Android Colosseum

Google Yahoo! Deal? Partnership?

2008-04-10T11:58:17-05:00

Microsoft and Steve Ballmer must be wetting themselves as we speak, Yahoo and Google will be venturing into a deal which sees Yahoo! placing Adsense Ads withing their search results for 2 weeks.
This move according to a report claims that it is for proving that Yahoo! can generate revenue that would justify a bid higher than Microsoft's $42 billion offer. But with all that Microsoft slammed the deal saying it is anti-competitive and that "Any definitive agreement between Yahoo! and Google would consolidate over 90 percent of the search advertising market in Google's hands,"

Seem to me Microsoft is sweating all over, they may just have to fork out more for Yahoo! than already planned, and it could all get worst if Google and Yahoo goes into a long term partnership.
All hell is gonna break loose in the coming months and Android Colosseum will be right there at the helm of this important matter.
[Source: PCMag]

Join the FEED

Yahoo AOL Merger?

2008-04-10T12:25:39-05:00

When will it end? The WSJ confirms that a Yahoo!-AOL deal may be imminent, we maybe in for a big surprise of a Yahoo! AOL merger during the following weeks. Personally. I do not see how a merger of this caliber can keep away the Devil which is Microsoft from taking over and corrupting Yahoo!

Here are some details re Yahoo! and AOL deal:

The possible Yahoo-AOL tie-up is part of a threefold plan by Yahoo to present shareholders with an alternative to Microsoft's unsolicited offer. Yahoo would also propose repurchasing billions of dollars of its own shares and is negotiating with Google Inc. about an advertising tie-up. On Wednesday, Yahoo announced a short-term test under which it will carry search advertising from Google.

Under the terms being discussed, Time Warner would fold its AOL unit into Yahoo and make a cash investment in return for about 20% of the combined entity, the people said. The deal, which wouldn't include AOL's dial-up access business, would value AOL at about $10 billion. As part of the deal, Yahoo would use the Time Warner cash and additional funds to buy back several billion dollars worth of its own stock at a price somewhere in the middle of the range between $30 and $40 a share, the people said. Any deal would be taken to Yahoo shareholders for approval, the people said.

Yahoo! is really fighting to save their azzes here, but in my own honest opinion, its only a matter of time before Yahoo is trapped and forced to bow to Microsoft.
[Source: Silicon Alley Insider]

Google CEO seeks advice from Quattrone

2008-04-10T23:21:38-05:00

It's all heating up now, this Microsoft Yahoo! fiasco is constantly catching the attention of new friends and foes. Earlier this week Microsoft threatened Yahoo!, Yahoo! responds in an open letter, today we heard that Google and Yahoo! are making a 2 week advertisement deal, then just moments after that a Yahoo! AOL merger rumor hit the web. So, what the heck is going on now you ask?

In the mids of the battle to save Yahoo! from the evil clutches of Microsoft, Google CEO has sought the help from one Frank P. Quattrone who has been cleared from obstruction of justice charges last year. Sources close to the matter said, Google has formally hired Mr. Quattrone’s new firm, the Qatalyst Group, people close to the company said. He has already been involved in a series of meetings and conference calls, these people said.

We are definitely heading for a showdown between Google and Microsoft very soon if this keeps up at the pace it is going. With Microsoft talking with News Corp on a joint venture to take over Yahoo!, we can only expect an all out war.
[Source: NY Times, DealBook]

SlideME - Android Content Provisioning

2008-04-10T23:50:06-05:00

Google Android Devices are months away from launch but already you can find multiple websites focusing on becoming the number one spot for Android Applications.

Today i introduce to you, SlideME, i put more focus on SlideME because it is a different approach compared to the competition. Not only is SlideME a website where small developers can upload their applications, get donations, get hired, get their applications rated etc all in one place, but it is also a client you will be able to download to your Android Device.

The SlideME site has a nice greyish-dark color to it and is easy to navigate. As far as i can see, the site is already filled with content from all categories and is ready to meet the needs of all you potential Google Android phone owners in the wild swinging from one side of the jungle to the next. Be careful not to fall, the ground is running rampant with poisonous snakes!!!

visit this page for the full launch documentation

Google Android on Windows Mobile Device.

