Google Drive is experiencing a service disruption
Yep, that’s right. It’s not just you, Google Drive is down! And it has been for the last forty minutes, yet I am incessantly watching Drive “trying to reconnect” without avail. Interestingly, Google Classroom and Google Realtime API went down around the same time, according to the Apps Status Dashboard. There’s no telling if the outages are separate or related, at this point.
Hopefully we’ll have an update or resolution from Google very soon. In the meantime, let’s all stop tapping the refresh button, as it puts an unnecessary extra load on Google’s servers. Tell your boss you’re off to take a nap. Or maybe not–that could backfire!
source: Google Apps
Come comment on this article: Google Drive is experiencing a service disruption
The California DMV has released a report of all the self-driving car accidents this year
The DMV in California has just released every self-driving car accident to happen this year. There were only eight accidents total and none of them were the self-driving Google cars fault. What’s more interesting, out of the eight accidents, six of them were people rear-ending one of Google’s Lexus RX450h SUVs.
Google is required by law to file the proper documents after one of their vehicles get into a crash. They only have a maximum of 10 days after it happens to do it.
Other than Google, only one other company, Delphi Automotive, has had any autonomous vehicle crashes. Ironically, it happened when someone was driving it and not using it’s autonomous technology.
Source: California DMV
Via: Mark Harris (Twitter), Engadget
Come comment on this article: The California DMV has released a report of all the self-driving car accidents this year
Moto 360 review (2015): More than just good looks this time around
The Moto 360 made a huge splash when it was introduced alongside Android Wear some 18 months ago. It was by far the most attractive smartwatch the world had seen, and it held its spot near the top of the heap for many months after — mostly because it looked like an actual watch. Unfortunately, the promise of the device didn’t quite live up to the reality, at least at launch. Battery life was terrible; performance was occasionally sluggish; and the device itself was far too large for those with svelte wrists.
Fortunately, Motorola improved what it could throughout the year: Android Wear as a platform continued to gain useful new features; software updates helped fix the poor battery life; and Motorola started offering Moto X-style personal customization. But now, an all-new Moto 360 is in the wild, with two case sizes, totally new guts and a host of ways to make it fit your own style. But there are also far more Android Wear watches to choose from now than last year. Is the now-iconic circular Moto 360 still the smartwatch to covet? And, more importantly, does it improve in the areas where last year’s model failed?
Slideshow-326764
Design
The 2015 Moto 360 looks nearly identical to its predecessor. The device is still dominated by its circular display that still has a tiny slice removed from the bottom where sensors are housed — a move that keeps its bezel nice and slim. There’s still a side button, but Motorola moved it up from the center of the case. Considering where my finger naturally rests when I touch the side of the watch, this feels like a smart change. The other major (and arguably more important) tweak is that the watchband lugs are on the outside of the case, something that makes the watch look even more like a traditional timepiece. This is also a major functional improvement, as it’s now quite easy to change the watch strap yourself.
Perhaps the smartest design change Motorola made was to offer the new Moto 360 in two different sizes: There’s a smaller 42mm option as well as the same 46mm case that last year’s model was based on. The 360 uses 20mm and 22mm watch bands, respectively; they’re both common sizes, which means you should be able to find plenty of third-party options. In addition to those two variants, there’s also a second 42mm option, built specifically with women in mind. Other than the fact that it’s offered with different color and material choices, the biggest difference there is that the strap lugs are pushed closer together to accommodate thinner 16mm bands.
Even if you don’t want to find a third-party band, there are plenty of ways to customize the Moto 360 (although not as many as the Apple Watch). For the men’s line that I tested, you can choose from black-, silver- or gold-colored aluminum bezels that have either a smooth metal finish or a textured “micro knurl” pattern for an additional $20. The watch cases come in the same colors, although gold will run you an extra $30. As for bands, you can choose among black and brown leather or silver, black and gold metal (the metal option commands a $50 premium). The women’s case has the same choices (albeit with a different “micro cut” textured pattern option for the bezel), but Motorola swapped out the black color option for rose gold. The leather straps come in more traditionally feminine colors, and there’s also a double-wrap leather band that calls to mind the Apple Watch Hermes “double tour” band.
So that’s a lot of customization. In fact, it’s one of the best things about the new Moto 360 — chances are much better this year that you’ll find one to suit your style. But these options come at a cost. The base price of the Moto 360 actually saw a significant increase: Last year’s 46mm watch started at $250, but this year’s 42mm sells for $300 and up. If you want a 46mm model, you’re looking at spending $350, a full $100 more than before.
The model I tested had a 46mm silver case, gold bezel and brown leather strap. The strap itself was comfortable and handsome to look at, but it didn’t go well with the rest of the watch. With the brown, silver and gold (not to mention the black screen), there were just a few too many clashing colors for my tastes. I think I would have preferred an all-silver body as well as the 42mm size, though these options would have been readily available if I had the opportunity to customize my own the way regular shoppers will. Lastly, the 360 is still rather thick, although its light weight makes wearing it easy enough. That said, it’s still one of the better-looking smartwatches on the market, by a longshot. It has a simple, classy design that isn’t overwrought like many of the other Android Wear watches on the market. Of course, as with any device, your opinion may differ vastly from mine.
Hardware and display
While the Moto 360 looks largely the same as its predecessor, Motorola gave the internals a significant upgrade. Gone is the aging TI OMAP 3 processor found in the original, replaced by a Snapdragon 400 chip — the same as you’ll find in LG’s Watch Urbane. There’s still the same 4GB of storage for music and 512MB of RAM, and both of those specs still seem to be sufficient. Performance is generally snappy, although dismissing notification cards sometimes took a surprisingly long time, and I noticed occasional lags when tapping certain user interface elements or swiping away notifications.
The display has also been refreshed: The 42mm case has a 1.37-inch screen running at 360 X 325, while the 46mm steps up to 1.56 inches at a 360 x 330 resolution. Both models feature a higher resolution than last year’s Moto 360, and in usage things are noticeably sharper. Despite that, I still wouldn’t rate the display as anything particularly special — it’s a bit easier to read outdoors, and the higher resolution is certainly appreciated, but colors aren’t terribly vibrant. Since you’re only glancing at the watch for a few seconds at a time, it’s passable, although there are other watches with more impressive screens.
The last hardware change here is by far the most important: The 46mm Moto 360 now features a 400mAh battery, up from the 300-320mAh on the last model. (The 42mm watch is rated at 300mAh.) In the real world, this meant I could comfortably use the Moto 360 all day, with plenty of power left when I finally went to bed. That’s with the ambient display feature turned on all the time (that’s the setting which displays your watch face in black and white, with low brightness). Motorola says the 360 is only rated for a day’s usage in this scenario, but I could easily get more than that. I still charged the Moto 360 nightly, but the good news is that I basically never had to worry about the battery running low, which is the best you can expect from a smartwatch.
On your wrist
Since it’s running Android Wear, using the Moto 360 is like using any other Android-based watch. Plenty of new and useful features have come to the platform since its debut, but its core purpose is still showing you smartphone notifications and Google Now suggestions, as well as carrying out voice searches and commands.
The Moto 360’s upgraded hardware typically handled all these features without a problem: Notifications were pushed to my watch quickly and dismissing them helpfully syncs that change back to your phone. Voice search worked well enough, although it failed to recognize the “OK Google” command often enough to be a bit frustrating. Fortunately, you can swipe a few screens over to get a full list of voice commands and just tap the one you want to make your watch listen to your request. Talking to your phones and watches has come a long way in the last few years, but it’s hardly bulletproof at this point — not a knock against Motorola, exactly, but Android Wear is so reliant on your voice that the whole platform feels a bit less useful when the device doesn’t hear me shouting “OK Google” at it.
Motorola also built in some new watch faces that include customizable “complications” (watch parlance for small slices of information). It’s part of a recent update to Android Wear that supports interactive watch faces, and it definitely adds to the experience — being able to glance at my wrist and see the temperature, date and how many steps I’ve taken is pretty great. In fact, it’s something that should have been in the operating system from the beginning, but either way it’s a very useful addition.
Beyond these features, Android Wear now supports full applications; you can access your app list by holding down on the Moto 360’s side button. Most of these apps were focused around quick interactions for things you’ll want to do frequently (as they should be), but sometimes the feature sets felt just a little too limited. For example, Wunderlist only shows items that are in your “Inbox”; any other list you might have will be inaccessible. The Apple Watch Wunderlist app lets you also see everything due on the current day or everything assigned to you — two views that feel especially useful to me.
Naturally, most Google applications are fairly full-featured and comprehensive. Hangouts lets you scroll back through your conversations and reply with your voice, an emoji or a variety of pre-selected responses, while Google Maps lets you zoom in and out of a full map, tap for local recommendations and navigate anywhere that you drop a pin. Notifications for Google apps are also particularly useful — being able to look down at my wrist and quickly delete emails helped keep my inbox a lot cleaner.
As always, what you get out of Android Wear will depend on how much data you put into Google. If you use the company’s services religiously, you’ll get more useful info out of Google Now pushed to your watch. Unfortunately, I’ve started to personally feel like the reality of Google Now doesn’t quite match its original ambitions, something that hampers the usefulness of Android Wear. Too often, info that I’ve already looked up on Google and digested continues to pop up there; I’ll frequently look up directions to a location, actually go there, and then find Google Now giving me traffic alerts to that place after my trip is already over, for example.
