Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (NYSE:MMI), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (NYSE:MMI) unit today announced a flagship Moto X smartphone with customizable colors, in an effort to revive the business after falling behind Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. The new 4.7-inch screen device is aimed at market leaders like the iPhone and the Galaxy S phones. The Moto X features “all-day” battery life, a choice of colors and materials, and an instant-start camera, the company said today at a press event in New York. The Moto X is priced starting at $199 with a two- year contract and will be available on all the major U.S. carriers by the end of August or early September. The device is the first homegrown smartphone from Motorola since Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) acquired the business last year for $12.4 billion, as the Internet giant ramps up its hardware ambitions against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and others.
Google Shuts Down India Music Service (WSJ)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has shut down its music service in India less than three years after launching it. The development comes as the U.S. tech giant has been consolidating its product and services, an initiative it began in 2011. So far this year, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has also shut down services such as the Reader that allowed people to keep tabs on their favorite websites; the Building Maker that was used for making three-dimensional building models for Google Earth and maps; and the voice app for BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), among others.
Hulu, HBO Working With Google to Add Streaming to Chromecast (BusinessWeek)
Hulu LLC, the TV streaming company owned by major media companies, and Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX)’s HBO said they’re working with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) to add their paid-subscription services to the company’s new Chromecast device. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) last month introduced Chromecast, a small $35 dongle that plugs into a TV’s HDMI input, to allow customers watch and control online videos without a remote control using Wi-Fi. It works with devices using Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android operating system as well as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone. …Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX)’s HBO is in talks with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) to add HBO Go to Chromecast, according to an e-mailed statement from the company today.
Google Leans on Motorola With Hardware Push (WSJ)
As Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) +1.86% pushes deeper into hardware, the Internet search giant is pulling Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (NYSE:MMI) closer even as it tries to assure device partners that the phone maker won’t have an unfair advantage. After spending $12.5 billion to buy Motorola last year mainly for its patents, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is forming tighter connections with the cellphone manufacturer, even debating whether it could be used to produce products like Google Glass, the company’s wearable computer. The highly anticipated Moto X smartphone unveiled Thursday, the company’s first phone to be produced under Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s guidance, shows that the process isn’t a straight line. The phone doesn’t, for instance, feature the latest version of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android operating system.
