Pixel C team fields Reddit’s questions, fails to answer the important ones
Some of the key members of the Pixel C team took to Reddit for an AMA session. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the answers we were hoping for.
The AMA comes on the heels of the launch of the Pixel C, which became available on the Google Store on Tuesday, for $499.
The first batch of Pixel C reviews praise the excellent construction and design of the device, but note serious software problems (including hard to excuse glitches related to touchscreen responsivity and keyboard connection) and a lack of features and apps that take advantage of the Pixel C’s 10.2-inch display.
See also: Google Pixel C hands-on and first look
Given these issues, redditors understandably wanted to know when they could expect the much needed software improvements. The Pixel C team doing the AMA, which included the head of Android and Chrome OS Hiroshi Lockheimer and the tablet’s product manager, offered a few details, but failed to offer convincing answers to the questions that matter.
Puneet Kumar, Software Director for Pixel C, said that the device will be updated on “on regular cadence lining up with the monthly security updates for Android.” But Kumar didn’t clarify whether these updates would deliver new features or they would be strictly bug-fixing and security patches.
Glen Murphy, Director of UX for Android and Chrome, did appear to hint that an update bringing multiwindow and other features designed for large screens would come sooner, rather than later:
“We’re working hard on a range of enhancements for Android in this form-factor – there are many things, like multiwindow, that we’ve been spending a lot of time on – hopefully we can share more about this soon.”
Andrew Bowers, Director for Consumer Hardware at Google, with the Pixel C
In reply to a question about features that were originally planned to launch with the Pixel C (i.e.: split screen multiwindow), Andrew Bowers, Director for Consumer Hardware said that:
“We’re working on lots of things right now for N that, of course, we wish we had, you know, yesterday. But we’d spoil the surprise of N if we shared all of them. Split screen is in the works!”
Is this a hint that split screen will arrive before Android N? Your guess is our good as ours.
Another hard question that Googlers deflected was “Why was pixel hardware released before the software was ready?” from user connectwithraj. And here’s the (non)answer:
“Android continues to get better and better on tablets – we think the Pixel-C is the best yet; that said – we know there are lots of things left to do, and are looking forward to releasing them when they’re awesome and ready.”
The team also explained that the “C” in Pixel C stands for “convertible,” that the Pixel program emerged from a desire to promote hardware advancements like better touchpads and USB Type-C, and that “Ok, Google” support and DisplayPort support over Type-C are coming in a future update.
It’s not really fair to blame the people who did the AMA for Google’s failure to coordinate its hardware and software releases, and worse, the failure to offer a plausible answer to the question “why should I buy a Pixel C.” Like other Google products before it, the Pixel C appears to be a beta device that has been purposely released in incomplete form, in the hope that users will pick it up anyway.
See also: Best Android tablets (November 2015)
The problem is the Pixel C is $500, and that’s a lot to pay for a tablet that delivers in only one of the three big components of user experience: hardware, software, and ecosystem. Sure, Android N may make the Pixel C great, but 10 months is a very long time to wait.
GoPro’s incoming drone is called ‘Karma’
GoPro has revealed that its camera-equipped drone, which is set to arrive sometime in the first half of 2016, will be called “Karma.” To refresh your memory, the company teased the UAV back in October with test footage that was likely filmed at least at 2.5K resolution, judging by the 1440p YouTube viewing option (it re-used the same footage in the latest tease). The company also boasted that the smooth video wasn’t stabilized in post-production, so the drone is no doubt equipped with a decent gimbal.
GoPro reportedly set out to make its own drone after a partnership with DJI fell apart, according to Forbes. At the time, DJI CEO Frank Wang Tao said that “they dealt with us like how they dealt with Taiwanese OEMs, so we never had a successful official partnership.” If you’re prone to speculate, GoPro naming its drone “Karma” might thus have some extra meaning beyond just sounding good. There’s still no word on whether the rumored $500 to $1,000 price is accurate, but If you’re willing to sign up for news on the drone, you could win one in a GoPro giveaway.
