• iPad 2 Runs WebOS Twice as fast as HP TouchPad

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPad, News 1 Response

    Hewlett-Packard engineers hacked iPad 2 to install webOS only to find out Apple’s hardware runs their mobile operating system more than twice as fast compared to their own TouchPad hardware, according to The Next Web:

    The hardware reportedly stopped the team from innovating beyond certain points because it was slow and imposed constraints, which was highlighted when webOS was loaded on to Apple’s iPad device and found to run the platform significantly faster than the device for which it was originally developed.

    It should be pointed out that webOS  runs on single core Qualcomm ARM chips while iPad 2 runs on dual core Samsung silicon.

    With a focus on web technologies, webOS could be deployed in the iPad’s Mobile Safari browser as a web-app; this produced similar results, with it running many times faster in the browser than it did on the TouchPad.

    TNW also details how the news went down within HP.

    Almost everyone at HP found out about the death of the TouchPad and Pre hardware as the public did, in the press release. Only the top executives knew anything about this decision and even senior staff as high as Ari Jaaksi, the Vice President of webOS software, didn’t know about the shuttering of hardware before it happened.

    After the press release came out, there was a company wide meeting filled with a bunch of ‘corporate speak’, in which staff were told that they were going to be in limbo for 3-4 weeks.

  • LinkedIn Launches Updated iPhone & Android Apps, New HTML 5 Mobile Site

    // Gradly // Android, blog, Download, iPhone, Mobile, News, Social Networks 1 Response

    LinkedIn has announced a new HTML 5 optimized page for mobile browsers and updated iPhone and Android apps with 2-10X speed increases.

    For the first time, we’ll be providing that experience not only in our iPhone and Android applications, but also in a brand new HTML5 experience for use in any modern mobile web browser.

    • Faster

    The new mobile apps are between two and ten times faster across all features, ranging from search to reading update stream.

    • Simpler

    The App completely re-organized around 4 key areas:

    • Updates: View updates from your network and top news from LinkedIn Today
    • Inbox: You can view your invitations and messages in one place
    • You: Access your profile, connections, share updates, and even more in the future
    • Groups & More: Browse and interact with your groups, as well as build your network through our People You May Know feature

    This not only makes it easier for members to accomplish tasks easily, but also makes it more intuitive to find what they are looking for when they download the app for the first time.

    • Better

    The other big change that we’ve implemented based on user feedback is that the mobile app experience now starts with the Update stream, one of the most frequently used areas of the current mobile app. We want to help our members be great at what they do and one way to do that is to help them stay up-to-date on news and information from their network, company, and industry that they can glean from their updates stream.

  • Google to Acquire Motorola for $12.5 Billion

    // Gradly // Acquisition, blog, google, Mobile, News No Responses

    Google and Motorola Mobility have just announced an agreement whereby Google will acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion (or $40 per share).

    The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

    Full press release below:

    Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility

    Combination will Supercharge Android, Enhance Competition, and Offer Wonderful User Experiences

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

    “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

    The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

    Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

    Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”

    Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”

    The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

  • Cupertino Reveals Details of Apple’s Futuristic Spaceship Campus

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Design, Featured, News, Rants & Raves, Tech. No Responses

    Cupertino city has released full details and plans fro Apple’s 20,000 plus person Spaceship that was announced by Steve Jobs on June 7th, days after WWDC.

    Jobs called the new building “a spaceship” and said Apple will use its experience in building retail store masterpieces to construct this “architectural landmark”.  Parking underneath, the building would perhaps be used for events like the WWDC – Jobs mentioned that it would have a large auditorium and a single cafeteria [below] that could seat 3,000 at a time.


    The plan was greenlit in a statement by Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong that states “there is no chance we are saying no” to the new Apple campus

    You can check the whole plans here: