Google Archive

The big Google I/O keynote is still going on, but one piece of news deserves its own news item: Google just announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition. This is a Galaxy S4 with completely stock Android, the same you'd find on a Nexus 4. The bootloader is unlocked, it is carrier unlocked, and will receive update straight from Google. It'll be available from Google Play 26 June. Now - let's hope this comes to all popular Android phones. I'm throwing money at my screen for an HTC One Google Edition.

The only thing from the interview I care about: "We are thinking about how to make Android handle updates better. We see ways we can do this. It's early days. We're talking with our partners and working our way through it. We need time to figure out the mechanics, but it's definitely an area of focus for me and for the team." We've seen empty promises about this before, though.

"After reading all the reviews, and talking to people who actually wore Glass, I just see a product plagued by bugs, and of questionable use, that's generating a lot of buzz because people want so desperately to have some new gadget to latch onto, and fear being wrong about the next major technology trend." Nobody wants a computer in their home. Nobody wants a cell phone and always be connected. Nobody wants an iPhone. The current version of this line? Nobody wants Glass. "I haven't worn Glass." Oh right.

"Internet giant Google has changed the tagline on the homepage of its Palestinian edition from 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine'. The change, introduced on 1 May, means google.ps now displays 'Palestine' in Arabic and English under Google's logo. Using the word Palestine is controversial for some. Israeli policy is that the borders of a Palestinian state are yet to be agreed." Good but daring move.

Scoble on Glass. "This week I gave five speeches while wearing it. I passed through airports four times (two more in a couple of hours). I let hundreds of people try my Google Glass. I have barely taken it off since getting it other than to sleep." The basic takeaway? "I've been telling people that this reminds me of the Apple II, which I unboxed with my dad back in 1977. It was expensive. It didn't do much. But I knew my life had changed in a big way and would just get better and better. Already this week I've gotten a new RSS app, the New York Times App, and a Twitter app. With many more on the way. This is the most interesting new product since the iPhone and I don't say that lightly."

"As everyone is trying to guess whether the next big Android update is going to be Key Lime Pie or not, and whether the release will be Android 5.X or 4.X, we have yet to hear anything concrete. After getting a tip from an eagle-eyed reader (thanks, deepayan!) and digging deeper, I can definitively tell you that Google is currently working on Android 4.3, and it is still Jelly Bean." Great detective work by Artem Russakovskii.

"Why did Google spend $12.5 billion to purchase Motorola Mobility? It's been nearly two years since the deal was announced and close to a full year since it closed, and the questions keep piling up while the answers keep getting worse. The biggest problem is that Motorola's patent portfolio doesn't appear to be worth anything close to what either company assumed: the judge in the Microsoft v. Motorola patent case ruled yesterday that Redmond owes a paltry $1.7 million in annual royalties for using Motorola's standards-related Wi-Fi and video-encoding patents in every Xbox 360 and Windows 7 PC sold, rather than the $4 billion Motorola had originally demanded."

"Google is offering major concessions on how it displays search results in Europe - including a better labeling of its own promoted content and displaying links to its competitors - to appease concerns it might be abusing its dominant market position, the European Union's antitrust body said Thursday." Smart. Takes the wind right out of Microsoft's sails.

I never really realised this, but it wasn't actually known what operating system powered Glass. "We suspected it from the outset, but up until now, we haven't actually heard it confirmed from the mouth of a Google honcho: Google Glass runs on Android. The tidbit was dropped on today's earnings call, with CEO Larry Page uttering: 'Obviously, Glass runs on Android, so has been pretty transportable across devices, and I think that will continue.' The response was given to a question regarding engagement increment, but Page stopped short of divulging details about version type."

"Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $13.97 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, an increase of 31% compared to the first quarter of 2012. Google Inc. reports advertising revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the first quarter of 2013, TAC totaled $2.96 billion, or 25% of advertising revenues."

Eric Schmidt has done a talk at Dive Into Mobile today, and knowing Schmidt, we're in for quotable stuff. First, Android activations are up to 1.5 million per day now - which is insane. That's one The Netherlands every eleven days. Or, what takes Windows Phone a holiday quarter, Android does in four days. Schmidt also touched upon Facebook Home; a journalist asked him a question about it, referencing a Microsoft statement about Google most likely wanting to block Home, and in reply, Schmidt called Home a "tremendous endorsement" of Android's Play Store strategy.

The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.

"Not many of us like thinking about death - especially our own. But making plans for what happens after you're gone is really important for the people you leave behind. So today, we're launching a new feature that makes it easy to tell Google what you want done with your digital assets when you die or can no longer use your account." Trailblazing. If you ever wonder why people tend to be favourable to Google - despite its many failing - it's stuff like this. While others are running cringe-inducing marketing campaigns or planning yet another patent lawsuit, Google gives users an immeasurably important feature like this. If you recently lost somebody, you will understand.

"Timothy Jordan gave developers at SXSW in Austin, TX a sneak peek at the Google Mirror API, which is what they'll use to build services for Glass. With the presentation, we set out to help developers and entrepreneurs start imagining what they could do on Glass." Lots of details about Glass and programming for it.