AT&T has officially pulled out of merger plans with T-Mobile. The deal which was worth $39 Billion was set to bring T-Mobile into the AT&T umbrella. This comes after the merge was blocked by the FCC and the DOJ because they felt it would hurt the wireless industry and consumers in the long run. AT&T will owe T-Mobile $4 Billion for the failed attempt.

I’m not surprised this deal didn’t go through once federal agencies stepped it. There wasn’t much that the two wireless companies could do to prove the merge would have positive effects on the industry or the economy. This isn’t to say that T-Mobile won’t be bought out at all, It just means that it won’t be AT&T that will do it. Check out the official press release below.

Press Release:

AT&T Ends Bid To Add Network Capacity Through T-Mobile USA Purchase

Company Reaffirms Its Commitment to Mobile Broadband Leadership

Dallas, Texas, December 19, 2011

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.

The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage.  In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.

“AT&T will continue to be aggressive in leading the mobile Internet revolution,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO.  “Over the past four years we have invested more in our networks than any other U.S. company. As a result, today we deliver best-in-class mobile broadband speeds – connecting smartphones, tablets and emerging devices at a record pace – and we are well under way with our nationwide 4G LTE deployment.

“To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest,” Stephenson said. “However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things. First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the U.S. wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC.  Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation’s longer-term spectrum needs.

“The mobile Internet is a dynamic industry that can be a critical driver in restoring American economic growth and job creation, but only if companies are allowed to react quickly to customer needs and market forces,” Stephenson said.

To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011.  Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

So the DROID Razr finally gets an official release date which is 11/11/11. The commercial played during the 4th quarter of the #1 LSU Tigers vs #2 Alabama Crimson Tide College football game. This has been the rumored release date and now its official. Incase you need a refresher on the DROID RAZR it’s the thinnest 4G phone coming to market with a 4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Advance display with qHD resolution, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of ram, 32 GB of storage split with 16  GB on-board and 16 GB micro SD, 8 megapixel rear facing camera with 1080p HD video capture and a VGA front facing camera. It will support Verizon 4G LTE network and will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will be upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012. Check out our hands-on demo below.
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It was just a couple of months ago that Steve Jobs stepped down at CEO of Apple and today October 5, 2011 he has passed away at the age of 56. Steve Jobs was much more than the CEO of Apple he was one of the biggest pioneers in technology.

First and foremost, Thank You Steve! I didn’t agree with all of your ideas and philosophy on technology but you have touched my life and the life of many others with your trail blazing thoughts forward thinking mentality. You always pushed technology to  something more than just a tool but an experience that enhanced the life of people and inspired many to “think different.”

Our deepest sympathy and condolences go to your family and close ones from all of use at BWOne.com. Rest in Peace and thank you for being an influential forces in technology and the world.

Statement from Apple. Inc

Tim Cook:

Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim

Apple Board of Directors:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.

Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Steve Jobs’ family today made the following statement regarding his death:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

 

Statement from Bill Gates

Bill Gates:

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

Watch Facebook’s F8 Conference live here below for the new announcements!
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Blackberry Torch 9850 for Verizon unboxing & first impressions. Not to be left out of the party Verizon is joining Sprint in releasing the all touch screen Blackberry Torch 9850. The Torch 9580 is RIM’s latest attempt at offering an all touch screen device. RIM has a mixed history in the past with the Storm and the click screen technology which they have dropped in favor of a normal capacitive touchscreen in the Torch 9850. Check out our unboxing and first impressions below and stay tuned for our full review.

Press Release:

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 smartphone will be available online atwww.verizonwireless.comon Sept. 8, and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Sept. 15.

Watch videos, play games and stay productive on the largest display and highest resolution on a BlackBerry smartphone to date. Powered by the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system, customers can enjoy the next generation BlackBerry browser with optimized zooming, panning and HTML 5 performance. BlackBerry® Balance is now integrated, allowing secure access to business information while preventing it from being copied into, sent from or used by personal applications. Customers can stay connected to their personal and business lives while in or out of the office.

Key features:

• 3G coverage on the nation’s most reliable network
• 3.7-inch high-resolution touchscreen display (800 x 480) with trackpad navigation
• 1.2 GHz processor
• Global Ready™ – Quad band with support for UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS and EDGE allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice and data service in more than 200 countries, including more than 95 with 3G speeds
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and 720p HD video recording capabilities
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS and Bluetooth® 2.1
• 16 GB microSD™ card pre-installed, with support for up to 32 GB microSD card

BlackBerry 7:

• Liquid Graphics™ technology combines a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high-resolution display to deliver a responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.
• Premium version of Documents To Go is now included at no additional cost, offering customers enhanced document editing features, as well as a native PDF document viewer.
• The newest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry Messenger) now extends the real-time BBM experience together with a range of apps including gaming and social networking.
• Updated Social Feeds app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts and more, all in one consolidated view.
• Universal search capability now supports voice-activated search, allowing customers to simply say what they want to find on their device or the Web.
• BlackBerry Balance administrator can remotely wipe business information from the device while leaving personal information intact.

Pricing and availability:

• BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will be available for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• Customers that purchase a BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Bloomberg is reporting that the U.S. Government has filed antitrust paper today against the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. The Department of Justice has filed their today in Washington looking to prove that this deal violated U.S antitrust laws and block the deal.

With this happening it’s now very unlikely that the deal with go through with is bad for AT&T and good for T-Mobile and they will get $43 Billion from AT&T if the deal falls through.  Check the source link below for the full story.

