Apple. Google

Google's 3D city imagery hits Android, headed to iOS 'soon'

Remember Google's snazzy demo of 3D views of various cities at a rather impromptu press conference earlier this month?

You can now play with that feature yourself. Google quietly released a new version of its Google Earth program for Android today that adds 3D maps of 14 regions, just about all of which are in the U.S.:

Boston Boulder Charlotte Lawrence Los Angeles Long Beach Portland Rome San Antonio Santa Cruz San Diego San Francisco Bay Area Tampa Tucson

In a post announcing the feature, Google says it will add more cities "in the coming months" … Read more

Google shows Apple: We made ours in the U.S.A.

Google's Nexus Q has one small but important distinction that Apple can't claim.

On the underside of Google's streaming media player is the message: "Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A."

Compare that with Apple's "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China."

Indeed, it is almost unheard of to see a high-tech consumer device like the Nexus Q made anywhere but Asia, as the New York Times points out.

This wasn't always the case. Apple at one time assembled Macs in California. And Steve Jobs' NeXT Computer made its … Read more

Judges tosses Apple v. Motorola

A U.S. judge has tossed out the Apple v. Motorola patent case for good, according to reports.

Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. District of Northern Illinois said that neither Apple nor Motorola has been able to prove damages and that neither company would be permitted to refile a claim, according to All Things Digital.

"It would be ridiculous to dismiss a suit for failure to prove damages and allow the plaintiff to refile the suit so that he could have a second chance to prove damages. This case is therefore dismissed with prejudice; a separate order … Read more

iOS finally gets native Google Offers app

Google Offers, at its core, is not really much different from any deal site (Groupon, Living Social). Users sign up for daily email offers from local businesses willing to give potential customers heavy discounts to become patrons of their establishments.

The only real difference, until recently, was that Google did not have a native iOS app for users to easily browse, organize, and use their purchased deals.

Excusing the ugly app icon that gets completely sucked into the iPhone's display, the Google Offers app is actually quite nice. Once you sign in to your Google Offers account (or start … Read more

Would Samsung ever leave Android? New CEO drops hints

Samsung Electronics' new CEO called for the company to redouble its focus on software, which could hint at a move away from Android and toward its own proprietary operating system.

Samsung has long desired to push its own integrated hardware and software experience, investing in its Bada operating system and selling devices in select markets. But the popularity of Android, which powers its most successful smartphone and tablet devices, including its flagship Galaxy S III phone, means the company can't exactly quit the platform.

Samsung has been steadily investing in its own proprietary software, an initiative that new CEO … Read more

Cloud music is still the future for Apple, Amazon -- really

Given recent headlines about cloud music, you might be forgiven for thinking that the feature is huge with consumers.

Word came Monday that Apple has finally caught up to Google and Amazon and begun to stream songs from the company's cloud. The following day, CNET broke news that Amazon is very close to reaching agreements with the top four record companies that would let it run a licensed cloud music service. Music industry sources also told CNET that Google and the labels continue to discuss cloud licenses.

Interesting news. Now here's the reality: Consumer adoption of cloud music … Read more

Apple wins dismissal of HTC patents borrowed from Google

The U.S. International Trade Commission has granted an Apple motion to dismiss five patents HTC received from Google last year.

Administrative Judge Thomas Pender ruled Friday that the Taiwanese handset maker can't use the patents, which relate to wireless technology, because HTC lacks the rights to file a lawsuit based on the patents. The patents, which are also part of a second ITC complaint issued by HTC against Apple last September, were loaned to HTC last summer in an apparent attempt to beef up Android equipment makers without getting directly involved. HTC also filed a federal lawsuit at … Read more

iOS still tops Android with app developers

Despite Android's greater share of the smartphone market, Apple's iOS continues to attract greater support from app developers.

Nearly seven of every 10 apps being created in the first quarter of 2012 were for the iOS platform, with the remaining three going to Android, according to new data released today by research firm Flurry Analytics. iOS generates twice as many apps as Android despite Google's mobile operating system commanding 50.8 percent of the smartphone market compared with Apple's 31.4 percent, according to ComScore data release last week.

One key reason for Apple's popularity … Read more

Apple, Google, and their approaching mobile divorce

Apple is likely to push Google Maps out of the way next week at its WWDC powwow in what's a long march toward nixing the search giant -- friend now mobile foe -- as a default service provider.

The longer war between Apple and Google will revolve around courting developers.

Flurry's Peter Farago sums it up:

This month, the world's two largest mobile app platform providers, Apple and Google, enter what is arguably the most critical month of the year for each company, when each hosts their annual developer conference, the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) and … Read more