Alphabet Inc. (formerly: Google)

[specuvestor]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-...atest_news

Lenovo is buying Motorola Mobility for US $2.91 Billion. "In mid-2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.".

Wow I wonder if I am reading it correctly. So google views the patent portfolio it is keeping as $10Billion? That's a pretty expensive patent

this section from wiki might give u a good idea. IMHO I think the purchase made sense strategically

Motorola was the first company to produce a handheld mobile phone. On 3 April 1973 Martin Cooper, a Motorola engineer and executive, made the first mobile telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment in front of reporters, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.[5][6] The prototype handheld phone used by Dr. Martin Cooper weighed 1.1 kg and measured 23 cm long, 13 cm deep and 4.45 cm wide. The prototype offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to re-charge.[7] Cooper has stated his vision for the handheld device was inspired by Captain James T. Kirk using his Communicator on the television show Star Trek.[8]

[wee]

The actual cost of the patents should be below US$10bn. There was an earlier divestment for a couple of billions, and then Motorola came with 3bn of cash when acquired.

[CityFarmer]

One more interesting acquisition by Google. More interesting features within Android platform? or in next "wow" product launch by Google...?

Sound-based login startup joins Google tech chorus

SAN FRANCISCO] An Israel-based startup specializing in using sounds instead of passwords for logging in said Monday it has been bought by Google.

SlickLogin did not disclose financial terms of the deal, and Google did not respond to an AFP request for comment about the acquisition.

Ref: Business Times Breaking News

[CityFarmer]

Smart-Watches still are toys at the moment, base on observation. It might take some time to evolve before widely accepted by consumers...

Google to launch voice-controlled Android smartwatches this year

SAN FRANCISCO — Voice-controlled smartwatches that track heart rates and connect to phones and tablets will debut later this year as Google partners electronics, technology and fashion firms to take consumers to the next promised frontier in computing.

Google has unveiled plans to help develop voice-controlled watches and other wearable computers based on its Android mobile operating system, which is installed on more than three out of four smartphones sold globally.

The Android Wear project is open to software makers to create apps for the watches, putting Google at the forefront of efforts to jump-start the nascent market for wearable computers.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-l...tches-year

[CityFarmer]

Not sure how it look like. Very tempting to get one, once available, but price tag of close to $2000, seems too ex to convince, both to myself and wife...

Google Glass to feature Ray-Ban, Oakley frames

SAN FRANCISCO – Google is hoping to make its Internet-connected eyewear more stylish as part of a partnership with the makers of Ray-Ban and Oakley frames.

The alliance with Italian eyewear company Luxottica Group announced Monday represents Google’s latest attempt to make wearable technology look less geeky as it tries to develop new ways to ensure people can stay connected to the Internet wherever they go. Last week, Google disclosed that fashion accessory maker Fossil Group is working on an Internet-connected wristwatch that runs Google’s Android software for mobile devices.

Luxottica will develop frames equipped with Google Glass, a computing device that includes a thumbnail-sized screen above the wearer’s right eye to view Internet content. The US$1,500 gadget (S$1,900) also includes a camera that can take hands-free pictures and video, a feature that has raised privacy concerns.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-g...ley-frames

[CityFarmer]

This is part of the effort on the Google "Internet" solution to remote location. I thought Google solution is ballon-base? Is it a tactical move to block Facebook's initiative?

Google buys drone maker Titan Aerospace

NEW YORK — Google has bought Titan Aerospace, a maker of solar-powered drones, saying it could help bring Internet access to remote parts of the world as well as solve other problems.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Google said yesterday (April 14) that atmospheric satellites could also be used in disaster relief and assessing environmental damage.

Titan’s atmospheric satellites, which are still in development and not yet commercially available, can stay in the air for as long as five years, according to reports. Before it was updated yesterday to reflect the acquisition, Titan’s website cited a wide range of uses for the drones, including atmospheric and weather monitoring, disaster response and voice and data communications.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-b...-aerospace

[CityFarmer]

A totally driverless car may be not available real soon, but may be a new feature, "auto drive" may be available for driver soon enough

It reduces the stress of driving for most. A solution for driver shortage of transport companies? May be...

