Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Technology
Technology

Google’s Next Target…the iPhone

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

When Google bought Motorola, most assumed that it was for the patents. Moto could still be a valuable weapon in the courtroom, but the search giant is also ready to wield it in the smartphone market. According to theWall Street Journal, Google is developing a new Motorola flagship, codenamed the X Phone.

Details

Google is developing the phone to take on Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S product lines. It wants the device to “stand apart from existing phones,” and has experimented with top-notch camera and photo software, bendable screens, and ceramics. But the company ran into obstacles, including poor battery life and supply chain issues. It isn’t clear what differentiating features it’s moving forward with.

Google CEO Larry Page reportedly told the X Phone team to “think big,” and strive for Samsung’s level of success. The company is also focusing its product line, reducing its smartphone footprint to several Verizon Droid devices and the X Phone. This reflects a similar trend in Google, as Page united the company’s software and media sales into the Google Play brand, and cut many of its smaller services.

Playing with fire

Samsung threatens to overshadow Android
Up to this point, Google has been hesitant to put too many eggs in the Motorola-Android basket. It doesn’t want to alienate rival Android manufacturers, turning them to other platforms or forked (no Google apps) versions of Android.

Google, however, is preparing for the worst. Samsung is the only company profiting significantly from Android. Samsung could hypothetically shut the door on Google, using its own apps for email, maps, and messaging. This would threaten Google’s mobile advertising revenue. Consider the X Phone an insurance policy.

Selling with the best

Google saw something it liked in Samsung’s Apple-mocking campaign
Non-Samsung Android manufacturers’ struggles, however, can’t necessarily be traced to a lack of quality. HTC’s One X, LG’s Optimus G, and Motorola’s own Razr Maxx HD were generally well-received, but they haven’t been huge sellers.
Read More:  gizmag.com

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top