Hasta La Gadget!

In two years, we’ll mark the thirtieth anniversary of the first commercially available cellphone — built by Motorola, incidentally. Given this week’s big news from Google, and other big events that we can only presume are yet to come, those two years may also prove to be some of the most interesting yet for the mobile industry.

One of the more telling things about Google’s acquisition announcement on Monday was the response from Motorola’s competitors (and Google’s partners). Immediately following the news, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC and LG all came out to praise Google’s commitment to “defending Android,” which presumably also means that they remain committed to using Android. What’s more, as Google itself has made explicitly clear recently, it’s not just defending Android as any company would defend its own product, but defending it against what it’s described as “hostile” and “organized” threat from Apple and Microsoft (and, to a lesser extent, Oracle).

That increasingly hostile footing and a further-bolstered Google (assuming the acquisition goes through) also now creates some clearer lines and an entirely new dynamic between the major players in the mobile industry. Google and Microsoft are now taking similar approaches by licensing out their operating system to others while also having a hand in hardware development (by proxy with Nokia in the case of Microsoft). Neither are about to go as completely independent as Apple has, of course, but they both seem to have decided that it’s no longer enough to just focus on software and leave manufacturers entirely to their own devices.

That leaves RIM and HP who, like Apple, are each trying to go it alone with their own hardware and mobile operating system — although HP is apparently open to the idea of licensing webOS if it has any takers (an option that seems to be getting less and less likely). The question now is will they succeed by staying out of the fray, or will they be forced to join it and choose sides?

Continue reading Editorial: Google, Microsoft and the incredible shifting mobile landscape

Editorial: Google, Microsoft and the incredible shifting mobile landscape originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Symbian Belle download leaked to N8 community, quickly pulled from site (update: Anna available on NaviFirm)

Symbian Belle download leaked to N8 community, quickly pulled from site (update: Anna available on NaviFirm) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All the major Android players were, at least publicly, supportive of Google and its move to snatch up Motorola Mobility yesterday, and so is Nokia it seems. The company released a statement saying:

“This further reinforces our belief that opportunities for the growth of Nokia’s smartphone business will be greatest with Windows Phone. This could prove to be a massive catalyst for the Windows Phone ecosystem. Additionally, with our respective intellectual property portfolios, Nokia and Microsoft are working together to build and nurture an innovative ecosystem that benefits consumers, operators, developers and other device manufacturers.”

Clearly, the Finnish company isn’t buying the big G’s lines about keeping its mobile OS open and staying out of the way of its hardware partners. It also sounds as if Nokia is prepared to enter the patent battle fray on behalf of Microsoft, should the need arise. The Mountain View crew may have bolstered its legal weapons cache with Moto’s 17,000-plus patents, but things could get uglier before they get better for the mobile giant.

Nokia chimes in on Google’s Moto deal, reaffirms its dedication to WP7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N9 gets axed in Germany, global tour looks even more meager originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s US prexy Chris Weber’s been making the media rounds lately, talking up the company’s Windows Phone near-future and offering a peek at the marketing blitz to come. In an interview with VentureBeat, Weber confirmed the death of Symbian and the N9’s North American release, but was much less straightforward when asked about the WP7 launch, saying only that a US focus is paramount to the OEM’s global success. The MS-blessed smartphones are set to debut “in volume” next year, at which point Nokia hopes to have ironed out its complex negotiations with carriers, bringing aggressively subsidized handsets to market. Nokia’s chief also engaged in a bit of mobile OS grandstanding, touting Microsoft’s live tile integrated approach as superior to the “outdated” app focus popularized by iOS and Android. And if you’re wondering just how the OEM plans to differentiate its hardware in this cluttered wireless market, expect to see phones with an emphasis on “state-of-the-art imaging technology and battery performance.” Here’s to hoping Weber’s words don’t come back to haunt him when his bet goes live next year.

Nokia’s Chris Weber promises US-centric push for Windows Phone 7 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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