The folks over at iFixit showed off just how repairable Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2 smart watch is earlier this week, and today the site has shared its teardown of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 smartphone. The verdict? Smart watches are easier to repair, but so was Samsung’s Galaxy S4. For comparison, the site rated both the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy S4 with an 8 out of 10 for ease of repairability. Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone was rated at 5 out of 10 by iFixit (which is more in line with Apple’s latest smartphone as the iPhone 5s was rated at 6 out of 10 by the site)… Expand Expanding Close
Dropbox announced today that Mailbox, the popular gesture-heavy email client it bought last year, will soon be launching a desktop version of its software.
The company also announced a set of new features like Dropbox account sign in and syncing and delete automation coming soon to the iPhone and iPad versions that will debut first in a version available for Android; this marks the first time the email software will be available on another platform aside from iOS as Mailbox is available on the Google Play Store now.
Users interested in using the beta version of Mailbox for OS X, which is said to be very minimal and rely on the trackpad for gesture-based interactions, can sign up on Mailbox’s website to learn more about the upcoming beta. Expand Expanding Close
According to a new report from The Information, Google has been exploring the possibility of providing its own wireless network in cities where Fiber, its ultra high-speed broadband service, exists.
After thrusting itself into competition with U.S. cable operators, Google is inching closer to competing with wireless carriers, too.
Google executives in recent months discussed their hope to offer a full-fledged wireless service in markets where it offers Google Fiber Internet and TV service, according to two people who have discussed the matter with Google. Such an offering would mean Google customers in places like Kansas City, Mo. could get voice and Internet access through their mobile devices wherever they go.
While the report seems to be vague on specifics, it suggests that a potential Google-operated wireless provider could use WiFi access spots built on Google Fiber’s gigabit broadband and rely on another wireless provider in the area to provide service to cover the gaps. Expand Expanding Close
Intel shared some news this week about its upcoming processors and more this week at an event held in China.
As CNET reports, Intel’s senior vice president Kirk Skaugen revealed that the company’s follow up to its Chromebook-friendly Bay Trail processor is being called Braswell and will feature the usual jumps in battery efficiency and performance.
Intel also discussed optimizing Android for 64-bit:
Intel released Android KitKat 4.4 with a 64-bit kernel optimized for Intel Architecture devices. “With this release, the company ported, validated and tested the Android Open Source code on IA, taking on the work that developers typically would need to do on their own. This release will provide the ecosystem with 64-bit kernel support for development of next-generation devices,” Intel said. (The chipmaker noted that Android KitKat is a 32-bit OS.)
As Business Insider points out, Google has ranked quite well in Greenpeace’s “Clicking Clean: How Companies are Creating the Green Internet” study. Google scored an “A” in ‘renewable energy deployment & advocacy’ and a “B” in ‘energy transparency’, ‘renewable energy commitment & siting policy’, and ‘energy efficiency & mitigation’. Facebook and Apple both averaged well in the same categories, while Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter all scored poor to dismal ratings in each category. Full report card below: Expand Expanding Close
Tony Fadell, most known for his role in designing Apple’s iPod and current head of now Google-owned smart appliance company Nest, and Virgin’s founder and chairman Richard Branson have teamed up in an imaginative and rather convincing spoof video announcing a pretend partnership for a product called Total Temperature Control.
The idea is that every seat on Virgin’s airline has its own Nest smart thermostat to control the seat’s environment. It’s almost believable enough until it’s revealed that temperature options include destinations… see for yourself below.
Adding to the catalog of Chromecast-supported content, Rdio and Crackle are both adding the ability to play more content from your smartphone, tablet, or browser to your TV today.
Crackle has refreshed its Android and iOS apps with support for Chromecast streaming. The Sony-backed content provider serves up a number of movies and TV shows for free including comedian Jerry Seinfield’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” original.
Video streaming service Vudu has also added Chromecast support in the latest versions of its Android and iOS apps. The Walmart-owned service includes HD movies and TV shows with no subscription.
