What Google’s Motorola R&D may be working on…

Posted by – December 22, 2012
Category: Opinions, Google

The Wall Street Journal has an article out talking about the Google X Phone project and its technical challenges. I think that Google Motorola has a lot of work to do. Here are some of the projects that I expect Google to be investing in at Motorola to move Android forward in terms of R&D hardware spending, how Google may be trying to control and influence worldwide components supply for the next months and years of mobile devices development:

1. Dominate worldwide sub-$100 phone market. Target the sub-$200 Android phone market too. Target all world countries, not just rich countries. This is how Motorola “easily” can get to scale and thus get to control smartphones components supply.

2. Design devices that merge Android with Chrome OS and Google TV. That means re-engineer and re-think Motorola’s Laptop Dock, Desktop Dock, Entertainment Dock, when you dock Android 5 thus switches to Chrome OS or Google TV depending on what you want on the external display.

3. Design flexible phones using rubber-like and leather-like materials. As soon as flexible screen suppliers are ready (not just Samsung’s flexible AMOLED), have designs ready to use the new form factors.

4. E Ink phones, be it like the Motorola Fone released in 2006 with an E Ink display, the new E Ink phones use Android. Can be E Ink only Android phones and Android phones where just the backside is an E Ink display.

5. Integrate DLP pico projector technologies in new phone concepts that project something like a 20″ touch-screen display onto any table. Thus design kick-stands, mirrors, lenses that facilitate that.

6. Google Glass, headmounted computing is going to be the new normal next year. Optimize the Motorola headmounted computer to fit every usage, design it so everyone wants to use them.

7. Wearable computing. Android Bluetooth wrist watches, Bluetooth headsets that merge into clothing for voice calls. Make every user feel like they are James Bond.

8. Mass market White Spaces modems and routers, small and low power enough to be included in every new Android smartphone and tablet. Cheap enough so that every ADSL/Cable/Fiber connection install a White Spaces router to quickly cover the whole world with free wireless broadband for everyone.

9. Mass producing Pixel Qi LCD based smartphones, tablets and laptops, for sunlight readablility and to extend battery life significantly.

10. New $100 ARM Powered Tablets for productivity. New $100 ARM Powered Laptops for productivity. Google and Motorola can take over some of the role of the One Laptop Per Child. These new devices are for the worlds children to use to make the world a better place.

Arts et Métiers Museum in Paris, Lumiere, Daguerreotype, Lavoisier, Foucault

Posted by – December 10, 2012

Are you interested to see the Lumiere Brothers Cinematographe, the Daguerrotype camera, Lavoisier’s Laboratory, Foucaults pendulum, Pascal’s Calculator, the early TVs, Radios, Graham Bell’s Telephone, the early Telegraph, early clocks, everything is at the Arts et Metier Museum in Paris, the permanent exhibition is breathtaking and incredible. All the foundations of our technological world seem to be exhibited in this Parisian museum. Next time you go to Paris, do check it out: http://arts-et-metiers.net/?lang=ang

Parrot Asteroid Mini with Salesforce Business software integrated

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Here’s some Android software integrated by Sylpheo for the Parrot Asteroid Mini Android based in-car interactive system, to bring it your Salesforce.com contacts, calendar, and some other Salesforce based Android apps to integrate your business into your car.

Mobile Film Festival France, 15000€ in cash prizes

Posted by – December 9, 2012

You can make a 1-minute short film using your smartphone camera, edit it in any editing software you want, submit the shortfilm before the 7th of January at http://fr.mobilefilmfestival.com it can be in any language but needs at least French subtitles if it’s not in French, and you can win some of the 15000€ if they pick your shortfilm as one of the best.

Popwings NFC Business Card

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Popwings creates business cards with built-in NFC chips, so you can put it under an NFC enabled phone, and the contact details launch on the device.

Kickstarter alternative talk featuring Apigy’s Lockitron and FundedByMe

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Startups can be launched using Kickstarter alternatives too. Here Apigy talks about their experience doing crowdfunding to launch the http://lockitron.com without the use of Kickstarter, for some reason Kickstarter had not allowed them onto their site, so they decided to build their own alternative to Kickstarter. And http://fundedbyme.com talks about micro-investing in startups, letting anyone buy equity in new startups on the web.

