Tag Archives: Nexus One
Google Trademarks “Speedbook” for Computer Hardware
Posted on 26. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
3 Comments
BNET’s Erik Sherman was doing some snooping in the U.S. Patent and Trademark database and came across something interesting: Google has trademarked the term “Speedbook”. Under the category labeled Goods and Services for the filing, it states “computer hardware”.
BNET is a tech business blog owned by CBS.
The trademark was filed on February 13, 2010. If you want to, go to the trademark database yourself and put in the term; it’s the first result in the search. A Chinese company held the trademark briefly in 2009 for a period of ten months.
I’m not sure what Google’s plan would be for this, perhaps considering labeling Chrome OS devices under a different classification than a netbook or laptop. Of course, back in February the Nexus One was only a month old; it’s possible that at the time Google was planning on releasing their own line of hardware.
At this point, hardware partners such as HTC and Acer are rumored to be first to market with Chrome OS devices. HTC is expected to launch a tablet in November. Acer has a spec netbook they are currently testing that could arrive as soon as the Chrome Web Store, a directory filled with applications specifically for Chrome, is launched.
Nexus One’s Faults Just Mean Better Strategy for Chrome OS
Posted on 23. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Lilliputing’s Brad Linder has a piece posted today talking about what happens for Google devices in the aftermath of the Nexus One. GigaOM’s Ostatic blog also had an article on this topic as well, so we’re going to write our take on the whole situation.
Suffice to say, the Nexus One did not exactly take off as planned but that doesn’t mean immediate failure for any impending Chrome OS devices.
Let’s face it: Google tried an experiment whereby another manufacturer built the phone, but it was up to Google to support it. In hindsight that may not seem like the best idea, but it was worth a shot. Now Google knows that they need to work with hardware partners and let those with the expertise design and build the devices under certain specifications.
There’s a whole list of companies that are working with Google on this, and this way of putting a Chrome OS product on the market will be successful: by letting Google provide the platform and the manufacturers developing great products based on the hardware requirements.
Bottom line: we will see Chrome OS tablets and laptops before the end of this year. It may take some time for the products to gain traction, but judging by people’s desire for something between a smartphone and a full-fledged computer, it will be successful.
thechromesource Weekend: Links for 7/18/10
Posted on 18. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
A Google press event for “few new things” is scheduled for July 20th in San Francisco with VP of Search Products Marissa Meyer.
In partnership with Ford and General Motors, Google’s Send-To-Car service will send map data directly to vehicles.
Cheap gadgets with Android may become very popular in China, with an impact on other devices around the world.
The Nexus One is nearing the end of its life cycle according to an official Google blog post.
It appears that Google CEO Eric Schmidt is very familiar with the inner workings of Washington, according to Politico.com.
Chrome OS, Android 3.0 in Q4 – Is There Room For Both?
Posted on 05. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
It’s being reported that Android 3.0 will be available during the fourth quarter and most likely in November smartphones with the Google’s newest version of their mobile OS will be released by major wireless carriers. Also coming at the end of the year is Google’s Music service, which was shown off to some degree at Google I/O with a demonstration of a wireless device streaming songs from a computer to a phone through App Engine, the company’s cloud API.
One interesting thing to note about Android 3.0: it will have support for tablet devices that have screens larger than 4″. That makes it hard to determine where a Chrome OS tablet will fit in to the mix, as we have seen on Chromium.org evidence that there will be touch capability available to the manufacturers of the computer-based operating system.
It’s starting to look like although Google will spend huge amounts of resources on developing both Android and Chrome OS, the level of adoption for computer devices using each individual operating system will be left to device manufacturers. While mobile phone companies such as HTC and Motorola have seen enormous success with Android, there’s no stopping the deep pocketed PC manufacturers from developing innovative devices loaded with Chrome OS.
There’s still a deep separation between computers and smartphones, so at this point having a division of the two makes sense. Also, having consumer electronics manufacturer’s battle it out in terms of who can make the best hardware products loaded with Google’s OSs makes total sense, and is a very smart move for the company.
The bottom line is that Google will stay on the sidelines for any type of Nexus One-branded product of their own, providing its support for both OS platforms and if the two eventually merge into one in a matter of years – with perhaps Android the underlying system and Chrome on top for complex web applications – then so be it.
Does Android Have the Fastest Mobile Browser with Flash?
