Nokia Lumia 610 Loses Skype Support - Brighthand

Nokia Lumia 610 Loses Skype Support - Brighthand

The Nokia Lumia 610 was created for those looking for an inexpensive Windows Phone, and it therefore has a minimal feature set.?Nokia says that, as a result, users of this model won't be able to use Skype.

When the Windows Phone version of Skype was released a few months ago, Lumia 610 users could download this app, even though the device didn't meet the minimal criteria -- it does not have enough RAM.

Nokia has now released the following statement:

Nokia attachs great importance to the launch of products and services to bring the user experience, so even if the Skype Windows Phone version on the Nokia Lumia 610 does, but after intensive testing, we found the user experience does not guarantee to Nokia and Skype the expected level. Therefore, we do not recommend users to use Skype on the Nokia Lumia 610.

This has gone a bit beyond recommendations.?Microsoft will no longer allow users of the Lumia 610 to download this software from the Windows Phone Marketplace, although those who already have it will continue to be able to use it.

Skype is a very popular VoIP and video-chatting app. Microsoft purchased its developer last year with the stated goal of integrating the service into Windows Phone. It can be used on more powerful models, like the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II.

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Motorola In the Middle: Big Success or Failure Could Hurt Google - Top Tech News

It's official. Google has closed on its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. But what does this mean for the merged company? There are still more questions than answers.

In a Tuesday morning blog post, Google CEO Larry Page opined about how the phones in our pockets have become supercomputers that are changing the way we live. He pointed out how it's now possible to do things we used to think were magic -- or only possible on Star Trek. Things like getting directions on the spot, watching a video on YouTube or taking a picture and sharing it instantly with friends all over the world.

"Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone," Page wrote. "We all remember Motorola's StarTAC, which at the time seemed tiny and showed the real potential of these devices. And as a company who made a big, early bet on Android , Motorola has become an incredibly valuable partner to Google."

Motorola Gets New CEO

Although Page didn't offer much insight on what Google will do with Motorola, he did announce that Sanjay Jha, who was responsible for building the company and placing that big bet on Android, has stepped down as CEO. Long-time Googler Dennis Woodside has taken the reins.

After extolling Woodside's virtues in the blog he turned his attention back to technology, indicating that Motorola would still make mobile phones, saying: "It's a well-known fact that people tend to overestimate the impact technology will have in the short term, but underestimate its significance in the longer term.

"Many users coming online today may never use a desktop machine , and the impact of that transition will be profound -- as will the ability to just tap and pay with your phone. That's why it's a great time to be in the mobile business, and why I'm confident Dennis and the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come."

Motorola's Ultimate Fate

We caught up with Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis, to get his take on what happens next with Google and Motorola. He told us he's watching to see if Google uses Motorola just for its copyrights and patents or runs it as a genuine business -- and, if the latter becomes the reality, whether or not Motorola can succeed as an independent business. (continued...)

 

Motorola Dreams Up a Sweeter TV Interface - TechNewsWorld

Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) this week unveiled its DreamGallery video navigation software for content providers at a cable industry trade show.

DreamGallery lets users search hundreds of channels in seconds, bookmark and store their favorite content in one place, and discover new content tailored to their preferences.

It's written in HTML5, so it will offer a consistent user interface across connected TVs, PCs and mobile devices, Motorola Mobility claims.

Content providers can tailor offerings to users' preferences through DreamGallery. They will also be able to create and deliver merchandising and advertising easily.

"Cable providers are [Motorola Mobility's] likely initial target because they haven't shown well against [Verizon Wireless's] FiOS or [AT&T's] U-Verse in terms of user experience, although they're better in terms of bandwidth," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld. "This could help them close a significant usability gap."

"I would jump for joy to get rid of my clunky Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSK) interface," said Andrew Eisner, director of community and content at Retrevo.com. "It's slow, it hangs up, it's not the friendliest environment, so I'd welcome something as slick-looking as DreamGallery."

What's a DreamGallery?

DreamGallery is a solution based on the cloud and HTML that's aimed at service providers. It lets them deliver what Motorola Mobility calls "immersive" and "personalized" TV experiences to consumers. DreamGallery has a portal server that lets service providers customize the on-screen interface to each subscriber and update it on the fly with new services, features and applications using HTML5.

Service providers can use DreamGallery's fully extensible software development kit (SDK) to develop client-side applications and customized graphical user interfaces. Users can customize a UI once for all devices regardless of the OS, Motorola Mobility claims. This lets service providers deliver a consistent user interface across connected TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets.

It's doubtful that DreamGallery will be able to run across various OSes without needing modification, "but they should be able to get close," Enderle remarked. "They'll likely need to take into account the differences in hardware to assure an optimum experience but the work will be far less than it would be were they not using HTML5."

Still, there might be quite a bit of work involved because "there are all kinds of compatibility issues," Retrevo.com's Eisner told TechNewsWorld.

DreamGallery is part of the Motorola Medios suite of software solutions launched in 2010.

Teaming Up With the Big G

With Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) purchase of Motorola Mobility now complete, the question is how or whether DreamGallery will fit into Google TV, which will run the Android OS.

It's likely that DreamGallery will be merged into Google TV "within the next 24 months," Enderle speculated. However, he's not convinced that would be a good idea because of the "lack of success" for Google TV.

It's not clear whether Google will then restrict DreamGallery to TVs running Android. Google did not respond to our request for comment for this story.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This?

Offering new technology is one thing; getting it accepted by the market is quite another. "I think [DreamGallery]'s interesting, but I'm skeptical about how soon or how widely it will be accepted by carriers," Retrevo.com's Eisner observed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

In fact, Motorola first showcased DreamGallery in November at the 2011 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo.

DreamGallery's success will "depend on both adoption and how badly the cable providers break it," Enderle said. Cable companies "are very slow with new technology and tend to break it, so I wouldn't hold my breath for this to show up within 12 months, or for it to initially look as good as it could."

Some cable providers in Europe are already using DreamGallery, Motorola said. Another user is Canada's Shaw Communications, which began using DreamGallery last year. Shaw used Motorola's DCX320 set-top box for services using DreamGallery.

Motorola Mobility did not respond to our request for further details.