Tag: google

Google Play Store 3.10.9 Released With Post Launch Suggestions, Translate and More

It was only a month ago that Google updated its Google Play Store app to version 3.9.16, which brought along new features like improved notifications and a wish list function. Now, a new version of the app, 3.10.9, is being pushed out to select users.

There is a new screen that pops up after you start installing a new app. The screen is different than the one we are all used to seeing during app installation and it also displays a “Users Also Installed” list of apps that is handy for discovery. When the installation is complete a “Keep shopping” button pops up.

Also, there is now a “Remove” icon displayed in the Wish list that came in the 3.9.16 update of the Google Play. That is certainly a welcome update.

Finally, there is now a “Translate” button next to apps that include a description that isn’t in your native language. This is much the same as the translate option that appears under the menu bar when using Chrome to visit a foreign site.

APKs are available online which are signed by Google and install right on top of any other Google Play Store version. It is safe to install it if you don’t wish to wait for an automatic update to be pushed to your device on a schedule you don’t control.

November 18, 2012
FTC’s $22.5 Million Fine Of Google Approved

A federal judge on Friday approved a legal settlement in which Google agreed to pay a record fine of $22.5 million to resolve federal allegations of privacy violations, despite objections from a consumer group that argues the penalty is too weak.

Hours after holding a brief hearing in San Francisco’s federal court, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the negotiated agreement is “fair, adequate and reasonable.”

The Federal Trade Commission had touted the penalty, negotiated last summer, as the largest fine it has ever assessed in a case of this kind. The settlement stems from an FTC investigation which found that Google’s advertising service used software “cookies” to track the Web pages visited by people who used Apple’s Safari Web browser, after promising that it would not do so.

Google, which has maintained that the tracking was inadvertent, did not admit to any legal violation but agreed to disable the cookies. Attorneys for both Google and the FTC spoke in favor of the settlement in court, while an attorney for the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog group opposed the agreement as ineffective.

The fine, although large by the federal government’s standards, is a drop in the bucket for Google, which made nearly $38 billion in revenue last year.

“We were disappointed, but think we made important points that will have an impact on how similar cases are dealt with in the future,” said John Simpson, director of the Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project.

November 17, 2012
Google Maps For iOS Nearing Release : WSJ

Google Maps for iOS is almost ready for release to Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The WSJ report uses information from someone knowledgeable about Google Maps software development. The source reveals that Google handed out a test version of a new Google Maps for iOS app to put final changes before submitting it to the Apple App Store.

While it’s expected that Google’s iOS Maps will include walking and transit directions, the WSJ’s source claims that Google will also bundle its turn-by-turn navigation feature, available free on all Android devices, in the app. This would bring the functionality to par with Apple Maps, which is why some pundits still think Apple will not approve the app when it is submitted.

Google Maps for iOS could see the company derive a huge amount of revenue from sponsored business listings and other product tie-ins. But while it’s possible to change default apps in Android, Apple Maps will continue to be the default service used within third-party apps.

Google apps such as YouTube, Google+ and Search are available on iOS, and are very popular despite not being integrated directly into the operating system. Apple would not comment on the matter, but it would seem likely that they view Google’s services as a thorn in its proverbial side.

November 17, 2012
Nexus 10 Tablet Now Sold Out on Google Play Store

November 13th saw the official release of the Samsung Nexus 10, at least for those lucky enough to actually order one before stock dried up. Within hours, almost every market was sold out of the Nexus 10, but the United States still managed to keep enough 16GB models in stock it seems. Until today, that is. The 16GB and the 32GB version of the Samsung Nexus 10 are now “sold out” in the Play Store.

The last things you can buy now are the 16 and 32GB Nexus 7, and the new $199 Acer Chromebook. Everything else in the Google hardware department is sold out. Hopefully Google can get things back in order and get devices shipping again soon.

Earlier this week, the Nexus 4 smartphone was sol out and some of those who ordered the smartphone received an email on Thursday, telling them that the device is on backorder and could ship sometime in the next 3 weeks.

Good times for Google!

November 16, 2012
Acer Introduces C7 Chromebook for $199 with Intel Celeron Inside

Acer has launched the latest version of Chromebook laptops- Acer C7 at USD 199.

The newest Chromebook features a 320GB hard-drive, an 11.6-inch display, Intel processor with 2GB of RAM, USB 3 and HDMI ports, 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage, and it weighs in at about 1kg. But what needs to be pointed out primarily is the price. The Acer C7 Chromebook priced at just $199, is $50 cheaper than the Samsung Chromebook launched less than a month ago.

It comes with dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Ethernet connectivity, HDMI and VGA ports, HD camera and 3 USB 2.0 ports. It will give 3.5 hours of battery backup with normal usage.

The laptop is being promoted by Google and there is no mention of the Chromebook on Acer’s website. This is the sixth laptop to be launched in the market with a Google Chrome OS.

The Acer C7 Chromebook will be available from November 14 on the Google Play store, Amazon and Best Buy in the US and from selected retailers in the UK. And as with all previous Chromebook releases, this model shows Google’s focus on making technology and internet access easily available to everyone and once again directs its users toward the cloud.

November 15, 2012
Google Nexus 4 Sold Out Within An Hour At US Google Play Store

Google’s newest smartphone, the Nexus 4 from LG, sold out within its first hour in the U.S. The unlocked phone was only available through Google’s online Play store.

The Nexus 4 costs $299 for the 8 GB model and $349 for the 16 GB model. Google now prompts you to input your email address in order to get updates on when the phone will be available again.

The price is right too. At $299, the Nexus 4 costs about half as much as an unlocked iPhone.

It’s unclear how many phones Google had to sell, but it surely didn’t expect this kind of demand.

[quote]”There’s been so much interest for the Nexus lineup that we’ve sold out of some of our initial stock in a few countries,” the Nexus team said in a post at Google+ social network.[/quote]

“We are working hard to add more Nexus devices to Google Play in the coming weeks to keep up with the high demand.” At a starting price of $299 for smartphones not bound to particular carriers, and therefore unsubsidized by telecom companies, Nexus 4 models were deemed a bargain at half the price of similarly “unlocked” iPhones from Apple.

“Nexus 4 is the new smartphone from Google,” the Play store page said. “With cutting edge hardware, the latest version of Android, and the best Google apps – Nexus 4 puts the world’s information at your fingertips.”

November 14, 2012
Launched : Nokia Here Cloud Maps for iOS, Android and others (PR)

Looks like it was the right opportunity for Nokia to jump on the iOS maps bashing wagon. No one does maps like Nokia and with iPhone users feeling the incompleteness of iOS Maps, Nokia has stepped on to the winning plate with Nokia HERE. A cloud service delivering excellent mapping for those all over the world on any device.

[quote]Titled “Here,” it’ll tap into Nokia’s map expertise and better still, work across multiple devices and operating systems — CEO Stephen Elop, attending the launch event in San Francisco[/quote]

The new web-based map is live now and will work on any PC running Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome and Macs using Safari, Firefox or Chrome. On mobile, it’ll run on iOS 4+ and Android 2.2’s (or above) internet browser.

Reports also claim that iOS and Android Apps are already on their way pending approval from the “authorities”. Nokia will have a Here SDK for Android and a web version of Nokia Here maps for Firefox OS ready by early next year.

Nokia has seen 75 times more use of its mapping data compared to last year, and it’s looking to tap into user-submitted data. A new Map Creator tool will let people assign more specific information and detail to Nokia’s original maps and satellite photos. Nokia Here.net will allow users to log in using their Nokia accounts or create new ones to save places as “collections” add images etc. which will all be launched soon.

According to reports iOS app for Nokia Here will provide offline maps, voice guided walking directions and public transportation directions at launch. Additionally, Nokia revealed the name for the technology powering its City Lens app. Live Sight will be available and in other applications as well.

Nokia will also foray into 3D mapping by acquiring company “earthmine Inc.”based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software. This information is to be used for future expansion of Nokia Here service.

