group messaging, integration with your address book, location sharing and more.
BBM has made itself indispensable by doing effectively the same thing, exclusively on BlackBerry handsets (for now). In fact, ask a younger BlackBerry user why he or she uses the platform over iPhone or Android and, almost invariably, the answer will be BlackBerry Messenger, BBM.
Facebook chat on your mobile device is not new. You've been able to do that within the Facebook app for almost as long as there's been a Facebook app. However, it's been buggy and requires jumping through too many hoops for it to become anyone's mobile messaging platform of choice. Facebook Messenger is a completely separate app.
This is an obvious effort to create the one messaging platform to rule them all.
Others have tried... PingChat!, Beluga Messenger, WhatsApp Messenger to name a few. Heard of them? Probably not. Turns out, Facebook bought Beluga and it's the basis of Facebook Messenger.
All of the aforementioned apps failed for one very important reason. People aren't really looking to sign up for yet another way to connect. Just about everyone with access to the webs has a Facebook account. It stands to reason this could be the one that finally makes an impact and becomes the mobile standard for non-BlackBerry users.
Review of the Day
Google Translate
Free
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Call Meter Pro iPhone
Featured in "What's Hot" on the US App Store - Reference Category.Now works with Sprint,...
