Top Android news of the week: Microsoft, Samsung Android profits, windows
Samsung warns of steep profit decline
The biggest company in the Android space is Samsung, and this week the company warned of a steep decline in profits for the third quarter of 2014. The company estimates it will report a profit of $3.8 billion when it gives final numbers, and while that's not bad it's a whopping 60 percent decline from last year.
Samsung feels the surge in the low-end market was a big reason behind the hit. The new iPhones maybe had something to do with it, too.
Source: Android Central
Multi-window support coming to Android?
Google has been working on multi-window support for Android, according to information that surfaced this week. Materials uncovered by Android Police show Google has been working on getting two apps to display at once since last year.
While this work appears to be advanced, Google has never claimed it is working on this or if it will ever become part of Android.
Source: Android Police
HP 10 Plus appears for $280
The big news about HP splitting up the company overshadowed the appearance of a new 10-inch Android tablet this week. The HP 10 Plus is nothing out of the ordinary, with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution on the 10.1-inch display.
It features an ARM quad-core processor, and 2GB of system memory. There is 16GB of storage and a 5MP camera on the HP 10 Plus.
Source: MaximumPC
Samsung pays Microsoft $1B in royalties for Android
Samsung's profit may be plummeting but Microsoft is doing OK, as the Korean company paid a billion dollars to Microsoft in 2013. This was royalty on Android devices based on an agreement between the two companies to license patents to Samsung.
The payment was disclosed through legal documents filed in a lawsuit brought by Microsoft over interest on payments not paid by Samsung. Samsung is claiming that by buying Nokia, Microsoft violated the terms of the patent agreement.
Source: CNET
New Yoga tablets from Lenovo
Lenovo held a big launch event in London this week where it unveiled new tablets. The tablets continue its Yoga line, with the wedge kickstand and long battery life. Most of the new tablets will be available with either Windows 8.1 or Android.
The most unique new tablet is the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro with an integrated pico projector. This tiny gizmo can shoot the content displayed on the tablet screen to a flat surface, blowing it up to 50 inches. Sounds like it could be a presenter's dream tablet. Or perhaps it's included to allow owners to watch Lenovo "employee" Ashton Kutcher on TV.
Source: ZDNet