Skip to main content

Android

14,411 'Android' stories May 2011 - November 2015
See All Stories

Breaking news for Android. Get the latest on apps, carriers, devices, and more!

Android is Google’s mobile operating system, launched in September 2008, although its history technically began with the release of the Android alpha in November 2007. To this day, Android powers the majority of the world’s smartphones and comes in several different flavors across many phone makers.

Table of contents

What is Android?

Android Inc.

Android, before it was Android, was a company called Android Inc. That company was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 2003 by a crew of four: Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. The company and its project was acquired by Google in 2005 for a sum of more than $50 million, although the exact number is unknown. The company’s founders joined Google as part of the deal.

In its infancy, Android was an operating system built not for touch screen smartphones like the iPhone, but rather BlackBerry-like devices with physical keyboards. It’s well documented that after Apple shocked the world with the iPhone, ahead of its nearest competition by at least a couple years, Google and Android Inc. had to go back to the drawing board to build something competitive.

Adoption by third-party makers

It didn’t take long after the launch of the iPhone for various manufacturers to enter the market with their alternatives — and Google’s Android immediately became the obvious platform of choice for just about everyone except Microsoft. HTC was the first manufacturer on board, and introduced the T-Mobile G1 running Android in September 2008. Soon after, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile jumped on board to form the Open Handset Alliance.

Android makers across the world

Iconic Android handsets

There have been thousands of Android phones released since Android’s inception, but some have been more important to the platform’s history than others. There was the original T-Mobile G1, as mentioned, but there was also the HTC One Google Play Edition, Moto G, Samsung Galaxy S4, and others. Some of the most iconic Android handsets include:

  • HTC G1
  • HTC Nexus One
  • Samsung Galaxy S, S2, S3, S4, and their successors
  • HTC Incredible S
  • Samsung Nexus S
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  • Samsung Galaxy Note
  • Nokia 8
  • BlackBerry KeyOne
  • Google Pixel and its successors

In more modern times, there are several Android smartphones makers that popped up across various niches and in several international markets. Huawei is a dominant Android maker in China and many European markets, while Samsung is by far the most popular maker in the United States by far — effectively creating a duopoly with Apple. Today, there are dozens of major device makers contributing to the Android ecosystem.

Full list of Android OEMs

History of major Android versions

Android has seen countless software revisions over the course of its life, but in modern times the OS usually sees a major release on an annual cadence. In the earlier days, Google famously gave its major software releases dessert-themed codenames, but retired that practice in 2019 with the release of Android 10.

VersionNameReleaseDevices
2.3GingerbreadFebruary 9, 2011Nexus S
4.0Ice Cream SandwichOctober 19, 2011Galaxy Nexus
4.1Jelly BeanJuly 9, 2012Nexus 7
4.2Jelly BeanNovember 13, 2012Nexus 4, 10
4.3Jelly BeanJuly 24, 2013Nexus 7 (2013)
4.4KitKatOctober 31, 2013Nexus 5
5.0LollipopNovember 3, 2014Nexus 6, 9
5.1LollipopMarch 9, 2015Android One
6.0MarshmallowOctober 5, 2015Nexus 5X, 6P
7.0NougatAugust 22, 2016Nexus 5X, 6P
7.1NougatOctober 4, 2016Pixel, Pixel XL
8.0OreoAugust 21, 2017Pixel, Pixel XL
8.1OreoDecember 5, 2017Pixel, Pixel XL
9PieAugust 6, 2018Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
1010September 3, 2019Pixel 3, 3a
1111September 8, 2020Pixel 4

List of major Android OS platforms

While Android proper is certainly the most widespread of Google’s Android operating systems, the company has also launched many offshoots of the main OS over the years. There’s Android Auto, Android Wear (now Wear OS), Android TV (now rebranded to Google TV), as well as versions of Android built for tablets and Android Things (now defunct).

Apple Music on Android: Setup and first impressions [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 4:03 pm PT
0 Comments

Apple Music is finally available to download for Android, so I wanted to give you a quick setup tour and first impressions of Apple’s second app for Google’s mobile platform. It’s free to download and offers almost all of the same features and services found in the iOS and OS X apps, including the option to sign up for a free three-month trial…

Expand
Expanding
Close

You can now try Firefox OS 2.5 on your Android device with a quick APK install

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 10 2015 - 3:35 pm PT
0 Comments

Bored with your current flavor Android, but don’t want to flash a new ROM? You’re in luck. Firefox has today released an interesting “Developer Preview” version of their web-based Firefox OS.

The Firefox OS 2.5 Developer Preview is an experimental app that lets you use an almost-complete version of Firefox OS your device — without having to flash anything. The 88 mb APK behaves like any launcher you would find on the Play Store. However, it also has several system apps for making phone calls, messaging, sending emails, an app store etc. Of course, you can still launch your regular apps.

It’s a Developer Preview for a reason and the animations are rather slow on the device I was testing on (but it is much stable than you’d expect). There are some interesting UI ideas and features in Firefox OS, and since Firefox OS is catered towards lower end devices, it’s unlikely most people have tried Firefox OS. It makes for an interesting exploration. Head on over to the site to download the APK. There’s also an option to flash the OS if you want the full experience.

PSA: Android Studio 1.5 is now available in beta

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 10 2015 - 2:54 pm PT
0 Comments

If you’re a developer and you use Android Studio in any capacity, you might be happy to hear that Google has today launched Android Studio 1.5 in beta. Google says that the beta release isn’t that much different than Preview 2 (except a few bug fixes, of course), and it’s worth mentioning that Preview 2 wasn’t all that different than Preview 1.

You can update your current 1.4 installation to 1.5 beta by using the built-in patch mechanism, Google says, but you may not want to do that as it will completely replace your stable installation with a potentially less-reliable beta version. If you download from the Preview 2 page, you can keep 1.4 and 1.5 installed side by side — which might be best option regardless.

Unlocked BlackBerry Priv now available from Amazon w/ Prime shipping

Avatar for Chance Miller Nov 10 2015 - 2:38 pm PT
0 Comments

Update: The device appears to have sold out already as the Amazon listing now shows the it as unavailable.

BlackBerry’s venture into the Android marketplace has gradually been making its way into the United States via carrier stores and websites, but now the device has become available in an unlocked fashion via Amazon. The device is available on Amazon now, with free Prime shipping, for the standard $699 price tag.

Buying the Priv via Amazon offers several incentives, including free two-day shipping and, in some states, a tax-free purchase. The $699 sticker price, however, doesn’t offer any discounts over how much you’d get the device for from other retailers like AT&T, although the model sold on Amazon is unlocked.

Specifications of BlackBerry’s first Android device include Android 5.1, a 5.4-inch Gorilla Glass 4 display plus a slide-out physical keyboard, an 18MP back shooter, a 3410 mAh battery, and 32GB storage expandable to 2TB with the microSD card slot. The Priv also. of course, features a DTEK app from BlackBerry that keeps an eye on the security level of your device.

You can read our review of the BlackBerry Priv here. By no means is the device perfect, but for those who want a physical keyboards its one of the very, very few devices to offer one. Head over to Amazon to purchase the Priv now.

Google reportedly in talks to make a phone, but does that make any sense?

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 10 2015 - 2:02 pm PT
3 Comments

According to a report today out of The Information, Google is once again discussing the idea of designing and releasing their own phone. Different from the Nexus line of phones which are built in partnership with OEMs such as LG and Huawei, this purported phone would put Google solely responsible for design, manufacturing, and marketing.

Of course, there is precedent for Google making hardware with the Chromebook Pixel and upcoming Pixel-C tablet running Android, but would making their own phone really make any sense?


Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Lunch Break: First gen. Moto 360 $100, Sony 128GB microSD $43, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 10 2015 - 11:46 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

First gen. Moto 360 Android Wear smartwatch: $100 shipped (Reg. $150) | Google Store

Amazon Gold Box – Sony storage up to 60% off: 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $18, 128GB microSD $43, more!

LG G4 brand new smartphone 32GB (unlocked): $415 shipped (Reg. $600) | eBay

Fitbit Charge HR Wristband Fitness Tracker (black): $104 w/ free in-store pick-up (Reg. $140)

Daily Deals: Toshiba 55-inch 1080p LED-Backlit LCD HDTV $350, WD 2TB Portable Hard Drive $70, more

Get a $15 Starbucks eGift Card for $10 from Groupon – save on your morning cup of coffee!

Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($10 value)

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!

Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120, more

Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale starting now

GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180, tons of games

Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more

Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 Gift Card $80, more

Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing, much more

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

The best GoPro HERO4 action camera accessories, mounts, storage, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

ULAK Cases for iPhone 6/s, iPad mini, iPod Touch and Android devices from $3 shipped (Reg. $10+)

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holder

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

TP-Link introduces two new Wi-Fi extenders for home theaters, gaming consoles, and more

Review: BlackBerry’s Priv is a step in the right direction, but not the phone that saves them [Video]

Avatar for Dom Esposito Nov 10 2015 - 11:00 am PT
0 Comments

Meet the Blackberry Priv. And in case you’re curious, that stands for “Privilege of Privacy” thanks to its super strength data encryption. What makes this phone unique though comes from a couple of places. First off, it’s a BlackBerry phone running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and second, that physical keyboard. But before you instantly dismiss this new smartphone, let’s take a look under the hood…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple Music for Android now available in the Google Play Store

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 10 2015 - 9:46 am PT
2 Comments

After first being announced and previewed in screenshots at WWDC in June, Apple has officially brought its subscription music service Apple Music to Google’s Android platform. Apple Music joins the iPhone maker’s other Android apps Move to iOS and the Beats Pill+ companion app on the Google Play Store.

Apple Music offers access to a large catalog of streaming music and music recommendations. Music and music videos can be saved for offline listening as well. Memberships costs $9.99/month for individuals, the same as Beats Music subscriptions which Apple Music replaces, after a three-month free trial period. Apple Music family plans for up to five different accounts is available through Family Sharing on iOS and Mac for $14.99/month.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Snapdragon 820 processor officially announced, features Quick-Charge 3.0, Adreno 530 GPU, 600Mbps LTE cat. 12, more

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 9:02 am PT
3 Comments

After months of testing, and pre-release teasers, Qualcomm has finally taken the wraps off its next generation flagship Snapdragon processor. The Snapdragon 820 has a number of capabilities and features which should mean all parts of your phone experience are fast and efficient. Surprisingly, the chip features half the number of cores found in the 810 chip, but promises to boost performance across the board…


Expand
Expanding
Close

YouTube details ‘Project Butter’ initiative for smoother video in Chrome

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 10 2015 - 8:37 am PT
0 Comments

With YouTube video as the motivation, Chrome recently received some enhancements to make the video experience as smooth as possible across devices. Dubbed “Project Butter” (not that Project Butter), YouTube engineers worked together with Chrome engineers to make optimizations to video playback.

YouTube engineers walked us through their thought process with the optimizations in a blog post:

Your device’s screen redraws itself at a certain frame rate. Videos present frames at a certain rate. These rates are often not the same. At YouTube we commonly see videos authored at 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 48, 50, 59.94, and 60 frames per second (fps) and these videos are viewed on displays with different refresh rates – the most common being 50Hz (Europe) and 60Hz (USA)… For a video to be smooth we need to figure out the best, most regular way to display the frames – the best cadence. The ideal cadence is calculated as the ratio of the display rate to frame rate. For example, if we have a 60Hz display (a 1/60 second display interval) and a 30 fps clip, 60 / 30 == 2 which means each video frame should be displayed for two display intervals of total duration 2 * 1/60 second.

Using that math, the team was able to come up with an algorithm that will allow Chrome to auto adjust to the optimal settings based on the display and the quality of the video being streamed. The improvements were introduced with Chrome 44:

In Chrome 44, we re-architected the media and compositor pipelines to communicate carefully about the intent to generate and display. Additionally, we also improved which video frames to pick by using the optimal display count information. With these changes, Chrome 44 significantly improved on smoothness scores across all video frame rates and display refresh rates… Smooth like butter

YouTube has more on the enhancements for video in Chrome 44 in its blog post here.

Google’s original Project Butter debuted with the announcement of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, as an initiative to make the Android experience smoother and more user-friendly. For its purpose, the project was a success — Android 4.4 went on to become one of the most stable and beloved versions of Android yet, and was succeeded by Lollipop, a complete revamp that reinvented Android from the ground up.

As you may know, the current stable release of Chrome is version 46, and version 44 stable was released a few months ago.