And here’s the Lockitron keynote at LeWeb 2012:

Sphero by Orbotix at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Check out this awesome remote controlled sphero ball. It’s now being sold for $129, but with mass manufacturing, the price can come down.

appsfire app discovery service at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 9, 2012

AppsFire is an apps recommendations app, it recommends you apps suited for you based on the apps you like and search for.

Memoto Life-blogging Compact camera launched on Kickstarter

Posted by – December 9, 2012

A tiny, automatic camera and app that gives you a searchable and shareable photographic memory. It takes a picture for 2 days with 2 minute interval, then they plan to release an app that automatically selects relevant pictures that are well lit, in focus.

YouAsked.It, answer random twitter questions at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Here’s the story behind http://youasked.it

Microsoft at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 9, 2012

Microsoft is showing off Surface RT, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8, a bunch of devices running these.

Tourism Radio guides talk as you drive

Posted by – December 8, 2012

Renault has partnered with South African travel tech company Tourism Radio to create in-car virtual audio guides for all their vehicles through their soon to be released R-Link embeded in car system.

Google Wildfire social media marketing at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 7, 2012

Google acquired Wildfire a few months ago. Wildfire is one of the leaders in social media marketing for all the worlds big and small brands. 30 of the world’s top-50 brands use wildfire for their social media marketing campaigns. For example when Coca-cola does something on Facebook, there is a good chance that they are using Wildfire’s software and solutions.

Paypal Check In and Pay demonstrated at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 7, 2012

Paypal launches a new way to pay for things easily and quickly using a check-process on your smartphone or tablet. Go to the restaurant, launch check in on your paypal app, it launches the restaurant’s menu, you click on the app to order, the server comes with the food, you leave, you’ve already paid. This removes 66% of the waiters effort. Go to a cafe, check-in on paypal, they know you want a cappuccino, you get it quickly and leave, no cash, no confirmation, no anything. You park your car, check in on paypal, that’s it, you’re paying for your car park until you check-out, take the car and leave.

You can watch Paypal CEO, David Marcus’s keynote at LeWeb 2012 here:

Augment app at LeWeb 2012

Posted by – December 7, 2012

Augment is a free application for Android, iPad and iPhone to visualize any 3d model in Augmented Reality. Print the marker, select the model you want to see and the augmented reality happens in front of you. You can upload your own 3d model or visualize one of the 3000 already present in the galleries. You can get the app there: http://augmentedev.com

$249 Nokia Lumia 620, 3.8″ WVGA Windows Phone 8

Posted by – December 7, 2012

Nokia just launched the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device on the market yet. It’s Qualcomm S4 (I guess S4 Play Cortex-A5), 3.8″ WVGA, HSPA+, NFC, Bluetooth and a ton of other features.

Interaxon Muse Headset for brainwaves monitoring, Ariel Garten, CEO of Interaxon

Posted by – December 7, 2012

Interaxon releases the Muse Headset. it monitors your brainwaves and connects to your smartphone using bluetooth. The combination allows for potential brain control of your embedded devices. Are you interested in thought control computing? You can pre-order your brain control accessory on Indiegogo here.

Here’s her keynote launching the device at LeWeb 2012:

Best LeWeb keynotes: Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress and Om Malik

Posted by – December 6, 2012

WordPress powers now 17% of the top 1 million websites, including http://ARMdevices.net, next up the open source free WordPress platform may power more and more types of web apps to use on mobile devices.

Best LeWeb keynotes: Marcus Schappi, CEO, Ninja Blocks

Posted by – December 6, 2012

Ninja Blocks makes open source hardware and software to the enable the Internet of Things.

Best LeWeb keynotes: Henri Seydoux, Founder & CEO, Parrot

Posted by – December 6, 2012

Parrot is one of the few successful consumer electronics companies in France and Europe. Here’s Parrot’s CEO doing a very fun performance talking about Things for the Internet.