Author

Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer who started his career on PC World and has written for dozens of computer and technology magazines, as well as numerous national newspapers, business and in-flight magazines. He has also written two novels.

He thinks wires are evil and had a custom desk made to hide them, known as the OC Desk for obvious reasons.

He considers 1000 miles a good distance for a cycle ride, and Chernobyl a suitable tourist destination. What can we say, he’s that kind of chap.

He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.

Connect with Ben Lovejoy

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IFTTT simplifies experience with 3 new ‘DO’ apps; rebrands original app as ‘IF’

Ben Lovejoy Feb 19 2015 - 8:57 am PT

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I’m a huge fan of IFTTT, the mobile app (and web app) that allows you to do really clever things completely automatically, just by creating or downloading an ‘if this then that’ rule–which IFTTT calls a ‘recipe.’ For example, if you’d like to save a copy of a photo anytime you are tagged on Facebook, there’s a recipe for that. Want to switch on a WEMO-controlled light when the sun goes down, there’s a recipe for that too. Pretty much anything you might want to automate has an existing recipe–and if it doesn’t, you can create your own.

But while IFTTT is incredibly powerful, the developers found that some people found it so overwhelming they didn’t know where to start. The company has now addressed that by creating three cut-down apps, each of which can perform only three functions: Do Button (geared for controlling hardware), Do Camera (to automatically post, share or save photos) and Do Note (to quickly write something and save it as a note, make it a calendar entry, tweet it and so on) …

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DIY Apple repair specialist iFixit launches Android parts, tools & guides

Ben Lovejoy Feb 18 2015 - 6:18 am PT

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android-repair

iFixit, a company which made its name supplying parts, tools and instructional guides for repairing Apple products, is now branching out into the Android market. So if you’ve been wondering what to do with a broken phone or tablet, you can now try your hand at a DIY repair.

Our Android Repair hub is now live. On it, you’ll find hundreds of Android repair guides and replacement parts for a dozen of Android’s most popular devices—including the Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy Note, and the Nexus tablet series.

The challenge, of course, is that there are way more Android devices than Apple ones–almost 4000 different models of smartphone, even before you start counting tablets, smartwatches and TV boxes …
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Sprint LG G3 getting Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update ‘now’

Ben Lovejoy Feb 16 2015 - 7:08 am PT

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Speaking of LG, if you own an LG G3 on the Sprint network, look out for an over-the-air update to Android 5.0 Lollipop–the company has announced that the update is being pushed “now.” This follows the same update for the Samsung Galaxy S5 earlier this month.

Lollipop of course gets you the latest Material Design look, together with customizable lockscreen notifications, support for Android TV, location-based switching of comms networks and more. Your photos and videos will also be automatically backed-up to Google, and you should see improved battery-life thanks to more efficient power usage.

If you’ve been eyeing up the G3 but don’t yet have one, Sprint recently added the model to its smartphone leasing program, with the phone available for $15/month with no-upfront payment.

Stainless steel version of Sony’s SmartWatch 3 goes on sale this week, no word yet on price

Ben Lovejoy Feb 12 2015 - 6:11 am PT

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smartwatch3

The stainless steel version of Sony’s SmartWatch 3 will go on sale around the world “from this week,”says Sony in a blog post.

The new model has the same innards as the original silicon-cased version launched last September, with the same 1.6-inch 320×320 display, 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor and 512MB of RAM. The steel model will also retain the same IP68-standard waterproofing, making it safe even against complete immersion in water for up to 30 minutes …
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Google Japan choir of 300 Android smartphones and tablets sings a hymn (Video)

Ben Lovejoy Feb 12 2015 - 5:44 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lKihNI-K4]

File this one under ‘only in Japan.’ Google has posted a video to its Asia Pacific Blog of its Tokyo team connecting 300 Android smartphones and tablets in order to have them sing a hymn. The obvious thing to do, really.

300 different Androidify characters singing the same song using only the device speakers. We call it “Android Chorus”

The result is, says Google, just another illustration of how Android is about being together not the same. Ookay …

Google patents the craziest wearable yet: keeps you clear of friends if you smell …

Ben Lovejoy Feb 12 2015 - 4:37 am PT

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smell

Android Wear may not have been the success Google had hoped, and Google Glass may be “paused,” but it seems the company has another idea for a wearable up its sleeve–literally. If you’ve hit the gym hard and not had time for a shower, or are just sweating from rushing around the city, Google has a plan to ensure you don’t bump into any of your friends or colleagues while you’re a smelly, sweaty mess.

