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Friday 31 January 2014
With Motorola gone, Google can focus on fixing Android
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Google sold Motorola Mobility just a year and a half after buying it. On the surface, that seems like an admission of defeat.
But selling Motorola is less a confession that it messed up, and more a tacit admission that there's no real need for Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) to be making its own smartphones.
Software licenses and driving people to search are how Google makes money on mobile. Selling smartphones, by contrast, has been a perpetual money loser for Google.
When Google started designing "Nexus" brand smartphones in 2010, smartphones were still by and large mediocre. Google needed to create its own hardware to show manufacturers how a smartphone should look, feel, and perform. Though Nexus phones themselves never overwhelmed in the sales category, the overall mission succeeded: Every major manufacturer now makes at least one top-tier phone with excellent performance.
Realizing that practically any company can make a great smartphone now, Google is turning its attention to making sure the user experience on all of the top Android phones is spot on.
That's something even the largest Android smartphone manufacturer, Samsung, has been struggling with. Software is now the major way for phone makers to differentiate their products. The problem for Google is that the best selling Android handsets have begun to de-emphasize Google's services, instead promoting the smartphone maker's often gimmicky services and apps.
Google's sale of Motorola is likely part of a plan to take back ownership of its Android operating system.
Russian blogger and analyst Eldar Murtazin claims that Google will abandon it's Nexus line of phone and tablets in 2015 and will instead focus on an effort to put its unvarnished Android software on popular devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Though Murtazin has a hit or miss record, a Re/Code report claiming Google is pressuring Samsung to abandon its custom Android software lends some credence to the notion.
Though Android's open-source nature gives smartphone makers tremendous freedom to make their phones' software unique, Google's default Android experience remains substantially better than anything else out there. Google needs to protect that. Google was never going to do that with Motorola or Nexus phones, which only comprised a very small percentage of overall Android smartphone sales.
Also by cutting ties with Motorola, Google is eliminating a source of tension with Android phone makers. Google can now restore any goodwill lost with its partners when it bought one of their rivals and get to work on making Android a better experience on all devices.
So it makes sense that Google is offloading Motorola (except for most of the patents and the research department). It makes sense that Google wants to focus on third-party hardware. It makes sense that Google wants more control of the user experience on Samsung phones.
That's because Google and Android smartphone makers aren't competing with each other as much as they're competing against a common foe: Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500). 
Thursday 30 January 2014
Five ways Lenovo could outdo Google in remaking Motorola
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Motorola's recent smartphones are good, but Lenovo has the chops to make them truly great.
Let's face it, Motorola's freshest crop of smartphones is pretty impressive, but still misses the mark. Even with Google's vast financial resources and software know-how, Moto devices haven't exactly sold like hotcakes. Now that Google has decided to hand off Motorola Mobilityinto the eager palms of Chinese hardware giant Lenovo, Moto could enjoy a much-needed course correction.
I know that on the surface Motorola's fate looks grim given the recent turn of events. It's not often pretty when a struggling company gets gobbled up by a competitor. That said, Lenovo has many product-making talents Motorola could truly benefit from. From a similar affinity with stellar design standards, to a demonstrated ability to uphold the integrity of a well-respected American brand, there are reasons to think Lenovo's play for Motorola could mightily improve how the legendary phone company makes mobile devices.
A fresh influx of parts
Last year Motorola launched a slew of compelling Android handsets billed as setting the world on fire with futuristic features. Unfortunately, though, while products such as the company'sMoto X and Droid Maxx boast many innovative capabilities, in actual processing power these phones can't stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 and GS4, LG's G2 andNexus 5, or the lovely HTC One.
Last year Motorola launched a slew of compelling Android handsets billed as setting the world on fire with futuristic features. Unfortunately, though, while products such as the company'sMoto X and Droid Maxx boast many innovative capabilities, in actual processing power these phones can't stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 and GS4, LG's G2 andNexus 5, or the lovely HTC One.
If Lenovo's recent phone announcements atCES 2014 are any predictor, however, I'll bet that handsets born of this new merger will be quite well-appointed. For instance the Vibe Z is expected to pack a top-notch 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU. That's a far cry from the underpowered X8 computing platform Motorola currently tucks inside all its Droid phones on Verizon and its Moto X flagship.
