The fix prevents existing prepaid cards from being swapped from one user to another, something Google says it believes will help tighten up Wallet security overall. As for the temporary lock-down, Google reckons that – despite there being no evidence of real-world hacks – it took the step merely as a precaution.

“Yesterday afternoon, we restored the ability to issue new prepaid cards to the Wallet. In addition, we issued a fix that prevents an existing prepaid card from being re-provisioned to another user. While we’re not aware of any abuse of prepaid cards or the Wallet PIN resulting from these recent reports, we took this step as a precaution to ensure the security of our Wallet customers” Osama Bedier, Vice President, Google Wallet and Payments

Still, Google maintains that those with rooted devices shouldn’t use Google Wallet. “Sometimes users choose to disable important security mechanisms in order to gain system-level “root” access to their phone” the company said in a statement last week, “we strongly discourage doing so if you plan to use Google Wallet because the product is not supported on rooted phones.”

It remains to be seen whether the security blip will impact adoption of Google Wallet, or indeed dissuade current users from trusting the service. Let us know how you feel in the poll below.

[Thanks Carl!]

Meanwhile, the retailer’s pre-order page for the 32GB Nexus – which had initially been promising deliveries in early January, based on Samsung’s own timescales, but was then pushed back to February and subsequently into March – has been updated to show the phone as discontinued. The alternative suggestion is the existing 16GB model which went on sale last year.

The decision by Samsung is made all the more frustrating because the Galaxy Nexus’ storage options are more limited than most Android devices. While in many cases onboard capacity is less important, as there’s a microSD slot to augment it with affordable memory cards, the Galaxy Nexus lacks such expansion.

It’s been suggested that Google is trying to push reliance on its cloud storage options – Google Drive rumors resurfaced earlier this month, suggesting a full online storage product was imminent – but also that Samsung has been struggling to meet production demand of the cheaper 16GB model. Either way, GSM network users hoping to get 32GB for their media will have to struggle on without it.

[via Android Community]

Instead of giving you a specifications run-down, what I’m going to do here is give you my “total package” view of what each device has to offer to you, the everyday user. I’ll speak about the displays, the buttons, the keyboards, and the version of Android they hold, sure, but it’s that one phone you’ll be purchasing, so it’s that one phone on its own that we’ll have a chat about.

Motorola DROID 4

This is the fourth self-titled DROID that Motorola has put out, and it offers you essentially the same thing as you’ve gotten with each past DROID device – a push-out keyboard with real physical buttons, a lovely display, and almost the most recent version of the Android software. The keyboard on this device, if you’re in need of a full physical QWERTY that is, is the nicest one you’re going to find on the Verizon network. Aside from that, and especially if you have no need for a physical keyboard, there are much better choices for you, most of them costing you a whole lot less.

Check out our full review of the Motorola DROID 4

Motorola DROID RAZR/ RAZR MAXX

What you’ve got here is the fat version of the DROID RAZR, a device that was otherwise known as one of the thinnest smartphones on the planet. This thickness adds so much battery life that you’ll only have to charge up every two days instead of every night – and it costs at least $50 more than the DROID RAZR, and in one case $100 more – that depending on if you get a memory card inside the device. If you want the biggest battery on the market, go for the MAXX. If you want a purple smartphone, get the original DROID RAZR – and note that bot the DROID 4 and the DROID RAZR are a bit wider than most people’s hand palms, so be sure to hold it in the store to see if you’re comfortable with that.

Check out our full review of the Motorola DROID RAZR

HTC Rhyme

Actually there’s another purple smartphone here at Verizon, that being the HTC Rhyme. This little mouse of a phone has all the power and capabilities you might like from a larger top-tier smartphone with its only drawbacks being its unique aesthetics. This phone was made for the feminine crowd, having cuteness and fashionability to the core – and it’s free at the moment, too.

Check out our full review of the HTC Rhyme

HTC ThunderBolt / HTC Rezound

Though these two devices may appear to be similar, and indeed they are much more similar to one another than they are to the rest of the device on the network, the devil is in the details: if you want the uniqueness of the HTC experience and you’d like to avoid the fashion forward experience of the Rhyme, you’ll want one of these two – and I’d suggest the Rezound. The HTC ThunderBolt was a fantastic phone for me for quite a few months after it was released – indeed it is a classic HTC device – but the Rezound has as high definition a display as you could ever want, has excellent speakers and Beats-brand earbuds in the box, and isn’t reaching its “end of life” as the ThunderBolt is. Its kind of like when they stop selling a car at a dealership: they’ll still support you, but they’ll keep updating your Rezound for a whole lot longer.

Check out our full review of the HTC ThunderBolt and our full review of the HTC Rezound

LG Spectrum

This device is the only LG device you should be considering. There’s also the Revolution by LG you can purchase used, but don’t bother with it – the Spectrum is going to be much more reliable for you in the short and long run. It also has a really great camera and an ultra-bright and ultra-sharp display on it as well. The only drawback here is, again, that it’s a pretty gigantic device, and might be uncomfortable for you to hold in one hand.

Check out our full review of the LG Spectrum

Motorola DROID X2

This smartphone is the only one on Verizon you’re going to find with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor. There are other dual-core processor toting devices on the carrier, and in tablets there are even some more NVIDIA Tegra 2 chips inside, but this is the only smartphone to hold such a distinction. What this means, in short, is that you’ll be able to download games from the NVIDIA Tegra Zone, a store where only the sweetest monsters slumber.

Check out our full review of the Motorola DROID X2

Pantech Breakout

This device doesn’t get a whole lot of press because Pantech is really still only a small gunner of a manufacturer of Android devices here in the United States, but check it out: this device is certainly not the worst device on the carrier. It’s one of the last of its breed having a single-core processor inside, and the camera is only a 5-megapixel shooter on the back, but they’re both decent, and you can certainly play Angry Birds if that’s your winning combination.

