Google Calendar’s update with Material Design is stunning
Every day brings something new. The newness of today is the redesigned Google Calendar. The app was put under construction and debuts with a new look to reflect the guidelines recommended with Android 5.0 Lollipop. Simply put, Google Calendar will satisfy for Material Design craving for a bit. It is absolutely beautiful and works just as well as ever. Google added a feature in which the app will incorporate events pulled from Gmail. And the new Assists feature will learn about your use patterns and tailor the app appropriately.
The new Google Calendar app works with devices running Android 4.1 and above.
Hit the break for the gallery and download links.
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Chromebooks continue to dominate in the education sector
This week Google is hosting the Global Education Symposium, a meeting of education ministers from 18 countries, where participants will explore how technology can be implemented to meet educational needs. This gave Google an opportunity to highlight the success of their Chromebook devices in the education sector.
According to Google, IDC continues to find Chromebooks are the best-selling devices in the U.S. education market this year. During 2014, several major deployments started, including 50,000 units in Montgomery County, MD; 32,000 devices in Charlotte, NC; and 26,000 units in Cherry Creek, CO. These examples join existing deployments like Malaysia where the national school system has converted to Chromebooks. According to Google, their education oriented technologies, including Chromebooks, are now used by 40 million students globally.
Besides the market success that Google is enjoying, they also point out the successes end-users are achieving by having technology available to them. At a school in Oakland, CA, the students are able to use Scratch to create video games. Students in Chesterfield County, VA, can get access to feedback and support from teachers even after school hours and in Fairfield County, SC, when combined with other technologies like Google Apps for Education, the school system saw double-digit improvements on state performance tests.
Do you have any experiences with Chromebooks being used in education?
source: Google Blog
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Chrome OS will soon use Roboto font by default
If you like the Roboto font that Google introduced in Android 4.0, you’ll be happy to know that it’s looking like Roboto will soon become the default typeface in Google’s Chrome OS. The custom operating system currently uses Noto Sans.
Google slightly refined Roboto in Android 5.0 Lollipop, and in an effort to keep things uniform across all of their products, it makes sense to see the font face make the leap to Chrome OS. No word on exactly when the change will happen, but the most plausible date would be with the release of Chrome OS version 41.
source: OMG Chrome
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Schools in the US love Google Chromebooks
When it comes to the Chromebook, Google isn’t shy about its beliefs that it is the perfect computing device for education sectors around the world. And here in the US, schools and students have started to feel the same way. In a blog post, where it highlights different ways in which educational institutions in California are using Chromebooks, Google pointed out that recent IDC numbers have its line of computers as being the best-selling device in K-12 education. The report takes into consideration laptops and tablets, so this is a notable achievement for the technology company.
Some school districts like Montgomery County, MD, for example, are using over 50,000 Chromebooks, and that’s after only beginning adoption earlier this year. But Google isn’t quite satisfied, as it wants Chromebook to keep reaching even more students and schools — especially outside its home soil, where resources are particularly limited.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Google
Source: Google
Project Ara to offer blood oxygen level tracking module
One thing is clear about the Google Project Ara that it is the future of smartphones. As Noah says that it will be the ‘next big thing‘, I will agree with him on that. Project Ara is still in the developmental stages, and Google has decided to talk more about it during a conference on January 14 2015. During the Engadget Engage Conference, more details about the Project Ara surface when Paul Eremenko, head of Google’s Project Ara, talked about health care technology.
He had the prototype version of Ara with him, and when he attached a module to the phone; the phone now had a prototype pulse oximeter as well. Pulse Oximeter measures oxygen content in the blood, and in past we have seen phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a heart rate monitor. Project Ara can be molded according to a person’s health priorities, but with other phones, a user has very limited options.
This Vine below is just a treat for the eyes.
https://vine.co/v/OeI9MjDm10w/embed/simple
We will learn a lot more about it in 2015. As we are getting closer to the release date, do you think Project Ara is really the “future of smartphones”? Let me know what you think in the comment box below.
Source: Engadget
The post Project Ara to offer blood oxygen level tracking module appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google now runs an airfield after signing a 60-year NASA lease
It’s official: following months of negotiations, Google now has an airfield to call its own. The company’s Planetary Ventures wing has signed a lease with NASA that lets it manage Moffett Federal Airfield, including three hangars, two runways and even a golf course. The 60-year (!) deal will have the internet giant shell out $6.3 million per year in upkeep, and a total of $1.16 billion in rent. Don’t worry that Google will run roughshod over Moffett’s historical significance. The agreement also has the company pledging $200 million to both restore the hangars and create a previously promised educational building that illustrates the airfield’s role in Silicon Valley’s past. Google hasn’t said exactly what it plans to do with the new turf, but the odds are that it’ll be used for much more than executives’ private jets. Don’t be shocked if you see some internet balloons floating over Mountain View in the years ahead.
[Image credit: Erik Charlton, Flickr]
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Source: NASA
Google Voice finally lets you send MMS messages through Verizon
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Dylan Salisbury (Google+)
Android Lollipop was years in the making
With a complete UI overhaul, enhanced functions, and a new runtime, Lollipop is the biggest Android update ever. Android’s Vice President of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer sat down with Business Insider to talk about how Google came up with such an amazing update.
The early roots of Material Design actually started around the same time as the Gingerbread and Honeycomb updates. That was three years ago, so it’s obvious that Google took their time to make it right.
Hiroshi said they didn’t plan for the Lollipop update to be so big. Material Design was a big chunk of it, but the fact that they added the ART runtime and 64-bit compatibility contributed significantly. The Android L Developer Preview was also the first time Google offered something like it. They knew they needed to give developers time to get their apps up to speed for the actual release, which I think paid huge dividends. Even those that don’t have Lollipop, will feel like they do right from the start.
Hiroshi also mentioned that Lollipop is the first major update that was done totally under Sundar Pichai. KitKat began with Andy Rubin and ended with Sundar. he also said that although a billion users enjoy Android daily, they still act and and feel like a startup. They do that by choice because it’s their “way of staying nimble and doing things quickly.”
He also touched on Nexus devices, and said that in no way are they meant to compete with the likes of HTC, Samsung, LG, and others. He said, “The main reason we do Nexus is to show, internally, for ourselves, without doing it in the abstract. That’s the worst kind of software to build — you kind of throw some software over the fence and hope someone ships it.” The fact that customers like to buy them is great, but it’s a win win when customers by any Android device.
There’s a lot more so check out the source link.
source: Business Insider
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Google Voice adds native MMS support for photo messages, Verizon officially on board
Last week, Google Voice users noticed that MMS messages were working on Verizon Wireless. Today, it was officially announced, and Google Voice also got another very cool update for all users. Native MMS support for photo messaging has been added, meaning that users will no longer get a SMS with a link.
You need to obviously opt in to Google Voice in Hangouts. Once you have done that, just attach photos to any SMS message, and it will be delivered as a native MMS. Those of you waiting for group messaging, have no fear because Google said it will be enabled in a future update.
source: +Dylan Salisbury
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Google Play now listing Sony SmartWatch 3 for $249
As Verizon’s reign of exclusivity over Sony’s SmartWatch 3 has now come to an end, residents in the United States can pick up Sony’s smart watch offering from the Play Store for $249. The device is currently listed as ‘in stock’ and will ship within 1-2 business days, so if you order today with Standard Delivery, it should be with you no later than Friday, November 14.
For those unfamiliar with the SmartWatch 3, it’s the latest Android Wear watch to hit the market, and it looks like it’s going to be one of the most successful. The unit sports a premium design, includes support for a truckload of different watch faces, and incorporates a ton of dedicated applications — all available to download through its official companion app.
If you like the sound of the Sony SmartWatch 3 and want to grab one up via the Play Store — hit the source link below.
Source: Play Store
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