Tag: Google

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The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens

Wearable tech will be hot. The smartphone market is maturing and starting to plateau, so manufacturers are pushing into new territories to expand on our relationships with data and services. Google’s Android Wear platform is an excellent step in the right direction to legitimize this new market segment.

It does suffer from one fatal flaw however: Battery life. 

pebble smartwatch review somegadgetguy direct sunlightPlaying with several different solutions for wrist computing, my favorite so far are the watches that can best replicate the experience found on traditional time pieces. Namely a screen that can always be referenced for small pieces of information no matter what orientation it’s worn, not depending on any gestures to activate it. I mentioned as much in my last FFC VLOG.

Of course in technology land, compromises have to be made. If you want crazy new features, you have to accept some new limitations.  Continue reading “The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens”

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Android Auto Combines Your Phone and Car for Safer Driving

android autoAuto in-dash entertainment and navigation systems feel woefully out of step with the rest of the tech landscape. These types of services are far more powerful and updated far more frequently on our phones and tablets. There have been many times I’ve personally just wanted my phone to be the brain of my car.

Starting the Open Auto Alliance, Google plans to provide just that. Plug your phone into your car, and your car screen will show simplified driver friendly versions of the apps and services you might need while operating a motor vehicle. Relying on steering wheel controls and voice recognition services like entertainment, communication, and navigation should help reduce the amount of time drivers take their eyes off the road.

A new Android Auto SDK will help streamline the process of building a car app and releasing it. The initial push will focus on messaging and music services, and the API’s are almost identical to Android Wear.

Over 40 automobile manufacturers have already joined the Open Auto Alliance, and the first Android compatible cars will be released later this year.

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Google Docs To Receive Native Office Support and Mobile ‘Slides’ Presentations

google docsGoogle acquired QuickOffice around two years ago, and we’re now seeing the fruits of that acquisition.

Often when a Google user receives a Microsoft Office file, it needs to be converted to work in Google Docs. As we all know, any kind of conversion will often break SOMETHING in a doc or spreadsheet, be it formulas or formatting. Now Google will be rolling out native Office support built on the QuickOffice system with support for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Files will still need to be converted however for full online collaboration.

We’ll also see a Docs update to provide full presentation creation and playback support for mobile and tablet users.

A new Drive for Work program with enhanced encryption and admin controls, audit and activity API’s, and unlimited Drive storage for $10 per month per user. It’s a tactical move to keep the pressure on Microsoft as a number of companies are investigating the move to cloud services.

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Google Previews Android L and Material Design

material design google android lGoogle looks to be streamlining the Android experience, and more polish to the already functional UI will always be appreciated.

For Android L (no candy or dessert title G?) the focus is on flat simple design which improves on the cards layout of apps like Google Now. Dubbed ‘Material Design’, elements will slide in and expand fluidly, and depending on hardware it should render at up to 60fps for buttery smooth transitions.

We should also see improved notification support from the lockscreen, improved battery life with a new battery saver mode, a new Do Not Disturb mode, and support for Bluetooth 4.1.

Developer Previews will be rolling out later today, so get cracking developers! Expect to see L for everyone else later this Fall.

See the new UI elements in action below!

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Portland City Council Unanimously Approves Google Fiber Franchise

Google-Fiber1It’s a critical first step to offering up Gigabit to the citizens of Portland Oregon.

The Oregonian is reporting that Portland’s City Council has approved Google’s franchise agreement. Google is looking to roll out gigabit broadband in the city and surrounding suburbs. Google will have until year’s end to decide whether it wants to start offering the service to residents, and that could depend on the other cities near Portland where Google also wants to offer Fiber.

Interestingly enough, part of the Franchise agreement depended on a joint Portland+Google legal defense strategy if other ISP’s get cranky about potential preferential treatment.

After that, Fiber could still be delayed by zoning and licensing issues, but it’s an encouraging step in the right direction for folks wanting more broadband competition.

(Via Oregon Live)

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First Google Voice App update in 9 Months Brings No Updates or Improvements

google voice updateWell now you’re just teasing us Google.

Google’s telephony service Voice is seeing its first update in months, and what new awesome features or improvements can we look forward to?

Well… None actually…

No seriously. Firing up the app just brings a new pop up about how international rates will be announced before calls. I guess that’s… Cool?

Voice is starting to feel a little neglected. When Android 4.4.2 was released, it changed how Android handles defaults, and Voice can no longer be selected as the default SMS app. This is supremely frustrating for those of us who have been using Voice as our primary phone number.

default sms apps android kitkatWe can be pretty sure that Voice will get swallowed up by the Hangouts app eventually, but there are no indications of this transition happening in this new Voice update.

Kind of a bummer. The update should be rolling out over the next couple days on Google Play, but it’s really no big deal if you get it anytime soon.

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Google Buying Satellite Manufacturer Skybox Imaging for $500 Million

Google_logoAP breaking news today that Google is pushing into the space business.

Skybox-ImagingTheir purchase of Skybox Imaging for $500 million will first be utilized for improving map data in Google Maps and Earth. Eventually however, we could be looking at numerous satellites being used to provide data and broadband services around the globe.

Google’s optioned drone manufacturers, consumer and home automation products, location and in-door mapping services, they’re working on AI, and now they’re launching into space. I’m avoiding making the obvious dystopian sci-fi joke here….

Full AP story below: Continue reading “Google Buying Satellite Manufacturer Skybox Imaging for $500 Million”

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Native Wikipedia BETA App for Android Hits Play Store

wikipedia app android beta somegadgetguyWikipedia is going native for Android users!

Previous versions of the app have essentially been web browsers wrapped in a candy coated app-like shell. With a proper app, Wikimedia boasts a new UI, more responsive design, and better tools for editing articles.

The design of the app is super clean and simple, befitting the look and feel of the desktop version of the service. Plus, as you can see in the picture for this article, searching Wikipedia for the term “Wikipedia” will not actually break the internet.

Wikipedia BETA (on Google Play)

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