Android

Attendees at Google I/O are busy pawing smartwatches made by LG, Motorola and Samsung, but obviously there are other companies ready to jump on the Android Wear bandwagon. One of the firms currently drafting up a plan is Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asus, which will release a smartwatch sometime this fall, according to TechCrunch. Powered by Android Wear, the high-tech timepiece will reportedly feature an AMOLED display and ship with a price tag between $100 and $150.

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After its keynote yesterday, Google gave all of its I/O attendees a makeshift virtual reality headset, dubbed Cardboard, because well, it was made out of Cardboard. On its website, Google broke down all the parts you would need if you wanted to build one on your own. It looked relatively easy, but with out the pre-perferated cardboard that Google gave out, it could be tricky. Dodocase, the company behind some of the best looking iPad and iPhone cases, decided to take advantage of the hype surrounding Cardboard and release a kit for making your own.

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Google is developing new ways to connect your mobile devices to its Chromecast and one of these alternative methods will be through ultrasonic sounds. The company recently announced support for off-network casting during its I/O developer conference in San Francisco and Chromecast engineering manager John Affaki said during a presentation that Google was looking to refine the platform’s social experience.

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Just as the Google announced it would be during its I/O keynote yesterday, the developer preview of the “L” version of Android is now live. Google claims that this update is the “biggest release in Android history” with over 5,000 new APIs, in addition to a new design, look, and feel. Developers can download the everything they need for Android “L” from the developer website.

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During a session at its I/O developer conference today, Google announced that it’s partnering with LG to build a tablet that’s part of its Project Tango program to release to consumers next year. Google earlier this month announced that it was releasing a prototype Tango tablet, but only for developers. The version made by LG will be intended for consumers, and presumably, cheaper than the $1024 developer version.

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Yesterday during I/O’s opening keynote, Google announced that it’s bringing several Android apps to Chrome OS later this fall. In a demonstration of what can be expected, Android frontman Sundar Pichai did a walkthrough of Evernote, Vine and Flipboard running on a Chromebook. This new move falls in line with Google’s new Material Design initiative and its focus on unifying the search giant’s different platforms.

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After launching a red color variant earlier this year, it looks like Google is now planning to release a yellow Nexus 5 sometime soon. If you look on the official Android website and scroll down to the Nexus 5 section, you’ll now see that the description touts it as being available in “black, white, red, and yellow.” Prior to the red model of the Nexus 5 launching, there were some whispers of a yellow variant, but nothing ever came of them.

Seeing that the yellow Nexus 5 is listed on the official Android website, it seems likely that it is legit. The only question now is when it will launch officially on the Play Store. We’d assume that the shade of the yellow used will be similar to the bright yellow used on the official Google bumper for the Nexus 5.

With Google I/O taking place this week, it seems like the perfect time to launch a new color variant of the company’s flagship device. Keep your eyes on the Play Store.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFi-QpuZfXs&feature]

Motorola has been showing off the Moto 360 hardware a lot since Google first introduced its Android Wear platform and announced the company as one of its initial hardware partners. Yesterday we got even more info on Android Wear and the launch of two devices from LG and Samsung, and today we get our first official look at Android Wear running on the Moto 360 straight form the company. 
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Google’s annual I/O conference is in full swing and in addition to handing out swag, the company is dishing out media kits to attendees explaining the principles of its new visual language called Material Design. In an effort to further unify Mountain View’s platforms, this animation-focused vibrant style will be used across Android, Chrome and the web. Loaded with colors and fluid animations, Material Design places a huge emphasis on content availability.

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Yesterday at its I/O developer conference, Google introduced its new take on bringing the power of Android to the living room with Android TV. Google’s new “L” version of Android will power set-top boxes and full TV sets from Razor, Asus, Philips, Sony and more bringing voice control and gaming capabilities to the entertainment experience.