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
A comprehensive video showing the Flash elements of a Nexus One with Android 2.2 compared to the iPhone and HTC HD2 (Windows Mobile 6.2), which is very telling. The video also has a comparison to prove to whether Android actually has the fastest mobile browser as claimed by Google. So how does the mobile variety of Flash integrate with pages when you are on the web? You be the judge.
Nexus One Availability Shows a Shift for Google to Retail Stores?
Posted on 16. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Well, at least the Nexus One web store experiment was interesting.
The recent announcement from Google’s Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering that the Nexus One will slowly migrate to retail outlets still shows us that they are not afraid to take risks in market disruption. It was a test worth watching: could Google single-handedly upend the traditional mobile phone market by selling phones through their own channels? Initial complaints with the web store were that when problems arose with the Nexus One, there was no real way to get customer support on the phone. This coupled with low sales numbers made it really hard to expect this model to work on a mass-market scale.
But there is a unique twist to all of this and one that bodes well for future hardware that runs on Google’s operating systems. Instead of having an online store, the idea is to replace that with a showcase-type web portal where people can get a handle on the different devices that run Android. In the future, that will also include devices that run Chrome OS whether they may be netbooks, smartbooks or tablets.
But a showcase can only display pictures, videos and specifications. What is really needed are physical stores.
Let’s not forget that a major engine of growth for Apple in the past decade has been their entrance into the retail market with their own stores. Even Microsoft now has their own retail shops in some test markets. The reality is that people who are early adopters in technology (like the Nexus One) don’t need to go to a traditional store to check out gadgets, but a large majority of people want to be able to see, touch and interact with a device before they buy it.
With Google, there are already so many Android smartphones available from a large swath of companies that it makes sense to have a showcase, quite possibly with their own branded locations. Eventually they will also have Chrome OS devices on display as well and at the same time will need to compete with Apple and Microsoft in this space, who are already ahead of them in this regard.
thechromesource Daily: Links for 5/14/10
Posted on 14. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Chrome OS screenshots? Jason Kincaid over at TechCrunch did some digging over the Chromium site to find an almost Apple-like interface.
The Chrome browser development channel has been updated to version 6.0.401.1 with minor bug fixes.
Those who have a .edu email account will now get priority in getting Google Voice invites, which is Google’s VoIP service.
Google held their annual stockholder’s meeting this week, and CNET has a good brief of the goings-on.
The Nexus One is going to be more widely available from now on, being offered in retail stores with an eventual web store phase-out.
Four Chrome OS Contenders that Could Take on Apple’s iPad
Posted on 10. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
The iPad is ushering in a new era of computing device: the tablet. What’s really exciting is that this has all just begun, and we should expect to see a wide array of new tablets coming to market during the rest of this year. So here are the tablets that are expected to be launched with Chrome OS (along with an app store, we hope) as either the only platform or as an option. Without further ado, some of the contenders that will take on Apple tablet-style.
Freescale
Specs: 7-inch display, 1GHz Cortex ARM processor, WiFi, Optional 3G
Freescale Semiconductor showed off a tablet running Chrome OS at CeBIT that they said would cost only $200. Although the prototype that they displayed needed a keyboard in order to provide input, they were the first to actually show off a tablet. It’s possible they could bring something like this at a very good price to market, but the concern would be that the components at that price would not be cutting edge and therefore could have problems competing in the market.
But at the same time it’s a cheap tablet, right?
Notion Ink Adam
Specs: 10.1-inch PixelQi display with multitouch, nVidia Tegra 2 graphics and dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, 16GB solid-state drive, Wi-Fi, 3G
Designed in India, the unknown Notion Ink Adam could be a hit, although many also thought that the Fusion Garage JooJoo tablet would be, so we shall see. Nevertheless, this device looks stunning, and with the innovative PixelQi display which can turn off the backlight this could be a great e-reader and web enabled device all in one. It’s expected to have options in terms of storage and connection options, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this tablet is priced close to the iPad. It also has features that Apple’s tablet doesn’t such as a 3.2 megapixel camera and an HDMI output port.
HTC
Specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, possibly dual-touchscreen?
HTC privately showed an Android tablet at CES a few months ago, and speculation is mounting that they will be working together with the folks at Mountain View to produce tablet which may or may not be branded as a Google tablet. Seeing as how Google and HTC have a cozy relationship with Android (Nexus One and G4 smartphones) the first Chrome OS tablet could very likely come from HTC.
