Posts Tagged ‘Google Inc’
Google’s Nexus 1 Superphone Launched
Google has unveiled its first phone the Nexus 1, which combines the latest in hardware from HTC Corporation with the newest Android software.
The goal of Google’s new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google’s online users with selected Android phones.
Through the web store found at www.google.com/phone, consumers can buy the Nexus 1 without service (meaning any GSM network SIM card can be inserted into the device), or purchase the phone with service from one of Google’s operator partners. As new phones come to market through this channel, consumers will benefit from the ability to match a phone of their choice with the service plan that best meets their needs. Operator prices and plan details will be featured on the site.
“The Nexus 1 belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones,’ with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It’s our way to raise the bar on what’s possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers,” said Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering. “We look forward to working with handset manufacturers and operators to bring more phones to market through this channel worldwide.”
Nexus 1 Hardware features include:
•Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
•Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
•Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
•Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
•Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
•Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
•Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
•Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
•Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
•Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
•Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive
“The Nexus 1 represents the unique combination of design and innovation two companies like Google and HTC can have when they collaborate,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The Nexus 1 continues HTC’s strategy of offering people a portfolio of phones that meet their diverse needs.”
The Nexus 1 runs on Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software, which offers advanced applications and features including:
•Google Maps Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
•Email: multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
•Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook.
•Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
•Android Market: access to more than 18,000 applications.
In addition, the Nexus 1 introduces new functionality and software enhancements:
•Enter text without typing.
•Use a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields: speak a text message, instant message, tweet, Facebook update, or complete an email.
•Tell your phone what you want it to do.
•Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
•Take personalization to the next level.
•Dynamic, interactive, live wallpapers react to the touch of a finger.
•More widgets and five home screen panels allow for further device customization.
•Capture camera-quality pictures and video with your device.
•5 megapixel camera includes LED flash, auto focus, zoom, white balance and color effects.
•View pictures and Picasa Web Albums in the new 3D Gallery.
•Record Hi-Res MPEG4 video, and then upload to YouTube with one click.
•Read your voicemail messages.
•Get transcribed voicemail with Google Voice integration, without changing your number.
Nexus 1 is initially available from the Google web store in the US without service for $529 or starting at $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA. In the near future, Verizon Wireless in the US and Vodafone in Europe plan to offer services to customers in their respective geographies. Today, consumers can go to www.google.com/phone to learn about the Nexus 1 and place an order. Google will initially take orders from consumers in the US and three other markets – the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
In the coming months Google plans on partnering with additional operators, offering consumers access to a broad set of service plans.
Google Founders Brin and Page To Sell 10 mln Shares
Google Inc founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin plan to sell about 10 million of the company’s shares over the next five years, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday.
Page and Brin currently own about 57.7 million shares of Google’s Class B common stock — roughly 18 percent of Google’s outstanding capital stock and about 59 percent of the voting power of Google’s outstanding capital stock. If the two founders both sell 5 million shares as planned, they would own about 47.7 million shares, which would represent around 15 percent of Google’s outstanding capital stock and 48 percent of the voting power of Google’s outstanding capital stock. Page is currently Google’s president of products and Brin is its president of technology.
Google to Build High-speed Internet Network
Google Inc plans to build a super-fast Internet network for up to half a million people, a project that could pressure telecommunications companies to loosen their control of Web access in the United States.
The Internet company has locked horns with the likes of AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc over the issue of net neutrality: Google wants telephone companies to permit consumers to run any Web application they want, while carriers do not want to lose control of networks they have invested billions of dollars to build. In building the test network, Google wants to demonstrate a carrier could easily manage complex applications that use a lot of bandwidth without sacrificing performance. Google said on Wednesday it does not plan to build a nationwide network and its goal is only to develop a trial service at a “competitive price” to 50,000 to 500,000 people, offering Web speeds of up to 100 times faster than most consumers get today. “In a big way, this is about Google wanting to make a case for net neutrality,” said PRTM consultant Daniel Hays, adding that Google wants to “demonstrate these services can be provided profitably at satisfactory levels of performance.” In a blog describing the new network, Google imagined a doctor discussing and looking at three-dimensional medical images with a patient far away, students joining a class from various locations in 3-D, or someone downloading a high-definition movie very quickly. Google said the network would run on fiber optic lines to homes, but declined to give more details.
Google asked cities and states interested in joining the experiment to apply to Google by March 26 and said it eventually would build the network in a number of U.S. locations. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski immediately hailed the move, saying “big broadband creates big opportunities.” The FCC is about a month away from submitting a national broadband plan to Congress. Google’s “significant trial will provide an American test bed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed Internet apps, devices and services,” Genachowski said in a statement. Google has long argued it can sell more Web ads — the way it makes money by encouraging Internet use.
Analysts said they did not think Google would end up competing directly with carriers as it would cost the Internet company hundreds of billions of dollars to build a nationwide broadband network from scratch. “If somehow they were able to widely deploy this, it would be bad for the cable and telecom folks. I’m skeptical the economics will work to allow them to deploy it widely,” said Hudson Square Research analyst Todd Rethemeier. A Verizon spokesman described the Google move as a “new paragraph” in the “exciting story” of Internet development. AT&T declined to comment. Google has had mixed success in previous attempts to become an Internet service provider. In 2006, it partnered with EarthLink Inc in an attempt to provide free wireless Internet access to the entire city of San Francisco. The plan fell through in 2007 over financial concerns. At the same time, however, Google built a free wireless network across its headquarter’s city of Mountain View, Calif. Each of those attempts, however, leveraged wireless broadband access. This time, Google is dealing in hard lines.
Oppenheimer & Co analyst Timothy Horan said he suspected building out the trial broadband network would cost Google about $1,000 to $2,000 per subscriber if it bought unused fiber lines already underneath many cities. “They can buy a lot of this stuff fairly inexpensively that’s out there already,” he said, adding that communications service providers, such as Level 3 Communications Inc, would have lines to sell to Google. Google said it would pay for building the network itself without seeking financial partners or government subsidies and then charge consumer and business customers. “We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections,” Google product managers Minnie Ingersoll and James Kelly wrote in the blog. Google said it wanted the project to become an open-access network, enabling products such as Internet telephony. “I think there are a lot of partnership opportunities and we are definitely interested in having those discussions,” Ingersoll said.