Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Android and Me

Android and Me

Oracle wants to murder Android, then spit on its grave

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:39 PM PDT

Evil patent troll — aka Oracle — has come out of under the bridge once again to do what it does best: sue other companies. A new filing in the Oracle vs. Android lawsuit indicates that the company wants more money in damages than all the profit that Google has earned from the OS since it was released. Let me repeat that, greedy Oracle wants all the money that Google has made from Android.

According to the filing, Oracle is not only looking for a licensing deal, but it also wants all the ad revenue that Google gets from search on Android phones. Wow. But that’s not all, Oracle is also “seeking a judgment of willful infringement”, meaning the judge could triple the fine for past infringement. In the filing, Oracle notes that Microsoft already paid Sun $900 million in a lawsuit similar to this one.

It goes without saying that Google really needs to win this lawsuit. If it doesn’t, the future of Android could very well be in jeopardy. To be able to pay Oracle the amount of money that the company is asking for, Google would have to start charging OEMs for Android. One of the advantages that Android has over other platforms is that it’s free. But with companies like Oracle and Microsoft wanting a piece of Android’s success, that $0 price tag could soon come to an end.

You can read the whole filing below, if you’re into that kind of thing. Also, you can go here to get a very thorough breakdown of it. After you do that, come back here and and let us know what you think about this whole situation. Some times I ask you guys to keep it civil, but this time, you have permission to go to town on Oracle. I don’t think the company can hate us any more than it does now.

Public Version of Google Filing Re. Oracle Damages

Motorola contacting Verizon Xoom owners about LTE upgrade

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 10:53 AM PDT

Phandroid has received a tip that Motorola has begun contacting owners of the Verizon-branded Motorola Xoom tablet, advising them of an imminent upgrade of their device to support Verizon's 4G LTE network.

As you may recall, the 4G upgrade for the Xoom requires users to physically ship their devices to Motorola, as the update requires a hardware fix. No word on what internal components need changing, though we assume if it were as easy as inserting an LTE SIM card, Motorola would have simply sent affected users a SIM with quick instructions.

Also missing from the email is any indication of how long users should expect to be separated from their trusty devices, though you can fully expect it will be at least a week.

The good news in all this is it seems the long-anticipated upgrade is starting, and you Verizon Xoom owners will start to see your tablet…zoom… a little more before summer hits.

Any readers out there receive the coveted email from Motorola? Have you received your package and instructions in the mail? Drop us a note in the comments below.

HTC EVO 4G gains Gingerbread, but loses Netflix

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:40 AM PDT

After waiting for months, HTC EVO 4G users finally got their taste of Gingerbread this weekend. Though you may be enjoying the benefits of the update to Android 2.3, there seems to be a pretty big downside as well. As many of you have probably realized, Netflix has stopped working on updated EVOs. Further proving this, Netflix has stripped the EVO 4G from the list of supported devices, and also confirmed that this is due to the recent Android 2.3 Gingerbread update.

This is no good news to hear, especially having one of the very few Snapdragon devices that are compatible with the Netflix app. Netflix has been one of the most anticipated apps on the Android platform, and its arrival was big news to everyone (even though many can’t make use of it). Netflix does mention that they are working on a fix, but no details on the timeframe were given.

Having this service available on Android is great, but it has also been a great disappointment for Android users. The fact that it is only compatible with a few devices is definitely a big issue in and of itself, but it seems like OS updates might be bringing issues as well. One does wonder if this problem will rise up every time a device receives an update. What do you guys think? EVO users, are you upset about this?

Video: Which tablet breaks easier – Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, or iPad 2?

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:28 AM PDT

Those device-breaking videos show up online from time to time, bringing a hefty amount of gut-wrenching entertainment to all of us who choose to watch them. Well, today we have a rugged competition between the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Motorola Xoom, and the iPad 2. Though as a gadget lover it still hurts to watch the video, today’s video is a bit more beneficial to the consumer since it promotes the purchase of warranties/insurance (SquareTrade Warranties).

How many times have we thought that purchasing device insurance isn’t necessary? The factory warranty is there after all, right? Well, I can tell you that I have regretted this decision, sometimes less than a month after the purchase. These little guys are not like our old Nokias which seemed like they were built for Superman (I remember one lasted me like 3 years and more than 100 drops).

Well, for those that want to see just how delicate our Android devices can be, the guys at ElectronicsBreak have put these 3 tablets to the test. The video consists of dropping these from waist level, to what seems to be marble or concrete (whatever it is, it is definitely very hard!). We can clearly see that the Galaxy Tab suffered the least battle wounds, and the iPad 2 seems to be the most damaged (I can see your smiles!).

After seeing this video, how do you guys feel? Are you never opting out on that insurance again? Who else has had a bad experience with breaking a device shortly after purchasing it? Share your opinions with us and check out the video after the break.

Cha Ching! HTC reels in $1.42 billion in May, more than double what it made a year ago

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:25 AM PDT

You know what happens to those companies that fully embrace Android? They double their sales that’s what. HTC has once again bested its own performance from last year, and even last month. The Taiwanese company reached a whopping $1.42 billion in sales during the month of May. In comparison, HTC made $1.35 billion the previous month, and $658 million in May of last year.

Fueling HTC’s crazy sale numbers is a very impressive Android portfolio. Which has everything from low-end phones like the HTC Aria and HTC Wildfire, to superphones like the HTC Sensation and EVO 3D. Add great build quality, and an unparalleled user experience, and you see why HTC devices are selling like hotcakes.

General consumers are not the only fans of HTC’s work, though. The Android developer community is also a big admirer of what the company builds. Not very often do you see a company that appeals to both the mainstream user and the hacker/modder. But HTC has managed to do just that. Users love the quality and the experience of HTC phones, and hackers love HTC’s developer-friendly attitude. For these and many more reasons, the company is now swimming in money. Kudos, HTC, kudos.


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