franklinjackcon

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franklinjackcon
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  • Google buys HTC smartphone team for $1.1B [u]

    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon
    freerange said:
    bigmushroom said:
    I am not sure Motorola was such a bad deal for Google:

    - They sold Motorola to Lenovo for 2.9 billion (as the article correctly reports).
    - They also sold the cable modem and set-top box business to Arris for 2.35 billion in 2012.
    - Motorola had 3 billion in cash.

    So once you factor everything out (plus some tax assets apparently), it appears they lost not more than 3.5 billion on the deal. A nice article is here:

    http://bgr.com/2014/02/13/google-motorola-sale-interview-lenovo/

    So one view is that they paid about 3.5 billion for Motorola patents - which is less than Apple and Microsoft paid when they teamed up to buy Nortel patents for 4.5 billion.

    But more importantly, Motorola was about to sue other Android manufacturers (Samsung, HTC). Google appeared to buy Motorola to end that threat because Android was not yet the dominant alternative to iOS. If Motorola would have sued everyone else, it could have disrupted the whole eco-system.

    So I don't think Google regrets buying Motorola - it might have been a defensive move (getting more patents, prevent a patent war with other Android OEMs) but it wasn't hugely expensive in the end.


    I think you’re missing the point. The Motorola business was a failure under Google. Period.
    Motorola was already a failure before Google bought it. That's why it was being carved up and sold. Google arguably dragged it into the modern era with the Moto X. Was it and is it now a financial success? Perhaps not. Did it kick off a nice mid market of quality value Android phones? Yes.
    watto_cobra

  • Early reviews paint Apple's iPhone 8 & 8 Plus as good devices overshadowed by iPhone X

    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon
    lkrupp said:
    saarek said:
    The iPhone 8 is the iPhone 7s, and that's not a bad thing.

    At the end of the day smartphones are now mature, just like MacBooks.

    Sure they'll get speed bumps and slightly better this or that, but for me at least, the general excitement of new models is gone.
    And to those who say they want a new design/form factor because the iPhone is 'stale'... what exactly are you expecting? Look at other failed attempts at 'new' like the Moto modular phone. I swear some people can't find anything to be satisfied with, especially if it's Apple.
    Maybe not a completely different form factor, just a more modern version of it. The 8+ has a smaller screen than the Galaxy S8 and a bigger footprint
    doozydozen

  • Samsung reveals iPhone-compatible Gear Sport and Gear Fit2 Pro, poised to compete with 201...

    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon
    StrangeDays said:
    jkichline said:
    Oh look. Activity rings. How original.
     they just can’t help themselves, can they?
    They are shameless, everything Google releases, Samsung has to copy. Or was it Fitbit that came out with the activity rings first?
    watto_cobra

  • No, the iPhone home button is not dead (yet)

    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon
    Android has had a virtual home button on some models for years. They leave it up to the app to decide - some apps don't need all of the screen but find having home and back buttons always on more useful. Other ones, like Pocket or Photos, hide the virtual buttons so you can read/scroll through articles, photos, in full screen but have quick access to the buttons when you tap. It's intuitive, not some Pro feature.
    doozydozenavon b7

  • Samsung confirms plans for smartspeaker challenging Apple HomePod & Amazon Echo

    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon
    kevin kee said:
    Let me predict this. In a few months Samsung release their first smart speaker called SamPod which look exactly like HomePod and with similar but watered down technology, just a month before Apple release their HomePod. And you know what is going to happen then when eventually Apple release theirs? The internet is exploding with "Apple copy Samsung again!" everywhere. Fact be damn.
    If you look at the recent history of speakers, you'll find it doesn't start with Apple. There have been wireless speakers for years, including some from Samsung itself and its subsidiaries. Then there are smart speakers - started by Amazon, followed by Google. Microsoft announced it was putting Cortana into speakers from HP and HK (owned by Samsung), which will come out in the fall. Then, after all of that, Apple made its announcement and now finally Samsung under its own brand. No one is copying Apple. No one is copying Samsung. 
    avon b7