AT&T takes the Google out of Google Android

One of the best things about Android is the deep integration with Google’s apps. If you’re a Gmail, Google Docs or Google Calendar user, there’s no doubt that Android is the way to go.  Well, the geniuses at AT&T decided that Android is way too Googley for their taste. They decided to take the Google out of Google Android. Thus, AT&T’s first Android phone -the Backflip- is deprived of a lot of that Google integration.

The Backflip will be the first Android phone to have Yahoo as the default search engine. Everywhere you’ll go to do a web search that giant violet logo will be waiting for you. Engadget was as shocked as us:

“Yahoo has replaced Google as the default search provider throughout the phone. It’s crazy: the home screen widget, the browser, everything’s been programmed to use Yahoo. We love us some irony, but golly, we’d prefer Google searches most of the time.”

There’s a good and bad side to this story: On the good side, this is what Android is all about, anybody is free to anything they want to it. I don’t think there’s much Google can do to fight this, these issues come with the freedom of the OS. On the bad side, AT&T is making the choice for us by making Yahoo the default search engine. Also, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to switch over to Google as the search engine. To make matters worse, they filled the phone with AT&T branded crapware:

• AllSport GPS
• AT&T Maps
• AT&T Music
• AT&T Navigator
• AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots
• Mobile Banking
• MobiTV
• MusicID
• Where
• YPmobile

The motives for AT&T doing this are still unclear. We’re not even completely sure that it was AT&T’s decision to replace Google and not Motorola’s. But seeing as all other MotoBlur devices have Google included, we’re going to go ahead and blame this on AT&T. It’s not like they don’t have a million reasons to do this. AT&T and Google are not exactly best buddies; maybe they’re trying not to get caught in the crossfire between Apple and Google. The Backflip itself is not a bad phone; you can watch our hands on here. However, we recommend you wait and see what else AT&T has coming down the pike.

Via Engadget

 

http://www.droiddog.com/android-blog/2010/03/att-takes-the-google-out-of-google-android/

Apple feels Android’s heat, goes after HTC

Apple -to put it mildly- is not the most popular company around these parts. Having said that, we rarely go on rants against them or even mention them at all on our articles. Apparently, Apple doesn’t like that, and they’ve decided to test how much the Android community can despise them. Yesterday they decided to put their lawyers where their mouth is, and go after HTC.

People at HTC yesterday woke up to some rather unpleasant news, Apple filed a lawsuit against them over alleged infringement of 20-odd patents. Some of the patents are related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware, while others have nothing to do with the iPhone and go as far back as 1995. In some cases the patents are so broad they could sue everybody and their mothers, and it’s mind blowing how the U.S. Patent Office even granted them in the first place. Take for example patent #7,657,849: “Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image”. Yes, sliding your finger across a phone to unlock it is patented. Fun fact: That patent was just granted February 2, apparently for the sole purpose of being used in this lawsuit. I won’t go into detail about each patent ’cause most of them get very technical/boring very quickly, but you can read the whole document here if you’re into that kind of thing. Also, the guys over at Engadget did a breakdown of what each patent means, and they came to the same conclusion I did: This lawsuit is all about crushing Android.

Steve Jobs had something to say about this whole ordeal:

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Apparently during Jobs’ liver transplant they went ahead and replaced his brains also while they were at it, ’cause 1996 Steve Jobs has a completely different opinion on these issues.

 

http://www.droiddog.com/android-blog/2010/03/apple-feels-androids-heat-goes-after-htc/

Steve Jobs: Good artists copy great artists steal

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU