Motorola gives Google the boot, turns to Skyhook for location services
By Darren Murph 
posted April 26th 2010 11:34AM
posted April 26th 2010 11:34AM
Skyhook Wireless Announces First Platform Integration Of Location System On Motorola Android-Based Devices
Skyhook provides Motorola's Android-based devices with enhanced location performance worldwide
BOSTON, MA – April 27, 2010 - Skyhook Wireless, the worldwide leader in location positioning, context and intelligence, today announced that Motorola, Inc. will deploy its Core Location across much of the company's portfolio of Android-based mobile devices. Skyhook-enabled Motorola smartphones, which will begin shipping later this year, will have the ability to better support a new wave of location-aware applications by leveraging Skyhook's precise, reliable, and fast-performing location engine.
Location is at the center of an extraordinary explosion of mobile innovation, and is fundamental to many emerging mobile services. Today there are thousands of mobile applications that incorporate location as a part of their user experience. Precise location enables consumers to check-in with friends, find nearby concerts and exhibits, or get directions to the destinations of their choice. For some experiences, such as turn-by-turn navigation or local search, location is the central feature, but increasingly, new types of applications in music, sports, and entertainment are incorporating location to personalize content delivery.
"Motorola is committed to providing rich location services for our customers and developer partners," said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services product management for Motorola Mobile Devices. "Precise location is central to the mobile experience, and Skyhook's Core Location will enhance Motorola's Android-based mobile devices with its innovative location technology."
Skyhook is the recognized leader in mobile location technology and produces over three hundred million location requests every day over tens of millions of mobile devices. The ground-breaking Core Location uses a combination of Wi-Fi, cellular and GPS readings in order to produce a single, accurate location quickly and in all environments.
"Motorola is creating ground-breaking and innovative mobile devices," said Ted Morgan, CEO, Skyhook Wireless. "Skyhook is excited to further enhance the location accuracy and availability of these devices."
About Skyhook Wireless
Skyhook is the worldwide leader in location positioning, context and intelligence. In 2003, Skyhook pioneered the development of the Wi-Fi Positioning System to provide precise and reliable location results in urban areas. Today, Skyhook's Core Location provides positioning to tens of millions of consumer mobile devices and applications. For more information visit www.skyhookwireless.com.
Motorola/Google, Episode 1: Revenge of the Droid
Episode 2: Google Strikes Back?
Interesting...
@whySoSerious
Stupid motorola.....
anyone else besides me thought it said "skynet" at first glance?
@whySoSerious Google's going to lay the smack down on these punk btches. Both of em!
@whySoSerious. Episode 3: Attack of the AR drones
Is it me or is does it seem like everyone's got some sort of beef with Google lately? It's in the form of a lawsuit here, a jab there... in some time watch all of these guys form an Anti-Google alliance of some sort, lol. It'll be like a big tech civil war.
Stupid Motorola...they make such good decisions..
Does this mean that the Droid etc will no longer be running stock Android but a slightly altered custom build?
@whySoSerious. Lawsuits do not concern me, Admiral. I want good navigation systems, not excuses
@ac2913
Google, while providing some very good services, also made some really good enemies. It's just the way things work. You can't be too good at snatching others' bread away without making enemies out of them!
@ac2913 Just because it's not Google, doesn't mean it's not as good. From the quick read I have done just then, it sounds like Skyhook's offering is faster.
Moto.... You rejected Google? Who does that? Your not Chinese so tell me?
@fais Newsflash, all android phones run a "Custom build" which is why developers have to develop for lowest common denominator OR a very specific phone model.. this just makes things worse...
And as to moto's comment that developers are in way way "stoked" about this .. they have got to be talking about in house.. becase real developers of the independent set are most definitely NOT excited about even more fragmentation
@whySoSerious Way to go Motorola just add more fragmentation when Google is working to kill it. You are hurting your customers did you not care when your million plus loyal Droid customers got the shaft and had to wait months for 2.1? This is just going to add more time to upgrades. NOT SMART!
@ac2913
This is a good move for Moto. Android is focused on Google's services, and most manufacturers make little from them. The Yahoo and navi deals are obviously ventures that will bring Moto revenue. Good move for them, and good that Android is showing some of its service agnosticity.
@ac2913
Funny how people suddenly against competition.
@whySoSerious Thanks for saving our business, now f&%$ off.
@Kit
Exactly. I feel like most of these guys are the same ones that scream about competition being good for consumers.
@ac2913
It's really strange. Motorola has no precedent of making stupid decisions...
yes. It's an OH WAIT joke.
@TareG if you dont want skyhook
then dont buy a moto phone?
simple
@whySoSerious
I dont understand the kind of Loyalty from Motorola to Google;
1- Google saves Motorola with Android
2- Motorola kicks out google
3- Google What are you gonna do about it?,
OK No problem I know "Dont be evil", just continue with HTC, let Motorola go down, but I think the next time nobody will save them.
@whySoSerious
We get it, Moto is helping friend skyhook being bought by Google; skyhook you just could have said so..
@ebgolfin When it is against some favorable company, these morals are gone pretty much completely.
