Googles takes step back from default encryption on new Android Lollipop devices
Last fall in the lead up to the release of Android Lollipop, Google let it out that they were planning to enable encryption of storage by default on new devices. This was going to be a change from previous versions of the Android operating system which had the capability of encrypting storage space, but left it up to the user to enable the encryption. As several new devices are starting to finally come to market loaded with Android Lollipop out of the box, Google has apparently decided not to make encryption the default, at least not for their partners manufacturing mobile devices.
When Google first announced plans to make encryption the default, they said it would only apply to new devices. Older devices that were upgraded to Lollipop would not be forced to enable encryption by default as part of the upgrade process. This was apparently done in consideration of potential hardware limitations for devices not designed with encryption in mind.
During the last few months of 2014 and in to 2015, this position appeared to hold. Only the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 were released to market and they did indeed have encryption turned on by default. Meanwhile, the small number of devices that received the Lollipop update left the decision about encryption up to the user, but it was off by default.
However, the recently released Motorola Moto E (2015) does not have encryption turned on out of the box and sources at MWC 2015 who have gotten their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S6 demo units say encryption is not turned on for those devices either.
Google has not issued any statement about why their position regarding default encryption changed or is at least being delayed. It could be the performance hit is still a concern, even on new hardware, especially after Google’s own Nexus 6 performance was hurt by encryption. It seems hard to imagine a device like the Galaxy S6 would suffer a noticeable performance hit from disk encryption.
For the present time at least, Google’s guidelines for OEMs only indicates that disk encryption should be turned on by default and Google strongly recommends this. However, it is not mandated.
source: Ars Technica
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Google Play Service 7.0 converts your Android phone into a game controller for Android TV
Google has announced a few great things at Mobile World Congress this year. Ranging from their plans to put unmanned drones above our heads all the way down to a simple update to Google Play Service. Ah, but this is no ordinary update, Google Play Service 7.0 introduces its own set of good things, including the ability to use your Android phone as a video game controller for your Android TV set-top box.
As is usually the case with updates to Google Play Services, it may be a little while before we see these new features go live on our devices. The update does not automatically make these features available, instead, it opens up APIs for developers to work with in order to create apps for these features.
The short list of new items in Google Play Service 7.0 includes an improved Location settings dialog, to better inform the user when and how location services need to be used for an app. A new Places API, that allows developers to pull from Google’s database of places and business, not just GPS coordinates or addresses.
Google Fit sees a big bump, opening half a dozen new APIs, allowing devs to tap into sensors, recording, history and more. Google Mobile Ads have also been updated for optimizations on battery usage and better Analytics tracking. App Indexing sees an updated API, allowing apps to be better searched by Google on your device. And more.
The big one here, which I’ve made you wait to read about, Google Play Games now has a Nearby Connections API. This API serves one amazing purpose, to allow your Android phone or tablet to operate as a video game controller to your Android TV hooked to the big screen. More than just a simple A, B, Up, Down etc. controller, your phone or tablet can operate as a second screen to your TV, adding additional controls, or just cleaning the main display of clutter.
I imagine myself playing a first-person shooter, in which I must look down to the device in my hands to reload my gun. A touch of reality that may or may not appeal to all users.
Head over to the Google Developer blog for all the details on the Google Play Service 7.0 update.
What do you say, are you excited for any of the new features made possible with Google Play Service 7.0?
Google posts new Selfie Slam Android commercial
Google has released their latest Android commercial, titled Selfie Slam. If you’ve ever wanted to see an extremely tall Android dunk a basketball over a team of other Androids while everyone (including the guy with the ball) takes a selfie, this is the commercial you’ve been waiting for.
The video cashes in on the selfie craze and uses the tagline “Be together, not the same.” I guess the point behind the video is to show how varied and versatile Android devices are, and even though they’re made by many manufacturers with all kinds of different hardware and software, everyone can take selfies in the middle of basketball games together.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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Google Play Services 7.0 released, brings improvements to locations, Google Fit, and AdMob
Google has officially updated Play Services to version 7.0 bringing several new features and enhancements for developers to take advantage of. They had previously mentioned some additions to AdMob and Google Play Games, but now the entire service has been updated.
The new Places API seems like the biggest new addition to Play Services, as it will allow apps to get information from Google’s database of locations, venues, and restaurants, and users can quickly get info about the business in particular including addresses and phone numbers.
