Google Updates 'Car Home for Android' App

Car Home for Android is an application that provides lots of the tools drivers want at their fingertips when behind the wheel. Google on Friday rolled out updates to the app, including new features like shortcuts, icon colors, and a background wallpaper option.

"Car Home for Android turns your Android phone into a better driving companion by providing you with quick access to key applications on the go: GPS navigation, voice-activated commands, contacts, and more," Markus Mühlbauer, Google Automotive's manager of engineering and product, said on the Google Mobile blog. "We're releasing a new version of Car Home for Android which makes it easier to customize Car Home to get the information you need faster."

The app can now be automatically launched when linked with a special dock mounted on the windshield or when it's connected with Bluetooth. You can also customize for one-touch access to certain apps and phone information via "Add shortcut," as well as select personal wallpaper settings.

The free app is available in Android Market for phones running Android 2.2.

The updated app debuts at an opportune time. This week, several studies related to the dangers of distracted driving have been released. A study released Thursday by Vlingo revealed that 35 percent of drivers are using their phones to text while driving, and a study by the Highway Loss Data Institute found that bans on texting behind the wheel aren't decreasing collisions. As more data becomes available, the need for hands-free solutions will likely increase.

Microsoft sues Motorola over patents Cecilia Kang

Microsoft sues Motorola over patents Cecilia Kang

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Microsoft said Friday that it has filed a lawsuit against Motorola for allegedly infringing on nine patents to produce Motorola's Android smartphones.

The software giant said in a news release that the patents are related "to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola's Android software smartphone devices" that helps to synchronize e-mail, calendars and contacts; schedule meetings; and show signal strength and battery power levels.
Motorola said in a statement that it hadn't received the lawsuit but added: "Motorola has a leading intellectual property portfolio, one of the strongest in the industry. The company will vigorously defend itself."
The lawsuit underscores the intense competition among software manufacturers and device makers in the rapidly growing smartphone market. More people are browsing the Web via smartphones than regular feature phones, according to a survey released Friday by ComScore. Microsoft has struggled as Google's Android software, RIM's BlackBerry and Apple's iPhone operating systems lead the market.

Microsoft's complaint was filed with the International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state. "We have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to safeguard the billions of dollars we invest each year in bringing innovative software products and services to market. Motorola needs to stop its infringement of our patented inventions in its Android smartphones," Microsoft said in a release.

Microsoft's move follows similar legal offensives over alleged smartphone patent infringements. This week, Apple sued Nokia in Britain, extending a back-and-forth legal battle between the companies on smartphone software. In March, Apple sued Taiwan-based HTC, the manufacturer of such Android phones as the HTC Hero and Google's Nexus One (which has been taken off the market), alleging that it had infringed on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.