British manufacturer Pace confirmed on Monday that it's opened discussions with Google over the potential purchase of Motorola's set-top box unit.
It was previously reported earlier that the search giant is ready to offload the Motorola Home arm of the company, acquired alongside the mobile business in the multi-billion dollar buyout last year.
The apparent willingness to sell may be seen as a sign that Google is preparing to jettison its largely disastrous Google TV experiment, or simply rely on companies other than Moto to build the boxes.
However, one man's trash is another man's treasure and Pace is currently attempting to strengthen its presence in the States, where Motorola has a great relationship with cable companies.
No deal yet
Pace admitted that it has entered talks with Google over a potential $2 billion (UK£1.2 billion, AU$1.9 billion) purchase, although claimed a deal is far from complete.
In a statement, the Yorkshire-based company said: "Discussions with Google are currently at a preliminary stage and there is no certainty as to whether any agreement regarding any transaction will be reached."
Following the news, trading on Pace shares has now been suspended. As the company is smaller than the profit-making Motorola Home unit, the buyout would be seen as a reverse takeover under U.K. law.
The Guardian is reporting that at least two other companies - Arris Group and Technicolor SA - are also preparing rival bids.
The Android app verification service that Google rolled out along with Android 4.2: Jelly Bean detects a minuscule amount of malware, at least according to one researcher.
With a low detection rate of 15.32 percent, North Carolina State University computer science professor Xuxian Jiang refers to the Android scanner as "still nascent."
"Overall, among these 1,260 samples, 193 of them can be detected," Jiang wrote in his research report. "There exists room for improvement."
Jiang noted that while the new verification service doesn't have a solid detection rate, it does include side-loaded apps like ones from the Amazon Appstore for the first time.
Third-party scanners still first-rate
Google's initiative to include a malware scanner inside Google Play did receive some praise from the researcher.
Jiang twice called it "an exciting security feature" and he went on to compliment Google for taking "measures to better protect Android users."
At the same time, though, his report raises the alarm on a false sense of complacency with the official Google virus scanner turned on by default.
"Because of the introduction of this service, people may start to wonder, 'Are third-party security apps still necessary with Android 4.2?'" wrote Jiang, quoting popular consensus.
The answer, for now, appears to be "yes."
Jiang performed a second set of tests including a comparison to 10 third-party anti-virus engines, including popular names like Avast, AVG, TrendMicro and Symantec.
"Overall, the detection rates of these representative anti-virus engines range from 51.02 percent to 100 percent while the detection rate of [Google's] new service is 20.41 percent."
A new hope
The outlook on Google's Android app verification tool is overall positive in the eyes of Jiang, despite the results of his research.
"By introducing this new app verification service in Android 4.2, Google has shown its commitment to continuously improve security on Android," he wrote in the report.
Jiang also pointed to Google's recent acquisition of VirusTotal as a sign of things to come.
"We noticed that VirusTotal (owned by Google) has not been integrated yet into this app verification service."
"From our measurement results, VirusTotal performs much better than this standalone service," he wrote. "We expect such integration in the future will be helpful."
The Android app verification service that Google rolled out along with Android 4.2: Jelly Bean detects a minuscule amount of malware, at least according to one researcher.
With a low detection rate of 15.32 percent, North Carolina State University computer science professor Xuxian Jiang refers to the Android scanner as "still nascent."
"Overall, among these 1,260 samples, 193 of them can be detected," Jiang wrote in his research report. "There exists room for improvement."
Jiang noted that while the new verification service doesn't have a solid detection rate, it does include side-loaded apps like ones from the Amazon Appstore for the first time.
Third-party scanners still first-rate
Google's initiative to include a malware scanner inside Google Play did receive some praise from the researcher.
Jiang twice called it "an exciting security feature" and he went on to compliment Google for taking "measures to better protect Android users."
At the same time, though, his report raises the alarm on a false sense of complacency with the official Google virus scanner turned on by default.
"Because of the introduction of this service, people may start to wonder, 'Are third-party security apps still necessary with Android 4.2?'" wrote Jiang, quoting popular consensus.
The answer, for now, appears to be "yes."
Jiang performed a second set of tests including a comparison to 10 third-party anti-virus engines, including popular names like Avast, AVG, TrendMicro and Symantec.
"Overall, the detection rates of these representative anti-virus engines range from 51.02 percent to 100 percent while the detection rate of [Google's] new service is 20.41 percent."
A new hope
The outlook on Google's Android app verification tool is overall positive in the eyes of Jiang, despite the results of his research.
"By introducing this new app verification service in Android 4.2, Google has shown its commitment to continuously improve security on Android," he wrote in the report.
Jiang also pointed to Google's recent acquisition of VirusTotal as a sign of things to come.
"We noticed that VirusTotal (owned by Google) has not been integrated yet into this app verification service."
"From our measurement results, VirusTotal performs much better than this standalone service," he wrote. "We expect such integration in the future will be helpful."
British manufacturer Pace confirmed on Monday that it has opened discussions with Google over the potential purchase of Motorola's set-top box unit.
It was reported earlier today that the search giant is ready to offload the Motorola Home arm of the company, acquired alongside the mobile business in the multi-billion dollar buyout last year.
The apparent willingness to sell may be seen as a sign that Google is preparing to jettison its largely disastrous Google TV experiment, or simply rely on companies other than Moto to build the boxes.
However, one man's trash is another man's treasure and Pace is currently attempting to strengthen its presence in the States, where Motorola has a great relationship with cable companies.
No deal yet
Pace admitted that it has entered talks with Google over a potential $2 billion (UK£1.2 billion, AUD $1.9 billion ) purchase, although claimed a deal is far from complete.
In a statement, the Yorkshire-based company said: "Discussions with Google are currently at a preliminary stage and there is no certainty as to whether any agreement regarding any transaction will be reached."
Following the news, trading on Pace shares has now been suspended. As the company is smaller than the profit-making Motorola Home unit, the buyout would be seen as a reverse takeover under UK law.
The Guardian is reporting that at least two other companies - Arris Group and Technicolor SA - are also preparing rival bids.
RIM is on the final push before the launch of BlackBerry 10, with the company posting its first official teaser photo of the new hardware.
The photo doesn't show much, revealing the back of a slab phone with textured material and a camera lens in the corner.
The textured material is certainly something new, looking like an almost mesh design for a comfortable grip.
It is speculated that the device in the official teaser is the frequently-leaked BlackBerry L-Series. However, leaked images of the L-Series showed a flat back without any texture, though that feature could have easily changed between the prototype and final handset models.
The long wait for BB10
The BlackBerry L-Series can't seem to keep away from cameras, with leaked images appearing across the web all last month.
RIM has been quiet on exactly which BB10 handsets will launch early next year, though it is known that there will be at least one fully-touchscreen device and another with the signature BlackBerry physical keyboard.
The L-Series is the former, while any QWERTY BB10 device still remains a mystery.
RIM has scheduled a January 30 event to mark the long-delayed BlackBerry 10 launch. The Canadian firm has its work cut out for it holding interest with these gradual teasers until then, especially with the shiny new handsets sure to be on display at CES 2013 earlier in the month.
After revealing Premium Suite features included in the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy Note 10.1 late last month, Samsung is now giving a peek at what Galaxy S3 owners can expect when their update finally arrives.
On Monday, the Samsung Tomorrow blog posted part two of its video detailing an additional seven features coming soon with its Premium Suite upgrade for the company's SIII.
The first video posted last week offered a look at half of the features coming soon to Samsung's flagship smartphone, including multi-window views, Page Buddy, Contextual Menu and Facebook Lock Ticker.
In total, the Premium Suite upgrade for the Galaxy SIII will introduce 14 major new features as well as bug fixes and other improvements.
What's coming
With part two, Samsung primarily focused on Paper Artist for spicing up images, Low Light Shot for taking pictures in dark places and Best Face, which uses content from five different shots to create a single, blink-free photo.
Accessibility options such as Easy Mode will make transitioning from a feature phone to a smartphone painless for novices, while Sound Balance allows users to favor one audio channel over another when using earphones.
Samsung made it clear that availability and timing of the Premium Suite upgrade varies by country and mobile carrier so for now, owners will have to exercise patience until their turn arrives.
Update: A spokesperson from HTC has been in touch, and told us: "As far as we know there are no plans to bring it [the HTC Butterfly] to the UK." So it's a bit of a head-scratcher. We've contacted Expansys and will update again when we hear back.
The HTC Butterfly is up for pre-order here in the UK.
Head to Expansys to put your order in now. There's no release date given though, or a price, so we could be in for a bit of a wait.
The handset was previously pegged as not coming to Europe. At least, not under its global name of the HTC Deluxe. Things get more complicated, as in the US the phone is known as the Droid DNA, while in Japan it's called the HTC J Butterfly.
Note 2 challenger
The Butterfly is quite a beast. It boasts a 5-inch, 1080p screen, with an 8-megapixel camera on the back. Inside, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor powers things, so it should give the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 a run for its money.
There's no word which version of Android it'll come with, but expect it to be Ice Cream Sandwich at the very least, if not Jelly Bean.
There's no risk if you put in your order now, as Expansys won't charge you until the handset is in stock and you confirm you still want to go ahead.
Our list of the best Android tablets in the world - regularly updated
If you're looking for a tablet and don't fancy an iPad, then Android is currently the way to go. (Don't know what an Android tablet is? Check out: what is an Android tablet?)
There are other options out there; Windows 8 tablets are incoming, the BlackBerry PlayBook is on sale and the HP TouchPad has come and gone in a flurry of £99 ($150) panic-buying. But Android Jelly Bean is currently the main OS rival to the iPad, and products using that OS are slowly making their way onto the shelves.
Read 10 Best tablet PCs in the world today
We saw the launch of Nvidia's next-generation Tegra 3 chip, which takes 2012's quad-core Android tablets to new heights. The likes of the Google Nexus 7 and Transformer Pad Infinity are beckoning in the new era, and the iPad is starting to feel the heat.
Are you wondering what the iPad rival to the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD is like? Check our hands on: iPad mini review to find out!
Some tablets have 10-inch screens, others seven, and there are big differences in battery life, processing power and onboard RAM. So while we wait for the likes of the Asus Padfone 2 and Sony Xperia Tablet S, let's see what the current best tablets are...
1. Google Nexus 7
Manufactured by Asus to Google's specifications, the Nexus 7 ushers in a new era of affordable, quality Android tablets.
Packing a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 12 core GPU, 8GB and 16GB internal storage and 7-inch 1280 x 800 screen, the Nexus 7 certainly has the skills to pay the bills, but at a highly attractive price point.
Laughing in the face of its closest rival, the Amazon Kindle Fire, it looks like Google has got the budget end of the tablet market all wrapped up. Until the Kindle Fire 2 and iPad Mini come to the fore, at least.
It's now been shoved up in capacity without a jump in price; this means you can get 16GB of storage for £159 and £199 for the full 32GB version - plus we're getting a 3G version too.
Quick verdict
A quad-core processor, beefy GPU and the first device to run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and now it's already been upgraded to Android 4.2 with raft of new fancy features. The Nexus 7 certainly packs a punch and while it may not tread a lot of new ground, the Nexus 7 is a solid performer and easily the best tablet a couple of hundred pounds can buy.
Read our full Google Nexus 7 review
Compare prices for the Google Nexus 7
2. Google Nexus 10
The 10.1 display is one of the biggest talking points on the Google Nexus 10. At 300 pixels per inch it's the highest resolution tablet display on the planet - take that, Apple and your Retina displays.
It's a great performer too. Other than taking a while to process panoramic photos we never felt like it was struggling to keep up. It's fast and smooth whatever you throw at it.
Sure it may not be as stunning to look at, or as well built as an iPad, and the lack of expandable memory will irk some, but overall the Nexus 10 gives you a quality, big-screen Android experience which is not to be sniffed at.
On top of that, the tablet has already been updated to Android 4.2.1, which brings back the month of December in some calendar apps (well done, Google) and adds support for some security issues too, showing this is the tablet to buy if you want a larger screen that Google won't give up on.
Quick verdict
The Google Nexus 10 is easily one of the best Android tablets on the market and while it's not quite as fantastic value for money as the Nexus 7, it certainly gives Apple's high-priced iPad 4 a run for its money. For the price you're paying, you won't be disappointed.
Read our full Google Nexus 10 review
3. Asus Transformer Pad Infinity
If it wasn't for the higher price, the Infinity would be a real contender for the top spot. It's got everything you could want in a tablet - and a keyboard dock as standard too.
With the latest version of Android on the way, a simple interface and more ports than you can poke with a stick, the Infinity is the tablet that can handle anything you can throw at it.
Add in the Super IPS panel with a tremendous resolution, and you can see why this is a tablet to rate very highly - especially if you're fond of typing on the go but crave the simplicity of a slate too. New firmware updates in some territories have brought features like Wi-Fi Direct to the Infinity, and Android 4.2 will be landing soon too.
