Hardware Manufacturers

Google PowerMeter is one of many Google side projects that don't often get a lot of attention, but PowerMeter is slowly growing to become a bit more than just a hobby for the search giant. Today, Google announced that it has partnered with Current Cost, the largest global supplier of real-time displays for monitoring energy use. Starting today, Current Cost will allow its users in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand to send data about their power consumption directly to Google PowerMeter.

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In the U.K., Google and Current Cost have also teamed up with E.ON, the country's largest utility company, to supply E.ON customers with free "Energy Fit" starter packs that include a free energy monitor. PowerMeter is part of Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm.

Tools like Current Cost's devices allow consumers to monitor how much energy they use in real-time. PowerMeter can get this data directly from utilities that use Internet-connected smart meters and from partners like Current Cost that develop hardware devices that can monitor any house's energy use.

More than Just a Side Project

Until now, PowerMeter mostly looked like a side-project for Google, but the inclusion of Current Cost in its partner ecosystem makes it clear that Google is indeed taking this market seriously. Currently, however, only small number of utilities have partnered directly with Google. The company has also signed up a number of hardware developers that offer real-time energy monitoring, including The Energy Detective and AlertMe.

Earlier this year, Google also launched an API for PowerMeter that allows hardware manufacturers to create appliances that include PowerMeter as a built-in feature. Current Cost is using the API to send its data to Google.

Google has long been highly interested in energy projects and even made a number of investments in alternative energy companies recently. With Hohm, Microsoft has also launched a similar initiative, though Microsoft's emphasis is more on giving users tips to save energy and less on real-time monitoring.

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HTC Sues Apple For Patent Infringement —

HTC Corporation has taken legal action against Apple Inc., filing a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to halt the sale and importation of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States. This is coming on the heels of Microsoft going after most of the mobile industry by going after Android OS. Of course, HTC is protected through a deal which pays Microsoft royalties for using Android. Wrap your head around that one. The announcement from HTC reads very similar to the one issued by Microsoft just a short while ago:

As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of North America, HTC Corporation. “We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones.”

We also have to remember the fact that Apple originally filed suit against HTC earlier this month, alleging infringement on some 20 patents. HTC may get some support in that suit from Microsoft because of their close ties, though. Nokia has also filed a similar suit against Apple, siting that Apple has violated 10 of its patents.

It seems like these companies have had some pent up frustrations over the years. Its nothing new that these mobile technologies share similar features, but it’s not clear exactly what is causing this recent burst of hostility and legal action. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as lawsuits in the mobile arena go. The connections between hardware manufacturers, software developers, carriers, and other players are pretty confusing to say the least and it seems that something has disturbed the fragile ecosystem.

As for HTC, the young company say its committed to innovation. The currently offer 12 different handsets among carriers in the United States and plan to continue expanding and diversifying their portfolio. No one can deny that HTC is a major player in the game and makes some of the hottest devices out there. We can only hope that they don’t take any major damage from going at it with the likes of Apple.

Microsoft says Android infringes on its patents, licenses HTC (update: talking to other Android manufacturers as well) — The lawyers up in Redmond seem to have been woken from their slumber with the sudden realization that -- oh look! -- Google's Android OS infringes on Microsoft's boatload of software patents. How specifically it does so is not identified, but Microsoft believes that elements from both the user interface and the underlying operating system are in violation of its rights. This is very much in keeping with the Windows maker's crusade to assert patent claims over Linux, which in the past has garnished it with cross-licensing deals with Amazon and Xandros, as well as a settlement from TomTom. Lawsuits are not yet being discussed here, but lest you think this is a small-time disturbance, longtime Windows Mobile / Windows Phone partner HTC has already decided to shorten its list of troubles by ponying up for a license from Microsoft that covers its Android phones -- it would be pretty insane if Microsoft sued one of its biggest and most important hardware manufacturers for patent infringement, after all. Even still, it's now an unfortunate fact that HTC is having to pay Microsoft royalties to use Google's operating system. Strange days, indeed.

