Anyone remember that FCC complaint we showed you last week? The one filed by a consumer against Verizon for blocking Google Wallet? Anyone remember the official response by Verizon? No? Let me refresh your memory.
Struggling Kodak has finally agreed to sell its digital imaging patents to Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation — two consortiums backed by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others — for $525 million. Kodak will receive a portion of the money from 12 intellectual property licensees, with each licensee receiving rights to the patents, while another portion will be paid by Intellectual Ventures, which will then acquire the digital imaging patent portfolio, plus the new and existing licenses.
Android’s market share continues to grow throughout the world, but one country where Google’s platform is having its biggest impact is in China. It’s now the largest single Android market in the world, with one third of all Android devices sold there during 2012. The iPhone, on the other hand, is struggling there.
Do your children ask you every day when Santa’s going to arrive? Now you can show them, thanks to Google’s new Santa Tracker app for Android smartphones and tablets. Built by “Santa’s developer elves,” the new app features a countdown to Christmas Eve, then allows you to track jolly old Saint Nicholas on his journey to children all over the world.
Last month, Google got around to launching Google Music in Europe. They also gave Europeans an exclusive treat: a new song matching feature. Similar to Apple’s music match feature, Google scans a user’s music collection, matches it up against their online library, and quickly adds any matches via the cloud for a speedier upload process.
