Supreme Court won’t touch Google’s fight with Oracle over Android
When Oracle got a second chance at making Google pay for using Java programming kits in Android, the folks in Mountain View raced to the Supreme Court in hopes of stopping that renewed lawsuit dead in its tracks. Unfortunately for Google, that’s not going to happen — the Supreme Court now says that it won’t tackle the case. The move kicks the issue back to a lower court, and denies a once-and-for-all decision on the extent to which companies can copyright their code. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Google will be on the hook for Android, but the company is going to face a tougher fight than it wanted.
[Image credit: CSA Images/Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Wall Street Journal
Google uses a robot to check for lag on Android and Chrome OS devices
Testing for input lag on a smart device seems like something only a human would be able to do, but Google apparently uses a giant robot to handle the task. Is there anything we can’t develop a giant robot to do?
The machine is called TouchBot and it tests Android and Chrome OS devices by tapping the screen in different places, then recording what’s going on. It’s a pretty cool automated concept, and apparently works well for Google. Hit the video below to see it in action.
source: François Beaufort (Google+)
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Google uses a robot to check for lag on Android and Chrome OS devices
Google Maps to include every US railroad crossing
US Railway crossing accidents are up sharply over last year, but the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) is about to get some high-tech help. Google’s Maps will soon include the locations of every public and private highway rail crossing location in the nation. The app will also give drivers navigating with Maps audio and visual alerts when they approach those spots. The FRA said that 270 people were killed in rail crossing accidents in 2015, 48 more than last year. They speculated that, ironically, the increase may be partly due to inattention caused by increased smartphone use on roads.
That said, the FRA also told the New York Times that “there are many cases where drivers lack situational awareness, because it may be dark or the route is unfamiliar,” particularly at uncontrolled crossings. In those cases, Google’s app could snap drivers back to attention, provided they were using it to navigate. If not, the administration has also asked Apple, MapQuest, TomTom and Garmin to include similar features. In the meantime, it also has its own app.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Source: New York Times
No surprises there: Nexus 5 2015 and Android M will be releasing at the same time
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In news that should surprise nobody, a rumour has emerged today saying that the Nexus 5 2015 and Android M will be released at the same time. We’re assuming this is going to be the LG-made Nexus device – there is another Nexus smartphone known to be made by Huawei, but that is expected to be a phablet – though there’s still so much up in the air at the moment that anything could be possible. We’re not surprised to hear that the Nexus 5 2015 and Android M will be released at the same time as the release of a Nexus smartphone and a new version of Android have always been loosely aligned.
Regarding the Nexus 5 2015 itself, it’s been leaked by someone close to the Google engineering team that the new Nexus will have a more durable body that the usual plastic, opting for a form of carbon fiber – I smell a premium priced Nexus device again, though I’d love to be disproved.
What do you think about this latest rumour about the Nexus 5 2015 and Android M? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: GeekSnack via TalkAndroid
The post No surprises there: Nexus 5 2015 and Android M will be releasing at the same time appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Nexus 5 (2015) and Android M to be released together
Google gave us a preview of the yet-to-be released next version of Android, Android M (6.0) at the 2015 Google I/O event. This sparked the big question of how will the next version of Android be released to the world. According to recent rumors, Google is planning on releasing its next OS alongside a new Nexus device, known to be at this point the Nexus 5 2015, codenamed “LG Angler”. The new device is hypothesized to be released by the end of this year, alongside a Nexus tablet that Huawei will most likely be in charge of making. The specs of the upcoming Nexus 5 2015 are still to-be-annouced, however users do have high expectations which will force Google and LG to release a device with the latest specs and tech available in the mobile market. We definitely expect to see a Full HD resolution touchscreen (5-inch minimum) with a possibility of a Quad HD panel as well. The new Nexus device will certainly feature a fingerprint sensor to take advantage of Android M’s new native fingerprint identification support. In terms of internal specs, the new Nexus will most likely come with the snapdragon 810 or 808, 3GB of RAM and come with 32GB, 64GB or 128 GB of internal storage options. In addition, wireless charging and fast charging should be included in the package, and most certainly, a USB Type C port. Finally, according to a person close with the engineering team at Google said that the new Nexus will have a major design improvement with a more durable body made up of a specific type of strong carbon fiber.
Another important question to ask at this moment is whether the new Nexus 5 2015 or so-called “LG Angler” will feature a built-in non-removable battery or not. Having a removable battery does offer a great advantage as batteries do wear out and having the option of removing the battery yourself and replacing with a new one is always preferable.