The NY Daily News reports that the company has been granted a patent for a portable fan attached to your body which detects exertion and sprays a fragrance to reduce body odor. Just in case that doesn’t do the trick, it connects to social networks to find out where your friends and contacts are, and provides a route to your destination that ensures you don’t run into any of them along the way.

A device is provided which includes an activity sensor, a communication portion, and a route suggesting portion. The activity sensor can detect physical activity of a user of a device. The communication portion may provide access one or more social networks via a communication network, in which the device may communicate with a social network of contacts. The route suggesting portion may provide an alternate route to travel such that the predicted odor may not offend others that are socially connected to the user and that travel the same routes as the user.

Google CFO Patrick Pichette recently talked of the need to make tough decisions to cancel projects; we suspect this one may not be too tough a call …

Google powering Mountain View HQ from wind power as of next year

Ben Lovejoy Feb 11 2015 - 7:48 am PT

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20150206-Golden Hills-007

Google has announced that it will be powering its Mountain View headquarters with wind power from 2016–or, more precisely, that it will be purchasing enough wind-generated electricity to cover the power used by its HQ.

The agreement with NextEra Energy Resources will help to repower an iconic Bay Area wind farm at California’s Altamont Pass with new turbines that will pour 43 MW of electricity onto the grid starting in 2016 […]

Even though the electrons follow an untraceable path through the California electricity grid, we can be sure that we’re offsetting the electrical consumption of our North Bayshore headquarters with the renewable energy from the new turbines.

Google has been a carbon-neutral company since 2007, and already uses renewable energy to power its data centers (winning praise from Greenpeace), but this is the first time the company has made a direct commitment regarding its offices. Google also runs a free electric shuttle bus service for local residents.

Google shared the news the day after Apple announced that it is building a solar farm to offset all its California operations, including its new campus building currently under construction.

Bloomberg supports suggestion of Note Edge style wraparound display on Samsung Galaxy S6

Ben Lovejoy Feb 11 2015 - 6:10 am PT

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s6-edge

Bloomberg is reporting that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will be released in two versions, one of them with a wraparound screen similar to the Note Edge but curving around both left and right sides of the display.

Samsung Electronics Co. plans to release two new versions of its top-tier Galaxy smartphone next month, including a model with a display covering three sides, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter […] The second model to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Spain will only have a front-facing display.

Earlier claimed renders had also suggested a curved screen, though with some confusion about whether the wraparound would be on only one side, like the Edge, or both sides as now claimed by Bloomberg …
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Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5s more reliable than current wearable fitness devices at measuring activity, finds study

Ben Lovejoy Feb 11 2015 - 5:01 am PT

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health

If you were thinking about buying a fitness band, a university study suggests you probably shouldn’t bother: it found that the Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5s measure activity more reliably than most current fitness bands.

The study by the University of Pennsylvania (via EurekAlert!) tested the ability of the phones to measure steps on a treadmill and compared the results to six dedicated fitness bands. The two smartphones had a margin of error of 12.9%, while the error rates of the fitness bands ranged up to 22.7%.

The study tested the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5s against the Nike Fuelband, Jawbone UP24, Digi-Walker SW-200, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip. Only the FitBit One and Zip performed significantly better than the two smartphones.

Take 30 seconds to check your Google account security, get 2GB extra on Google Drive

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 6:04 am PT

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security

Google wants you to check your account security, and its willing to bribe you to do it. In return for taking 30 seconds or so to complete a security checkup by February 17th, Google will add 2GB to your Google Drive storage allowance around the end of the month.

This Safer Internet Day, we’re reminded how important online safety is and hope you’ll use this as an opportunity to take 2 minutes to complete a simple Security Checkup […] As our way of saying thanks for completing the checkup by 17 February 2015, we’ll give you a permanent 2 gigabyte bump in your Google Drive storage plan.

The check makes sure you have up-to-date account recovery information, that recent activity looks legit, and that only the right apps and devices have permission to access your account. You can complete the check here.