Fitness tracking
The new Moto 360 has a heart rate tracker on board, just like last year’s model, making it a decent option for measuring your workouts. Unfortunately, based on my testing, the 360 lags far behind the Apple Watch for tracking your fitness. At a basic level, the Moto 360 and Moto Body app track your steps and distance, active calorie burn and “heart activity” minutes, which is essentially how many minutes you spend exercising. Similar to the Apple Watch, the Moto Body app wants you to meet all three of those goals each day — but there’s no way to actually track activity specifically for when you’re doing more intense workouts.
That’s not a complete deal breaker, as there are plenty of third-party options like Runkeeper for tracking your more vigorous physical activity. But one of the best things about the Apple Watch is how it combines formal workouts with day-to-day activity to help you always keep an eye on your fitness levels; in my opinion, it’s the most compelling feature of the device. Motorola’s approach is simple but not nearly as comprehensive: The 360 will work fine as a basic activity tracker, but if you want a bit more detail about your workouts, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Fortunately, the 360 appears to do a reasonably accurate job tracking your heart rate and steps. If that’s all you need, it’ll do the trick.
One last note: It’s foolish of Motorola to sell a watch and tout its activity-tracking features without offering a band suited for use during exercise. I sweated all over the 360’s nice leather strap while working out, which is kind of a shame. It definitely absorbs sweat rather than repelling it, and it’s also far less comfortable than a more sport-appropriate band would be. Motorola is working on a special Moto 360 designed for athletes, but that doesn’t change the fact that the company positions fitness tracking as a main feature of this watch. Providing a band to make that feasible is a must.
Using the Moto 360 and Android Wear with an iPhone
The Moto 360 is also notable for being one of the first Android Wear watches to go on sale that works with iOS, a feature announced back in August. As such, it’s worth noting what the Moto 360 can and cannot do when paired with an iPhone. Setup is simple and essentially identical to the process on an Android phone — you download the iOS Android Wear app to your iPhone, pair over Bluetooth and then you’re off and running.
From there, you’ll still get the notifications from your phone mirrored on your Moto 360, and you’ll also receive Google Now info, provided you log in with your Google account. You can do the same OK Google queries to search Google or ask your watch to do things like set a reminder, start a timer or set an alarm — or show you data like your steps or heart rate.
Unfortunately, basically all other deep app integration is gone. The Gmail app supports rich notifications, which means you can archive or reply to emails right from your watch, but that’s it. As far as I can tell, no other notifications are actionable; tapping on a Google Now alert about my commute home showed me the route I should take, but I can’t start any navigation or really do anything with that info. You can’t reply to Hangouts or texts or initiate any conversations with your voice. With an iPhone, you basically get your notifications on your wrist and quick access to Google Now and Google voice search. A year ago, that would have sounded pretty appealing, but at this point there’s basically no reason for an iPhone user to seriously consider the Moto 360, particularly when an Apple Watch isn’t much more expensive.
The competition
The new Moto 360 is entering a much more crowded field than the original did last year. There are too many Android Wear watches to cover here, not to mention the new Pebble Time Round. From a looks and cost perspective, the most direct competitors to the Moto 360 are probably the $349 LG Watch Urbane and the $399 Huawei Watch. They’re both on the higher end of Android Wear devices and feature round faces with premium materials and design. As I’ve noted multiple times before, though, a watch’s style is so important and so subjective that it’s hard to identify exactly which devices the Moto 360 is competing against. It’s probably fair to say it’s up against the entire Android Wear field, which is a lot more competitive now than it was a year ago.
Wrap-up
Thanks to the changes Motorola has made to the Moto 360, as well as the enhancements that have come to the Android Wear platform as a whole, the new 360 is easier to recommend than its predecessor. The design has improved; there are more sizing options; battery life is longer; and Android Wear keeps getting more useful. Much of your mileage will depend on how invested you are in Google services, but if you have your heart set on an Android Wear device, the Moto 360 is one of the better options out there. That said, a $100 price hike means buying a Moto 360 is a bigger investment than it was a year ago, so you’ll want to make sure that Android Wear does exactly what you need it to before taking the plunge.
Moto 360 review (2015): More than just good looks this time around
The Moto 360 made a huge splash when it was introduced alongside Android Wear some 18 months ago. It was by far the most attractive smartwatch the world had seen, and it held its spot near the top of the heap for many months after — mostly because it looked like an actual watch. Unfortunately, the promise of the device didn’t quite live up to the reality, at least at launch. Battery life was terrible; performance was occasionally sluggish; and the device itself was far too large for those with svelte wrists.
Fortunately, Motorola improved what it could throughout the year: Android Wear as a platform continued to gain useful new features; software updates helped fix the poor battery life; and Motorola started offering Moto X-style personal customization. But now, an all-new Moto 360 is in the wild, with two case sizes, totally new guts and a host of ways to make it fit your own style. But there are also far more Android Wear watches to choose from now than last year. Is the now-iconic circular Moto 360 still the smartwatch to covet? And, more importantly, does it improve in the areas where last year’s model failed?
Slideshow-326764
Design
The 2015 Moto 360 looks nearly identical to its predecessor. The device is still dominated by its circular display that still has a tiny slice removed from the bottom where sensors are housed — a move that keeps its bezel nice and slim. There’s still a side button, but Motorola moved it up from the center of the case. Considering where my finger naturally rests when I touch the side of the watch, this feels like a smart change. The other major (and arguably more important) tweak is that the watchband lugs are on the outside of the case, something that makes the watch look even more like a traditional timepiece. This is also a major functional improvement, as it’s now quite easy to change the watch strap yourself.
Perhaps the smartest design change Motorola made was to offer the new Moto 360 in two different sizes: There’s a smaller 42mm option as well as the same 46mm case that last year’s model was based on. The 360 uses 20mm and 22mm watch bands, respectively; they’re both common sizes, which means you should be able to find plenty of third-party options. In addition to those two variants, there’s also a second 42mm option, built specifically with women in mind. Other than the fact that it’s offered with different color and material choices, the biggest difference there is that the strap lugs are pushed closer together to accommodate thinner 16mm bands.
Even if you don’t want to find a third-party band, there are plenty of ways to customize the Moto 360 (although not as many as the Apple Watch). For the men’s line that I tested, you can choose from black-, silver- or gold-colored aluminum bezels that have either a smooth metal finish or a textured “micro knurl” pattern for an additional $20. The watch cases come in the same colors, although gold will run you an extra $30. As for bands, you can choose among black and brown leather or silver, black and gold metal (the metal option commands a $50 premium). The women’s case has the same choices (albeit with a different “micro cut” textured pattern option for the bezel), but Motorola swapped out the black color option for rose gold. The leather straps come in more traditionally feminine colors, and there’s also a double-wrap leather band that calls to mind the Apple Watch Hermes “double tour” band.
So that’s a lot of customization. In fact, it’s one of the best things about the new Moto 360 — chances are much better this year that you’ll find one to suit your style. But these options come at a cost. The base price of the Moto 360 actually saw a significant increase: Last year’s 46mm watch started at $250, but this year’s 42mm sells for $300 and up. If you want a 46mm model, you’re looking at spending $350, a full $100 more than before.
The model I tested had a 46mm silver case, gold bezel and brown leather strap. The strap itself was comfortable and handsome to look at, but it didn’t go well with the rest of the watch. With the brown, silver and gold (not to mention the black screen), there were just a few too many clashing colors for my tastes. I think I would have preferred an all-silver body as well as the 42mm size, though these options would have been readily available if I had the opportunity to customize my own the way regular shoppers will. Lastly, the 360 is still rather thick, although its light weight makes wearing it easy enough. That said, it’s still one of the better-looking smartwatches on the market, by a longshot. It has a simple, classy design that isn’t overwrought like many of the other Android Wear watches on the market. Of course, as with any device, your opinion may differ vastly from mine.
Hardware and display
While the Moto 360 looks largely the same as its predecessor, Motorola gave the internals a significant upgrade. Gone is the aging TI OMAP 3 processor found in the original, replaced by a Snapdragon 400 chip — the same as you’ll find in LG’s Watch Urbane. There’s still the same 4GB of storage for music and 512MB of RAM, and both of those specs still seem to be sufficient. Performance is generally snappy, although dismissing notification cards sometimes took a surprisingly long time, and I noticed occasional lags when tapping certain user interface elements or swiping away notifications.
The display has also been refreshed: The 42mm case has a 1.37-inch screen running at 360 X 325, while the 46mm steps up to 1.56 inches at a 360 x 330 resolution. Both models feature a higher resolution than last year’s Moto 360, and in usage things are noticeably sharper. Despite that, I still wouldn’t rate the display as anything particularly special — it’s a bit easier to read outdoors, and the higher resolution is certainly appreciated, but colors aren’t terribly vibrant. Since you’re only glancing at the watch for a few seconds at a time, it’s passable, although there are other watches with more impressive screens.
The last hardware change here is by far the most important: The 46mm Moto 360 now features a 400mAh battery, up from the 300-320mAh on the last model. (The 42mm watch is rated at 300mAh.) In the real world, this meant I could comfortably use the Moto 360 all day, with plenty of power left when I finally went to bed. That’s with the ambient display feature turned on all the time (that’s the setting which displays your watch face in black and white, with low brightness). Motorola says the 360 is only rated for a day’s usage in this scenario, but I could easily get more than that. I still charged the Moto 360 nightly, but the good news is that I basically never had to worry about the battery running low, which is the best you can expect from a smartwatch.
