Tag: open source

Nokia to launch an Android netbook in 2010

Nokia, one of the major cell-phone manufacturers, is planning to enter the Android arena. This may not sound amusing. But the interesting part is that, it is planning to launch an Android netbook, and not an Android powered cell-phone. If this news is to be believed, this would be one of the first netbooks to be launched by the manufacturer.

Lazard Capital Markets analyst, Mr.Daniel Amir said “In our conversations with ODMs, we have confirmed that Nokia is planning to enter the netbook market with a Google Android, ARM-based netbook that would be sold at carriers. Considering this market is dominated by the PC players, we believe Nokia could face an uphill battle to succeed in this market.”

This is a really big move by the mobile phone biggie. The main reason could be the availability of the open source OS for free, whereas Microsoft charges a fortune for its Windows OS. Also, Android will prove to be a great fast-boot netbook.

[via androidarena]

June 27, 2009 | 1 Comment More

Android apps ported to Ubuntu

Had you ever imagined applications meant for the Android OS running on your notebook loaded with Ubuntu OS ? If not, then you can and you should imagine it now. Because, developers at Cannonical successfully ported some Android apps onto Ubuntu. This was unveiled at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Barcelona on Tuesday.

Here’s a pic of a desktop PC running some Android apps :

android_ubuntu

Google’s Android is based on Linux platform. But, its built on Google’s custom Java runtime. So, that makes it more convenient for use in mobile phones and tablet PCs and not in desktops.

But, this development would surely pave the way for future development of Android to make it more user-friendly and to be used in deskptop PCs. Even in the past, we have had news about Android notebooks and netbooks in the making (by companies like Skytone, HP and T-Mobile).

So, lets hope that Android soon makes its way into the notebook arena and we get a taste of the Open-Source environment in our notebooks.

[via androidarena]

May 28, 2009 | 3 Comments More

Koolu planning to launch Android powered smartphone in mid-july

Koolu, a Toronto based open-source soecialist, reported that it is going to ship the developer versions of Neo FreeRunner mobile phone running Google’s open-source Android 1.5 “Cupcake” operating system in two week’s time. Possibly, the consumer versions will be available in mid-July.

At this week’s Cloud Expo Europe conference in London, Koolu Chief Technology Officer Jon Hall reported to Zdnet UK, “We’re targeting businesses that want functionality in their phone that they can’t get from Apple, RIM, or any of the proprietary companies”. He also said that they are aiming at small and mid size business classes and the developing countries.

For more details from the interview, click here.

May 22, 2009 | 0 Comments More

Google in trouble : sued over Android Tademark

Erich Specht, who owns a software company called Android Data Corp., has sued Google over the use of the name “Android” for its open-source operating system. He is seeking $94 million from Google and 46 other companies. The other 46 companies include Motorola, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Vodafone, etc. amongst others.

This is what Specht’s attorney, Martin Murphy has to say :

“Basically, it’s a stolen name. It’s our trademark, and Google is using it as if it’s theirs.”

Android Data Corp. is  a software firm that specializes in providing softwares that would help Web sites transfer data securely and efficiently. The developer started the company in the year 1998.

In the year 2000, he filed a request with PTO to trademark the word “Android Data”. His request was granted in the year 2002.

In October 2007, Google had filed a request to trademark “Android”. But the request was rejected, citing similarity to Specht’s trademark. Immediately, Google claimed that the company was voluntarily dissolved in the year 2004. The claim also said that the company was restarted later, but the firm’s website URL was not re-registered. PTO rejected the claim and also suspended Google’s trademark application last November.

Specht says, he did not take action till now, as he thought that “Android” was just a mobile phone. But as soon as he realised that it was an operating system, he filed a suit.

Both the companies have filed for trademark in “International Class 009,”which covers computer software and hardware. This is the main issue behind this tussle.

Specht’s company is registered with the name “Android Data”, and google has used “android”. But according to Specht, the word “Data” is just descriptive.

Now, Specht and his lawyer need to prove that if Google continues to use the name “Android” for its operating system, it could hamper the image of his (Specht) company in the market and also that there is a possibility of people getting confused over the two similar names. And, this could lead to people considering his small company to be a copy-cat of the bigger company “Google”.

Murphy plans to file a temporary restraining order seeking a preliminary injunction as soon as Thursday. If the order is issued, Google will have to pull off its Android products (currently, only the T-mobile G1 and the HTC Magic, which has been launched in Europe) from the market. And, it would be able to resell those products only if the packaging and brand name are revamped.

But, the expected result is a settlement. Probably, Specht’s company would be given some credit for the name “Android”. It could even be a disclaimer, stating “Android is a registered trademark of Erich Specht/Android Data Corp.”

click here for complete details of the suit.

May 1, 2009 | 0 Comments More