Moto X, And Why Google Bought Motorola Mobility
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Moto X, And Why Google Bought Motorola Mobility (Wired)
Motorola's new flagship handset, Moto X, debuted on August 1st. Wired surveys Google's two-year journey from the acquisition of Motorola Mobility to the launch of this smartphone. The Moto X is the pioneering device that Google hopes will enhance its hardware portfolio. Read >
A Google Play Version Of Moto X Is Coming Soon (The Verge)
Moto X will be available on 5 U.S. carriers but Google will also be selling its own, unlocked version of the phone. These Google versions will also be free of "bloatware" or pre-loaded apps curated by the carrier. Google also sells unlocked versions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. Read >
Android Accounted for 79.5% Of Global Smartphone Shipments In Q2 2013 (Strategy Analytics)
A new report from Strategy Analytics shows Android smartphone shipments reached 182.6 million units in the second quarter of 2013. That's good enough for a 79.5% of the global smartphone market. This comes at the expense of Apple — which saw its share of iOS device shipments dropped to 13.6% — and "other" platforms, which also lost share. Microsoft solidified its third-place positioning with a 3.9% share. Read >
BlackBerry Launches BBM For Android Beta (Engadget)
A beta version of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for Android was launched Thursday. BlackBerry had already promised Android and iOS versions of the popular over-the-top messaging service. With its hardware struggles, BlackBerry may be looking for alternative revenue streams. Read >
Foursquare Is Selling Location Data To A Third-Party Ad Targeting Firm (AdAge)
Foursquare is also seeking for a new revenue source, and is starting by selling its vast collection of user location data to ad tech company Turn. Advertisers can leverage this data to re-target Foursquare users with ads on other websites. Foursquare won't allow individual targeting. Rather, it groups users into demographic categories like, "Business Traveler" or, "Mobile Mass Market Mom." Read >
Firefox OS Devices Will Debut In Latin America (Mozilla)
Mozilla's smartphone platform is growing. Latin American telecommunications company Telefonica announced that the Alcatel One Touch Fire and ZTE One devices are now available in Colombia and Venezuela. This comes shortly after the debut of Firefox OS devices in Spain and Poland. Read >
Apple Acquires Low-Energy Chip Manufacturer (GigaOm)
Apple acquired Passif Semiconductor, which specializes in making small, low-energy chips that are primarily designed for small wearable computing devices. It could be the next step toward Apple's venture into the wearables market. Read >
Apple's Lucrative Opportunity In China (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)
The world's largest carrier, China Mobile, is having trouble converting its customer base to 3G services. Apple has tried multiple times to strike a deal with China Mobile to sell the iPhone, but the carrier has refused. As China Mobile faces stiffer competition in the market, it may lean toward the iPhone as a launching pad device to attract new users to its 3G and soon-to-be 4G services. Read >