Debunk: Elop never said Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to use Windows Phone
February 15, 2011 No Comment
In our sitdown with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop out at Mobile World Congress today, we brought up something that had come up during his press conference and Q&A session last Sunday evening — that the company’s partnership with Microsoft would generate “billions, not millions” of dollars’ worth of value. This quickly morphed into an internet-wide story that Microsoft would basically be cutting a ten-figure check to Espoo in exchange for launching devices running its platform, but the reality is that Elop never said anything close to that: in fact, when we specifically asked how the money was flowing and who would be seeing black ink upfront, Elop said on no certain terms that they’re not talking specifics of the deal. He goes on to say that it’s a “very balanced relationship,” which would indicate to us that there wasn’t any massive cash transfer to kick this thing off. Regardless, the fact remains: at no time did he say Microsoft was paying to make it happen — and considering Nokia’s needs, we wouldn’t be surprised if this was nearly a zero-sum transaction: Microsoft gets a huge boost in the platform’s profile along with some services it needs, while Nokia gets a platform that it wasn’t able to make itself. Makes sense to us. Debunk: Elop never said Microsoft is paying Nokia billions of dollars to use Windows Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop talks Microsoft, Symbian, MeeGo, and Windows Phone
February 15, 2011 No Comment
We had a chance to sit down for a few minutes with the man who’s arguably stolen the show here at Mobile World Congress this year — Nokia CEO Stephen Elop — to talk about everything from his time at Microsoft to the potential for a multi-billion dollar platform partnership with his former employer that he’s hoping to foster over the coming years. Elop’s emerged in the past week as an outspoken character who doesn’t seem to shy away from a question, to speak his mind, or to tell it like it is , which makes this ten-odd minute segment a must-see. Check it out after the break. Continue reading The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop talks Microsoft, Symbian, MeeGo, and Windows Phone The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop talks Microsoft, Symbian, MeeGo, and Windows Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sprint has had an on again / off again relationship with LTE for some time now, but it looks it may finally be nearing a commitment one way or the other. Speaking in a roundtable discussion at Mobile World Congress this week, Sprint’s Senior Vice President of Networks, Bob Azzi, said that the carrier would be studying the rate at which its customers migrate from EV-DO to mobile WiMAX over the next four to six months, and that it would evaluate the best way to use its existing spectrum before it reaches a firm decision on a possible switch to LTE. As we’ve heard previously , that switch would be a fairly straightforward one from a technical standpoint due to the carrier’s recent upgrades to its network, which allow it to upgrade its gear to LTE simply by swapping in a new baseband card and issuing a software patch. Sprint evaluating switch to LTE over the next four to six months originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Researchers calculate the amount of information in the world, move on to calculate how much time they wasted on silly calculations
February 15, 2011 No Comment
Have you ever wondered how much information there is in the world? No? Well, someone has. In fact, new research by a team at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, led by Martin Hilbert, has gone ahead and done some calculations to that effect, and the results, while seemingly trivial, are rather interesting. Turns out that there’s a ton of information in the world, and the rate of its production is ever-increasing. A few fun tidbits: the current capacity for information, including digital and analog devices, is 295 exabytes, and by their metrics, 2002 is considered the start of the digital age. By 2007, around 94 percent of information was stored digitally. The full research is in the February issue of Science Express , and a video describing their methodology is after the break. Continue reading Researchers calculate the amount of information in the world, move on to calculate how much time they wasted on silly calculations Researchers calculate the amount of information in the world, move on to calculate how much time they wasted on silly calculations originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Lots of people have lots of problems with lots of things, but to say that we’ve been getting lots of complaints about Nexus S issues would be an understatement. Hundreds have chimed in on the Google Mobile Help forum indicating that their handsets are frequently losing data signal and, once lost, a reboot is required to reconnect. It’s been said this could be related to an issue that’s been around since 2009 (issue 2845), but a new issue in the Android bug tracker has been created, 14672, which specifically deals with the Nexus S. You might want to star ‘em both if you’re affected — or feeling charitable. Finally, and perhaps even more troubling, is the phone rebooting. By itself. In the middle of a call. You can imagine how this might be a little annoying. That issue is number 13674 and it’s linked down there too. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Nexus S suffering from random data loss, reboots? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We can’t all have 3G or 4G wireless wherever — sometimes we need to get friendly with a plain ‘ol hotspot. Skype is making that a little easier, expanding Skype Access in partnership with eight international WiFi pushers: BT Openzone Fon M3 Connect Row 44 Skyrove Spectrum Interactive Tomizone Vex Fon will probably be the most familiar if you’re in America, but combined the program covers 500,000 hotspots, including 500 hotels. Users will be able to pay for WiFi by the minute using Skype Credit, with prices ranging from a nickel to $.19 per currently. No word on whether that will be changing with this new announcement. Skype Access expands, now unlocks over 500,000 hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Great Gatsby gets a beautiful, enthralling NES version, kills productivity of the literary gaming elite
February 15, 2011 No Comment
Prepare yourself for the best, most enthralling gaming experience of your life. No, it’s not the newest-fangled of the fangles, it’s not the latest tech around. It’s just The Great Gatsby , lovingly squeezed into an NES game (well, it’s really a stylized Flash game, but you know what we mean). The game itself is sort of a cross between Castlevania and Super Mario Bros ., and that’s just fine with us. In fact, it’s the greatest thing we’ve seen all week. Hit up the source link and get to wasting the rest of your day. The Great Gatsby gets a beautiful, enthralling NES version, kills productivity of the literary gaming elite originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola exec nearly rules out Windows Phone completely, laments ‘closed platform’
February 15, 2011 No Comment
Motorola may have once said that it was ” open ” to developing Windows Phone 7 devices, but it looks like that possibility is now a whole lot less likely than it already was. Speaking at Mobile World Congress this week, Motorola’s corporate vice president of software and services product management, Christy Wyatt, said that while she would never say never, she doesn’t envision Motorola using Microsoft’s OS, and added that “it’s not something we’re entertaining now.” Wyatt went on to say that “there were a bunch of things that we believed about Microsoft that ended up not being true, mostly about what functionality it would have in what period of time,” and further explained that Motorola is looking for “an opportunity to create unique value,” and it doesn’t feel it can do that on a “closed platform” like Windows Phone 7. Obviously, it does feel like it can create unique value with Android, and Wyatt dismissed concerns about a potential duopoly between Android and Apple, saying that “It could be a duopoly on platforms but I’m not sure why having another OS is a good or bad thing.” Incidentally, she also said that the upgrade process for Motorola’s Android phones has “humbled” the company a bit, and she promises improvements in the future, noting that “we were better with Froyo then with
Continue reading …Twitter CEO shoots down talk of a Twitter-branded smartphone before it starts
February 15, 2011 No Comment
Think Twitter’s going to follow Facebook and lend its brand to a smartphone? Think again. Twitter CEO Dick Costello said during his Mobile World Congress keynote yesterday that while he does see a need to better integrate Twitter into existing platforms for phones, he sees no need for a Twitter-branded smartphone. Costello cited the ability to take a picture on an Android phone and automatically tweet it as an example of that integration he’d like to see, and further added that he would like to see “more single sign-on experiences,” and “more apps that can tweet without having to go to another app.” Interestingly, Costello also revealed that 40 percent of all tweets come from mobile devices, and that fully half of all active Twitter users are active on more than one platform. P.S. We should note that Costello seems to have overlooked the trailblazing TwitterPeek , along with everyone else. Twitter CEO shoots down talk of a Twitter-branded smartphone before it starts originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In case you missed the announcement, a recent press release has confirmed what we already knew : Xperia Play is coming to Canada, exclusively to Rogers. Set to hit shelves sometime this spring in late March alongside the Xperia Arc , both of these bad boys will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with prices to be disclosed at launch. Remember when we used to call Xperia Play the “PlayStation Phone?” That was fun. PR after the break. Continue reading Xperia Play and Xperia Arc confirmed for Rogers in Canada (update) Xperia Play and Xperia Arc confirmed for Rogers in Canada (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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