Android M introduces doze mode and USB Type C support
During its I/O 2015 keynote, Google has just announced that Android M will introduce a couple of new features in the power department: doze mode and USB Type C support.
The new doze mode uses motion detection to measure your device and when it recognises your handset is idle, it puts the handset to “doze”. While your handset is dozing, it still keeps real time alarms and incoming notifications and Google claims this improves battery up to 2 times while in standby mode.
The other feature just announced is USB Type C support, which brings with it support for reversible charging. Essentially, the addition of USB Type C support means you can now use your phone to charge your tablet and vice versa. Follow all our updates from Google I/O 2015 here.
Android M supports fingerprint authentication for use with new Android Pay system and other apps
Bio-metric authentication has been a hot topic in the mobile community for some time now. Well over a decade ago, Fujitsu was including fingerprint sensors with their top-tier feature phones in Japan. While HTC dabbled with it more recently, things really started rolling once Apple introduced Touch ID. Samsung was quick to release the Galaxy S5 with a swipe-based reader, and later Huawei also include the feature. This year’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge introduced a more inspired way of acquiring a fingerprint.
It seems that Google has taken notice in a big way, as announced today at I/O 2015 is news that when Android M releases later this year, fingerprint support will be included, and it’s going to be integrated into Android Pay. The technology builds on NFC and host card emulation, and will allow users to safely and simply pay in stores. Android Pay allows you to simply unlock your phone, place it on an NFC reader/terminal, and like magic the transaction has finished: there is no need to open an application.
Security is a big part of this project and thus no card information is shared with the merchant. Choice is important, and so you can choose from any number of possibilities: Google itself, your existing credit cards like Visa and MasterCard, or even with carrier-based payment options from providers like AT&T and Verizon.
Initially, 700,000 different stores in the US will accept Android Pay with presumably more in the future as Google negotiates new partnerships and the technology truly takes off. Partners include Best Buy, Gamestop, McDonalds, Whole Foods, and more. Apps such as Groupon and lyft and uber will also accept the payment option thus making life with more convenient than ever.
Android M, with its fingerprint support, will allow for more advanced authentication-based security. Simply touch the biometric sensor and the phone will begin the NFC exchange with the terminal. It would seem that unlocking the device itself may not even be necessary, although it’s possible that if the security settings are set to block any notifications from displaying while locked you may need to do just that.
New APIs will be made available for any interested developers to integrate fingerprint support into their apps, which will in turn, allow for instant in-app purchases without the need to sign in or type a password each time. This could potentially work well for those users with small children as an extra layer of security to prevent them from making unauthorized purchases even should they know your password.
Things are more interesting when we create them together. So we’ve approached Android Pay the same way we approach every other part of the Android family — partnering with the ecosystem — bringing together mobile carriers, payment networks, banks and retailers to deliver you choice and flexibility. And offering developers an open platform to collectively push mobile payments forward.Tap to pay in stores
With Android Pay, you can simply unlock your phone like you normally do, place it near a merchant’s contactless terminal, and you’re good to go. Android Pay does all the heavy lifting. You don’t even need to open an app—just tap and go. You’ll also see a payment confirmation and get transaction details right on your phone.
Also, with select retailers, your loyalty programs and special offers will be automatically applied at checkout. For example, when you tap to buy a Coke at a vending machine, your MyCokeRewards will be automatically applied. With Android Pay the contactless terminal not only receives your payment info, but also your loyalty programs and offers.
Tap to pay in apps Making an online purchase? The days of entering your credit card and shipping address each time you make a purchase online will be a thing of the past. Just select “Buy with Android Pay” and leave the rest to us; checkout is as fast as a tap.To make it easier for developers to add Android Pay to your favorite apps, we’ve designed our platform to work with any payment processor. And we’re partnering with top payments processors including Braintree, CyberSource, First Data, Stripe and Vantiv to make integration even easier.
The choice is yours With Android Pay you will be able to pay with your credit or debit card, across multiple Android devices, and at thousands of stores and apps that you already know and love. And by enabling bank apps to integrate with our platform, you’ll be able to add your credit and debit cards directly from bank apps for use with Android Pay.
It’s still early days, but we’re very excited and think that this type of open platform will help drive adoption in mobile payments.
Security is at the center of Android Pay
We know how important it is for you to keep your personal and financial information secure. Therefore, we’re partnering with all the major payment networks in the US including American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa to deliver industry standard security tokenization.