2008-04-11T15:36:53-05:00

Well what do we have here? Developers and hackers out in the wild are continuing to impress with what they can do with Google Android. After seeing Android running on a Nokia N810, its now time for you to witness this amazing OS running on Windows Mobile Devices.

The XDA-Developers has successfully ported Android to run within the HTC Tilt, and they have videos to prove it. the videos are not of the best quality but you can still see enough to get your excitement levels to new heights. Head over to tiltsite for the full story!!!

Next bold step for Android? To run on the iPhone!!!

AC's Top 10 Week in Review, April 7-12

2008-04-13T10:43:04-05:00

It's Sunday...again, and thus another episode of AC's Top 10 Week in Review that to me will be the best yet. Last week started off a bit on the slow side but like many weeks before, the latter days of the week proves to be the best.

So what do I have in store for your clicking and reading pleasure? Look on for the upcoming top 10

10. Google Android under fire
9. AndroidGuys speaks with TAT
8. Microsoft threatens Yahoo!
7. Judges for Android Developer Challenge
6. Letter from Yahoo! to Microsoft
5. 57 Reasons to visit Google I/O
4. HTC Dream to be unveiled in London May 6?
3. Opera Mini for Android
2. Google Android running on Windows Mobile device
And the number one for last week is.....drumroll......Google Android running on Nokia N810

OpenMoko Neo Freerunner $399

2008-04-14T09:46:55-05:00

Google Android competitor in the Linux Mobile Colosseum, has revealed the price of their next phone. OpenMoko's Neo Freerunner will set you back $399 for a device that has a 500MHz ARM4 chipset, 3D etc, we don't usually see phones with that type of hardware going for such a cheap price.

OpenMoko has drawn first blood, now lets sit back and wait for HTC to unveil the "DREAM" so the whole world can see what Android and Google is capable of.
[Source: gizmodo]

Microsfot & Yahoo! Phone?

2008-04-14T10:21:48-05:00

Speculation about what Microsoft could accomplish when they take over Yahoo! is already flying rampant, editors are going as far as hyping up a MicroHoo! phone and the takeover isn't official yet.

ZDNet are the pnes who came up with idea, a phone that would embrace Windows Mobile, Zune, 3G, WiFi and Yahoo's! online offering would probably be a hit, but such a phone would take allot of work and money to get out of the labs to the hands of consumers.

This idea won't catch on anytime soon, it'll take years in my view, plus, whats the real need for Yahoo! when all the top employees leave whenever Microsoft takeover? All Microsoft will have left is the technology that they can just have fun f***ing up

AC's Weekly Poll: Can Android compete?

2008-04-14T13:03:15-05:00

The weekly poll series continues, last week was the first time I started the poll series and the votes was not as much as I wanted, but nevertheless, giving up is not apart of my soul. any way, let me reaveal the last poll numbers:

Who Will Unveil The First Android Phone?

HTC: 6
Samsung: 1
Motorola: 0
LG: 0
Stewie Griffin: 1

For todays poll, I ask the question that I believe everyone is wondering, Can Google Android compete with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, iPhone?

Take your time and think it over before you make your choice younglins.

T-Mobile to offer 3G and WiFi

2008-04-14T14:24:46-05:00

After so long, T-Mobile a member of the Open Handset A;alliance has finally seen the opportunity of offering 3G to its subscribers. 3G won't be the only thing though, t-Mobile will be putting WiFi in the mix as well, it will be cheap unlicensed WiFi for all...not quite for this service will not be nationwide!

The new service will see WiFi switching seamlessly to 3G whenever you are out of range and vice versa. T-Mobile will be using the $4.2 billion worth of spectrum it bought form the FCC back in 2006 to roll out the new service.

T-Mobile is in a bitter sweet position here, WiFi is the fastest wireless technology that is out on the market right now, but getting it nationwide will not be easy plus there are strong competition from Sprint and Verizon with their WiMax and LTE wireless services respectively. Lets just sit back and enjoy competition shall we?
[Source: CNet]

Google talks about Android

2008-04-16T10:12:26-05:00

Yesterday in San Francisco, Google held small talks about Android which is vewry interesting and draws applause form the crowd looking on. Google developer and Linux kernel contributor Robert Love speaks of Android software development kit (SDK) and a technical overview of the architecture.

The goal of Android is to be open to developers, open to the industry, and open to users," Love told the audience. "Users don't need permission to install applications. Devices from Open Handset Alliance partners will not restrict users.

Those are the words pf Robert Love, he also stated that no special permission from Google or the mobile carriers will be needed to make, deploy, or run applications for Android handsets. The carriers and handset makers that are official members of the Open Handset Alliance are obligated to grant and respect those freedoms as a condition of using the platform.

If you are guessing about the Source Code, well you won't see that until handsets are on the market the second half of this year.
[Source: arstechnica]

Microsoft aquisition of Danger complete

2008-04-16T10:51:10-05:00

Microsoft has completed their acquisition of Danger the mobile company behind the software of the popular T-Mobile SideKick as announced by Microsoft on Tuesday.

Microsoft praised the Danger Technology

Danger's client software paired with hosted back-end services creates rich consumer experiences, Microsoft said in its statement. Combining Danger with Microsoft should help build innovative mobile experiences for consumers, Microsoft said.

Everyone who uses a SideKick can rejoice, Microsoft won't do away with Danger products and only focus on putting the software in their Windows Mobile OS. We here at Android Colosseum never used a SideKick but we would be disgruntled if Microsoft would chose to do away with Danger product line, maybe Microsoft isn't so bad after all. Riiigghhtt......

GPS application for Google Android

2008-04-16T11:31:39-05:00

Rafael Spring and Max Braun are the developers behind this GPS application which is called Enkin which has been submitted to the Android Developer Challenge first round. These guys specialize in robotics and Computational Visualistics, impressive yeah? Check out the video below along with their PDF Documentation of Enkin

“Enkin” introduces a new handheld navigation concept. It displays location-based content in a unique way that bridges the gap between reality and classic map-like representations. It combines GPS, orientation sensors, 3D graphics, live video, several web services and a novel user interface into an intuitive and light navigation system for mobile devices.

This project is a submission for the first round of the Google Android Developer Challenge and should not be considered a final product. If you want to learn about it in detail, please read our documentation [.PDF].

Enkin from Enkin on Vimeo.

Enkin official page

Government blames Google for 700MHz shortfall

2008-04-16T13:12:58-05:00

Are we seeing the beginning of another lawsuit against Google in the making? Unlikely, but for the Government, or lets just say two Republican Representative and a Democrat, to say that Google deliberately manipulated the outcome of the FCC's recent 700MHz auction at a hearing today. They claimed that Google unfairly managed to obtain an open wireless network without having to win it, by promising to bid at least $4.6 billion on the 22MHz block if the winner was forced to allow open (third-party) access.

Google has confiremed all that by what was written in the official Google Blog couple weeks back.

"I suspect that if Google had been interested in more than just maneuvering within the system," said Stearns during the hearing, "it could have prevailed in the C block and become a new [wireless] entrant. I suppose we cannot blame them for trying to get free access to the spectrum; what is more concerning is, that even though we knew what they were doing, we let them maneuver this way anyway."

According to Cliff Stearns and other blood sucking politicians, open-access rule may have deterred a number of companies from bidding, thus giving Google what they wanted and also that the Spectrum was worth $30 Billion instead of an income of $19.1 Billion

Google Android on the iPhone, hopefully.

2008-04-16T14:31:29-05:00

This week has been a really fair week where Google Android is concerned, nothing new about Android has been revealed but that didn't stop some impressively skilled set of guys from turning the Blosphere inside out with their port of Android to the Nokia N810 and then to the HTC Tilt. So what is the next high road set for Android? Not Symbian of course!