The photo shown here is a prototype dual touchscreen concept that the folks at Phandroid have posted. We don’t have any other pictures, so this is the best one to ponder upon.
Asus
Specs: Unknown, likely similar to the Eee T91 (pictured here)
Asus is primarily a netbook manufacturer, but CEO Johnny Shih has been adamant about making a tablet. The company already has a hybrid netbook-tablet device called the Eee PC T91, which pairs a keyboard with a display that can be rotated and folded over to transform it into a slate. It has the same specs as your average netbook, running an Intel AtomZ520 with 1GB RAM standard, but interestingly packs a 32GB solid state drive which is a requirement by Google for Chrome OS devices to ensure speed and user interface quality.
The Others
I’ve left out a few manufacturers that I need to give mention. Acer has claimed that they will have the first Chrome OS netbook but that is not a tablet and there hasn’t been any good information even if they are working on one. We know that the Dell Linux team has been openly working on Chrome OS (April 7 build here), and it would fit on their Mini 5 line of tablets (also known as Streak) coming out but that is pure speculation.
If there are any manufacturers that I have forgotten, please let me know. In the end, we’ll see some more developments relatively soon. Computex is coming up which will be closing in on the third quarter, a period of time when Chrome OS devices are expected to surface.
Comparison: iPad Performance vs. Nexus One
Posted on 04. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
So, how fast is the iPad? According to the hardware analysis site Anandtech not as fast as might have been expected. While the iPad’s custom designed A4 processor is faster than the Nexus One’s Qualcomm Snapdragon, the results don’t put the iPad that far ahead. Both the devices were compared with the iPhone 3GS and measured by how fast that each of them were able to load certain web pages.
The reviewer, Anand Lal Shimpi, writes that the “iPad loads web pages 10% faster than the Nexus One” and that “despite the early reports of the iPad being blazingly fast, I found it just “acceptable” in my limited time with it thus far”.
In fact, it may even be possible that with those results that the A4 is really not all that unique anyways. Regardless of that, if this chip were to be put into the next generation of iPhones, the Nexus One would be beat. Since the only way to compare the device is to load web pages, I wonder if Apple’s operating system with Safari is better refined and optimized than Android 2.1 and its namesake browser that is running on Nexus One.
So there you have it. Many reviews are glowing about the iPad being an amazing device, and I don’t discount that because of how profoundly different it is. And although the iPad and the Nexus One are hard to compare since they run in different segments (phone vs. tablet) speed is still a very important metric to measure in terms of user experience.
The Mobile Keyboard Solution – Folding it Out, In
Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
One of the biggest challenges faced as devices get smaller and smaller is that the traditional keyboard still requires a certain footprint in order to be useable. This fact is even more evident when you look at tablets and phones which don’t have a keyboard at all – they require you to use an on-screen touch interface in order to write. For many, this trend could be problematic since there is an enjoyable degree of tactile feedback that comes with using a traditional keyboard.
That’s why when I came across this post from Wired I knew I had to write about it. Sure it’s only a mock-up, but this is the best way that I have seen so far on solving the keyboard problem, which is to fold it:
Designer Yang Yongchang has put up some images and a small write-up on how his device, the iWeb 2.0, would work. I really like the idea, and although I’m sure this has been tried in design labs before if it could be pulled off by being usable there would be appeal for this. Two things come to mind, however. A folding keyboard would have many parts making it expensive and possibly fragile. Another problem could be that although the pictures look good, it needs to be comfortably useable to a vast amount of people in order for something like this to sell.
With the mobile device market creating new genres of gadgets such as the tablet and especially the smartbook which will blend together elements of a netbook with a smartphone – the keyboard problem becomes magnified. Whether it runs Android, Chrome OS, Linux or some variety of Windows a smartbook is going to need to have a real keyboard.
I know that in the mobile phone market the trend is to shy away from manufacturing smartphones with full-on keyboard. The Nexus One has done so, along with other Android devices. The Motorola Droid, however, does come with a keyboard. I suppose it is all in terms of a person’s taste, but for those who like to write having a keyboard is really helpful. Especially if you’re clumsy with a touchscreen.
Wireless Carriers Get Revenue Share From Google Search
Posted on 29. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
There are an estimated 3 billion people who use cell phones worldwide. Google just wants a portion of them using their search engine.
