Google

Done Deal - Motorola Mobility is Officially Part of Google

by David Novak on Wed, 2012-05-23 05:00


Google logo

The deal is finally done. Motorola Mobility is officially part of the Google empire. After over a year in the making, Google was able to acquire Motorola Mobility for the price of $40 per share, or about $12.5 billion. Motorola Mobility will continue to operate as a separate business entity and as a licensee of Android, but Google still says the purchase will allow it to really catapult its mobility business. Job security for Motorola Mobility's staff is uncertain, however. Rumors of significant layoffs are swirling, which would further support the theory that Google is more interested in the Moto's patents than in entering the hardware business. Whether or not we'll see layoffs or perhaps a Moto-branded Nexus is still unknown.

Check out the official press release...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that the acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) has closed, with Google acquiring MMI for $40.00 per share in cash.Read more

Google Project Glass (video)

by David Novak on Thu, 2012-04-05 09:46


Google Project Glass

A rumored Google project based around the concept of a pair of glasses that can deliver real-time information on a heads up display has gone public. In a Google+ post, the company is asking for feedback on their project to help shape what the end result will actually look like.

"We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don't.

A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment. We're sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.

Please follow along as we share some of our ideas and stories. We'd love to hear yours, too. What would you like to see from Project Glass?"

Check out the video...

Read more

Glimpses of Today, Tomorrow from the Past


crystal ball

Did you ever wonder if we would make things better if we didn't have bad guys? How about keeping bad things from happening to good people? Or good people saying bad/dumb things?

Fortunately, none of those things are going to happen!

Way back in 1931, Aldous Huxley created a furor over the controlled world in his book "Brave New World." In 1949, George Orwell saw a similar world controlled by technology with "1984."

The two authors sent scholars and technologist back to the drawing board to analyze the possibilities and explain:

  • Why it couldn't happen
  • What to do to prevent it from happening
  • What happens if it happens

They continue to discuss the pros and cons of today's always plugged in, always on harm/good of today's instant ability to "hit the button and take down anyone" approach to leaving a company (Goldman Sachs, Google) with a bang.

Unless you're like us and really like the insanely brilliant ads, you probably don't waste much of your precious time wondering if Steve Jobs and Chiat-Day's Lee Clow and Steve Hayden could really see the future or were just playing on our insecurities, our fears. Read more

Google Nexus Tablet Coming For Sure

by David Novak on Thu, 2012-03-22 13:45


Google Nexus Tablet Coming for Sure

Google chairman Eric Schmidt recently stated that his company is planning to market a tablet of the highest quality. Since this statement, rumors have been spreading like a fire-storm surrounding a Google-branded slate, the Google Nexus Tablet. DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim recently suggested that a Nexus-branded tablet will enter production in April for an initial run of between 1.5 million and 2 million units. More reports also suggest that Google has contacted ASUS to design the Google-branded slate based on its Eee Pad MeMo tablet. Now, a new rumor suggests that ASUS has scrapped its $249 MeMo to focus solely on the Nexus tablet.


Google Nexus Tablet Coming for Sure

Earlier Google Tablet stories indicated that the Nexus slate would retail between $199 and $249. Blog Android and Me last week said that the new target price is lower, between $149 and $199. The Nexus Tablet will definitely have a 7-inch display. With a lower retail price, Google may be looking to compete directly with Amazon's Kindle Fire, and use a cheaper dual-core CPU than the previously rumored quad-core Tegra 3, which has also reportedly been scrapped.Read more

The Changing Mix of Business Leadership


The Iron Lady

"Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't." – Margaret Thatcher, "The Iron Lady," Pathe International (2011)

A year ago, we were late in leaving for the office and noticed a lot of fathers were escorting their kids to the grade school.

Last week, it seemed as though the numbers hadn't changed much.

With the business community being cautiously optimistic, it made us wonder if we'll ever get back to the point where mom stays home handling the myriad of family/household activities and dad returns to the grind.

During the recession, men accounted for more than 71 percent of the job losses.

The latest unemployment figures stand at 9.8 percent for men 20 or over and 8 percent for their female counterparts, with women making up 47 percent of the total labor force.

Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, said that their studies indicate that the man of the house isn't finding a job as quickly as he hoped and if/when he does, it is for a lower salary.

"Work isn't working very well for men," she noted.

In addition to having more women in the workforce worldwide, we're seeing a growing number of high-profile women running and influencing companies as well as very active mentoring organizations such as Women 2.0.Read more

Android Following 'Jelly Bean' OS with 'Key Lime Pie' Android 6.0

by David Novak on Thu, 2012-03-08 10:44


Android 6.0 Key Lime Pie

Google plans to continue the trend of naming Android OS's, in alphabetical order, after deserts, according to a report from The Verge. First there was Cupcake, then Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread and finally Ice Cream Sandwich. The next major Android build will be named Jelly Bean. Even though Google has not officially acknowledged the next version of Android, it is believed that "Jelly Bean" could be released as soon as this summer, even though Ice Cream Sandwich is on only 1% of all devices.