The next Android port that I am hoping for that will surely put the internet in a state of flux is....Google Android running on the iPhone. Personally, I don't know how hard it is to perform such a stunt, but Android on the iPhone would be an awesome achievement for anyone who actually pulls it off. Most likely it wouldn't be of much use running on the iPhone, but just for the excitement and the praise one would get from everyone across the internet, wouldn't that be reason enough?

I must add, I despise the iPhone, yeah it has some neat "tricks" but otherwise from that, it's just a normal phone that comes bundled with an "i" and Apples logo. I cannot deny the fact though that this phone is popular, so eith that in mind I challenge developers, hackers, whoever you are to make this a possibility, get Android to invade the iPhone and this Blogger would pay you $10,000 just for that.....or I'd just Blog about it instead

If this should ever come to fruition, you can bet Steve Jobs would have an heart attack right there in his office while eating an apple ha ha

Upcoming Interview with Enkin Developers

2008-04-17T11:35:50-05:00

Yes you read right, Rafael Spring and Max Braun has agreed to an interview with Android Colosseum, we will be chatting mainly about their Google Android application Enkin which has been getting allot of buzz.

Trust me, you need to see this application for yourselves, they have a intro/demo video of Enkin and it is just superb to say the least. Still doubtful if Google Android will deliver? check out the video right here

The future is set in stone, the future is Google Android, not that "i" thing

1,788 Entries submitted to Android Developer Challenge

2008-04-18T09:27:54-05:00

Is that number a beast or what? The Google Android Developer Challenge saw developers from over 70 countries submit 1,788 entries to the Challenge, all hoping to get some dough.

The majority of the entries were not entered until the deadline, you can bet Google was a bit stunned and disappointed when only a few people were submitting their entries, imagine the excitement now over at Google. We hope Enkin, that sweet GPS application will impress the judges just as how it impresses us the first time we saw it.

Google shares jump 18.5%

2008-04-18T10:11:06-05:00

Google (GOOG) is seeing "Green" today, their earnings for this quarter went over what Analysts were expecting. Google shares grew 18.5% in pre-market trading friday, their highest level February

For the quarter, net income grew to $1.31 billion, or $4.12 a share, from $1 billion, or $3.18 a share, a year earlier. Adjusted for certain items, Google earned $4.84 a share. Analysts were expecting $4.52 a share. With the US heading or already in a recession, we may not see this trend continuing on a regular basis like we use to.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said "As we integrate DoubleClick into our advertising platform, we see exciting new ways to improve the user experience and increase value for our advertisers and partners." According to Google, DoubleClick only slightly diminished net income and earnings per share, we wonder when Google will see some real ernings from the DoubleClick takeover.
[Source: The Street]

HTC shows off Google Android phones?

2008-04-20T16:44:53-05:00

Think the HTC "DREAM" was a fluke? Well check out these Google Android phones below their Windows Mobile counterparts. This is a huge speculation on my part, but i strongly believe those 4 phones are Google Android phones, there is no denying it.

You see that one beside the phone with the qwerty keyboard? doesn't it look similar to the phone used to demonstrate Google Android in the video I posted a while back? Look closely and you will see that it's basically the same thing. Same color, same size probably because the picture could make the phone look bigger than it really is.

Come the 6th of May, we will see all these phones in action at the HTC announced event, hopefully.
[Source: IntoMobile]

Motorola recognized by the Queen’s Award

2008-04-21T09:42:52-05:00

Troubled Open Handset Alliance Member Motorola has been recognized by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for the 9th time. Who would have expect? I guess the Queen awards and the Queen herself have a soft spot for the Big M? Heh heh.

Sir David Brown, chairman Motorola Ltd said, “It is a great honour for Motorola to be recognized by the Queen’s Award for the ninth time,the division has enjoyed tremendous success in the international market and we look forward to further growth in the future.

Glad to see Motorola stepping in the spotlight with some positive news, lets see how they will stand out this year and the next and the next and....you get the drift...right?
[Source: DesignTaxi]

AC's Weekly Poll: Should Google and the OHA approve Android applications?