Google Fit has introduced a handful of new APIs for tracking new measurements and sensors, and it’s supposedly significantly lighter on memory requirements for Fit apps. AdMobs is seeing some Google Analytics integrations, and Google Play Games has adopted a new feature that will let games use a nearby device as a second screen for content. This is especially useful for using your Android device as a controller on Android TV.
Although the developer SDK hasn’t gone live yet, this update should be hitting your devices in the near future. For Google’s full blog post about it, hit the link below.
source: Android Developers
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Google Street View cameras zip through (and over) the Amazon
Google already has some odd ways of getting its Street View cameras into hard-to-reach places, but its latest effort might just take the cake. The search firm has posted panoramic imagery of the Amazon rainforest that, at some points, was taken by Trekker cameras ziplining through the canopy — yes, you’ll get a view that even locals won’t usually see. There are some down-to-Earth sights, too, including snapshots from rivers and remote villages. Between this and recent collaborative mapping projects, you may end up learning a surprising amount about the Amazon without setting foot in South America.
Via: BBC
Source: Google Maps
[Deal] Nexus 9 tablet available through Office Depot at discount
If you have been eyeing the Google Nexus 9 tablet, Office Depot may have a deal that makes it a little easier for you to grab one of the devices. The office supplies retailer has several variants of the Google tablet listed at discounted prices. The best deal is for the white 16GB version which is currently listed for only $320, which is $80 or 20% off the normal $400 price tag.
If you want the black version with 16GB of memory, you can grab one for $350. Meanwhile, the 32Gb versions in black or white are available for $430 which is a $50 savings off the normal $480 price tag.
All of the variants are currently listed as being in stock and with free shipping, should be delivered within three to five days. Hit the source link if you want to grab one of these tablets at a special price.
source: Office Depot
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Daily Roundup: MWC 2015 so far, Google+ splits up and more!
Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona today and there’s already been a number of big announcements. Get the latest details about the new phones from Samsung, HTC and Lenovo. In other news, Google+ is splitting up and IKEA will sell wireless charging furniture. Head past the break to find out the top stories from MWC and more.
The biggest announcements of MWC 2015 so far
MWC technically starts today, but that doesn’t stop some of the industry’s biggest players trying to get a head start on the fun on Sunday. Besides the big launches, there are a couple of pre-show shows for those off-beat things that don’t need an auditorium to themselves.
Google+ is being broken into services you might want to use
It’s been the punchline to plenty of gags, and now it looks as if Google is finally ready to do something with its homegrown social network. The search engine has announced that the photography and social elements of Google+ are being broken into two separate products, one called Photos and the other named Streams.
IKEA will start selling wireless charging lamps and tables
After lots of perseverance from smartphone makers, wireless charging is finally starting to make an impact. Many big name phones now support the technology and companies like Starbucks are helping to bring it a wider audience. Now, it’s set to receive another big boost, after IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, announced the introduction of a new range of furniture that features integrated charging.
Tinder’s paid service launches with a pretty sleazy catch
If you didn’t think that your opinion of Tinder could go any lower, something new pops up to make you change your mind. The hookup app has reportedly launched its long-awaited paid tier, but in Europe, users will have to overcome something worse than left-swipes: ageism.
Lenovo’s 16-megapixel Vibe Shot is a smartphone that looks like a camera
Even though Lenovo unveiled new tablets a little over 12 hours ago, it isn’t quite done with Mobile World Congress announcements just yet. Now it’s taking the wrapper off some more devices. One is the Lenovo Vibe Shot, a superslim handset that looks eerily like a camera, while the other is the Lenovo A7000, apparently the world’s first smartphone to come with Dolby Atmos.
ISIS threatens Twitter employees after account was blocked
Middle Eastern terror group ISIS has apparently threatened the lives of Twitter’s employees, as well as that of its chairman, Jack Dorsey. The threat was reportedly made as a response to the service’s policy of blocking accounts that directly encourage acts of violence or illegal activities such as terrorism.
These ‘privacy glasses’ make you invisible to facial recognition
You’re going out with friends mid-week, and you don’t want the boss/significant other/parole officer to find out. But it’s a birthday celebration, and Facebook’s auto-tagging the pictures your buddies upload like a dirty snitch. The first piece of advice: never “friend” your parole officer. The second? Maybe grab a pair of these “privacy” glasses from software security firm AVG.