Tricia Duryee of PaidContent is reporting that the major mobile phone carriers who have Android phones have a deal with Google to share revenue. Not just any revenue of course – but the kind that comes from search engine advertising. Not a shocker, then, when you see search being prominently featured on Android phones. And it isn’t just because Android was developed by Google, but because the carrier providing service for that phone has a stake in the mobile advertising market that Google is trying to enter.
To be sure, it is not that easy right now to make money in mobile advertising. But as the user experience for smartphones improves (a la Android) and the technology gets better, I’m sure the major carriers realize that advertising that is running through their “pipes” will someday prove to be uber-profitable.
Consider Google’s acquisition of mobile advertising firm AdMob for $750 million, which is still awaiting regulatory approval. The amount of money involved in the deal, and the technology that AdMob brings, is surely convincing to the mobile networks that this could be a massive money machine for everyone involved. While Google is the expert on search advertising, AdMob will bring its experience in web display and app display ads to the table, which could be later added to a partnership deal with carriers if it hasn’t been already.
It may already be part of it, since Duryee’s article also says that carriers get a piece of the Android Market revenue that is coming in, and that has to be growing.
And let’s not forget the fact that Google is trying to change the way we buy mobile phones. Instead of choosing a carrier and then deciding on a phone, they want us to pick out a phone and then choose a carrier. Hence the reasoning for a powerful Google phone like the Nexus One. Consider the options table when you go to purchase Google’s phone:
The same will soon be said for Chrome OS hardware, may that be a netbook or tablet. We will most likely lust after the best specs that Google knows we want and then choose where our connectivity for that device will come from. There will be a choice of carriers – much larger than this example above if they are interested in lucrative ad profits.
So is the Nexus One really a failure it has been said to be? Probably not. This is a trial run to see how Google can perform in the hardware market, and the fact that the carriers are making money from Google Search, and possibly other things in the future like Google Apps, will give them cause to keep quiet while Mountain View tries to change the dynamics of the wireless industry.
Does Nexus One’s Poor Numbers Mean a Strategy Change?
Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Gizmodo is reporting today that the Nexus One, released in early January as Google’s flagship Android smartphone product has had very poor sales numbers when compared to its competitors. Counting the seventy-four days since the Nexus One has been released, and then comparing the Droid and iPhone the numbers are paltry for Google. While the iPhone and Motorola Droid tallied a million and 1.05 million respectively, the Nexus One has only shipped 135,000 phones.At that number, the highly touted iPad tablet already has more pre-orders than Google’s official phone has sold.
But let’s go back to highly touted. Although the tablet from Apple was never really a for sure thing, there were plenty of news stories about it long before it was unveiled, one of the biggest was the fact that Apple already owned the domain name for iSlate – the supposed name for the device at the time. So what about the publicity for the Nexus One? Pretty slim, and it almost seemed like and afterthought once Motorola hit it big with the Droid that Google felt they almost had to release their own phone.
On the subject of Motorola, keep in mind that the marketing campaign for the Droid was in excess of $100 million dollars. There wasn’t a time you could turn on the TV and hear a robot saying “Droid” in the commercial blitz that commenced at the phone’s launch. By contrast, I’ve never seen a Nexus One commercial – the only ads that I have seen are on Google pages and some ads sprinkled here and there on the internet.
Just because the numbers are not that good for Google doesn’t mean that they haven’t learned a lot from this exercise. Remember, this was the first actual product that Google has released. And they decided to do it differently than any other mobile phone manufacturer on the market by selling it themselves. Even though in reality it was made by HTC, it has the Google brand on it.
Now they will sell the Nexus One for AT&T, competing directly with Apple – but you have to pay the full $529 for the privilege.
When it comes time for Google to sell their own computing device, what path will they take? I have a feeling that they will sell one themselves, but they may opt to also get the backing of a large manufacturer as well for mass marketing purposes. Remember, Acer as of late has been doing a lot of posturing about being the first to market with a Chrome OS netbook, that they will sell millions of them this year and so on.
Whatever the choice may be, it’s clear that the Nexus One was a trial run that required very little marketing expense for the company, which is where things could have got expensive. After all, it seems as if HTC is rolling out new phones all the time anyway, why not help Google out since incidentally, the search engine giant lent a hand with the G1 smartphone?
And don’t forget, the Nexus One has received favorable reviews, some calling it the best Android phone yet – even Gizmodo. Google doesn’t care about popularity for its branded devices yet; it’s more concerned with providing the best user experience possible.
