Jordan Kahn

While the majority of Android users might still be a version or two behind despite some impressive upgrade numbers for KitKat, Google appears to be prepping the first update to KitKat with Android 4.4.1. A look at our analytics shows hits from a number of devices running 4.4.1 originating from Google’s home turf in Santa Clara, California. Above we can see a huge increase in hits from 4.4.1 devices over the last week.

Among the devices are both phones and tablets including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7:
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We hear a lot about adoption of iOS updates vs the fragmentation that Android users are forced to deal with, but just how far behind are the top Android devices compared to iPhone when it comes to getting support? To answer that question, Fidlee.com has updated a chart that it first put together a couple years back in order to see if things have become any better for Android in recent years. It hasn’t.

In the chart above we see that many once flagship Android devices— the Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, LG G2 etc— have still not received the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update and in some cases are even further behind. Most of the devices on the list have been an upgrade or two behind since launch or not long after. In comparison, only the iPhone 3GS fives years after its release doesn’t support iOS 7. We also get a look at how much longer Apple devices generally stay available for sale and continue receiving support, nearly twice as long as Android in most cases.

Not only did Apple claim iOS 7 was “the fastest software upgrade in history” with more than 200 million devices installing the OS less than a week after launch, but analytics firms tracking adoption also noticed adoption was much higher than previous releases. Currently iOS 7 sits at about 77% of users, according to the latest data from Fiksu’s iOS Usage Monitor. While the chart above is only for devices released last year, things aren’t much better for newer Android devices. In comparison to iOS 7 adoption, Google reports that its latest release, Android 4.4 KitKat, is at just 1.1% weeks into launch. The previous release, Android 4.3, is at just 4.2%, while the majority of users remain on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean first released in July 2012. Currently KitKat is only available for Nexus devices and slowly trickling out to Moto X and Google Play Edition devices.

A couple more charts below from Fidlee showing just how bad things are on Android compared to iOS:
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Today a new version of the YouTube app for Android started rolling out on Google Play. The update includes revamped search results with videos, playlists and channels grouped together, new tabs on channel pages, and other fixes and enhancements. The update might not be all that exciting, but new code in the app discovered by AndroidPolice points to some big new features potentially coming to the app in the future.

Several references to “Music Pass” in the app’s code have many speculating that YouTube could be gearing up to launch its rumored subscription based music focused streaming service. Back in October, Billboard reported that YouTube was developing a streaming service that would allow users to stream music videos along with regular audio tracks.

Some other clues from the code include references to “offline playback”, “no ads on millions of songs”, and the ability to play music in the background. We can only speculate that the no ads would be for some type of premium service, much like on Google Play Music, but it’s clear YouTube has at the very least offline streaming and background audio features in the works. It will be interesting to see how Google positions the YouTube service against its own Play Music streaming service. 
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Ahead of some big Black Friday deals coming this week from Best Buy and just about every other retailer, the best deal to get your hands on a new Galaxy S4 on contract is already available. Starting today, Best Buy is offering the device on most major carriers for $0 on the usual two-year contract. If you already planned on signing up with the devil for two years to avoid the $600+ retail cost of the S4, you definitely won’t be able to find a better deal than this. Currently available for Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T, BestBuy has the S4 in Blue Arctic, Black, Purple, Red and White, and is also offering the rugged Galaxy S4 Active on AT&T in both blue and gray. The deal is available to new customers, but also for those adding a new device to an existing account or upgrading with a two-year contract extension. These devices usually run $199 – $249 on contract, so you’ll want to take advantage of this deal today while it lasts.
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBBijn4JuY]

Google announced today on Google+ that it’s releasing a new extension for Chrome that will enable hands-free activation of the voice search features it rolled out earlier this year. Google announced the conversational voice search features for Chrome back in May and has been updating it on various platforms since, but previously users had to actually click a microphone icon to activate voice search on the desktop.

Now, like on Android 4.4 devices and within the Google Now mobile apps, using the extension users will be able to simply say “OK Google” to initiate a search:
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YouTube has been getting a lot of backlash since introducing its new Google+ powered comment system earlier this month. Despite some very vocal users not exactly liking the change, Google provided an update on the new comment system last night and confirmed it’s here to stay. In a post on its YouTube Creators Blog, the company explains that it’s working to combat spam in comments and will soon introduce new bulk moderation tools for creators.

Since we launched the new comments experience on YouTube two weeks ago, we’ve received a lot of feedback from creators on the increase in comment spam. While the new system dealt with many spam issues that had plagued YouTube comments in the past, it also introduced new opportunities for abuse and shortly after the launch, we saw some users taking advantage of them.

To combat the users “taking advantage” of the new system, YouTube is implementing the following updates to help with spam: 
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Even more sweet news: all of the goodness of KitKat is coming to Moto X on @tmobile starting today. #delicious http://t.co/jdfKuvZlF3

— motorolaus (@MotorolaUS) November 21, 2013

After rolling out the KitKat update to Verizon first in somewhat of an unexpected move earlier this week, Motorola just announced on its blog that the update is now ready for T-Mobile users.

The update comes ahead of many other devices that we expected to get the update by now, including the HTC One Google Play Edition, the Nexus 4 for many users, and the Nexus 10, to name a few. There’s also still no official word on the update for the Moto X Developer Edition, but a few people today report they’ve received the update. 
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Verizon announced today that it is releasing new mini variants of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices. One is the Galaxy S4 mini, the latest mid-tier version of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4. However, Verizon is oddly also launching last year’s model today, the Galaxy S III mini.

Despite the fact that the S4 mini is the newer device, the S III mini might be the better option for those on a budget as it will cost customers just $50 on a two-year contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. The S4 mini will come in at $99 with the same rebate. You’ll also be able to grab a month-to-month plan if you drop $249 or $399 for the S4 mini or S III mini, and $10 and $16 a month offers are available through Verizon Edge.

You can grab the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and the Galaxy S III mini from Verizon now. 
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Following the launch of the HTC One max on Sprint earlier this month, Verizon this morning officially made availability and pricing details available. As expected from an earlier leak, Verizon is pricing the HTC One max at $299.99 on the usual two-year agreement and it will also be available as upgrade to those part of Verizon Edge for around $25/month or $599 for those that wish to go month-to-month. That compares to the $249 Sprint is asking for existing customers and a special introductory price of $149 for new customers on a two-year contract. 
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Google today announced some nice additions to its Google Shopping service available to users browsing for products in Google search and directly through the Google Shopping site on desktop and mobile. In addition to new curated shopping lists from some of its partners (note: These are Google’s partners buying paid product listing ads), Google Shopping also receives an updated look and feel, part of an ongoing update that Google started rolling out back in October with an updated storefront and improved local listings.

One new feature in the redesigned shopping experience pictured above is the ability create your own shortlists that are easily accessible from the top of each page while browsing:
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Google today announced that it’s releasing an all-new Google Translate app for Android. The app features a new design, adds support for additional languages, and introduces some interesting new features to make translations even faster.

The app now makes it easy to have translated conversation with someone at the tap of a button and also adds gesture support for quickly switching between languages:
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Following rumors over the past year that Google was planning a physical card for its Google Wallet payment service, the company has just quietly made the project official. While reports earlier this year indicated that Google was scrapping the plans, Google just announced that Wallet users in the U.S. can now order the prepaid debit card. 

The card will be good for Wallet users to access their cash from ATMs and banks and also make payments online and in stores wherever MasterCard Debit cards are accepted. Google ran through some of the benefits of the free Google Wallet card, including no monthly or annual fees:
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Up until now developers have been using Google’s cloud-based Mirror API for Google Glass to build third-party apps, but today Google is officially previewing its new Glass Development Kit (GDK). While the Google Mirror API allowed developers to insert timeline cards, respond to user notifications, share from Glass and more, the new GDK allows developers to do even more with their third-party Glassware.

Google’s Timothy Jordan gives a sneak peek of the new Google Glass Development Kit in the video above noting some of the new features it offers developers. One of those features is offline support. Developers can now build apps that run natively on Glass with real-time user response that doesn’t require apps to contact the cloud. The GDK also provides developers with deeper access to hardware such as the accelerometer and GPS.

During it’s presentation above, Google demos a couple of apps that are already using the GDK. One of the apps is World Lens, an app that uses the GDK to access the camera and overlay offline, real-time translations for text you’re currently looking at. 
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FreedomPop, the wireless service provider offering free and cheap no-contract plans on Sprint’s network, today announced it’s now allowing customers to bring their old Sprint phones to activate on its $0/month wireless plans. We’ve confirmed with the company that will also soon include iPhones and Sprint’s full lineup of Android devices.

The company has been around since 2011 with various hotspot products and recently launched its first smartphone direct to customers alongside the world’s first completely free mobile service. A guaranteed 500 MBs of data, 500 text messages, and 200 anytime voice minutes for free each month would sound enticing to anyone, but previously customers would have to pay $99 for an almost two-year old HTC Evo Design to get it. Despite that, FreedomPop says it “immediately sold out” of stock when it launched last month.

That’s about to change today as FreedomPop will now let Sprint customers bring their own device to activate on its free and cheap plans. Although there is no mention of it in the carrier’s press release, we’ve confirmed that includes the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as 20 other Sprint devices initially. Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop’s CEO, tells us it will be another few weeks before the iPhone is compatible, and eventually all Sprint smartphones will be supported. 
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