Via: BooredAtWork

Source: Bloomberg

Apple has officially announced that Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple. Tim Cook will take his place. The iconic figurehead of Apple is retiring from being CEO of the company but he will stay on the Board of Directors as Chairman. A big change for Apple here in the middle of this war with cell phones, tablets, computers and patents. Investors have felt confident in investing in Apple because of the popularity and public figure Steve Jobs is. I wonder how they will react. His official letter of Resignation and Apple’s PR statement below.

Steve Jobs Resignation Letter:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Apple’s PR Response:

Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple

Tim Cook Named CEO and Jobs Elected Chairman of the Board

CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple’s Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, as the company’s new CEO. Jobs has been elected Chairman of the Board and Cook will join the Board, effective immediately.

"Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."
"Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company," said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board. "Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."

"The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO," added Levinson. "Tim’s 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does."

Jobs submitted his resignation to the Board today and strongly recommended that the Board implement its succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO.

As COO, Cook was previously responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Today Google has announced that they will buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion.  The deal will break down to about $40 a share. This deal came out of no where and could possibly be reaction to Microsoft and Nokia partnership announced earlier this year for tighter hardware and software integration with Android. It will also help in the patent battles that have happened all over the industry. Other OEM have chimed in and in favor of the acquisition although I’m not sure if that will put them behind in Android updates in favor of Motorola devices getting them first .

Peter Chou, CEO HTC:

“We welcome the news of today‘s acquisition, which demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem.”

 

Bert Nordberg, President & CEO, Sony Ericsson:

“I welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”

Jong-Seok Park, Ph.D, President & CEO, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company:

“We welcome Google‘s commitment to defending Android and its partners.”

J.K. Shin, President, Samsung, Mobile Communications Division:

“We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem.”

 

Full Press Release:

Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility
Combination will Supercharge Android, Enhance Competition, and Offer Wonderful User Experiences

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.
“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”
The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.
Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming

Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”
Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”
Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Webcast Information
Google and Motorola Mobility will hold a conference call with financial analysts to discuss this announcement today at 8:30am ET. The toll-free dial-in number for the call is 877-616-4476(conference ID: 92149124). The call will also be webcast live at http://investor.shareholder.com/media/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=101369&CompanyID=ABEA-3VZHGF&e=1&mediaKey=A21887C59EBAAC12F1BCF4D43C080953. The webcast version of the conference call will be available through the same link following the conference call.

About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.
Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as Google, Motorola or management of either company “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,” “forecasts,” “estimates” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe the proposed transaction, including its financial impact, and other statements of management’s beliefs, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. It is uncertain whether any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on the results of operations and financial condition of the combined companies or the price of Google or Motorola stock. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction and the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction, including the ability to secure regulatory approvals at all or in a timely manner; the ability of Google to successfully integrate Motorola’s operations, product lines and technology; the ability of Google to implement its plans, forecasts and other expectations with respect to Motorola’s business after the completion of the transaction and realize additional opportunities for growth and innovation; and the other risks and important factors contained and identified in Google’s and Motorola’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), such as their respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Neither Google nor Motorola undertakes any obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Additional Information and Where to Find It

Motorola intends to file with the SEC a proxy statement in connection with the proposed transaction with Google. The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to the stockholders of Motorola and will contain important information about the proposed transaction and related matters. SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT CAREFULLY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Motorola with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov. In addition, security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement from Motorola by contacting Investor Relations by mail at Attn: Investor Relations, 600 North U.S. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048.
Participants in the Solicitation

Motorola and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Motorola stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about Motorola’s directors and executive officers is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 15, 2011, and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed on February 18, 2011. These documents are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and by mail at Attention: Investor Relations, 600 North U.S. Highway 45, Libertyville, IL 60048, or by going to Motorola’s Investor Relations page on its corporate website at http://investors.motorola.com. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the transaction will be included in the proxy statement that Motorola intends to file with the SEC.

Quotes Via Andronica

Source: Google Blog

RIM announced today that they will be slashing about 2000 jobs within the company. They didn’t list where these cuts would come but I assume it will be a mix of low-level employees and some in the mid tier range.  Included with the layoffs will be higher level management changes as their current COO Don Morrison will retire and Thorsten Heins will replace him at COO and be responsible for products and sales. The Co-CEOS Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis will stay in the same positions they are in now.

None of this is going to help RIM out in any way.  They need to update their products to what consumers want today. I can agree there are times where you need to cut jobs to operate better but the people who should be cut are the people in charge now that put them in this mess especially the folks that created the Blackberry Touch Screen / Click Screen line of products.Those guys apparently are still around according to the open letter that was sent to them they seem to be ignoring. I’m never in favor of the lower ranks paying the price for the people who are in charge and tell them what to do. Those managers are executives made the bed of bad plans and they should be for the lie down in it and suffer the consequences.

RIM needs to drop QNX development because app devs are not going to jump onto another platform with limited hardware support. This the current state of WebOS but HP is now looking to license out the software and RIM should be first in this for this putting their popular hardware with an OS that had somewhat of a community and software developers are already on. WebOS has the enterprise and security features that RIM would need to keep up and is more scalable than their current software which is based on Java still. Check out the video I explain below about this.

I hope RIM wakes up and smells the Canadian coffee and get their act together or they are going to quickly disappear from the market and either be gone for good or be sold to another  company for very cheap.

Google has officially announced Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich at the Google I/O event.

Android 2.4 is Google’s “most ambitious” release to date. It will be able to run on phones,, convertible laptops, tablets etc. Its all about “choice.” It will also support head tracking software which they showed with an employee as it was able to track a users’ face in real time and be able to use a makeover app to create all sorts of distortions. An actual legit use is for when two people are talking at the same time and when one person starts talking the camera pans towards them and when the other person starts talking it pans the other way.  Fragment UI, holographic UI, richer widgets among many other things will be coming to the newest version of Android in Q4