2008-04-22T10:23:38-05:00

Running late with the Weekly Poll but its here nonetheless with another burning question that caught my attention yesterday. Before we get into that, lets see how last week poll went along, the question was:

Can Google Android compete with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, iPhone? Here are the vote results

There was a article on AndroidGuys about whether Google and the OHA sould approve Android applications yesterday which caused a mini uprising mainly because of the Headline which was a little off, but the article was good nonetheless.
Now I put the question to you, should Google and the OHA approve Android applications for public use?

Come 2013 Linux will power 20% of mobile devices

2008-04-22T11:10:27-05:00

2013 is a long long wait for Mobile Linux to kick some serious "behind", ABI Research has predicted that by 2013 Mobile Linux will be 20% of Mid-Ranged and High-End Mobile Devices.

No doubt that Google Android will be apart of that 20% along with other Linux offerings from the LiMo Foundation, Azingo, OpenMoko and even Nokia's Maemo project that is running on their Nokia N810 Internet Tablet.
Microsoft, Symbian, (which sounds like a sex machine than anything else) along with Apple better watch out as Mobile Linux is set to take over in all it's fragmentation glory.

I wonder how much of that 20% Google Android would control? The majority I'm guessing, what say you?

Enkin Interview

2008-04-22T16:20:15-05:00

Well guys, that interview with the developers of Enkin that I promised has not materialized for reasons unknown to me.
In the meantime, I will try and get back to them to see what's the problem and if the interview can still go ahead according ton plan.

AC Interview: Enkin Developers

2008-04-23T11:23:28-05:00

Got a response from the Enkin guys, apparently there was a mix up so all is well.
Enkin is looking most likely to be an application that most Android users will be using in the very near future to come.
Thanks to Rafael Spring and Max Braun for taking timeout to answer a a few questions relating to Enkin and other things.

Tell Us About yourselves

We both study at the University of Koblenz-Landau in Koblenz, Germany. The course is called Computational Visualistics, which is basically Computer Science, but with an emphasis on its visual elements like computer graphics or image processing.

But it was in Japan where we started to work on Enkin. We spent six months at the University of Osaka doing robotics research. Btw: they have real androids there!

Where did the idea of Enkin come from

It actually began with the wish to enter the Google Android Developer Challenge. We looked at the different features of the SDK and pretty soon the concept of combining 3D graphics, GPS, and the orientation sensors emerged. I had been playing around with accelerometers before and had bought an iPod touch. So the notion of looking "through" a small screen and creating some kind of augmented reality was one of our very early ones.

We realized how useful such a navigation tool could be when we were looking for a club in Osaka to see a concert. It was dark and our sketched map didn't help too much since we didn't have a clue which direction we were facing. So we tried to think up the most smart mobile application that would guide us there. Maybe it was this moment when Enkin was born.

What was the reason for choosing Android as the Platform of choice for Enkin

Well, it was the only platform that came with a challenge and a potential prize from Google. Also, we didn't find all the tools we used in Enkin, like sensor interfaces, a positioning system, or an open maps application in other platforms.

How long has it been in development

We have started about five months ago. We experimented a lot, discussed the UI, implemented web-services for Enkin, made field tests. And getting all the external data into the emulator wasn't a quick thing to do as well.

Everything about Enkin seems to be very interesting, especially Live Mode. Tell us about that and some of the other important aspects of Enkin

The genuinely new thing about Enkin is not the principle behind Live mode. That has been done before, namely in a research project by NOKIA, although we didn't know about that when we came up with the idea. Our focus, however, was on how to integrate our three different modes Map, Landscape, and Live into one unified concept of visualizing basically any location-based content. Each of these modes has it's individual strengths but in the end they are just parts of a bigger concept which will, hopefully, change the way we think about LBC and navigation in general. For that reason we tried to create a simple and intuitive user interface that combinines the three modes.
Now most LBC is just simple placemarks, but there are plenty of possibilities beyond that.