The Verge claims that "Key Lime Pie" will come after Jelly Bean, however no details surrounding the OS were provided and no launch time frame was supplied beyond speculation that Google will launch Key Lime Pie in 2013.

Jelly Bean seems like a lock after the Mobile World Congress. That being said, Key Lime Pie seems as likely a name as any other, since there aren't that many desserts starting with the letter K. Google's the kind of company that thinks these things out in advance, so it's certainly possible that they've got several names lined up for future releases.

More interesting is how the version number of Android will progress in "Jelly Bean" and beyond. Google tends to save full numerical updates for major overhauls, which both 3.0 Honeycomb and 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich exhibit. Compare these to 2.1 Eclair, 2.2 Froyo and 2.3 Gingerbread, all of which were evolutionary updates. Hence, "Key Lime Pie" will most likely be Android 6.0.Read more

Clouds So Good Absolute Security, Protection are Unnecessary


Walking Tall

"If you let those people that own those joints have an inch, they'll steal the whole state... It looks like they already got a leg up on it." – Buford, "Walking Tall," Bing Crosby Productions, 1973

Without much fanfare, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) recently turned the lights off on their last remaining mainframe computer.

It's not like they're shutting down their whole operation; but it's a great example of the way the traditional IT model has changed.

They still have a lot of desktop computers – probably as powerful as the room full of hardware that went dark. In addition they (and we) are using more and more mobile devices – smartphones, tablets, notebooks (soon ultrabooks) -- and mobile services.

So many devices are out there, so many services, so many options, it's tough to know:

  • what's right for you
  • what does what it says it does
  • what does what they don't want to mention, but does
  • who's gonna' last

A fresh example of the switch is Apple's latest Mac OS (Mountain Lion). It didn't slip by many folks that it shares a whole lotta' iOS features, capabilities.Read more

Android 5.0 Jelly Bean Coming Soon, Amid Recent Launch of Ice Cream Sandwich

by David Novak on Mon, 2012-02-20 10:25


Android Jelly Bean

Even though Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has launched and is making its way to premium handsets, new rumors suggest that Google is preparing to launch the next major build of its mobile platform as early as next quarter. DigiTimes is saying that Google is likely to launch Android 5.0 (Jelly Bean) in the second quarter. While details are still limited, the report claims Android 5.0 will again focus on tablets and introduce some improvements to the current mobile OS.

Google's next-generation Android OS will feature a new dual-boot function. Jelly Bean will reportedly be optimized for tablets and it will integrate Google's Chrome system functions to push dual-operating system designs. Google is supposedly planning to encourage vendors to build dual-boot devices, which would be able to run both Android 5.0 and Windows 8. This is in response to Microsoft's Windows 8 platform coming soon.

Reports also suggest Google may be looking at the notebook and netbook markets with Android 5.0. Android 3.0 Honeycomb was a tablet-only OS, and Google then unified its mobile platform with Android 4.0, which is optimized for both smartphones and tablets. This new report seems to suggest Google is shifting the focus of Android 5.0 back to tablets and maybe even to notebooks in light of Chrome OS's slow adoption.Read more

CES Show Wrap: It's a Show, It's Biz, Live with It


2011 CES Show Floor

Open the Gates – With more than 31 football fields of show space, CES attendees have to crowd in opening day and walk themselves ragged in hopes of not just seeing all the show but seeing what will win/fail big in the coming year.

While a few folks have said CES is on its last leg, we wonder if they were at the same show we were this month.

More than 3,100 exhibitors squeezed into a mere 1.861 million net square feet (31+ football fields) of exhibit space and the show drew more than 153,000 attendees.

There was the urban sprawl of the big boys trying to out-glitz each other (even as they experienced record losses or marginal profits).

Microsoft announced that this was their last keynote, last time of exhibiting; and folks immediately said, "See the show is losing its relevance in a real-time world."

These same folks probably said Ballmer couldn't get out of his own way.

Suddenly he's brilliant?

Folks pointed out that really big things in the past have gone on to bomb, die.

You know Palm/WebOS, netbooks, 3D TV, etc.Read more

Back to the Future: Moving Forward by Looking Over Our Shoulder


Universal Pictures

Better Year – To know where you're going you have to know where you've been, what you've been through. Based largely on what we've been through, people are cautiously more optimistic about the coming year. Image – Universal Pictures

Imagine:

  • A global population of seven billion people … and growing.
  • More than six billion mobile subscribers … and growing.
  • More than nine billion connected devices (two billion machine to machine) … and growing.

We've become a mobile and open world, and there's no turning back.


Constantly Connected

Constantly Connected – Some feel at a loss if they don't have their mobile "tools" – smartphone, iPad, notebook – with them constantly. Admit it. You go back home if you forgot your phone. You're at a loss when your tablet/computer battery runs low. No wonder we feel we're always connected … we are!Read more

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