July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

After a successful collaboration with the Nexus 4 Android smartphone, Google may also be working with LG for yet another Nexus device, reports the Korea Times.

Let’s be clear: The Korea Times is often wrong, but it would make sense for Google to tap LG’s services again. The Nexus 4 was a solidly built Android phone — and most importantly, Google and LG were able to offer it at a bargain off-contract price of $299. (It’s unclear how much Google subsidized that price, but I’d wager that LG also tried to reduce manufacturing costs as much as it could.)

But after spending a few months with the Nexus 4, its design issues began to grate on me. Its glass back just felt cheap (and kitschy with that reflective grid), and the soft touch trim felt boring (and was quick to get grimy). And let’s not even get into its crummy camera. Overall, the Nexus 4 constantly reminded me that LG doesn’t really innovate with its designs — it just tries to copy the good stuff from other manufacturers.

The Nexus 4′s lack of LTE was its biggest problem when I reviewed it, but over time LG’s design inexperience ended up hurting more.

It’d be much more interesting if Google worked with HTC again for a Nexus phone, especially after the impressive HTC One showed that it can still innovate. HTC has also come a long way since the days of the Nexus One. But given HTC’s current financial troubles, Google would probably want a more stable partner for its next Nexus device.

We’re also hearing that Google-owned Motorola is working on a killer “X Phone” for release this year, which could end up being the Android device Google wants to push more this year. If the X Phone project is as significant as we’ve been hearing, it’d probably make sense for Google to work on a minor Nexus upgrade with LG once again.

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

While Apple remains a constant threat for Google in mobile, the Android maker is also worried about its most successful hardware partner: Samsung.

Google executives now fear that Samsung could use its massive clout to demand a bigger share of mobile ad revenue from search, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google offers Android free to manufacturers, but it shares search ad revenues with carriers and handset partners.

So far, Samsung has received around 10 percent of search revenue, a person familiar with Google’s deals told the WSJ. But it’s not hard to imagine that the company, which now holds 40 percent of the Android smartphone market, could demand a bigger share. As Samsung’s phone sales increase — it accounted for 39.6 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2012 (almost all of them Android phones), while Apple accounted for 25.1 percent, according to IDC — a bigger revenue share for Samsung could cost Google quite a bit.

Samsung also has its own mobile operating system, Tizen, for low-end mobile devices. And it builds Windows Phone smartphones. That gives Samsung much more flexibility than Apple, and it’s yet another worry for Google. (Just imagine if Samsung replicated the Galaxy S line’s success on Windows Phone.)

Google’s relationship with Samsung will likely remain complicated for some time. As Samsung sells more devices, Google also pulls in more mobile search revenue. Samsung also has a complex relationship with Apple, since it makes the chips that power the iPhone and iPad, while also competing directly with Apple with its smartphones and tablets.

Andy Rubin, the head of Android at Google, told a group of the company’s executives at a retreat last year that the Motorola Mobility acquisition serves as an insurance policy against any one Android partner getting too big, a source told the WSJ. Google paid $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility in 2011, but at the time it said Android would stay open and it wouldn’t play favorites with Motorola’s hardware.

But recent rumors point to Motorola developing a mysterious “X Phone,” which will likely be Google’s Android response to the iPhone. It’ll be different from Google’s Nexus line of smartphones and tablets since it will be built entirely by Google (via Motorola). Google works with hardware partners for its Nexus line, for example the Nexus 4 is built by LG and the Nexus 7 by Asus.

Google still hasn’t confirmed that the X Phone exists, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the company needs its own phone not just to fight Apple, but also to keep Samsung from ruling the entire Android ecosystem.

Photo: Nan Palmero/Flickr

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

All of a sudden, Google’s expensive Motorola purchase is beginning to make sense. Google and Motorola are reportedly working on an advanced smartphone, currently codenamed the “X Phone,” which will serve as a direct competitor to the iPhone, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Google paid $12.5 billion for Motorola last year, and while it seemed obvious that Moto would serve as a key way for Google to build its very own smartphone, the only benefit from the deal so far has been plenty of new patents.

Sources tell the WSJ that Motorola will also continue to work on its our Droid lineup of Android phones, and that the company will also work on an “X tablet” once the X phone is completed sometime next year.

Google already works directly with device makers for its Nexus lineup of smartphone and tablets, but with X phone it would have direct control over the manufacturing and design process. Of course, this will raise hell for Google with other Android makers, in particular Samsung.

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise — even Microsoft is reportedly working on a “Surface” phone of its own. In the end, both Google and Microsoft can only go so far when dealing with other phone manufacturers. For them to truly rival the iPhone, they will need to build their own devices.

Google finally sold its Motorola Home division, which was responsible for cable set-top boxes, a few days ago to Arris for $2.35 billion.

The X phone team is being led by Lor Ron, a former Google product manager who focused on mapping. Motorola has reportedly been looking into implementing new technologies like bendable screens and ceramic material to make the phone stronger, though it’s had trouble with implementing both of those. The company was also aiming to include a better quality camera and the ability to take a panoramic picture, only to find that the iPhone (and plenty of other Android phones) have already implemented the latter feature.

Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside wouldn’t discuss products under development with the WSJ, but he noted that the company is “investing in a team and a technology that will do something quite different than the current approaches.”

Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat