03.18.14

GNU/Linux at Google: Android, ChromeOS, Chromebooks, and Chrome News

Posted in News Roundup at 1:24 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Android Gaming

• Asus May Be Developing an Android Game Box

  Do we really need another Android console? Apparently so, as evidence suggests that Asus is jumping on that very bandwagon, possibly looking to score where a few of the current solutions have failed to hit. The device will be called Game Box, and the specs have appeared on AnTuTu while the controller struts its stuff all over the Bluetooth Special Interest Group website.

• Google wants to let Android and iOS gamers play together

• MantaMod version 1.3 adds 3D support for Android games

• Google Acquires Game Controller firm

  Ouya was the first to show the world that Android can be easily taken out from mobiles and tablets and put into a dedicated gaming console, which in turn opened up quite a lot of games waiting to be played, already available on the Play Store. Although Ouya didn’t perform as it expected to, other players in the field took note of the action.

Android TV

• Google speeds up Nexus TV goal with new acquisition!

  It will be controlled with an Android smartphone.

• Hands-on review: Ugoos UT2 quad-core Android TV-PC

  In this hands-on mini review, we take a quick look at the Ugoos UT2, a TV-centric mini-PC based on a 1.6GHz quad-core RK3188 SoC, and running Android 4.2.2.

Android Wearables

• Google wants to make Android the Windows of wearables

  Google has plans to release an Android developer software development kit (SDK) in the next two weeks specifically designed for wearable devices. Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Android, Apps and Chrome, shared at SXSW that the search giant will lay out a “vision for developers of how we see this market working” as part of the SDK.

• Google will soon launch Android developer SDK for wearable tech

  Google has plans to release an Android developer software development kit (SDK) in the next two weeks specifically designed for wearable devices. Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Android, Apps and Chrome, shared at SXSW that the search giant will lay out a “vision for developers of how we see this market working” as part of the SDK.

• Google to launch SDK for Android wearables in two weeks

Android/Chromecast Software

• Which FOSS libraries are the most common on Android platform

  We have just published the overview of the libraries and modules that various developers use in they Android mobile phone applications.

• Best Social Music Apps for Android

• Android Apps: 35 Free Must-Have Apps

• Get more done with these 10 great Android business apps

• The Best Chromecast Apps

Android in Cars

• Cebit: Volkswagen CEO tells auto industry to protect data in connected cars

  He reminded the audience of Volkswagon’s recent talks with Google, with Audi in particular committing to working with the firm on in-car technology based on Android. But he said that he wanted to see more collaboration from technology firms in other countries. “It would no doubt be a good thing if German and European IT companies would put themselves forward as partners too,” he said.

Laptops and Android

• Google cited as bothered by Android-Windows hybrid

  Google is the one not keen on the idea of a dual-boot Windows-Android tablet-laptop, according to a fresh report from Asia and a CNET source.

CyanogenMod

• Sub-$400 CyanogenMod-powered smartphone details emerge

  OnePlus, the upstart making a CyanogenMod-powered phone, has revealed a few details about the device that the company says will be cheaper and better than big brand phones and definitely won’t include a heart-rate monitor.

• AllCast adds DLNA support

  Koushik Dutta, the famed developer of CyanogenMOD has added DLNA support to his AllCast Android app. Ever since Google opened Chromcast to 3rd party developers Koush is on roll. He has, in fact, been toying with Chromecast the day it was released and created some stir in the free software community when Google changed the preview APIs for Chromecast which broke his app.

Statistics

• Gartner: 195M Tablets Sold In 2013, Android Grabs Top Spot From iPad With 62% Share

• Android beat Apple in tablet sales last year

  Android tablet sales jumped to 120.9 million in 2013 to snag a global market share of 61.9 percent, up from sales of 53.3 million and a 45.8 percent share in 2012. Over the same time, iPad sales grew to 70.4 million from 61.4 million. But Apple’s share of the tablet market dropped to 36 percent from 52.8 percent.

• Gartner Says Worldwide Tablet Sales Grew 68 Percent in 2013, With Android Capturing 62 Percent of the Market

• Tablets Expected to Outsell PCs by 2015

Tablets

• HP 8 1401 Android tablet launched at $170

  HP has added a 7.85″ unit to compliment its line-up of 7″ and 8″ tablets. The HP 8 1401 is a quad-core tablet that runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. “It’s got responsiveness that delivers entertainment where you want it. Sleek and smart with technology you can trust, the HP 8 is big on performance, slim in style, and small on price,” claims the company.

Google/Chrome OS/Chromebook

• Do users really need Windows applications in Chrome OS?

  Phoronix is reporting that running Windows applications in Chrome OS via Wine seems very unlikely to happen. And it got me wondering about how many people really want to run Windows applications in Chrome OS

• Attack of the 64-bit Octa-core: A Roundup of Newly Announced Mobile Processors

  As usual, Mobile World Congress was packed with cool new SoCs, most of which are destined for Android phones and tablets. Some will see wider usage in the broader world of embedded Linux and Android devices.The big news was the invasion of 64-bit ARMv8 and x86 SoCs, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 and Intel’s Atom Z34xx. The ARM models are built on the ARMv8 Cortex-A53 design. Eventually, we’ll see the -A53 used in Big.Little hybrids along with the similarly 64-bit, server-class Cortex-A57.

• If Beast Died Tomorrow, Chromebook 2 Could Be Its Replacement

  Beast is fine. It’s old, but still kicking. It boots. It edits. It searches. It networks. Beast’s CPU is way over-sized for what I do and I do a lot. 99% of the time it idles. Every few weeks I open it up to full throttle to build the next Linux-3.10.x kernel, but what’s the rush? If it took twice or thrice as long I would still be happy.

• Samsung announced quad core powered Chromebook 2

• Samsung Chromebook 2 will be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa processor

  The Samsung Chromebook 2 11.6-inch and Chromebook 2 13.3-inch models are the company’s latest additions to its line of Chromebook computers. And they are powered by the Exynos 5 Octa processor.

Chrome Security

• Google Pays Handsomely for the Latest Round of Chrome Bugs

  At Google, there continue to be big cash bounties available for talented hackers. We’ve reported before on the bug bounty program that Google has been running for several years now, focused on rewarding hackers and security researchers with cash for discovering meaningful bugs in the Chrome browser. The company just participated in the annual Pwnium and Pwn2own events, where hackers and researchers are challenged to uncover bugs in browsers, and Google has already patched a number of significant bugs that were uncovered.

• Google Extends Monetization Options to Chrome App Developers

  Google officials said this week that the company will reward developers of Chrome packaged apps by letting them give users free trials and in-app purchases, marking an expansion of Google’s focus on fostering a robust ecosystem of applications. The company is also going to allow developers of browser extensions to charge for them for the first time. The Google Developers Blog makes clear that the company is very focused on monetization options for app creators, which has been a key point of focus for Apple as it has sought to attract iOS app developers.

Chrome Aura/GTK/Graphics

• Google Replacing GTK2 With Aura In Chrome 35

• Google to replace GTK+ with its own Aura in Chrome

• Chromium on Linux replacing GTK+ with Aura

  We aim to launch the Aura graphics stack on Linux in M35. Aura is a cross-platform graphics system, and the Aura frontend will replace the current GTK+ frontend.

• Video Acceleration Takes The Backseat On Chrome For Linux

  Due to notorious Linux graphics drivers, Google developers working on Chrome/Chromium aren’t looking to enable hardware video acceleration by default anytime soon. The problem ultimately comes down to poor Linux graphics drivers.

Chrome Voice

• ‘OK Google’ now on Chrome Beta

• Google Chrome Beta Does Hands-Free Voice Search For When Your Hands Are Err… Busy

• Chrome ‘OK Google’; Google Maps Gallery; $1B in Apple TVs

• Google Chrome Beta Gets Voice Search, and Chrome OS Will Too

• Google adds voice search to latest Chrome beta for Windows, Mac, Linux

  According to a post on the official Google Chrome Blog, the search and mobile OS giant has added a new version to the latest beta of the desktop-oriented Chrome Browser. The company calls it “Hands-Free Google Voice Search,” which, as the name implies, allows you to perform a search query simply by speaking up and activating the feature with a spoken command.

Ballnux Android (Microsoft-Taxed)

• LG’s G Pro 2 sales spread to big Asian markets

  The large 5.9-inch phone expands to some big Asian markets like Indonesia and Singapore, but LG Electronics still won’t commit to North American or European sales.

• Samsung Galaxy devices may have a file spying backdoor

  Samsung’s Galaxy devices could have a built-in security error that could allow for “remote access to data,” claim the developers of Replicant–an Android OS based on CyanogenMod. The security flaw discovered in certain Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets allows for access “to read, write, and delete files on the phone’s storage.”

• Galaxy Backdoor, RIT Offers Open Source Minor & More…

  On Wednesday, the Free Software Foundation reported that a back door was found in the Samsung Galaxy.

Misc.

• FreedomPop’s ‘Snowden phone’ encrypts your calls and data

  The new $189 “Privacy Phone” comes with VPN, 128-bit encryption, and other tricks aimed at keeping you safe and anonymous.

• Android’s co-founder is spending Google’s billions hunting for the next big thing

  Rich Miner strolls the halls of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, pausing every few minutes to check out the latest gadgets on display. As one of the co-founders of Android, he is walking through a world that has been all but conquered by the operating system he helped create. Now, as a general partner at Google Ventures, he’s tasked with finding and investing the search giant’s billions in the next big thing.

• Google Aims To Get Their Modular Phone Ready For Early 2015

• Small Cheap Computers Are Really FREE

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