04.13.14

Google’s Linux Revolution: New Gains for Android, Chrome OS (GNU/Linux)

Posted in News Roundup at 4:53 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Swisscom

• Android IPTV set-top features 802.11ac, Marvell SoC

• Swisscom TV 2.0 a new IPTV, based on Android

FireTV

• Koushik Dutta releases AllCast beta for Amazon FireTV

  It’s interesting to note that, according to Koush, the APK is the “regular Android APK,” and can be used to mirror your Android phone with any other suitable Android device. As we all know, the Fire TV does run on Android and although, on the surface, it may not be immediately familiar to most Android users, its roots are the same and have allowed the app to work seamlessly.

Android TV

• Android TV: a brief history of Google’s battle for the living room

• Leaked images and video show simplified Android TV UI

  Rumors of the impending sunsetting of Google TV have been around at least since September when Sony, Google’s most stalwart partner for its struggling, Android-based Google TV, announced a Bravia Smart Stick media player. Sony noted “Google services” but never mentioned Google TV. The trend was confirmed by several unnamed Google TV partners in an October report by GigaOM that cited the “Android TV” name. In December, when Marvell announced an Android 4.2.2-ready, Armada 1500 Plus SoC update to the official SoC of Google TV — the Armada 1500 — the Android TV term was used again.

• Leaked Android TV screenshots show simplified UI

  Leaked images of Google’s new Android TV user interface show a more streamlined and intuitive approach to the big screen than Google TV.

• Exclusive: this is Android TV

• Android TV could rock Amazon and Apple’s worlds

  The Verge reports that Google is getting ready to launch Android TV, a set top box based on Android that comes complete with apps and games. The new device is said to have an entertainment-focused interface, and it will be geared toward getting content in front of the user with three clicks or less. Such a product could prove to be a very tough competitor for Amazon’s Fire TV and the Apple TV. It looks like Google is declaring war on Apple and Amazon for control of the living room.

Android in Home-centric Form Factors

• How to Turn your Android Device into a Dynamic Photo Frame

  Photographs serve as our best memories. Through good times and some great times, photographs stay with us etching our emotions deftly onto a little piece of paper. Over the years, photographs have gone a major transformation. Few years ago, taking a photo meant that you had some memory that you thought would be worth sharing. You took a picture and then kept it with you for the rest of your life. These days, taking a picture is all about getting the maximum likes on Facebook or Instagram. Oh, and there’s the bizarre trend of “selfies” that well, isn’t that cool as you might think.

• Hackable home automation controller runs Android

Laptops

• Is Android good enough to be a laptop OS?

  So the question is, what would Android need to do to make it a great laptop operating system? The biggest thing missing, in my opinion, is bringing great desktop apps to this OS through the same Play Store. Just like you install Chrome for smartphones, there should be an option to install Chrome Desktop for the same touchscreen devices—this app, however, would need to be made for keyboard usage.

Tablets

• HP quietly introduces $349 Slate 8 Pro Business tablet

  If you want to be totally up-to-date, HP has the answer for you — though it will cost you a little bit. The company has stealthily launched the Slate 8 Pro Business edition, which is similar to the non-Business version save for one key difference: It runs the latest version of Android — 4.4, or KitKat.

• Lenovo unveils trio of budget Tab A-series Android tablets

Nikon (Microsoft-taxed)

• Nikon launches Android powered Coolpix S810c

  Nikon has launched the Coolpix S810, which packs in all the technology Nikon is famous for along with the most popular operating for smart devices – Android. It is a simple point and shoot camera powered by Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Samsung (Microsoft-taxed)

• Samsung Galaxy S5 also region-locked, here are the details

• Samsung adding anti-theft solutions to smartphones

  Samsung Electronics will add two safeguards to its latest smartphone in an effort to deter rampant theft of the mobile devices nationwide, the company said Friday.

• Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone hits stores around the world

  Samsung Galaxy S5 is the fastest smartphone available in the market right now. Galaxy S5 has top of the line Qualcomm 2.5 GHz quad core Snapdragon 800 chipset along with 2GB of RAM. The internal storage include options for 16GB or 32GB expandable up to 64GB using microSD. It features a 5.1 inch Super AMOLED display with FULL HD resolution of 1920×1080. The smartphone is running the latest Android KitKat 4.4. Special features include fingerprint sensor, heart-rate monitor, health-centric apps and water- as well as dust-resistant body. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery.

• Samsung might have fixed the Gear Fit’s biggest problem

  The Gear Fit is the first wearable device from a major manufacturer to truly look like it’s come from the future, though its warm reception was colored by one universal complaint: the orientation of the screen. Displaying the time, messages, and all your health data horizontally makes the wrist-worn device somewhat awkward to read, but Samsung hasn’t been deaf to the criticism. The company’s issued a patch to enable vertical display orientation, making for a more familiar reading experience when consulting the fitness band. This could be a great boon in Korea — where the updated UI first appeared on Samsung’s official store blog — but the narrowness of the screen may pose a challenge when displaying longer pieces of text in the Latin alphabet.

Project Ara

• Google details how to make Project Ara smartphone modules

• Wanna build a module for Google’s Project Ara mix-and-match phone? Here are your specs

  Just days before its first Project Ara Developer Conference is scheduled to begin, Google has released the device’s Module Developers Kit (MDK), a set of plans and documentation designed to get hardware hackers started building modules for the componentized, mix-and-match experimental smartphone.

• Google’s Project Ara smartphone looks like a series of blocks (because it is)

  Google’s Project Ara is an effort to create a modular smartphone that’s cheap and ridiculously customizable. Want a new processor? Just pop out the old one and pop in a module with a new chip. Need long battery life but don’t care about removable storage? Just replace the microSD card module with an extra battery module.

• See The Team Behing Google’s Project Ara And The Work In Progress

Security

• Useless Android security app fakes out Google Play users

• Google to tighten app verification to control malicious apps

• Google gets patent on fighting ‘pirated’ apps on Google Play

• Google adds continual app scanning to Android’s security arsenal

• Does Google need to lock down the Google Play store?

  Disturbing reports about fake Android apps are nothing new, but the latest one involves an app called Virus Shield. It sold for $3.99 and promised to improve the security of Android devices. Unfortunately, as Android Police discovered, it actually did nothing at all except to fleece users of their hard earned money. The app has since been pulled from the Google Play store, but the damage has already been done.

Misc.

• Google Starts Early Dogfooding Of Android 4.4.3, Public Release Expected In Coming Weeks

  Android 4.4.3, also known as KitKat MR2 (Android 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 are known as KitKat MR1), has entered the dogfooding stage and has started rolling out to 1% of Google employees outside of the Android team. Currently, the dogfooding rollout is limited to the supported Nexus line (Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 7 2013, and Nexus 10), with GPE and Moto X updates to follow.

• Huawei Ascend Y530, First Take: Entry-level smartphone with ‘simple’ Android UI option

  It isn’t easy being an Android smartphone maker these days. Your flagship handsets are scrutinised for cutting-edge features, yet they’re criticised if these features seem to be unnecessary, or are unnecessarily complicated.

  Ever faster multicore processors are sometimes deemed by reviewers to be faster than needed, with the trade-off between power consumption and responsiveness often cited. Higher-resolution screens can be dismissed, as there comes a point where pixel count goes beyond being a factor in smooth text and graphics rendition. What’s a manufacturer to do in the face of such criticism?

Chrome OS

• Google adds more Android features to Chrome OS

  Chromebooks are also getting support for folders in launcher. What it means is that now, like Android, you can create folders and club your apps in a much organzied manner. Google has also implemented the “OK Google” search feature with the launcher and the voice search can be triggered with hotword “Ok Google”. Google has also implemented support for ‘Captive Portal’ which makes it easier for users when they try to connect to the wireless of cafes, hotels, airports, and other locations which requiers them to go to an authentication page.

• We May See Chrome OS Tablets Arrive Soon

  As Chromebooks–portable computers based on Google’s Chrome OS platform–continue to carve out a healthy niche for themselves, there are strong signs that we are soon going to see Chrome OS tablets. This, of course, has been in the rumor mill for some time. Last October, I reported on a developer-focused version of Chrome OS that included an on-screen keyboard, which of course would be ideal for use on a tablet. Now, the Chrome OS team has confirmed that the latest Stable Channel version of Chrome OS has such a keyboard, and it’s likely we’ll see tablets based on Google’s operating system soon.

• Do you need virus protection on a Chromebook?

  What I am trying to highlight from this post is that if you use a Chromebook you have given yourself a great chance to remain safe from viruses but it doesn’t mean you should go gung-ho and believe that you are invincible online.

Chrome

• Wired website blocked by Google Chrome

  It is unclear what they mean by ‘technical issue’ and how come Google has blocked the website. At the time of the writing, visitors are still presented with the malware warning message. Wired says it is waiting for Google chrome to remove the warning.

• Chrome 35 Beta: More developer control over touch input, new JavaScript features, and unprefixed Shadow DOM

  Today’s Chrome Beta channel release includes a slew of new developer features to help you make richer, more compelling web content and apps, especially for mobile devices. Unless otherwise noted, changes described below apply to Chrome for Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS.

• Google Chrome Beta Upgraded to Version 35 for All Platforms

  Google Chrome, a browser built on the Blink layout engine that aims to be minimalistic and versatile at the same time, has been upgraded yet again, has just received a new update, promoting the 35 development branch to Beta.

• Google Chrome 34 Gets Responsive

• Chrome 34 launches with support for responsive images, unprefixed Web Audio, and importing supervised users

  Google today released Chrome version 34 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The new version includes support for responsive images, an unprefixed version of the Web Audio API, and importing supervised users. You can update to the latest release now using the browser’s built-in silent updater, or download it directly from google.com/chrome.

• Chrome Remote Desktop Goes Into Beta on Android, Here is a Quick Look

  According to a lucky reader of ours, Google opened up a beta test for its Chrome Remote Desktop app on Android within the last few days. The beta is invite only at this time, with invites rolling out to those who “expressed interest” in helping Chrome improve their remote desktop client. Like the Chrome extension, this app does indeed give you remote access to your desktop computers, only this time through Android devices (both phones and tablets).

• Chrome 34 Release Supports Responsive Images & More

  Google officially released the Chrome 34 web-browser this afternoon and with it comes new features.

• Stable Channel Update

• New Google Chrome 35 Lands with Small Fixes for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X

  The Google Chrome 35 development branch, a browser built on the Blink layout engine that aims to be minimalistic and versatile at the same time, has been upgraded yet again, but this time it’s only a very small update.

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