Google explains why wireless charging was excluded from new Nexus phones
The team in charge of the new Nexus phones launched yesterday had a session on Reddit today to freely answer questions from Nexus fans. A lot of us were bothered by the exclusion of wireless charging, a smartphone feature Google began with the Nexus 4 and was carried to each subsequent Nexus, until now.
Therefore, of course the question came up in the Q&A: “Was it a conscious decision to leave out Qi wireless charging, or was it a cost or design necessity?”
Here was the answer:
“Thanks for being a Nexus fan! We added Qi wireless charging starting with N4 because plugging in USB micro B was such a hassle! (Which way is up!?) With this year’s Nexii, we support USB Type-C which has a reversible connector so there’s no more guessing. AND it charges incredibly swiftly: 1% to 100% in 97 mins on the 6P for example (the first ~45 mins of charging is especially fast). Meanwhile, wireless charging adds z (thickness). So, ease of plugging in + fast charging + optimizing for thinness made us double down on Type-C instead of wireless!“
There you have it folks. While I give the Nexus team props for doing this kind of session at all (and addressing these tough questions), I’m not feeling this answer.
Specifically, I have a hard time buying that wireless charging has existed because inserting microUSB was such a hassle. It’s more work to plug in at all. That is why people like wireless charging and that was the selling point – no plugging.
The other justification the team gave was that they felt thinness took priority. I also question this response. How thicker would it have been and would we care?
What do you think about Google’s answer to no wireless charging?
Source: Reddit
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Google Nexus 6P camera lands top 3 spot with DxOMark
Since Google officially announced the Nexus 6P yesterday, potential buyers have been trying to decide whether the device makes sense to them. One piece of hardware that gets a lot of attention in any smartphone buying decision is the camera considering how popular mobile device photography has become thanks to social media. The Nexus 6P includes a 12.3MP rear camera, which may sound low, but Google and Huawei packed in some features to help grab good photos. This includes larger sensors inside the lens along with laser autofocus, LED flash, and HDR+. According to DxOMark, the results of their testing place the Nexus 6P near the top of the charts, just trailing the Sony Xperia Z5 and the Samsung S6 Edge.
The Nexus 6P racked up a combined image and video score of 84 on DxOMark’s tests. They noted that camera succeeds in grabbing great photos in low light situations, the autofocus is fast and accurate, white balance and color are good in outdoor conditions, the flash works well, and images are properly exposed. However, the HDR+ technology included tends to introduce some irregularities in low light conditions, in some high dynamic scenes the camera may blow out some areas, and occasionally the autofocus doesn’t quite finish its work before an image is captured.
On the video capture side, DxOMark noted the camera has a low noise level in all conditions while maintaining good exposure, white balance and color rendering. However, during high motion videos the camera has a tendency to introduce a strong jello effect. They also noted that in some situations, like during big changes in illumination or when tracking movement, refocus efforts are visible. In low light conditions, fine detail may be lost and color shading may be visible.
Based on these strong scores, it looks like Google struck a good balance between packing in more pixels versus making the available pixels work better.
source: DxOMark
Come comment on this article: Google Nexus 6P camera lands top 3 spot with DxOMark
Google’s secret strategy for controlling your home
Yesterday in San Francisco, Google launched a pair of new smartphones, some AV devices and a Surface-like tablet. But future events could just as easily devote a large portion of their running time to the Internet of Things and smart home devices. Tilt your head by 90 degrees and you can almost spot Google’s subtle strategy to become the dominant name in your home — after all, as the phone market begins to play itself out, it’s only natural that the firm would move onto the next big thing. After years of lingering on the periphery of the industry, perhaps souped-up lightbulbs and thermostats are ready for their day in the sun.
But first, let’s consider the Chromecast, which is one of many options in the stripped-down smart-TV-dongle market. Unlike its rivals, the device doesn’t ship with a remote, so users are compelled to learn how to control their TVs from their phones. History has shown that the fastest way to get over the scare factor when a new technology comes along is to, somehow, relate it to the home entertainment experience. The best example is how Nintendo styled the Wii controllers to look like TV remotes so that people wouldn’t be intimidated to use them. But Google is hoping that the ubiquity of smartphones and the hardware’s dirt-cheap, almost throwaway price will wean people away from dedicated remotes.
It’s the same situation with the Chromecast Audio, since there are multitudes of wireless audio adapters that’ll bolt onto your existing HiFi setup. Google is betting that you’d much prefer to upgrade your current hardware for $35, rather than the $350 it’d cost for a Sonos Connect. But again, the smartphone is becoming the center of your home entertainment experience at the expense of dedicated controllers. For that little money, people who wouldn’t otherwise have bothered will take the leap based just on Google’s brand alone. Either way, they’re being gently, stealthily, encouraged to use their phones to run their homes.
But a smart TV and a slightly smarter HiFi setup won’t be able to establish Google as the king of the smart home hill on their own. That’s where OnHub comes in, because the $200 router promises to end your poor WiFi signal woes once and for all. Tucked inside that canister, however, are Bluetooth, Weave and ZigBee radios that are all lying dormant, ready to be activated in a future software update. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Google could enable its smartphones to run all compatible smart home products, like Philips’ Hue bulbs.
By the end of this year, Google will release Brillo, a stripped-down version of Android that’s designed for the smart home. This will be paired with Weave, a Nest-developed protocol that, as mentioned, is also baked into OnHub and can control other Internet of Things devices. It’s not too much to think that Nest users will opt for new Brillo devices since it’ll work seamlessly with their existing tech. It doesn’t matter much if they don’t, either, since OnHub can also work with ZigBee devices. In which case, it’s possible that Google could push an app out that’d take over every device in your home.
Imagine a situation where Google Now knows when you’re driving home from work and kicks up the temperature accordingly. If you have HDMI-CEC enabled then your Chromecast could have the TV tuned to your favorite Netflix show by the time you’re through the door. Given the rapidly falling price of smart lightbulbs, the lights could automatically dim when you sit down on the couch. Hell, this setup could even start pre-heating your oven so that your DiGiorno pizza can be on your table 20 minutes after you get through the door. It may sound like madness right now, but next year’s Nexus event could have a whole lot more Brillo in it.
Google launches Play Music Family Plan
Yesterday was filled with goodies from Google, from new Nexus devices to new Chromecast devices, there was just about something for everyone, including music lovers. Google announced a new Play Music Family Plan, allowing for several different accounts to be on the same plan.
For $14.99 a month, the Play Music Family Plan allows for six accounts to share one plan. This will be available sometime later this year.
Unfortunately, that is all the details we have about the Google Play Music Family Plan (my, what a mouthful!). Currently, one account can have 10 devices linked to a Play Music subscription, with 5 of those being smartphones. To delete a device off an account is easy, but you can only remove 4 devices in a year. How the new Play Music Family Plan will affect these current restrictions is unclear, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out to let you know.
For most people, the above won’t affect them much, as its unlikely they go through that many devices. However, some people may already share their Play Music subscription with others, so the details of how the Family Plan will affect that will be something to keep an eye out for.
Will you go for a Google Play Music Family Plan? Shoot off in the comments below!
Source: Official Google Blog
The post Google launches Play Music Family Plan appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Did you know you can finance the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X?
There’s a change coming to the mobile industry. One of the little known things that happened when Apple announced the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus is that the Cupertino-based company itself is willing to finance either device to you–installment payments, just like you’d find on a carrier.
Another little known fact is that Google is actually doing the same thing with its Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. Those interested in purchasing one can choose whether to buy it outright or finance it for 24 months.
An important thing to note is that this is only for Project Fi customers. Fi customers will be able to finance the base model of the Nexus 5X for a meager $15.79 per month or the 128GB Nexus 6P for $27.04 per month. All you have to do is pay sales tax and shipping costs upfront. And as a carrier will let you do, you can pay off the remaining balance of your device at any time if you don’t want to go through the full 24 months.
Those of you interested just have to head on over to the Project Fi website, click on “Your plan” and then “Upgrade device” to get the process started! It’ll be interesting to see if Google will ever extend this option to all of its customers. What’ll be more intriguing is seeing more manufactures like Samsung, LG, and HTC move to offering something like this.
Anyone plan on financing a Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P?
source: Project Fi
via: Android Central
Come comment on this article: Did you know you can finance the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X?
Dear Veronica: Smart watches and dead devices
Today it’s all about the gadgets: we have questions about Android smartwatches, how to flip the script on your Apple Watch, and what the heck to do with that old Zune you have laying around.
Do you have any use for your old Zune that we forgot to mention? Have creative uses for all your old gadgets and gizmos? Let me know by emailing me or sending me a tweet with the hashtag #DearVeronica! Keep sending those questions in, too. See you next week!
Nexus 5X up for pre-order in UK from £299
Has the Nexus 5X struck your fancy? If so, Google and a number of UK retailers now let you pre-order the volcano-adorned device.