So when you shop at a store, Android Pay won’t send your actual credit or debit card number with your payment. Instead we’ll use a virtual account number to represent your account information — providing you with an extra layer of security. And if your phone is ever lost or stolen, simply use Android Device Manager to instantly lock your device from anywhere, secure it with a new password or even wipe it clean of your personal information.
Shop at your favorites
Android Pay will soon be accepted at over 700,000 store locations from your favorite brands across the US, and in over 1000 Android apps. And we’ll be adding more every day.
Stay Tuned
Android Pay will be available on Google Play for download soon. And when your bank integrates, you could also activate Android Pay directly from your bank app. We are also working with major US mobile carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) to help ensure that when you buy a new Android phone, you can walk out the door ready to use Android Pay.
Look forward to sharing more in the coming months.
Posted by Pali Bhat, Director, Product Management
Project Brillo is Google’s new Internet of Things OS
At Google I/O 2015 Google formally took the veil off of Project Brillo, the company’s new OS and platform for Internet of Things. Brillo is a new Android-based solution that is power frugal and should work with even the most basic hardware. Google worked hard with Nest to make Brillo, with security at the front of all their design decisions.
Brillo will be ran through a centralized console and will support Bluetooth andWi-Fi for connectivity. Not a lot of details have been shared on how Brillo will work, though Sundar Pichai did mention it will use a common language to talk to devices, called Weave. Weave is a new protocol that not only works with Brillo, but is cross-platform and can be used with other IOT OSes.
Brillo will hit developers in Q3 this year, though no word on when it will be fully ready for prime time. As for Weave, the full stack will surface sometime in Q4 of this year. This story is still developing, so please be sure to check back over the next few hours!
…. Developing …
No invite required for Inbox by Gmail anymore, new features added
Inbox by Gmail, launched in its beta iteration back in October last year, was Google’s attempt to re-think email, helping users keep things more organized. An invite was necessary to enable access to Inbox, and while invitations were fairly easy to come by, it is no longer a requirement from today. Along with Inbox by Gmail now being open to everyone, there are a slew of new features added to the mix as well, making the experience smarter and even simpler to use.
One of the best features of Inbox is the ability to see important information at a glance, with direct access to things like tracking packages, performing web check-ins for flights, and more, from the app making things very easy. Google has further refined this feature with Trip Bundles, with all the key details, such as flight timing and reservation information, seen as soon as you open the app.
More controls have been added as well, with Undo Send now making its way to mobile, that allows you to take back an email right after sending it, very helping if you’ve second thoughts. Directly deleting an email is also available as a default swipe option now, instead of simply marking it is as Done. Finally, you know have the option to set custom signatures to help personalize your emails.
This version of Inbox is also bringing more integration across the board. For example, if you create a Reminder using Google Keep, it will also show up in Inbox. If you are emailed a to-do, Inbox will suggest adding a reminder, and when you get an email from HotelTonight or Eat24, you can now open your reservations and food orders within their app, directly from Inbox.
As mentioned, Inbox by Gmail is now available for everyone, and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store here.
Google I/O 2015: Android M to bring users control over app permission
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Android M is one of the many thing that Google is talking about today at Google I/O. Right now we are getting a brief overview of 6 key components of Android M. The new build is really geared towards polishing what Android L started. With Android M apps will only ask you for permission to access something when you need it, not as a generalized “accept” after install.
The post Google I/O 2015: Android M to bring users control over app permission appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google has made the I/O 2015 codelabs globally available
The Google I/O 2015 keynote event may have just begun, but here we have one of the first announcements, thanks to the Google Developers Twitter account.
We’ve made the #io15 codelabs app publicly available for all participants in person, and attendees worldwide. https://t.co/AHMHZ7g6bH
— Google Developers (@googledevs) May 28, 2015
Google has made all the I/O 2015 codelabs app available to everyone, regardless of whether you are attending the event or not. In case you are wondering what codelabs are exactly, they are guided tutorials that offer a hands-on coding experience. So if you are just starting off as an Android developer, it’s a great way to learn how to build an application. The codelabs cover a variety of topics ranging from Android Wear, Project Tango, the Google Compute Engine to GoogleAPI’s on iOS. Just click the source link below to get started. Remember that you can follow the rest of our Google I/O coverage right here.
Source: IO2015codelabs
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Get an Iron Man version of the Galaxy S6 on the cheap
Did you see the recent announcement that Samsung is producing a special edition Samsung Galaxy S6 edge tied to the Iron Man character? If so, you probably are aware that not only is the special edition not available for the regular Samsung Galaxy S6, it is currently limited to Korea with no announced plans to expand to other markets. If you were really hoping to get your hands on one or you already have a Galaxy S6 device, Slickwraps has a new option that is a lot cheaper and ready to ship right now.
