Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) may be proving Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) right after all? Is everything copasetic with the Samsung Galaxy S4 that runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean? Is it really true that the Moto X will truly have a stock Android "Google Edition" device? We address each of these three questions below in a Monday afternoon update of news about Google.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG): Update Cripples This Feature on Flagship Galaxy Device
Our first update takes us to SidhTech, where Edward Moyles addresses an issue that was affecting the flagship Android-based handset, the Samsung Galaxy S4 that runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. Moyles reports that a recent Jelly Bean update actually cripples the use of a microSD card on the Galaxy S4.
This seems to be especially true with the Google Edition of the device – the version that is running pure Android – in that there are reports that users of the handset are given an error message when they try to upload data to an external storage device, with the handset reporting that it does not recognize the device or the phone has not gained permission to access the microSD card. Users are now supposedly being warned about this defect, and are being advised to download ES File Explorer from the Google Play Store to rectify this issue.
Report: This Edition of Moto X is Not Being Worked On
Over on NDTV, Ketan Pratap reports that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), which just released the Moto X smartphone under its Motorola Mobility brand, has no immediate plans to provide a "Google Edition" of the handset to offer stock Android to users. On a recent Twit.tv program, host Leo Laporte said that Motorola rep Guy Kawasaki answered the question about a pure-Android Moto D, saying that there are no plans to offer a different edition than what is currently being offered. So could this also mean that the Moto X won't have an upgraded version of Android when 5.0 Key Lime Pie comes out? Time will only tell. The Moto X has a 4.7-inch display and runs on a dual-core, 1.7 GHz Snapdragon processor.
Google Admits: Privacy is Not for Gmail!
John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog commented on the latest revelation from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in a court brief, when the tech giant actually admitted that privacy is not a consideration when it comes to sending e-mail messages to or from a Gmail account. the brief was written in response to a class-action lawsuit in which Google was being sued for violating user privacy by reading e-mails in order to come up with targeted advertising. In the brief, Google wrote, "Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient's assistant opens the letter, people who use web-based email today cannot be surprised if their emails are processed by the recipient's (e-mail provider) in the course of delivery." Simpson, of Consumer Watchdog, said in response, "Google's brief uses a wrong-headed analogy; sending an email is like giving a letter to the Post Office," said Simpson. "I expect the Post Office to deliver the letter based on the address written on the envelope. I don't expect the mail carrier to open my letter and read it." Mhttp://www.consumerwatchdog.org/node/add/storyicrosoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been executing an ad campaign over the last few months tha has compared its Outlook e-mail client to Gmail – making claims that Gmail was not protecting user privacy, while Microsoft had claimed that Outlook protected user privacy. What do you think about Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)? Does this latest admission by CEO Larry Page (through his attorneys) bother you? If you currently use Gmail or know people who use it, does this admission affect how you use the free e-mail client? Does this affect you if you are an investor in Google, like fund managers Robert Karr or Stephen Mandel? As you consider this, take a look at the video below featuring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who reported on Google's disrespect of privacy two years ago – something that Google had denied up until its brief filed just this week. DISCLOSURE: None
