Hasta La Gadget!

Andy Rubin has added another response to Alibaba’s Aliyun OS, after Google’s insistence that Acer put the launch of its new smartphone on pause. He focuses (again) on the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which OEMs agree to when they work with the platform, promising to keep Android a happy (and relatively compatible) platform. Amazon dodges any similar issues with its Kindle Fire tablets, because it didn’t sign up to the same alliance. Rubin says that because Aliyun uses Android’s framework and tools — as well as housing some suspect Android apps (and pirated Google programs) within its own App Store — the mobile OS “takes advantage of all the hard work that’s gone into that platform by the OHA.” Google’s looking to protect how Android behaves as a whole, and the senior VP suggests that if Alibaba’s new OS wanted “to benefit from the Android ecosystem” then they could make the move across to full compatibility. We’re still waiting to hear what Acer (and Alibaba) plan to do next.

[Thanks Jimmy]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google Senior VP of Mobile: Aliyun OS ‘under no requirement to be compatible’, but it won’t get help from Android ecosystem alliance originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is how the New England office (blue) of Dealer.com is connected to the company’s California office (orange). Either that, or this is actually a shot of Aperture Science Laboratories, with webcams included as props to throw us off.

If you think about it, webcams already accomplish 50% of a portal’s job. They let two parties peer into each other’s space as if they were in front of each other regardless of the actual distance between them. The other half is mostly just lighting, and that bit about actually being able to walk through the portal.

[via Reddit]

NEW YORK — The “American Idol” judges’ panel is now complete with the naming of singer-rapper Nicki Minaj and country crooner Keith Urban.

The Fox network officially tapped the pair with an announcement Sunday, just hours before the first round of judging for next season was due to begin in New York.

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The United States is a melting pot — a stew concocted from different flavors found around the world; a dish made to be savored. And Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when the country celebrates one of those ingredients: Latin flavor. So what’s there to celebrate?

How about the answer to a prehistoric mystery, a baseball legend, or simply the tortillas or arroz y habichuelas that await you back home?

While Latinos have done many things throughout American history, we thought we’d share some of the top Hispanic contributions. Think we missed one that you’re particularly proud of? Let us know in the comments!

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In 2007, Chris Williams’s pregnant wife and two of his four children were killed in a car accident that was caused by a drunk driver. In this inspiring AOL video, Williams, now the author of “Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness,” discusses the emotional aftermath of the tragedy and reveals how forgiving the 17-year-old who shattered his family helped him heal.

For more on becoming fearless, click here.

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