Motorola Mobility Inc: Unlock all smartphone bootloaders

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Why must Google buy Motorola? China!

It's undeniable the biggest reason why Google must buy Motorola is the big telecommunication related patent portfolio owned by the mobile phone maker. However, there is another reason why this deal is important to the growth of Google.

Android is free, period. Google does not make a dime from Android when a smartphone maker adopts its mobile OS. Google has said many times that it intends to make money back from Android from increased web search activities, which in turn brings profit to its web advertising business. It sounds great, except that Google search is not available in Mainland China. Yes, even if every single smartphone sold in China is powered by Android, Google will not make a single penny there. At the same times, it does not look like Google plans to change its Do No Evil strategy and allow China to censor its web search.

So, how can Google profit from the mobile market in China? How about making smartphones? Motorola has been doing business in China for a long long times. It is a well-known brand among Chinese. By making smartphones through Motorola, Google can earn cash from Android through a totally different strategy.

The more we look at the deal, the more we can appreciate the smartness of Google ... let's hope that they really do not plan to be evil!

[Updated: Let's Talks is selling the Galaxy Nexus at $155 with the usage of a coupon] Galaxy Nexus is $199 at Amazon Wireless

[Updated] Even better, Let's Talk is selling the Galaxy Nexus [Direct Link] for as low as $155, if you use the following code at checkout: $75VZN. Be sure to pick the "Keep your current data plan" option, otherwise you may lose your unlimited data plan. For upgrades, the same coupon code can be applied to bring the price down to $175.

The wait is over. The Galaxy Nexus is here. Amazon Wireless is selling it at $249 for people upgrading their phones. For new subscribers of Verizon? Only $199.

The wait is over: Galaxy Nexus is here

The wait is over. The Galaxy Nexus finally arrives. The specs of the phone were leaked like crazy, so there really isn't that much of surprise here. However, the simple fact that it's here is enough to bring a new round of excitement to Android fans.

As noted by many people, Verizon is nowhere to be found in the release party. On one hand, I think it is because both Google and Samsung want to make this a global launch (Japan's NTT DoCoMo is the only mentioned carrier in the presentation.) On the other hand, I think the release of the Droid RAZR earlier today is another factor. I mean, the RAZR is basically DOA. Priced at $299, it's on the high-end of the Android family, but after seeing the Galaxy Nexus, I am really doubtful that any serious Android user would choose the Nexus over the RAZR. May be a law enforcement office should get the Kelvar coated RAZR :-)?

Steve Jobs was a great marketer

There are going to be millions of people praising Jobs' achievement as an innovator, but in my opinion, he's an even greater marketer than an innovator. I am saying this without a tiny bit of negative meaning. Being an innovator doesn't bring a successful product. We've seen thousands of innovations failed miserably. Jobs, however, master the art of marketing. He not only know how to market, but what, and when to market.

When it comes to how to market, everyone already knows how good Steve Jobs was. The term "reality distortion field" was invented to describe him. But in the 80s, we didn't see the full effect of it because communication back then was mostly an one-way street. These days, the internet and social networking makes every followers of Steve Jobs an apostle for Apple. This can probably explain why the Macintosh failed the first computer war. Jobs full potential can only flourish with the presence of a way to quickly spread his gospel, and the 80's didn't have one.

As I mentioned earlier, just bringing an innovation to the consumers don't make it a successful product automatically. Knowing what to market is the key. As much as what Apple fanboys would like to insist, Apple has never been on the cutting edge of innovation. Apple almost always waits until a technology mature to a failsafe stage before it begins implementation/integration. Jobs knew that with Apple's strong brand, he could afford to wait. Wait until the point that he could bring his loyal customers a product that it's foolproof. We need not look any further than the new iPhone 4S. After the launch, many people, including some Apple fanboys, voiced their disappointment towards the evolutionary product upgrade. Some even went further to suggest that it's due to the lack of Jobs involvement in the development of the iPhone 4S. However, this is exactly the kind of decision Jobs would have made. Consider the lack of LTE in the new iPhone. Many Android fans quickly laughed at the missing of LTE. But let's face it, we Android users know that LTE eat battery life like no others. Contrary to what people thought, Apple couldn't make magic. If something is not possible to be done today, Apple couldn't make it happen, period. Other companies may have bowed to the pressure and throw LTE into the iPhone 4S. Not so for Jobs/Apple. Jobs would know that his customers would rather still have a phone working by the end of the day, instead of a phone that downloads faster. After all, many people just use the iPhone for the apps they already downloaded.

Knowing when to market is another thing that is important, and Jobs is a master of that also. People questioned the decision of an incremental upgrade of the iPhone 4S. But think about it, most people, at least in the US, signed on for a 2-year contract when they purchased the iPhone 4. How many of them will actually upgrade this year to an iPhone 5! On top of that, one of the iOS's strength is that there's little fragmentation. A radically different iPhone this year will create too much variations for the developers to support. By delaying the iPhone 5 for one year, the can phase out the iPhone 3GS, make the iPhone 4 a free phone, and still keep fragmentation under control. That's what Jobs would have done. We witnessed his DNA affecting Apple, and yet Apple fanboys felt disappointed -- I guess they actually don't understand their cult leader very much after all.

Steve Jobs, the great marketer of our times, rest in peace. My heart go out to his family.

Source: http://androidandme.com/2011/10/news/steve-jobs-1955-2011/

Apple's Rumored Voice Assistant Feature Gets a Convincing Preview Mock-up

Oh-o, Apple is going to INVENT Voice Assistant in the coming release of iPhone 5.



Android users must be very scared. And, let's see how how far behind iPhone's competitor is:

Uploaded on Aug 11, 2010

See, it clearly demonstrates that Apple always invents everything, right? Apple fanboys, let's celebrate!

Apple's Rumored Voice Assistant Feature Gets a Convincing Preview Mock-up

Apple's Steve Jobs: 'no one's going to buy' a big phone -- Engadget

Apple is prepared to eat their ex-CEO's words soon. It's funny that Apple fanboys listen to everything Steve Jobs/Apple says like they were gospel when Jobs and Apple treat them like sh*t. I still remembered the day Apple once suggested that UI functions should not be represented just by color alone. I forgot the exact reason behind that, but it's something like colors could have different meaning in different culture, and they are poor identifiers for colorblinds. Yet, when OS X comes out, the close/max/min buttons are colors only until you roll the mouse over the buttons. The thing is, their words only mean so much when it works for them. When they want it the other ways, they would pretend they never say it, or they will invent an excuse -- usually "because they've done it the right way." Apple's Steve Jobs: 'no one's going to buy' a big phone -- Engadget

UPDATE: Turns out that I am the one who needs to eat one's own words. Apple did not release a bigger iPhone. The iPhone 4S is almost identical to the iPhone 4.