Hangouts hits version 6.0 on iOS with performance improvements, not much else

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 10 2015 - 8:05 am PT
0 Comments

Google has kept Hangouts for iOS just slightly ahead of its Android counterpart when it comes to its version number, and today that tradition continues. Hangouts on Apple’s platform just got a not-so-big update to 6.0 (which you would think would be a major upgrade), but there only seems to be general performance improvements in this one…

Here’s the full — and very disappointing — change log:

What’s New in Version 6.0.0

• Other general notification improvements.
• Accessibility bug fixes.
• Fix for iPhone 6s sound quality.

You can head over to the App Store to grab the new version, but if you’re like me, updates to the Android app would be much more welcome. Actually, I wouldn’t be upset if we just got bug fix & performance improvements for the Android version for the next few releases. I will say, though, that the app has become much more usable in recent months.

Star Wars Battlefront gets its own official Android companion app

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 7:34 am PT
0 Comments

Thanks to the impending arrival of Star Wars: Episode VII, one of this year’s most talked-about console games is Battlefront, which is undoubtedly one of the best (if not THE best) Star Wars games of all time. And now, it has its own official mobile companion app on the Google Play Store. The Android app was just released and features a number of mini games that unlock various objects in the full Battlefront console title…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Maps for Android is rolling out offline navigation and downloadable data

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 10 2015 - 7:02 am PT
0 Comments

Google is now rolling out a major new feature to its Maps app for Android: full offline support. Google Maps has some utility already when used offline, but an update coming as soon as today will make it much more robust when used without Internet access. For example, before you could see an area on Google Maps offline but not do much else with it. With the latest version, Google will enable features including navigation and business information lookup without requiring an active Internet connection.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Newest Samsung Gear VR now available to pre-order for $100

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 6:22 am PT
0 Comments

Back at its event in August, when it launched the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge plus, Samsung also unveiled the first consumer-focussed Gear VR headset. The ‘Innovator Edition’ tag has been dropped, and you can now pre-order the latest version of the Samsung Gear VR from Best Buy for $99. It’s compatible with all the latest flagship Samsung Galaxy products including the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung built the new Gear VR to be lighter and more comfortable to wear than its predecessor. It’s built with flexible padding, has an easy-to-use touchpad on the side, and ships with a 16GB microSD card loaded with 3D movie trailers and 360-degree videos to enjoy right out of the box.

Multiple companies are aiming to transform the way we view multimedia with virtual reality. Samsung partnered with Oculus to create an affordable, smartphone-powered headset, while Google developed the even more budget-friendly Cardboard. HTC went more high end with its Vive (which is yet to be released), and of course, there’s Oculus’ own-brand set among others. Even YouTube recently updated its Android app to enhance it with VR content and site-wide Cardboard compatibility.

In short, companies are seeing VR as the next step in multimedia and are betting big to make it happen. Whether or not the Gear VR becomes a lasting or memorable part of that move is yet to be seen.

Today only: HTC offering up to 30% discount on all products site-wide, including One A9

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 10 2015 - 4:15 am PT
0 Comments

HTC has kicked off its special 24-hour holiday deals today, offering up to 30% off all of its products. Customers who order phones or accessories from HTC’s official online store can get either 15%, 20% or 30% discount, depending on how much they spend. As you’d expect, the more you spend, the more discount you get. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • Spend $650 or more and get 30% off your order
  • Spend $400 or more and get 20% off your order
  • Spend $200 or more and get 15% off your order

As an example, you’d get about $100 off the $499 list price for the newly released One A9. Buy it together with the $180 Desire 626 and you’ll break the $650 barrier and receive a discount of just over $200, practically giving you the Desire 626 for free.

There are no special all CAPS codes to copy and paste at checkout. Add items to your basket as usual — anytime before midnight Pacific tonight, November 1oth — and you’ll get any qualifying discount added automatically. The deal is valid between 9pm Pacific last night and 11:59 Pacific tonight, and applies to any order up to $2000 before shipping and taxes. Orders have to be shipped to a valid address in the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia.

 

Hangouts web update brings faster experience and streamlined look

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 9 2015 - 2:37 pm PT
2 Comments

Google’s giving the web Hangouts a revamp today. The interface (as seen above) is more minimalist and takes advantage of the full screen. Under the hood, calls should start quicker and have higher resolution. Rounding up the list of changes is a simpler invite system.

