Mozilla Announces Boot to Gecko, Jumping Into the Mobile OS War
With smartphones becoming as commonplace as they are these days, it's no surprise that companies other than Google, Apple, and Microsoft are trying to get into the lucrative market of programming apps and operating systems for mobile devices. And why wouldn't they? As more and more people make the switch from feature phones to smartphones, any tech company worth its salt has to have some hand in the market, be it accessories like headsets, cables, or cases, if not an app or operating system.
Although Mozilla has been battling Google and Microsoft on the internet browser front for a while, it's been noticeably absent from the mobile OS front that's been very hotly contested in the past few years by its competitors. Until today, that is. MozillaWiki added an entry today describing B2G, a shorthand reference to Boot to Gecko, a project by Mozilla "to pursue the goal of building a complete, standalone operating system for the open web."
Here's the lowdown: Mozilla plans to use use a small amount of Google's Android operating system code for hardware interaction. Everything aside from that will be built from scratch, including an entirely new user interface, as well as a suite of unique apps to go along with it. Unlike Android, it will not be using Java as its coding language, and it won't support programming in native code. The project is still in its infancy, and Mozilla has announced it in order to get as much feedback as it can from the public (at least, the programming public).
Source: Gizmodo, Tech Radar, MozillaWiki
Google Nexus S Confirmed
Way back around the time the Nexus One was released, Google CEO Eric Schmidt had said that there would not be a "Nexus Two." Most people took that to mean that Google would not be making another smartphone; but in reality, it was only a comment on how the next smartphone by Google would not be named.
Today, Google officially announced their second smartphone, the Google Nexus S. Made by Samsung, it will be the first phone to feature Android 2.3, or "Gingerbread," as its operating system. In terms of hardware, it's not as radically advanced as the Nexus One was at the time of its release, but it still has a respectable spec sheet:
- 4-inch, 800 x 480 WVGA Screen
- 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) Processor
- Accelerometer
- Three-axis gyroscope
- 5.0 megapixel camera
- 16GB internal storage
- 512MB RAM
It'll support Voice-over-IP right out of the box, which sounds promising for anyone hoping to use a Skype app. In terms of physical design, the Nexus S has a slight curve on the front, which will supposedly fit better when held up to the side of your face, if you ever plan on using it for, you know, actually calling people.
Available on December 16th for $199 with a 2-year plan from T-Mobile, or $529 unlocked.
Sources: Gizmodo, Engadget, Google
Apple Buys Startup, Presumably to Fight Google on Voice Recognition
The next move in the Clash of the Tech Titans has been made. Apple just bought a startup company named Siri, which is the developer behind the mobile assistant app of the same name. Although the price hasn't been disclosed, it can be assumed that Apple wants Siri so it can use its expertise in voice recognition software to combat that of Google's own voice-recognizing search app.
Basically, Siri is an app that can find things like restaurants, movie times, or other Saturday-night-activity details, all through voice recognition software. It brings a number of other apps' functions together (such as OpenTable, MovieTickets, StubHub, CitySearch and TaxiMagic) to search for the information you are looking for. Google's app isn't quite the same, in that it searches the internet using Google's search algorithm for whatever you say into the microphone.
It's hard not to see Apple as rather behind in voice recognition software for its mobile devices though, since Google Voice Search has been around for a while. And with Google, if there hasn't been any news for a while, it's safe to assume they are cooking up something to improve or replace what they already have.
Source: Gizmodo
Nexus One Hands-On
Old news for anyone keeping up with any sort of tech blog, but Engadget got its hands on a brand-spanking new Nexus One over the weekend. So while the majority of us have been recovering after a little too much New Year's festivities, the guys at Engadget have been testing out the Nexus One that Google was kind enough to provide them.
So what's new from what we already know? Well, it seems like the menu navigation has changed a bit, using little squares or "dots" to navigate between the five home screens. We also get a look at the different wallpapers that come with the Nexus One, which can change perspective depending on what home page you are viewing, or respond with different animations when you touch the screen. Very cool stuff.
Check out the video to get a better sense of what the Nexus One has to offer.
Source: Engadget
Google Phone Linked to T-Mobile
Reuters reported late yesterday that Google will be offering the Nexus One with a service contract with T-Mobile, in addition to an unlocked version. Consumers who choose to sign with T-Mobile as their provider will be able to purchase the phone itself for a discounted price. It will, however, also be offered in an "unlocked" form for consumers who want the freedom of choosing their service provider.
Although neither T-Mobile nor Google has commented on this information yet, it does not seem out of the question that Google would aim for at least one package-deal with a service provider. Such a move would be an incentive for consumers who might not have enough cash for an un-discounted Nexus One. Those who do, however, would still be able to buy the phone by itself. The best of both worlds for Google. Not so much for its future competitors. *coughAppleHTCNokiacough*
Sources: Reuters
The Nexus One – Google’s Entry Into The Phone Industry
Over the weekend, news broke on multiple fronts that Google has released a prototype phone to its employees to test out. Code named Nexus One, it was first revealed on Twitter with the text "Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android." and a photo. As more information surfaced through mass scavenging of the darkest corners of the internet, more details were discovered; a 5 megapixel camera, no physical keyboard, and Android 2.1 for an operating system. The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Google would be selling the phone directly to consumers, instead of joining up with an existing cellular service provider, allowing them to choose what service they desire.
As would be expected, this is very big news, since Google is such an innovator in the industries where it is already present. After taking on the established search engines like Yahoo!, Google has excelled in just about every endeavor it has made; email, maps, videos, and browsers. Just last month, Google announced Chrome OS (an operating system centered on the internet) which signaled their entry into the operating system industry, pitting them against uber-giant Microsoft. With this leak of information about the Nexus One, it seems as if Google is fighting a winning war on all technological fronts, throwing surprise right hooks and devastating upper cuts. Who knows what will come next?
Check out the links below for a lot of additional information and some of the first pictures of the Nexus One.
Source: Engadget 1, 2, 3, Reuters