Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

Google mobile head says Nexus One too ambitious

NEW WAVE: Rubin says that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One, keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. - Samsung Electronics

SAN FRANCISCO: The head of Google's Android mobile operating software says the search company "bit off a little more than we could chew" with the sale of the Nexus One, a smartphone Google began selling online early this year but then stopped offering after similar devices powered by Android hit the market.

Speaking at the D: Dive Into Mobile technology conference run by the tech blog AllThingsD, Andy Rubin said that Google Inc figured that it could sell the phone over the Web and people would buy it as they already do electronics like digital cameras.

Google unveiled the Nexus One with much fanfare in January as a challenger to Apple Inc's iPhone. It is made by HTC Corp.

Consumers didn't flock to the phone, though. Google closed its online store that was selling the phone in May, saying it would rely on traditional retailers instead.

Rubin said Google's big problem with the Nexus One was one of scale. For each wireless operator it worked with, it had to do things like set people up with phone numbers, perform credit checks and more, he said.

The process was time consuming, and given that there are more than 150 carriers worldwide, it seemed like a better idea to focus on things like building newer versions of Android, he said.

Rubin said that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One that Google and Samsung Electronics Co just unveiled keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. But it will be sold in the United States through Best Buy Co stores, which already have systems in place to set customers up with wireless carriers. The phone will cost US$529 unlocked, or US$199 when bought with a two-year contract.

The Nexus S uses Mountain View-based Google's newest operating software, Gingerbread, and includes features like Near Field Communication, which lets users wave the phone near a barcode or sensor to make payments similar to swiping a security card to get into a building.

Like the iPhone, it also includes a gyroscope, which allows you to do things like zoom in and out in applications by moving the phone closer or farther away from you.

Rubin, who founded Android (which was subsequently bought by Google), also said that the mobile software is profitable, making money through online ads on Android devices.

He added that since Google first released the free, open-source mobile software two years ago on a handset - HTC's G1 smartphone - it has expanded to 172 different phones.

"I think we're doing pretty well," he said.

Rubin showed off a prototype of an upcoming Tablet from Motorola Inc running an early version of what will be the next Android operating software, Honeycomb. The black Tablet had a large, glossy screen and appeared to have a camera integrated on its face.

Rubin said that Honeycomb, which will be more optimised for Tablet computers, will enable applications to have multiple views, depending on if they're running on a phone or a Tablet.

For example, he showed off a version of Gmail on the Tablet that showed a list of e-mail messages in one column and the body of the one you're reading in a second column. One an Android phone, you'd only see one column at a time, as you do now. - AP

Google mobile head says Nexus One too ambitious

NEW WAVE: Rubin says that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One, keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. - Samsung Electronics

SAN FRANCISCO: The head of Google's Android mobile operating software says the search company "bit off a little more than we could chew" with the sale of the Nexus One, a smartphone Google began selling online early this year but then stopped offering after similar devices powered by Android hit the market.

Speaking at the D: Dive Into Mobile technology conference run by the tech blog AllThingsD, Andy Rubin said that Google Inc figured that it could sell the phone over the Web and people would buy it as they already do electronics like digital cameras.

Google unveiled the Nexus One with much fanfare in January as a challenger to Apple Inc's iPhone. It is made by HTC Corp.

Consumers didn't flock to the phone, though. Google closed its online store that was selling the phone in May, saying it would rely on traditional retailers instead.

Rubin said Google's big problem with the Nexus One was one of scale. For each wireless operator it worked with, it had to do things like set people up with phone numbers, perform credit checks and more, he said.

The process was time consuming, and given that there are more than 150 carriers worldwide, it seemed like a better idea to focus on things like building newer versions of Android, he said.

Rubin said that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One that Google and Samsung Electronics Co just unveiled keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. But it will be sold in the United States through Best Buy Co stores, which already have systems in place to set customers up with wireless carriers. The phone will cost US$529 unlocked, or US$199 when bought with a two-year contract.

The Nexus S uses Mountain View-based Google's newest operating software, Gingerbread, and includes features like Near Field Communication, which lets users wave the phone near a barcode or sensor to make payments similar to swiping a security card to get into a building.

Like the iPhone, it also includes a gyroscope, which allows you to do things like zoom in and out in applications by moving the phone closer or farther away from you.

Rubin, who founded Android (which was subsequently bought by Google), also said that the mobile software is profitable, making money through online ads on Android devices.

He added that since Google first released the free, open-source mobile software two years ago on a handset - HTC's G1 smartphone - it has expanded to 172 different phones.