On your wrist
Since it’s running Android Wear, using the Moto 360 is like using any other Android-based watch. Plenty of new and useful features have come to the platform since its debut, but its core purpose is still showing you smartphone notifications and Google Now suggestions, as well as carrying out voice searches and commands.
The Moto 360’s upgraded hardware typically handled all these features without a problem: Notifications were pushed to my watch quickly and dismissing them helpfully syncs that change back to your phone. Voice search worked well enough, although it failed to recognize the “OK Google” command often enough to be a bit frustrating. Fortunately, you can swipe a few screens over to get a full list of voice commands and just tap the one you want to make your watch listen to your request. Talking to your phones and watches has come a long way in the last few years, but it’s hardly bulletproof at this point — not a knock against Motorola, exactly, but Android Wear is so reliant on your voice that the whole platform feels a bit less useful when the device doesn’t hear me shouting “OK Google” at it.
Motorola also built in some new watch faces that include customizable “complications” (watch parlance for small slices of information). It’s part of a recent update to Android Wear that supports interactive watch faces, and it definitely adds to the experience — being able to glance at my wrist and see the temperature, date and how many steps I’ve taken is pretty great. In fact, it’s something that should have been in the operating system from the beginning, but either way it’s a very useful addition.
Beyond these features, Android Wear now supports full applications; you can access your app list by holding down on the Moto 360’s side button. Most of these apps were focused around quick interactions for things you’ll want to do frequently (as they should be), but sometimes the feature sets felt just a little too limited. For example, Wunderlist only shows items that are in your “Inbox”; any other list you might have will be inaccessible. The Apple Watch Wunderlist app lets you also see everything due on the current day or everything assigned to you — two views that feel especially useful to me.
Naturally, most Google applications are fairly full-featured and comprehensive. Hangouts lets you scroll back through your conversations and reply with your voice, an emoji or a variety of pre-selected responses, while Google Maps lets you zoom in and out of a full map, tap for local recommendations and navigate anywhere that you drop a pin. Notifications for Google apps are also particularly useful — being able to look down at my wrist and quickly delete emails helped keep my inbox a lot cleaner.
As always, what you get out of Android Wear will depend on how much data you put into Google. If you use the company’s services religiously, you’ll get more useful info out of Google Now pushed to your watch. Unfortunately, I’ve started to personally feel like the reality of Google Now doesn’t quite match its original ambitions, something that hampers the usefulness of Android Wear. Too often, info that I’ve already looked up on Google and digested continues to pop up there; I’ll frequently look up directions to a location, actually go there, and then find Google Now giving me traffic alerts to that place after my trip is already over, for example.
Fitness tracking
The new Moto 360 has a heart rate tracker on board, just like last year’s model, making it a decent option for measuring your workouts. Unfortunately, based on my testing, the 360 lags far behind the Apple Watch for tracking your fitness. At a basic level, the Moto 360 and Moto Body app track your steps and distance, active calorie burn and “heart activity” minutes, which is essentially how many minutes you spend exercising. Similar to the Apple Watch, the Moto Body app wants you to meet all three of those goals each day — but there’s no way to actually track activity specifically for when you’re doing more intense workouts.
That’s not a complete deal breaker, as there are plenty of third-party options like Runkeeper for tracking your more vigorous physical activity. But one of the best things about the Apple Watch is how it combines formal workouts with day-to-day activity to help you always keep an eye on your fitness levels; in my opinion, it’s the most compelling feature of the device. Motorola’s approach is simple but not nearly as comprehensive: The 360 will work fine as a basic activity tracker, but if you want a bit more detail about your workouts, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Fortunately, the 360 appears to do a reasonably accurate job tracking your heart rate and steps. If that’s all you need, it’ll do the trick.
One last note: It’s foolish of Motorola to sell a watch and tout its activity-tracking features without offering a band suited for use during exercise. I sweated all over the 360’s nice leather strap while working out, which is kind of a shame. It definitely absorbs sweat rather than repelling it, and it’s also far less comfortable than a more sport-appropriate band would be. Motorola is working on a special Moto 360 designed for athletes, but that doesn’t change the fact that the company positions fitness tracking as a main feature of this watch. Providing a band to make that feasible is a must.
Using the Moto 360 and Android Wear with an iPhone
The Moto 360 is also notable for being one of the first Android Wear watches to go on sale that works with iOS, a feature announced back in August. As such, it’s worth noting what the Moto 360 can and cannot do when paired with an iPhone. Setup is simple and essentially identical to the process on an Android phone — you download the iOS Android Wear app to your iPhone, pair over Bluetooth and then you’re off and running.