Quick verdict
Everything we'd look for in a high-end tablet is present and accounted for with the Transformer Pad Infinity.
While power is always welcomed, it was the improved screen that really caught our attention. Given that we use our tablet mostly for browsing the web and watching video, we couldn't help but marvel at the resolution, either. if you're looking for a top Android tablet (and have the cash to splash), then the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity should be at the top of your list.
Read our full Asus Transformer Pad Infinity review
Compare prices for the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity
4. Amazon Kindle Fire HD
What's better than a modern tablet with a quad core processor? One that costs just £159. That's right: the power of the Kindle brand has mated with an HD screen and won't charge you the earth to own it.
Coming in at 16GB and 32GB flavours, the Kindle Fire HD is sure to be a big hit, bringing the simplicity of the e-book range to the tablet arena, with dedicated space to access your movies, games, apps and music too. A recent update has added a camera app for the front-facing camera and Swype support, so there are even more (admittedly tiny) reasons to shell out.
It's a little simplistic for some, but for others it's the perfect mix of curated content and easy to use interface - and despite the price, it's got a decent build quality too.
Quick verdict
For casual tablet users or those already knee-deep in Amazon's digital media abyss, the Kindle Fire HD is a fantastic option, especially at the low entry price. It offers a simple and uncomplicated experience through and through, and is built to support the digital media it aims to sell you, with an excellent screen (for a seven-incher) and surprisingly ample speakers.
Read our full Amazon Kindle Fire HD review
Compare prices for the Amazon Kindle Fire HD
5. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
What's better than a tablet with a big screen? A tablet with a big screen, a quad core processor and the might of the S Pen... known as a stylus to me and you.
Well, not just a stylus - with many levels of pressure sensitivity and the ability easily sketch and annotate on a wide range of items, the Galaxy Note 10.1 offers so much more than your average tablet.
We're huge fans of the alternative choice here, and it even comes with a microSD slot to boot. Android 4.1 is landing at the moment, and comes with a Premium Suite update, designed to make multi-tasking and general use that much easier.
Quick verdict
Sure, it's a mite expensive, the screen quality is lower than we've seen from Samsung in the past and the build quality somewhat lower than the competition, but this is still a fabulous tablet that many workers constantly forced to use a paper and pen will love to try out.
Motorola has refreshed its webpage detailing its Android updates, with the Atrix HD the next device in the US to get the jump to Jelly Bean. It's pegged to get the update before the end of the year.
At the beginning of next year, the Electrify tablet will see Jelly Bean, along with both versions of the Xoom tablet. Which is great, considering how old the Xoom is.
In Canada, the Razr HD will get the update at the start of next year, along with the Atrix HD.
Over in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, meanwhile, the Razr i is pegged to be upgraded to Jelly Bean at the start of 2013.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the Razr HD is said to get Jelly Bean sometime this month, while the Razr M will see some bean action at the start of next year in Australia.
Android fragmentation
It's worth checking out the list if you own a Motorola device, or are thinking of buying one. Plenty of its phones and tablets are listed as staying on Ice Cream Sandwich, while some are just said to be getting the upgrade to Jelly Bean at some point, with no date given.
The fragmentation of Android updates has meant plenty of headaches for mobile users. Google now owns Motorola, which should theoretically mean Moto sees updates ahead of other device makers. But in practice, that hasn't been the case.
Motorola has refreshed its webpage detailing its Android updates, with the Atrix HD the next device in the US to get the jump to Jelly Bean. It's pegged to get the update before the end of the year.
At the beginning of next year, the Electrify tablet will see Jelly Bean, along with both versions of the Xoom tablet. Which is great, considering how old the Xoom is.
In Canada, the Razr HD will get the update at the start of next year, along with the Atrix HD.
Over in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, meanwhile, the Razr i is pegged to be upgraded to Jelly Bean at the start of 2013.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the Razr HD is said to get Jelly Bean sometime this month, while the Razr M will see some bean action at the start of next year in Australia.
Android fragmentation
It's worth checking out the list if you own a Motorola device, or are thinking of buying one. Plenty of its phones and tablets are listed as staying on Ice Cream Sandwich, while some are just said to be getting the upgrade to Jelly Bean at some point, with no date given.
The fragmentation of Android updates has meant plenty of headaches for mobile users. Google now owns Motorola, which should theoretically mean Moto sees updates ahead of other device makers. But in practice, that hasn't been the case.
