| by Gaurav Kheterpal on March 14, 2010
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Motorola Bing(o)!
In a rather unexpected move, Motorola has decided to replace Google Search with Microsoft Bing on its Android based handsets to be launched in the Chinese market. This is another setback for Google after last week’s announcement that AT&T and Motorola will replace Google with Yahoo Search on the ‘Backflip’ phone.
Though Bing’s popularity and usage is increasing steadily, Google still holds the top spot in internet search at least in the computer world. So, has Google got it all wrong when it comes to internet search on Android? Or are these repercussions of the recent cyber attacks on Google and the company’s strained relationship with China.
There’s hardly any doubt that Android was the leading mobile operating system of 2009 and it may remain unchallenged at the top till iPhone OS 4.0, Windows Phone 7 or Symbian 4 arrive. There’s more than what meets the eye regarding Motorola’s decision to switch to Bing. For a start, Motorola already has Chinese handsets with Baidu as the default search engine and it’s well known that Google and Baidu are not exactly the best of friends. Further, Microsoft has been pushing aggressively for Bing’s adaptation as a search engine on leading mobile platforms including Android.
So, is Google’s policy of turning Android open source beginning to back fire? There are speculations that Apple and Microsoft are in talks to adopt Bing on the iPhone. If that does happen, it would be a killer blow to Google’s search ambitions for Android platform. Motorola believes that it’s a matter of choosing the right strategic partner depending for the right opportunity. In a press statement, Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services at Motorola’s mobile division said
“We believe that consumer choice is one of the most critical components to ensuring a rich and seamless client experience. Motorola and Microsoft have enjoyed a longstanding collaboration and the addition of Bing services to our Android-based smartphones in China is another important step in empowering our end-users.”
Motorola Android phones with Bing (as a pre-installed widget) are likely to be launched in China later this month.
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| by Gaurav Kheterpal on March 13, 2010
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Redboard with Rogers Top Boss
A couple of weeks back, Rogers launched RedBoard to serve as a dialogue between the carrier and its customers. Last week, Jordan wrote about how RedBoard can be a huge gamble for Rogers as it comes to terms with the large volume of customer complaints.
Nadir Mohamed, Rogers President and CEO figured in an interview on RedBoard earlier this week and he expressed his thoughts on what’s in store for the communication industry in year 2010. The Rogers CEO acknowledges that the Canadian telecom industry is going through a transformation and 2010 is going to be an interesting year. As per Nadir, competition is bound to get intense with the entry of new players and the key for Rogers is to ”stay focussed on where the customer is going and build on the brand and reputation that we have”.
In what I’d say are rather strong words, Nadir claims that ‘Rogers has the best networks in Canada which are tough to replicate’. He believes that in the future, more and more customers will not be buying products. They will be buying brands. Brands sell a company. And he’s right. All of Rogers competitors sell primarily the same list of products. Now it’s important for Rogers, or any other company, to differentiate themselves based on the brand. Here’s a summary of Nadir’s video interview.
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| by Jordan Richardson on March 12, 2010
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The village of New Denver is tucked away in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. It is home to about 600 citizens and is situated gracefully on the gorgeous Slocan Lake. The village came into existence in large part due to a major mining boom in the late 1800s and, since then, there’s been a sort of old world quality about the place.
That old world quality is part of the appeal of New Denver for many of its residents, but it’s also part of what’s kept cell phones out of the quiet little hamlet for so long.
Last year, the modern era came crashing right through this scenic Shangri-La and poked its head out in the form of Telus and plans to install an antenna to give cell phone access to residents of New Denver. While a cell phone ban referendum was only just backed by residents there, Telus basically forced its way in anyway and Ottawa backed the company’s play.
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| by Matt Klassen on March 12, 2010
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For several months now the NFL has been enticing the mobile world with news that it would release the NFL Redzone channel on mobile phones this year, offering unprecedented game-day coverage on the go to those willing to pay the hefty price. While Sprint, which already boasted a widely popular NFL app, and AT&T, with its cadre of iPhone users desperate for reliable access to NFL broadcasts, were rumoured to be in the mix, it was Verizon that intercepted the NFL’s hail-Mary pass and ran it to the house.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Verizon has signed an exclusive mobile broadcasting deal with the NFL worth an estimated $720 million, and the new service is set to debut next month at the NFL draft. While many are surely mourning the loss of the NFL on their networks, Verizon’s offer is said to be more than 50% higher than the offer put forward by Sprint, the next highest bidder in the running.
With its release, NFL Mobile will initially provide users with complete live streaming coverage of the draft, as well as on-demand features like in-depth analysis from NFL insiders and a pick-by-pick tracking system. The beauty of this new NFL feature, however, is the regular season features that football fanatics will have at their fingertips.
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| by Gaurav Kheterpal on March 12, 2010
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TELUS Tablets Coming Soon?
Businessweek reports that TELUS is soon planning to sell Tablets in Canada. “We’re definitely going to have tablets and that mix in our lineup,” David Fuller, Telus’s senior vice-president for product marketing, said in an interview. This is a massive move by Telus to lure customers away from its larger rivals in the Canadian telecom market space.
Though TELUS has revealed its intentions to sell Tablets, the carrier has decided not to disclose its cards on whether it would be selling the Apple iPad which goes on sale in the US on April 3. Though Apple has suggested that the iPad will be available in Canada by the end of April, it has not disclosed a definite date for iPad’s release in Canada as yet. To make it even more interesting, David Fuller confirms that the iPad is ‘compatible’ on the new TELUS network.
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