From there, you’ll still get the notifications from your phone mirrored on your Moto 360, and you’ll also receive Google Now info, provided you log in with your Google account. You can do the same OK Google queries to search Google or ask your watch to do things like set a reminder, start a timer or set an alarm — or show you data like your steps or heart rate.
Unfortunately, basically all other deep app integration is gone. The Gmail app supports rich notifications, which means you can archive or reply to emails right from your watch, but that’s it. As far as I can tell, no other notifications are actionable; tapping on a Google Now alert about my commute home showed me the route I should take, but I can’t start any navigation or really do anything with that info. You can’t reply to Hangouts or texts or initiate any conversations with your voice. With an iPhone, you basically get your notifications on your wrist and quick access to Google Now and Google voice search. A year ago, that would have sounded pretty appealing, but at this point there’s basically no reason for an iPhone user to seriously consider the Moto 360, particularly when an Apple Watch isn’t much more expensive.
The competition
The new Moto 360 is entering a much more crowded field than the original did last year. There are too many Android Wear watches to cover here, not to mention the new Pebble Time Round. From a looks and cost perspective, the most direct competitors to the Moto 360 are probably the $349 LG Watch Urbane and the $399 Huawei Watch. They’re both on the higher end of Android Wear devices and feature round faces with premium materials and design. As I’ve noted multiple times before, though, a watch’s style is so important and so subjective that it’s hard to identify exactly which devices the Moto 360 is competing against. It’s probably fair to say it’s up against the entire Android Wear field, which is a lot more competitive now than it was a year ago.
Wrap-up
Thanks to the changes Motorola has made to the Moto 360, as well as the enhancements that have come to the Android Wear platform as a whole, the new 360 is easier to recommend than its predecessor. The design has improved; there are more sizing options; battery life is longer; and Android Wear keeps getting more useful. Much of your mileage will depend on how invested you are in Google services, but if you have your heart set on an Android Wear device, the Moto 360 is one of the better options out there. That said, a $100 price hike means buying a Moto 360 is a bigger investment than it was a year ago, so you’ll want to make sure that Android Wear does exactly what you need it to before taking the plunge.
Google awards the man who owned Google.com for a minute over $10,000
Sammay Ved, the man that recently owned Google.com for a minute, was actually awarded over $10,000. Ved, a former Google employee, was searching Google Domains and came across Google.com, which was available to buy for $12. He was able to complete the checkout, and thus became the man that owned Google.com…at least for a minute.
“The scary part was I had access to the webmaster controls for a minute,” Ved told Business Insider. But, as with anything, all good things come to an end, and Google cancelled the sale. Ved never expected to receive any money, but says Google ended up awarding him “more than $10,000″ as part of its security vulnerabilities program, where Google routinely awards people for finding different hacks, exploits, and vulnerabilities in Google-owned properties.
Ved was never interested in the money, though. He ended up donating it all to The Art of Living India. In doing that, Google actually ended up doubling the amount going to that charity. It’s a neat story, and as part of the hiccup, many people in India will benefit from the Art of Living’s humanitarian outreach.
There’s no telling how Google.com ended up as becoming available to buy, but one thing’s for sure, Google isn’t going to let that happen ever again.
source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Google awards the man who owned Google.com for a minute over $10,000
The DMV is publishing self-driving car accident reports
The California DMV has released the reports for a full year’s worth of self-driving car accidents. From the accounts in the paperwork none of the eight accidents involving Google’s cars can be blamed on autonomous technology. In fact, six out of eight of the accidents were drivers rear-ending one of the company’s retrofitted Lexus RX450h SUVs, half of those while the robotic vehicle was stationary. It’s worth noting that all the accounts come from Google, which is required by law to file documents within ten days of a collision.
Google began publishing accident reports (with the exact language as used in the DMV paperwork) in May of this year, so the events detailed by the DMV are all known. Only one other company, Delphi Automotive, has had a car involved in an accident in the past year, and that was while the vehicle was being driven by a handler, rather than a machine. However, there are no less than ten companies testing self-driving vehicles in the state, and Apple is at least considering entering the fray. The DMV’s willingness to publish full reports means that Apple and any other company testing vehicles needs to be prepared for Google-like public transparency while working on their self-driving projects.
Source: California DMV
Google Street View updated with support for Cardboard
Google has updated its official Street View application in the Play Store. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade transports compatibility for Cardboard, giving users of the VR headset the facility to explore 360-degree maps by simply tilting their head.
To install the update, open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘Street View’, then hit the update button. Alternatively, you can hit the link below to initiate the download on your smartphone from the Web.
Come comment on this article: Google Street View updated with support for Cardboard
Is Android fragmentation really a problem?
Ever since the early days of Android, one of the biggest arguments against it has been fragmentation. I don’t think anyone can argue that fragmentation doesn’t exist, but the question that I’m posing is, Is Android fragmentation really that big of a problem? Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer.
