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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Promising us something faster, thinner and stronger later today, Motorola has paired up with Verizon to make some big announcements. We’re going to be smack dab in the middle of it all, chronicling every little detail on our liveblog. “Sandwiched” between Blackberry’s DevCon and another dynamic duo, we’re still intrigued as to what (or even how many) phones and tablets Moto has crammed up their capacious Google-monogrammed sleeves. Could it spoil Samsung’s party with some Ice Cream Sandwich news of its own? Who knows, but it’s going to be a hectic day for tech news. Best grab another cup of coffee, and bookmark this page to keep up.

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Motorola’s Android future to be revealed later today, get your liveblog here! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s crossed yet another name off its patent licensing hit list, and this time the big red target lands squarely on Quanta. Under the undisclosed terms of the agreement, Android and Chrome-based devices manufactured by the Taiwanese OEM will be protected by Redmond’s vast patent portfolio. Of course, this means MS’ll receive royalties for granting access to its treasure trove of related IPs — of which it has no dearth of at the moment. In other news, Google continues to hope it’s all just a case of “opposite day.” Official PR in all its vagueness after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft and Quanta ink patent licensing agreement, Android continues to print money for its rival

Microsoft and Quanta ink patent licensing agreement, Android continues to print money for its rival originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Further proving that patent infringement claims are incentive enough to drum up licensing deals, yet another Android device maker has signed on the dotted line to pay up to Redmond. Following up on Monday’s licensing agreement with Itronix, Microsoft has just announced a deal with Velocity Micro, Inc., that will have the outfit feeding the software giant’s coffers. Of course, details are scarce here; in fact, all we really know is Velocity Micro will pay royalties in regards to its Android-based devices, including the Cruz Tablet. Looks like those talks are paying off. Full PR after the break.

Update: Looks like Onkyo’s playing nice, too.

Continue reading Microsoft inks Android patent deal with Velocity Micro — sound familiar?

Microsoft inks Android patent deal with Velocity Micro — sound familiar? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen plenty of data to show that Android is the hottest-selling smartphone OS among US buyers today, but now we have a stat point to show that it’s doing pretty well in cumulative terms as well. According to ComScore’s latest estimates, Android had 26 percent of all US smartphone subscribers in the quarter ending November 2010, bettering Apple’s iPhone for the first time. The major victim of Android’s ascendancy has actually been RIM’s BlackBerry, whose lead at the top contracted by 4.1 percentage points (nearly 11 percent less than the share it had in the previous quarter). Guess those Verizon iPhones and dual-core BBs had better start arriving pretty soon.

ComScore: Android jumps ahead of iOS in total US smartphone subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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