Android case documents reveal how Google favoured Motorola and Verizon
Internal Google documents released in a lawsuit being brought by Oracleindicate that the search giant aimed to give preferential access to new versions of its Android mobile software to handset maker Motorola and US carrier Verizon. Documents made available in the case, in which Oracle is claiming that Android infringes its copyrights relating to Java software, show that Google engineers were also encouraged to keep development of the code for Android - which Andy Rubin, its chief, has repeatedly described as "open" - a secret until it was complete. "Do not develop in the open", the memo from an internal presentation warns.
mobilenews

Three leading NFC mobile marketing firms form global alliance
Today, three NFC (near field communication) specialists are announcing a global alliance to help promote the use of the technology as a viable mobile marketing tool. The firms involved in the NFC World Alliance each represent a different geographic region, and include Blue Bite (America’s region), Proxama (EMEA) and Tapit (Asia-Pacific). All three already have experience in running successful NFC-based campaigns that have helped connect brands to their audiences on a large scale.
Techcrunch

iCloud Communications drops lawsuit against Apple, decides to change name instead
iCloud Communications seemed mighty confident back in June, when it filed a lawsuit against Apple over the name of Cupertino's online storage service. But the Arizona-based company has now dropped the suit altogether, opting to change its own name, instead. On Thursday, the VoIP provider filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with a US District Court, effectively bringing an end to litigation. CNET is also reporting that the company appears to have changed its name to Clear Digital Communications - a firm that, according to its Facebook page, is located at iCloud's exact same Phoenix address. A wall post from last month, moreover, reads, "iCloud is now Clear Digital Communications," while iCloud's site, Geticloud.com, now displays a message confirming that "this website is coming soon." Neither Apple nor the ostensibly erstwhile iCloud have commented on the development, but it certainly looks like the clouds of controversy have cleared away.
engadget

Euronews: French LTE Auction Good to Go
The French Long Term Evolution (LTE) spectrum auction can go ahead for now since the country's administrative court rejected Iliad's petition to stop the process, reports Reuters. The auction is scheduled to begin on Sept. 15. (See Euronews: French 4G Auction Rules Under Fire and Governments Squeeze Operators for LTE Spectrum .) France Telecom said it "seized a window of opportunity in the dollar bond market to continue to extend the maturity of its debt" by selling US$2 billion in notes (in two $1 billion tranches) at what are considered to be attractive, long-term rates.
Light Reading

Opera promises cross-platform apps for Smart TVs, gives us little to complain about
Opera has some guts going up against the likes of Samsung in the emerging realm of Smart TV apps. Then again, its new storefront brings something different to the table: namely a dashboard that strictly adheres to HTML5 and other web standards so that apps can work across any platform. Content providers like Vimeo and DriveCast have already signed up and TV manufacturers shouldn't be far behind - not least because the underlying browser engine is claimed to run smoothly even on crappier cheaper processors. Opera has even released an emulator to make life easy for smaller app developers who, for one reason or another, can't afford a whole testbed of TVs. Opera still has a way to go, but pleasing everyone all the time is surely a smart strategy for any underdog.
engadget

Orange / Deezer strike mobile music streaming deal
When it comes to music subscription services, Spotify isn't the only game in town - but you knew that already. Here in the States we've got Rhapsody and Rdio to name but a couple, and in Europe, Deezer has been making a bit of a name for itself over the past few years. The French service will likely be expanding its reach in the UK, thanks to a deal struck with Orange. Deezer is now available as part of the carrier's Panther plan - Orange customers on other plans will have to pay £9.99 a month to get their stream on.
engadget

Motorola and Verizon announce the Droid Bionic
Radio silence about the device from Verizon led the tech world to assume something went wrong, and we began to question whether or not it was coming out at all. Then, about two months ago, details began to surface for the Droid Bionic again. Only now, the phone appeared to have completely different internal hardware. Confusion grew as the weeks passed, when Verizon began to show confusing commercials on TV with some stunningly beautiful samurai of some kind battling robots for a brief moment, and then cutting to the Droid Bionic splash. Well, the confusion is now over, and the phone is finally here. So, let’s meet this Droid Bionic.
geek.com

New Wi-Fi standard drastically cuts authentication delays
CSR today announced that it has worked with Root of Japan to develop a version of its UniFi CSR6026 Wi-Fi platform to power the world's first public demonstration of the next-generation IEEE 802.11ai Wi-Fi standard. CSR is an active member of the Task Group developing the IEEE 802.11ai Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) standard with CSR's Standards Architect, Tom Siep, serving as the Task Group's technical editor. CSR has worked closely with Root, which chairs the Task Group, on developing the standard and updating the firmware and software of the CSR6026 Wi-Fi to implement the new protocol for this demonstration.
Cellular-news

Nvidia: Quad-core processors in tablets before Christmas
Whilst announcing its results for the last quarter, Nvidia has announced that its next generation of high-end chips - with quad-core goodness - are set to arrive in devices very soon. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in the financial report that: “devices using its quad-core mobile chip should be available in time for the holiday season.” That translates to around Christmas. Nvidia had it’s multi-core future leaked earlier this year, with a roadmap detailing the then-codenamed Kal-El chip, capable of extreme HD” and apparently approaching five times the speed of the current Tegra 2 chip.
recombu

China renews Google's licence to operate local website
The Chinese government has renewed Google's licence to continue operating its local website in the country. China regulates content on the internet through licensing and oversight of internet companies. Last year Google started redirecting Chinese users to its Hong Kong website, citing concerns over censorship and hacking. The search giant has since been losing market share in the biggest internet market in the world. Regulators renewed Google's licence for another year.
BBC Tech