Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha said a Google music application will be part of Android 3.0 on the Motorola Xoom later this year, confirming a not-so-secret point.
Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed the existence
of a Google music service, one of the worst-kept secrets the search engine has
harbored as it seeks to extend its power in mobile computing versus Apple.
Jha, speaking with reporters at Mobile World Congress in
Barcelona Feb. 16,
said: "If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there's
a video service, there's a music service - that is, there will be a music
service."
While he provided no other specifics, Jha tipped Google's
hand to software that will work with Google's Android 3.0 "Honeycomb"
operating system, which is powering Motorola's Xoom tablet in the United States and in
Europe next month.
The 10.1-inch Xoom is powered by a 1GHz dual-core
processor and offers front and rear cameras for video chat. Honeycomb has been
redesigned to run 3D graphics, among other user interface perks.
Jha also
confirmed the Xoom would cost $799 unsubsidized from Verizon Wireless in the
United States and about $600 for a WiFi-only version later.
The revelation about Google's music service was the big
news. Rumors have swirled about this alleged rival to Apple's iTunes since last
year, when Google Android creator Andy Rubin reportedly took the lead on this
effort.
Google has neither confirmed nor denied this. However,
the company hinted at what was to come at its Google I/O conference last May,
when engineering Vice President Vic Gundotra acknowledged Google
acquired digital music specialist Simplify Media.
While Simplify Media specialized in letting users take
music residing on their desktop and streaming it to an Android phone, Google's
plans are to offer music on the cloud, akin to what Apple is set to unveil
after acquiring LaLa last year.
Jha also hinted that the Xoom will offer a video service
powered by Honeycomb. Google CEO Eric Schmidt may have tipped his hand to such
an offering Feb. 15 when he
unveiled Movie Studio, a new application people will use to patch together
still images and videos to create movies and share them online.
Meanwhile, while Verizon and Best Buy are set to sell the
Xoom in the United States, Motorola
said Feb. 17 that Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy will launch the XOOM
(3G/WiFi), and Currys and PC World will launch the Xoom WiFi in the second
quarter.
Email
Print
