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As it gets ready to unveil its own operating system next, Microsoft is taking careful aim at its closest competitor: Android.

Through patent licensing deals and lawsuits, the Redmond-based computer giant is trying to cover all its bases, aiming for a situation where it wins whether a customer chooses a Windows phone or an Android one.

But it’s too soon to tell whether the strategy will pay off.

On Monday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said he looks forward to collecting revenue from Android handset makers, including HTC, which has a licensing agreement with Microsoft.

For handset makers that don’t show HTC’s willingness to do it the easy way, Microsoft can do it the hard way, too: Microsoft sued Motorola this week, alleging patent infringement around Motorola’s Android-based smartphones. The suit charges Motorola with allegedly violating patents related to synchronizing email, calendars, contacts, scheduling meetings and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.

“One reason that Microsoft is going after Motorola is that if patent infringement is found it is easier to establish damages against a company that is selling a product than Google, which is giving the OS away for free,” says Robert Sloss, intellectual property partner at Farella Braun + Martel.

In April, Microsoft announced that it has inked a patent licensing deal with HTC that would allow HTC to continue using the Google-designed Android operating system in its phones while mitigating its risk should Microsoft aim any patent lawsuits at the OS.

Microsoft and HTC did not disclose specific details of the agreement, though the two companies have said HTC will pay Microsoft an undisclosed sum for the patent rights.

Patent battles among technology companies are routine. Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google over the use of Java in Android, a claim that Google has vigorously disputed. Last year, Nokia sued Apple alleging patent infringement by Apple in connection with the iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple initiated a lawsuit against HTC over alleged infringement on iPhone related patents. In other words, its business as usual.

With the smartphone business becoming extremely competitive, the stakes are higher than ever.

In just two years, the Google-designed Android OS has become a major force in the mobile world. Android, which made its debut in 2008 on a HTC manufactured phone, has now been adopted by almost every device maker including Motorola, Samsung and LG. Android is now the most popular operating system among people who bought a smartphone in the past six months, according to August data from The Nielsen Company. BlackBerry and Apple iOS are in a statistical dead heat for the second place.

With the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS, Microsoft hopes to attract consumers. But until then, it is trying another strategy.

“The Microsoft innovations at issue in this case help make smartphones ’smart,’ Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel at Microsoft, wrote on the company blog.

Microsoft’s patents relate to features such as the ability to send and receive email, manage calendars and contacts. Microsoft claims it has also patented technologies that manage signal strength, battery power and memory in the device.

“The crux of the argument is that Microsoft is saying Android OS uses technology that has already been part of Microsoft software,” says Sloss.

Although the lawsuit has been filed, it is difficult to know right away how valid Microsoft’s claims are, says Sloss. Both Microsoft and Motorola are likely to go through an extensive process of discovery, which involves presenting documents to support their claims and they are likely to keep it under wraps.

“A lot of it probably won’t be public,” says Sloss. “It is standard to enter into protective order because the core of the patents and the products will be highly confidential.”

There is always the possibility that the two companies settle out of court, with Motorola going down the same road as HTC. In that case, Microsoft could gain “hundreds of millions of dollars” in royalties and further strengthen its patent claims.

“Damages calculations are very complex,” says Sloss. “There’s nothing in Microsoft’s complaint that says exactly how much it is looking for.

But if Microsoft and Motorola choose to settle, it is likely that Motorola may wind up paying a license fee for each Android handset it sells, similar to what HTC is doing.

For Microsoft that may not translate into rich profits but it will certainly add up to sweet revenge.

Photo: Motorola Backflip (Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

The green Android mascot is now a walking robot and a recursive one at that–it is powered by the Android operating system.

Two Japanese companies, RT Corporation and Brilliant Service, created a humanoid robot called “RIC” to show Android is not just for smartphones and tablet computers. The robot, which took about 60 days to build, is about 4 -feet tall.

The Android robot made its debut at the Google developer day in Tokyo earlier this week and as you can see in the video above, it is a delightfully cute machine.