Check out our full review of the Pantech Breakout

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Soon you’ll no longer see the name “Ericsson” on Sony-branded smartphones, this one being one of their most famous combinations before Sony bought out Ericsson’s half of the business. This is the fabled PlayStation Phone, and with it you’ll be able to access a set of games only available to this device specifically. This device was also one of the two choices Google made for Gingerbread hero phone — in short, this means it works very, very well with the software its got running. This device is made for gamers, make no mistake about it, and it’s certainly fun to own.

Check out our full review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

If you’re looking for the most advanced Android software, look no further than the Galaxy Nexus: Google’s hero phone for their newest mobile operating system Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This device has many futuristic characteristics such as a massively high definition display, a button-less front face, and a sleek exterior, and it’s running a vanilla version of Android. This means that there’s no user interface changes made by the manufacturer or the carrier – though it does have a couple of helpful Verizon-added apps. This device is both Google and Samsung’s current hero smartphone.

Check out our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Editor’s Choice

If I had to choose just one device, I’d probably end up going with the Galaxy Nexus as I do love to mess with the software – and all Nexus devices are made to make that process easy. Other than that, I’d either choose the LG Spectrum for its camera or the HTC Rezound because its user interface and headphone branding makes it a nice full package. If I wanted a Motorola device, I’d pick the original DROID RAZR because its so incredibly thin and I’m constantly charging my devices anyway – look at that stack of coins in the lead image of this post – sharp!

Well, instead of digging through your inbox or your notes, or more embarrassingly, calling up the potential employer and asking for the address again, Google will do the remembering for you. And don’t worry – you don’t even need to have the presence of mind to save it or “star” it or anything like that. The search giant caches the data to your Google account so even if you access it on your work computer and need to look it back up on your home PC, you’re good to go.

And if you’re the kind of Googler who customizes your maps with alternate directions (let’s say you’re like my best friend who refuses to go on toll roads), all that info is stored as well. It’s the little thing that make everyone happy, right? This update may not be as big as when Google added Street View, but it’s nice to always be on the road to optimization.

[via VentureBeat]

This build is also completely unofficial, so don’t expect a full build any time soon, especially not from the folks at Valve (the developers of the Portal series.) Having literally just played the first dozen levels of Portal 2 again earlier this week, I must say – this does look rather exciting. Should these rogue developers be able to produce the Portal series in its entirety, Android might just become home to a whole new breed of PC game lovers.

This game has been ported on Unity Engine and give a quick hands-on video here courtesy of the folks who plan on bringing GLaDOS to us via the mobile environment anew. You can find the pre-developed apk file for this game in the same forum post the video originated in, but I and we warn you: take caution. There’s no telling whether this build will do good or evil to your device. Instead it’d be best to wait for a further build down the line, much safer that way.

[via DroidGamers]

This update will allow you to upload your photos to your Google+ account (then accessible through any other web browser or Google+ app, of course) and asks you how you’d like this to be accomplished. The options are through Wifi or your 3G connection, through Wifi only, or not at all. If you’re not one of the few left on the planet with unlimited data, we’d suggest the Wifi option, as this function can rip your data bills to shreds. After that it’s all automatic – to a degree.

Again the iPhone version of this app does not quite have the power that the Android version does in that you’ve got to have it open on your display to have the instant uploads occur. There’s no background action here. It’s not because it’s impossible, either – as we saw yesterday with an app that has a very similar function but does it all without being open. There are also a few other changes having been made to the app in the interim, but they’re barely worth a mention in the face of the Instant Upload update.

Grab the application from the iTunes App Store now for free!

[via Anton Lopyrev]

These toys have been sweeping the Android fan lines for over a year now, with the second set having been released right after Mobile World Congress 2011. Now we’ve got this unlimited set for all you wanters of an Android but no big need to have the super secrecy in which design you’re going to grab. This set will have more than seven unique paint jobs for you to choose from, each of them simply cute.

This edition will be available in stores such as Urban Outfitters starting this week, and will be arriving in FYE and Barnes & Noble stores starting later this month. This line was produced for North American retailers but may well find its way to Europe as well. Maybe we’ll see some more boxes in Spain when we get there at the end of this month! Have a peek at some example droids above and below, and be on the lookout at your local retailer soon!

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be asking you to submit your ideas on one of several different social networks in order for the whole world to advance in the world of tiny computing. It’s one big brainstorming session for the WIMM One Android-based platform device, and you’re invited. For this first week’s session, we simply ask that you do the following:

1. “like” us on Facebook: /SlashGear
2. Leave a comment in this thread with your idea for a Micro App the WIMM would work great with in the future.
3. We’ll pick a set of our favorites and select a random winner every 24 hours starting on the 14th of February!

It’s just that simple! You may only submit ONCE, and only ONE idea of yours will be considered for the random pull if it’s good enough to get into the hat in the first place!

Development tools (SDK) are available to registered WIMM developers. Sign up here.

Get out your thinking caps and get to it!

Here’s the full rules as well, if you’re wondering about all the legalities of the situation:

Giveaway begins February 14, 12:01AM PST, and ends February 24, 12:01AM PST barring any complications finding winners. A winner will be announced every 24 hours here in the main news feed and at our official Facebook page.

WINNERS will be given the opportunity to submit a review of their WIMM One unit and have it posted on the front page of SlashGear or AndroidCommunity.com! *Reviews may be edited or modified before publication and are considered works for hire under the 1976 Copyright Act. Submissions will be ineligible for payment or remuneration.

Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. One entry per giveaway per person. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winners will be contacted by a SlashGear or Android Community staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, WIMM, SlashGear, and Android Community.

Prize consists of 10 WIMM One developer units to be given out over the 10 days between February 14th and February 24th. One prize per winner. There is no cash alternative or any other alternative for prize winners unless this prize should become unavailable, in which case SlashGear and WIMM reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by WIMM. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to Giveaway@SlashGear.com

The EC’s concerns are more general, having been satisfied that it was not in Google’s best interest to limit Android to solely Motorola. “Upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues” competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement. ”Of course, the Commission will continue to keep a close eye on the behavior of all market players in the sector, particularly the increasingly strategic use of patents.”