The screen on the Vibe Z appears to also put Motorola phone displays to shame. At 5.5 inches and pumping out a crisper 1080p resolution, the Vibe's IPS LCD will likely be brighter than Motorola's current phone screens, which top out at 5 inches and 720p resolution. Of course I do like the high contrast of Moto's preferred OLED display technology (found in the Moto X and Droid Maxx).
Eye-to-eye in design ethos
No doubt due to the influx of legacy hardware engineering skills and patents from buying the IBM ThinkPad brand, Lenovo laptops have consistently boasted excellent keyboards. Also key here is that Lenovo has shown a similar reverence for build quality to match the loving craftsmanship of the Moto X.
No doubt due to the influx of legacy hardware engineering skills and patents from buying the IBM ThinkPad brand, Lenovo laptops have consistently boasted excellent keyboards. Also key here is that Lenovo has shown a similar reverence for build quality to match the loving craftsmanship of the Moto X.
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I mean, there's a reason why I, like many others I'm sure, salivated over rumors of a possibleLenovo buyout of BlackBerry a few months back. No matter how much you might knock the company's operating system and software, BlackBerry devices have always featured superb industrial design and a premium feel -- at least until the Z10, that is. If Lenovo could effectively cross-pollinate with Motorola in terms of design, we might very well see a force that Samsung, Apple, or even HTC wouldn't want to tangle with.
Motorola phone cameras are better than they used to be, but have lots of room to improve.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Improved camera prowess
Motorola has made many attempts to create phones with enviable cameras. Unfortunately its past Droid Razr handsets were a real letdown in the image quality department and the more modern Moto X also snapped photos that failed to knock my socks off.
Motorola has made many attempts to create phones with enviable cameras. Unfortunately its past Droid Razr handsets were a real letdown in the image quality department and the more modern Moto X also snapped photos that failed to knock my socks off.
I have a feeling that's all about to change. Lenovo's upcoming Vibe Z should arrive wielding a camera with the sharpness of a crisp 13-megapixel sensor. It should be a welcome upgrade to the softer photos captured by the 10-megapixel sensor you'll find in Motorola's 2013 phone lineup.
A proven history of acquisition
I'm sure there are plenty of doubters out there who don't see Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola as being likely to lead to success. I on the other hand feel that Google's sale of Motorola to Lenovo isn't as troubling as it might sound. Lenovo's snap-up of the phone maker closely echoes a similar corporate purchase it made a decade ago, the company's buyout of IBM's PC business.
I'm sure there are plenty of doubters out there who don't see Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola as being likely to lead to success. I on the other hand feel that Google's sale of Motorola to Lenovo isn't as troubling as it might sound. Lenovo's snap-up of the phone maker closely echoes a similar corporate purchase it made a decade ago, the company's buyout of IBM's PC business.
Like IBM and most notably its legendary ThinkPad laptop brand, Motorola is an American household name. I remember folks were dubious back then about Lenovo's chances of pulling the IBM PC unit merger off. Unlike in the cases of spectacular failures such as Palm's sale to HP, though, Lenovo has consistently shipped quality portable PCs year after year that I'd argue are certainly worthy of the vaunted ThinkPad moniker.
The drive to succeed
If there's one attribute Lenovo has in droves, it's ambition to capture a greater share of the US technology market. The company said in May of last year that it would find a way to sell its smartphones in America within a year. With this recent grab of Motorola, Lenovo appears to be right on track.
If there's one attribute Lenovo has in droves, it's ambition to capture a greater share of the US technology market. The company said in May of last year that it would find a way to sell its smartphones in America within a year. With this recent grab of Motorola, Lenovo appears to be right on track.
The fact that Lenovo is the fifth-largest smartphone vendor on the planet, with most of its sales in China, and that it just said it would snatch up IBM's server division for $2.3 billion, further speak to the tech giant's global aspirations with eyes keen on doing even more American business. Apple and Samsung, I think you'd best watch your back.
Wednesday 29 January 2014
Nokia X budget Android smartphone purportedly spotted in benchmark listing
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With each passing day, Nokia's yet-to-be-confirmed first Android phone, the Nokia X gets tipped in new leaks, fuelling speculation that the Finnish handset maker may actually unveil the device.