The Nexus 5X is up in the Google Store, starting from £339 for the 16GB version in black, white, and ice blue. The estimated shipping date is “2-3 weeks.” Meanwhile, the 32GB model (which we recommend given the lack of expandable storage) will set you back £379. It looks like Brits have it better than their counterparts across the Channel, who have to pay significantly more for the privilege of owning a new Nexus.
It looks like retailer Carphone Warehouse is undercutting Google in terms of pricing, by offering the Nexus 5X for just £299.99 for the 16GB model or £349.99 for the 32GB model. The retailer also offers a free Chromecast Audio for every Nexus 5X pre-order, a £30 value. The free delivery is expected from October 19.
If you want to shop from Clove for some reason, the retailer has the Nexus 5X 32GB in black or white for £379, VAT included.
The Nexus 5X delivers more modest specifications compared to the sleek Nexus 6P, but you still get a fast fingerprint sensor, that excellent 12.3MP camera, and Google’s latest in software features. Check out our Nexus 5X hands-on for more details.
TAG Heuer will launch its Android Wear smartwatch on November 9
Android Wear didn’t feature much during Google’s Nexus announcement yesterday (which you can catch up on right here), but it’s still managing to garner some headlines for itself. This comes courtesy of TAG Heuer, who has revealed it will launch its Android Wear running smartwatch, the Carrera 01, in November.
The TAG Heuer smartwatch is scheduled to go on sale in New York on November 9 at 11am with a price tag of $1,800. The Carrera 01 is said to appear just like a normal, TAG Heuer watch. TAG Heuer CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, had this to say about the company’s upcoming smartwatch:
“That was our biggest challenge,” Biver said. “How can we make a connected watch that looks like a normal watch with the normal DNA of the Swiss watchmaking?”
Instead of the usual Snapdragon 400 processor used by most of the other Android Wear devices (except the original Moto 360, of course), the TAG Heuer wearable will be sporting a chip produced by Intel.
Source: Bloomberg
Come comment on this article: TAG Heuer will launch its Android Wear smartwatch on November 9
The most expensive Android Wear watch yet is coming on November 9 from Tag Heuer
The Tag Heuer smartwatch could look like this traditional Carrera 1887 model.
Android Wear is going up scale. Tag Heuer’s first smartwatch is officially launching November 9 with an $1800 price tag.
We first heard reports about Tag Heuer joining the Android Wear ecosystem back in March, when the Swiss watchmaker confirmed it would release a smartwatch in partnership with Google and Intel by November.
Yesterday, Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver announced the precise date of the launch, along with an updated price tag. Biver said in March that the device would cost $1,400, but the price is now said to be $1,800, and, apparently, we have Apple to thank for it, at least in part. In a CNBC interview, Biver declared himself “very, very pleased” with the Apple-Hermes tie-up for the Apple Watch, which allows Tag Heuer to sell its own luxury connected watch at $1500 or more.
We now have a launch date and a price tag, but other details about the Tag Heuer Android Wear device are hard to come by. Biver, who leads Tag Heuer and Hublot, both parts of luxury giant LVMH, previously teased a 40-hour battery life; Intel’s involvement could bring us the first AW device to run on a non-ARM SoC. As for appearance, Tag Heuer’s smartwatch is reportedly a digital replica of the watchmaker’s original black Carrera model.
With prices starting at $125 and heading into luxury territory thanks to the involvement of the Swiss watch industry, Android Wear becomes increasingly diverse. The initiative is still far from the vastness of the Android phone ecosystem, but customers in a wide range of categories now have an Android Wear option and that’s very healthy for the ecosystem’s long term growth.
Thanks for the tip!
[Video] Catch on yesterday’s Google event right here
Yesterday’s Nexus event saw a whole bunch of new devices and services announced by Google, it was engrossing stuff. Google didn’t waste any time at all, moving from one device launch to another, bada-bing-bada-boom. But wait, did you miss the proceedings? Don’t sweat it, you can watch the Nexus announcement in its entirety because Google has uploaded the event to YouTube. And, because we are nice like that, we’ve handily embedded the video after the break.
In the video you can watch Google announce the following devices, apps, and services:
- Nexus 5X
- Nexus 6P
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Chromecast 2015
- Chromecast Audio
- Updated Chromecast App
- Updated Google Photos
- Pixel tablet
- Nexus Protect
- Play Music Family Plan
Enjoy!
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: [Video] Catch on yesterday’s Google event right here
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