"I think we're doing pretty well," he said.

Rubin showed off a prototype of an upcoming Tablet from Motorola Inc running an early version of what will be the next Android operating software, Honeycomb. The black Tablet had a large, glossy screen and appeared to have a camera integrated on its face.

Rubin said that Honeycomb, which will be more optimised for Tablet computers, will enable applications to have multiple views, depending on if they're running on a phone or a Tablet.

For example, he showed off a version of Gmail on the Tablet that showed a list of e-mail messages in one column and the body of the one you're reading in a second column. One an Android phone, you'd only see one column at a time, as you do now. - AP

Google mobile head says Nexus One too ambitious

NEW WAVE: Rubin says that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One, keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. - Samsung Electronics

SAN FRANCISCO: The head of Google's Android mobile operating software says the search company "bit off a little more than we could chew" with the sale of the Nexus One, a smartphone Google began selling online early this year but then stopped offering after similar devices powered by Android hit the market.

Speaking at the D: Dive Into Mobile technology conference run by the tech blog AllThingsD, Andy Rubin said that Google Inc figured that it could sell the phone over the Web and people would buy it as they already do electronics like digital cameras.

Google unveiled the Nexus One with much fanfare in January as a challenger to Apple Inc's iPhone. It is made by HTC Corp.

Consumers didn't flock to the phone, though. Google closed its online store that was selling the phone in May, saying it would rely on traditional retailers instead.

Rubin said Google's big problem with the Nexus One was one of scale. For each wireless operator it worked with, it had to do things like set people up with phone numbers, perform credit checks and more, he said.

The process was time consuming, and given that there are more than 150 carriers worldwide, it seemed like a better idea to focus on things like building newer versions of Android, he said.

Rubin said that the Nexus S, the follow-up to the Nexus One that Google and Samsung Electronics Co just unveiled keeps alive that vision of selling an unlocked phone. But it will be sold in the United States through Best Buy Co stores, which already have systems in place to set customers up with wireless carriers. The phone will cost US$529 unlocked, or US$199 when bought with a two-year contract.

The Nexus S uses Mountain View-based Google's newest operating software, Gingerbread, and includes features like Near Field Communication, which lets users wave the phone near a barcode or sensor to make payments similar to swiping a security card to get into a building.

Like the iPhone, it also includes a gyroscope, which allows you to do things like zoom in and out in applications by moving the phone closer or farther away from you.

Rubin, who founded Android (which was subsequently bought by Google), also said that the mobile software is profitable, making money through online ads on Android devices.

He added that since Google first released the free, open-source mobile software two years ago on a handset - HTC's G1 smartphone - it has expanded to 172 different phones.

"I think we're doing pretty well," he said.

Rubin showed off a prototype of an upcoming Tablet from Motorola Inc running an early version of what will be the next Android operating software, Honeycomb. The black Tablet had a large, glossy screen and appeared to have a camera integrated on its face.

Rubin said that Honeycomb, which will be more optimised for Tablet computers, will enable applications to have multiple views, depending on if they're running on a phone or a Tablet.

For example, he showed off a version of Gmail on the Tablet that showed a list of e-mail messages in one column and the body of the one you're reading in a second column. One an Android phone, you'd only see one column at a time, as you do now. - AP

How to choose your Android smartphone

COMPARISON SHOPPING: Google has set up a new global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in a particular country.

IF YOU are in the market for a new smartphone, you will no doubt have spent countless hours deliberating over which handset is the right one for you.

The number of new smartphones appearing on the market can be overwhelming at times and it can be incredibly difficult to decide which handset will serve all your needs - especially when there is a two-year contract involved (and there generally is).

Five years ago the most important two decisions a prospective mobile phone customer had to make was the mobile carrier and brand of phone they wanted. These days, the choice is much more involved.

Customers now have to decide if they want a feature phone or a smartphone, a touchscreen or physical buttons, a numerical keypad or a QWERTY keyboard, a contract with data or without, an operating system that can multitask or one that is easy to use, a phone that can download thousands of apps or a phone that comes with just the essential features, an operating system that is "open" or "closed" - and that's even before deciding on the brand of phone or the carrier they choose!

For consumers interested in purchasing a smartphone running on Google's Android software, the decision-making process has just become a little easier.

"Here at Google, we're thrilled with the global adoption of Android and with the high quality of devices that are coming to market around the world. Since there are so many great phones, we wanted to make the selection process a little easier for people who are in the market for a new one," said Google in a blog post.

