Launch of Android One looks set for September 15th after Google sends invites out
September looks like it’s going to be a huge month for the Android world – with manufacturers lining up to make huge announcements at IFA 2014, you’d think we’d be done with announcements for the month. Not so according to an invite sent by Google which states it will have something reveal on September 15th in India. Bets are on among media outlets that this will be the launch of Android One, Google’s device program for emerging markets, and this would be a perfect time to coordinate an event with its partners, Micromax, Karbonn Mobile and Spice Mobile, among many others.
While the low-powered, low-cost Android One devices won’t be the most glamorous devices, Google’s intention is to capitalize on the successes of budget devices like the Motorola Moto E and Moto G which made waves in certain markets. The key of Android One is to share resources between all involved to keep running costs lot and therefore keep the prices of the devices even lower. An example that Google showed at Google I/O was a Micromax device that had a 4.5-inch display, dual-SIM slots, SD card slot and a FM Radio, for which the expected asking price would be less than $100. It seems perhaps inconceivable that the devices could be this cheap, but if anyone can do it, it’s Google.
What do you think about Android One and its target market? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
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Google set to reveal Android One budget phone hardware in India on September 15th
Not everyone is interested in paying for premium handsets, and Google knows that in many parts of the world, shelling out five or six hundred dollars for a One, G3 or Galaxy S5 simply isn’t an option. The Android One initiative is how Google plans to bring a better experience to folks buying budget phones by providing OEMs with hardware designs — and it looks like the program’s first fruits will be revealed on September 15th in India. Save the date invites went out today promising only an “exciting new announcement” and more details to come. So, no confirmation of Android One hardware, but given that the initial partners in the program announced at Google I/O are Indian smartphone manufacturers Karbonn and Spice, we fully expect to see some new Googley phones in two weeks. We’ve reached out to Google for more info, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: 9to5 Google
Source: NDTV Gadgets
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Study: Social networks are making you distrustful and unhappy
Facebook’s 2012 experiment, while controversial, showed that what other people post on social media can alter moods. Apparently, though, that’s not the only thing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others of their ilk can do: according to a study by two European researchers, social media could also affect how satisfied people are with their lives. Fabio Sabatini from the Sapienza University in Rome and Francesco Sarracino from STATEC, the government statistics agency of Luxembourg, paired up to crunch data from a huge survey (seriously, there were 50,000 responders) conducted in Italy. That survey asked participants how satisfied they are with their current lives, how often they meet with friends, whether they trust people and what they typically do on the internet.
Based on the answers they got, the duo concluded that people tend to feel more satisfied with their lives and to be more trusting of people if they often meet with friends in person. Obviously, that’s not something you can do through the internet, so those who spend a ton of time on social networks are more inclined to be leery of other people. Sabatini and Sarracino also blame all the discrimination and hate speech online, in particular, for planting the seeds of distrust in social media users. In all, the study finds the overall effect of social networking on individuals to be “significantly negative” despite its power to keep people connected.
Filed under: Internet, Google, Facebook
Source: MIT Technology Review
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Here’s how Google’s Project Loon retrieves its internet balloons (video)
Project Loon’s balloons could not be more different than your typical party variety — it’s loaded with research equipment and LTE capability, providing high-speed internet connection wherever they go. Obviously, Google’s X Lab researchers (the ones behind this crazy balloons-as-hotspot project) will want their data and expensive equipment back. So, they equipped their balloons with GPS and formed a special team to retrieve the floating hotspots when they land. Apparently, the researchers plan out when and where to land balloons for whatever reason (they mostly choose flat areas that are uninhabited but have decent road access), which the field personnel then seek out through their coordinates.
Since this process allows the Project Loon folks to clean up after themselves and reuse old equipment to save money, they take retrieval seriously. Once, team member Nick Kohli even traversed New Zealand’s waters in a small fishing vessel for two days, in order to collect balloons that landed in the area. Since he’s most qualified to talk about how retrieval operations work, you can listen to him explain it in detail and watch how it all goes down in the video below.
Source: Project Loon (Google+)
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Engadget Daily: Google’s delivery drone, Nintendo’s new 3DS handhelds and more!
