Tag: "Google"

Google to launch pilot program for Android-based HUD glasses

IDC: Smartphone sales hit all-time high in Q4 led by Apple, Samsung

NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

According to the latest research from the NPD group, Apple has got its second wind in smartphone sales. In the same quarter that saw the iPhone 4S reinvent the wheel obey our every vocal whim, the trio of available models soaked up a total of 43 percent of the US smartphone market in Q4 2012, apparently knawing away at Android’s market share of 53 percent held during the rest of 2011. However, Google’s mobile OS appears to be the debutante smartphone of choice, cornering 57 percent of new purchases, with 34 percent going for Apple. The remaining 9 percent is distributed between the smartphone also-rans, with the likes of Windows Phone and BlackBerry languishing in that anonymous grey bar at the top. The top five handsets from NPD’s Mobile Phone Track service is an Apple and Samsung love-in, with iOS devices claiming the three top spots, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S II (we assume collectively) and the Galaxy S 4G. NPD’s blow-by-blow commentary on this increasingly two-horse race awaits below.

Continue reading NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

Google wants people to ‘Solve for X’ with new conference [video]

Google’s mysterious ‘Solve for X’ launching today? (video)

Google’s X Lab is the search giant’s top-secret facility even its own employees didn’t know about. It’s believed to be working on driverless cars, internet connected appliances and Majel: a Star Trek-inspired rebuttal to Siri. It’s also apparently behind the Solve for X website, which hints at a TED-style public-presentation site featuring the great and the good talking about “redefining problems into challenges.” The video (embedded below) and the site’s background seem to agree, given one of the big box-outs reads “What is a Solve for X talk.” Richard DeVaul (a member of the “[X] Rapid Evaluation team”) mentioned on his Google+ page that the videos would be launching at some point today. Presumably we can expect to see innovative new solutions on dealing with Climate Change, new Cancer Treatments and awkward silence if anyone mentions a Canadian super-soldier program.

Continue reading Google’s mysterious ‘Solve for X’ launching today? (video)

Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on ‘secret project’

Google appears to have scored another coup in its ongoing rivalry with Apple, having reportedly lured one of the company’s senior directors to its Mountain View headquarters. Simon Prakash, pictured above, has worked at Apple for more than eight years, most recently serving as the firm’s senior director of product integrity. According to VentureBeat, however, that tenure has come to a close, now that Google has hired Prakesh to work on a “secret project.” The report speculates that this project could be helmed by co-founder Sergey Brin, and that it may be mobile-related, though declarative statements were few and far between. Prior to arriving at Apple, Prakash served as director of engineering design validation at Cielo Communications, and held managerial positions at 3Com. VentureBeat claims he’ll be starting work at Google today, though the company has yet to issue any statement on the matter. Once finalized, though, the hiring could help dispel some of those “no poach” accusations flying around federal courts.

Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on ‘secret project’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TiVo Share Price Drops, Some Wonder If Google Will Grab

(Reuters) – TiVo Inc is trading at a compelling discount and could be a possible acquisition target by Microsoft or Google, Barron’s financial newspaper reported on Sunday.
TiVo, whose brand is synonymous with digital video recorders, has turned to litigation to generate revenue from licensing fees as the industry pioneer has struggled to fight competition from low-cost rivals in recent years.
In January, it pocketed $215 million from AT&T to settle a patent infringement dispute. The settlement could bode well for TiVo’s lawsuit with Verizon, which is centered around the same patents.
Barron’s said the company may one day sue Time Warner Cable, which has more subscribers than AT&T and Verizon.
TiVo added subscribers in the third quarter for the first time in four years, Barron’s said. It has signed distribution deals with Virgin Media, a cable company based in Britain, and other operators such as Spain’s ONO and DirecTV in the United States.
TiVo’s shares closed at $11.23 on Friday. Barron’s said the stock is trading significantly below some analysts’ price targets of $17 and $18 per share.
The company could fetch a takeover price in the mid-$20s if it was acquired by Microsoft or Google, according to Barron’s.
(Reporting By Liana B. Baker; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This week, we’ve spotted a leaked Android 4.0.4 ROM for the Nexus S 4G, and we’ve also come across a price and release date for the Droid 4. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let’s explore the “best of the rest” for this week of January 30th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

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