Google is revamping its Google Play Store. A redesigned version of the Play Store began rolling out on Thursday and the changes are quite evident. The homepage has a whole new look to it with horizontal scrolling and improved search features.
One of the first things you’ll notice on opening the new Play Store is the two clearly divided sections: Apps and Games and Entertainment. Previously there were six categories, but now they will be found under these two major sections, which makes it easier to navigate. In the Apps and Games section you’ll find all your social media apps and games, and basically all your chart topping apps for your smartphone and tablets. In the Entertainment section you have your movies, TV shows, news, music, books, and more.
Image: Google
The search and discovery features also come with improvements. You’ll now get better recommendations and more relevant results based on what you’re looking for. Google promises an impressive selection and richer apps in the new Play Store.
The revamped Play Store also comes with a new header that gives room for latest and popular apps, games, movies, books, and more. You can scroll through the suggested apps right from your homescreen and find out what’s trending. It is likely that the apps will also show tailor-made suggestions based on the users Play Store downloads.
Current Version
The new Play Store update will roll out gradually to Android users over the next few weeks.
Here’s something you probably didn’t know. Google has the entire recording history of your Google Now conversations. All the questions you’ve asked Google Now is stored by Google in a vast pool of information that it has already on you. You can find your recording history in the archives and The Guardian’s Alex Hern tells you how.
Hern recently discovered all the recording he had ever had with Google Now and felt a little unnerved about it since some of the recording was done when he wasn’t exactly sober. “I found a recording of me asking for the nearest Waitrose in Glasgow (well, I am a Guardian journalist), lazily doing Fahrenheit conversions for cooking, trying to get driving directions to an Ikea, and just hurling random obscenities as a dumb, unfeeling computer,” he writes in an article.
This is not the only way Google has collected user information. The company also offers location history, showing users every location that it has tracked them to, through apps like Google Maps. Such features can make one feel very uneasy as it brings into question just how much companies like Google know about you. Google has already stated that it would start suggesting tailor-made ads based on the users Gmail account and YouTube search.
But why does Google need to store your voice recordings? According to the company it is to “help recognize your voice and improve speech recognition.”
However, there is a way to delete the cache of recordings. All you have to do is log into your Google account and open the page for your Voice and Audio Activity Controls. To delete in bulk, click on the three-dots menu icon and select ‘Delete options’.
The ‘Delete option’ will give you three choices. You can choose to delete voice activity for ‘Today’, ‘Yesterday’, and by selecting the ‘Advance’ option, you can remove activity for ‘All Time’
You can also turn off the voice activity as well from ‘Activity controls’, but it won’t stop Google from storing the recordings it already has. It will, however, be kept under an anonymous identity which can be traced back to your account.
Yesterday saw the official launch of Google’s Nexus 5X with pre-orders having already begun on Amazon. By now you must be aware of what the Nexus 5X has to offer and the price of the phone as well. Just to refresh your memory, the Nexus 5X will come at a price of Rs. 31,990 for the 16 GB variant and Rs. 35, 990 for the 32GB variant in India.
From what the phone offers in terms of specs, the price is a bit steep, especially when you compare it with the China-only Xiaomi Mi 4c, The Mi 4c comes very close to the Nexus 5X, at least specs-wise. The Mi 4c has a 5-inch display and is powered by a 1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64-bit processor, 2 GB RAM and USB Type-C port, all similar to the Nexus 5X.
On the camera front, the Mi 4c has a 13 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front, whereas the Nexus 5X features a 12.3 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front. On paper, the Mi 4c seems to have a better camera, however, the Nexus 5X has 1.55 micron pixels that allows for sharper images that can take on the iPhone 6 camera.
Xiaomi’s Mi 4c has a bigger battery at 3,080mAh when compared to the Nexus 5X’s 2,700 mAh battery. In terms of performance, you’ll find both the devices at par, giving a smooth and fast handling.
Keeping these specs in mind, we come to the prices. If the Mi 4c launched in India, the price of the device would have been around Rs 13,500 for 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, and around Rs 15,500 for 3GB RAM and 32GB internal. In comparison, the Nexus 5X starts at Rs. 31,990 for the 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal. Clearly, the Mi 4c offers almost the same specs but at half the price.
Google’s Nexus 6P has officially launched in India today. The company had sent out invites for the event starting at 11 am. The Huawei-made Nexus 6P and the LG-made Nexus 5X released ahead of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launch that is set to hit the markets on the 16th.
The Nexus 6P will be made available exclusively for Flipkart. Pre-orders for the phones will start tonight and the devices will begin shipping from October 21. Those who pre-order the Nexus 6P will get a Chromecast dongle worth Rs. 2,999 from Flipkart. The devices can also be purchased later on from select offline retailers such as Croma, The Mobile Store, among others.
