Mike Beasley

Amir Efrati reports that Google has been working to make Android 4.4, codenamed KitKat, work on as many devices as possible, according to a leaked internal document. Those devices would include low-end smartphones with limited RAM, wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart TVs, and anything else that needs to run an operating system.

Google has reportedly been working with developers of smartphones at the lower end of the hardware spectrum to ensure that KitKat uses its resources wisely, essentially allowing it to run on a variety of phones that may not have been able to run Jelly Bean. If Google can overcome limited hardware to put KitKat—and future versions of Android—on every new device that ships and many that are already available, the company finally stands a chance of defeating the fragmented experience that has long plagued users and software developers alike.

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Actor Ashton Kutcher has joined Lenovo as a product engineer. Kutcher’s experience in engineering includes… basically nothing, although he did play Steve Jobs in the 2013 biopic Jobs, so that has to count for something, right? Right?

Kutcher’s first job at Lenovo will be using his celebrity status to market the company’s new Android-powered “Yoga” tablet—an obvious first step for any aspiring product engineer (or, you know, celebrity endorser). The tablet, which Kutcher presumably had some “engineering” input on, is a flat aluminum enclosure with a rounded base that houses the power button. The Yoga is an attempt at an original body design, and it certainly wins points in that category as long as you only compare it to other tablets. When compared to other electronics, however, the originality quickly fades. The thing basically looks like an upside-down Apple Wireless Keyboard.

The rounded base acts as a built-in stand of sorts and provides 3 viewing modes and the tablets feature Quad Core processors, 16 or 32GB of built-in storage, front-facing speakers, 5MP rear cameras, microSD slot, and 1280 x 800 displays. Lenovo will sell 8 and 10-inch models in WiFi and 3G variants of the Yoga for $249 and $299 starting Oct. 30 with the 8-inch model coming exclusively to Best Buy stores.

Clearly Kutcher’s time as Steve Jobs informed his sense of product design and influenced the hard work he did “engineering” the Yoga.  We look forward to seeing what other innovative and original ideas Kutcher “engineers” during his time at Lenovo.

A federal judge ruled that a lawsuit against Google and several other companies can proceed as a class-action suit today after determining that a significant number of employees across the tech industry were hurt by “do-not-hire” arrangements between their employers and other companies. The policies in question were practiced by Google, Apple, Adobe, Pixar, and more as a way of keeping their own employees from defecting to competitors for higher pay. Essentially the agreements barred two companies from offering jobs to competing employees for a higher salary. Because doing so gave employees leverage with which to bargain for higher pay at their own jobs, employers were often faced with the decision to either pay any given employee more to keep them around or lose them to a competitor willing to pay more.

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YouTube is planning to launch a subscription-based video-focused music streaming service, according to Billboard. Like many other streaming music services, YouTube’s program will have both free and paid accounts. Unlike other services, however, YouTube plans to integrate video into their platform by allowing users to stream music videos along with regular audio tracks.

Paid subscribers will reportedly an ad-free listening experience, on-demand access to any song or video in the service’s catalog, and unlimited streaming. Offline listening is also being considered, allowing subscribers to download songs to their mobile devices for playback even without an Internet connection.

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LG recently filed a few new trademarks in Australia that could indicate that the company plans to launch ChromeOS devices in the near future. The terms being trademarked include “ChromeOne,” “ChromeDesk.” and “ChromeStation.” All three trademarks were filed last week, though they seem to be moving through the approval process much faster than other trademarks filed the same day, which could mean we’ll be seeing these names soon. Google has scheduled a Google Play event for October 24th, but it’s not expected that any new hardware will be announced at that time.

LG has worked with Google on hardware in the past, including on the upcoming Nexus 5, so the idea of LG collaborating with Google on new ChromeOS hardware doesn’t seem that far-fetched.

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Google announced a mapping tool for small businesses. Dubbed “Google Maps Engine Pro,” the new software allows users to easily create maps based on any set of data they want, such as sales data, client offices, and more. Along with this new product the company announced a few additional features for the standard Maps Engine. These features include a new Android app that allows users to access their data on their mobile devices, as well as tools for importing data from older systems to the Maps Engine. These features are available to users of all versions of Maps Engine.

Google has also introduced a new account type that lets users test the features of Maps Engine for free before committing to anything. The “introductory accounts” function exactly like a standard account, but limit the number of map queries allowed each day.