Update: Microsoft deputy general counsel of intellectual property Horacio Gutierrez just sent us a statement saying that the company's been "talking to several device manufacturers to address our concerns relative to the Android mobile platform." We're taking that to mean the same as above: Microsoft isn't too interested in suing any of its Windows Mobile / Windows Phone partners, so it's trying to work out patent license deals with those companies in advance of any nastiness. It's an interesting strategy: patents forbid anyone from making, using, or selling your invention, so Redmond can protect its partners while still leaving open the possibility of a lawsuit with Google itself down the line. In fact, we'd almost say it seems like Microsoft's agreement with HTC is as much of a threat to Google as Apple's lawsuit -- Redmond's basically saying you can't sell an Android device without paying a license fee, and we'd bet those fees are real close to the Windows Phone 7 license fee. Clever, clever -- we'll see how this one plays out. Here's Horacio's full statement:

Microsoft has a decades-long record of investment in software platforms. As a result, we have built a significant patent portfolio in this field, and we have a responsibility to our customers, partners, and shareholders to ensure that competitors do not free ride on our innovations. We have also consistently taken a proactive approach to licensing to resolve IP infringement by other companies, and have been talking with several device manufacturers to address our concerns relative to the Android mobile platform.

[Thanks, Jack]

Microsoft says Android infringes on its patents, licenses HTC (update: talking to other Android manufacturers as well) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Developing Tablet to Take On iPad —

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has confirmed that his company is developing a tablet device based on the Android operating system, according to friends that spoke to the executive at a recent event in Los Angeles. The New York Times reports that Google has “been working with several hardware manufacturers,” and “hopes to make its own apps marketplace available for new slate-like devices.”

Although Google is yet to publicly confirm such a device, many signs point to its likely launch. For starters, Google has been rumored to be developing a slate device with HTC – the same company it brought Nexus One to market with – since January. Moreover, the company has already announced plans for an ebook store expected to launch within the next few months.

It’s also clear that Google has plans for Android that go way beyond phones. There’s already an Android-powered car on the way, as well as plans for what’s being called “Google TV.” While Chrome OS for netbooks is also expected by year-end (and there are rumored Chrome tablets too), an Android tablet now seems all but publicly confirmed by Google.

Are you excited about the prospects of such a device? Let us know in the comments.

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[img credit: gizmodo]

Tags: android, apple, Google, ipad, Tablet

Google Wants Your Lamp to Tell You How Much Power It's Using —

Google PowerMeter is part of a series of efforts by various large and small companies, including Green Goose and Microsoft, to launch better and smarter home energy monitoring services. Today, Google took the next step in its efforts to make PowerMeter a ubiquitous service by launching an API for PowerMeter that allows device manufacturers to create PowerMeter-compatible devices. This, according to Google, will allow hardware manufacturers to integrate "in-home/plug level energy monitoring devices with Google PowerMeter." Thanks to this, you may soon be able to check how much power your lamp or TV is currently using by simply checking the PowerMeter gadget on iGoogle.

Sponsor

It's important to note that this effort is separate from Google's work with utility companies to provide PowerMeter-compatible data to consumers. This new PowerMeter API is about providing a far more granular per-device or per-plug view of your power consumption. According to Google, the company decided to launch this API "in order to help build the ecosystem of innovative developers working towards making energy information more widely available to consumers."

How Will this Work in the Real World?

According to Google's developer guide, consumers who purchase a PowerMeter-compatible device would activate the device by surfing to the device's built-in HTML server (every PowerMeter device must have one) and configure and activate it. After linking the device to a PowerMeter account - and Google is clearly taking privacy seriously here judging from the instructions - the device will then ping Google every 10 minutes via a secure HTTPS connection to upload its data.

Google and Energy

Google has obviously been very interested in the energy business lately. Just last month, the company got regulatory approval to buy energy in bulk. Google is also using solar panels to power it's Mountain View, CA headquarters and has invested in a number of green energy projects and companies, including eSolar, a company that plans to develop numerous large solar energy projects around the world.

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Natt Gemmell on How to Compete With iPad —

Matt Gemmell:

It’s difficult to get our heads around the fact that these non-technologically-savvy users can suddenly constitute a core market for a device, yet that’s the case here. Nintendo saw it, and Apple sees it too. It’s an uncomfortable realisation since these people are so unfamiliar to people like you, as hardware manufacturers, and me as a software engineer. This discomfort leads to a kind of understandable blindness, and more importantly can make us leave money on the table. The relative sales and demand figures for Wii vs PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 over the last several Christmases are indicative of that.