The Nexus 6P is priced at Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB, Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB, and Rs. 47,999 for the 128GB variant. The 6P features a 5.7-inch QHD touchscreen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 chipset, with 3 GB RAM, a 3450mAh battery, and a USB Type-C port. The camera sports a 12.3MP sensor with laser autofocus, dual-LED flash at the rear and a rather impressive 8MP on the front. This pure Android phone will run on the latest Marshmallow operating system.
Our initial reactions towards the 6P were quite favorable. One of the main highlights of the Nexus 6P is the Nexus Imprint. The fingerprint sensor on the back is fast and fluid in accessibility, which according to Google only “gets better over time” as it learns more about your unique fingerprint. Another major improvement is the camera. The 12MP rear camera takes crisp and clear pictures even in low light due to the 1.55 micron pixels, which is greater than the iPhone 6s Plus.
Compared to the Nexus 5X, the 6P has a more premium look to it. It has a full-metal body, built out of aluminium with diamond chamfers around the edges. The metallic finish of the body is smooth and feels comfortable in your hand, but is heavier than the Nexus 5X, which comes with a plastic body. One concern that arose regarding the leaked images of the Nexus 6P was just how much the black camera bar on the top would put off users. However, on using the Nexus 6P, the bar seemed like a welcomed change and does not stick out as much as one would think.
The Nexus 6P is on the expensive side, but some improvements especially on the camera front make it worth buying if you’re looking at the market for premium handsets. As mentioned, the Nexus 6P will be available for pre-order tonight on Flipkart.
The latest devices by Google have finally arrived in India. Starting today at 2 PM, Amazon has begun pre-orders for Google Nexus 5X in the country. The smartphone will be finally available on the 21st of October.
The device was first introduced to us last month by Google in their official event, and is now marked at a price of Rs. 31,990 for the 16 GB variant and Rs. 35, 990 for the 32GB variant in India.
The Nexus 5X comes with a 5.2-inch FHD display, USB Type-C which allows almost 4 hours of battery post a 10-minute charging routine, and is available in three colours – Carbon black, Quartz white and Ice blue. The company will also be bringing in a range of covers to India, along with the handsets, priced at Rs. 2,800.
We checked out the Ice Blue variant. The back of the smartphone comes with a smooth matte finish. The size of the device feels just right in the hands.
On the camera front the smartphone comes equipped with a 12.3 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie camera. The smartphone is capable of capturing 4K and slow-motion videos, making this phone the most advanced multimedia Nexus device to date.
As opposed to the all-metal body of the Nexus 6P, 5X comes in a plastic body of size 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm, and weighs 136 g. The device also has Nexus Imprint, a fingerprint sensor located on the back of the body. A single touch of the sensor would power on and unlock Nexus 5X for usage.
It is further packed with a 2 GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and OS Android Marshmallow 6.0. The stock Android is seamless as always; Google has provided minimal bloatware – a move which will be appreciated.
Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X
That’s all for now, we will be bringing you an in-depth review of the device shortly.
There’s brilliant news in store for Google fans out there – the new Nexus 5X goes on sale today at 2 PM on Amazon. The device was first introduced to us at a Google nexus event last month, along with Google Nexus 6P.
Google Nexus 5X
The LG Nexus 5X is priced at Rs 31,990 for the 16GB variant, and Rs 35,990 for the 32GB variant. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest news about Google Nexus devices. We also have the confirmed prices of the Huawei Nexus 6P which are Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB variant, and Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB variant.
Even the Nexus 6P will be available for pre-order on Flipkart starting right now, while the phone will go on sale by the 21st of October.
Commuting in Delhi is about to get a whole lot easier. Google India announced a new app today called Delhi Public Transport. It is an experimental app from the Google Maps team designed for New Delhi residents to get around on public transport.
The idea is to make life easier for those who use buses and metros to commute. The app works in offline mode so you won’t have to worry about choppy connectivity when looking for transit directions. It also provides directions and timetable of Metros and buses. You will now get directions from any bus or metro stops, and find out if they are running late.
“In addition to having lots of useful information available offline, Delhi Public Transport also provides you with public transport news and delay information when you do have a connection, all packed into a small app of about 1 MB download size.”
Initial reviews of the app have been very favorable. Users have requested the company to launch the app in other parts of the country as well. The app is still in its early days and Google India is looking to improve on it through customer feedback. So go ahead and download the app, now available on Google Play Store, and let the team know what you think about it.
A couple of months back Google announced that it will be taken over by a parent company Alphabet. A bunch of people were confused then, and probably still are. Basically Alphabet is owned by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Google’s new CEO is Sundar Pichai. Alphabet was formed as an administrative move by the Google founders in order to efficiently see-over all the companies under Google.
