Google SVP and Android head Sundar Pichai has made some interesting comments at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. He did go on record to clarify that contrary to popular belief Google did not bid $10 billion for WhatsApp, in fact it wasn’t interested in acquiring it at all. He also addressed Nexus 6 rumors, though with a ten foot pole, assuring that “it will not be released in the first half of the year.”
Now that really doesn’t come as a surprise, if one looks back at previous Nexus smartphone launches. Even last year the Nexus 5 was launched in the second half, and we can expect the company to stick with its traditional release cycle this year as well. When asked about his thoughts on Nokia X and the highly forked Android it runs, Pichai said that its a testament to Google’s claims that Android is a free OS, despite what critics might think, “we do not lie.”
There has been discussion about the possibility of Samsung shifting its Galaxy flagship lineup to Tizen from Android in the future. Though so far no Tizen phone has been released to the public, and its highly unlikely that Samsung will take such a brazen decision with a nascent platform and put the commercial performance of its flagship at risk. He says that Samsung and Google’s relationship is “more boring” than the media plays it out to be, that tensions aren’t running high and both companies continue to work with each other, he also assures that the Galaxy S6 will be powered by Android as well.
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