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Google acquires HTC Pixel team and gets some IPs too. HTC lives on.
So it happens that Google is not exactly buying HTC. They are buying some members of the HTC team that have worked on Pixel smartphones. Apparently, Google is convinced that they did an excellent job and can deliver on the next generation of Pixel devices.
Google acquires HTC Pixel team, not HTC as a whole.
Breakdown Of The Google-HTC Deal
The deal also gives Google access to HTC IP through Non-Exclusive Licensing Agreement. The deal should be completed by 2018 after regulatory approvals have been granted. An excerpt from HTC’s official statement:
Google and HTC Corporation today announced a definitive agreement under which certain HTC employees – many of whom are already working with Google to develop Pixel smartphones – will join Google. HTC will receive US$1.1 billion in cash from Google as part of the transaction. Separately, Google will receive a non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property (IP).
It looks like everybody wins in this. HTC gets $1.1billion, which should boost their chances of getting out of the red, Google gets a hardware team, HTC fans don’t get to cry over the death of their favourite brand, and Pixel fans can expect more of that good stuff they’ve been swearing by since the first Pixel smartphone hit the market. Hurray!
If you are able to decipher complicated press announcements, do head over to the Source . God knows I needed help to fully understand what it says.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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You probably never thought you would ever see a feature phone with 4G LTE and VoLTE. It exists – in India. Reliance, the mobile network operator that has been disrupting mobile data in the country, has introduced a 4G feature phone. The Reliance Jio Phone features an alphanumeric keypad and a 4-way navigation button.
No; this is different from what Nigeria’s Ntel did with the Nova phone – an Android smartphone in a feature phone’s body. The Jio phone is a proper feature phone, yet offers the most advanced LTE technology.
The Jio phone runs KaiOS , a mobile platform forked from the now defunct Firefox OS , and has Reliance Jio’s apps, including the JioCinema app for watching movies, preloaded on it. The mobile phone has support for voice commands, payments via NFC, as well as the ability to cast media.
It sounds like such a package, especially considering that we are talking about a feature phone. The Jio Phone is an example of how feature phones are evolving .
- Reliance Jio Phone Features, Specs and Price Network and Software Design Hardware Camera Multimedia Connectivity Miscellaneous
Reliance Jio Phone Features, Specs and Price
Network and Software
- GSM : No
- 3G : No
- 4G : LTE + 4G VoLTE support
- SIM Type : Single Nano-SIM
- OS : KaiOS
Design
- Dimensions :
- Weight : g
- Display : 2.4 inches, 240 x 320 pixels (166 ppi)
- Sensors:
- Build : Plastic
- Colours : White. Black.
Hardware
- Processor Type : Dual-Core 1.2 GHz
- Processor Name : Spreadtrum 9820A/QC8905
- Graphics Processor : ARM Mali-400 MP2
- RAM : 512 MB
- Internal Storage : 4 GB
- External Storage : Dedicated Micro-SD card up to 128 GB
Camera
- Rear : 2 megapixels
- Video recording : Yes
- Front-facing : 0.3 megapixels
Multimedia
- Music Support : mp3, aac, aac+, eaac+, amr
- Loudspeaker : Mono
- Video Support : mpeg4, h.263, h.264
- Wireless FM Radio :Yes
Connectivity
- Bluetooth : v4.0
- WiFi : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Hotspot
- GPS : Yes
- USB : microUSB v2.0. NFC
Miscellaneous
- Charging : Regular
- Battery : Li-Polymer 2000 mAh
- Announcement : July 2015
- Availability : September 2017
- Phone Price : Rs 1500 (about $25)