“In light of the importance of this industry to consumers and the complex issues raised by the intersection of the intellectual property rights and antitrust law at issue here, as well as uncertainty as to the exercise of the acquired rights, the division continues to monitor the use of SEPs in the wireless device industry, particularly in the smartphone and computer tablet markets. The division will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP rights” Department of Justice Antitrust Division

Last month, the EC announced that it was investigating Samsung over claims of antitrust behavior around its use of 3G/UMTS patents and licensing thereof. The Korean company had attempted to use those wireless patents in litigation against Apple, with Apple firing back that its rival was demanding unfair terms for the use of the technology.

As for consumers, meanwhile, there remain questions around how the deal will impact Google’s Nexus program and software on future Motorola devices. For Android OEMs, despite Google’s Andy Rubin saying the Nexus partnerships are still up for grabs for any company, not just Motorola, it’s unclear how much internal support the Android software team will give its newly-acquired hardware division.

Attempting to pacify critics of the impending deal, Android-chief Rubin pointed out that Google intends to operate Motorola as a separate company. When it comes to partnering on future Nexus devices, he maintained, Motorola “will be part of that bidding process” but not guaranteed to win.

Still, Rubin’s comments belie Google’s obvious interest in Motorola’s upcoming product range, something chairman Eric Schmidt conceded in September last year. “We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming … We’re excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers” Schmidt said, “[we like] having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software.”

Exactly how those two approaches will pan out remains to be seen. Motorola has already shown itself willing to take on Google at its own game, pushing out a developer version of the DROID RAZR to challenge the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus; even if other manufacturers secure future Nexus contracts, they’ll face the prospect of competing Motorola devices that have potentially just as much input from Google as their own do. As Rubin described the Nexus strategy, ”all the teams [from Google and the OEM] huddle together in one building, they jointly work and these development efforts go on for 9-12 months”, something that seems likely to also be the case for Google’s greater involvement in Motorola’s impending range.

For consumers, there’s still no guarantee that the devices they buy will run the latest version of Android or, indeed, get a timely update. Motorola’s track record on this has been patchy; the XOOM tablet launched in early 2011 with all but the name pointing to it being the “official” Google Android slate, but lagged behind rivals for OS refreshes. Meanwhile, Motorola persists with its UI modifications to its smartphone range, contributing to delays in updates there.

The question remains as the leaks to not confirm the newest version of Android and the image we’ve got at the moment has an interface that could just as easily be Ice Cream Sandwich as it could be Froyo. This device sill have a few other cosmetic changes also, with the volume button and the 3D switch switching sides from the right to the left for this iteration. LG is setting us up for something brand new, but will it be a big enough change to bring us back after a slightly lackluster first edition?

This device also has the name LG Optimus 3D Max and will almost certainly share its 9.8mm thick body with the LG Optimus Vu at this year’s Mobile World Congress. This 3D device is likely to have the same screen found in the Optimus LTE, hi-res IPS sharpness and all, and will be trumped only by the Vu in its newness. Follow the action via our [MWC 2012] portal and don’t miss a beat at the end of this month!

[via OLED Display]

Featured: We start out today’s round of featured content with Don Reinsinger’s thoughts on the PlayStation Vita. As he puts it, the device will probably be Sony’s last portable. Why? Because of things like the iPhone and iPad, and their instantly accessible games. Games like Monsters Ate My Condo, which we just happened to review today. Also on the review front, check out our look at the Satechi Audio Move SD.

Tablets: Hey, guess what? You know how we’ve been talking about iPad 3 rumors for months on end? It’s time for those rumors to finally be put to rest, as Apple’s iPad 3 announcemenet has been dated. It’s about time. And not to be outdone, Samsung is also pushing its new Galaxy Tab 2, with pricing that we think is set for disaster. Samsung really wants to fight Apple, so this is definitely a clash in the making.

General Geekiness: Among the other stories making news today is we got a look at what Firefox will look like when it becomes optimized for Windows 8. But the story that probably fits the title for coolest one of the day has to go to this one Mattel Hover Board prepped for 2012 holiday release. Oh, yes, the hover board we’ve dreamed of is finally on its way. Well, kind of. Read the story to find out more. And that’s it for now. Check back tomorrow when we post Tuesday’s evening wrap-up.

The renders you’re seeing here seem awfully light compared to the all-black metal devices Motorola is prone to releasing with Android, and the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich interface appears to have been bent over backwards to work with Motorola’s own user interface, icons and all. This leak could very well be a falsified bit of evidence, but it’s certainly an interesting one nonetheless.

This device has been tipped as having an instant-on capable camera with 15 frame-per-second burst capture. This lines up decently with the rest of the camera upgrades the rest of the industry has been pushing over these past few months in light of the idea that users actually care how nice their smartphone-based camera is. Need to grab those quality photos and videos or its all for naught! Have a peek in the timeline below for additional Medfield news and leaks.

Also note that if this device does turn out to be real, we’ll likely see it at Mobile World Congress 2012 – and we’ll be there to let you in on the business as it goes down!

[via PocketNow]

The approval was given after an Antitrust Division investigation by the department, each acquisition being found unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the markets these businesses operate in. One point of order though was the continued watching of how the groups handle their newly purchased SEPs – that is, standard essential patents. These patents are the ones that would allow any group owning them to seek legal battles against those who they found infringing on said patents.

“In light of the importance of this industry to consumers and the complex issues raised by the intersection of the intellectual property rights and antitrust law at issue here, as well as uncertainty as to the exercise of the acquired rights, the division continues to monitor the use of SEPs in the wireless device industry, particularly in the smartphone and computer tablet markets. The division will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP rights.” – USDoJ

You hear that, companies? No taking these patents and putting your competitors out of business – that’s not just mean, it’s anticompetitive in this case – and it’s illegal. Each of these groups agreed to a noncompete of sorts once the deals took place, each of them also outlined in brief by the USDoJ. Have a look at what these groups agreed to:

“The division’s concerns about the potential anticompetitive use of SEPs was lessened by the clear commitments by Apple and Microsoft to license SEPs on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, as well as their commitments not to seek injunctions in disputes involving SEPs. Google’s commitments were more ambiguous and do not provide the same direct confirmation of its SEP licensing policies.” – USDoJ

So we’ll see how this pans out in the months to come – Google still needs a few approvals around the world before the purchase can be completed. One at a time!

