Apple’s invested heavily in China. iOS and OS X have many Chinese-targeted features, and the company has opened several stunning retail stores there. After Google’s spats with the Chinese government, I think they just stopped caring.
Category: Google
Amazing iOS 6 Maps⇢
Apple might have some work to do…
Motorola Launches New Phones⇢
Even though Motorola is owned by Google, these new phones ship with an old version of Android.
Curiosity Rover Gets Software Update⇢
NASA can update its hardware faster than most Android OEMs.
Why iOS 6 Drops YouTube App⇢
MG Siegler:
There is a good argument to be made that it’s actually more beneficial to Google that Apple is no longer including the YouTube app (which Apple, not Google, built, by the way) as a standard part of iOS. For one thing, the app hasn’t really been touched in years, even as Google significantly upgraded the YouTube experience on other platforms (and the mobile web). More importantly, Google was not able to monetize those YouTube app views with ads. With its own app, it will be able to.
Nexus Q Delayed⇢
Dante D’Orazio:
Google has just let us know that it is delaying the launch of the Nexus Q as it works to improve the device. The Nexus Q order page on Google Play has been taken down, and now simply leaves customers with a note that the device “is coming soon.”
It’s not all bad news for those who pre-ordered, however: Google has informed us that those who did reserve the device will be receiving it in its current form for free.
On the Nexus 7: My Nerd Life Has Never Been More Confusing
Overview
With rumors of a 7.85-inch iPad circulating, Google’s announcement of the Nexus 7 has perhaps suffered a little. That said, the Google-branded, Asus-built tablet has many nerds intrigued. Offering a stock Android experience on a $200 device, Google is trying to set the bar when it comes to smaller tablets.
Have they done it? Let’s find out.
Hardware
The Nexus 7 is a little lighter (and a tad thicker) than the iPad 3, and (as such) is great to hold in one hand. While the size difference between them isn’t that big, the Nexus 7 feels far more portable than the iPad.
‘Where is the Magic?"⇢
Shawn Blanc, on the Nexus 7:
For me, when it comes down to it, software will always trump hardware. When I’m using a device like the Nexus 7 I want to know where the details are. Where is the magic? The fun? The incredible 3rd-party apps? It is because of these elements that the iPad is more than the sum of its parts while its bottom-shelf competition continues to remains less than.
Verizon to Charge More for Hackable S3⇢
Android is open, if you have enough cash.
Chrome to Drop 10.5 Support⇢
I can’t imagine many people are still using Leopard on their Intel-powered Macs.
Nexus 7 Gets iFixIt’d⇢
It seems surprisingly easy to open.
The $200 Device
For $200 this holiday season, what are you more likely to buy?
- The Kindle Fire
- The Google Nexus 7
- The iPod touch
It’s easy to conclude that the Nexus 7 is about Google beating Amazon, but even in the $200 market, Apple’s a contender.