[Deal] Google celebrates ‘Dads and Grads’ with Nexus 6 discount and Nexus 9 bonus
Right now, the Google Store has promotions running for both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.
The Nexus 6, which normally starts at $649, has been discounted by $150 for a limited time. This puts the 32GB model at $499 and the 64GB at $549. Since there is not a promotion label anywhere on the product’s Google Store listing, we would assume that it will not be sticking around for long. Not a bad price considering that software updates are guaranteed for the Nexus 6.
Purchasing the Nexus 9 does not come with a discount, though. The Google Store will instead include a $50 Google Play credit when the tablet is purchased by June 23. The code for the credit will be emailed upon the Nexus 9 shipping and must be redeemed by September 23.
All items include free shipping.
Here are some other promotions that the Google Store is running in honor of ‘Dads and Grads’:
- Save $100 on the Motorola Moto 360
- Save $50 on the Sony SmartWatch 3
- Save $20 on the Nexus Player
- $70 in offers with Chromecast
Source: Google Store (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Google celebrates ‘Dads and Grads’ with Nexus 6 discount and Nexus 9 bonus
Google Cast picking up new API tricks to bring multiscreen and multiplayer gaming to you
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At Google I/O I swung by the Google Cast booths to see what they had in store for the Chromecast. Speculation had pegged the announcement of a Chromecast 2 device, but I have yet to get a solid word on succh a device. Not that one isn’t still on the way, it just wasn’t making headlines at the show. What the Google Cast team did have to show was still very news worthy though.
First up is a new Games Manager API’s as part of the Google Cast SDK. These new API’s will allow game developers to build shared and multiplayer games that will work with Google Cast senders, Android and iOS, and play them through to the TV on Google Cast ready receivers, like the Chromecast. To simplify all that, you can pull out your Nexus 6 and gaming in the living room with your buddy on his iPhone 6 Plus at the same time.
Next we have Google Cast Remote Display which will also be for Android and iOS devices. This function gives app and game developers the ability to take advantage of the multiscreen Google Cast model. In doing so, developers can create a complete experience on your Cast receiver while delivering a user interface or second set of abilities on your phone or tablet. I watched a demo of how this works out where a the game utilized the devices front facing camera to see you. Think Xbox Kinect. On the phone screen you only saw yourself , but on the game screen on the TV you saw your character emulating your motions. In this case it was flapping your arms. Another use case was utilizing your phones screen as a touch screen controller while the game is playing on your TV.
The final addition includes Autoplay and Queuing abilities. This will give developers the ability to create and use content queues and pull a second video and begin buffering it prior to the first video ending. Think Netflix, Hulu and Plex. These apps let you queue up videos, or keeps a series playing back to back. However, they don’t seamlessly switch without a screen, or delay between content. With the new addition a video would just start at the end of the first one played.
I didn’t catch a launch date for the new developer abilities, but I do know that the Google Cast team will be having two session talks about it all today. I assume that means it will be available today, or very soon
The post Google Cast picking up new API tricks to bring multiscreen and multiplayer gaming to you appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Autoplay, queuing, second screen and multiplayer gaming comes to the Chromecast
While we didn’t get a revamped version of the Chromecast at Google I/O like many were expecting, the first generation media streamer is still quite powerful. And pretty soon, it’s going to become much more versatile than ever before.
Just like with individual applications like Netflix or Hulu that allow you to autoplay episodes of your favorite TV show, Chromecast will soon get this feature, only for all applications. Developers will be able to add functionality to their content that will let a second video buffer while the first one is still playing. Users will also be able to control their queues, which will let them re-order/add/subtract videos as needed. This feature will certainly be welcomed by Chromecast owners.
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Google doesn’t stop there, though. Google has also added in multiplayer gaming support, which allows folks to invite their friends to play Chromecast-enabled games in multiplayer mode. Games will require a slight tweaking in order to be compatible with this new feature, but Google is sure developers will adopt the new feature in no time. Google is doing this by means of a new Game Manager API, which makes it a lot easier for devs to create multiplayer experiences that span to both Android and iOS devices.
Google has also released a set of powerful tools for devs called Remote Display APIs. These new APIs, when implemented into individual apps, will let you duplicate your display, giving you a second screen. For instance, with the proper APIs integrated into a racing game, users can utilize their smartphones as a steering wheel, while watching the road on their TV.
Autodesk Pixlr has implemented an early version of these APIs already, as you can see above. This new functionality certainly starts to suggest ways in which Google plans to utilize all screens as best as it can. It may be a little while before we start seeing devs take advantage of these new APIs, but when they do, Chromecast will be much more functional than before.
Google wants more Chromecast multiplayer games and autoplaying apps
Google has sold 17 million Chromecasts thus far, but it obviously wants to sell more and make the media player more valuable to current users at the same time. The company is releasing a bunch of new APIs that will allow developers to create even better apps, games and experiences. To start with, Mountain View is making it easier for them to tailor second-screen experiences for both iOS and Android. That could lead to more games that use phones as controllers (see above), as well as other types of apps like photo editors that place editing tools on smartphone displays.