The Android Droid uses an Armadillo 500 FX embedded hardware chipset and communicates via Wi-Fi with an Android cellphone or tablet. The robot can swing its arms and move it to the left and right. The top of its head can also be opened to show the brains of the device.

RT Corp created the body of the robot and did the system integration and testing, while Brilliant Service developed the robot controller software and applications necessary to operate the machine, says Robot-Dreams, a site which has posted detailed pictures. There’s no word though on what version of Android the robot is running.

Check out the video below to see a quick snapshot of the building process.

The Android robot is fun and a great way to show the possibilities and potential of the operating system. It’s also a bit of a gimmick since the OS isn’t designed for such machines. Still it’s interesting to see developers find ways to go beyond Google approved devices for Android.

[via Engadget]

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

If size matters, Modu’s extremely tiny and lightweight phones that come with interchangeable casings are an interesting idea. Go beyond that and the phones seem rather dated.

That could change as Modu is likely to introduce a new version of its phone that will run Android OS. A video showing a tiny Modu phone and some of the key screens has surfaced.

Israeli company Modu, which makes these phones that are sold outside the U.S. and most of Europe, has engineered devices that weigh just 1.4 ounces. An iPhone 4G weighs about 4.8 ounces. So far, Modu’s phones have used a proprietary version of the operating system, giving rise to complaints about the tired looking user interface.

Android OS could fix that. But it looks like it may not be enough. The new Modu phone has some glaring omissions such as the lack of 3G capability and a capacitive touchscreen, says Phandroid. The phone includes a stylus and a microSD card slot. It also seems to be running version 1.5 or version 1.6 of Android.

Clearly, Modu become so captivated by the idea of a small phone that everything else–specs, OS, user experience– has become secondary. A pint-sized phone is enough to get consumers’ attention but when its peers are on Android 2.2 and turning into powerful little computers, Modu can’t just count on its looks to be accepted.

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Android-based smartphones are falling victim to something that has plagued PC users for years: bloatware.

Android phones are being pre-loaded with trial software and apps that can’t be deleted off the device by the user. These apps touting mobile TV, football games, location-based search and games are the new face of bloatware, also known as crapware or craplets in the PC world. The term is shorthand for non-essential software or media files bundled with a device in a bid to boost revenue and ostensibly give consumers a chance to try new services.

Samsung’s Vibrant phone that launched last week on T-Mobile is a good example. The device includes apps such as Mobi TV, GoGo Flight internet and Electronic Arts’ The Sims 3 game. Both Mobi TV and GoGo are applications that require users to pay a fee beyond the trial period. Motorola’s Backflip phone, introduced on AT&T a few months ago, includes Where, a location-based service app, and YPMobile, a Yellow Pages app. Even the HTC Evo is packed with programs such as Sprint’s Nascar app, Sprint Football and Sprint TV, among others.

“It’s different from phone to phone and operator to operator,” says Keith Nowak, spokesman for HTC. “But in general, the apps are put there to meet the operator’s business and revenue needs.”

Nowak’s comment is a surprising admission in an industry that otherwise prefers to call the idea of pre-loading trial apps and other non-essential software as a deal designed to help the consumer.

Handset makers have always added skins and custom widgets to Android phones, some of which can affect performance and battery life. But these widgets are usually basic apps such as calendar, e-mail or integrated social-networking feeds. Now phone makers are going a step further to load apps from other companies in a way that prevents users from deleting it completely off their phone without rooting the device — the Android version of jailbreaking a phone in order to gain complete control over it.

The preloaded apps “highlight the key features and performance” of the Vibrant, says a Samsung representative.They are there are to showcase the phone’s processor and display, a T-Mobile spokesperson told Wired.com.

But not all Android users are buying it. Some have taken to online forums to vent or find out ways to remove the pre-loaded apps from their phones. In May, The Consumerist published an e-mail from a Verizon subscriber complaining about non-essential software loaded on his device.

“It’s a throwback to the days of the feature phones,” says Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. “Handset makers and carriers would bundle messaging and music clients with feature phones hoping to provide some differentiation. They are now trying that with smartphones.”

As far the inability to delete these pre-loaded apps, Golvin says, “I suspect that a lot of operators think consumers won’t notice or get to a point where they would want to get rid of them.”