The Internet giant has set up a new, global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in your own country.

It's a welcome improvement for a marketplace that has become increasingly fragmented and a huge helping hand for customers who have previously needed to search online by manufacturer or visit the stores of different carriers and try to make comparisons.

Google's website helps prospective buyers narrow down their selection with country, manufacturer and carrier filters, side-by-side technical specification and features comparisons and information about where each phone can be purchased.

The website, www.google.com/phone currently has information about Android phones that include Android Market, Google Search, and other Google Mobile services such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube in various countries.

Information on more Android phones, phones in additional countries, and devices on other operators is said to be arriving shortly.

If you are not sure whether an Android smartphone is right for you, the links below will provide you with additional information about purchasing your first or next smartphone.

They include tips on how to choose the best device for you, what to watch out for when signing a contract and reviews of the newest and best smartphones in the market

How to choose your Android smartphone

COMPARISON SHOPPING: Google has set up a new global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in a particular country.

IF YOU are in the market for a new smartphone, you will no doubt have spent countless hours deliberating over which handset is the right one for you.

The number of new smartphones appearing on the market can be overwhelming at times and it can be incredibly difficult to decide which handset will serve all your needs - especially when there is a two-year contract involved (and there generally is).

Five years ago the most important two decisions a prospective mobile phone customer had to make was the mobile carrier and brand of phone they wanted. These days, the choice is much more involved.

Customers now have to decide if they want a feature phone or a smartphone, a touchscreen or physical buttons, a numerical keypad or a QWERTY keyboard, a contract with data or without, an operating system that can multitask or one that is easy to use, a phone that can download thousands of apps or a phone that comes with just the essential features, an operating system that is "open" or "closed" - and that's even before deciding on the brand of phone or the carrier they choose!

For consumers interested in purchasing a smartphone running on Google's Android software, the decision-making process has just become a little easier.

"Here at Google, we're thrilled with the global adoption of Android and with the high quality of devices that are coming to market around the world. Since there are so many great phones, we wanted to make the selection process a little easier for people who are in the market for a new one," said Google in a blog post.

The Internet giant has set up a new, global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in your own country.

It's a welcome improvement for a marketplace that has become increasingly fragmented and a huge helping hand for customers who have previously needed to search online by manufacturer or visit the stores of different carriers and try to make comparisons.

Google's website helps prospective buyers narrow down their selection with country, manufacturer and carrier filters, side-by-side technical specification and features comparisons and information about where each phone can be purchased.

The website, www.google.com/phone currently has information about Android phones that include Android Market, Google Search, and other Google Mobile services such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube in various countries.

Information on more Android phones, phones in additional countries, and devices on other operators is said to be arriving shortly.

If you are not sure whether an Android smartphone is right for you, the links below will provide you with additional information about purchasing your first or next smartphone.

They include tips on how to choose the best device for you, what to watch out for when signing a contract and reviews of the newest and best smartphones in the market

How to choose your Android smartphone

COMPARISON SHOPPING: Google has set up a new global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in a particular country.

IF YOU are in the market for a new smartphone, you will no doubt have spent countless hours deliberating over which handset is the right one for you.

The number of new smartphones appearing on the market can be overwhelming at times and it can be incredibly difficult to decide which handset will serve all your needs - especially when there is a two-year contract involved (and there generally is).

Five years ago the most important two decisions a prospective mobile phone customer had to make was the mobile carrier and brand of phone they wanted. These days, the choice is much more involved.

Customers now have to decide if they want a feature phone or a smartphone, a touchscreen or physical buttons, a numerical keypad or a QWERTY keyboard, a contract with data or without, an operating system that can multitask or one that is easy to use, a phone that can download thousands of apps or a phone that comes with just the essential features, an operating system that is "open" or "closed" - and that's even before deciding on the brand of phone or the carrier they choose!

For consumers interested in purchasing a smartphone running on Google's Android software, the decision-making process has just become a little easier.

"Here at Google, we're thrilled with the global adoption of Android and with the high quality of devices that are coming to market around the world. Since there are so many great phones, we wanted to make the selection process a little easier for people who are in the market for a new one," said Google in a blog post.

The Internet giant has set up a new, global website that lets you compare the features, design and specifications of Android smartphones on sale in your own country.

It's a welcome improvement for a marketplace that has become increasingly fragmented and a huge helping hand for customers who have previously needed to search online by manufacturer or visit the stores of different carriers and try to make comparisons.