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Nokia redefines digital map landscape by introducing HERE as new brand for its location and mapping service

Nokia extends its service across devices and operating systems

Nokia announces new partnership with Mozilla and planned acquisition of 3D capture company, earthmine

San Francisco, California – Today Nokia introduced HERE, the first location cloud to deliver the world’s best maps and location experiences across multiple screens and operating systems. With the new brand, HERE, Nokia aims to inspire a new generation of location services and devices that make the mobile experience more personally significant for people everywhere.

“People want great maps, and with HERE we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world,” said Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop. “Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service.”

Pushing location beyond Nokia

To further extend its location services, Nokia is launching a maps application for iOS under the HERE brand. Based on HTML5, it will include offline capabilities, voice-guided walk navigation, and public transport directions. The application is scheduled to be available for free download from Apple’s App Store in the coming weeks.

Nokia further announced a strategic partnership with Mozilla to bring new location experiences to the Firefox OS. Nokia plans to debut a mobile Web version of HERE Maps for the new Firefox OS next year. The companies are working together to give people the best mapping experience on Firefox OS.

“Mozilla is a leader in HTML5, building the Web as a platform for developing compelling applications, and location is a key part of that platform,” said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Vice President of Products. “We are excited to work with Nokia as the combination of Firefox OS and HERE’s location platform provides rich possibilities for mobile application developers to create amazing experiences for users.”

Nokia also demonstrated an Android OS-based reference application and announced plans for the availability of a HERE SDK for Android OEMs in early 2013. This is aimed at enabling partners to create location-based applications for Android devices with Nokia’s leading content.

Innovating modern mapmaking
To advance the 3D capabilities of HERE, Nokia announced the planned acquisition of Berkeley, Calif. company earthmine. The company’s reality capture and processing technologies will become integral parts of HERE’s 3D map making capabilities.

Nokia expects the transaction to close by the end of 2012.

[/toggle_box]

[Here (Nokia), (2)]

“Maps are hard to get right – but location is revolutionizing how we use technology to engage with the real world,” said Michael Halbherr, Executive Vice President of Location & Commerce and responsible for the HERE brand. “That’s why we have been investing and will continue to invest in building the world’s most powerful location offering, one that is unlike anything in the market today.”

Using LiveSight(TM) to see more of the real world
As part of its announcement, Nokia introduced LiveSight(TM), a technology based on a highly accurate, 3D map of the world. LiveSight(TM) provides the most precise and intuitive augmented reality experience and uses a phone’s camera viewfinder to make discovering the world as easy as lifting up a phone. Nokia City Lens, which was developed exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices, is the first application providing a LiveSight-enabled experience.

“Establishing a new brand is the right move for Nokia in the map and location business. Nokia’s assets in this space are world class. We believe mapping and location will be increasingly important to developing next generation devices and services across a wide array of segments,” said Crawford Del Prete, Executive Vice President and Head of worldwide research at IDC.

______________________________

Nokia To Acquire earthmine Inc.

BERKELEY, CA – November 13th, 2012 – earthmine Inc. announced today that it is has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Nokia. earthmine, based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software.

The earthmine team is expected to join the Nokia Location & Commerce business and Berkeley, California will become a key site for the development of 3D reality capture technology.

“We are very excited to be joining Nokia – a company with a huge presence and vision in mapping,” said John Ristevski, co-CEO of earthmine Inc. “We could not hope for a better place to fulfill and accelerate our mission of indexing the world in 3D.

November 14, 2012
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean binaries added to AOSP, The Devs Rejoice!

Good news for all custom rom developers, hoping to play around with the new Android 4.2. Google has added the binaries of the newest OS to AOSP(Android Open-Source Project). Uptill now only the Nexus 10 and the Nexus 4 were enjoying the sweetness of Android 4.2 now that Google has opened the gates, expect all custom devices, to start making the jump to Android 4.2 in the coming weeks if not days.

The Binaries for the Nexus 4 have been kept under wraps, but Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are out there in the open along with the 4.2 for Galaxy Nexus.

