I/O

29 'I/O' stories June 2012 - May 2013

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Google announces Google Play Music ‘All Access’ streaming service, launching today for $9.99/month

Jordan Kahn May 15 2013 - 9:52 am PT

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Google just announced its much rumored new music service that it is calling Google Play Music “All Access” live on stage at its Google I/O event keynote presentation.

Google execs focused on showing off curated playlists but also made a note of pointing out a “radio” feature that will automatically create an endless radio station based on the song you’re currently listening to. The service will also allow users to search for a particular song or view the “playlist” of a radio station to remove unwanted songs.

The service also includes a feature called “Listen Now” that will provide quick access to recently listened to songs, customized radio stations based on your preferences, and recommendations for new releases from artists you like.

The service will be available on the web, tablets, and phones and cost users $9.99 per month with a 30 day free trial in the US. Those that sign up before the end of June will be able to get the subscription for just $7.99/month and Google said the service will land in other countries soon.

Google announces updates to Google Play developer console: beta testing & staged rollouts, app translations, more

Jordan Kahn May 15 2013 - 9:41 am PT

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Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 9.40.03 AM

Google today announced new features coming to the Google Play Developer Console that will make it easier for developers to track and optimize apps across markets.

Perhaps one of the biggest features that will soon be available to developers is the ability to manage beta testing and staged rollouts right from within the Developers Console. The tool will allow developers to select a percentage of users for a stage rollout and easily beta test their apps among small amounts of users.

Among the new features, Google will be rolling out a new APK translation feature built into the console that allows developers to purchase translations through various providers directly through the console.

Other features headed to the developer console include optimization tips, referral tracking, and detailed revenue graphs. Check out a full gallery of the new features below:
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Google announces Google Play game services coming to Android, iOS & web today

Jordan Kahn May 15 2013 - 9:23 am PT

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We knew from leaks in the weeks leading up to I/O that Google was planning some gaming related announcements and today the company has officially announced the service in a press release ahead of its Google I/O keynote taking place now. Not only will the service allow Android developers to build in real-time multiplayer, social features, achievements, and leaderboards while storing game saves and settings in the cloud, the SDK for Google Play game services will also be available to iOS and web developers.

Google noted a few titles for Android have already been updated with the feature including World of Goo, Super Stickman Golf 2, Beach Buggy Blitz, Kingdom Rush, Eternity Warriors 2, and Osmos.

Not surprisingly, the cross-platform gaming service will also build in Google+ integration to track high scores, achievements and more:

-Achievements that increase engagement and promote different styles of play.

-Social and public leaderboards that seamlessly use Google+ circles to track high scores across friends and across the world.

-Cloud saves that provide a simple and streamlined storage API to store game saves and settings. Now players never have to replay Level 1 again.

-Real-time multiplayer for easy addition of cooperative or competitive game play on Android devices. Using G+ Circles a game can have up to 4 simultaneous friends or auto-matched players in a game session together with support for additional players coming soon.

Google’s full press release below:
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Motorola and Google’s secret ‘X-Phone’ mentioned in job listing

Alex Allegro Jan 31 2013 - 3:25 pm PT

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It’s been hinted about by CEO Larry Page, rumored about by the Wall Street Journal, and now it’s been mentioned in a new job listing on Motorola’s website. The top-secret X-Phone would be Google’s first collaboration with Motorola since it purchased the handset company in August 2011. The phone was mentioned this morning in a job listing described as “Senior Director of Product Management for Motorola, X-Phone”. The listing has now removed all mention of the X-Phone, but it is still available to see and apply to.

While the phone is rumored to be a continuation of the Nexus line, even possibly replacing the Nexus 4 come I/O this year, CNET claimed the ad listing—judging by the blurb from the listing that quotes “product customization requirements”— implies it will be a carrier-customized device. CNET also said the X-Phone is not the only device launching by Motorola soon, because multiple products are on the way if the bullet point “high level schedule for future products” means anything. One thing is for sure, though. Rarely do rumored names turn out to be official. So, with such a generic name like ‘X-Phone’, you can bet the final product will have a much more creative name.

WSJ: Google accelerating development of Siri competitor for Android devices

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2012 - 7:09 am PT

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We heard several reports in the past that Google was working on various evolutions of its Voice Actions platform for Android. We heard of “Project Majel” in December, which, according to reports, is the codename for a new voice-controlled assistant app similar to Siri. In March, TechCrunch reported on a similar project dubbed “Google Assistant.” According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Google is accelerating its plans to launch a competitor to Apple’s Siri:

Google, meanwhile, has accelerated plans to launch its own Siri competitor that would work on Android-powered devices, people familiar with the matter have said.

The report does not offer any additional details on the project, but it noted: “In coming weeks, Google is expected to unveil a lower-priced Android tablet that it developed with Asustek Computer.” Google recently acquired Clever Sense, the makers of popular local recommendations app Alfred, and some have speculated the technology could be included in Google Siri competitor. Many expect the Google tablet, mentioned by WSJ, to unveil later this month at Google I/O, where we could also possibly see some of Jelly Bean and this rumored assistant feature.

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