It has been reported that Google is working on its own retail stores, but recent comments from the head of Android fly in the face of such a claim. Google’s Andy Rubin talked about the possibility of a Google Store at Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona.
According to Rubin, Google “has no plans” to do any kind of retail store in the near future. That doesn’t mean things won’t change, but Google has thrown cold water on the store rumor for now.
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — HTC hasn’t announced any new devices here at Mobile World Congress, but that’s because it chose to give its latest Android flagship, the HTC One, its own press event earlier this month. It is here to show off that device, however, and it’s easy to see why the Taiwanese company wants everyone to get their hands on it.
Android smartphone vendors are often criticized for using too much plastic, and making devices that feel cheap — especially in comparison with Apple’s premium iPhone. But the HTC One is very different. Made from a block of aluminum, the device actually has a lot in common with the iPhone, and it looks and feels exactly how a high-end smartphone should.
And one of those options is supposed to be Firefox OS.
Yesterday we showed you the ZTE Open, the first entry-level smartphone running Mozilla’s new Firefox OS. Other companies, like Sony, are planning to release Firefox OS phones as well. Mozilla has been trying to get the word out at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
During a recent talk at MWC, Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs touted Firefox OS as a new platform to disrupt Android and Apple’s hold on the industry.
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — HP famously bowed out of the tablet game when it gave up on the TouchPad and its webOS operating system, but here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company has jumped right back into it. Its new tablet, the Slate 7, is an entry-level device that’s powered by Android, and it costs just $169. We went hands-on to find out whether it’s worth it.
BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — After ZTE unveiled the ZTE Open, the world’s first commercially available Firefox OS smartphone at Mobile World Congress on Monday, other manufacturers are pledging their support for Mozilla’s new open platform. Sony Mobile has now confirmed that it has “an ambition” to launch its first Firefox OS smartphones in 2014 under a new partnership with Telefonica.