Filed under: Misc
Google announces new features for Google Play Games and AdMob at GDC
While Mobile World Congress is happening in Barcelona this week, there is also another important event going on at the same time. The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Today is Google’s Developer Day and they just unveiled a few new features for Google Play Games and AdMob.
The Nearby Connections API will allow smartphones and tablets to seamlessly connect as second-screen controls to a game running on Android TV. They announced Beach Buggy Racing as one game that will utilize this new API in their summer release.
Google Cardboard was given to last year’s Google I/O attendees and we have already seen some cool apps along with hardware inspired by it such as the LG VR and the new ViewMaster. The Cardboard SDK for Android and Unity will make it easy for developers to build VR apps or add the necessary code to existing apps to make them VR compatible.
Now when it comes to game development, game content and optimization is obviously important, but let’s not forget about revenue. Google announced three updates to the AdMob platform. Native Ads (limited beta) will allow developers to customize ads to match the visual design in their game. In-App Purchase House Ads Beta will show those users that are more likely to spend on in-app purchases a customized text or display ad. Finally, Audience Builder allows developers to create lists of audiences based on how they use their game, then create customized experiences to grow app revenue.
All of these updates should appear over the next few weeks and some will require an update to Google Play Services.
source: Android Developers
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Google no longer requiring OEMs to encrypt Lollipop-running devices by default
Back when Google introduced Android 5.0 Lollipop, it made headlines for seemingly all the right reasons. Among the huge visual overhaul and the switch to the new ART runtime, Google announced that new devices running Lollipop would need to be encrypted by default. It seemed as though everyone was singing Google’s praises as this meant in the future, Android as a whole would be, essentially, much more secure. But Google seems to be changing their minds on this whole matter, as the company is now not requiring OEMs to encrypt devices by default.
Encryption by default isn’t dead in the water, though. Google has plans to relaunch this feature in a future update to the OS. According to the Android 5.0 Compatibility Definition, the rules have changed from being required to encrypt by default, to just being very strongly recommended.
9.9. Full-Disk Encryption:
If the device implementation has a lock screen, the device MUST support full-disk encryption of the application private data, (/datapartition) as well as the SD card partition if it is a permanent, non-removable part of the device [Resources, 107]. For devices supporting full-disk encryption, the full-disk encryption SHOULD be enabled all the time after the user has completed the out-of-box experience. While this requirement is stated as SHOULD for this version of the Android platform, it is very strongly RECOMMENDED as we expect this to change to MUST in the future versions of Android.
This wasn’t the case with Google’s initial release of the update, though. The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 devices both had encryption turned on by default when the launched. Alternatively, the demo models of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 handsets at MWC didn’t have encryption turned on, and neither does Motorola’s Moto E (2nd Gen.) handset.
So, what changed? Perhaps we need to look back to November, when a few folks decided to run benchmarks on Google’s Nexus 6. It turns out, having a device with encryption turned on by default causes significant performance issues compared to one without it turned on. We obviously have a problem on our hands, and perhaps Google released this feature too early.
Ars Technica guesses that Google isn’t enabling encryption by default anymore in order to give OEMs ample time to plan for the change. The problems caused by performance can obviously be countered by updated processors, faster flash memory, and more.
No matter the reasoning, there’s no need to worry. If you’re planning on getting a new device running Lollipop in the near future, you can still turn encryption on manually. We’ll be sure to let you know when Google reverts back to its original default encryption methods.
Google+ splits into Photos and Streams in reorganization
In an effort to boost Google+, Google announced that it will be splitting the service into two distinct services in a recent reorganization. Not only that, but it looks like product VP Bradley Horowitz will lead the newly reorganized Google+ endeavor. He will oversee the split with it dividing into Streams and Photos. This comes off a recent interview with Android and Chrome head, Sundar Pichai.
As he said in the interview, Google sees Photos, Streams and Hangouts as three important and separate products and Google will move each into three independent focuses. As Horowitz put it on Google+:
“Just wanted to confirm that the rumors are true — I’m excited to be running Google’s Photos and Streams products! It’s important to me that these changes are properly understood to be positive improvements to both our products andhow they reach users.”
That said, we only know how this move correlates with Streams and Photos and what will happen to Hangouts is still up in the air. Given Google’s focus on making it an all-encompassing communications tool, it does carry a lot of weight in terms of importance for the search giant.
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