Samsung isn’t known for speedy Android software updates, but it’s apparently making an exception for its fastest selling phone, the Galaxy S III, which recently surpassed 20 million in sales. The company said it would start the Android 4.1, or Jelly Bean, software update in October. Read more »
As the volume of connected devices increases, so too will the probability of hackers targeting these systems to exploit networks, steal data, hijack systems, and compromise workflows. Security specialists recognize the potential risks and are already developing technologies and methodologies for hardening M2M systems from attack. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Just a few days after the approval of the DOJ’s ebook settlement, HarperCollins has entered into new contracts with ebook retailers, and they’re already discounting its titles. What kinds of deals will you get? Read more at paidContent »
Boingo and Google have been gradually expanding a free Wi-Fi experiment across the country, using a sponsorship model to open up public hotspots to consumers. But today they scaled big, announcing 4000 new hotspots in the program. There’s a catch though: it’s not available to iPhones. Read more »
After releasing Google Drive for iOS in June, iPhone and iPad owners were disappointed by the lack of editing capabilities. Google fixes that with an app update today, but it’s still fairly limited: Only documents can be edited, even though Google’s demo video shows spreadsheet editing. Read more »
Google has signed up 180 out of 202 neighborhoods in a pre-registration drive for its fiber-to-the-home service. That’s an amazing take-up rate, although it’s not clear what percentage of homes have signed up. But the incumbent ISPs, AT&T and Time Warner Cable, must be worried. Read more »
The lack of a rear camera on the Nexus 7 disappointed some and even the front camera is limited. The sensor is 1.3 megapixels, but only captures VGA video. Adding a few lines of code to a rooted Nexus 7 changes that to 720p video. Read more »
What’s normally a quiet time turned into a busy week: Before the new Kindle Fire HD tablets launched, Motorola introduced three new Razr phones while Samsung touted its Galaxy S III sales figures: 20 million to date. Android tablets sales are on the rise too. Read more »
Google has convinced 10 percent of the people living in areas where it can deploy fiber to pre-register for the service with two days left before the Sept. 9 deadline. That’s a good start, but it might not be enough to get the service to profitability. Read more »
The common belief that “there’s no tablet market, just an iPad market” may be changing. Based on the number of daily device activations, the gap between Google tablet sales and those of Apple’s iPad is closing. Improved software and the Nexus 7 tablet are likely reasons. Read more »
Google kicks off its data center push in Latin America in Chile. Will other locations in Brazil, and Peru follow? Read more »
Tablet makers: Amazon just put you on notice with several new products, all of which are low in price and high in content. The new Kindle Fire HD line brings high-definition to Amazon’s tablets as well as an innovative, but limited, 4G LTE plan. Read more »
Just when we think we’ve maxed out the amount of cloud-based storage the world can consume, there’s data to prove us wrong. IHS iSuppli research shows that cloud storage subscriptions will grow at double-digit rates til 2017 when they’ll hit 1.3 billion Read more »
Observers of database technology should look closely at the non-relational database market to see where the most interesting growth lies in the world of applied information storage and retrieval. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung’s Galaxy S III continues to sell at a torrid pace…. for an Android device. Surely the new iPhone will outsell this one handset, but the success of the Galaxy S III shows that the gap between Android and iOS is lessening over time. Read more »
Microsoft has spent billions to make Bing a search contender against the heavyweight champ Google. Now it’s inviting users to judge for themselves with an online contest. Check it out and let us know how it goes. Read more »
Amazon’s press event could bring more than a new tablet and e-reader: A smartphone may be shown as well. It makes sense because consumers don’t just buy products, they buy ecosystems. And Amazon has one that it can extend to the small screen of a smartphone. Read more »
Motorola, now owned by Google, unveiled a trio of Razr devices that are big and small. The Razr HD and Razr HD Maxx offer big 4.7 inch screens with large batteries while the Razr M goes for a smaller profile but a big screen and battery. Read more »
Having just launched the Galaxy Note six weeks ago, could T-Mobile be readying the Galaxy Note II? Aside from the original phone out of stock on T-Mobile’s website, a leaked screenshot and product name indicate that T-Mo could go big with the new Galaxy Note II. Read more »
Samsung hit a billion dollar setback in the courts against Apple in August, but that same month it sold the top smartphone on 3 of the 4 big U.S. carrier networks. The Galaxy S III beat out the iPhone 4S, making for a good sales battle. Read more »
