Samsung, Dell and 9 other Android device makers will pre-install Microsoft’s apps

Microsoft is about about to be on a lot of devices soon. The company has just announced that 11 different Android device makers have agreed to preinstall various Microsoft apps and servers on their phones and tablets.

Notable parties on the list include Samsung (whose participation will be limited to their range of tablets) and Dell. The other 9 guys are either regional manufacturers who make devices to be sold in their country, or original device manufacturers who make devices for others to rebrand and sell. Here’s the full list:

• Global OEM Samsung


• Global OEM Dell


• OEM TrekStor of Germany


• OEM JP Sa Couto of Portugal


• OEM Datamatic of Italy


• OEM DEXP of Russia


• OEM Hipstreet of Canada


• OEM QMobile of Pakistan


• OEM Tecno of Africa


• OEM Casper of Turkey


• ODM Pegatron

The list of apps isn’t huge — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype, is all — though we aren’t yet sure if they can be fully uninstalled by the user. We’ll be looking to find out from the horse’s mouth soon enough, but let us know how you feel about these deals straight ahead.

[via Microsoft]

Motorola sending out invites to super secret “Moto Makers” fan club [UPDATE]

Motorola is a company that values their users greatly. In the past they’ve run contests to allow fans to design watch faces, and in their phones they give customers a ton of choices for personalization. As a result they’ve slowly grown a dedicated group of Motorola fans. Now Motorola is looking to reward these fans for their loyalty.

Motorola is sending out invites to a program called “Moto Makers.” This is a group for fans and supporters of Motorola products. People who get invited to become a Moto Maker will get invited to behind-the-scenes Google Hangouts, get to test and review products early, and the opportunity to attend Motorola events. It’s a lot like the HTC Elevate program.

All you have to do to be a Moto Maker is help spread the word about Motorola products. If you’re already doing that there is a chance you may get an email like the one above. Right now that appears to be the only way to become a Moto Maker. Motorola hasn’t officially announced this yet, but they already have a Google+, Twitter, and Facebook page. Hopefully we’ll hear more soon.

UPDATE: The website is live now.