Google’s Chromecast expected to come to the UK in March
A representative from UK electronics retailer Currys has just revealed to TNW that it’ll start selling Google’s Chromecast dongle beginning March 1st. Google all but confirmed the arrival in Britain as well, though it cautioned that the date is only provisional for now. Currently for sale in the US only, the tiny media streamer supports a handful of apps like Netflix and Hulu, on top of tab streaming from Chrome. However, Google just opened the SDK to all developers, which prompted streaming outfits like Rdio and Beats to announce new apps that’ll arrive soon. That said, there’s no word yet on which services you’ll see in the UK at launch nor how much Chromecast will set you back. That’s assuming you don’t already have one, of course — it’s been available awhile on the grey market and even through legit channels in Europe.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: TNW
Google will own a 6% stake in Lenovo after completing Motorola Deal
Oh Google, you are a sly dog. Apparently as part of the deal that sees the majority of Motorola Mobility get taken over by Lenovo (which, by the way, isn’t quite finalized yet), Google will own a 6% stake in Lenovo after completing Motorola deal. In financial speak, when the deal is done and dusted, Google will own 618.3 million shares in Lenovo worth $1.213 USD each, bringing Google’s stake in Lenovo to a grand total of $750 million.
Whether this is more a token of goodwill or a symbol of solidarity that Google still believes in Motorola, it interesting to see Google still trying to keep one eye on what’s happening with its former acquisition, but whether it will actually have any pull over the operations at Lenovo, and by extension Motorola, remains to be seen.
What do you think about Google taking out a stake in Lenovo? Do you think it means anything on Google’s part? Let us know what you think of the deal in the comments.
Source: Reuters via Phone Arena
[RUMOUR] Nexus 8 launch coming at the end of April due to poor Nexus 7 sales
The Nexus 8 is quickly becoming the definitive ‘Bigfoot’ of the Android world; rumours of its existence have run rife since the above picture was spotted on Google‘s own website, however in classic Google style, the tech company has revealed absolutely nothing about its plans or even hinted at where it’s going with its tablet line. Today, we get yet another rumour that is saying that the Nexus 8 launch will be happening at the end of April, and will be manufactured in conjunction with ASUS, as the previous Nexus 7 models have been.
This is the second such rumour we have heard that has pinpointed the partnership of Google and ASUS to continue through the manufacturing of the elusive Nexus 8 (both times were reported by DigiTimes). The tip this time apparently comes from a source involved in Taiwan-based supply chains, but again cites to the poor performance of the 2013 Nexus 7 as the cause of the move to the 8-inch form factor. As with all rumours, though, it’s best to take any rumour news with a grain of salt.
If I’m honest, I’m not sure which device I’m less convinced exists, the Nexus 8 or the Nexus 10. Both have had multiple rumour trails yet both of them, as with all rumours Google-related, have amounted to nothing. But that might just be me getting weary: what do you think about this rumour? Do you think that Google and ASUS are teaming up to bring us a Nexus 8 this April? Let us know your opinion.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
Source: DigiTimes via Phone Arena
Google refuses to pay French privacy fine in a battle of company versus country
France and Google are playing a delicate game of brinkmanship in the courts of Europe, and it still isn’t clear who’ll come off worse. France fined the search company €150,000 ($200,000) last month as a penalty for failing to tell French citizens exactly what happens to their personal data. Google could have coughed up the trivial sum and drowned its sorrows in a bottle of beaujolais, but instead it has decided to fight — not because of the money, but because accepting the fine would have also involved making a public admission of guilt (published below the search button in a size 13 font, no less) and the company feels this would have “irreparably damaged” its reputation.
Google’s legal appeal against the fine appears to rest on creating a rift between France and the European Union, because it claims its privacy policy meets EU requirements and shouldn’t have to be amended to suit one European country. (Although, to be fair, many other European countries have also complained about it.) So, here’s the risk: What is currently a dispute over fines and typefaces could theoretically — in the worst case scenario — escalate into another international court case that runs on for years, or it could even become a question of sovereignty that risks causing France to lose face. Some of this is doomsday-ish speculation on our part admittedly, but Google’s well-funded legal department doesn’t look ready to quit any time soon.
[Image Credit: cplapied, Flickr]
Source: MarketingLand, WSJ
HP’s first Chromebox arrives this spring
HP has revealed more about the Chromebox that it’s making to support Google’s video conferencing system, and we have good news: it won’t be confined to meeting rooms. The company’s inaugural Chrome OS desktop will be available to both home and business customers when it ships sometime in the spring. It should also be more powerful than the North American version of ASUS’ Chromebox, since at least one US variant will arrive with a Haswell-based Core i7 processor inside. DisplayPort, HDMI and four USB 3.0 ports will come standard. There isn’t any mention of pricing at this point, although it’s safe to presume that the Core i7 Chromebox will cost more than ASUS’ $179 entry-level model.
Filed under: Desktops, Internet, Google, HP
Via: GigaOM
Source: HP
Steve Wozniak thinks Apple should build an Android smartphone
Yes, folks, this is real life. In an interview with Wired, at the Apps World North America conference, Steve Wozniak revealed his belief that Apple should create a phone using Google’s Android operating system. According to him, “There’s nothing that would keep Apple out of the Android market as a secondary phone market.” “We could play in two arenas at the same time.” As Wired’s Mat Honan notes, the idea of such a handset wouldn’t be technically impossible, but anyone who’s familiar with the Apple of today knows that the chances of this actually happening are slim to none.
