A large chunk of the world’s population has a great fear of data-mining, however the paranoia of being spied on could be costing people their lives, according to Google’s co-founder Larry Page. The Mountain View executive recently addressed concerns about the way that Google handles sensitive information and Page made the argument that there are some benefits to data-mining.
Attendees at Google I/O are busy pawing smartwatches made by LG, Motorola and Samsung, but obviously there are other companies ready to jump on the Android Wear bandwagon. One of the firms currently drafting up a plan is Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asus, which will release a smartwatch sometime this fall, according to TechCrunch. Powered by Android Wear, the high-tech timepiece will reportedly feature an AMOLED display and ship with a price tag between $100 and $150.
YouTube may be in the process of starting its own music service, however the Google-owned company will soon be making the jump to radio as well. Yep, you read that correctly. Earlier today, Mountain View’s video streaming platform announced that it has made a deal with SiriusXM that will bring tracks from some of its featured up-and-coming recording artist to a weekly show aptly named YouTube 15.
Google is developing new ways to connect your mobile devices to its Chromecast and one of these alternative methods will be through ultrasonic sounds. The company recently announced support for off-network casting during its I/O developer conference in San Francisco and Chromecast engineering manager John Affaki said during a presentation that Google was looking to refine the platform’s social experience.
Continuing Mountain View’s push for Chromebooks in classrooms, Google Play for Education is now available for the company’s low-cost laptops. This software hub helps teachers tailor their curriculum to fit the needs of their class by providing them with tools and materials based on students’ needs and interests. The program first started with tablets and Google says that teachers later requested support for Chromebooks.
Yesterday during I/O’s opening keynote, Google announced that it’s bringing several Android apps to Chrome OS later this fall. In a demonstration of what can be expected, Android frontman Sundar Pichai did a walkthrough of Evernote, Vine and Flipboard running on a Chromebook. This new move falls in line with Google’s new Material Design initiative and its focus on unifying the search giant’s different platforms.
Excited about Android Wear? You’re definitely not alone! But before you drop some cold hard cash on a new smartwatch, you’ll want to make sure that your current smartphone is able to communicate with a next-gen timepiece. Android Wear is designed to work with phones running Android 4.3 or higher, so newer handsets are most likely covered.
Google’s annual I/O conference is in full swing and in addition to handing out swag, the company is dishing out media kits to attendees explaining the principles of its new visual language called Material Design. In an effort to further unify Mountain View’s platforms, this animation-focused vibrant style will be used across Android, Chrome and the web. Loaded with colors and fluid animations, Material Design places a huge emphasis on content availability.
While Glass was pretty much a no-show at Google’s I/O keynote, its explorers received a small treat today in the form of an over-the-air update. Software version XE18.3 introduces simplified paring that walks you through connecting Glass to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Hopefully, this will making things easier for people who are new to using Google’s wearable computer. As for you shutterbugs out there, you’ll be treated to a viewfinder that can be activated by saying “show viewfinder.” This much needed feature will display what Glass is seeing, making it much easier to frame pictures and videos.
Today during its annual I/O developers conference, Google revealed a bevy of new products and services, however a particular presentation managed to stand out among the rest. Shortly after previewing its next version of Android, the company started talking about Chromebooks. Not exactly the longest segment of the show, Mountain View’s focus appeared to be bridging the gap between Chromebooks and Android.
Google I/O is all about developers and while revealing that Mountain View has paid out over $5 billion to devs since last year’s show, Sundar Pichai took the time to thank the people building products on Mountain View’s platforms. As the Android boss prepared to wrap up today’s keynote, he acknowledged that developers don’t make the trip to I/O just to talk about statistics and that they also attend the event to get their hands on the latest gadgets.
Today during its annual I/O conference, Google announced that its Chromebook platform has eight OEMs and 15 devices in 28 countries. Google says that the top 10 highest rated laptops on Amazon are all Chromebooks. The company says it’s aware that most users carry a smartphone while using their laptop and to bridge the gap between both platforms, Google is introducing a feature baked into Android’s L release that will automatically unlock your Chromebook when nearby.