Computer makers started the trend of pre-loading software apps, such as anti-virus software, search toolbars, games and internet-access services from companies like AOL. It seemed innocent enough at first: Consumers would get to try new software when they bought their machines, software makers would get a chance to reach new users and PC makers would make some money on the side through deals inked with the software companies to promote their products on the devices.

But soon, many consumers found that these pre-loaded applications made their PCs run slower by increasing startup and shutdown times for their machines and hogging memory. Many of the pre-loaded programs turned out to be trial versions and required users to pay a monthly fee to keep them going. That resulted in a backlash from consumers. Even the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg railed against bloatware in a 2007 column. PC manufacturers have now significantly reduced the practice of adding bloatware on the devices.

Now, the practice is making a comeback on smartphones.

But bloatware isn’t a feature in all smartphones. AT&T has resisted from piling extraneous software onto Apple’s iPhone. Motorola’s Droid phone ships with just the core applications. Google and T-Mobile resisted the bloatware impulse with the Nexus One.

So, why does bloatware suddenly seem to be multiplying on some Android devices? Android’s popularity means every few weeks a new device running the operating system hits the market. Wireless carriers and handset makers see the new devices as an opportunity to generate additional revenue.

“Ultimately revenue from data plans will reach the same level of saturation as voice services. So carriers see some of these services as an additional revenue stream,” says Golvin.

Nowak says HTC would prefer to have pre-loaded independent apps in one folder or just in the app store but it’s not a decision for the handset manufacturer alone to make. “We have to work with our operator partners,” says Nowak. “We would prefer to give consumers a choice or put the pre-loaded in a separate store as it is with some Verizon phones.”

If they’re lucky, consumers may not have to worry about this much. Golvin says he doubts pre-loaded apps on smartphones will ever reach a similar level of annoyance as they did on PCs.

“The real shortcoming and downfall of the bloatware on PCs was it consumed system resources,” says Golvin. “With phones, operators and handset makers understand how precious those resources are.”

For now, the bloatware on phone is more about taking up storage space than processing resources. Golvin says he doubts companies like AT&T and Verizon that are locked in a fierce battle for subscribers will go over the line with pre-loaded apps.

“We are in a saturated market,” he says. “You can’t be cavalier about losing your customers.”

Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Many Android fans are lining up to get Motorola’s latest phone, the Droid X, which hit retail shelves Thursday morning. But the phone has raised the hackles of some Android geeks.

Motorola has reportedly made it difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. The bootloader is the software component that loads the operating system in a gadget.

Some Android hackers say Motorola’s move has made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to load custom versions of Android on the Droid X.

“Motorola wants to keep people from modding their devices,” says Ryan Mills, an Android modder and blogger. “I don’t know if they are just afraid for security purposes, or they just want to stay proprietary.”

However, not everyone agrees that the Droid X will be un-hackable — and it’s impossible to confirm at this point, because almost no one has yet attempted the mod.

Motorola did not respond to a request for comment, while Verizon declined to comment.

The questions around the ability to hack the Droid X have stirred up a debate about how much a handset maker can control Android, which otherwise touts itself as an open source operating system. Android’s ability to be hacked and modded is one of the major draws of the OS.

Handset makers and wireless carriers decide which operating system can run on a phone and customers usually have no choice in the matter. In case of Android, hackers have created their own versions of the read-only memory, or ROM, on their cellphones, which holds the firmware. These custom ROMs can be loaded on an Android device to unlock features in a process known as “flashing.” That means devices that run the custom ROMs can boast features that the handset manufacturer or carrier may not have otherwise included. DIYers have gone so far as to buy phones running Windows Mobile OS and replace it with Android.

In case of the Droid X, the phone’s processor includes a feature invented by IBM called eFuse. eFuse, which is baked into the chips, gives manufacturers the ability to make changes to information on a chip that would otherwise be ‘hard coded.’ It also helps manage power and memory in the device.

p3Droid, a commenter on the MyDroidWorld forum speculates that the eFuse technology looks for information from the bootloader associated with the device. If it doesn’t get that, the eFuse trips the boot up process, leading to a potential bricking of the phone.