I suppose that is what makes android such "open", companies take advantages of the openness are now complained by readers for changing what... not even the search provider just a damm location services.
@angermeans
Motorola is thinking about THEIR (Motorola's) customers with this decision. You are talking about Google's customers. Those groups aren't necessarily the same thing. You are talking about how Motorola would somehow benefit from making the transition to another Android device, say from HTC or Samsung, would be good for Motorola's business. That's all that Motorola has to look forward to from Google rectifying the fragmentation of Android. Every Android handset maker needs to distinguish themselves from every other Android handset maker (think Blur, SenseUI, etc.). Google wants these phones to be commodity items, but that only hurts the handset manufacturers. No wonder Google is creating "frenemies" right and left. Either support your manufacturers or don't. It can't go both ways, and making the Nexus 1 was a really stupid move on Google's part.
@whySoSerious If this will be free of charge like the OVI maps.
then I think this skyhook would change the platform a bit. http://bit.ly/ovi-maps-real-performance
@ebgolfin
Exactly! I love Google but they of all companies have the ability to compete! come on Goog lets see what you have in store to counter with! this should be good.
Shibby
Will current models that use google.. get an update or something ? Or will they still use googles location ?
@moodmuzik
I hope it's really optional. They sold those phones with Google Maps, and there's no way I'd ditch them for Skyhook's equivalent. I've never even heard of them before this! Though if they do this, there's no reason to take the other out. Just leave it in the drawer and let users pick.
@Dafrety - Isn't the point of using Skyhook just to pull in location data, not have a maps app? I think Moto is baking this into the OS enough that you could feasibly feed the GMaps app with the Skyhook data.
@Dafrety
Why are you so quick to trash Skyhook. Just because you have never heard of them doesn't mean that they have an inferior product.
@moodmuzik
If they update my DROID, I'm done with Motorola AND Verizon (out of pure spite =P)
@Dafrety Skyhook is a behind-the-scenes service. Applications ask the phone for it's location, the phone asks Skyhook, and Skyhook responds.
Ummm... silly question that needs to be asked, I was under the impression from both Google AND Motorola that Moto was to build the next Nexus. With this announcement how is that going to pan out?
@Darkseider the article says that Skyhook will be put on the "vast majority" of phones, not all of them so this still leaves some openings. if moto is making the N2 then i would assume that they would leave that phone with Google's services.
@Darkseider It's either one of two reasons, either Skyhook offers actual tangible advantages... OR, this is just to appease US carriers in some shape or form. Similar to the deal Samsung has struck w/Yahoo to provide many of it's services built-in w/future Android phones (god I hope they give people a choice and they don't just delete the Gmail/Gcal apps). Certain carriers have existing relationships w/other content providers (AT&T + Yahoo), this ties into that, or they might simply wanna figure out a way to charge for navigation services on Android as they do on other phones.
This is very.... strange. Why leave the free, well working, google maps and navigation for a 3rd party solution that they will most likely have to pay for? Sounds like a continuation of what they did on the AT&T backflip to remove everything google and replace it with yahoo.
The wheels of war have begun turning I fear.
@ramifications Yeah but if you look at it this way. it's just one more reason to skip Moto and get a HTC Android.
@ramifications I didnt' read the full presser, but I think they're keeping google nav and maps (the applications), they're just changing who the location data goes to. Skyhook is great and is what the iphone uses. They pioneered tracking through wi-fi triangulation (a great idea in a big city where gps might go out). I think this is basically like changing the dns server for location services, if that makes any sense.
@ramifications Google maps and nav are staying and are still free. Skyhook is just providing the location aware utility that ties into apps. I love Google products but I don't think this is a bad thing... Google's GPS is slow and not always accurate.
@Pobregizmo
Yes that's a valid analogy but the fact that Skyhook relies on something as arbitrary as wifi access points is not a valid source for navigation. If they swap location providers then that's what Google Maps will use.
Wifi triangulation is nifty but it's not as accurate as GPS especially if it decides to not locate via the blended GPS+wifi approach.
@Pobregizmo
That may be the case. The press release doesn't mention the apps used. If you are right, then Engadget reported it incorrectly saying they are "shunning Google's location services". Sounds like the writer didn't really understand what was happening before he posted the article.
@ramifications I think the writer did understand, he's just trying to stir things up by being ambiguous. Notice also his use of a very anti-Google quote... WHICH DOESN'T APPEAR IN THE PRESS RELEASE AT ALL.
For shame, Engadget.
Wow...
Thanks moto, now I'm positive I don't want to buy a motorola phone. This doesn't make an ounce of sense to me to do for motorola.
Haha baked into the os..
It's funny because of the naming convention.
Haha
It's an article by Darren Murph that uses the word "Kvetch." SHOCKER. Just do a search for Kvetch on Engadget and see what comes up.
@Vaughanabe13
I love Kvetch. Kvetchy, Kvetch, Kvetch, Kvetch.
Quit being a douche.
@plyx Those were my thoughts as well when I first saw it, but now when you notice it in his articles it will start to bug you more and more. Wait and see.
@Vaughanabe13
Yes, Darren Murph also inserts 'fortnight' every place he can.
Get some variety in your lingo dude.