Looking at Enkin right now, some might say that this application is too ambitious for a Google Android Device, how would you relate to that

We are pretty confident that there will be Android devices with the required hardware and enough computational power in the near future. Enkin is an application exclusive to mobile devices, so all that we have done with the emulator so far was trimmed to give the most accurate impression of how it would be on a real device. Sure, it will be a different thing developing for the actual devices, but we are very much looking forward to it and we can't wait to see Enkin perform the way it was designed for from the very beginning!

I admire how you guys found a way to overcome the limitations of the Android Emulator and the fact that there is no Android Hardware available with the creation of your own hardware component to simulate Enkin realistically, how did that idea came into play?

We had felt that it would have been impossible to develop what we had in mind without actually testing it. We could have just used the sensor interfaces and claimed that they should work in the end. But such an approach has serious drawbacks: First, you cannot catch people with something that *could* work in the end. They need to see it work, especially in our case, since Enkin introduces a new interface to LBC. Second, not using hardware keeps you out of touch with reality. We learned a lot about what is possible and what isn't and we already developed many solutions to practical problems that unavoidably come along with the use of hardware. Our concept, too, has surely changed in the course of the development process.

Were there any hiccups in development?

We had many problems when we updated to the current M5 SDK. They cut the possibility to easily (and performantly) overlay 2D over 3D graphics which is essential for Landscape mode. So we had to recode our whole graphics engine and do some additional tricks to achieve an acceptable framerate.
Also, the quality of the orientation data was below our expectations and our initial ideas for the demo had to be cut back as a consequence. But fortunately we have found ways to overcome or minimize errors. You can read about that in our project documentation.

What is it like developing Enkin on the Android SDK?

So far, Enkin is an Android exclusive. It's hard to imagine how it would have been developing it with another SDK.

What are your general thoughts about Google Android?

Andriod has a great potential to refresh the mobile market. The ADC was certainly the right way to catch the developer's attention. We also hope that real Android devices will be available soon.

In the future, will we see Enkin getting ported to the likes of Windows Mobile, Symbian....iPhone?

That depends on whether the Android Challenge ends well for us and also on our future experience with hardware devices. It's hard to speculate about that at the moment.

What do you hope for in the future for both yourselves and Enkin?

I hope that Enkin will be as well received by the challenge judges as it has been by the public so far. Soon, we can hopefully realize the tons of ideas that didn't make it into the current release. I hope that Enkin will become a useful application running on many Android devices in the near future. As for myself, I hope to still have enough time besides Enkin.

We heare at Android Colosseum hope Enkin will come out on top in the Android Developer Challenge, mainly because we like it so much lol Good Luck!!!

Thank's a lot.

check out the video demonstration

Now Blogging for AndroidGuys

2008-04-25T15:21:32-05:00

You read correctly so don't go rubbing your eyeballs out in hopes you may see something different when you're finished.
I have chosen to join the AndroidGuys team couple days ago, this decision came into place when I saw that I didn't have enough time for my class work. Anyway, I will be blogging from time to time at AndroidGuys so stay tuned and join the feed over there why don't you?

Google Android has a bright future ahead and you do not want to miss out on all the news and opinions relating to Android amongst other things to come. AndroidGuys is the number one spot for everything relating to all your Google Android needs so hurry and get over there already before I have to be forced to use my Ancient Mystic Powers to rip out your spine Mortal Kombat style...ok maybe I wont go that far.

Here are some things you maybe interested in, 34 Weeks Of OHA, that's a very well done and ongoing series that features a member of the Open Handset Alliance every week for 34 weeks.

Next, the Developer Spotlight Series, this series is all about the developers who are creating some great innovative applications for Android such as Enkin and others.

If you are still not satisfied, there is always the 20/20 Podcasts that is very interesting, so take a listen

Can Google Android compete with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, iPhone?
	very sure
	what? a phone is not even out yet!
	no, never, nada
	i like star wars

pollcode.com free polls

Should Google Approve Android Applications For Use By The General Public?
	yes, my phone would be safer
	no, waste of time cause nothing will change
	yes, but make it so that unapproved applications can still be downloaded
	I don't care what they do, as long as i can download applications
	paris hilton resembles a flat plank

pollcode.com free polls