Today, we take a look at Google’s “Project Wing” delivery drone, go crazy with emoticons, learn about Nintendo’s new 3DS and 3DS XL handhelds and more. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Filed under: Misc
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Use YouTube to queue videos for Chromecast viewing
Chromecast and YouTube are like a match made in heaven. And, since they’re both part of Google’s big picture strategy, it makes sense for both things to be as friendly as possible with each other. To that end, YouTube’s taken to to Google+ (how meta, eh?) to reveal that Chromecast owners can now use its site to queue videos — essentially, this is meant to simplify the process, since it lets you arrange what to play next from a single tab on your browser. Just as well, there are more changes coming to the YouTube watch page on the web (pictured below), including an easier way to create playlists and share videos across social networks, plus a new description box. The Chromecast feature is available now, while the other tweaks to YouTube.com are expected to rollout over the next few days.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: YouTube (Google+)
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Google’s Megan Smith rumored as America’s next CTO
The United States found itself without a Chief Technology Officer yesterday when Todd Park relinquished his post to go trawl Silicon Valley for IT types, but that spot may not stay open for long. Bloomberg claims that there’s already a frontrunner for the job: Megan Smith, the 49 year old vice president of Google’s moonshot-loving X division. If the rumors hold true, Smith would become the country’s third CTO (succeeding Park and his predecessor Aneesh Chopra), and the first not to trade one government job for another.
But here’s a question to ponder: what exactly does the United States’ CTO do? The office’s stated goal is to “promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities — from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure”, but it can be a little tough to outline exactly what the men in the CTO seat have actually accomplished. Chopra’s tenure for instance saw the development of a nationwide public safety broadband network, while Park’s stint is probably best known for the tricky rollout of Healthcare.gov, a process that was… fraught with headaches, to say the least. Smith’s lack of governmental experience could help or hurt here — she’s no stranger to wrangling resources and getting stuff done, but the amount of bureaucratic red tape that comes with a high-ranking spot like this would be nothing to sneeze at.
Source: Bloomberg
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Nokia’s HERE Maps is coming to Android as a Samsung exclusive
Relations between Google and Samsung are already a little tense, but the Korean smartphone maker may just have elevated those frustrations a little further. Extending its existing deal to provide mapping data on Samsung’s Tizen wearables, Nokia (the part that wasn’t sold to Microsoft) today confirmed that it will bring HERE Maps to Android for the first time, giving Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners advanced access to its own Google Maps alternative.
After Nokia jettisoned its smartphone division, the company doubled-down on HERE, striking deals with a few of its former rivals, including Amazon, Jolla and, of course, Samsung. The app itself comes with many of the features you’d find in Google Maps, but also excels in some areas where Google doesn’t. A couple of examples include true offline maps, which are currently supported in 95 countries, and LiveSight, which lets users navigate to landmarks by following virtual signs on their screen. If you don’t own a Samsung smartphone, don’t fret, Nokia says that HERE Maps will come to other Android devices by the end of the year (note: you can still use Google Maps, even on a Samsung handset). The HERE Maps beta will make its way to Galaxy phones when the 3G-enabled Gear S smartwatch goes on sale, which is expected sometime in October.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Samsung, Nokia, Google
Source: HERE
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HERE Maps for Android will be exclusively available to Samsung Galaxy smartphones for free
Google and Samsung have the weirdest relationship. The on-again, off-again nature of their partnership seems perilous at the best of times and this latest move from Samsung probably doesn’t bode well. Samsung has announced that Nokia‘s HERE Maps, previously announced to be available on Samsung’s Gear wearables, will also become available exclusively to Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the form of HERE Maps for Android for free. This is at direct odds with what Google wants, who have previously told Samsung to back off with proprietary apps which try to emulate the function of Google’s own apps. And adding an app from Android’s competitor, Windows Phone poster-child Nokia, which obviously competes with Google Maps, is surely Samsung just asking for trouble.
Regardless of what happens between the tech giants, HERE Maps for Android is definitely being released, and its timed release is scheduled for when the Samsung Gear S is released in October. HERE Maps features some pretty nifty features including offline navigation and Nokia say all of HERE’s features can be utilized without an Internet connection. This is thanks to the downloading of maps onto your phone, of which there are currently more than 200 to choose from.
What do you think about Samsung’s decision to make a Nokia product exclusive for Samsung Galaxy smartphones? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: HERE Maps via Phone Arena
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Chrome update lets you share your browser, not your history
If you typically share your computer and your browser with a sibling, a roomie or a friend who has no respect for your privacy, this latest Google Chrome beta update might make things easier for you. It comes with a pull-down menu that lets you easily switch users, put the browser to guest mode or launch an incognito tab on Windows, Mac or Linux. According to some comments in the update’s Google+ announcement, though, you still have to log off from your accounts to be sure your activities remain for your eyes only, just in case someone decides to peek. The guest mode automatically deletes the other user’s browsing information, on the other hand, so they won’t have to worry about you seeing their secrets.
Aside from this update, Google has also unleashed a 64-bit Chrome beta for Mac, a few days after the company released a 64-bit stable version for Windows computers. This will make the browser launch more quickly and will generally make it faster than its predecessor. Finally, the new beta update also comes with a bunch of APIs for web app devs to play with. You can get Google Chrome beta (or any other channel you want, whether stable, Canary or Dev) through The Chromium Projects website.
Source: Google Chrome Blog, Chrome Releases, Google+, The Chromium Blog (1), (2)
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