The new wrap is part of a Hero Series of wraps from Slickwraps and includes a full body wrap for the Samsung Galaxy S6. This includes not only the body, but the camera and home button as well. The list price is a mere $24.95. You can also pick up a wrap for the wireless charging pad for an extra $4.00. Hit the source link if you are ready to don a pseudo suit of armor for your Galaxy S6.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Slickwraps
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HBO NOW is finally coming to Android, with Chromecast support
The keynote speech is underway at Google I/i 2015, and one of the first things that Google’s SVP, Sundar Pichai, announced was that Apple’s exclusivity deal with HBO NOW is coming to an end.
Although he hasn’t given an exact date, Sundar Pichai said that the HBO NOW streaming app would be coming to Android as well as sporting Chromecast functionality. Now that’s news that should make all you cord-cutters happy.
Check out our complete Google I/O 2015 coverage
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Chromecast sales approach 20 million, people just love the Cast button
This afternoon at the I/O 2015 keynote, Google’s Sundar Pichai gave an update on Chromecast and its performance since launching two years ago.
Across the 17 million units sold, Chromecast owners have hit the Cast button 1.5 billion times. Why is that figure increasing rapidly? Because the Play Store is home to around 20,000 Cast-ready apps. Google made it clear that Chromecast is not going anywhere. Its Google Cast technology will be implemented in new ways through new form factors.
Check out our complete Google I/O 2015 coverage
Come comment on this article: Chromecast sales approach 20 million, people just love the Cast button
Google announces Android M
After weeks of rumors of a new Android version, Google has finally made Lollipop’s successor, Android M, official. The official version will not rollout until later this year, but the search giant is making the prerelease version available today.
Google hasn’t said what the new Android version will be just yet, but is going into a lot of detail on what the new firmware upgrade will bring to the OS.
As with every Android version, Android M is bringing with it a whole host of new improvements. Google’s Sundar Pichai says the company has “gone back to the basics,” and is improving the overall performance and quality of Android.
Dave Burke, vice president of Engineering at Google, says that the company has been observing what manufactures put in there software. That said, the plan is to bring a lot of those features into the Android OS with this new release.
One of the largest improvements coming with Android M is a improved app permissions system. In the past, users have been worried about what permissions ask for. Now, users will be able to deny or accept those permissions, such as location services or camera access, on a case by case basis. There are currently eight permission categories available to apps right now, and the apps, from now on, will ask for them as they need them. In its current state, the app asks users to approve all permissions that it needs upon installation. In other words, Android M will handle app permissions similar to the way iOS has been handling them for years now.
Android M will also bring with it a better browsing experience for its Chrome browser. Google is introducing a new feature called “Chrome Custom Tabs,” which will let app developers insert webviews directly into their apps, no longer forcing users to switch apps. Features you can find in Chrome, such as automatic sign-in, autofill, and saved passwords, are now all available tools for developers to use within their apps.
Google is also making Android’s built-in app-linking system much more fluent, too. Users can access content much more directly and will no longer get stopped by a dialog box. If you open a Facebook link, you will be taken directly to that link in the app over being asked if you want to use the Facebook app.
Similar to Apple Pay, Android M is bringing a new payment system with it, Android Pay. It uses NFC and Host Card Emulation for tap-to-pay services, and effectively replaces the Google Wallet app. Developers can integrate this new payment system into their apps for in-app purchases or payments.
Android Pay isn’t exclusive to the new Android version, though. Google says that it will be preinstalled on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile devices. It will be an accepted payment method in over 700,000 stores in the US. There was no word on how it’d work overseas. Android Pay will also take advantage of fingerprint scanner technologies, such as the Samsung Galaxy S6’s. This is excellent because Google isn’t leaving it up to manufacturers to support the feature. It will work on devices running KitKat or newer.
Furthermore, Android M will offer a host of battery improvements. Called Doze, users across the board will see better battery life and efficiency, as it will allow the system to manage background processes better than ever before. It’s quite smart in that it uses motion detection to find out when you’re using the device. If it detects that you haven’t used it in awhile, it will shut down unneeded processes. In his announcement, Burke said that it was able to increase the standby time by two times what Lollipop offered, but didn’t offer any exact statistics.
Developing… Be sure to check out all of our Google I/O 2015 coverage here.
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