Here’s what Googler Eduardo Fernández had to say about the update:

Today, we’re introducing a new calling experience for Hangouts on the web that loads more quickly, renders video more sharply, and streamlines the interface so you can focus less on where to click and more on what to say. We’ve been using this new calling experience at Google for a while now. It’s early days, but we hope you like it as much as we do. (Note: This is not available for Google Apps for Work customers.)

Key changes include:
• Calls that start faster and stay crisper, with higher quality video
• A more streamlined and immersive full-screen interface
• A simpler way to invite friends and family to your calls

Starting today, a small group of users should see the improvements and it will be fully released over the coming days. The update is not yet available for Google Apps for Work customers.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: ASUS Chromebook Flip $219, RCA 8″ Android tablet $40, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 9 2015 - 1:16 pm PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

ASUS Chromebook Flip 10.1-Inch 2 in 1 Touchscreen (2GB: $219, 4GB: $239 shipped)

From the dept. of “how bad could it be”: Target offers RCA 8″ Android tablet for $40

ULAK Cases for iPhone 6/s, iPad mini, iPod Touch and Android devices from $3 shipped (Reg. $10+)

GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180, tons of games

Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, Kindle $49, more

Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 Gift Card $80, more

Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing, much more

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

The best GoPro HERO4 action camera accessories, mounts, storage, more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Beats by Dre. Powerbeats2 Wireless active collection drops to $130 after debuting less than 2 months ago for $200

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/663742798017900544 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

USB-C 4-port hubs for Chromebook Pixel by Aukey: $20 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holder

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Is Luma’s surround Wi-Fi system the router we’ve been waiting for?

Don’t Panic’s latest iPad Air 2 case is an astute all-in-one solution for every angle

Facebook Messenger’s new ‘Photo Magic’ feature automates sharing shots of your friends instantly

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 9 2015 - 12:43 pm PT
1 Comment

A new feature in Facebook Messenger is now rolling out that scans photos added to your camera roll in search of your Facebook friends, and suggests that you send them to the people it finds. It’s a pretty nifty feature, if you feel comfortable with Facebook looking at every single photo you take on your device and constantly processing data on the friends you’re hanging out with…
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google is bringing its Cardboard Expeditions Pioneer Program to 15 new cities

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 9 2015 - 10:07 am PT
0 Comments

Google is launching its Expeditions Pioneer Program in 15 new cities, according to a post on the Google for Education blog. More than 100,000 students have taken part in the Pioneer Program, Google says, and it looks like thousands more are about to have the opportunity.

Here’s the relevant tidbit:

More than 100,000 students have used Expeditions in their classes as part of the Expeditions Pioneer Program, which launched in September. Now, we’re bringing the program to new cities. In the U.S., we’ll be in Alexandria, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. We’ll also be adding three new countries: Canada, where we’ll be in Toronto, as well as Denmark and Singapore.

It looks like 12 of these cities are in the United States, with three more in other countries. Specifically, the program is coming Alexandria, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, Washington DC, and Toronto, with two others in Denmark and Singapore.

Google revealed the Expeditions Pioneer Program at Google I/O earlier this year, which hopes to give students the opportunity to travel to distant lands in virtual reality and learn in new ways. Teachers have a library of 100+ virtual trips to places like Mars and the Great Barrier Reef to choose from.

How to: Train your Nexus 5X/6P to recognize your finger even when you miss [Video]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 9 2015 - 8:03 am PT
1 Comment

I’ve had a Nexus 5X for just a few days, and one of the biggest things I love about this phone is the addition of Nexus Imprint. I like to keep my phone secure, but I really don’t like having to type a password every time I unlock (because, well, I unlock my phone dozens if not hundreds of times per day). But something I quickly noticed with Nexus Imprint on the 5X — especially since I have fingers big enough for a 6P — is that I simply miss the sensor far too often. I commonly find myself overshooting, sometimes even tapping on the camera since that’s about the distance my finger naturally lands.