[via Justice.gov]

What’s being confirmed here by Samsung to Sammy Hub is a set of prices that sit in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, along with assurance that the Galaxy Tab 2 will release in the UK first. This tablet is shaping up to be rather similar to the ASUS MeMO tablet we saw at CES 2012, but at half the core power and twice the price. Will the high-powered display be enough to convince customers that this is the winning 7-incher?

Here is the official pricing and availability for the Scandinavian countries. Expected in March, the tablet will sell in both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G versions.

Sweden:
Wi-Fi: 2,995SEK (450USD)
3G: 3,695 SEK (556USD)

Finland:
Wi-Fi: 349EUR (463USD)
3G: 429EUR (568USD)

Norway:
Wi-Fi: 2,400NOK (420USD)
3G: 2,990NOK (523USD)

Denmark:
Wi-Fi: 2,350DKK (419USD)
3G: 3,995DKK (512USD)

Take a trip down Chris Davies way to get a better understanding of this situation and head back to our last review of a Galaxy Tab to see what Samsung is about to offer. This is the billionth tablet shown off by Samsung in the last year it seems, and there’s no sign of them stopping in 2012. Tablets galore for all!

This merger comes without concern from the EU on whether it will present any competition issues, but the idea that Motorola was purchased for its patents is alive in the minds of more than just Google. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia spoke on the matter in a set of statements. Almunia said he was worried that Google and other firms involved may raise a series of legal disputes over intellectual property rights. Almunia spoke thusly:

“We have approved the acquisition… because upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues. This merger decision should not and will not mean that we are not concerned by the possibility that, once Google is the owner of this portfolio, Google can abuse these patents, linking some patents with its Android devices. This is our worry. We might be obliged to open some cases in the future. This is not enough to block the merger but we will be vigilant.” – Almunia

In addition to U.S. Justice Department approval, the companies also need approval from Chinese regulators. March 20th should be the date when all of this is finalized, if sources speaking with Reuters are to be believed. Google will use Motorola’s 17,000 patents and 7,500 pending patent applications to defend themselves against the incoming wave of litigation cases coming from rivals like Microsoft and Apple. The war rages on!

[via Reuters]

This controller will connect to your mobile device, by it your iPod Touch, your Android phone you iPad, or what-have-you, with Bluetooth. This is an extension of the already popular iCade line created by ThinkGeek, each new bit released by the team creating a cross-over gaming experience that shouldn’t be missed! As ThinkGeek GeekLabs’s oan Ty Liotta notes,

“We’re excited to extend on the success of the original iCADE. And with millions of iOS and Android devices in circulation it only makes sense to widen the field and bring the fun of iCADE to every possible device.” – Liotta

This controller is battery powered and has eight fully fucntional buttons, controlling everything from the original Pac Man to Super Mega Worm to more modern games as well. Developers can get in on documentation for the controller here and start making their games ready for the oncoming of this magical device in full force soon! Games like Box Cat, Muffin Knight, Plum Crazy, and more are already ready to work with the controller before it’s released! This controller has been revealed at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City and will be available for purchase later this year for $24.99 – we’ll be sure to let you know how fabulous it truly is!

It’s always awesome to hear of a new competitor for the mobile space, especially when that competitor comes from such a giant as Sony. Sony is in a position with the PlayStation Vita to make it such a success that it brings the operating system from it over to new devices in the near future. While its true that it seemed the Sony Ericsson last year did tell the world they’d be sticking with Android, now that Sony has purchased the remaining stock of that mobile venture from Ericsson, Sony’s now just “Sony” sect of mobile can do whatever they please. as Matsumoto spoke with AV Watch just a couple months ago:

“[Translated:] I’d like to point out that I mentioned the first thing Vita is is a hardware that provides digital entertainment only, and there there is the Vita OS which at the moment is just the OS made to provide it. The OS will continue to provide entertainment of all kinds, and though it’s made here to provide for a portable machine the best gaming experience for game enthusiasts, this is the thing edge of the wedge first.” – Matsumoto

Matsumoto went on to speak on how the operating system on the Vita is already receiving rave reviews on its speed and workability, noting how it was made using a mobile telephone network from the beginning. Because its basis is in the mobile world, even though it’s made for games right this moment, the operating system does have a bright future ahead of it, be it mobile, gaming, or both.

“[Translated:] We considered room for development in various directions including OS for smartphones from the beginning. For gaming consoles, the best hardware only must be considered to elicit top performance – but because we wanted the operating system to be scalable, we built this system from scratch with communication functions on mobile telephone networks from the outset. The touchscreen interface elements do not correspond exactly with a smartphone or tablet at the moment, but scalability makes it a possibility in the future.” – Matsumoto

We can’t wait for Sony to expand on not just Android now, but Vita OS (if this is what they keep for the name) in the very near future! Have at the mobile world, Sony, we’re ready for expansion!

HTC will be coming strong out the gates this year at Mobile World Congress with at least one contending smartphone, the HTC Endeavor, and it’s got a Siri rival. It’s also got a brand new version of HTC Sense, that being version 4.0 on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Apple appears to have forced the Pentagon to dump ASUS. Apple’s also seen to be having Apple TV shortages – this likely portending a refresh of the line.

Apple’s own iPad line is being confiscated in China after it’s been found that someone else had the iPad name first. BlackBerry makers RIM feared “morons from outside” in their hunt for a new CEO. NASA is checking out the possibility and viability of a deep space outpost near the moon. Apple has brought in the Fair Labor Association to audit their parts suppliers amid reports that they’re not run as ethically as they should be.

Samsung has revealed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 to bring Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to the masses at an entry-level price point. Google’s big push for the @home experience is seeing them hit up a Experience Center to bring your house to one central experience point.

The search giant has been cagey about revealing exactly what will be going on in the new facilities, saying only that the extended office space – believed to occupy around 800,000 square feet – will be used for “additional meeting and work space.” However, details discovered in city filings suggest Google is ramping up for an increased focus on hardware and hardware testing.