Source: GoPro
The second season of ‘Serial’ is here
Serial began life as an understated NPR show about an obscure murder case and quickly became the hottest podcast in the world. After almost a year of silence, Sarah Koenig is back with a brand-new run of episodes. This time around, the show will focus on the abduction of soldier Bowe Bergdahl in 2009 and his subsequent return as part of a prisoner exchange. At the time of publication, the sheer volume of demand for the first episode — DUSTWUN — has forced the Serial website to fall over. If, however, you’re a Pandora subscriber you should be able to access it there thanks to an exclusive deal that was signed back in November.
Source: Serial
Wal-Mart enters mobile payment war with Walmart Pay
Fret not if you forget your credit card at home the next time you visit Walmart, as you can simply pull out your smartphone and pay for groceries. Yes, the retail company is set to make your life easier with launch of ‘Walmart Pay,’ which will accept payments from Android as well as Apple devices.
The service will be launched in select Walmart stores on Thursday, while it will be available throughout the nation by the first half of 2016.
In order to use Walmart Pay during checkout, you are first required to set up the Walmart app on your phone by entering your credit, debit or Walmart gift card details. Walmart Pay is a free app and it comes integrated with the retailer’s mobile app.
During the checkout, you would be required to select Walmart Pay as the payment option. The app will then use your phone’s camera to scan the code displayed at the register, and then send you an e-receipt.
The company is also working on the integration of other payment options such as mobile wallets in the future.
Source: Reuters
The post Wal-Mart enters mobile payment war with Walmart Pay appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Zuckerberg: Facebook will fight to protect Muslim rights
It’s hard to open a laptop or cellphone these days and not be appalled by the latest awful or just plain factually incorrect thing Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said on the campaign trail. Thankfully, the list of prominent voices speaking out against him (even among his own party) continues to grow. The latest addition? None other than Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network head responded to the priapic real estate mogul’s calling for a “total and complete” shutdown of Muslims immigrating to the United States, saying that his Jewish upbringing means he was raised to stand up against attacks on all communities.
Trump might regret poking this particular hornet’s nest, since Zuckerberg is regarded as one of the most influential people in the world. As well as having the attention of a billion Facebook users — almost a million Like the public post — the CEO was recently crowned number one in The Guardian‘s Media Power List thanks to Instagram and WhatsApp. In addition, Zuckerberg is slightly more tech-savvy than the world’s premier lover of bad combovers, so we doubt there’ll be any Jeb Bush-style domain hacks. Of course, if you’re curious about how Trump deals with the issues we care about, you can always check out his report card here (spoiler: he scored a D-).
I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world.After the Paris attacks and hate…
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Source: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Pushbullet Remote Files lets you link all your connected devices and retrieve files
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Pushbullet is an insanely useful app for transferring simple information from one device to another – and it just got a lot more useful. In quite a sizeable update, Pushbullet Remote Files functionality has been added which allows for files from your connected devices to be accessed from wherever you are. This will allow you to access your computer’s files from your phone, and vice versa, as long as both are on and have an Internet connection.
Considering that Remote Files is actually quite a big security risk, the feature is disabled by default – to activate, all you’ll need to do is enable it in the settings of your phone and your PC. Note that there are some restrictions to how you use Remote Files – Pushbullet say that you will only be able to “request a limited number of files per month”, though you can remove these limits if you have a Pro account. There are also the standard size limits depending on what account you have – free Pushbullet accounts will only be able to transfer up to 25MB per file, whereas Pushbullet Pro users will be able to transfer up to 1GB files.
What do you think about the new Pushbullet Remote Files feature? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Pushbullet via Droid-life
The post Pushbullet Remote Files lets you link all your connected devices and retrieve files appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android Marshmallow for the Moto E 2015 is coming, but only in a few countries
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Back in October, Motorola announced the list of device that it would be updating to Android Marshmallow and there was one painfully obvious omission – the recently announced Moto E 2015. The Moto E, while much less loved than its larger, more powerful brother the Moto G, was still a great option for the budget Android owner – and best of all, it had the guarantee of getting the latest updates whenever Motorola’s other devices got them too. That all changed this year, however there is a glimmer of light in a few countries where Android Marshmallow for the Moto E 2015 is actually coming.
