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Google offers to settle with EU over antitrust gripes, olive branch now fully extended
Google knows that there's a looming EU antitrust lawsuit if it doesn't volunteer some kind of change to its search practices, so it's not entirely surprising that chairman Eric Schmidt has sent a letter offering a settlement to the European Commission's competition chief Joaquin Almunia. The details of just what that potential truce entails are under wraps, although Almunia has long broadcast his concerns that Google might be unfairly favoring its own services above those of others -- he'd be most happy if the results were more organic. It's hard to say whether or not Google is prepared to follow along, but a peace gesture is a sharp break from the company's previously firm view that there's no need to change. We wouldn't be surprised if the EU's recent success in fining Microsoft has left Google hesitant to take its chances in court.
Google pumps cash into UK classrooms, will buy Arduino, Raspberry Pi sets for kids
Eric Schmidt has said that Google will make cash available through its investment into Teach First to buy Raspberry Pi and Arduino units for British schoolchildren. He was at the UK's Science Museum to talk about Mountain View's partnership with the charity, which puts top university graduates into schools to teach disadvantaged kids. The Android-maker wrote a cheque to fund over 100 places on the scheme, aiming to get bright computer scientists to reintroduce engineering principles to pupils. Mr. Schmidt hoped that with the right support, kits like the Raspberry Pi would do for this generation what the BBC Micro did three decades ago.
Planetary Resources reveals plan for prospecting asteroids, creating interstellar gas stations
The cat got let out of the bag a little early, but Planetary Resources has now officially announced its existence and mission. We already told you that the venture plans to mine asteroids for profit, and is backed by a bunch of bigwigs from Silicon Valley and Hollywood. But now we know a bit more about the company after watching its announcement webcast and speaking with co-founder Peter Diamandis. Turns out, the company sees itself not only as a business venture, but as an entity that will pave the way for extending human influence throughout the solar system. Read on after the break for more.
James Cameron-backed Planetary Resources to search the universe for Unobtainium
Planetary Resources will reportedly announce later today that it's developing and selling low-cost spacecraft to mine asteroids close to the Earth. The space exploration and natural resources venture is led by X-Prize creator Peter Diamandis, Eric Anderson and NASA's former Mars chief, Chris Lewicki -- with cash backing from James Cameron, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page amongst others. Within a decade, the company hopes to kickstart a 21st century gold rush by selling orbiting observation platforms to prospectors with significant rewards -- a 30-meter long asteroid could hold as much as $50 billion worth of platinum at today's prices. The company's own teaser materials promised that the project would add "trillions of dollars" to the world's GDP, which sounds like a film we saw recently.
Eric Schmidt yaks it up at MWC, talks about the future like it's 1955
If you've been looking for an excuse to start using Chrome, Eric Schmidt is here to remind you, "it's free." Well, free, fast, secure and of course, on Android. After a quick demo of new Android Chrome app, Schmidt took the stage at Mobile World Congress to dream up a future of holographic projectors, driverless cars and a (Android powered) smartphone in every pocket. In short, Google's head honcho has technological expectations that make Back to the Future part II look modest. See the optimistic spiel for yourself up top, or hit the source link below to watch it on YouTube.
Google offers updates for Google+ this holiday season, fruitcake en route
If Google's idea of a stocking stuffer is tweaking Google+, its engineers are getting the gift-giving over with a few days early. Today, the company announced that it'll be introducing a few new features to its social network, including new controls that adjust how posts from a given circle are blended into the overall stream of posts, along with which posts are highlighted for your attention. The outfit also says it's working on refining its toolbar to highlight newer posts and see how widely your posts have been shared. For advertisers, up to 50 named managers can now administrate a Google+ Page, and a fix to the photo side of the site allow for improved navigation and better tagging. Head past the break to see full clips of the changes in action, and since Google bought out Santa's operation, expect to hear Eric Schmidt's footsteps on your roof come the 24th. Update: The Google+ Android app has also seen an update tonight, gaining the ability to start a hangout from a Messenger conversation, new photo album design and more. Hit the Android Market for more details.