When they first announced their existence, the domain name they came up with was abc.xyz. However, there were some reports of the domain name already having been used by BMW. But, for whatever reason, during it’s first official week on Wall Street, Alphabet has decided upon, and now owns a new domain name. This time it’s cheeky as hell, it’s -wait-for-it- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com. Oh, and they even have an explanation for this mouthful of a domain name –
“We realized we missed a few letters in abc.xyz, so we’re just being thorough.”
Oh well, nobody’s complaining as long as it’s coming in with a sense of humour. Although, as of now, the URL will lead you to an inactive site. But, it should be up soon enough. Till then – abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.
As 90s kids, we’ve all watched spy or super-hero movies that have entranced us, despite knowing that it was unreal. Along with that we knew that all the cool gadgets they used were unreal too. But, today there’s really very little that the world of tech and science can’t create.
Keeping that in mind, recent reports have suggested, that Google has published a patent application “for using holograms in a head mounted display like Google Glass, which could create augmented reality experiences that superimpose computer-generated imagery (CGI) over the real world.”
Now, go back to those cool spy movies and cartoons, where the spy would click a button on the side of his spectacles and out of them would appear holograms of maps, mission plans, and other things that a spy needs. Fast forward to a couple of years later, and normal non-spy human beings will be using spyware-type gadgets for daily use. So, soon, you’ll be able to play a video game in virtual reality, or project a map right through your glasses instead of looking at your cellphone GPS for it.
But, here’s the catch, if one is going to use holograms to create a sense of virtual reality then it’s not enough to just copy-paste the image, the ‘projected content’ should also be able to interact and react with the real-world. Here’s what the patent says :
“With augmented reality the viewer’s image of the world is augmented with an overlaying CGI, also referred to as a heads-up display.”
Google perhaps expects that this new feature could be very useful for aerospace apps, wherein pilots would not have to take their eyes off the flight path in order to look at other vital information. The head mounted display feature might also have a number of practical and leisure applications soon, such as video games, transportation, and telecommunications. However, as of now, we’ll just have to wait and see what Google creates, while keeping in mind the aspects of cost, size, weight and field of view.
Amidst a struggle of dealing with anti-competition claims laid down by EU, Google’s tryst with turbulent waters continued as India followed suit and accused the California based company of rigging search results in August this year. The preliminary findings of the three year old probe were submitted to both Google and Competition Commission of India by early September. Allegedly, the search results benefit many of Google’s own businesses, making its other customers lose out on online attention. Here’s a quick look at the story so far:
Main Concern:
The possibility of Google using the search engines to promote its own services without the users even realising it is a little more than disconcerting. Similar to the European investigation, Indian authorities are also convinced that the search engine is being used to favour Google’s maps service, travel sites, and advertising products. This inevitably means that the customers using Google’s advertising services are losing out on opportunities and suffering loss in business.
Names of Companies Involved:
There are various prominent names blaming Google of being close to ignoring their existence on its search engine. These names include Flipkart, Facebook, Nokia, Bharat matrimony, nonprofit Consumer Unity and Trust Society.
Sundar Pichai, the Google CEO.
However, there are websites within the country which have refused to participate in this complaint. These companies are Times Internet, Make My Trip, Group M, and Rediff.
Possible Consequences for Google:
Last year Google had paid a fine of $166,000 after having failed to cooperate with a probe. If this year the company finds itself itself in a similar situation, it may have to pay 10% of its revenues. Google’s net income is $14 billion on $66 billion in revenue for 2014 according to what the company revealed last year.
European Union’s Competition Chief, Margrethe Vestager speaks about Google in a media conference in April, 2015.
Rumours and accusations of Google catering primarily to its own self-interests have been floating around since forever. More recently in April this year, European Commission launched a statement which accused the company with similar allegations like the Indian authorities, and stated that Google:
“…abused its dominant position in the markets for general internet search services in the European Economic Area (EEA) by systematically favouring its own comparison shopping product in its general search results pages”
It formally charged Google of violating EU competition and antitrust laws by exploiting its foothold in the virtual world. Google responded to this in September by claiming the accusations are false and unfounded. While both sides have their own respective arguments to offer, no conclusion has been reached so far. Google has courted legal entanglements for over a decade now, and prominent names like Microsoft and TripAdvisor have been among the complainants. Let’s see how the company sails through the choppiness of Indian and European turbulence this time.
The two latest Google phones are all set to arrive in the country. Reportedly, the two smartphones would be launched in India on the 13th of this month, just two days shy of the day the iPhones go on sale.
The prices of the phones and their variants have been revealed by Google on their India website. Nexus 5X will cost Rs 31,900 for the 16GB version, and Rs 35,900 for the 32GB. This is followed by the Nexus 6P, which will cost Rs 39,999 for the 32GB version, Rs 42,999 for 64GB and Rs. 47,999 for the 128GB version. Additionally, prices for the Nexus 6 have been brought down to Rs 33,800 and Rs 37,600 for 32 GB and 64GB variants respectively.