Motorola recently updated the list they first unveiled in October and has added an entry for the Moto E 2015 and also added that this will only apply to Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia (though not in China). That’s still kind of a bummer for the regions left out of this list, especially since the update is obviously possible, but Motorola apparently doesn’t feel the need to roll-out the update in these other places.
What do you think about Motorola adding Android Marshmallow for the Moto E 2015 to its list of updates? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Motorola via TalkAndroid
The post Android Marshmallow for the Moto E 2015 is coming, but only in a few countries appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
CyanogenMod 13 nightlies now available for Android One devices
Android One users definitely enjoy the pure Google experience these affordable handsets bring to the table, but some of us still need a certain level of customization and extra features. This is why the CyanogenMod team has been kind enough to offer Android One device support. And if you are a fan of being at the bleeding edge of technology, today is your lucky day, as CyanogenMod 13 nightlies have just become available!
See also: Best cheap Android phones (December 2015)
All the files are available from CyanogenMod’s repository. All you have to do is grab the files from there and install them into your phone. Of course, that is only after you unlock your bootloader and install a custom recovery. Just keep in mind all of this tinkering can harm your device and/or void your warranty, so do your research before proceeding. If something bad shall happen to your phone, it’s only your responsibility and you might be left in the dark.
See also: 16 best CyanogenMod themes (by developer)
And dealing with nightlies happens to be a bit more delicate, as these are experimental versions of the software. Progress is updated… nightly, bringing forth the latest changes to the code. This means it’s more than likely that you will encounter bugs and issues from time to time. If you would rather not deal with that (as much), wait for the stable release.
Are any of you guys installing these CyanogenMod 13 nightlies? Just click through the button below to get the files!
Baidu’s autonomous car completes full driverless testing
Baidu’s working hard to catch up to Google’s autonomous car tech, and just recently, its modified BMW 3 series has completed a rigorous, fully autonomous testing on mixed roads. The Chinese Google’s autonomous car traveled an almost 19-mile route that began at its headquarters in Beijing without the intervention of a human driver. Wang Jing, its Autonomous Driving Unit’s SVP, boasted: “Fully autonomous driving under mixed road conditions is universally challenging, with complexity further heightened by Beijing’s road conditions and unpredictable driver behavior.” The vehicle made right/left/U-turns, passed other cars and merged into traffic on its own while going at a top speed of 62 mph.
Baidu’s autonomous car is loaded with the company’s “AutoBrain” that brings object recognition and environment perception technology onboard to detect other vehicles, obstacle and road lanes. This AutoBrain system is also loaded with the company’s highly automated driving (HAD) maps, which records 3D road data (to within a few centimeters of accuracy) that the vehicle can access when positioning itself. Baidu says its autonomous driving initiative is the first in the Asian country to accomplish a fully driverless test under mixed-road conditions, but it’s clear that it still has a ways to go before it can release a car people can buy.
Source: Baidu
Slow down time with PlayStation 4’s video editor update
Sony has an early gift for you this holiday season: more tools for its PlayStation 4 video editing app, Sharefactory. The electronics giant says that the ability to manipulate time has been among the most requested features and that’s where Time Bender comes in. With it, you can slow nature’s most effective killer down or implement time lapse to your gameplay footage. What’s more, Sony’s also increasing the number of clips that you can add to your masterpiece; the new limit’s 50 for video and 12 for music.
Oh, and Sony’s working on editing contests of sorts as well, dubbed Sharefactory Events. The first one’s in the works right now, and you can expect details of what game developers and publishers will expect for the inaugural event — in terms of creation requirements — fairly soon.
Sony’s also adding a few other bits and bobs including new scene transitions, filters, music tracks and the ability to layer stickers and text. The outfit says so far folks have crafted some 18.9 million videos so far with over 5.1 million downloads of the app itself. So, carry the one… that’s something like three videos per download in around seven months time. Remember though, when there are some 30 million PS4s that ratio is a little less impressive.
Source: PlayStation Blog
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