Rdio announcement includes support for music streaming from its Rdio app to your TV for Google Chromecast users. That means users can control music from the Android or iOS app as it plays through the TV with the Chrome HDMI streaming stick. Rdio users can also stream to Chromecast-connected TVs with Google’s Chrome web browser. Expand Expanding Close
Microsoft didn’t make dedicated apps for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but the company did make Office Mobile for Android free for all users. Previously, Office Mobile for Android required an active subscription to Office 365.
Just like Office Mobile for Windows Phone, we are making Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones free for everyone. With Office Mobile, you have the ability to view and edit your Office content on the go. Office Mobile is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Now that Microsoft has moved that requirement to its dedicated iPad apps, Android and iPhone users can now enjoy Office Mobile’s full feature set without any limitations and not subscribe to the membership.
Office Mobile for Android is available for free on the Google Play Store.
via <a href="https://twitter.com/zeynep/statuses/449194998102118400" target="_blank">Twitter</a>
Following the block of Twitter in Turkey by the nation’s prime minister earlier this month, Turkey’s telecommunications authority is now taking steps to block YouTube in the nation, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The move came just hours after a leaked recording published on YouTube purporting to show a conversation where Turkey’s foreign minister, spy chief and a top general appear to discuss scenarios which could lead to a Turkish attack against Jihadist militants in Syria.
This comes just days after Turkey requested that Google remove videos from YouTube that criticize the Turkish government. Google responded by refusing to accommodate the government of Turkey’s request.
Yesterday, a Turkish court ruled that the ban against Twitter should be lifted within 30 days while many users were already using DNS workarounds to access the service. Expand Expanding Close
My Fleksy Cloud enables Android users to sync personalization features between devices including its new language algorithm based on your writing style.
Fleksy 2.0 also introduces a new badge system for reaching achievements. The badge system offers an element of gamification to mastering the Fleksy keyboard, and achievements can unlock new themes and extend the free trial period.
Adding to the capabilities of the Chromecast HDMI streaming stick, Google is out with a new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users called Photowall that lets you turn your Chromecast-connected TV into a live, interactive photo frame.
Google’s Photowall app allows you alone or a group of Photowall users to beam not just one photo, but an entire collage of images to your TV through your Chromecast. The app includes the ability to doodle or annotate images before beaming to your big display as well.
According to a new report from Billboard, Apple is considering launching an iTunes Store app on the Android platform to combat declining music sales on the digital platform. The report also says that Apple execs are in talks with high level label executives to discuss debuting an on-demand streaming service.
Apple has opened exploratory talks with senior label executives about the possibility of launching an on-demand streaming service that would rival Spotify and Beats Music, according to three people familiar with the talks. Apple is also thinking about adding an iTunes App for Android phones, the Google rival that has been growing faster than the iPhone, these sources said.
The move to an on-demand streaming service could transform iTunes Radio from the Pandora-like radio model to the more robust on-demand model used by Spotify, Rdio, Beats Music, and others. Expand Expanding Close
Google CEO Larry Page made a somewhat rare public appearance this week speaking with CBS’s Charlie Rose at the TED ideas conference in Vancouver. During the conversation, Page expressed his ‘tremendous’ disappointment in the government using the NSA to conduct surveillance in secret and how that affects democracy. He noted the importance of having a conversation about privacy and democracy as Google tries to protect its users’ privacy as we share more and more information. (Video below) Expand Expanding Close
This week both AT&T and T-Mobile have shared their launch plans for Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, and this morning Sprint has released details for its customers as well.
Starting this morning, Sprint is taking reservations in its stores to be notified of Galaxy S5 availability on April 11th. Sprint will offer the Galaxy S5 in black or white for $0/down and 24 payments of $27 through its Sprint Easy Pay plan. This offer, in conjunction with signing up with a Sprint Framily plan, includes a 7″ Galaxy Tab 3 tablet with a 2-year contract and data plan for a limited time.
Sprint is also offering pre-orders for customers purchasing the Galaxy S5 through the traditional methods for $199 after a $50 reward card redeemed via a mail-in rebate… so $249 up front. Expand Expanding Close
Take this for what it’s worth, but Occupy Wall Street co-founder and Google software engineer (seriously) Justine Tunney would like the feds to step aside and let the tech industry take over. The outspoken activist and Googler has proposed that the feds arrange a national vote calling on all government employees to retire and give the tech industry (not sure how this is defined or if I’d be appointed press security) all administrative authority under the leadership of would-be CEO of America Eric Schmidt.
