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[Updated: 8 a.m.] — Google agreed to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, a move to protect Android from rampant patent infringement litigation and give Google a hardware counterpart to Apple. The company remains committed to keeping Android “as an open platform and a vibrant open source community,” stated Google SVP Andy Rubin.
Hot on the heels of news that it will be acquired by Google, Motorola Mobility announced a 1GHz, Android 2.3-ready “plus” version of a rugged phone it first released last year. The 3.7-inch Defy+ will go head to head with a 3.6-inch Samsung Xcover announced last week in Germany, since both handsets are said to offer IP67-rated resistance to water, dust, and scratches.
Fusion Garage announced a 10.1-inch tablet and four-inch smartphone, both running an “Grid OS” operating system that's based on Android — and said to run its apps — but adds predictive features and a grid-like UI. Available for purchase now, the Grid-10 tablet features an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and 1366 x 768-pixel screen resolution, while the Grid-4 smartphone due later this year offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
A new version of one of the world's most popular programming languages has been unanimously approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). C++11 will be “more natural … and as efficient as ever,” and will include a new standardized memory model, according to creator Bjarne Stroustrup.
Two tech blogs have obtained information and images regarding Google's upcoming “Ice Cream Sandwich” version of Android, apparently from a common source. The release will feature a new, blue-themed user interface, a revised launcher for applications and widgets, and a panorama mode for cameras, among other new features mentioned by Android Police and RootzWiki.
Acer, Asus, and Leonvo will roll out “Ultrabook” portable computers for under $1000 in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a DigiTimes report. Resembling Windows versions of the successful Apple MacBook Air, the devices will be less than 0.8 inches thick, use Intel Core processors, and employ SSD (solid state disk) storage.
Ibase Technology announced an ATX motherboard that supports Intel's 2011 Core i3, i5, and i7 processors and accepts 16GB of RAM. The MB960 includes six SATA ports, two USB 3.0 ports, seven expansion slots, and three video outputs, according to the company.
Today (Aug. 12) was the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the IBM PC. You probably heard that already — but here's why the decline of the personal computer could be a threat to democracy.
Acer announced a seven-inch tablet that runs Android 3.2 (“Honeycomb”) on a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. The $330 Iconia Tab A100 offers 1024 x 600-pixel resolution, 8GB or 16GB of flash storage, dual cameras, plus a microSD slot as well as micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports.
Lanner announced a small embedded PC that includes an Intel Atom N270 processor, a 2.5-inch drive bay, and a CompactFlash slot. The LEC-2055 has a Mini PCI Expansion slot, three serial ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, and a VGA port, the company says.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly looking into alleged anti-competitive behavior on the part of Google, including forcing Android OEMs to use its own services. According to The Wall Street Journal, the FTC is said to be preparing subpoenas related to the Android issue, which follows up on an existing investigation into whether Google's search practices violate antitrust law.
Worldwide mobile device sales reached 428.7 million units in the second quarter, representing a 16.5 percent increase from 2Q 2010, while smartphone sales grew 74 percent in that period, according to Gartner. Android saw the biggest increase in smartphone share, jumping to 43.4 percent, while Microsoft dropped to 1.6 percent, says the research firm.
Intel Capital announced a $300 million fund designed to help foster the chipmaker's “Ultrabook” category of portable computers. The money will be invested over the next three to four years “to create a cycle of innovation and system capabilities for this new and growing category of mobile devices,” the company announced.
Google Wallet and other mobile payment providers, coupled with Near Field Communcation-enabled smartphones, are stimulating the production of contactless technology in cash registers, says ABI Research. Some 85 percent of Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals that ship in 2016 will be “contactless-enabled,” up from 10 percent in 2010, says the research firm.
Portwell announced a Mini-ITX board that includes RAID support and Intel's Xeon E3-1225 processor. The WADE-8011 has six SATA ports (four 3Gb/sec. and two 6Gb/sec.), three video outputs (HDMI, DVI-D, and VGA), eight USB 2.0 ports, plus both PCI Express x16 and PCI Express x1 expansion slots, the company says.