For instance, one facility will include an “RF screen room [which] will be used to test the WiFi performance and development of a consumer product” according to one of Google’s real estate team last year. The building is assigned to the “Google/@home” division, though other areas are supposedly for the “X Lab” or “Project X” teams working on some of Google’s more clandestine projects, such as HUD Smart Glasses.

At the center of the Googleplex is expected to be the Google Experience Center, a 120,000 square foot hub ”to share visionary ideas, and explore new ways of working” that, as one architect on the project wrote in 2011, will “operate somewhat like a museum, exhibit, or mercantile space allowing flexibility in the exhibits so that as Google’s products and needs change, the space can adapt.”

Google is near to acquiring Motorola Mobility, its biggest hardware play to-date, though other elements of physical product development have seemingly already been underway for some time now. Whether the company can convince both the public and the privileged guests of the Experience Center that Google hardware stands a chance of succeeding where, say, Google TV has struggled, remains to be seen.

There’s also a “From TV” channel for content pulled from broadcast. Each channel gets a new-style page, with easier access to playlists and individual videos. It’s also possible to subscribe to channels with a single click, while pressing up or down on your remote scrolls through related videos or other titles from the same user.

Mid-playback, meanwhile, scrolling up or down shifts through the video information dialog, overlaid on top of the clip. This supports the usual thumbs up/thumbs down rating system, along with add-to-playlist and the comments dialog; that’s when having a QWERTY remote like those supplied with the second-gen Sony Google TV hardware would come in handy.

Overall, the app is meant to be faster and less glitchy, both of which are vital is Google is to corner the smart TV market in 2012. The new YouTube app is a free download for Google TV users.

So here’s the thing – your Google Wallet PIN is at risk of being pilfered. Of course, for that to happen, you need two things. First, you need to actually have an active Google Wallet function on your phone, which limits the subset to only those with a Citi credit card, an NFC-enabled phone, Sprint as their mobile carrier, and enough initiative to apply for Google Wallet. That narrows down the field enough to make it a very small concern, but even among that group, only people who have rooted their phone are at risk.

“Google Wallet is protected by a PIN — as well as the phone’s lock screen, if a user sets that option. But sometimes users choose to disable important security mechanisms in order to gain system-level “root” access to their phone; we strongly discourage doing so if you plan to use Google Wallet because the product is not supported on rooted phones,” said Google in an e-mail to Forbes. The search giant stands by its product. It noted, You can be confident that the digital wallet you carry provides defenses that plastic and leather simply don’t.”

[via Forbes]

Both the US DOJ and EC are expected to make their final approvals on Monday, February 13, after which the deal must still seek approval in China, Israel, and Taiwan. It’s possible that the Commission will decide to hold off on approval to open an in-depth investigation, but this is believed to be unlikely.

Google has promised that the massive trove of patents it would acquire from the Motorola deal would be licensed on fair and reasonable terms. It has placed a cap on the fees it would charge at 2.25 percent of the net selling price of each infringing device and has also outlined the conditions under which it would launch patent suits against infringing companies.

[via Reuters]

Before noon we had two products already reviewed in full, one of them the Three Web Cube for transportable internet in a niche market, the other being the Motorola DROID 4 from Verizon. The DROID 4 is also on sale starting today across the nation. As far as the rest of the Android world goes, all eyes are on Samsung Galaxy S II for its Ice Cream Sandwich updates starting in March. Of course HTC’s leaksters wouldn’t want all the attention in one place, so they dropped a White Incredible with Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box!

There’s also an LG Mango device out there and Acer CloudMobile is the smartphone we never knew existed until it won an award across the sea – it’ll have Ice Cream Sandwich too!

Diablo III has been postponed again (until Q2 2012) and water has been reported to be wet. The ultimately awesome Tesla vehicle known as the Model X has been revealed with a touchscreen dash interface and Falcon-Wing doors – CEO Elon Musk is also readying plans to offer his SpaceX program for IPO. WolframAlpha Pro is no longer Beta, entering into its real live full release for all you knowledge seekers. Finally, there is a Wolly Mammoth living in Siberia – or so a trickster with a camera claims.

Hardware

The display here is a massive 540 x 960 pixels on 4-inches of space, putting this device at 275 pixels per inch. That’s quite impressive when it comes down to it, it being not quite as rich with pixels as the Galaxy Nexus (at 316 ppi) but certainly ready to contend with the DROID RAZR whose same resolution sits on a slightly larger display, putting it at just 256 ppi. At this close range you wont notice the difference unless you’re holding these devices up next to one another, but the difference is there.

Other than that you’ve got what’s actually a slightly larger device than the DROID 3, this bulk coming from the additional plastic around the edges, seeming to have been added here for stylistic purposes instead of necessity. The device is almost exactly the same height as the previous DROID QWERTY and the keyboard is similar, but quite a bit nicer when you’ve used it for a bit. While the older DROID keyboards did seem excellent when they were first brought forth on the first couple of units, the age started to show harshly on the DROID 3. Here there’s a new amount of space and a sensor-activated light surrounding the keys.

The processor is the same one that’s in the DROID RAZR and several devices that’ve been released in the past few months, that being the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core 1.2GHz SoC. This chip will get you where you need to go and will allow you to play essentially any game you’re hankering for on the Android Market without a hitch. Consider these Quadrant Advanced results – Total 2747, CPU: 6957, Memory: 2586, I/O: 3046, 2D: 283, 3D: 862, and note the comparatively powerful results when you consider the rest of the Android devices released with this same OMAP processor very recently – looking quite similar.

Software

Inside you’ve got your regular suite of Motorola, Google, and Verizon apps, no real surprises in the mix, and all of it comes complete with Webtop. Motorola devices released inside the last year have all had their proprietary desktop-like software installed aboard, this working through your HDMI-connected display with the device itself acting as an intermediary. If you’ve got any of the suggested docks you can turn your DROID 4 into a standalone computer with your HDTV as your monitor and a USB-connected mouse and keyboard as your controllers. Alternatively you can use the DROID 4 as a trackpad to control your cursor on the display. Check out a demonstration of how this all works in our review of the Motorola Lapdock 100.