The new leak comes via Browsermark 2 benchmark's database, which lists a device believed to be the Nokia X (aka Project Normandy), running Android on top. According to the Browsermark 2 database, the alleged Nokia X device comes with model number RM-980, and scores 1885.88 in the test.
Unfortunately, the listing does not reveal any details about the device but includes an image that purportedly shows Nokia X wearing Nexus 5's wallpaper and home screen icons. However, the current image contradicts earlier reports that claimed that Nokia, following the lead of Amazon, has beenworking on a fully-tailored or forked version of Android, like the software on the online retail giant's Kindle Fire tablet range.
The alleged Nokia X was recently listed at a Vietnamese online retailer that have revealed most of the specifications, including a 4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480x854 (FWVGA) pixels; a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor; 5-megapixel rear camera; microSD card support and Android 4.4 KitKat.
Further, the listing seemingly confirmed that the rumoured Nokia X would come with dual-SIM support, while connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, AGPS and Micro-USB. Other specifications include 4GB of inbuilt storage and Adreno 302 GPU.
Notably, the listing claimed that the alleged Nokia X supports Google services like Google Play store, Google Search, Google Now, Google Maps, Calendar and YouTube.
The alleged Nokia X aka Nokia Normandy is said to get introduced in the upcoming MWC 2014 event held in Barcelona starting from 24 February.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Maxx Mobile launches seven Android smartphones and 19 feature phones
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Maxx Mobile has launched 26 new cellphones in India, on the occasion of Republic Day. Of the 26 mobiles launch, 19 are feature phones, and seven are budget Android smartphones. The devices are priced between Rs. 1,100 and Rs. 7,777.
The seven Android smartphones have not been detailed individually, and are said to variously run on Android Gingerbread and Jelly Bean, feature up to 512MB of RAM, up to a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, and up to a 1600mAh battery. Maxx Mobile has provided the model names of the seven new Android smartphones however - AX44, AX45, AX5i, MSD7 Smarty II, AX506, AX409 and AX504.
The company also introduced 19 new feature phones, namely - MX180, MX422, MX187, MX12, MX444, MX105, MX125, MX553, MX472, MX168, MX467, MX445, MX11, MX103, MX254, MX255, MX433, MX442 and MT352. The newly launched feature phones will feature displays sized between 1.8-inch to 2.8-inch, feature dual-SIM support and up to 8GB of expandable storage, up to a 2500mAh battery, GPRS connectivity, and anti-theft and privacy protection.
Maxx Mobile in December launched a feature phone called the Maxx MX100 Leader, at Rs. 1,932. The Maxx MX100 Leader's USP was its 4400mAh battery, and the fact it could be used to as a power bank to charge other phones. Further, the Maxx MX100 Leader is a dual-SIM phone and also includes GPRS connectivity option.
Back in August, Maxx Mobile launched four budget Android smartphones, namely, the AX5 Plus, AX40, AX353 and AX50, which were priced between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 6,500. The four phones variously ran Android Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich.
The seven Android smartphones have not been detailed individually, and are said to variously run on Android Gingerbread and Jelly Bean, feature up to 512MB of RAM, up to a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, and up to a 1600mAh battery. Maxx Mobile has provided the model names of the seven new Android smartphones however - AX44, AX45, AX5i, MSD7 Smarty II, AX506, AX409 and AX504.
The company also introduced 19 new feature phones, namely - MX180, MX422, MX187, MX12, MX444, MX105, MX125, MX553, MX472, MX168, MX467, MX445, MX11, MX103, MX254, MX255, MX433, MX442 and MT352. The newly launched feature phones will feature displays sized between 1.8-inch to 2.8-inch, feature dual-SIM support and up to 8GB of expandable storage, up to a 2500mAh battery, GPRS connectivity, and anti-theft and privacy protection.
Maxx Mobile in December launched a feature phone called the Maxx MX100 Leader, at Rs. 1,932. The Maxx MX100 Leader's USP was its 4400mAh battery, and the fact it could be used to as a power bank to charge other phones. Further, the Maxx MX100 Leader is a dual-SIM phone and also includes GPRS connectivity option.
Back in August, Maxx Mobile launched four budget Android smartphones, namely, the AX5 Plus, AX40, AX353 and AX50, which were priced between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 6,500. The four phones variously ran Android Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich.
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