Undecided on your next Android phone? Google will help that
Choosing the perfect phone for you is no easy task. On the Android side of things, there are so many options due to the amount of hardware manufacturers. Fortunately, Google has stepped forward to help you choose your next Android phone.
Google starts with twelve categories to see where your focus is: photography, music, productivity, social media, gaming, entertainment, travel, health and fitness, messaging, calls, web browsing, style. Within each of them, Google asks questions about how important they are and in what way the phone will be used.
The recommendation engine requires you to pick at least three categories before offering any results. You can also choose your carrier to ensure the results contain phones that are capable of operating on your carrier’s network. Then benefits of each phone and a button with buying options appear.
Source: Android
Come comment on this article: Undecided on your next Android phone? Google will help that
Android One is failing, but Google won’t let it die
Google announced Android One at Google IO 2014 with the biggest hopes and dreams. This platform was to take over emerging markets with the promise of affordable smartphones with reliable service and an acceptable user experience. It was the platform for the next billion smartphone owners. Fast-forward to today and things are not looking as bright.
Though MediaTek predicted up to 2 million Android One sales in India last year, those numbers were quickly proven wrong by the end of 2014. To say that was an over-estimation is really an understatement. Even today, sales have struggled to reach even half that number, with under 800,000 Android One units roaming around India.
Things are not doing great, but Google promises they are not giving up on the platform in an interview with the Economic Times. Caesar Sengupta, vice president of product management at Google, took the stage to give Android One users, manufacturers and developers reassurance that this platform was still marching onward.
Why is Google keeping an unsuccessful project around?
While Android One continues to be a major move by Google, it is only part of a much larger idea. It is an important piece of the puzzle for getting the next billion smartphone users on board. Along with projects like Google Maps offline, YouTube offline and a focus on emerging markets with little data accessibility, Android One aims to be at the forefront of affordable devices.
The plan is to learn from their previous mistakes and bring forth a stronger wave of Android One devices to try and take on the world. They go on to focus on the fact that Google is not always playing the numbers game, and such may be the case with Android One. Their goal is to provide a good experience for the user and build a road that could later on lead to a brighter future.
Caesar Sengupta partially credits low availability from retail channels for the lackluster sales. Is this the case? I wouldn’t be so sure, to be honest. Let’s keep in mind that competition is fierce in this industry. There is a plethora of affordable smartphones out there, especially in markets like India, where over 1200 handsets were announced in 2014. There is no shortage of $100 phones!
The solution?
Are timely updates really enough to keep customers forking out money for Android One phones? We can’t say for sure, but we do know Android One devices are pretty limited, and that could also be a factor in this issue.
Meanwhile, Google stresses the fight is not over and we hope this is the case. They promise next-generation devices coming from almost 20 OEMs and state they will come in both low and mid-end price points. In fact, Caesar claims $100-$200 devices are growing faster than $70-$120 devices, as people who buy a second phone tend to go for more powerful options. Yet he does fail to address those next billion users who are not getting their first $70-$120 phones yet.
It seems Google needs to do more than just sell phones at more retail locations, wouldn’t you agree? Please do sound off in the comments!
Reuters: BlackBerry is planning on making an Android device
Reuters has just reported that BlackBerry could come out with a phone loaded with — wait for it — the Android operating system later this year. Sources told the news outlet that this doesn’t mean the end of BlackBerry 10, but it is a big move that signifies the Waterloo company’s dwindling sales. Reuters also reports that one of the reasons for the move is that BlackBerry CEO John Chen is putting its bets on a device management system called BES12, which gives companies the ability to manage not just BlackBerry phones but also Android, iOS and Windows devices on their internal networks. Apparently the Android OS could come out on the slider device that was teased at Mobile World Congress a few months ago, which means that this Android device could launch this coming August. We’re reaching out to both Google and BlackBerry for comment and will update this post if we get a response.
Filed under: Google, Blackberry
Source: Reuters
Chromebooks will soon have native casting feature
In a Chrome OS Canary channel release, a new feature is being tested. The “cast menu” will allow Chromebooks to cast their entire desktop screen to a Chromecast.
Now having the ability to cast your Chromebook screen to a TV is nothing really new. You could always have cast a web page via the Chromecast extension, but now it works natively. 
How the cast function will work is when you are connected to a network with a Chromecast on it, an option will appear in the menu reading “Cast Devices Available”.
Clicking on that will give you a menu containing all cast devices on your network.
A similar functionality has been available on select Android devices for a while now, so it makes sense to add it to Chromebooks.
The post Chromebooks will soon have native casting feature appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Where’s the Lollipop update for the DROID Turbo?
It looks like someone over at Verizon has made a little bit of a boo boo. When looking at the phone specs for the DROID Turbo, it’s stated that device is running Lollipop. However, the funny thing is, that the Turbo does NOT currently run Lollipop.
This may have just been an honest mistake, or someone at Verizon is putting the cart before the horse. Original rumors were that the DROID Turbo would have been updated to Android Lollipop 5.0.2, this week, however that has yet to happen.
Then Motorola came out and stated that the Turbo would be directly updated to Android 5.1 due to the native VolTE support. However documents from Motorola state that the Turbo WILL be updated to 5.0.2 and won’t skip to my lou all the way to 5.1.
Irregardless of either of these points, the fact of the matter remains that DROID Turbo users are still without Lollipop and are getting frustrated. What does matter is that the combination of Motorola and Verizon need to get on the same page, get the update ready for release, and start sending out the update to Turbo users.