Tunney posted the petition yesterday on the White House’s official website for such proposals. However, despite some press attention from The Guardian, her petition is drawing more laughs than signatures (assuming more than two people, myself included, have snickered at the proposal) with just two signatures at the time of writing. But hey, that’s only 99,998 signatures away from the amount required to prompt an official White House response!
The petition has one month to collect 100,000 digital signatures, but I’m thinking the White House, Eric Schmidt, and maybe even the Android robot should offer their take on this regardless of how many signatures are captured. Over the past year, we’ve been building up our collection of campaign material for a possible Eric Schmidt run as CEO of America in our Talking Schmidt series, and I couldn’t think of a more entertaining way to gather more priceless insight from the Google chairman.
Read the proposal in its entirety below and sign it here if you so desire.. Expand Expanding Close
College Humor is back by popular demand with a yet another look at the far too realistic personification of the search engine in the sequal to its “If Google Was a Guy” video. Certain questions prompt a camera appearance by the ominous NSA. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Bing makes a guest appearance as a pristine but vacant office employee. The parallels drawn are undeniable. Watch it below: Expand Expanding Close
As noted by Android Police, both Google’sNexus 5 and Nexus 7 phone and tablet can now be bought on the Google Play Store in several European markets: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. Expand Expanding Close
Want to stay on the dangerously cutting edge of social software on Android? Boy, does Facebook have an offer for you.
Announced today, Facebook is opening its Messenger app to beta testers on Android and looking for feedback on its user experience. The program aims to cast a wider net on catching bugs before they ship to general public. While testers will likely have a bumpier experience than users with the general release version, there’s potential to test unreleased features that might never make the public edition.
Join the Facebook Messenger for Android Beta Testers Google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/messenger-for-android-beta-testers
Allow beta downloads by clicking “Become a Tester” in the Play Store (you need to join the Google Group before becoming a tester)
Download Facebook Messenger from the Play Store to update your app
Turn on automatic updates, as the beta version of Facebook Messenger for Android will be updated multiple times per week
Finally some wisdom from Schmidt that I can’t dispute: “If all you care about is having fun, you should go to college.”
You know, the Google chairman has a point. He did include a number of other reasons for attending college as well, but that was really just sugar coating:
If all you care about is money, you should go to college. If all you care about is culture and creativity, you should go to college. If all you care about is having fun, you should go to college. Go to college. I can’t be any clearer.
His comments were made during a session at last week’s SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival (via TechCrunch) in Austin, Texas, in yet another appearance to promote his book The New Digital Age. Expand Expanding Close
If it’s the “copper gold” Galaxy S5 you’re waiting to get your hands on in the UK, Vodafone UK will carry the gold version of Samsung’s new flagship smartphone exclusively at launch along with the other colors offered for UK wireless subscribers.
Today, Nokia announced on its Weibo account that the company has passed 1 million Nokia X phones sold in China in just four days during the preorder period ahead of the March 25th launch. So what exactly are 1 million people in China committing their money toward? Expand Expanding Close
Samsung showed off its new flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress just two weeks ago, and today the Korean firm is announcing availability details for the Galaxy S5… in the UK. While pricing has yet to be officially announced, Samsung is allowing its customers in the UK to preorder on Friday, March 28th, through Samsung’s web store, selected retailers, and the Stratford Westfield Experience Store. Samsung also notes that the Galaxy S5 will roll out globally on April 11th. Earlier this week, Samsung shared a detailed video promoting its new smartphone. For all the details, read on for the official press release…
In an extensive interview withRolling Stone, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen shared that it’s possible he will make the incredibly challenging iOS and Android game available for users again… but with a disclaimer.
As for the future of his flapper, he’s still turning down offers to purchase the game. Nguyen refuses to compromise his independence. But will Flappy Bird ever fly again? “I’m considering it,” Nguyen says. He’s not working on a new version, but if he ever releases one it will come with a “warning,” he says: “Please take a break.” Expand Expanding Close
