Do you remember the stories a while back that indicated Google Inc. was gunning for Microsoft’s lucrative Microsoft Office installation base as it released a free online word processor and spreadsheet application? Then, around the same time I believe, there were rumors that Google was developing an operating system to compete with the de facto monopoly Redmond has on desktop computers. When viewed through the prism of the uber successful Google search engine, it’s no wonder why analysts saw a storm brewing between these two heavy-weights.
When you put all the pieces together however, it’s seems as though Microsoft is not exactly at the top of the hit list for Google. Alex Salkever over at Daily Finance breaks down Google’s growth strategy that will make you say “Well, DUH!” With the announcement that Google has acquired mobile advertising giant AdMob, Alex has connected the dots to what now seems obvious, and offers suggestions for the HUGE impact this will have on the mobile phone space for years to come.
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The Motorola Droid will be available for sale in Canada sometime early next year on the Telus network. It will be marketed under the name “Milestone”.
“With Motorola Milestone, Canadians will no longer be limited in what they can do with their smartphones,” said Rick Gadd, vice president of Motorola Canada Mobile Devices, in a statement on the Milestone’s impending arrival on Telus. “They will experience the Web the way they’ve always wanted on a mobile device, with lightning fast speeds and pages that show them more.”
eWeek Article
You’ll hear both elation and disappointment from a variety of sources over how many Droid phones were sold over the weekend. Those in the “half full” camp say that say that selling an estimated 100,000 phones in the span of a weekend is good news and that Motorola/Verizon/Google should have nothing to worry about going forward. Those with a more pessimistic outlook suggest that Motorola was hoping for stronger sales of their new flagship mobile device and sluggish sales may paint a more gloomy future for Motorola — hoping to bolster business with the new phone.
Seems the opinions vary wildly between bloggers and those with real money to invest. While it’s hard to judge success by the fickle tendencies of stock market investors, Motorola shares have taken a slight hit today dropping as much as 1.5% at midday trading.
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An article at PCWorld provides some tips on how to maximize battery life and perhaps alter your charging habits for the new Verizon Droid released last week. The article goes over a common sense approach to why battery life “is what it is” on the Droid, but I’d like to punctuate a few of the points. It’s important that you temper what you read on the internet from people complaining about the need to recharge every 5 minutes (not the PCWorld article, but others) with a few considerations that seem to be conspicuously absent in a number of opinions.
Things to consider:
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Despite being hauled into court by AT&T for their effective advertising campaign, Verizon once again shows us how hard-nosed they can be in focusing customers on the difference between AT&T’s 3G network and their own. iPhone in the land of misfit toys? Ouch!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JgrBtn8XdU[/youtube]
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1. If you long-press (press and hold) the search icon directly beneath the large screen, the voice search widget will be launched. A short press will bring up the Quick Search Box and on-screen keyboard. Voice search is important because the speech-to-text features are fantastic on the Droid. Why bother keying in a search term on Google when you can just talk to your phone.
2. Long-press of the home icon will bring up the 6 most recent applications that you’ve used. Short press will take you to the home screen.
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In the world of politics and election campaigns, one of the oldest message practices is to step on your opponents “big news” by releasing big news of your own. The goal, simply, is to take a slice of the news cycle for yourself and attempt to muddy the hype around their news.
While there has been no official announcement, we see this practice in action today with unsubstantiated rumors that Apple will offer a version of the iPhone 3Gs for a mere $99 just in time for Christmas. Rumors emanating from the blogosphere are irritating since so few of them turn out to be true though that doesn’t stop them from being started.
Should the rumor mill turn this one into reality, here’s an interesting perspective on the implications to Motorola Droid sales for the holiday shopping season.
