Practical Technology

Microsoft has just announced its biggest ever Android-related patent deal with Samsung. In this contract, Microsoft will get a royalty payment on every Android smartphone and tablet that Samsung sells. And, what exactly is Samsung paying for and how much are they actually paying? We don’t know. Horacio Gutierrez, vice president of Intellectual Property and [...]

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“Google! Stop playing with that copy of Angry Birds and go up to your Android Market room and clean it up right now!” Alas, Google is as likely to pay attention to my command as my once four-year old daughter was. Listen, I like a lot of what Google does. For example, I think Chrome [...]

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You did know those cars and trikes Google uses to take photos for Google Street View were also collecting your Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) information and location too right? Well, they have been since 2009, and now, thanks to complaints from privacy advocates in Europe, you’ll be able to opt out of this “service.” In [...]

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My compadre Ed Bott does a fine job of digging under the surface of Microsoft’s annual report to find that Microsoft no longer considers Linux a serious threat. Who does Microsoft think they’re kidding? Sure, on the desktop, it’s a Windows world, but guess what Sherlock; the desktop is declining in importance. The mobile, server, [...]

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I can’t prove it, because I didn’t write about it, but I’ve thought for a long time now that Google buying Motorola Mobility made a lot of sense. It wasn’t my idea though. I give full credit to billionaire investor Carl Icahn. In July, Icahn said that Motorola should shop around its patent portfolio, in [...]

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