It’s not really known why these “flagship” devices are still waiting for the Android Lollipop update, even though Lollipop has been available for over a year. On top of the fact that the manufacturer of the device, Motorola, used to be owned by the company that created the software, Google. Time will tell if these manufacturers and carriers can get their crap together, but hopefully it will be smooth(er) sailing for when the release of Android M is upon us.
Sooooo, stop taking forever, proving the point of fragmentation, and release the update already.
The post Where’s the Lollipop update for the DROID Turbo? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Next version of Hangouts will allegedly feature a significant facelift
The next version of Google’s messaging service, Hangouts, will bring with it changes that may change the perception of the service.
Android Police obtained information regarding v4.0 of Hangouts, showing both technical and cosmetic changes to the app. The following are the noteworthy changes, all of which can be adjusted and ditched by Google before v4.0’s release:
- Elimination of contacts tab
- Floating action button to start new conversations, create groups, launch video calls, and contact someone directly
- Statuses
- Outgoing messages are white, incoming messages are green
- Outgoing sender’s profile picture removed
- Row of attachment options for emojis, images, stickers, and location
Pre-v4.0 Hangouts conversation view
v4.0 Hangouts conversation view
Source: Android Police
Come comment on this article: Next version of Hangouts will allegedly feature a significant facelift
Google (finally) adds Chromecast support to Google Slides
Google Slides is the company’s answer to PowerPoint, the ubiquitous presentation tool of the business world. Just like other solutions, one of the limitations of Google Slides is getting a presentation from the computer to a large screen for the audience. Until now, this frequently required the use of a projector and an assortment of cables to connect all the hardware pieces. In a move that has been long sought by users of Google Slides, Google has finally enabled Chromecast support, as well as AirPlay support for Apple users, meaning presentations can be done wirelessly a lot easier than it has in the past.
Since Google Slides is a cloud-based product, users can work on putting their presentations together at their desktop or laptop. No need to lug those around or move the file onto a thumb drive though as a user can just fire up their tablet or smartphone to access the presentation on their mobile device. Users can then hit the cast button to launch the presentation. The Google Slides app on their mobile device gives users the ability to advance slides, check speaker notes, and it even comes with a built-in timer.
If you do not have Google Slides already, you can grab it with the download link below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Google for Work Blog
Come comment on this article: Google (finally) adds Chromecast support to Google Slides
Looks like Hangouts 4.0 is right around the corner
Although Google introduced Material Design over a year ago, not all of their apps have been blessed with the updated UI changes. Hangouts is one of these apps, but with some leaked screenshots from the folks over at AndroidPolice, it seems that these changes aren’t far away.
In a few screenshots that were posted last night, Hangouts will receive the Material Design makeover with version 4.0 of the app. Gone is the three column layout, instead opting for a one-screen layout. It seems that there will be a floating action button, which is where you can start new conversations from. Using this FAB, you will also be able to quickly pull up your recent contacts for quick messaging.
There are also other subtle changes in the UI that can be found everywhere. The conversation screen itself has also received an update, with dedicated buttons for emoji, pictures, stickers, and more. The Hangouts 4.0 update also makes it easier for you to change your status, which was somewhat of a pain before.
However, with this leaked update, it seems that Google is finally getting their collective acts together in terms of Hangouts. Hopefully once released, there won’t be any issues with any bugs or anything like that. The whole concept of Material Design has grown on me since its announcement last year. So much so that I wish there were more apps on both iOS and Google that took advantage of the UI concept.
What do you think about the new changes that are more than likely coming to Hangouts? What changes do you think need to be made to make the app better overall, not counting just the UI? Let us know your thoughts about Hangouts 4.0 in the comments below.
The post Looks like Hangouts 4.0 is right around the corner appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Slides adds Chromecast support for your next presentation
Fancy Google Slides over PowerPoint for your super exciting presentations? Well, if you’ve been using a cord to get your work on the big screen in the office, that task is about to get a whole lot easier. The folks over at Android Police discovered that with a forthcoming update, Slides will allow you to beam your info for all to see to a Chromecast from an Android device. On the desktop, you can already leverage Google’s diminutive dongle for presentations thanks to the Google Cast Chrome extension.
Once you select the streaming accessory, the app turns into a remote control of sorts, offering a timer to let you know how long you’ve been on the current slide. It also displays a thumbnail for the current slide in addition to a small preview for both the previous one and next item in the queue. The feature hasn’t made it to the app yet, but if you don’t want to wait, you can nab the APK via the source link below. With this being the Android APK, there’s no indication when the feature will arrive for Slides on iOS, but I’d guess it’ll happen soon enough.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, Google
Source: Android Police
Gmail adds OAuth support for Microsoft and Yahoo email accounts
Google is improving security for non-Google email accounts used with the Gmail Android app.
Support for third-party email services arrived to Gmail for Android back in March, making it possible to access all your email accounts in one place and rendering the old Email app redundant in the process. Now Google is enhancing the security of said third-party accounts with the addition of OAuth support, starting with Microsoft (Outlook.com) and Yahoo.
OAuth is an open authentication standard widely used on the web, that makes it possible to grant an app “secure delegated access” to a server, without actually transmitting the credentials. According to the Gmail team, using OAuth makes authentication more secure and enables some extra features, like two-step verification and account recovery.
No word for now on OAuth support coming for other email providers.
The feature is part of an update currently hitting Gmail – you can check for an update on the Play Store, but as usual Google has not provided a changelog that reveals other modifications brought to the app. Also as usual, “several bug fixes and performance improvements” are promised for the new version.
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