Building off its work with the Open Automotive Alliance, Google has just announced Android Auto. This new platform is a retooled version of Android that lets drivers safely use their connected apps and mobile services while on the road. Google says it researched what apps people were looking for while in their car and placed a major focus on navigation, communication and music.
Today at I/O, Google’s director of product management for Chrome,Avni Shah announced that the company has over 300 million active users on its mobile browser. Based on the company’s new Material Design, this refreshed version of Chrome features new animations that move at 60 frames per second. One of the new features coming to mobile web is the addition of Recents being able to display Chrome tabs for fast access.
Google I/O is literally hours away and while we expect to see several things at this year’s conference, one of Mountain View’s biggest talking points could be improving Android’s appeal to business customers. To accomplish this, Google’s head of Android, Sundar Pichai is in talks with companies like Qualcomm to develop chips that store confidential information such as passwords and user data, so they won’t be as vulnerable to hackers, according to The Information.
Google is trying to right a wrong plaguing customers who purchased the LTE version of its Chromebook Pixel. Released last year, this network connected edition of Mountain View’s uber-Chromebook originally shipped with a free 100MB of monthly 4G data from Verizon for a period of two years. However, for one reason or another, Big Red has stopped honoring this promotion, with its customer service reps telling Pixel owners that they’re unfamiliar with this service offer.
Today Nokia announced the X2, the Finnish company’s second attempt at producing a smartphone that plays nice with Android. Not to be confused with Motorola’s flagship circa 2011, Nokia’s new device features a 4.3-inch ClearBlack WVGA display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of storage space and a 5-megapixel shooter with an LED flash. Available in a broad range of colors, including green, orange and black, additional hues are scheduled to be launch after its release.
Minuum announced today that it’s retooling its smart predictive keyboard to fit the face of circular smartwatches, like the Moto 360. Positioned along the edge of a watch, the keyboard features three rows of letters that can be used for text input. Keying in words on a small watch face might not sound like the most practical idea, but Minuum contends that voice commands don’t always cut it.
Google announced on Tuesday at a press event in New Delhi that its Voice Search now supports Indian accents. Still limited to English, the company has implemented new technology that helps its software recognize commands spoken with a heavy accent. To pull this off, Mountain View worked with over 700 volunteers, collecting samples of people speaking English with an Indian accent. Some of the items rehearsed were common queries in different settings, like restaurants, busy streets and the inside of a car.
Although Motorola has yet to formally announce the Moto X+1, we’ve seen our share of alleged photos and videos of this phantom smartphone. Today, however, we’re getting the clearest shot to date of the rumored handset, courtesy of @evleaks. Unlike previous sketchy images, this front and back pair of photos appear to be press renders of the Moto X successor dressed up in some type of case.
Following its recent acquisition of Aviate, Yahoo has relaunched the company’s home screen replacement software today. Rebranded as Yahoo Aviate Launcher, the app is now out of beta and introduces some new features like Favorite People, which automatically places your most popular contacts into a list of favorites for fast access. To place a call or send a text, simply swipe upward from your device’s home screen.
Google’s annual I/O conference is only two days away but leaks and rumors leading up to this year’s show have been going strong for quite a while. In an effort to brace ourselves for Mountain View’s latest contributions to the tech world, we’ve decided to discuss what we might be seeing in the next couple of days. While some of these items are a given, others are a mix of rumors and speculation. There’s no guarantee that everything listed here will be announced during I/O, but we eventually expect to see these projects from Google at some point in time. That being said, here are some things that we might see this year in San Francisco.
When Google acquired Nest, the company also picked up the talents of the its CEO, former Apple executive Tony Fadell. Getting settled in at Mountain View, the man who once oversaw the development of the iPod is reportedly making moves at the search giant. According to The Information, Fadell is now is now top dog at Google’s hardware division.
Google Glass may be taking the world by storm but that doesn’t mean everyone is completely aware of Mountain View’s new wearable. Just because people have heard of something, doesn’t mean they’re completely familiar with it. Mountain View’s famous eyewear might be making its mark on popular culture, however it’s yet to fully reach the elderly.