Eric Schmidt: 'Google tablet coming within six months'
Google's Executive Chairman is good value for a headline-grabbing quote. Sitting down with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera at the opening of the company's new offices on the former NABISCO bakery, he said "in the next six months we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality." Take the translation with a pinch of salt, but he either means the company will be launching a "marketing" push with all of its hardware partners, or we'll be seeing Google-branded tablets like the Nexus range of phones by next Summer.
Google's Eric Schmidt sees Google TV embedded in most new TVs by summer of 2012
Google big dog Eric Schmidt covered a lot of ground in his onstage interview at Le Web this year, but it wasn't all about iOS vs. Ice Cream Sandwich. It appears that Big G has big plans for Google TV, and the Executive Chairman foresees the platform proliferating to the point that "most" new televisions will have it embedded by the summer of 2012 -- that rumored switch from x86 to ARM must be going well. That strikes us as an awfully lofty goal given it's light market penetration thus far, but with Samsung still on board the Google gravy train and others waiting in the wings, Schmidt just may be right. However, until we see just how many sets are packing Google TV at CES, our skepticism remains -- check the interview itself and another video after the break that encapsulates just how we feel on the matter.
Eric Schmidt: 'Android will be bigger than iOS'
Eric Schmidt was addressing the crowd at Le Web in Paris and recounted a tale when an Android user asked why apps were often written for iOS first, and then ported over to Google's OS. His response? "My prediction is that six months from now, you'll say the opposite." After the uncomfortable silence had died down, he added that Android's "open" model meant the company had volume on its side -- and volume is what he feels will attract developers. He added that Ice Cream Sandwich would redress Android's device fragmentation and the sheer number of hardware makers would ensure that 2012 would be Google's year. At which point, everyone in the audience probably went back to their iPads to read Twitter.
Eric Schmidt: Google still has 'growing and profitable business in China'
To say that Google and the Chinese government have had a rocky relationship in recent years would be something of an understatement. But it now appears that the company is willing to mend its Mainland relations, more than a year after rerouting its search operations through Hong Kong. Speaking to reporters in Taipei today, chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt acknowledged that Google's relationship with the Chinese regime remains "mixed," adding that the "the Chinese government is unhappy with our unwillingness to support censorship." He sounded notably more optimistic, however, when discussing Big G's Chinese outlook. Schmidt, who was wrapping up a three-day tour across Asia, said he was "very happy" with Android's growth within the country, explaining that Google still enjoys "a growing and profitable business in China." The chairman went on to say that even though his company has faced institutional hurdles in the past, it simply "wanted to serve China's citizens within the limits the government allowed." Of course, this isn't the first time that Google has struck a conciliatory tone with the People's Republic, though it remains to be seen whether or not it results in any substantive change.