Comms chip company Qualcomm fined almost $1B in Chinese anti-trust case

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 4:39 am PT

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qualcomm

Qualcomm, which licenses 3G and 4G communications patents to smartphone manufacturers, has been fined almost a billion dollars by the Chinese government in an anti-trust case. The company was found to have abused its dominant position in wireless chip technology by charging “unfairly high” licensing fees to manufacturers of smartphones and tablets.

The 6B Yuan ($960M) fine is the largest fine ever imposed on a foreign company, reports the Guardian. China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said that the fine was calculated as 8% of Qualcomm’s 2013 revenue in China. China is responsible for around half of Qualcomm’s total revenue.

Chinese regulators said that Qualcomm bundled together patent licenses, forcing Chinese companies to buy unwanted licenses in order to get the core 3G and 4G ones they needed. Qualcomm said that it was disappointed by the ruling, but has agreed to separate out its licenses to allow companies to purchase only the ones they need.

The ruling should reduce costs for Chinese smartphone makers, but it isn’t known how significant the saving may be, and it’s unlikely to show up as a price-reduction for consumers.

Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters

Google adding fact-checked health information to Knowledge Graph

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 3:59 am PT

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health-info-animated

Google’s Knowledge Graph–which highlights fact-checked info at the top of certain types of search results–is being expanded to include health-related searches. So next time you want to check whether you have the common cold or a rare strain of Ebola, Google should provide the necessary reassurance.

Starting in the next few days, when you ask Google about common health conditions, you’ll start getting relevant medical facts right up front from the Knowledge Graph. We’ll show you typical symptoms and treatments, as well as details on how common the condition is—whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more. For some conditions you’ll also see high-quality illustrations from licensed medical illustrators.

Google says that the information is pulled from “high-quality medical sources across the web” and then checked by both its own doctors and others from the Mayo Clinic …
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Android hits historic sales landmark: one billion smartphones shipped last year

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2015 - 6:59 am PT

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billion

We noted 18 months ago that Android could be on track to ship a billion devices in 2014, tablets included, and Strategy Analytics has just revealed that the tablets weren’t needed: more than a billion Android smartphones were sold last year.

Android shipped 1.0 billion smartphones worldwide in 2014, rising from 0.8 billion units in 2013. Android has become the first ever smartphone operating system to ship more than 1 billion units in a single year. Android accounted for a huge 81 percent share of all smartphones shipped globally in 2014.

Putting the number at 1.0427B handsets, the research company said that emerging markets like China were key to the growth. The figures show that the Android smartphone market has doubled in size since 2012 …
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Google settles dispute with UK, agrees to change privacy policy by June

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2015 - 5:04 am PT

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privacy

Google has had its fair share of privacy-related run-ins with the authorities in Europe, but will now be able to put one of those disputes behind it. TechCrunch reports that the company has reached an agreement with the UK’s privacy watchdog to change its privacy policy in order to comply with UK law.

The UK’s Information Commissioner didn’t object to the personal data collected by Google, but found that it was not properly explaining to consumers what data was collected and how it would be used. Google has agreed to include illustrative examples to help consumers to understand its policies.

In particular the Commissioner recommended that the data controller should do more to bring users’ attention to processing which would not be within their reasonable expectations. When considering this point it was noted that some users will not have sufficient technical knowledge to fully appreciate the ways in which the data controller can obtain their data from their use of the data controller’s products and services, how the data is combined, and how behavioural advertising on the internet operates. It was suggested that further examples of the processing would assist in this regard.

Google also came under fire in the UK last year for continuing to drop cookies in Safari even when users had switched off this option.

Its far bigger fight against Europe’s ‘right to be forgotten‘ legislation is likely to continue to run for some considerable time.

Rolling Stone magazine archives coming to Google Play Newsstand tomorrow, initially free

Ben Lovejoy Jan 29 2015 - 6:19 am PT

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rolling-stone

Rolling Stone magazine is making some of its archived issues available in the Google Play Newsstand app, with three or four major stories from each issue available for free. The move is being made in partnership with Google as a means of promoting the app, reports Fast Company.

Google Play’s global head of marketing Brian Irving says he views the Rolling Stone partnership as a way to demonstrate the possibilities of Google Play’s Newsstand, which he argues is better suited for content discovery than Apple’s Newsstand, due to features like customizable themes and key word searches.

