Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone gets a trio of dev conferences
Google’s got plenty of moonshots brewing in its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP), but one of the most intriguing is its modular smartphone design, called Project Ara. Because Ara’s a platform designed to lets users swap out hardware (processors, cameras, or sensors) on the phone, it presents unique opportunities for developers to build different kinds of modules and the software needed to make them all work. That’s why ATAP’s going to be doing three developers’ conferences this year, with the first one set to happen April 15-16 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
Folks that want to attend, but are outside striking distance of the Bay Area need not fret, however, as there will be a live webcast and interactive Q&A sessions of the conference, too. This initial event will focus on building the modules themselves, as Google will be making an alpha version of its Module Developers’ Kit available at the beginning of April. We don’t know what the other two conferences will be about (though software development for Ara seems a good bet), but more info and the conference agenda can be found at projectara.com in the coming weeks.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Source: Google ATAP (Google+), Project Ara
Google will begin teaching you how to build your own smartphone
In a series of three conferences, Google plan to show developers what they’ll be able to do with the company’s modular phone that they have been working on. The initiative is part of Google’s Ara Developers’ Conference and will run this April.
The first conference will be an online live webstream and will feature an interactive Q&A for developers to ask their questions to those involved at Google with the modular phone project.
The conference will focus on the alpha release of the Ara Module Developer Kit and will provide developers with all the information they require to make an Ara Module. Google will also walk through the current status of the Ara project, the platform itself, and the various features that it will encompass.
There was some relative uncertainty with what would happen to the Ara project after Motorola’s sale to Lenovo, but Google since stated that they were keeping the group where the project originated and would accelerate the program.
It seems Google are really looking for engaging developers into bringing Ara to life, and making the modular phone a reality.
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Have a Nexus or GPE device? Download the Google Now Launcher OFFICIALLY from Google Play
When the Nexus 5 was announced the launcher looked a bit different from what people are used to seeing on a stock Android device.We’re used to seeing the same launcher on basically every Nexus device, so it was a bit of a shocker when Google unveiled the new look.It was running the Google Now Launcher with a few more features than the original “stock” look.
Well, Nexus and Google Play Edition device owners rejoice – the Google Now Launcher is finally official! You can grab it from the Google Play Store today, but only if you have a Nexus or GPE device running Android 4.4.
With the GNL, you can swipe left to access Google Now from your main homescreen. Long press on a blank space to access wallpapers, widgets, and settings. And the app drawer is now only used for apps.
No word yet as to whether or not they will release it to non Nexus/GPE devices, but I couldn’t see that happening.
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Create your own Flappy Bird-style game with Code.org
We’ve already told you how to get Flappy Bird on your Android device now that it’s gone, but why not just create your own “flappy” game?
Today Code.org, a non-profit organization that aims to get more students interested in computer science, crossed two milestones, celebrating its one-year anniversary and recently hitting one billion lines of code written by students on the site. In celebration, it built a drag-and-drop tutorial to help people of all ages do just that, create a custom Flappy Birds game.
Code.org also believes that anyone can learn to code and held the “Hour of Code,” a campaign to introduce 10 million students to one hour of Computer Science, in December during Computer Science Education Week.
If you head over to the site, you will find the tutorial that uses the basics of computer science to allow you to create your own version of the simple Flappy Bird game, whether you want to make a Flappy Spaceship or Flappy Santa, or create your own rules, such as speeding it up, slowing it down or reversing scoring. The tutorial runs in your browser and can run on either a computer, smartphone or tablet.
One of the neat things about the tutorial is that you can even press the “show code” button to see the code in JavaScript, “the world’s most widely adopted programming language.”
As someone who went to college for journalism, worked as a journalist for nearly four years, is now going back to school to become a programmer, I definitely recommend checking this out, as it may inspire you to want to learn to code.
It’s interesting to note that the tutorial was created thanks to engineers from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter. It also appears that Rovio and EA had a hand in it too.
The post Create your own Flappy Bird-style game with Code.org appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘American Idol’ betting on Google and Facebook to increase fan interaction
Expect tonight’s American Idol to come with a bit of an internet twist. In an effort to mix up the type of interaction fans can have with the show, FOX has announced a new partnership with Google and Facebook. Now, each time an episode airs live, simply searching for “American Idol” will let viewers cast a vote right from Google’s main site or its iOS and Android Search apps. Up to 50 votes per contestant can be submitted, so there shouldn’t be any problems if you have a thing for more than a single Idol.
As for Facebook, FOX plans to include data from the social network during episodes of American Idol, such as real-time voting updates and conversations people may be having about the show. Bill Bradford, SVP Digital at FOX, says that the chance to collaborate with Google and Facebook was a no-brainer, as this is a great opportunity to better engage fans and make them “a bigger part of the show.”