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A listing appeared in the Google Play Store this evening for the Nexus 5, but was pulled just moments later. The listing puts the device’s price at $349 for the 16 GB model. Apparently the page went live prematurely but the can probably be expected to launch some time in the near future. A high-resolution press shot is available below.

The device has also been spotted in white today in leaked shots allegedly showing packaging for the Nexus 5.

via Engadget

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Square has just launched a new service called Square Cash, which allows quick money transfers between any two parties using through an email. Contrary to what you might be expecting, you don’t need to sign up or get all of your friends onto Square Cash to share funds. Instead, you just need to link a debit card to your account.

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Following Samsung’s announcement of the Galaxy Round, the world’s first curved-display smartphone, Engadget has discovered a few renders of LG’s upcoming entry to the curved smartphone arena. The phone, called the G Flex, will feature a top-to-bottom curved display—the opposite of the Galaxy Round, which left-to-right. Reports earlier this month stated that the oddly-shaped display will be a massive six inches.

Nothing more is known about the phone at the moment, but it is said to be expected some time next month. More renders are included below.

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Samsung has just officially announced the world’s first curved-display smartphone, dubbed the Galaxy Round. We first saw photos of the Round earlier today from smartphone leaker @evleaks. The phone will only be available in Korea and will only come in one color, “Luxury Brown”—at least for now. If and when the phone will make its way to the United States and other markets is still unknown, though we expect that it will eventually make the transition.

The Round sports an impressive array of hardware features, including a massive 5.7” Full HD Super Flexible AMOLED display; 3 GB of RAM; 2,800mAh battery; 13 MP camera; all of the latest LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity; and a 2.3 GHz processor.

The full hardware specs can be found below the break, along with additional photos of the device.

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During a Q&A session at the Gartner Symposium, Eric Schmidt was asked for his response to people who say that Android’s security is lacking compared to competitors such as Apple’s iPhone. Schmidt’s answer was straightforward:

“Not secure? It’s more secure than the iPhone.”

This response understandably elicited laughter from the audience.

Sure, Google has created software to ensure that Android is more secure than it used to be, but that hasn’t stopped malware creators from exploiting holes in the operating system’s Play Store or creating fake apps for the purpose of phishing user information. Yes, Apple has had their share of security issues as well, but Schmidt’s assertion that Android is more secure than the iPhone seems just a bit on the ridiculous side.

In February Google launched the Chromebook Pixel, a touchcsreen laptop powered by the company’s Chrome OS. At a whopping $1,299 for what was essentially a glorified netbook, the Pixel’s price tag was a big turn-off for many. Now it seems Acer is poised to release a new Chrome OS-powered machine sporting a touchscreen and a much lower price point.

According to a Google+ post spotted by GigaOM, Acer’s upcoming C720 Chromebook will be available in several configurations, including one with a touchscreen. The laptop will also be available with a variety of hard drive and RAM options, up to 4 GB of RAM with a 32 GB solid-state drive. The computer’s internals won’t be user-modifiable, so whichever model you buy is the one you’ll be stuck with.

The C720 is set to go into production later this month. More photos are available after the break.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3qeJKax2CU

Despite the device’s universally-abysmal reviews, Samsung is continuing to market its Galaxy Gear smartwatch as the wave of the future—and the past—with two new TV ads. The first, titled “A Long Time Coming,” Samsung uses clips from some of the most popular TV shows of decades past to set the Galaxy Gear up as the long-awaited wrist-mounted computer from Dick Tracey, The Jetsons, Knight Rider, and more.

The ad has a similar feel to Apple’s “Hello” TV spot, which it launched with the iPhone 5c last month, but rather than featuring customers using the advertised product, Samsung’s ad shows fictional characters using Hollywood’s various conceptions of the smartwatch.

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Android Police has tracked down a leaked instruction manual for servicing what appears to be an upcoming Nexus phone. The handset is designated LG-D821 and looks to be the next device to support the pure Android experience. The manual contains instructions on servicing the unreleased phone, and includes detailed descriptions of the device’s internal components and photos of the phone itself.

According to the document, the phone will feature…
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An OS within an OS? We have to go deeper!

The latest developer builds of Google Chrome for Windows 8 feature a completely redesigned experience when running in Microsoft’s “Metro” view, according to a report by The Verge. The upcoming release features a design very similar to that of Google’s Chrome OS, a free operating system geared toward netbooks.

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Reuters reports that Google is one of several companies currently considering a bid on part or all of Blackberry. The handset manufacturer has had a rough six years as they fell behind in the smartphone market to competitors like Apple and devices running Google’s Android operating system.

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