Gus Wenner, son of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, said there was enormous interest in archived stories when properly promoted …
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China accused of protectionism through new cybersecurity rules aimed at western tech companies

Ben Lovejoy Jan 29 2015 - 4:47 am PT

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china

The NY Times reports that the Chinese government has adopted a set of supposed cybersecurity regulations on western companies selling technology to banks. These requirements are so absurd that it would be impossible for companies like smartphone manufacturers to comply.

The Chinese government has adopted new regulations requiring companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over secret source code, submit to invasive audits and build so-called back doors into hardware and software, according to a copy of the rules obtained by foreign technology companies that do billions of dollars’ worth of business in China.

The paper reports that while the regulations are so far limited to sales to Chinese banks, they are merely the first in a series of new cybersecurity policies expected to be introduced in the coming months, and businesses fear that they are designed to protect local manufacturers from foreign companies.

One theory raised in the NY Times piece is that the moves may be retaliation for an effective US ban on Huawei servers and networking products following concerns that they contained backdoor access for use by the Chinese government.

Google Play Store saw 60% more downloads than iOS App Store, though Apple made more money

Ben Lovejoy Jan 28 2015 - 7:34 am PT

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Google-Play-Store

Android apps from the Google Play Store were 60% higher than those from the iOS App Store, reports mobile analytics firm App Annie in its 2014 retrospective. Total Android downloads will be higher when other app stores are figured in.

Recent data from AppFigures also showed that the Play Store now has more apps and more developers than iOS. iOS apps did, though, make more money, the data showing that Apple’s app downloads generated around 70% more revenue.

App Annie’s data, which is generated by analytics from more than 700,000 apps, showed that just three countries generated more app revenue than the rest of the world combined–the USA, Japan and Korea–while the so-called BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, China and India) were not surprisingly the fastest-growing regions.

Huawei has record-breaking year: 75M phones, over $12B revenue

Ben Lovejoy Jan 27 2015 - 7:33 am PT

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huawei1200

Chinese manufacturer Huawei has announced record-breaking results for 2014, with smartphone sales up 45% to 75 million and revenue up 30% to $12.2B. The numbers aren’t too great a surprise, as Reuters came pretty close to calling them in a piece posted on New Year’s Eve.

The dramatic growth in sales could see Huawei threatening the rankings of both LG and Xiaomi in the next round of market share estimates after recently being knocked down into fifth place …

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Google exec chairman Eric Schmidt says can easily name his hero: Steve Jobs

Ben Lovejoy Jan 27 2015 - 6:17 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBXT9D00kM&start=2224]

Asked at a tech conference to name his hero, Google exec chairman Eric Schmidt told interviewer Sal Khan (of Khan Academy) that the answer came immediately to mind.

For me, it’s easy: Steve Jobs […] When I look at what he achieved in terms of impact on society, we could all aspire to be a small percentage of Steve.

Speaking at the Commonwealth Club of California’s Silicon Valley event , Schmidt said that while the competition between Google and Apple had not always made things easy, it worked out because they shared a mutual respect. Jobs was, he said, an exceptional person, and they are always worth spending time with “because there’s a good chance they’ll change the world.”

Schmidt served on Apple’s board from 2006 to 2009, at which point he resigned due to increasing competition between the two companies.

Rumored fingerprint reader in Nexus 6 was real until Apple killed it, reveals former Motorola CEO

Ben Lovejoy Jan 26 2015 - 5:35 am PT

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The recessed Motorola logo was originally going to be a fingerprint sensor

The fingerprint reader widely rumored before the launch of the Nexus 6 was indeed part of the plan, confirmed former Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside. Speaking to the Telegraph, Woodside said that the dimple on the back of the handset was originally intended to be a fingerprint reader, but they were stymied by Apple’s purchase of biometrics company AuthenTec back in 2012.

Indeed, the 6-inch Nexus 6, he can now admit, was stymied by just one of those big players. A dimple on the back that helps users hold the device should, in fact, have been rather more sophisticated. “The secret behind that is that it was supposed to be fingerprint recognition, and Apple bought the best supplier. So the second best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren’t there yet,” says Woodside.

It’s believed a fingerprint reader was included in internal prototypes, before it was abandoned. Woodside’s comments provide the explanation, Motorola originally intending to buy or license the sensor from AuthenTec. Motorola of course pioneered the smartphone fingerprint reader with the “Atrix” in 2012.

