The folks at YouTube announced this afternoon that Wii users can now download an official YouTube app from the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel. The app allows users to browse all of YouTube using their Wii Remote. YouTube said it plans to roll out the feature to more international users later, but the feature is only available to users in the United States for now. [YouTube]
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Popular Science has given Google Now its “Innovation Of The Year” award:
Voice interfaces like Siri seem outdated by comparison. With Google Now, you don’t pull the phone out when an idea occurs to you. You pull it out when an idea occurs to it.
The folks who run CyanogenMod, the website that hosts open source software for a slew of Android devices, announced that the CyanogenMod.com website is no longer under their control. CyanogenMod.com was a gift to the team from the original domain owner (a non-staff member); however, he took it back today after the owners of CyanogenMod rejected his $10,000 offer and his shenanigans throughout the network (which included impersonating founder Steve Kondik to set up referral deals). Even with the domain loss, the community still plans to flourish under its CyanogenMod.org domain name while its dispute with ICANN is underway. We hope things are restored quickly, as CyanogenMod plays a huge role in the community.
Fast-forward 3 years, we have 3 extremely powerful build boxes donated by the community and an army of developers, contributors, and supported devices. But, a little over a week ago, things took a bad turn. The person owning the CyanogenMod.com domain was caught impersonating Steve to make referral deals with community sites. When confronted and asked to hand over control of the domain amicably, he decided he wanted 10K USD for it, which we won’t (and can’t) pay.
Update: Cyanogen has news this evening about the issues being resolved:
With that said, the ex-member in question contacted us and has agreed to hand over control of the CyanogenMod.com domain. This was done as amicably as these things can be, and CM did not pay the fee he requested.
We will still be using CyanogenMod.org as our primary domain, and the .com address will simply redirect to this new domain. Ironically enough, ‘.org’ is better than ‘.com’ as we are not a commercial entity, and is far more in line with how CyanogenMod is structured.
[CyanogenMod, XDA Developers via Droid Life]
Ahead of the Nexus 4 becoming available in the next few hours for $299, Google made a black Nexus 4 bumper available on its Google Play store this evening. Google is scant on details for the accessory, but it said it is available for $20 and allows you to “customize your Nexus 4 with a lightweight bumper case.” There is no word on when you will actually be able to purchase the bumper or when it will ship, but you can enter your email for the latest updates. Does this remind you of anything?
Additionally, the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 went on sale for Australian customers early this evening. The Nexus 4 already sold out. [Google Play]
As part of our review of the Nexus 4, we noted there would be another update to Android before these things went final. As customers first boot the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 over the next few days, they will be required to update the device to the latest version of Android 4.2 that brings features Google has previously covered:
The update has just hit our review devices and adds the new lock screen widgets that allow users to see their calendar, email, music, and quickly open the camera. Additionally, Google said the Nexus 10 would gain multi-user support that will allow users to specifically set up their Nexus 10. These features were not available to us while we were reviewing the device last week.
A Google spokesperson confirmed that upon first boot, customers would be required to update. Eventually, Nexus 4 and 10s will come with this update pre-installed.
If you haven’t already, you should check out Photo Spheres.
As previously outlined by the folks in Mountain View, Google Play Music and Movies have expanded to select countries in Europe today. A big gain for many users yearning for more on the Play store, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. will now be able to access the content on their Google TVs, smartphones, and laptops and use Google Music to manage their music.
Past purchasing music, European users will also be the first to try Google Music’s new syncing feature. Much like Apple’s iTunes Match service, Google Music users can keep songs synced across their devices thanks to the latest addition of Warner Music. The synching feature will come to users in the United States later, according to Google.
Sadly, users in Canada, Australia, and various countries across the world are still left in the dark and unable to access the 20,000 songs and various amounts of movies Google makes available through its content partnerships.
AT&T announced this afternoon that the HTC One X+ and One VX will be available on its network beginning Nov. 16, with One X+ pre-orders beginning Nov. 13 both online and in-store. The One X+ has been priced at $199, while the carrier prices the One VX at $50 with a two-year contract.
According to research from Chetan Sharma Consulting, the amount of text messages sent during Q3 2012 showed the first decline ever. The fall can be attributed to Apple’s iMessages (when it is up), along with other Internet services like Facebook Messaging, Skype, AIM, Google Voice and more that use Wi-Fi. With less text messages being sent monthly, this has lead to less revenue in the text message area for carriers, however, they are still making plenty of money off data. The research released today says data makes up for 43 percent of carrier revenue generated, with Verizon and AT&T accounting for 69 percent data revenue during the quarter. Mobile data is expected to slow down after growing rapidly over the last five years, perhaps thanks to Wi-Fi.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he is losing sleep over services like iMessage cutting into revenue, while speaking earlier this year.“You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model,” Stephenson said. “Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.”