Here is a quick look at the specs of the two phones.
Google-owned robots are somewhat like YouTube stars, however, Google still is not ready to discuss their robotics operations publicly. Reports suggest, that they are currently laying a foundation for ‘intelligent and multipurpose robots’.
Further reports also have suggested that Google wants to separate their internet services from their research arms and unrelated businesses. So, going ahead with that goal, they will be creating a separate robotics division for robotics within Alphabet. Boston Robotics, which is a company that makes robots for the US military will be operating within Alphabet with some independence.
Google’s robotics division has made great strides towards their goals especially with the autonomy they get under Alphabet. They have eight robotics acquisitions including Boston Dynamics and are using their resources to build domestic helpers or security droids for the future.
To update us on what they’re working on, Google sometimes publishes research papers and one of these papers was recently published in Cornell University’s Arxiv repository. This particular paper revealed that the company has been “experimenting with feeding short video clips into machines’ electronic brains to improve their vision.”
All signs point to the fact that Google is making an effort to make robots a part of our domestic lives soon. Till then, let’s just hope we don’t really have to ever be in an I-Robot type situation ever.
The Nexus 5X and 6P had been revealed at the Google event held on the 29th of September, 2015. Both devices were announced to arrive with the new Android Marshmallow version along with many other upgraded specs. Today, we’ve come to know that the Nexus 6P will arrive in India, sooner than expected.
Flipkart has already put up a small teaser of the device, however this time it does not have a ticker that shows the pre-order date. But, what we do know is, that the device will be shipping for pre-ordered customers later this month so, we can expect the pre-order to begin in India around the same time. Reports also suggest that it could go on sale next month.
The Google Nexus 6P could be priced at Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB, Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB, and Rs. 47,999 for the 128GB variant. It also comes in three colour variants – Aluminium, Graphite and Frost White.
Earlier this week Google launched two new phones at the official event in San Francisco – Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. As retailers and buyers gear up for the pre-order of these new devices, what comes as a wet blanket is the connectivity problem of 5X – it comes with a USB cable that is not compatible with most computers.The Google website shows that Nexus 5X comes containing a USB Type-C 15W charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable. This implies the user would have to spend an extra $13 (about Rs. 900) approximately for a USB Type-C to UBS Standard cable in order to be able to connect the phone to an average computer.
However, buyers of Nexus 6P won’t have to face this problem as it comes with a cable that lets you connect to all standard USB ports.
September ’15 brought with it two of the biggest events of the tech world – the Apple and the Google Nexus event. Both events took place in San Francisco within a little more than a fortnight of each other. Apple launched its new gadgets on the 9th of September, while Google Nexus had 29th marked on the calendar as the date for its official launch.
Google Nexus Event ’15
It’s a fact universally acknowledged that the world loves to hate on Apple. Consequently, Google ends up receiving more sympathy (for the lack of a better word) votes.
Location:
Apple hosted the event at the ridiculously huge Bill Graham Civic Auditorium with a seating capacity of 7000 people. Google on the other hand was a smaller-scaled, cosy affair with its choice of Left Space, a small studio space in San Francisco. This was a stark difference between the two events.
However, both events were colourful, blingy and complete with their fair amount of hoopla.
Internet Crazies:
Apple as always, began the whole song and dance weeks before the actual event. All over the internet, social media platforms had begun to flood with images and memes regarding the event, upping the anticipation.
Google was quiet in this aspect. The audience didn’t get to see them as significantly on the internet as Apple before an event. While Siri jokes were doing the rounds right before 9th September, things were fairly silent on the Google Nexus front before 29th September.
Apple and Google both launched two new phones each, namely the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P. Tablets with keyboards as additional accessories were also part of the launch. Along with these releases, there were updates in terms of software, app store, and accessories related to the devices -basically lots of tech-lingo and fancy gadgets with fancier price-tags. However, Apple was ready with a new video for each of its gadget and launch. Google was once again lacking in this category with no videos at their event. We don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing though. You decide.
Cook vs Pichai:
When Tim Cook took the stage, there was a moment of absolute silence as the air in the room changed. One of the most powerful people of the tech world had presented himself and the only natural reaction was to devote undivided attention to him.
Tim Cook at the September Apple eventSundar Pichai talks at the Google Nexus event.
When Sundar Pichai came on stage, he seemed like someone you would want to talk to. It was a nice, approachable person standing before you who would lead you by the hand through the technicalities of the new launches. The glamorous grandeur of Tim Cook had been replaced by the modesty and simplicity of Sundar Pichai.
One event was definitely a toned down version of another, though there’s pretty much a single, stable bottom line -two events of warring companies waging an eternal battle of the most up to date gadgets, changing the face of the tech-world with their undying determination to invent and innovate. Did one event work for you more than the other? Let us know in the comments below.