Eric Schmidt says Siri poses competitive threat to Google
When Apple introduced Siri, I bet the Cupertino company never thought its voice assistant would help Google, but that's apparently what it's doing. Along with several other services, Siri is being used by Google to defend itself against accusations of anti-competitive behavior. In his Congressional testimony, Google's Eric Schmidt points to Siri as a rival in the search market. He refers to Siri when he is discussing the evolution of technology and how popular technology (presumably Google's search engine) is replaced by new models. Siri is one of these new models. Schmidt calls Siri a "significant development" and says it is an "entirely new approach to search technology." And he's right. It may be in the early stages of development, but Siri could have a powerful impact on how people search for content. Search may move away from keyboards, key phrases and static link results and move towards voice, natural language and computational results that use intelligent agents like Wolfram Alpha. Siri could be the critical first step in this evolution. [Via CNET and Engadget]
Siri may pose 'competitive threat' to Google, Eric Schmidt tells Senate subcommittee
Back in September, Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt sat down before a Senate antitrust subcommittee to discuss his company's competitive practices. As you would expect from anyone in his situation, Schmidt spent much of his time defending Mountain View's position atop the search industry, and cited several competitors as evidence of its fair play. The exec's list of "threats" featured some of the usual suspects, including Bing, Yahoo and Amazon, as well as Siri. "Even in the few weeks since the hearing, Apple has launched an entirely new approach to search technology with Siri, its voice-activated search and task-completion service built into the iPhone 4S," he wrote, pointing to a handful of publications that characterized Apple's voice assistant as a "Google Killer" and Cupertino's "entry point" into the search market. "Apple's Siri is a significant development -- a voice-activated means of accessing answers through iPhones that demonstrates the innovations in search," Schmidt explained. "Google has many strong competitors and we sometimes fail to anticipate the competitive threat posed by new methods of accessing information." Granted, it's not terribly surprising to hear Google talk up its competition -- especially before a panel of politicians devoted to rooting out anti-competitive practices. Yet Schmidt's comments do mark a noticeable shift from the stance he assumed last year, when he denied that Apple and Facebook posed a "competitive threat" to Google's search operations. As he admitted, "My statement was clearly wrong." Check out the full hearing at the source link below.
Steve Jobs vowed to "destroy Android" according to biography
Steve Jobs doesn't like Android and considers the mobile OS to be Apple's main competitor. It was apparent in the Q4 2010 earnings conference call when he discussed the mobile operating system and berated competitor's adoption of the 7-inch tablet. And this same hostility is very apparent in his biography. According to the Associated Press, which got an early look at Walter Isaacson's upcoming biography, Jobs reportedly said this about Android, I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this. This hostile statement was a response to the introduction of an HTC handset in January 2010 that was similar to the iPhone; too similar for Jobs's liking. The Apple CEO reportedly met with Eric Schmidt to discuss what he called "grand theft." Jobs told Schmidt he wouldn't accept any settlement, even if it was US$5 billion, and ordered the Google chief to stop copying the iPhone. This excerpt sheds some light on that mysterious cafe meeting between Job and Schmidt that captivated the Internet for a short time last year. It also explains Apple's fierce legal battle against Android handset makers including Motorola, HTC and Samsung. [Via Macrumors]
Engadget Podcast 255 - 09.09.2011
As a lover of all things nostalgic and good, you'll certainly appreciate the dulcet tones of Peter Rojas, Engadget founder, major proponent of All Things Good With Tech, and the original voice of the Engadget Podcast, on this edition of the Engadget Podcast. There's a lot of thought work to be done on the week's news, fraught with patent kerfuffles, Android editions, and listener questions, and we do believe we've done the heavy lifting -- with Peter's help. Come join us.Host: Tim Stevens, Brian HeaterGuest: Peter RojasProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out01:30 - Droid Bionic review10:00 - Droid Bionic arrives at Verizon tomorrow, we go hands-on today (video)20:00 - Motorola Droid Bionic finally available on Verizon, angels sing in chorus41:08 - Is this Nintendo's 3DS joystick add-on?47:35 - Shareholder calls for RIM to sell itself or its patents, in critical open letter51:25 - HTC sues Apple with help from formerly Google-owned patents55:25 - Eric Schmidt: Ice Cream Sandwich coming in October or November57:51 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens, @bheater, @peterrojas
Eric Schmidt: Ice Cream Sandwich coming in October or November
Got your sights set on the next version of Android, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich? We knew it was coming near the end of the year, but we now at least have a slightly more specific time frame straight from the horse's mouth. Google's own Eric Schmidt revealed in an interview with Salesforce.com's Marc Benioff that ICS -- the highly-anticipated update to Android that will merge elements of Honeycomb and Gingerbread into one universal OS -- can be expected to arrive in October or November. This matches up with rumors saying the Nexus Prime will be released in the tenth month, but it's the first time we've heard anything official from El Goog since I/O four months ago. Check out the video below to get Schmidt's full statement.