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google, Facebook
Via: Variety
Source: Fox
Google denies making a bid for WhatsApp
Rumors that Google engaged in a bidding war with Facebook over WhatsApp are false — at least, if you ask Google’s Sundar Pichai. The Senior VP tells The Telegraph that his company “never made an offer” to buy the messaging giant, and that any claims to the contrary are “simply untrue.” We’re inclined to believe him, although the denial suggests that Facebook may have paid $19 billion so that it wouldn’t have to compete with Google (or anyone else) on yet another important acquisition.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google, Facebook
Source: The Telegraph
Google finally releases Now Launcher to the Play store, for Nexus and Play Edition devices
Most of us assumed it was only a matter of time before Google released the Now launcher that debuted on the Nexus 5 to the Play store. Now that day has come… provided you’re the owner of a Nexus or Play Edition handset that runs KitKat. The new homescreen is the one you’ve already come to know and love on the newest Nexus phone, complete with the ability to say “Ok Google” from any home screen to automatically launch Now’s voice command functions. Breaking the launcher out from the core Android code also means it’ll be easier for Google to update and add features to it going forward, without having to release an entirely new version of the OS. Now the next step will be getting the launcher on more phones, even if it still requires you to have KitKat. Though, as the internet giant successfully breaks its own apps and services away from the Android core, the Nexus program becomes less and less important.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid Life
Pictures leak of the Motorola-made Google smartwatch that might have been
You may not have to wait until later this year to see a smartwatch from Google or Motorola — in fact, you may be looking at a jointly developed watch right now. Android Police claims to have photos of Motorola-built prototype wristwear from 2013, nicknamed Gem, that was intended as an official Google device. The gadget runs Android and includes both dedicated controls for fitness and voice commands. It also mentions a “3 Bit mode” that may have been meant to save battery life by reducing the on-screen color palette. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether we’ll ever see a finished version of Gem as we know it. The watch would likely need changes before it shipped, and Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola’s phone business casts doubts on the whole project. If you’re only looking for a possible peek at Google’s early watch strategy, though, you’ll get your fill at the source link.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Android Police
Samsung unveils Knox 2.0, lets users run Google Play apps even more securely
Exactly a year to the day after it first announced its Knox security solution, Samsung’s returned to Mobile World Congress with news that it’s making it even easier to secure and manage Galaxy devices. With the launch of Knox 2.0 today, Samsung’s changed the way the platform handles Google Play apps, digitally securing their data without the need to run them in a dedicated Knox workspace. Before, personal and work-related apps were separated, but Samsung says “most” Google Play apps can now live in Samsung’s secure world. It’s certainly serious about its new features, as CEO JK Shin popped up at the event to drive home Samsung’s desire to nail the enterprise market.
Samsung wants more secure apps across the board, so it’s also launching Knox Marketplace, a dedicated cloud-based app store that lets tech managers grab apps and install them on all employee phones with a few clicks of a button. Box and GoToMeeting are already on board, and there’s plenty of enterprise companies already working to make their apps available. Samsung tells us that the new features will begin rolling out in the second quarter, and it’ll comes pre-installed on the newly unveiled Galaxy S5. First generation Knox users will get an upgrade to the new version as soon as their device gets an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat — whenever that may be.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Samsung
Google and LG Working on Android Smart Watch Set for June Reveal
Google and LG are working on a smart watch that will likely be unveiled at the Google I/O developer conference in June, reports CNET. Google will reveal details on the device’s operating system in advance of the hardware announcement, giving developers time to create apps for the device’s retail launch.
Google’s smart watch endeavor will mirror its Nexus line of mobile devices, with Google providing the software and a manufacturer partner designing the hardware. Google is said to be working with LG on the smart watch, continuing a partnership established with the development of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. Similar to their work on the Nexus devices, Google will lead the marketing and sale of the smart watch, while LG will focus on developing the hardware.
Google’s smart watch will be powered by a version of Android that will integrate the company’s Google Now voice assistant and search feature. The Wall Street Journal also adds that Google’s smart watch will be compatible with a variety of Android devices, setting it apart from other smart watches such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Gear 2.
Apple is rumored to be working on its own iWatch smart watch that could debut later this year. Recent reports suggest the device may include advanced sensors to track several health-related functions, such as blood glucose and hydration levels. Other rumors also suggest that Apple is developing Healthbook, an iOS 8 app that would utilize both the iPhone and iWatch for monitoring health statistics like weight, heart rate, calories and step counts.
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