David Beren

While Google may have been among a lengthy list of rumored suitors for BlackBerry, it appears its latest attempt to sell the company has failed. In fact, the collapse of the deal with Fairfax has led to the ousting of CEO Thorstein Heins and the raising $1 billion in convertible debt. So, you win some you lose some, eh?

The “new” BlackBerry will be led by John S. Chen who will be appointed Executive Chair of BlackBerry’s Board of Directors and is now responsible for the strategic direction, strategic relationships and organizational goals for BlackBerry. We wish John the very, very best of luck in this difficult climate.

“Today’s announcement represents a significant vote of confidence in BlackBerry and its future by this group of preeminent, long-term investors,” said Barbara Stymiest, Chair of BlackBerry’s Board. “The BlackBerry Board conducted a thorough review of strategic alternatives and pursued the course of action that it concluded is in the best interests of BlackBerry and its constituents, including its shareholders. This financing provides an immediate cash injection on terms favorable to BlackBerry, enhancing our substantial cash position. Some of the most important customers in the world rely on BlackBerry and we are implementing the changes necessary to strengthen the company and ensure we remain a strong and innovative partner for their needs.”

It’s an unfortunate day for the folks in Waterloo and while there was an inkling of hope that Google might scoop up the company formerly known as RIM, it appears they are now back at square one in their attempts to knock Android and iOS off their pedestals.

via BlackBerry

Oh hi there Moto G teaser page with a November 13th launch date and live announcement sign-up.

After making a brief appearance on Motorola’s website, the rumored “Mini” version of the Moto X looks set for a launch a week from this Wednesday on November 13th. Current rumors peg the upcoming device as launching with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, a 5 megapixel camera and 8GB of storage. Outside of these potential specs, we’re pretty much in the dark on Motorola’s next budget smartphone.

Will it offer all the same features as the Moto X in a smaller, less expensive package? Should we spend lots of time misinterpreting the animation on the teaser page as some secret part of the device? We’ll know the answers to these questions and many more in just 9 days.

“Ok Google, set reminder for November 13th.”

via Engadget

The HMS Ocelot, a 50-year-old British submarine has the distinct honor of being the first submersible to be offered up on Google’s street view. The Register reports the company mapped-out the control room, sleeping quarters and even some of the torpedo tubes, which are obviously out of service. There’s also a tour of the dockyard which launched the submarine and a set of 20  images of the exterior of the boat. I mean, this is a freaking submarine on Google street view, does it really get any better? Well, I suppose you might get more of a kick out of the Large Hadron Collider if you’re into that sort of thing, but for me, it’s a freaking submarine!

You can view the whole collection of images here.

Google’s low-key press announcement yesterday focused on the launch of KitKat and the Nexus 5, but didn’t offer much detail or highlight some of the hidden gems. Google has added more and more features to the Google Now assistant over the last year and with the introduction of Android 4.4, they are going even deeper with more integration. As Android head Sundar Pichai noted, Google is “bring apps and the web together.” Everyone knows what Google is best known for: search and the company is now leveraging that by beginning to look inside your apps on your Android device.

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There’s no question that with every new smartphone release, we look at the camera, the display and ultimately, the battery. As the Nexus 5 begins making its way to the masses, some new software and performance enhancements will offer a slight boost in battery life.

As GigaOM points out, the inclusion of Qualcomm’s new “envelope tracking technology” will make the Nexus 5 a more battery friendly, power-efficient smartphone. Qualcomm’s envelope tracker, dubbed the QFE1100 was first introduced to the world with the Galaxy Note 3, highlighting the Nexus 5 as the second smartphone to include the tech.
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For the last 5.5 years I sat at the helm of TmoNews.com, a site I founded with a passion and focus for all things T-Mobile. Unfortunately, circumstances happen and you try and move on and that’s exactly what I’ve done by landing at NewGeekGuide.com. I’ve long known Seth, Mark and Jordan and the rest of their team as a great bunch of tech bloggers and I know this is the kind of place that will allow me to introduce the same level of creativity, passion and joy as my previous role.

Writing about Google is a huge task and a challenge I welcome with open arms. From Chrome, to Android, Chrome OS and everything in-between I’ll tackle Google topics head-on and do so in a way that provides both news reporting as well as insight into why the story matters to you.

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When it comes to Google, we’ve come to expect the literally insane for new product launches with skydivers and Google Glass or very low key events for Google+/Chromebooks. Someone tell me then why Google launched the Nexus 5 and their next piece of software with Android 4.4 KitKat with almost no fanfare? It feels as if the KitKat announcement some months back saw more press and activity than the actual launch itself.

Yes, one could argue that Nexus device sales are limited to the geeks and die-hard Android fans. Yes, one could say that KitKat is more of an evolution than a revolution and that Google didn’t need to go all-out yesterday as the ridiculous set of device leaks created all the buzz they needed. Still, this is Google and this is a Nexus and at the very least, Google could have at least done a small event to boost awareness.

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