Source: GeekSnack
Come comment on this article: Nexus 5 (2015) and Android M to be released together
Chrome TouchBot: Google’s badass automated way to test touchscreen lag
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As an engineer, my version of pornography is a well-oiled automation system that performs its tasks with precision and efficiency. This put me in a very compromising position when I first read about Google’s Chrome TouchBot today, an automation system created by automation specialists OptoFidelity, that Google is using to quantify and improve their touchscreen accuracy and response times (or screen latency, as many will know it) on Android and Chrome OS devices. If you think your touchscreen gets pretty much instant input from your finger when you touch your screen, think again – check out this video of the system in action, testing several Nexus devices:
As you can see from the slow-mo parts of the video, the response of the display relative to the simulated finger is actually slow, noticeable so at this frame rate. Obviously we don’t notice much in real-time, but it does show that if improvements are made (and Chrome TouchBot makes it entirely possible), then we’ll be getting that much closer to instant input and response on our smart devices – you can even try out the TouchBot code yourself as Google has made it available on Chromium. Exciting times we live it.
What do you think about Google’s Chrome TouchBot automation system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Chrome TouchBot: Google’s badass automated way to test touchscreen lag appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
7 best Android apps for musicians and music makers
The mobile boom brought forth a world of opportunities to creative individuals – especially musicians. Gone are the days when these artists were bound to full studio equipment (which costs fortunes) in order to get anything done. Professional music makers still need those, but our smartphones and tablets are more than capable of taking a quantifiable load of work.
What really makes us grind our teeth here at Android Authority is the fact that Apple has had a foothold on the music industry for a long time (in terms of mobile music making, at least). This is changing, as there is a plethora of Android developers making great apps for musicians, but we need to dig deeper into the platform in order to understand what’s going on.
Apple wasn’t doing amazingly well among musicians only because of its fame and widespread support; Android devices did have a limitation, which proved to be a huge slow-down. iOS has offered audio low-latency for a long time, something Google only implemented with the introduction of Android 5.0 Lollipop, along with multi-channel audio stream mixing and USB audio support.
With these changes in place, and considering Android does own the market in terms of numbers, we are sure to see some great developers getting on board with our favorite mobile OS. In the meantime, we would like to share some great apps any musician and music maker should take a look at.
Guitar Tuner Free (previously known as Guitar Tuna)
This app’s design is great, and I love having it around to tune my instruments. Mostly because it has support for tuning multiple instruments, including guitar, bass and ukulele (my personal favorite). It includes games for learning to play, a metronome and a design that makes it a breeze to use.
Serious musicians will also love that it touts “award-winning audio technology” and “professional accuracy for advanced players”. And with over 5 million downloads, this app sure has its fair amount of popularity.
Lyrically
Even the best of musicians forget lyrics, so it’s always convenient to have a lyric app around, just in case you need it. This application grants access to lyrics for more than a million songs, something considered to be heaven-sent to many cover musicians around. Lyrically can even recognize the music you are playing on your phone and present the right lyrics on the screen.
Pro Metronome
Having trouble syncing to a beat? Metronomes are no longer just tools that need to sit on top of a table. You can carry it around in your pocket, thanks to the power of our smartphones. Pro Metronome was a hit on iOS, and us Android users can also take advantage of it now.
Sure, other tuning apps include metronomes, but this one is far superior. The user can choose between many timing styles. Users can also “access subdivisions, poly-rhythm settings, and create complex patterns with triplets, dotted notes, and non-standard time signatures” if they purchase the Pro version. It’s also more precise than a real, mechanical metronome, as it’s not affected by friction, air resistance and other natural factors.
RecForge Pro
Musicians love their high quality sound recording. Sound needs to be as pristine as possible, and even though mobile is not quite up there with studio standards, I have to say RecForge Pro is about the closest you can get to the real deal.
RecForge Pro is a serious audio recorder. It can record in mp3, ogg or wav, and you can convert audio files between those formats, as well. It has support for storing clips in the cloud, and one can even edit these sound clips before doing anything with them. There’s a wide array of settings and tools for making your sound as perfect as possible.
I will advice that you get a good microphone to use with your handset, as phones usually don’t have the best microphones integrated.
Walk Band
How many times have you gotten inspired during your commute to the city, without an instrument within reach to hear how well your new song ideas work out? After all, music often sounds very different in your mind than it does coming out of an instrument.