Motorola devices are connected with a series of basic cloud-connected services such as My Music which connects you to your computer at home via the web. This and the rest of the cloud suite on the DROID 4 are connected via MotoCast, a service which connects all of your Motorola devices via an interface you download for your desktop machine at MyMotoCast.com. Also prominent in the apps drawer is an instant link to your MOTOACTV, a device which acts as both a music player and a fitness tracker which you can attach to your arm, your wrist, or wherever else you’d like to carry it.

Camera

Motorola is back to having a decent beast of a camera here with 8 megapixels on the back along with 1080p video capabilities. Though it’s not the most perfect setup we’ve seen with such specifications, it certainly out-does its predecessor. Have a peek at some demonstrations of the DROID 4′s back-facing camera here and behold the loveliness.

Phone and Battery

The battery on this beast is a full 1785 mAh placing it right beside the original DROID RAZR in battery rating and capturing just about as much time in the wild as well. When you’re using this device for streaming video you’ll get a few hours out of it – enough time for about a full movie and a half. If you’re using it heavily throughout the day, you’ll get something like 6-8 hours. If you’re using it lightly, for email and web browsing exclusively that is, you’ll be getting 10 hours or more no problem. One charge a night should be good for most users.

Wrap-Up

The DROID 4 is the bulkiest device on the Verizon network here at its launch, yet at the same time it’s got the nicest keyboard Motorola has ever offered on a smartphone. If you’re so in love with the basic QWERTY DROID line that you’ve sworn off all other smartphones, it’s time to upgrade to this model. If you’re looking for the best Motorola device on Verizon, I’d recommend the RAZR MAXX. It doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does have a battery that’ll last you until kingdom come, and you’re working with essentially the same innards as this device otherwise.

This device certainly deserves to have a spot amongst the high-end line of Android devices at its release, but will be forgettable within a few months at the dawn of the quad-core smartphone and the start of the Ice Cream Sandwich having Androids being released in bulk closer to the middle of the year. You’ve got the option of grabbing the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung on Verizon right now as well if you want the newest Android software – DROID 4 is still stuck on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – but that would require you to leave your beloved Motorola and go Samsung’s way, a very different beast indeed.

Google is listed as the manufacturer of the devices, described as “in the prototyping phase”, and says that they will be connected to home internet connections via WiFi. Staff in Mountain View, Los Angeles, Cambridge and New York will all be involved, using the gadgets at work and at home. It’s also possible that the device is Google’s HUD Smart Glasses project, being tested in the wild.

Although the Home Entertainment System was immediately connected with the Android@Home, there are other possibilities for these latest filings. Google has also requested permission to test a “fiber residential gateway” including WiFi and Bluetooth wireless options as part of its 1Gbps Google Fiber project that recently broke ground in Kansas City.

This next-gen personal communication device, therefore, could be related to Google Fiber – perhaps linking wirelessly to the residential gateway, as some sort of portable Google Voice or Google Talk comms gadget – or it could be an element of the home entertainment system. Although talk so far has positioned that system as a Sonos rival, Android@Home supports a broad range of functionality thanks to the underlying app support, and personal communications could easily be an aspect of that.

Google demonstrated Android@Home at Google I/O 2011 last year; it’s entirely possible the new hardware could be prepared for the same show this year, which is expected to take place in late June 2012.

[Thanks Si!]

Love or hate Apple, you have to admit that the company is growing in a massive way on the backs of incredibly popular products such as the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook notebooks. The massive growth the Apple has reported since the untimely death of Steve Jobs is nothing short of astounding. While Apple is growing hand over fist, Google and Microsoft aren’t seeing the same sort of growth.

In fact, shares in Google fell more than 9% last month after the company missed expectations from Wall Street on earnings and revenue. Microsoft, on the other hand, met expectations, but its revenues from Windows operating system slipped. Much of the success of Apple is due to the iPhone, which continues to sell in huge numbers.

Apple is doing so well that it’s also pulling ahead of many of the largest firms outside the technology world. For instance, Apple is worth more than Exxon Mobil, which has a market cap of about $402 billion. The thing that really pushes home the massive amount of money that Apple is worth to me is this; Apple is worth more than the gross domestic product of Sweden, which is $458 billion. Apple is also worth more than all the gold ($350 billion) in the Federal Reserve Bank.

[via AppleInsider]

Granted, Google+ is still a nascent platform. To demonstrate, even though H&M is the most popular brand page on the network, its number of fans (or “circlers”) is just 456,365. Compare that to, say, Coca-Cola, which may fall behind on Google+ (326,096 circlers) but has nearly 39,000,000 fans on Facebook. Nevertheless, it’s a testament to H&M’s marketing that it has managed to surpass so many other well-established names.

The clothing chain has apparently linked to its Google+ page more than any other brand on the network, with one exception. The only one with more Google+ spamming is Ferrari, but that company only has 8,027 circlers, proving that just massively posting links to your social networking page isn’t enough to generate interest. H&M is doing something right. At least for now. Its hip and modern appeal is perfect for the generation that’s most likely to sing up for Google+. If and when Google ever makes its online network as ubiquitous as Facebook, we could see a power shift.

[via Mashable]

Yes, the CORE platform is also used by Yahoo as an advertising tool for those who want to provide relevant sponsored content to Web browsers. Even though people seem to think anything associated with advertising is evil, since Yahoo launched CORE on the homepage, its clickthrough rates have increased 300%, which definitely fits the bill of statistical significance.

A few other interesting points Yahoo mentioned are that CORE processes 1.2 terabytes of user data every hour. That’s the equivalent of 644 million printed pages. Every hour. And on a daily basis, CORE manages to provide 2.2 billion pieces of personalized content to viewers. This is the first real big push we’ve seen from Yahoo to tout its data anlytics chops as a serious contender to Google, which loves crunching data more than anyone else. If it’s enough to pull Yahoo back into relevance in the search world remains to be seen.

