Ubuntu phone OS is here, devices to ship early 2014
Canonical has taken the wraps off the mobile version of Ubuntu, which is built around the existing Android kernel and drivers, but doesn’t use a Java Virtual Machine and promises to use “the full power of the phone.” Supporting both ARM and x86 processors, the Ubuntu phone OS will be compatible enough to let Android phone makers run it on their devices with minimal adaptation.
Ubuntu for Android, announced in February of last year, will be the first step to getting this new ecosystem out to shipping devices, which Canonical chief Mark Shuttleworth says will definitely arrive at some point during this year. [Details/Source]
Google preventing Microsoft from building a YouTube App for Windows Phone
On Microsoft’s public policy blog, Microsoft VP & Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner has an extensive post complaining about YouTube’s lack of support for its mobile platform, and how that affects its users. The gist is that Microsoft has been trying for years to get a proper YouTube app working, and has developed its own app to bring a high-quality experience to Windows Phone devices. But YouTube has prevented Microsoft from making the same features available to iOS and Android users available on its platform. [Source]
400k Nexus 4 sold
A little sleuthing by some Android enthusiasts and Nexus 4 owners suggests that LG produced about 400,000 devices going into the end of last year. [Source]
Tech Giants Brace for More Scrutiny From Regulators
Silicon Valley lobbied hard in Washington in 2012, and despite some friction with regulators, fared fairly well. In 2013, though, government scrutiny is likely to grow. And with this scrutiny will come even greater efforts by the tech industry to press its case in the nation’s capital and overseas. [Source]
Google Said Set to Resolve FTC Antitrust Probe Tomorrow
Google Inc. will resolve a 20-month antitrust probe by U.S. regulators tomorrow with a voluntary agreement and a consent decree on the company’s alleged misuse of patents, three people familiar with the matter said.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is poised to announce that Google has agreed to voluntarily change some business practices and settle allegations it misused patents to thwart competitors in smartphone technology, said the people, who asked not to be named because the decision isn’t public. [Source]
Judge rejects part of Apple App Store suit vs Amazon
A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected part of Apple lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc’s use of the term App Store, ruling Apple cannot bring a false advertising claim against the online retailer.
U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted Amazon’s motion for partial summary judgment, which only challenged Apple’s false advertising allegations. Apple leveled other claims against Amazon, including trademark infringement. [Source]