Talking Schmidt: the Internet will disappear

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2015 - 6:29 am PT

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talking-schmidt

Asked at the World Economic Forum to predict the future of the web, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that “the Internet will disappear.”

The somewhat surprising prediction isn’t quite as crazy as it sounds. What he means is that the Internet of Things will become so ubiquitous, that much of our interaction with the web will be invisible.

“There will be so many IP addresses…so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with that you won’t even sense it,” he explained. “It will be part of your presence all the time. Imagine you walk into a room, and the room is dynamic. And with your permission and all of that, you are interacting with the things going on in the room. A highly personalized, highly interactive and very, very interesting world emerges.”

It’s clearly hyperbole: none of us are going to stop viewing webpages anytime soon. And as Gizmodo wryly insinuates, that “with your permission” part is far from certain when a company makes its money from the data rather than the devices. But there’s certainly a core truth here: with more and more smart devices, we won’t need to interact with them so directly.

Google is, though, not taking its dominant position for granted. Schmidt said that at a time when new apps can spring out of nowhere and become billion dollar businesses, “all bets are off.”

Check out some other Talking Schmidt quotes.

Google Play services ceasing in Crimea on 1st February, AdSense & AdWord blocks underway

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2015 - 4:26 am PT

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Google’s Moscow offices

Google has started to block AdSense and Adwords accounts in Crimea, and Google Play services will cease on 1st February, reports TechCrunch. The moves are being made in order to comply with sanctions on the Crimea region of the Ukraine imposed by the US Government.

Free services, like search, maps and gmail are all expected to remain unaffected, but all services involving payment to or from Google will cease, said Russian site Lenta.ru.

“Google’s prohibited from providing paid services in the Crimea,” a source at Google told Lenta.ru. “In addition, Google cannot make payments to anyone in the Crimea. It is now technically impossible, as almost all international banks have ceased to make payments.”

The US joined the EU in imposing economic sanctions in protest at Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which legally remains part of the Ukraine. TechCrunch notes that the political conflict could escalate, with the possibility that Russian government may retaliate by blocking the sale of US imports into Russia–an important market for many US companies, including Google.

Apple terminated its own agreements with app developers in the region earlier this week, and has announced that all sales of Apple products and services will cease as of 1st February. Other companies are similarly ceasing business in the region, including both Steam and PayPal.

Opinion: Can Google woo businesses while seemingly suffering from ‘Product ADD’?

Ben Lovejoy Jan 22 2015 - 6:54 am PT

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Google-London-Lede

Two of the biggest tech companies in the world–Google and Apple–couldn’t be more different in their philosophies. Apple has always believed in doing a very few things very well, famously saying no to a thousand things for every time it says yes. Google, in contrast, has tried to do– well, almost everything, including things well in the realms of science fiction.

Steve Jobs and Larry Page spoke about this difference shortly before Jobs died, with the Apple co-founder urging Page to “figure out what Google wants to be when it grows up.” Jobs expressed the view that, without focus, Google was in danger of turning into the next Microsoft, creating a large number of ok products but none of them with any wow factor …
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BBC updating Android news app with personalized feeds, most-read stories, local news & more

Ben Lovejoy Jan 21 2015 - 4:51 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luIPSeECLC4]

The British Broadcasting Corporation has announced that its BBC News Android app is being updated, with a lot more video, local news, ‘most popular’ links and–most interestingly of all–users able to add their own personalized news feeds.

In addition to pre-existing sections – including Top Stories, UK and Politics – users will be able to add specialised feeds of their choice, for example: Apps, Taylor Swift, Genetics, and Oban.

A new ‘My news’ section allows users to enter keywords which will be matched against tags entered by journalists to populate the personalized feed.

The BBC says that the UK version of both Android and iOS apps will be rolled out this week, with global editions to follow.

The Beeb and its fans tend to be somewhat conservative, with protests every time it changes something, so this time it’s taking a preemptive strike, aiming to soothe the likely objections.

“We know we have got a very large number of people who used the existing app and they really like it,” said Robin Pembrooke, general manager of news products at BBC Future Media.

“It will be a big change for a number of people, so we are trying to provide a warning up front. We’ve got easy guides on how to use the new app, and there’s in-app tips to help people use it.”

The current versions of the app is a free download from the Play store, then watch out for the updates.