We’re sure many of you can’t sit still in your seats, waiting for the arrival of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. But yearn no longer, as both devices will be available early tomorrow morning, according to Google Germany employee Stefan Keuchel. He said that devices won’t be available right at midnight as some may have hoped, but “around breakfast time” in Germany. This translates to early morning hours on the West Coast.
Nonetheless, tomorrow’s the day you Android fanatics have been waiting for, so have your browsers locked on Google Play and your credit cards on deck. Both devices will ship-out within two days. [Android Central]
Bloomberg reported Google would be faced with an ultimatum in its talks with the Federal Trade Commission over antitrust discussions that have been occurring over the last two weeks. If Google does not agree to settle with the FTC, it will be forced to face a formal complaint from the organization.
The FTC has been looking into Google for alleged abuses regarding its large reach over the Internet for roughly two years. FTC Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz is requesting Google make an offer and “won’t accept a resolution short of a consent decree.”
Google highlighted several tips for web developers to create a search engine-friendly tablet experience. The company pointed out these are not “specific recommendations” but rather a starting point.
Our recommendation for smartphone-optimized sites is to use responsive web design, which means you have one site to serve all devices. If your website uses responsive web design as recommended, be sure to test your website on a variety of tablets to make sure it serves them well too. Remember, just like for smartphones, there are a variety of device sizes and screen resolutions to test.
Another common configuration is to have separate sites for desktops and smartphones, and to redirect users to the relevant version. If you use this configuration, be careful not to inadvertently redirect tablet users to the smartphone-optimized site too.
The post added some information on user agents:
For Android-based devices, it’s easy to distinguish between smartphones and tablets using the user-agent string supplied by browsers: Although both Android smartphones and tablets will include the word “Android” in the user-agent string, only the user-agent of smartphones will include the word “Mobile”.
In summary, any Android device that does not have the word “Mobile” in the user-agent is a tablet (or other large screen) device that is best served the desktop site.
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Speaking at a conference with investors this morning, Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo revealed that Verizon would roll out its LTE network completely by mid-2013. FierceWireless reported today’s timeline is six months earlier than previous estimates released by Verizon. Verizon’s LTE network will match its 3G CDMA coverage area once the rollout is complete. Additionally, Shammo commented on the early problems the LTE network suffered. However, he said with over 80 percent of the country’s population now covered, it is now stable. According to Big Red’s latest numbers, 14.9 million LTE devices are currently on the network.
In retrospect, the nation’s largest carrier AT&T plans to have 250 million people covered by the end of 2013, with a completed roll out of 300 million people planned by the end of 2014.
Shammo also revealed today that the company’s new Share Everything data plans introduced in late June now makes up 13 percent of current Verizon customers. The shared data plan allows customers to share data with up to 10 devices through a single account. [FierceWireless]
The showdown between Apple and Samsung seems far from over. Bloomberg reported Apple made a motion today in a San Jose, Calif. courtroom to include the Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (we’re not sure how TouchWiz factors in) into the lawsuit already existing between the two companies. Apple’s move today comes after a similar motion from Samsung in early October, where it filed claims against Apple’s hot-selling iPhone 5.
In August, a jury under Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Samsung infringed on several of Apple’s patents in a showdown that drew eyes from all around the world. Samsung was ordered to pay damages of $1.05 billion, and nonetheless, Apple has requested that additional damages be tacked on. The Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 motion put forth by Apple today is scheduled for trial sometime in 2014. Additionally, there is a trial set for December to consider a U.S. ban on several Galaxy smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. [Bloomberg]
Research firm IDC said Android tablet sales gained momentum in the third quarter, led by strong sales from Samsung and Amazon. Additionally, the tablet market has grown considerably year-over-year, up to 49.5-percent and up 6.7-percent over the second quarter of 2012. Ryan Reith of IDC said:
“Samsung took advantage of an opportunity in the second quarter. The company offers a wide range of tablet offerings across multiple screen sizes and colors, and that clearly resonated with more buyers this quarter. Its growth to 18.4% of worldwide market share during the quarter represents the first time a competitor has attained this level of share since the original launch of the iPad…Competitors are turning up the pressure on market leader Apple. With the recent introduction of a number of Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, consumers now have a third viable tablet platform from which to choose. However, price points are critical in tablets, and Microsoft and its partners will have a tough time winning a share of consumer wallet with price points starting at $500.”
Several readers are reporting that Google services are down this afternoon. Users are unable to access Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, Google Apps, Google Play, Talk, and Voice. We’ll update when we hear more.
A quick look at Twitter shows that this is a widespread issue.
Update: Services appear to be back.
With Google+, you can share what you want with just the right people. That might be pictures from your weekend apple picking adventure or an article from your favorite new blog. Starting today, you can also share the stuff you create and store in Google Drive, and people will be able to flip through presentations, open PDFs, play videos and more, directly in the Google+ stream.