Walk Band is meant to be more of a creative music-making app, with multi-track recording and a series of digital instruments you can play around with. That’s all fun, but I use it more as a tool for translating my thoughts into sound waves when on-the-go. Maybe you will find it just as convenient, so give it a go!
DJ Studio 5
Here is one area where Android is still a bit behind, with apps like Traktor DJ putting all their chips on Apple. That’s not to say there aren’t some good DJing Android apps out there, though. One of my favorites is DJ Studio 5. It’s completely free and all they make money on are skins. No ads, no hidden charges, no catch.
DJ Studio 5 is simple enough to welcome beginners, yet it has its good share of more complex features for the advances DJs out there. You at least have to try their unique scratch system and disk physics!
Caustic 3
Sadly, we are far from getting anything similar to Garage Band, which continues to be a great tool even for some serious musicians. With that said, w can also say there are some great apps like Caustic 3 around, which allow us to create music from our mobile devices.
This app’s design is inspired by rack-mount synthesizers, which I say give it an awesome style. You can choose from a wide variety of synthesizers and different sounds. It’s fun and it’s free to use. You will need to pay $9.99 if you want the ability to save or export your projects, though.
Which apps do you use for making music?
Of course, this is all the opinion of one humble musician here. I am sure many of you have found great uses for other apps, and maybe you even have better alternatives to the ones I happen to love. Whatever the case may be, please do share your thoughts on the comments below.
Do you use any of these apps? Which are your favorite applications for making music?
Here’s how Google checks for lag on your Android phone
Yes, Google hates lag on smartphones as much as you do — enough so that the search giant has a robot dedicated to spotting that delay between your finger input and what happens on screen. Meet the Chrome TouchBot, an OptoFidelity-made machine that gauges the touchscreen latency on Android and Chrome OS devices. As you can see in the clip below, the bot’s artificial digit pokes, prods and swipes the display in a series of web-based tests (which you can try yourself) that help pinpoint problems in both code and hardware. This isn’t the only gadget monitoring device lag at Google, but it could be the most important given how much the company’s software revolves around touch. Don’t be surprised if this automaton boosts the responsiveness of Mountain View’s future platforms.
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: Francois Beaufort (Google+), Google Git, Appspot
Google intros new Android branding, but is it necessary?
Google has updated its own applications for Android with a splash screen that adds a tweaks to remind users who built the app, the operating system, and the ecosystem that it hooks into.
Having updated Googles’ own applications, you’ll now be presented with a white screen, an oversized logo, and the word “Google” plastered across the screen. But why?
Adding a splash screen to the loading process of an app only increases the time taken to get into the app itself – something previously Android design guidelines discouraged in order to load the app as quickly as possible.
However, Google has now taken a defensive position on app branding to counter the bundled Microsoft apps that now come with some Android phones that directly compete with Googles’ offerings. Here’s what Google say in their Material Design guidelines:
Branded launch screens are a good way to portray a brand while the app is loading. Take advantage of the loading time to display your logo or other elements that improve brand recognition. Avoid using text on this screen except your logo and, if applicable, a tagline.
So whilst technically completely unnecessary, Google feels it needs to protect its brand against its competitors on its own platform by introducing this loading screen into their own apps. Is the average user naive enough to not be able to distinguish between cloud services providers? Perhaps they are, and perhaps that’s why Google feels the need to hinder the app experience with these ugly splash screens.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Did you even notice the change?
The post Google intros new Android branding, but is it necessary? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google-powered beer fridge translates thirst in 40 languages
Better brush up on your language skills… they might just get you a free drink. Google and Thinking Box have teamed up to create Molson’s Global Beer Fridge, an appliance that depends on Google’s real-time voice translation to serve cool refreshments. The refrigerator only opens once it detects people saying “I am Canadian” (Molson’s classic slogan) in six of 40 languages, ranging from French to Hindi to Mandarin. That’s ostensibly a nod to both Canada’s cultural diversity as well as the country’s July 1st birthday, although it conveniently guarantees a crowd for this not-so-subtle publicity stunt. It’s not often that you see this much sophistication in a sales ploy, mind you, and it’s clear that the underlying technology could be useful in everyday vending machines. Just be ready to book a trip if you’re hoping to score some brews — the fridge makes its next appearance in Toronto on July 10th, when the Pan Am Games start.
Filed under: Household, Internet, Google
Source: Molson Canadian (YouTube 1), (2)
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