So how did I fix this? Well, it turns out that it’s actually pretty simple. Thanks to the fact that you can register up to five different fingerprints in the Nexus Imprint settings, you can make your sensor almost impossible to miss. Instead of adding five different fingers, I decided to try adding five different parts of my right index finger…
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google makes its advanced AI machine, TensorFlow, open source

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 9 2015 - 7:45 am PT
0 Comments

Google hasn’t been shy about sharing how it uses advanced neural networks (informally known as AI) in some of its products. The company has been teaching its machine learning tools a slew of new tricks in recent months. Google Photos uses it to easily find specific images based on your search, they equipped YouTube with the ability to better select thumbnails, reply to your emails from Gmail and made Google Translate far better at reading signs. And now, it wants to share its machine learning engine with developers, to make it even better…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google launches official DoubleClick for Publishers Android app

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 9 2015 - 6:25 am PT
0 Comments

Google has finally launched an Android app for its DoubleClick for Publishers customers. This way, those who use the service to serve or sell ads will be able to keep on top of their performance without being tied to a desktop. If you are a DoubleClick for Publishers user, you’ll be able to monitor network performance by measuring several key metrics, including impressions, clicks, click ratios and CPM as well as individual advertisement performance.

All in all, it’s a pretty simple app, but potentially very useful to DFP customers. The description itself says nothing but the following:

Provides a high-level overview of a DFP network’s performance. The data is displayed in a series of cards, which contain information associated with what’s happening in your DFP network.

As you’d expect, it’s a free download from the Play Store. It’s compatible with any Android device running 4.0.3 or later.

Xiaomi ‘enhances’ Redmi 2 with more RAM and Storage, still just $80

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 9 2015 - 3:40 am PT
0 Comments

Xiaomi’s growth in its homeland may have been stunted recently by Huawei, but that doesn’t mean the company won’t continue doing what it does best: Churning out promising smartphones at crazy-low prices. Joining the new and improved Mi Band fitness tracker on store shelves on November 11 is a new ‘enhanced’ version of the Redmi 2.

The Xiaomi Redmi 2A features many of the same specs as its lesser-enhanced sibling, but with a couple of key improvements: More RAM and more storage capacity. Like the Redmi 2, the 2A features a 4.7-inch 720p display, 2200mAh battery, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera along with dual-SIM support and 4G LTE. Unlike the Redmi 2, however, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, double the memory and storage of the original version. Inside the Redmi 2A, there’s a quad-core 1.5GHz chip made by Leadcore, which Xiaomi uses to run a skinned version of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Like all Xiaomi products, it’s incredibly affordable. At just 499 Yuan (around $80), it’s the same price the original Redmi 2 launched at when it first hit the market. Also, like all Xiaomi products, getting hold of one this side of the Chinese border will be difficult. It’ll launch in China later this week, but no plans to launch internationally have yet been announced, at least not officially. If you really want to check it out, be sure to keep an eye out on sites like eBay, they typically make their way to the popular marketplace eventually, albeit at a slight premium.

Xiaomi unveils 2nd gen Mi Band fitness tracker with heart-rate monitor, costs just $15

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 9 2015 - 2:10 am PT
1 Comment

Xiaomi sure knows how to make affordable products that punch above their price point. Whether it’s an Android-powered TV, flagship smartphone or a fitness tracker. The Chinese manufacturer just updated its range of fitness trackers with the second generation Mi Band, and it offers a lot for the money.

The updated Mi Band has many of the features you’d expect to find in a basic FitBit or Jawbone tracker. It’ll help you set goals via an Android app and calculate distance travelled, calories burned and track various exercises. It can track your sleep, and has a built-in vibrator motor to alert you when receiving calls. What’s more, if you manage to pick up the more expensive 99 yuan ($15 USD) model, you’ll get a heart-rate monitor too.

Design-wise, it’s a toned-down affair. It’s essentially a metal capsule containing all the necessary sensors and components inside a basic, flexible TPU wrist-band. No watch-face or screen of any kind, just a few LED lights. Saying that, it’s designed to be waterproof, drop-resistant and can last 30 days on a single charge. In other words: It’s not fancy, but has all the features necessary to be a great phone-connected fitness band and it lasts forever.

The 2nd gen Mi Band is launching in China on November 11, and the company hasn’t announced its plans to ship internationally. However, you should still be able to pick them up on specialist Chinese tech import sites in Europe and the US cheaply. A quick search on eBay reveals that the first gen Mi Band isn’t hard to get hold of, although you may have to pay a couple of dollars extra to get it.  The 2nd gen will undoubtedly follow soon.