Amazon, Apple and Verizon join the Black Friday ad wars

• Ad wars redux: What Google has finally learned from Apple

  The Galaxy Nexus "Calling all pretty faces" is an homage to Apple in more ways than one

  Android marketing has come a long way from the 2009 TV ad for Motorola's Droid that asked:

  "Should a phone be pretty?"

  Judging from the spot that debuted Thursday for the Galaxy Nexus -- the new Android smartphone manufactured by Samsung for Google -- Google's (GOOG) answer in 2011 is an emphatic "yes!"

  The ad -- like MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Nov 20, 2011 7:05 AM ET
  Posted in: Advertising, Android, Apple, Droid, Galaxy Nexus, Google, Marketing, Motorola, Samsung Group, Think Different, TV

• A $50 Motoroogle Droid?

  Google doesn't actually have to make money on its Motorola-brand smartphones

  "A year from now, would you purchase an iPhone 6 for $200 if you could get a Google-Motorola Droid 5 smartphone for $50-100 with a 2-year plan from AT&T or Verizon?"

  So begins an intriguing thought experiment conducted by the team at Trefis, the stock analysis firm that breaks down companies' stock prices based on the contributions of their major products MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Aug 16, 2011 2:54 PM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, AT&T, Droid, Google, iPhone, Larry Page, Mobile, Motorola, Motoroogle, Trefis

• Is Google buying Motorola for its 24,000 patents?

  With one $12.5B deal it gets two weapons: a manufacturing arm and a rich IP portfolio

  Google's (GOOG) announcement Monday that it has agreed to buy Motorola's recently spun off mobile devices business -- listed on NASDAQ as Motorola Mobility (MMI) -- for $12.5 billion could mean one of two things.

  Either Google really wants to get into the Android manufacturing business -- putting it into direct competition primarily  with Apple (AAPL), MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Aug 15, 2011 9:14 AM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Droid, Google, Intellectual property, iOS, Mobile, Motorola, Patents, Sanjay Jha, Xoom

• Motorola XOOMs aren't zooming off store shelves

  Doing some extrapolation, Deutsche Bank figures that XOOM sales are around 100,000 so far.

  The math isn't hard.  Look at Android Dev's latest numbers for Android sales (April 1st)...

  Duetsche Bank figures that .2% of Android devices that accessed the Android Market translates to 100,000 units.  This means that they estimate 50 million Android devices accessed the Android Market over the last two weeks.  Considering Android's run rate is about 10 million devices/month MORE

  Seth Weintraub - Apr 6, 2011 3:02 PM ET
  Posted in: Android, Apple, Deutsche Bank, Droid, Google, iPad, Motorola, Motorola Xoom

• Dooce was paid to switch to Droid

  The "Queen of the Mommy Bloggers" makes a curious revelation

  Lisa Belkin's marvelous piece in the New York Times Sunday magazine on mothers who blog is filled with juicy details about Heather Armstrong, whose dooce.com draws 100,000 daily visitors and reportedly generates ad revenue of $30,000 to $50,000 a month.

  Armstrong, who famously got fired from an L.A. start-up for nicknaming her bosses and describing their foibles online, writes under the pseudonym MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Feb 27, 2011 7:21 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, AT&T, Dooce, Droid, Google, Heather Armstrong, iPhone, Mobile, Verizon, Verizon Communications

• Secret to Android's success: Free Droid phones?

  Arguably the best Android phone available has gone to free with a two year contract.  Why?

  If you head over to Amazon from now until Nov. 22, you can pick up a Droid X phone for free if you sign up for a two year contract.  In fact all of Verizon's (VZ) Droids, including the just announced Droid Pro are free. The fact that arguably the best Android phones in the U.S. MORE

  Seth Weintraub - Nov 19, 2010 11:47 AM ET
  Posted in: Amazon, Android, Droid, Free, HTC, Motorola, Sony

• Verizon readies its VCast Android App Store

  There is a lot happening next week in Android-land, but the biggest impact may come from the biggest U.S. carrier.

  Along with the Samsung Continuum and possibly a new Nexus Two, Verizon (VZ) is going to release its Android App Store next week. Or at least that's what a note says on its website:

  "Verizon Wireless will begin pushing a software update to the DROID Incredible next week. The update includes software MORE

  Seth Weintraub - Nov 4, 2010 3:14 PM ET
  Posted in: apps, Droid, VCAST, Verizon

• Androids update faster than iPhones

  Over the Air (OTA) updates, like those issued on most Android phones, bring more rapid movement to a new platform than desktop updates like Apple's iPhone utilizes.

  According to Localytics, Android phones who receive OTA updates are much more likely to update to new mobile OS's than users who must use the desktop to update.  The illustration below compares the adoption of a new OS by iPhone 3GS users who must use their MORE

  Seth Weintraub - Sep 15, 2010 7:27 AM ET
  Posted in: Droid, Froyo, iPhone, Upgrade

• Before Droid 2 released, Verizon leaks its successor?

  Mysterious Worldphone (LTE Android device?) with 1.2GHz processor set to debut in 2011.

  Verizon (VZ) is notoriously bad at keeping their handsets a secret.  For instance, its Droid 2 smartphone has been pictured all over the web for months, yet Verizon or Motorola (MOT), the manufacturer, haven't officially said anything about it.

  Is it possible that the Droid 3 is already making the rounds at the rumor sites, even before Verizon and MORE

  Seth Weintraub - Aug 7, 2010 8:24 PM ET
  Posted in: Android, Droid, Droid 2, Droid 3, EVO, HTC, Verizon