Google's website helps prospective buyers narrow down their selection with country, manufacturer and carrier filters, side-by-side technical specification and features comparisons and information about where each phone can be purchased.

The website, www.google.com/phone currently has information about Android phones that include Android Market, Google Search, and other Google Mobile services such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube in various countries.

Information on more Android phones, phones in additional countries, and devices on other operators is said to be arriving shortly.

If you are not sure whether an Android smartphone is right for you, the links below will provide you with additional information about purchasing your first or next smartphone.

They include tips on how to choose the best device for you, what to watch out for when signing a contract and reviews of the newest and best smartphones in the market

Australia launches privacy investigation of Google

UNDER INVESTIGATION: Australia has announced a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service. - AP

Australia is starting a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service.

The Australian criminal investigation comes as more regulators and consumer watchdogs around the world are complaining that Google doesn't take people's privacy seriously enough. Google maintains that its users' privacy is one of the company's highest priorities.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected fragments of data over public WiFi networks in more than 30 countries while it was taking pictures of neighbourhoods for the Street View feature. Google said it discovered the problem after German regulators launched an inquiry into the matter.

Also last month, the head of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States, Michigan Democrat John Conyers, sent letters to Google and Facebook urging them to co-operate with any government privacy inquiries. Conyers asked Google to retain the data until any inquiries are complete.

The Australian probe follows questions over whether Google employees taking photographs for the mapping service violated the country's privacy laws.

"In light of concerns having been raised by the public, my department thought there were issues of substance that were raised that require police investigation," Australia's Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland told journalists in Melbourne.

The case was referred to the Australian Federal Police on Friday, he said. It will focus on whether the company breached the country's telecommunications interceptions act, which prevents people accessing electronic communications other than for authorised purposes, he said.

Google has characterised its collection of snippets from e-mail messages and web surfing done on public WiFi networks as an error and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence.

"This was a mistake," Google said in a statement on the Australian case. "We are talking to the appropriate authorities to answer any questions they have."

Street View provides photographs of neighbourhoods taken by Google cameras. The service has been enormously controversial in Germany and other countries as privacy groups and authorities fear that people - filmed without their consent - could be seen doing things they didn't want to be seen doing or in places where they didn't want to be seen.

Last month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, addressing the Australian accusations, said Google was responsible for the "single greatest breach in the history of privacy." - AP

Australia launches privacy investigation of Google

UNDER INVESTIGATION: Australia has announced a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service. - AP

Australia is starting a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service.

The Australian criminal investigation comes as more regulators and consumer watchdogs around the world are complaining that Google doesn't take people's privacy seriously enough. Google maintains that its users' privacy is one of the company's highest priorities.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected fragments of data over public WiFi networks in more than 30 countries while it was taking pictures of neighbourhoods for the Street View feature. Google said it discovered the problem after German regulators launched an inquiry into the matter.

Also last month, the head of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States, Michigan Democrat John Conyers, sent letters to Google and Facebook urging them to co-operate with any government privacy inquiries. Conyers asked Google to retain the data until any inquiries are complete.

The Australian probe follows questions over whether Google employees taking photographs for the mapping service violated the country's privacy laws.

"In light of concerns having been raised by the public, my department thought there were issues of substance that were raised that require police investigation," Australia's Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland told journalists in Melbourne.

The case was referred to the Australian Federal Police on Friday, he said. It will focus on whether the company breached the country's telecommunications interceptions act, which prevents people accessing electronic communications other than for authorised purposes, he said.

Google has characterised its collection of snippets from e-mail messages and web surfing done on public WiFi networks as an error and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence.

"This was a mistake," Google said in a statement on the Australian case. "We are talking to the appropriate authorities to answer any questions they have."

Street View provides photographs of neighbourhoods taken by Google cameras. The service has been enormously controversial in Germany and other countries as privacy groups and authorities fear that people - filmed without their consent - could be seen doing things they didn't want to be seen doing or in places where they didn't want to be seen.

Last month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, addressing the Australian accusations, said Google was responsible for the "single greatest breach in the history of privacy." - AP

Australia launches privacy investigation of Google

UNDER INVESTIGATION: Australia has announced a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service. - AP

Australia is starting a police investigation into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service.

The Australian criminal investigation comes as more regulators and consumer watchdogs around the world are complaining that Google doesn't take people's privacy seriously enough. Google maintains that its users' privacy is one of the company's highest priorities.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected fragments of data over public WiFi networks in more than 30 countries while it was taking pictures of neighbourhoods for the Street View feature. Google said it discovered the problem after German regulators launched an inquiry into the matter.