[via GigaOM]

For appliances that are unable to connect to Wi-fi, the folks at Google have designed an open wireless protocol that allows Android devices to talk to them. This protocol is designed to offer low-cost connectivity to everything electrical in the home. Lights, alarm clocks, thermostats, and more are included in the first iteration of this connectivity protocol – Google wants to think of every single appliance in your home as a potential piece of the puzzle in this Android@Home framework, ready to work with Android apps.

Lights and Appliances

In the original presentation of Android@Home, an app with four off/on switches was presented with data flowing to the right on a Motorola XOOM tablet’s display. This app connected with a set of four lamps, each simply controlled by the app and connected with the protocol written for Android@Home. Very simple stuff. The next example was an app that connected to your alarm clock/stereo and your lights throughout a room – this app gradually raising the brightness of the lights and turning up the sound on your stereo as the time for your awakening in the morning approaches.

Another example given by Google was an app connected to your home’s irrigation system, this bringing you a “real world Farmville app” so to speak, watering your plants and grass whenever you tap a button or on a set schedule. A game connection was shown on stage at I/O 2011 with the game Quake being played on the Motorola XOOM Android tablet – as shots were fired and enemies were killed, the lights connected with the app flickered and dimmed – no more life, no more light.

Google has partnered with several industry groups on this project, one of these being Lighting Science – a leading LED lighting manufacturer. This group will be the first to sell LED lighting and switches directly tied to the Android@Home environment. You can check out the bulb held up and demoed at the event over at Lighting Science but good luck getting much information out of them on how they’re doing with the Android@Home project now – mum’s the word!

Project Tungston / Android@Home Hub

The Android@Home Hub is a “totally new kind of Android device” as they said at Google I/O 2011 and combines a standalone Google Music endpoint and a bridge to the Android@Home network. This project was code-named Project Tungston. At the first introduction to the project, they had a couple of Tungston devices – both of them ran the Android operating system as well as the Android@Home software framework. Both of these devices were “always powered on” and always connected to the cloud. They have Audio Out and can connect to either 3rd party speakers or your home stereo system (aka wirelessly or wired). These Tungston devices connected with what we now know as Google Music – all your music in the cloud and available for purchase on command.

The control device, aka the one that looks like a leaning box here with lights flashing in its seams, is controlled by your Android smartphone or tablet. In the interface on Google Music you’re able to see which devices you’re connected to, and in this case you’ve got “Stage Left” and “Stage Right”, the names of the two Tungston controllers connected to speakers.

All of this connectivity and functionality is, like Android itself, based on an open source code. Developers will be able to create their own apps based on the code freely and without cost. Another “Tungston” device was demonstrated on stage at I/O 2011 that looked more like a sphere than a box. This device was able to read NFC tags that were “activated when the packaging was taken off of the case” of a CD. When you opened your CD case up and tapped it to the sphere, it would read the tag inside and the music was immediately added to your Google Music library in digital form. Touching the sphere with the CD case once the music was added started playing the music from the first track instantly.

Google I/O 2011 Presentation

Head to about 43 minutes into the video here to see the entire presentation on Android@Home or watch the full video to see everything presented on the first day at Google I/O 2011 – it’s Ice Cream Sandwich fantastic!

What we expect soon

Android@Home is likely to pop up again here in the Spring of 2012 as the Google Home Entertainment Device we’ve been hearing whispered tips about for the past week. We’re thinking that the open protocol and codes galore for developers will be formally passed on soon, and that a device may well be developed by Google to show the functional power of Android@Home off to the world, much like an Android Nexus device would. Let’s get connected at home in 2012!

If you’ll take a look at that faithful post from last week, you’ll find that we had NFC devices, Wifi, and Android tablets and smartphones blasting forth with controls for the whole home. What we’re seeing here instead is a tip that says this Entertainment System will be, at least in part, just for media streaming. The tip coming through today says that Google would have people download digital media “such as music” and stream it to Google-made speakers as well as other web-connected devices in their homes.

At the moment I’m sure you’re aware that the Android Market already does offer music downloads as well as video rentals – this could be a slight expansion of that and a whole new application suite made for this set of Google-made hardware pieces. The difference here between what we’ve heard before and what this tipster is saying is that there will indeed be one device to focus on: a new entertainment device which “may possible” stream music as well as other digital media, this device set to be revealed late inside 2012.

Will this finally be Google’s big dip into the hardware business? Let it be so!

[via WSJ]

Android Temple Run fans should take note that once speaking with the official crew behind the game we’ve discovered that the original March 9th date was never an official marker for the game to come out, only a guesstimation mostly passed on as a rumor. The postponing of this game’s release isn’t so much an error or a fix as it is a simple reality: the game was not necessarily going to come out today anyway. But so it goes, and so goes the game to a later date and we to the waiting box once again.

For those of you rocking an iPod Touch or an iPhone in the meantime, you can head to the iTunes App Store right this second to pick this game up for free. This game also works on iPad and we can expect that it’ll work on any sized Android device once its released as well. Jump and skip and flip and collect those coins soon!

[via Android Community]

HTC has today confirmed not just their suddenly massive set of Sensation device, but their Evos and their Amazes as well! The full list looks something like this: HTC Rezound, HTC Vivid, HTC Amaze 4G, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G, HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. Each of these devices HTC says they’ll be upgrading to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich later this year. How late this year these devices will be upgraded is anybody’s guess at the moment.

The announcement from HTC also includes a tip that more updates on Ice Cream Sandwich releases will be dropping in coming weeks – could this mean that such oddities as the HTC ThunderBolt and the HTC Titan might have a chance at ICS? How about the still awesome HTC Jetstream – will there be any love there for tablets? We’ll see soon!