In addition to making an Android TV SDK available later today so developers can create software for Android TV, Google has already released a remote control app on the Play Store for use with Android TV when it’s available later this year. Google notes that the app is intended to work with the ADT-1 Developer Kit. The app features both a d-pad and touchpad for using your Android device to maneuver around the Android TV interface. Android TV Remote Control is available today on the Play Store.
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The WSJ reports that Samsung stock fell 1.9 percent as chief financial officer Lee Sang-hoon admitted that the company’s quarter two performance “doesn’t look too good.”

The comments were enough to drive down the stock price.  Samsung Electronics’ stock fell  1.9% to 1,320,000 won (US$1,296.4) as concerns over slowing profit growth reignited. Shares have fallen 8.5% so far this month, hit by a series of downgrades in earnings forecasts for the world’s largest seller of smartphones …

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In addition to its slew of announcements at I/O earlier today, Google this evening rolled out a major update its Search app on Android. Bumping the app to version 3.5.14, the update adds several new features, but the biggest is the ability to activate a voice search from anywhere within the operating system. This feature was initially reported on back in April, but is only now making its way to the app.

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There is both a lot happening at this year’s Google I/O and very little, depending where you look.  Obviously, if you are a developer who builds Android and even web apps, you are a kid in a candy store. If you are looking for new hardware, there isn’t much that wasn’t out there already.  Neither Google co-founder took the stage this year after successive years where Sergey Brin led the introduction of Google Glass (which is all but absent this year) and Larry Page led an epic Q&A last year.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36cIFCJvQs

Google announced a variety of new services and products today at Google I/O, including the “L” version of Android, Android Auto, Android TV, Google Fit, and Android Wear. In an effort to help us all digest this onslaught of news, Google this evening posted a 2-minute video on YouTube showing how all of those services can seamlessly work together to make your life easier.

The video, seen above, shows a man performing daily routine, but with all of Google’s new services. He’s using an Android “L” smartphone paired with an Android Wear watch, paired with a car with Android Auto, paired with Android TV. And, of course, an obligatory cute dog. The video makes it look like it all works pretty seamlessly together. But unfortunately, we’re still quite aways away from this becoming reality.

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Today during its annual I/O developers conference, Google revealed a bevy of new products and services, however a particular presentation managed to stand out among the rest. Shortly after previewing its next version of Android, the company started talking about Chromebooks. Not exactly the longest segment of the show, Mountain View’s focus appeared to be bridging the gap between Chromebooks and Android.

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Last month, Motorola announced that it was accepting design submissions for watch faces for its Moto 360 smartwatch. We showed you some of the best and most interesting submissions last month, as well, but today, Motorola has finally announced the winner of its contest. In a blog post, Motorola announced that out of the 1,300 submitted designs, David Pascual’s watch face was deemed the best. You can see his design at the top of this page.

Motorola says that Pascual wins one of the very first Moto 360s and the chance for his design to be featured on the watch when it ships. It’s unclear exactly what Pascual has to do for his design to be featured on the watch, but we’re guessing there’s some sort of licensing.

You can view all of the Moto 360 watch face designs on Google+. The Moto 360 is slated to go on sale later this summer.

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Following Google’s unveiling of its new Android Auto connected car platform, a long list of both new and old members of the Open Automotive Alliance have confirmed support for the new feature. A press release lists a number of new members including Bentley, LG, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Maserati, Volvo and many more. The news also confirms that we’ll see aftermarket solutions for Android Auto from companies like Pioneer, Parrot and Alpine. Here’s a full list of new OAA companies that will support Android Auto:
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While unveiling the swag it was giving to developers at Google I/O, Sundar Pichai also announced that attendees were getting a piece of cardboard. It turns out that the piece of cardboard is a makeshift virtual reality headset. The company also released a companion app for Cardboard. Essentially, it allows you to slot your device into a cardboard viewer and look at it through a viewfinder and special lenses.

The result is Cardboard, a no-frills enclosure that transforms a phone into a basic VR headset, and the accompanying open software toolkit that makes writing VR software as simple as building a web or mobile app.

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