“The bootloader in the Droid X is signed with the recovery and the kernel for the device,” explains Steven Bird, who has created custom ROMs for other devices. ” If those don’t correspond it won’t work. It’s not any sort of self-destruct in there.”

The Droid X is not the only Motorola phone to have this technology, he says. Bird says that many of Motorola’s phones including the Droid, Droid X and Milestone all have chips that integrate the eFuse technology.

“HTC has a similar technology with the Incredible that made it very difficult to write custom ROMs for it,” says Bird. “It just means it takes longer to mod the device.”

But at this point, almost all of this talk around the Droid X is “conjecture,” says Steve Klondik, aka ‘Cyanogen,’ an Android hacker who runs the highly popular Cyanogen Mod community.

“From what I have gathered, no one has really tested anything to see if it is true,” he says. “One person who has tried to modify the bootloader says the system broke but we know nothing about how the mod was done and if it was done right.”

Klondik says the first step will be to root–the Android equivalent of jailbreaking–the device. From there, building custom ROMs for the Droid X may be difficult but it can be done, he says.

But it may not be enough to soothe modders like Mills. Mills and a few other Android developers are questioning if Motorola should be part of Android’s Open Handset Alliance if it doesn’t really want its phones to be toyed with.

Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Motorola’s Droid is the most popular phone among Android users, followed by HTC Hero, while Google’s Nexus One ranks tenth on the list, according to a monthly metrics report from mobile advertising firm AdMob. AdMob has ranked the top ten Android smartphones by market share.

The data is based on 12.7 million Android phones in the AdMob network in May. It’s also why the HTC Evo, released in the first week of June, is missing from the mix.

About 21 percent Android users have the Droid, while 16 percent users own the HTC Hero. Just 2 percent of Android phone users have Google’s Nexus One phone, says AdMob.

Motorola launched the Droid in November 2009 and made it available exclusively on Verizon Wireless. And despite the gaggle of Android phones launched every month, the Droid has been holding strong.

The only Android phone that could challenge the Droid’s position is the HTC Evo, which is available exclusively on Sprint. It will be interesting to see if the Evo can beat the Droid, though Sprint has a smaller marketing budget and fewer subscribers than Verizon.

Here’s a chart that shows the popularity of different Android smarpthones.

About 67 percent of Android users are in North America while China is the second largest market for Android with 13 percent of Android users coming from the country, says AdMob.

Combined HTC and Motorola have 83 percent share among Android devices. Since the Android OS debuted in 2008, the two companies have been on a roll, churning out phones faster than consumers can keep up with.

Last week, Motorola introduced its eleventh Android phone, the Droid X. It was also a big month for HTC, whose Evo phone is the first and only 4G device available currently.

Data: AdMob

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews

Motorola’s Droid X is not out in retail stores yet but one phone enthusiast had taken a screwdriver to the device already.

Max Lee tore down the Droid X to expose its innards and show what’s inside the smartphone. It took Lee about 10 hours to figure out how to take the back cover off but he says it was well-worth the effort.

“You can easily disassemble and assemble the Droid X once you figure it out,” he says. “This should be good for consumers to replace parts if they happen to drop the phone.”

And you can see in the video, overall it’s a pretty easy process for those who may be inclined to do it. Just one tip from Lee: “It’s good to grow your fingernails before you do this. Makes it easy to take the things out.”

It’s also fascinating to watch the camera module pop off and all the components come apart like they are just pieces in an elaborate electronic jigsaw puzzle.

The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) will be available starting July 15 on Verizon Wireless network. The phone has a 1 GHz processor, a 4.3-inch touchscreen and a 8-megapixel camera.

Lee says once he took the phone apart, he found the bottom of the Droid X “has a lot of room to play.”

“Motorola could have made the phone a bit shorter but there would be something sticking out,” he says. “They probably did that for the overall design of the phone.”

Check out Lee’s teardown of the Droid X through step-by-step photos on his blog.

Photo: Droidx.net

Source:wired.com

Posted under Gadget Reviews