Add that to the fact that the company’s also simplifying the process of creating multiplayer games, and you can expect more titles that can be navigated using iPhones and Android devices. Finally, Google is providing devs with the API to allow users to queue videos, the same feature already available for YouTube and Netflix on Chromecast. Even better, the second video in line will begin buffering even before the first ends for nonstop, no-downtime video binges.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Google
Source: Google Developers
HBO Now hits Android this summer
The keynote at this year’s Google I/O developer conference was chalk full of great information about where the company is now and provided a view into the Goog’s overarching strategic vision moving forward. An area of interest for Android’s future will be streaming content. Sundar Punchai, Google’s head of Android and Chrome, had much to say regrading this topic. One thing that was not mentioned is that you can now get 50% off a Nexus Player when you order 3 months of Sling TV from Dish. Pretty cool right? Android has always been a conduit for Google’s services. Putting more hardware in the hands, and living rooms, of end users is a good thing for the company. Moreover, more streaming services is something that should be exciting for the cord-cutting generation. However, of the content delivery services that Android lacks has been HBO.
Due to an agreement with the folks in Cupertino, HBO Now launched as an Apple exclusive. I’m happy to report the period of exclusivity will soon be over, and HBO Now is coming to Android this summer. The app will launch with Chromecast support. This is huge for the ~17million Chromecast users out there. Many of these users will finally be able to cut the cord around June 21st; the same time True Detective is set to start its second season. Also available this summer will be HBO Now and Go for Android TV devices.
The post HBO Now hits Android this summer appeared first on AndroidGuys.
80% of phones shipped in 2014 were based on Android
Among the the slew of interesting stats mentioned by Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Products, during the opening address of the Keynote at Google I/O 2015 showcasing the growth of various Google services, particularly impressive was the continued growth, and dominance, of Android around the world.
Only in the last year, since Google I/O 2014, over 600 millions users around the world have been first time smartphone adopters, and with 8 out of every 10 smartphones sold based on Android, you know what the platform of choice for most of that large number was. Over a billion users also use various Google services including Google Search, Youtube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Chrome, and of course, Android. When it comes to Android, over 400 manufacturers around the world result in more than 4000 distinctive devices currently available, with a connection to close to 500 network carriers as well.
Android’s growth is of course, not just restricted to mobile, with a lot of headway being made with Android Wear, Android Auto, Android TV, and Google Chromecast, to mention a few. Android Wear has grown from two reference-type models, which has grown to 7 models thus far, with many more to come. The software experience itself has seen a lot of improvements along the way, and continues to become even better with every update.
Android Auto, that was announced just last year, can now be found with the Hyundai Sonata in the US right now, with 13 Chevrolet models arriving with Android Auto in 2016, with Volkswagen announcing recently the availability of Auto with every car in their 2016 lineup for Europe and North America. With close to 35 car manufacturers on-board, Android Auto is set to see an impressive growth over the next few years.
Android TV was released last year with a reference model, the ADTV-1, and is now available from companies such as Sony, Sharp, and Phillips, with many more models coming soon. Also worth noting is the fact that Google has sold over 17 million units of the Google Chromecast, and with over 20,000 applications now coming with support, it’s no surprise that the cast button has been pressed around 1.5 billion times.
HBO Now is coming to Android and Chromecast this summer
That Apple-exclusive streaming window is ending — Google exec Sundar Pichai just announced that HBO Now is coming to Android too. Whether you use Android, iOS or a web browser, Google Cast support is coming too — for the 17 million or so Chromecasts out there — although there weren’t exact details on when. HBO says it’s coming “this summer”, and Pichai mentioned it will be in time for the upcoming True Detective season which premieres June 21st. There weren’t any details on how, but it sounds like Google Play will offer subscriptions in the same way Apple (and Cablevision) have so far. Finally, whether you have cable or are a cord-cutter, HBO confirmed that HBO Now and HBO Go are both coming to Android TV soon. HBO VP Bernadette Aulestia says “We have seen through social media that there is great demand for the service among Android and Chromecast users and we’re excited to deliver HBO Now to them”, so it looks like someone has been reading your posts.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
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
Come comment on this article: HBO NOW is finally coming to Android, with Chromecast support
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
Lenovo declares war on Chromecast with Lenovo Cast
Lenovo has declared war against Google by announcing its own media streaming gadget that is compatible with Android, iOS as well as Windows devices. Costing merely $49, the fancy looking Lenovo Cast connects to TV and other large screens via HDMI port, and streams media to bigger screens.
Unlike the Chromecast that is reliant on Wi-Fi to establish a connection between a mobile device and a big screen, the Lenovo Cast uses Miracast and DLNA – something that almost every Android device comes preloaded with. Once the media streaming device is attached to a TV, it is capable of mirroring your phone or tablet’s screen to TV.
The Lenovo Cast supports 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, which is definitely better than the Chromecast. And if you count its compact look and compatibility to devices across entire mobile ecosystems, the Lenovo Cast is going to be a great buy this August.
Via: Android Police
The post Lenovo declares war on Chromecast with Lenovo Cast appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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