Also last month, the head of the House Judiciary Committee in the United States, Michigan Democrat John Conyers, sent letters to Google and Facebook urging them to co-operate with any government privacy inquiries. Conyers asked Google to retain the data until any inquiries are complete.

The Australian probe follows questions over whether Google employees taking photographs for the mapping service violated the country's privacy laws.

"In light of concerns having been raised by the public, my department thought there were issues of substance that were raised that require police investigation," Australia's Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland told journalists in Melbourne.

The case was referred to the Australian Federal Police on Friday, he said. It will focus on whether the company breached the country's telecommunications interceptions act, which prevents people accessing electronic communications other than for authorised purposes, he said.

Google has characterised its collection of snippets from e-mail messages and web surfing done on public WiFi networks as an error and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence.

"This was a mistake," Google said in a statement on the Australian case. "We are talking to the appropriate authorities to answer any questions they have."

Street View provides photographs of neighbourhoods taken by Google cameras. The service has been enormously controversial in Germany and other countries as privacy groups and authorities fear that people - filmed without their consent - could be seen doing things they didn't want to be seen doing or in places where they didn't want to be seen.

Last month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, addressing the Australian accusations, said Google was responsible for the "single greatest breach in the history of privacy." - AP

2010 mobility for Google, keep Apple and Nokia busy

We can say year 2010 gives a significant milestone for Google mobile internet. Just after few days, Google and HTC brought a new mobile for their latest Andorid 2.1, Nexus One. Google Nexus One is believe to become the greatest competitior of Apple Iphone on varous aspects. Featuring a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1 operating system, Nexus One has a 3.7″ AMOLED display similar to what you find on the Zune HD. As for the software, it now contains live wallpapers, 5 homescreen panels, new weather and news widgets, an all new 3D framework and voice recognition, using which you can skip typing and just dictate text to any field inthe phone. With the newcomers form Google, it is expected to finally give Apple Inc.’s iPhone a run for its money in the smartphone arena. The Nexus phone is as slim as a pencil, weighs about as much as a cigarette lighter (130 grams) and has a surface area similar to a deck of cards.

Android also offers a large application store — similar to Apple’s App Store — called the Android Market. However, unlike Apple, all of the applications made available for Android are free. Google may be entering the consumer hardware biz, thus competing directly with Apple. In other words, just forget about new micrsoft WM7, or Symbian V7.0. or even Blackberry software.

However, if Nokia really want to get involve in the mobile chaos 2010, they should concentrate more on their new triump card, Maemo-based N900. The quality is much more like super mini PC with the laptop-alike screen resolution, super OS, and superc embedded graphic adapter, and just need to upgrade a little bit on memory capacity and CPU. So, if Android can become a champion of internet smatphone, Iphone for their multitouch and “cool” capability, then Maemo-based could become a super-cool phonetop. I guess so….

Click Here for Technical Specification

2010 mobility for Google, keep Apple and Nokia busy

We can say year 2010 gives a significant milestone for Google mobile internet. Just after few days, Google and HTC brought a new mobile for their latest Andorid 2.1, Nexus One. Google Nexus One is believe to become the greatest competitior of Apple Iphone on varous aspects. Featuring a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1 operating system, Nexus One has a 3.7″ AMOLED display similar to what you find on the Zune HD. As for the software, it now contains live wallpapers, 5 homescreen panels, new weather and news widgets, an all new 3D framework and voice recognition, using which you can skip typing and just dictate text to any field inthe phone. With the newcomers form Google, it is expected to finally give Apple Inc.’s iPhone a run for its money in the smartphone arena. The Nexus phone is as slim as a pencil, weighs about as much as a cigarette lighter (130 grams) and has a surface area similar to a deck of cards.

Android also offers a large application store — similar to Apple’s App Store — called the Android Market. However, unlike Apple, all of the applications made available for Android are free. Google may be entering the consumer hardware biz, thus competing directly with Apple. In other words, just forget about new micrsoft WM7, or Symbian V7.0. or even Blackberry software.

However, if Nokia really want to get involve in the mobile chaos 2010, they should concentrate more on their new triump card, Maemo-based N900. The quality is much more like super mini PC with the laptop-alike screen resolution, super OS, and superc embedded graphic adapter, and just need to upgrade a little bit on memory capacity and CPU. So, if Android can become a champion of internet smatphone, Iphone for their multitouch and “cool” capability, then Maemo-based could become a super-cool phonetop. I guess so….

Click Here for Technical Specification