First let’s talk about why fragmentation exists. Fragmentation exists for a few different reasons. The first is manufacturer customizations. The first manufacturer to do this was HTC with their Sense. Later you would see many manufacturers following suit. Everyone from Samsung to Motorola was jumping on the custom skin bandwagon. These customizations brought unique looks and features to the devices and made it possible for the various manufacturers to differentiate their phones in the market.
The second reason that fragmentation exists is software updates. Unfortunately, many phone manufacturers will stop supporting their devices after a year or two. What this means, is that the new features that debut every year with the new versions of Android, simply do not get updated on older devices. Updates come from the phone’s manufacturer but get rolled out by the carriers. Most of the time, the manufacturer and the carrier share responsibility in getting the update pushed out.
In the case of my Galaxy Note II, I waited and waited for my KitKat update and it never came. Sprint released KitKat for their Note II, but T-Mobile never did. I learned first hand how frustrating it can be to wait on the carrier. I had my Note II over two years. By the time I got rid of it, the Note 4 had already hit the market and been updated to Lollipop.
Now let’s discuss what Google can do to solve fragmentation. I think the first step is to make Android more like Windows. I’m not painting with a broad stroke here. When I say “make Android more like Windows”, what I’m specifically referring to is their updates. If you have a Windows PC, then you get updates when Microsoft releases them, regardless of who makes your PC. Not only that, but you can very easily build your own PC and install Windows without having to be a developer, manufacturer, or likewise. Windows comes in a one size fits all package. Android, however, has to be tailor made for your device. Sure a developer can port features from one ROM to the next, but he/she still has to go through a process to do so. If you’re not a developer, then it’s outside of your reach.
Now let’s discuss what the manufacturers can do to solve fragmentation. First of all, they can take the carriers out of the equation. I’m not sure why it has to go through the carriers in the first place, but Motorola recently did do just that, although not completely. When they announced their new Moto X, G, and E models, they stated that they would not be available from the carrier, or at least not under those names. In doing so, Motorola circumvented the carriers. Now Motorola would choose how and when to roll out updates, not the carrier. At least that’s how it works in theory. We’ll have to see how it actually works in the long run.
Another thing they can do is support their phones for a longer period of time. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is for a techy guy, like myself, to see new Android versions pop up only to find out that you’ll never see them. I reference back to my statement about my Galaxy Note II.
Ok, so after all this I pose the original question. Is fragmentation really a problem? I don’t think the answer is quite so cut and dry. On one hand, I think manufacturer customizations are great. They are one of the reasons that Android is so amazing. They give you choice. They give you options. If you don’t like stock Android, then you can choose a Samsung phone with Touchwiz, or an HTC phone with sense, or any other phone you like. On top of that many features end up getting added to later versions of Android, but some customizations are overkill and add useless bloat to an already great device. For example, Samsung’s eye tracking features caused more headaches than anything. Most people kept the feature turned off.
On the other hand, when a vulnerability like Stagefright is exposed, Google is completely reliant on the manufacturers to patch the OS and push out the patch via the carriers.
Fragmentation also becomes a problem when your hardware becomes outdated. However, this is not just unique to Android. Apple also runs into this, when their older iPhones can’t run the latest and greatest version of iOS. Windows machines also run into this when the machines no longer meet the minimum requirements to run the OS. Of course, one major difference in at least this regard is that the PC can be upgraded with a newer CPU, GPU, more RAM, additional storage, newer motherboard, etc…
In the end, I personally think that fragmentation is a minor problem. If you don’t like that your manufacturer doesn’t update your phone, then stop patroning them. There are several options for you and that is why I believe that fragmentation is not that big of a deal. You can switch your phone and you can switch your carrier if you’re not happy. Is it ideal? No, but it isn’t a big problem either.
What do you think? Do you believe that fragmentation is a problem? Sound off in the comments below.
The post Is Android fragmentation really a problem? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Here’s how to install Android 6.0 on your Nexus 4
Remember the Nexus 4? You might, but Google isn’t particularly invested in keeping it in everyone’s memory anymore. Out of all the devices slated to get the Android 6.0 update, the Nexus 4 didn’t make the cut. To be completely fair, the Nexus 4 is pretty old, and all devices will eventually reach the end of their official support, but if you’re still rocking a Nexus 4 it might be a little disappointing.
The good news is that it’s still a Nexus device, and that means unofficial support for the device will last for years and years past when Google decides it’s time to retire the phone. A Nexus owner, Dmitry Grinberg, has kindly uploaded a list of instructions for building your own Android 6.0 Marshmallow ROM to install a Nexus 4, complete with an optional radio flashing that will bring LTE support for the not-officially-LTE Nexus 4.
