Google's Linux Revolution: New Gains for Android, Chrome OS (GNU/Linux)
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2014-04-13 09:53:05 UTC
- Modified: 2014-04-13 09:53:05 UTC
Swisscom
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
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 images of Google’s new Android TV user interface show a more streamlined and intuitive approach to the big screen than Google TV.
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
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.
Laptops
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
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.
Nikon (Microsoft-taxed)
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 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 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 1920Ãâ1080. 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.
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
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 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.
Security
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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, 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 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.
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).
Google officially released the Chrome 34 web-browser this afternoon and with it comes new features.
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.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Richard Stallman's Talk at Georgia Tech is Just 2 Days Away
- We're still curious to see how malicious people (or trolls) in social control media will try to slant his talk as "bad"
- The "Alicante Mafia" - Part VII - The Industrial Actions Began Yesterday, Here's Why
- The "Alicante Mafia" might not last much longer
- openai.com Traffic Said to Have Fallen 50% in the Past Three Months, Reports Say It Nearly Ran Out of Money to Borrow
- After the slop frenzy all we'll have left is environmental destruction
-
- Links 21/01/2026: "Snap Settles Lawsuit on Social Media Addiction" and Attempts in the US to Revive Software Patents
- Links for the day
- Links 21/01/2026: Microsoft 'Open' 'Hey Hi' in More Trouble, US Has "Brown Shirts" Problem
- Links for the day
- Yesterday Afternoon The Register MS Published Paid Microsoft SPAM Disguised as an Article About "AI PCs"
- The Register MS cannot help itself, can it? [...] Follow the money.
- Microsoft's XBox is in Effect Dead Already, Now It's a Streaming and Advertising Platform
- Expect many layoffs soon
- EPO's Web Site Misused for Propaganda About Illegal Kangaroo Courts to Distract From EPO Scandals and Judicial Crisis in Europe
- UPC is illegal and unconstitutional
- Gemini Links 21/01/2026: Edible Circuits and "Sayonara HTTP"
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
- IRC logs for Tuesday, January 20, 2026
- IBM Hides Its Own Destruction (and Red Hat's)
- It's like scenes out of '1984', which is what a now-famous advertisement from Apple compared IBM to
- LLM Slop Not Dead Yet, Examples of Slop About "Linux"
- We wish to see the totals down to zero
- Links 20/01/2026: Cheeto Blackmails France Into 'Peace' While Looking to Annex EU, Mass Layoffs in Capgemini (Microsoft Reseller/Promoter) in France
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 20/01/2026: Boxing and "Inbox Zero" Success
- Links for the day
- Windows and Slop Declining While Microsoft Silences Critics
- Microsoft tries to suppress facts while faking 'demand' by imposing slop on everybody, everywhere
- IBM Kills OzLabs, Signalling An Attack on Free Software (a Sign for Red Hat)
- ibiblio also appears to have died (or experiences critical issues)
- Red Hat Vice President Leaving After Nearly Two Decades
- IBM's culture of secrecy is not compatible with Free software
- Links 20/01/2026: "ChatGPT Health" (Latest Distraction From Being Insolvent) Flops and Raises Concerns, "The U.S. Military Faces a Reckoning on Greenland"
- Links for the day
- Rudeness and Vulgarity Won't Stop Journalism About Free Software
- we seem to be on the right path
- Readers Pleased With Layout Changes
- Two days ago we began improving clarity and accessibility in the site
- IBM Plans for Layoffs Becoming Clearer With "Employee Reviews"
- Of course this impacts Red Hat as well
- IBM is Outsourcing Red Hat's Fedora to Slop to 'Save Money'
- If IBM cared about quality rather than alleged "cost savings" (cutting corners), it would assign more IBM staff to Fedora, but instead the exact opposite happened, with the likes of Cotton and Miller removed from the project
- European Patent Office (EPO) Industrial Actions Formally Start in Two Hours
- As per the latest (revised) action plan, today workers will slow down their work and limit patent grants
- Microsoft Under Fresh Investigation by the Italian Competition Authority
- In 2025 we kept a running tally of 30,000+ Microsoft layoffs, so 40k this year would not be unthinkable
- The "Alicante Mafia" - Part VI - More Strikes Planned at the EPO, Starting This Month
- Yesterday we said that friends of Berenguer or inside Berenguer's circle may have left
- Gemini Links 20/01/2026: New Tea, Using a Roku at a Hotel, and "Voltage-Based Power Management for Any Raspberry Pi"
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Monday, January 19, 2026
- IRC logs for Monday, January 19, 2026
- If You Don't Want "Linux" to Become "Windows", Then Follow GNU
- GAFAM isn't a friend of Linux; it's only a user in the same sense clients are "users" of a brothel
- Links 19/01/2026: National Broadcasters on World or Local Affairs Up to a Week Ago
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 19/01/2026: Game Boy and "The Lounge" (IRC) for the Elderly
- Links for the day
- Slopfarms in Google News (at Least Three Today) With Fake 'Articles' About "Linux"
- Google itself is trying to promote its own slop ("Overview") at the expense of original and credible sources
- Links 19/01/2026: ChatGPT’s Defects and The Guardian on Why So-called "AI Companies Will Fail"
- Links for the day
- This is What the Slop Bubble Popping Can Look Like
- Maybe not an overnight collapse, but getting there gradually
- IBM Quiet About Its Plan for Red Hat Amid Accelerated Bluewashing
- Something is going on at Red Hat
- The "Alicante Mafia" - Part V - It Seems Like Some People Are Already Leaving "The Mafia"
- they have a rough idea of what's coming
- Microsoft Means War, Microsoft is on the Side of ICE
- Microsoft, people-ready
- More Confirmatory Rumours Regarding "Massive" Red Hat Layoffs
- Ecosystem and sales said to be targeted
- Proprietary UNIX is What We'll Have If IBM Red Hat Gets Its Way
- IBM Red Hat wants to control everything, even if that means killing everybody
- Free Software in Times of Peace (and Times of War, Too)
- GAFAM and IBM are war companies
- Founder of GNU/Linux (RMS) Speaks in US University (College) This Week
- The auditorium has very high capacity and this is his "college comeback" talk in the United States
- Office Meetings Are Most Useful to the Least Productive Workers
- In my "office life" days I really didn't like meetings
- LinuxSecurity and Linuxiac Are Still Slopfarms, Even Anthony Pell Does It
- We suppose waiting another month or another year won't change a thing
- Claim That the Board of Directors at IBM Isn't Happy With How the Company is Run
- IBM tries to project an image of strength to the whole world, especially to its clients
- Links 18/01/2026: Legal Trouble for xAI, Climate Concerns, Data Breaches and More
- Links for the day
- 'Vibe Coding', Chatbots, and Other Bots (e.g. "Agents" Disguised as "Superintelligence") Aren't Saving You Time
- False marketing, FOMO marketing tactics
- Gemini Links 19/01/2026: Analog Cameras and Plucker in 2026, US Losing Acceptability in Europe
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Sunday, January 18, 2026
- IRC logs for Sunday, January 18, 2026