Author Archive: Gareth

Google announces privacy settings change

Google look to be changing their privacy agreement, whether you like it or not. Google said on Tuesday it will require users to allow the company to follow their activities across e-mail, search, YouTube and other services, a shift in strategy that is expected to invite greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices.
Consumers will have no choice but to accept the changes. The policy will take effect March 1 and will also impact Android mobile phone users, who are required to log in to Google accounts when they activate their phones.

The change to its privacy policies come as Google is facing competition for the attention of Web users. It recently disappointed investors for the first time in a couple of years, failing last week to meet earnings predictions. Apple,for the same period, reported record earnings on Tuesday that blew past even the most optimistic expectations.

Some said Google’s move is aimed squarely at Apple and Facebook, which have been more successful at capture people’s attention. A Google executive said in an interview that the company wants to create a much more seamless environment across its various offerings. Alma Whitten, Google’s director of privacy for product and engineering, wrote in a blog post.

If you’re signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience.

Posted by: Gareth

Apple’s lawsuit against the Galaxy Nexus

Apple appears to be up to their same shenanigans, and this time it is something that has been speculated would eventually happen. Apple just filed a lawsuit in the Mannheim Regional Court, claiming that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus violates a utility model by copying their slide-to-unlock motion. Here’s a quote from Electronista with specifics,

The iPhone designer alleged on Friday that the Android 4.0 leader violated a slide-to-unlock motion from iOS that was given the utility model status in Germany in 2006. Apple argued that it couldn’t use the model until now as other phones, even ones years old, were too new for the claim, look at this web-site if you need an attorney.

What is more interesting is that if you look deeper and “read between the lines” this is a new tactic for Apple. In the past most of their lawsuits have been aimed at minor customizations rather than directly at Android functions. This time, by going directly after a primary feature of Android 4.0, Apple is making a statement against Google themselves. This is further reinforced by the fact that the Galaxy Nexus uses a completely stock version of Android rather than one “tweaked” by the OEMs. It’s important not to dismiss this claims outright, because the potential is significant for Android if the court rules in favour of Apple.
Interestingly, this is the exact same court where one of Samsung’s counter-claims against Apple was recently lost. There is a hearing scheduled for March 16. Speculation is that Samsung will likely base their defence around claims of “prior art” from a company called Neonode, which dealt with phones briefly in the past. This is the same strategy that Samsung used against Apple in the Netherlands in 2011.
What really makes a person scratch their head on this one is that the way the Galaxy Nexus’ slide-to-unlock works is very “loose” compared to other phones in the past. Certainly, someone could swipe their fingers in a manner that is similar to what Apple is claiming, but that doesn’t mean they will do it all the time.

Posted by: Gareth

LG and the Google Nexus TV?

LG has been really stepped up their game on OLED technology. Apparently, Google sees some potential here. A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Google and LG are in talks to potentially partner up on a Nexus-style TV. Basically they are considering developing a Google TV-powered HDTV together in order to compete directly with Apple if Apple does indeed come out with some type of Apple TV. This would also be a boon for Google’s fledgling Google TV efforts, as it would provide a Nexus-style Google branded piece of hardware that consumers could identify with, like the Nexus phones for Android.

In fact, LG just showcased a brand new OLED 55-Inch TV at CES recently that features some Google software powering it. This is something to watch out for!

Posted by: Gareth

Xoom Ice Cream Sandwich emerging

Now, here is some exciting news for Xoom owners… Motorola has begun pushing a new update out to the Xoom for users in the soaktest, and it isn’t just a series of bug fixes and feature improvements like a typical update. This is the full on Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich update! Soon, these lucky folks will be running with the latest and greatest from Google, and then, barring any big issues, they will be sending it out OTA for everyone else too! It won’t be long now!

Source: XoomForums via AndroidPolice

Posted by: Gareth

New Mediapad from Huawei

According to their press release, Huawei is sticking to a fast Android OS upgrade special for their MediaPad Android tablets. They indicate that starting toward the end of the first quarter all new MediaPads will come pre-loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich, and all older ones will receive the ICS update not long after that, still during the first quarter. They also added that their new line of MediaPad tablets will add shadow black, classic brown, and passion pink to their current colour scheme. Here’s the full press release below:

Asus reveals Tranformer Prime TF700T

Asus certainly isn’t slowing down with their Android tablets. Not only have they been hard at work to bring ICS to their line-up, they are also going to be adding more to their line-up. They just revealed at CES that they will offer a higher-end version of the new Transformer Prime, called the Tranformer Prime TF700T. (The illustration picture is simply the regular Transformer Prime since Asus has not provide any different pics for this new version.) Many of the specs are similar, but their are some notable exceptions detailed below:

• A higher resolution (1920×1200) display
• An improved front facing camera (2MP)
• A new back panel design