Weekend Wrap-Up: Android TV Unveiled; Apple Discounts iPod touch Models
Happy Sunday, ladies and gents! Thanks for stopping by for the latest edition of our Weekend Wrap-Up, where we get you all caught up on the biggest tech stories from the past week. Fittingly, the biggest stories of the week came from some of the biggest companies in the industry: Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Let’s dive in.
Android TV Unveiled
Will Google’s second attempt at TV integration go better than the first? The company has apparently done away with Google TV, opting to go with a new platform called Android TV for round two. Android TV (which is based on, you guessed it, Android) was revealed at Google’s I/O conference and will show up on TVs from Sharp, Sony and Phillips next year. We didn’t hear much about set-top boxes, but if Google plans to compete with the various game consoles out there, we’ll almost certainly see Android TV on standalone boxes in the future.
Apple Discounts iPod touch Models
With the amount of success Apple has been having with its iPhone and iPad lines, it’s easy to forget what really jump started the Apple device revolution: the iPod. The latest model of the iPod, the iPod touch, is still very much on sale, even if many buyers are passing on them in favor of the iPhone. It appears Apple wants to kick start sales, lowering prices by as much as $100 on some models and adding a rear-facing camera for those would-be photographers out there. Will this entice some folks to buy an iPod touch even if they own an iPhone? We shall see.
Nokia X2 is Microsoft’s First Android Phone
The above headline is no mistake. Microsoft owns Nokia, and Nokia, which has been putting out Windows Phone devices for a few years, just started selling an Android phone. It’s actually Nokia’s second Android phone after the Nokia X. But the release of the X2 is super interesting in that Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia is now complete, yet the Redmond giant still decided to go ahead and sell the product. You won’t find the Nokia X2 in the United States — “emerging markets” only — but never say never, especially if Windows Phone fails to catch on with any significance.
FAA Drone Rules Effectively Kill Amazon Prime Air
We’ve been fascinated with Amazon Prime Air ever since we saw its 60 Minutes special. Unfortunately, the futuristic delivery option won’t be an option anytime soon thanks to the FAA, which published a set of drone rules that forbids the use of the unmanned aircraft for any type of commercial use. Since Amazon’s Prime Air would be used to deliver purchased goods, it certainly falls under that category, as would any automated delivery service from UPS, FedEx, or the USPS. There’s always the chance that the FAA could revise the rules in the future, but until then, Amazon Prime Air is grounded.