Eric Schmidt "couldn't stay on" Apple's board (Updated)
Update: The original story had a misquote and was subsequently updated to correct this. We've updated our story as well. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke with Salesforce Chairman CEO Mark Benioff in a Q&A session earlier this week. The former CEO had kind words to say about Steve Jobs and called Jobs' reign over Apple as "the best performance of a CEO in 50 years." Though he had glowing words about Jobs, Schmidt was less enthusiastic about his time on Apple's Board of Directors. Speaking about his time on the board, Schmidt says, "I was on the board until I couldn't stay on the board anymore." The quote came from a Bloomberg report which did not provide the context or additional details about this somewhat scathing comment. But looking back at Schmidt's time on the board, this attitude is not that surprising. When Schmidt was on the board, Apple had launched the iPhone and Schmidt, as the head of Google, had just launched Android, a competing platform to the iPhone. It must have been an awkward and tense time to be on the board of a company that is now your chief rival. [Via AppleInsider]
Google remains committed to TV business, expects more partners soon
Wondering what Mountain View has in store for Google TV -- that half-baked content platform available on only a small handful of devices? Well, it's not going away, apparently, and may even cross the Atlantic into Europe next year. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is currently making waves in Scotland, giving Edinburgh International Television Festival attendees a rather vague overview of what the next generation of Google TV may look like. Schmidt said that the service has yet to take off because it's currently integrated with (a rather limited selection of) TVs, which we don't tend to upgrade more than once or twice a decade. He added that additional hardware and content partners will be coming soon, though, and didn't deny that Google TV could end up on Motorola cable boxes -- an obvious move, given the company's recent acquisition announcement. With widespread implementation and many more content partners, Google TV could definitely be a hit, but with ABC, NBC and CBS still unwilling to come onboard, the struggling service likely has a very rocky road ahead before it can be deemed a success.
Google TV coming to the UK within six months
Hey! Britain! Guess what? You're getting Google TV! Try to temper your excitement, we know this is a big day for you, but there's still a bit of a wait ahead. According to the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Google is aiming to deliver its set-top software to the UK sometime in the next six months. Eric Schmidt is expected to announce the plans at the Edinburgh Television Festival (which starts today), likely including integration of BBC's iPlayer and ITV's Player. Sadly we don't have any more details yet regarding a specific launch date or hardware, but we wouldn't be shocked if it's timed to coincide with the release of the Honeycomb version of Google TV.
Google's Eric Schmidt claims Apple litigates, doesn't innovate
Google's Eric Schmidt spoke at a mobile conference in Tokyo and addressed HTC's early loss to Apple in a patent infringement case. Schmidt believes HTC will prevail and is "not too worried about this" case. He also added that Google will "make sure" HTC does not lose this case. Schmidt didn't say how Google would support the Taiwanese handset maker, but cash and legal counsel are the two obvious contributions. His response also suggests this umbrella of protection would extend to any manufacturer facing litigation over Android. It wouldn't be a proper Schmidt talk without some controversy and the Google chief did not disappoint. Instead of addressing the infringement issues brought up by the complaint, Schmidt took a pot shot at Apple when he indirectly accuses the company of using lawsuits instead of innovation to compete in the marketplace. Schmidt says, "We have seen an explosion of Android devices entering the market and, because of our successes, competitors are responding with lawsuits as they cannot respond through innovations." Schmidt can say all he wants about Apple as this childish banter means very little in the marketplace. All this controversy will be forgotten later today when Apple announces its Q3 2011 earnings and knocks everyone socks off.
Apple renews Google partnership, Google Maps still in iOS 5
According to Engadget, in an interview at the D9 Conference Google's Eric Schmidt confirmed that Apple and Google will maintain their partnership in maps and search functionality in iOS. "We just renewed our map and search agreements with Apple, and we hope those continue for a long time." This may mean that Apple has put a hold on plans to institute its own mapping service, or that the service was never close to deployment to begin with. Whatever the case may be, it looks like Google Maps will be the default mapping service for iOS 5 at the very least, and possibly for some time to come.