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We have some new numbers this morning that paint a picture of the Android tablet space. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Asustek CFO David Chang revealed sales numbers for the 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet that is sold directly from Google Play. “At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million,” he told WSJ. In comparison, Apple sold 14 million iPads last quarter.
However 1 million sales per month certainly isn’t terrible. Apple also enteres the smaller tablet game this week with the introduction of its 7.9-inch iPad mini priced at $329. The recently revealed LG Nexus 4 and Samsung Nexus 10 should also help juice sales into the Nexus lineup.
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First noted by Bloomberg, Google says there are now 700,000 applications available for users to download from the Google Play store. That means Google and Apple are neck-and-neck for how many applications are available on each store. Apple announced at its press event last week that it has “more than 700,000″ — nonetheless the race is still pretty close.
Many have observed that Apple’s App Store has lead to more revenue and sales than Google’s Play. Apple reported $6.5 billion paid to developers since the App Store was first introduced in 2008. Google is yet to release any similar numbers.
Google may be able to increase the number of tablet-specific apps that are available on its store with the introduction of the 10-inch Nexus 10. We’ll be on the look out to see if/when Google passes Apple.
Following its abundance of Android announcements this afternoon, Google has quietly killed off its “Made in the USA” Nexus Q streaming orb. The orb was launched in July alongside Jelly Bean. It went up for pre-order for Google Play customers, and instead of charging the pre-order customers $299, Google sent out free units and never made it available for direct sale.
Tonight, the Nexus Q has been replaced by the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. I think it is pretty clear that Google has stuck its focus on the trio of devices. Miracast wireless display support also replaces the need for the orb. [Landing Page via Engadget]
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-4zeAyxCmNY”]
There have been several leaks of Google and Samsung’s joint venture into the 10-inch tablet space —during the anticipation for the unveiling of Google’s slew of new Android products (whenever that may be)—dubbed the “Nexus 10“. Adding to thd leaks yesterday, BriefMobile posted a brief video showing off the Nexus 10’s over-all structure. Past the overview, nothing is really shocking here. It looks like we’re seeing the same dual-core Samsung Exynos 5250 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch Super AMOLED display at 2,560-by-1,600-pixel resolution, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED, front-facing camera, NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 capability, as well as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean preloaded, which we’ve seen over the last week. We hope you like a little bezel with your tablet.
Carphone Warehouse has had its fair share of troubles keeping the LG Nexus 4—the device Google was supposed to announce Monday— under wraps. Thanks to Android Authority, we got a look this evening at the Nexus 4’s alleged pricing of £389.95 ($504) unlocked at the third-party reseller. The promo banner seen above also rings out specs we heard before, including: 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. So, that looks to be the LG Nexus 4. Now, we just need a release date. [Android Authority via Engadget]
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For those looking forward to Google’s media event set to take place Monday, we have bad news: Google cancelled the media event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy, which is barreling its way to the East Coast as we speak. The company was set to make big announcements, including: the LG Nexus 4, 10-inch Nexus tablet, and Android 4.2. There is no word on when the event might be rescheduled, but we’ll let you know when we hear more. Coincidentally, Microsoft also has a media event planned for Monday, but it’s in San Francisco where the weather reports are calling for sunshine. [The Verge]
We’ve seen several signs that the 32GB Nexus 7 is on its way to the masses, and Google plans to officially unveil the upgraded storage at its event this week. A sign that the 32GB Nexus 7 has now landed in a few stores worldwide: one of our reader’s, Mike Attrell, was able to pick up the 32GB variant at his local Best Buy in Calgary, Canada. As you can see, on the product label above, there are several references to 32GB, including: “1B32″(as opposed to “1B16” or “1B8”). Furthermore, you can see on the receipt below, Best Buy is selling the 32GB variant for $269—a price that is sure to be at other retailers and even Google Play. We’ll know more about the 32GB model later this week.
The rumors are that the 8GB variant of the Nexus 7 will be replaced by the 16GB variant—staying at the $199 price point. Droid Life noticed today that the Google Play store is currently showing the 8GB Nexus 7 as out of stock. Could this be a signal for the 8GB variant’s end of life?
The industry is jumping to claim that we may never see it again and that it will soon be replaced with the 16GB N7 for $199 followed by a 32GB N7 at $249. I’d tend to agree with that idea, especially after the number of 32GB Nexus 7 devices we have seen over the last couple of weeks. We were wondering if maybe the 16GB version would be disappearing, but this would sort of suggest that the 8GB model’s life has come to an end.
If the 16GB version moves down, the 32GB variant is rumored to move into the top spot—priced at $249. We’re sure to hear more at Google’s Oct. 29 press event.
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