Nexus Player passes through FCC, may go on sale again soon

On Friday, Google pulled the ability order the new Android TV device, the Nexus Player, as fast as it was put up. While some assumed that Google had a limited stock and quickly went through it, Google shed some light showing that it was something else. A message later in the day popped up on the Nexus Player order page saying, “This device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. It is not for sale until approval of the FCC has been obtained.” Well it looks like FCC approval has been obtained.

The Asus made device passed through the other day and it confirmed everything that Google mentioned for the device. It comes with a 1.8GHz Quad-core Intel Atom processor with the Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine, 1GB of Ram, 8GB of internal storage, and the remote. The unit goes for $99, well, when it finally ships as it’s still showing out of inventory.

When the device is in stock again, it will be available in the US and Canada. There’s really no telling when that will be but when it does, will you be picking one up?

source: FCC
via: Gadgetz Arena

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Android TV Developer Kit able to sideload Android 5.0 Lollipop

There are not many out there, but the ADT-1 does exist. It was the Android TV device given to select Google I/O attendees in June. Today, owners of the set-top box can sideload the latest version of Android. It is Android 5.0, version LPX13D. It is rolling out as an over-the-air software update, but the sideload option is for the impatient people.

We should tell you that the update does bring the overall temperature of the ADT-1 down. The device does not run at scalding hot levels anymore. On the software side, the home screen, Play Store, Movies, Play Games, and settings have been altered. Basically, these areas have been given some more details or visual fixes. The entire user interface is now closer to what you would see on another Android device.

Here are the instructions provided by the folks from Android Police:

1. Download the update zip from Google (link).
2. Boot your ADT-1 into Recovery mode. This can be done in two different ways:
   • Hold down the button the back while powering on the ADT-1. This will load up the bootloader. Now short-press the button until you’ve selected the Recovery kernel option, then long-press the button to activate it.
   • Or, enable adb debugging on the ADT-1 through developer options and run this command from a terminal: ‘adb reboot recovery‘
3. Once you’re in Recovery mode, you’ll see the Android maintenance logo. Long-press the button for a couple of seconds to reveal the recovery menu.
4. Short-press the button until you’ve selected the option to apply an update from ADB. Long-press to select it.
5. Enter this command from a terminal: adb sideload 92b93576d67d8e41850996813de09757666c347a.signed-molly-LPX13D-from-LPW39.92b93576.zip
6. Wait for the update to finish. It takes a few minutes.

Via: Android Police

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Google updates Material Design guidelines with new resources

With the Android 5.0 SDK being available, Google had to put finishing touches on its design. The Material Design guidelines have been updated with new resources. This what what helps developers ensure their applications follow what Google expects Android to look like today. The most notable inclusion for this update is the sticker sheet. They are available in a few formats so more developers can get a hold of and apply them with ease.

Here is everything included in the update to the Material Design guidelines:

• Updated sticker sheets in PSD, AI and Sketch formats
• A new icon library ZIP download
• Updated color swatch downloads
• Updated whiteframe downloads, including better baseline grid text alignment and other miscellaneous fixes

Source: Google Developers Blog

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Google releases video covering speech recognition and how we communicate with technology

Google has been a huge advocate of using speech to communicate with technology. The “Ok Google” command can be found across many platforms with a wealth of information ready to be found. For the technology to be of any use, though, it must understand the user. Google has released a video titled Behind the Mic: The Science of Talking with Computers. It runs for Google describes it as “a short film about speech recognition, language understanding, neural nets, and using our voices to communicate with the technology around us.” A few Google employees provide insights throughout the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Nexus Player pre-order facility withdrawn from the Play Store

Earlier today, Google published a pre-order page for its new Nexus Player on the Play Store to invite eager Android enthusiasts to reserve themselves a set-top box prior to its official release. Unfortunately, though, within a couple of hours of going live, an “out of inventory” message appeared on the website.

This brief note left many of us confused. The most popular hypothesis put forward was that Google had run out of $20 Play Store Gift Cards to award to each customer who pre-ordered the unit in the United States and Canada as promised by the search engine giant. But, as it turns out, that wasn’t the case.

Not long ago, Google added a quote to the Nexus Player’s product page, revealing that the unit has not yet “been approved by the Federal Communications Commission” and will not go on sale “until approval of the FCC has been obtained.”

This isn’t the first time Google has jumped the gun. Recipients of the ADT-1 Developer Kit may remember that the development device and its companion gamepad were not approved and took a whopping six weeks after the pre-order date to start shipping out to customers.

There’s no way of knowing when the Nexus Player will be up for order again, or if the release date will be affected, but we’ll keep you updated with the latest news as and when it breaks — so be sure to check back.

Source: Google Play Store

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