British arch-satirist Armando Iannucci – best known for his documentary-style dissections of the political classes — is getting ready to take on his next project: a black comedy based on Silicon Valley’s worst moments of excess. Fish, meet barrel. Read more »
Does it make good business sense for Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon (or any high tech company) to make its employees use its products alone? The great dogfooding debate rages on anew in the bring-your-own-device era. Read more »
To help build its Google+ audience, Google worked with Make Magazine to create Maker Camp — 30 days of DIY tutorials and cool science experiences targeted at kids aged 13-to-18. The camp was so successful that Make has already committed to a repeat in 2013. Read more »
Sometimes stodgy and stable is good. That is certainly the case for enterprise technology buyers. While the product news out of VMworld 2012 this week wasn’t earth shattering, what the company is doing bears study if you’re an IT person. Read more »
An activist group is trying to block a $22.5 million settlement between the FTC and Google because it doesn’t require the company to admit wrong-doing. The group is making mischief rather than raising a serious policy problem. Read more »
ZTE and Motorola indicated that they are making Intel-powered smartphones. Samsung announced the Microsoft Windows 8 powered ATIV-S phones, beating Nokia to the punch. These are first signs of PC-business behemoths trying hard to find relevance in a mobile-first world of Apple, Google and Qualcomm. Read more »
The impetus for these talks was reportedly Apple’s landmark victory in its Samsung patent case last Friday. Apple hasn’t sued Google directly for infringing on iOS patents with Android, but a jury found very easily that Google’s most important and most successful Android customer did. Read more »
Ever since Facebook stumbled with its IPO, there has been a constant drumbeat of criticism saying Mark Zuckerberg should step down as CEO — but Silicon Valley is devoted to the idea of strong founders retaining control of their companies. Will that be Facebook’s undoing? Read more »
Ebook buyers in 54 states and territories are set to receive $69 million in a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Those who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 2010 and May 2012 are eligible for payment if the settlement goes through. Read more at paidContent »
Google designed BigQuery as a cloud service for running fast queries against massive datasets, but with lofty ambitions there’s always room to take a step back. Now, users that don’t require super speed can run batch queries, and can connect to the service using Microsoft Excel. Read more »
Time Warner Cable is shelling out $25 million to lay fiber to select NYC buildings, but comparing the cable company’s network to Google’s fiber-to-the-home network in Kansas City is silly. The end customer, the money spent, the rationale for the investment and the scope are different. Read more »
Google’s use of its homepage to advertise its own products and display pop-up birthday reminders for its Google+ network on its homepage may seem like just an annoyance, but each step the company takes toward promoting its own offerings raises more red flags for antitrust regulators. Read more »
Google is rolling out business-friendly features for its Google+ social networking service. That paves the way for a paid-version next year or beyond and escalates the battle between Google and Microsoft for the corporate desktop. Read more »
With more devices at our disposal, users are finding ways to spread out their tasks between screens, moving from smartphones to PCs and tablets. That’s one of the findings of a new multi-screen study by Google. Read more »
Already, workplaces are changing because of trends like BYOD and gamification. But other emerging technologies are also altering what our workspace looks like and how we collaborate. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google is talking up the potential for Google Wallet to be more than just a payment tool. Leaders want Google Wallet to be a place to store boarding passes, tickets, identification and gift cards. That was the vision all along but it may be ready soon. Read more »
The implications of Apple’s recent billion-dollar victory over Samsung in a patent-infringement case go beyond the specifics of this particular battle — the reality is the war over software and design patents is bad not just for individual companies but arguably for society as a whole. Read more »
First up in this week’s audio podcast: Apple’s landslide court victory over Samsung and what it could mean to Android. Next, some impressions of the Galaxy Note 10.1 and thoughts on some upcoming events and potential device announcements, plus the slick features in Sony’s new Reader. Read more »
The week ended badly for Samsung, but did it do the same for Android in general? Perhaps, since Apple’s patents protect navigation features used by all Android devices. My new Nexus 7 case and Nikon’s Coolpix S800s camera with Android uses patented features too – uh oh. Read more »
My two-month Chromebook experience has been so great, I use the Google laptop as a primary device. But one flaw I found last month bothered me: No Google Play video support. The latest ChromeOS update, available now, fixes the problem and I’m happy again. Read more »
