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It’s been just over nine months since Google announced their intentions to acquire hardware manufacturer Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, and now it seems that the final pieces of the deal have fallen into place. According to a new report from the Associated Press, Chinese officials have finally given the Google-Motorola deal their blessing.
Chinese antitrust and competition authorities have approved Google’s deal to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion dollars, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The merger, which was announced nine months ago in August 2011, will likely close next week.
This hasn’t been the best of weeks for the Android community. First, we had the import ban on the HTC One X and the Evo 4G LTE, then came the news of a ban on Motorola devices , and finally earlier today we were left wondering if the HTC ban is spreading to other devices after the “unforeseen issue” at T-Mobile with the Amaze 4G.
If the import ban on the HTC One X and the Evo 4G LTE wasn’t already a bitter pill to swallow for HTC, it looks like they’re in a bit more trouble than earlier anticipated. TmoNews were tipped off earlier today that customers who were looking to purchase a new Amaze 4G were being told that the device is unable due to “unforeseen issues”, and the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G was being offered as an alternative.
Happy Saturday, everyone. If you’re curious about what made news in the tech world this week, you’ve come to the right place.
A few days back, Brandon Miniman posted a short tribute to the thick phones of yore , and it got me thinking. While I appreciate thin devices and marvel with the rest of you every time an OEM manages to shave a few more millimeters off a casing design, I don’t have much nostalgia for the brick-like smartphones of days past.
Hot off the heels of the One X and EVO 4G LTE spending some prolonged time at customs , now another member of HTC’s sensational family appears to be feeling the rigorous effects of the ITC. According to a recent email acquired by TmoNews , it looks as if the Magenta carrier is delaying shipments of the HTC Amaze 4G in the US, saying it’s facing “an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer,” and that it doesn’t know when the handset will be up for grabs again.
Even with manufacturer “skins”, Android tablet home screens haven’t been much more useful than those on Android smartphones, even though the slates have larger displays. One third-party software developer wants to change that and it’s using Kickstarter to fund the effort.
As if the recent news regarding Motorola’s struggles with the enforcement of software patents wasn’t upsetting enough, there’s now some further info concerning HTC and its own problems with import bans, and it doesn’t sound good. Earlier this week, we learned that the One X and EVO 4G LTE were having their State-side arrival held up by the enforcement of rulings concerning software features of the handsets.