“We [Apple] could compete very well. People like the precious looks of stylings and manufacturing that we do in our product compared to the other Android offerings,” Wozniak stated during the interview. Of course, this isn’t the first time (and very likely won’t be the last) in which the great, legendary Woz has spoken openly about his thoughts on Apple- and Android-related affairs — still, it’s always interesting to hear his perspective on the tech industry. Steve also spoke to Wired about the film Her, Moore’s Law and even why he thinks the Cupertino company has yet to release a smartwatch or TV. You can check out the full interview right here.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Wired
Google takes on the conference room with Chromebox for meetings
Been trying to figure out just what you’d do with a Chromebox? Google has an idea: build a new video conferencing system. At least that’s what Google VP of product management Ceaser Sengupta announced in Mountain View this morning. It’s called Chromebox for meetings and, well, it’s a Chromebox bundle designed to outfit meeting rooms with a robust, easy to use meeting solution powered by the Google Cloud. On the surface, the $999 bundle doesn’t seem that different from the devices ASUS has already announced — it includes a Core i7 box, a HD camera, a microphone / conference speaker and a keyboard-equipped remote. Plug the setup into your existing conference room monitors, log into the Google management platform, and you’re ready to go. How about in use? Well, that looks like a mash up between Google Hangouts and Chromecast.
Gesturing to a screen behind him, Sengupta showed us a screen that looked suspiciously like Chromecast does on our home TV set. Gorgeous splash photography over a few small blurbs of useful information — but rather than merely displaying the time and connected network, Chromebox for meetings shows the schedule for its assigned meeting room. Sengupta explained that the data is pulled directly from Google Calendar, and should make it easy for employees to look at a room, glance at the screen, and instantly know if it’s available for use. Click into a meeting, on the other hand, and another familiar interface pops up: Google Hangout’s existing video interface.
Like the meeting solution’s standby mode, these meetings borrow heavily from the existing product it’s modeled after. Users speaking are automatically focused on, for instance, and meetings can be attended from Chromebox-equipped conference rooms, laptops, tablets and even mobile phones. There are some new tricks, however — years of interrupting latecomers have prompted Google to automatically mute attendees as soon as they join a session. Each meeting can sustain up to 15 connections too, broadcast from any combination of device. Although businesses will need to outfit all of their conference rooms with Google’s kit to get the ideal experience, a tool from Vidyo will allow Chromebox for Meetings to connect to traditional conference systems, and an Uberconference connection will allow participants to dial in from regular phones.
Although regular old Chromeboxes won’t be available until March, US customers can order the box today, with an international availability (to Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the UK) rolling out over the next few months. Businesses who contact their Google rep will be able to chose between ASUS, HP and Dell Chromebox packages, all for $999 each. In addition to the microphone, camera and remote accessories, each box comes with 24/7 customer support, including a (required) maintenance fee of $250 a year per device. Still, if you’re itching to get a Chromebox right away, they are available.
Filed under: Google
Source: Chromebox for Meetings
Dayframe adds Chromecast support
Now that Google opened up the Chromecast SDK to the public, more apps are gaining support for the tiny wifi-connected dongle.
One of the newest is Cloud TV’s Dayframe that was recently updated to version 2.0.
In the slideshow app Dayframe 2.0, besides have a new user experience and interface, it allows you to play photos, albums, photostreams and playlists of albums and photostreams on your big screen.
Once casting to your Chromecast, you can easily flip through photos by swiping through them on your device, plus you can “zoom to fit or fill,” pause, shuffle and “like” your own photos.
Besides being able to cast your locally stored photos, Dayframe will also cast photos from Instagram, Dropbox, Facebook, Google+, Flickr, Twitter and 500px.
Dayframe 2.0 is free, to be able to use the Chromecast functionality, you need to complete a $2.99 in-app purchase to update the app to “Prime,” which also adds shuffle mode and custom playlists. If you previously purchased Dayframe Prime, before the app utilized IAP, it will still work with Chromecast.
If you’ve been looking for a beautifully designed app to view your photos on a larger screen, be sure to check out Dayframe.
The post Dayframe adds Chromecast support appeared first on AndroidGuys.
This is the red Nexus 5 (hands-on)
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and ’tis the season for special red versions of well-established phones to magically pop out of the woodwork. It seems to happen at least once or twice this time of year, and the first one to make an appearance this year is the Nexus 5. Just like its black and white counterparts, the collaboration between Google and LG is now available in the Play Store for $350 (16GB) and $400 (32GB) and comes with all of the same specs.
The red Nexus 5 showed up at the door, so we wanted to take the opportunity to snap a bunch of shots for those of you who may be on the fence about whether or not to buy one. Is it any better than the other colors? Not really, but it all comes down to personal preference. The red version has the same smooth matte finish as the white model (in contrast to the black model, which has a soft-touch plastic feel). As you can see, LG and Google opted for red sides and edges, as well as a red-earpiece to go along with it. As there is more to look at than to actually say about the new hue, head straight down to our gallery below, which offers a perspective from nearly every angle.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google, LG
Google’s latest search tweak encourages you to watch more YouTube music videos
As clever as Google’s search is, finding official YouTube music videos is often harder than it should be, hampering efforts to successfully get your soft rock fix. In a new change rolling out now, the search giant has made it easier to surface such videos by giving the top playable link its very own card. While Google cunningly displays a video player as the top result, it actually directs you to YouTube (and other sites like Vimeo or Dailymotion) to serve legitimate uploads by music labels and the inescapable VEVO. It’s definitely a step in the right direction, but Google hasn’t totally nailed the implementation and often displays fan-made videos or doesn’t show one at all. Despite the rise in legal music streaming sites, Google’s well aware YouTube still beats Spotify et al in terms of total users, which is probably why it’s readying its own music subscription service.
Source: Search Engine Watch
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