If you’re not interested in compiling things for yourself, there’s also a pre-built image you can go ahead and flash to get your Nexus 4 updated to the latest Android release. Not a bad deal for a device that’s no longer officially supported.
source: Dmitry Grinberg
Come comment on this article: Here’s how to install Android 6.0 on your Nexus 4
Android founder Andy Rubin looks beyond mobile to artificial intelligence
Andy Rubin helped build the most widely-adopted mobile operating system in the world, and now he’s looking to the future.
When the Android co-founder left Google back in October 2014, his decision wasn’t necessarily surprising by any means. After all, he played a big role in how most folks around the world connect with each other, so it only makes sense that he would continue his goal to push technology forward as best as he can. We already know of Rubin’s new hardware startup incubator called Playground Global, but how will that help push technology forward in the future? During his talk at Code/Mobile earlier today, we got a good look at what the Father of Android has in store for us.
Related: Android co-founder Andy Rubin launches a tech hardware incubator called Playground Global
When asked about the future of technology and computing, Rubin explained that the next big frontier has to do with technology that doesn’t necessarily have to have a screen, such as dishwashers or traffic lights. He’s talking about automation, artificial intelligence, and machines that can take the place of something a person used to do.
What I learned [at Google] is, assuming that the cloud and computing is going to evolve at a rapid pace, neural networks, deep learning and machine learning are also going to continue to evolve. There is a point in time – I have no idea when it is – where there is some form of AI that will be the next computing platform.
“Robotics and automation are going to permeate in our lives”, Rubin continues. And it’s clear that he’s pretty invested in this idea, too. Playground Global just recently invested a massive $15 million in CastAR, an augmented reality startup that’s based in Mountain View, California, among a few other notable projects.
This doesn’t particularly mean that mobile is going away anytime soon, though. Since mobile devices are so personal and in our pockets at all times, he believes that our smartphones will remain the main screen in our lives. Basically, the technology world needs to progress, and the next step, he says, is the introduction of artificial intelligence into our lives. That’s where we’ll see the next big push.
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Rubin went on to talk about what Android has accomplished in its lifetime, and that he’s proud of the team at Google that decided to make Android an open OS. He pointed out that he’s pretty amazed at what you can purchase nowadays that runs Android – phones, tablets, televisions, smartwatches and more. But when asked if there was room for a third major operating system in the mobile space, he explained:
When we pitched Android, we had a deck that said “the world doesn’t need another mobile operating system”. What the world needed was an open operating system. Once you have an open system, innovation will be built on top of it. And it came true!
“The worst thing that would happen from a product perspective would be slowing down innovation,” said Rubin. Not that innovation is dead, by any means, but it has slowed down in recent years. He goes on to say that the most recent interesting thing that’s happened in the technology space in the United States is that users are no longer forced to sign a contract with a mobile service provider.
Related: Would you like to see an Android OEM directly offer its own upgrade program?
Previously, you’d walk into your local carrier store, sign up for a new phone number, pay a reduced price for your phone, and then be locked into a two-year contract. Now, with these new types of payment plans such as T-Mobile’s Jump!, AT&T’s Next program and even Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program you can save money by either leasing a phone through a carrier or making monthly payments on the full price of that phone. He continues:
The carriers have always been “hit makers” — they choose which phones they’ll sell and which will be successful. They thought they had the pulse on what consumers wanted, but they’re not necessarily product companies.
[This new system] makes the U.S. look a lot more like China. 80 percent of phones in China are sold open market (not through a wireless carrier). We’re at the beginning, but the U.S. could look more like that in the future.
He also touched on the big “F” word in the Android community… fragmentation. This has been a huge point of contention among fans of mobile technology for some time. During the Q&A section of the talk, when asked if fragmentation was good for consumers, he explained that he doesn’t like to use the word ‘fragmentation’ because it has a negative connotation. He says, “I prefer ‘consumer choice’ as the positive side.” Instead of looking at Android through a fragmented lens, he decided to ask the question “should we write for one screen size?”
And that’s definitely worked out to Android’s advantage, too. This decision to not base Android around one screen size enabled the OS to reach automobiles, televisions, watches and more faster than any other company could.
Don’t miss: What is the Internet of Things?
Before wrapping up the big talk, Rubin touched on some of the things he finds to be too cumbersome in the IoT (Internet of Things) space. For instance, going to bed at night and plugging in five devices isn’t a good experience for the consumer. “As it scales, your door lock, security system, toaster oven, you have to be really careful and thoughtful about how much tech you adopt. I think one of the dangers is one company providing all the tech in your home. The real question is how to do you create interoperability without making the consumer frustrated.”
What are your thoughts on the future of mobile devices? Will they diminish in importance, or will they remain prevalent in our lives through the adoption of artificially intelligent machines? Speak up in the comment section!
AIVAnet 
