Whether or not Google has really pulled out of its “X Phone” project with Motorola, it seems that the device will still be making its way to AT&T sometime in the near future. AndroidGuys has spotted a filing at the Federal Communications Commission showing a new Motorola phone called the “Motorola XT1058″ that looks very similar to leaked pictures of the X Phone that we saw earlier this year. The FCC filing shows that the new device will be supported by AT&T’s network, although it doesn’t give any technical specifications for the phone other than that it will support LTE, HSPA+ and Wi-Fi connectivity. Late last week we started hearing rumors that Google had backed out of its role in developing the device and would leave Motorola to finish up the project alone, which could very well reduce interest in the new phone when it’s finally released.
Google has long been rumored to be developing a high-end smartphone, codenamed the X Phone, in collaboration with its Motorola division that would be designed to push the boundaries of mobile innovation. New information suggests, however, that the company has abandoned the project because it could not achieve the level of innovation it had originally hoped for. The report comes from Chinese analyst Sun Changxu, who noted that the project has not been cancelled and instead is now being developed solely by Motorola. This could result in a device that doesn’t include the tight Google integration or stock version of Android earlier reports had indicated. While it was first reported that the X Phone would debut later this month at Google’s annual I/O Developers Conference, the latest rumors suggest the device will be announced later this year.
Google is done with boring old cell phones — the future is all about “phones-plus.” The company’s $12.4 billion Motorola acquisition has yet to bear much fruit, but all that may begin to change as Google starts to phase out Motorola’s solo efforts and launch devices that it had a hand in developing. The first such handset is the highly anticipated “X Phone,” which was pictured in a protective case on Thursday evening. As it turns out, however, a set of leaked photos published previously may in fact have already revealed the X Phone, which could be set to debut later this month. More →
Google and Motorola are working on a top-secret “X Phone” that hasn’t really been top-secret for quite some time. While we’ve heard rumblings and rumors here and there, we have yet to see any leaked photos of the mysterious smartphone. Until now — perhaps. Evleaks, who often leaks photos and accurate specs of unreleased smartphones, published four photos of an unknown Motorola handset wrapped in a protective black box to keep its design a secret. While evleaks has not been able to confirm if this is indeed the unbreakable X Phone, a model number on the back reads “XFON ATT,” which certainly suggests that it may be AT&T’s version of the upcoming handset that may revitalize Motorola. There are conflicting reports regarding when Google might unveil the new handset, but there will be plenty of time at the three-hour keynote at this year’s Google I/O conference if it’s ready in time. The leaked photos of the phone follow below. More →
If Google really only did love Motorola for its patents, then it seems the company’s relationship with the iconic mobile phone manufacturer won’t end happily ever after. A new report from Bloomberg notes that Google’s $12.4 billion investment in Motorola looks even worse this week after a federal judge ruled that Microsoft “owes only pennies in royalties per sale of each Xbox video-gaming system and Windows operating system instead of the potential billions of dollars Google sought in a patent-infringement case.” The latest blow to Motorola’s patent portfolio value comes after Google agreed with the Federal Trade Commission late last year to not use its industry standard Motorola patents as weapons in intellectual property suits. More →
U.S. District Judge James Robart on Thursday determined that Google’s Motorola Mobility unit was not entitled to the $4 billion per year it sought from Microsoft for its standard-essential patents. Motorola was seeking royalties from Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system, which utilizes the company’s technology concerning video decoding wireless connectivity. Instead of the $4 billion per year Google had valued Motorola’s patents, the judge decided that the appropriate annual payment was closer to $1.8 million. More →
It is hard not to admire Sanjay Jha’s cool genius in handling Motorola’s sale to Google. He leveraged Motorola’s old sales contacts in Asia and Latin America to push nondescript models into sales channel, creating an illusion of international traction during 2010 and early 2011. He created a shadow play of a healthy AT&T relationship, feeding expectations of substantial sales growth for Motorola’s business in the United States. For a brief time, Motorola seemed like a company in healthy shape. More →
Google CEO Larry Page dropped a tantalizing hint about what his company’s Motorola Mobility division has been working on recently by suggesting that the company’s next phones will be close to unbreakable. When asked about hints on upcoming products during an earnings call with investors on Thursday, Page said that “when you drop your phone, it shouldn’t shatter.” Page went on to say that he had “just seen Motorola’s upcoming products” and was “pretty enthusiastic” about their “real potential to invent new and better experiences.” Page’s comments come after Google Chairman Eric Schmidt this week described Motorola’s upcoming devices as “phones-plus,” although he didn’t provide any details about what new features the devices might include.
Manufacturers have continued to blur the line between smartphones and tablets with screen sizes on smartphones reaching as high as 6.3-inches. Sales of phablets have taken off since the release of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and an increasing number of companies now have plans to release their own oversized devices. Motorola will not be one of these companies, however. Jim Wicks, Motorola’s design chief, revealed in an interview with PCMag that the company has adopted the philosophy that “better is better” rather than “bigger is better.” The executive noted that Google has been spending the past eight months on next-generation Motorola phones and has “seen positive feedback and collaboration.” More →
Google chairman Eric Schmidt on Tuesday teased Android fans by saying that Motorola is working on a “phenomenal” set of new devices that he’s describing as “phones-plus,” implying that they have some special new features added to them that current smartphones don’t offer. Schmidt, who made his remarks about future Motorola projects at AllThingsD’s D: Dive Into Mobile conference, declined to offer any further details about what “phones-plus” would entail, but it’s a good bet that they’ll be more than just high-end smartphones with cutting-edge specs. More →
Germany’s Federal Patent Court on Thursday ruled that Apple’s (AAPL) ”slide to unlock” patent is invalid, marking a significant victory for Android vendors. The company proposed 14 amendments in an effort to salvage the patent, however the court found that the action of “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image” didn’t meet certain requirements under European patent law and as such was not patentable. According to Florian Mueller of Foss Patents, Thursday’s ruling can be appealed and Apple is expected to do so. The company previously used its slide to unlock patent to have Motorola’s products banned in Germany and filed a similar suit against Samsung.
We’ve seen some rumors flying around that Google’s (GOOG) upcoming “X Phone” will have customizable hardware options that will essentially let users pick some of the key features they want in a mobile device. While such rumblings are still firmly in the “rumor” category, former Apple (AAPL) evangelist and current advisor at Google’s Motorola division Guy Kawasaki has given them a little more life by posting a video on his Google+ page about the Porsche Exclusive program that gives customers the option of custom-designing their own Porsches from a list of given options. Just above the video Kawasaki writes that it would be “great if you could personalize your phone like this,” a hint that Google and Motorola are working on a similar “build-your-own-device” program.