Google hopes test drives will steer people to embrace robot cars

MOUNTAIN VIEW (California) — Google’s self-driving car technology will probably not be available for several more years. But the Internet company is already beginning the job of helping the public feel comfortable with the futuristic vehicles.

A fleet of Google’s robot cars ferried more than two dozen reporters around Mountain View, California, on Tuesday, in 30-minute rides that showcased their ability to automatically and safely navigate around city streets packed with cyclists, pedestrians and traffic signs.

The demonstrations marked the company’s most concerted effort to date to provide an up-close look at the cars, which had been conceived five years ago in its secretive Google X division.

The public needed to understand that a self-driving car was “not something that you need to fear but something you need to embrace”, said Mr Ron Medford, a former National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration official who is now director of safety for Google’s self-driving car project.

“We do find that when people experience it, we get remarkable results and responses,” Mr Medford said at the event, during which Google explained the technology behind the cars.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin tout the driverless car as revolutionary technology that could eventually sharply reduce fatalities on the road. But it remains to be seen whether it is ready for widespread use.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-h...robot-cars

[CityFarmer]

The offerings from Internet Giants are getting more and more interesting...

Google in talks to acquire Twitch for S$1.25b: Reports

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is reported to be in talks to acquire video game streaming service Twitch for US$1 billion (S$1.25 billion).

The deal, reported by Variety, would be the biggest for YouTube since its purchase by Google in 2006 for US$1.65 billion. Twitch reportedly chose Google over multiple other offers including one from Microsoft, according to sources talking to technology site the Verge, although the talks are still at an early stage according the Wall Street Journal.

San Francisco-based Twitch allows users to stream live gameplay videos from desktop computers, as well as Microsoft Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4, which both allow players to upload their own videos direct from the living room.

Launched in June 2011, Twitch has quickly become a destination for broadcasting gaming videos and popular Let’s Play videos, claiming more than 45 million monthly users and 1 million users who upload their own videos each month.

Twitch has already surpassed Facebook, Amazon and US TV streaming service Hulu in peak traffic, according to infrastructure firm DeepField. It has secured itself as the place to watch major e-sports tournaments, where video games are played competitively for cash prizes
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-t...5b-reports

[CityFarmer]

In a couple of years later, owning a car with a chauffeur isn't only for HNWIs. What a dream... Kudos to Google for dare to dream...

Google building self-driving cars with no driver seat, steering wheels

RANCHO PALOS VERDES (California) – Google is building cars that do not have steering wheels, accelerator pedals or brake pedals, in an ambitious expansion of the Internet company’s efforts to develop self-driving cars.

The small electric cars, which seat two passengers, are currently prototypes that Google has been building through partnerships with automotive suppliers and manufacturers, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at the Code conference in Southern California yesterday (May 27).

Google aims to build up to 200 such cars in the near term and hopes the vehicles will be available in various cities within a couple of years, he said.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-b...ing-wheels

[CityFarmer]

Will Android also in your PC, in near future?

Google wraps Android tentacles around watches, cars, TV

AN FRANCISCO — Google wants to be everywhere: In your home, your car and even on your wrist.

That vision became increasingly clear at the search giant’s annual conference for software developers on Wednesday. It unveiled plans for a new version of the software for handsets and tablets, as well as showed it in use in smartwatches, cars and a new television service. That puts Android, already the top operating system for smartphones, not only into gadgets that people carry with them wherever they go, but also increasingly into their living rooms, onto their bodies and in how they transport themselves.

“This is one of the most comprehensive releases we have done,” Mr Sundar Pichai, Google’s Android division chief, said at the conference
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http://www.todayonline.com/tech/google-w...es-cars-tv