Google will be fully approved for the Motorola Mobility purchase they set out to take last year. Apple is facing some store protests today over ethics violations folks across the USA are saying they’re guilty of overseas. Take a peek at the Lytro camera from the insides out – at the FCC. Have a peek at the already fabulously popular Nokia N9 running no less than Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Once Google owns Motorola, they plan on continuing to run the drive to grab 2.25% of the iPhone in a patent suit. Meanwhile Google may well be opening a retail store in Dublin. Apple’s own iOS 5.1 will be coming on March 9th and insiders have tipped a first week of March iPad 3 event. Kodak has dumped digital cameras and Samsung Galaxy Camera is a tip that’ll bring Samsung phones in to cameras. Finally check out our review of the fabulous Acer Aspire M3 AM3970 and prepare for an Acer Ultrabook later today!

However, the California store is not open to the public and is strictly for Google workers. However, the average Google fan can order the same merchandise online. A retail store would presumably allow Google to sell more than just T-shirts and bibs. A retail store could also be used to sell hardware running Android such as Chromebooks, smartphones, and tablets in a set up similar to an Apple Store.

Perhaps this move was in mind since Google started its purchase of Motorola Mobility. With the popularity of Google and the Android operating system, I think a retail store would be very popular. Bloomberg reports that Google purchased the site for the Dublin retail store for about €100 million. Do you think the Google retail store is a good idea?

[via Bloomberg]

“Following Google’s acquisition of MMI [Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc.], Google will honor MMI’s existing commitments to license the acquired MMI Essential Patent Claims on RAND [reasonable terms and conditions demonstrable free of any unfair discrimination] terms, as required by IEEE rules and consistent with MMI’s longstanding practice. This letter is irrevocable. Google understand that, pursuant to IEEE rules, MMI is prepared to grant licenses for Essential Patent Claims with a maximum per-unit royalty of 2.25-percent of the net selling price for the relevant end product on a go-forward basis, subject to offsets for the value of any cross-licenses or other consideration received from the licensee” Allen Lo, Deputy General Counsel, Google

Apple has argued that Motorola’s fee demands are excessive, and that its rivals are not following FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) guidelines in a similar way to that which sparked an EC investigation into potential antitrust behavior by Samsung. The Cupertino company’s legal team has also sought disclosure from other smartphone manufacturers as to how much they’ve agreed to pay Motorola in licensing fees, though it’s possible Motorola could argue that the reciprocal licensing means the deals are non-comparable.

Meanwhile, Google’s stance on potential injunctions is apparently unchanged from Motorola Mobility’s existing approach: that is, to apply for an injunction if licensees don’t agree to its royalty terms. If, it’s suggested, the 2.25-percent referred solely to the specific component the patented technology was applied in – for instance, a baseband 3G/UMTS radio chipset – then that might be reasonable, but Motorola is chasing 2.25-percent of the entire end-product, i.e. almost $15 on the unsubsidized price of each entry-level iPhone 4S.

The decision as to whether Google is allowed to acquire Motorola Mobility is expected to be reached on February 13.

[via Fortune]

Motorola Mobility will continue to operate separately from Google, but you can bet that Google has plans for all the patents Motorola Mobility holds. In the realm of patent suits, I think there could be worse companies making this acquisition than Google. Google bid $12.5 billion to purchase Motorola Mobility. When the deal was first announced some feared Google could make Android less open and more focused on Motorola devices, but those fears seem to have abated.

Motorola Mobility holds several FRAND patents, and Google has promised it would still offer to license the patents to competitors with fair turns. FRAND patents are considered industry standards. However, it didn’t rule out seeking injunctive relief against those who violate the patents.

[via Android Community]

Dropbox also offers a $20 per month plan for 100GB of space. Google Drive is the culmination of “G Drive” rumors and plans dating back several years, with the much-tipped service originally expected to debut in 2007 but failing to materialize.

Drive will contain documents, photos and videos, and allow users to share their files via a download link rather than send the content directly through email or similar. There will also be Google Drive apps for mobile devices, it’s suggested, for uploading photos and video direct to the cloud store.

Google has declined to comment on the rumored service, but online storage is a relatively small step from the company’s existing product platform. Users are already offered free Gmail accounts, Documents stores, Google Music for audio uploads, and Picasa photo and video galleries, each accommodating several gigabytes of content. Corralling those under a single banner would be no great leap, though Google would likely come under increased attention over the possibility of users uploading copyrighted content.

[via Android Community]

Google announced that it wanted to launch more than 100 new channels over the next several months that include brand new, exclusive content to YouTube. The idea is to make the site’s visitor loyalty a more known quantity. That is to say, if new episodes for an online show are uploaded to YouTube every week or every day, it would encourage users to visit the site on a regular basis as opposed to just every now and then when work is boring or you need to play that Bee Gees song that’s stuck in your head.

Creating these targeted, niche channels also opens up attractive advertising opportunities. Instead of advertisers trying to navigate the swath of random content on YouTube, creating tailored ads for an automotive-themed channel, for example, makes a lot more sense. This is also part of Google’s ambition to have a better monetization system in place for YouTube, which gets more than three billion video views every day but still remains full of untapped potential.

[via Wired]

“What we learn from you, and others like you, will help us improve Google products and services and make a better online experience for everyone,” Google explained in a statement. Only those who are 13 years of age or older are eligible to apply. In addition, participants are oliged to use Google’s Chrome browser when surfing the Web. This program comes after Google faced heavy criticism for revamping its privacy policies across most of its online platforms.

Google noted that Amazon is not a sponsor of the promotion, which is known as Google Screenwise. It just so happens that Amazon gift cards are a pretty easy and efficient means of sending money online, since anyone can find $25 worth of stuff they need on Amazon. The program is obviously not designed with the intention of keeping tabs on any one individual users but rather to collect massive amounts of data and better understand how Internet browsers interact with the World Wide Web. If you’re interested, you can sign up here.

UPDATE: Google has reached out to us with the following statement:

“Like many other web and media companies, we do panel research to help better serve our users by learning more about people’s media use, on the web and elsewhere. This panel is one such small project that started near the beginning of the year. Of course, this is completely optional to join. People can choose to participate if it’s of interest (or if the gift appeals) and everyone who does participate has complete transparency and control over what Internet use is being included in the panel. People can stay on the panel as long as they’d like, or leave at any time.” – Google Spokesperson

What do you think, folks?