[Google Developers]

November 14, 2012
Google Nexus 7 Goes on Sale in India for 19,990 Starting Today

The Google Nexus 7 Tablet will go on sale today in India. Tablet maker Asus confirmed that sale of the tablet would begin today, with an entry level Nexus 7 with 16GB storage priced at Rs 19,990. The Nexus 7 available in India is not the new Android 4.2 variant recently announced but the original Jelly Bean version launched early this year.

The Nexus 7 has a 7-inch screen with IPS (in-plane switching) screen with a resolution of 1,280×800 pixels. The Nexus 7 has a 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, which includes a 12-core GPU. It also has a Micro-USB port, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.2-megapixel front camera . The Nexus 7 has been touted as one of the best 7 inch tablets and only stand in competition to Kindle Fire HD and the likes.

The Nexus 7 also has a more enhanced display according to display tech expert display mate. The Rs 19,999 price is for the Nexus 7 with 16GB storage. The same model sells in the US for $199. Until a few weeks ago, this model used to cost $249 while the one with 8GB storage was sold for $199. But on October 29, Google discontinued the 8GB version of Nexus 7. It reduced the price on 16GB model and introduced a new model with 32GB storage. It also launched the 3G version of Nexus 7 with 32GB storage.

November 8, 2012
Google : Maps App Might Struggle For Apple approval

Those hoping to see Google Maps return to the iPhone might not want to hold their breath.

Sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans say they are “not optimistic” that Apple will ever approve a dedicated Google Maps iOS app. Though the app is reportedly in development and should be ready to ship by the end of the year, the sources say their plans are only proceeding in “the unlikely event” that Apple will choose to approve the app.

Although any user can bookmark a page on the Safari browser linking to maps.google.com, many have been hoping that Apple will allow Google Maps back on the iPhone as a dedicated third-party app via the App Store. But there are doubts among some circles inside Google that such an app, when completed, would be approved by Apple.

While one source indicated increased hopes that the dedicated Google Maps iOS app will eventually be approved now that Apple’s maps leader, Scott Forstall, has departed the company, another was less than enthusiastic about any increased prospects, citing industry politics and Apple’s need to save face as much as possible and “keep moving forward in an effort to make its obviously inferior product better”. The source also cites the present organisation of the App Store, which, to them, suggests Apple has little interested in approving an official Google Maps app.

The release in mid-September of Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 6, which runs on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and is pre-installed on the iPhone 5, saw Apple replace Google Maps as the phone’s mapping software of choice with Apple’s own in-house mapping solution. Apple’s Maps app was widely panned by both the technology press and consumers. The software saw train stations disappear, an airport relocated miles from where it should be, and local points-of-interest, like cafes and shops, completely erased from streets. Public transport information and some locations were lost. The addition of turn-by-turn navigation and vector graphics – which Google had refused to provide to Apple on the iPhone – did not satisfy a significant number of users.

Although chief executive Tim Cook said in October that 200 million devices had been upgraded to iOS 6, the new maps are seen as Apple’s most significant recent failure, and led Cook to issue a rare public apology on behalf of the company. Internal strife over the new maps was so great it reportedly became a key part of what led Cook last week tofire Forstall, the chief architect of Apple’s iOS and the one finally responsible for choosing to replace Google’s maps with Apple’s own.

Google’s sources though do not think their own Maps app would be approved quickly. Specifically, they point to the lack of any mapping app in the “Find maps for your iPhone” section of the App Store – accessible only via iPhones or iPads – that use the Google Maps APIs to call wirelessly for location, routing or point-of-interest (POI) data.

Further, a source at Google told me the feeling is that those apps were purposely left out of the new section because they promote Google and its “superior product” – at a time when there is so much bad blood between the companies over the continuing smartphone patent litigation (following allegations from the late Steve Jobs that Google’s Android OS ripped off iOS). In other words, no matter how bad Apple’s Maps are, the company still wants its users to move on from Google – and forget about them. This doesn’t bode well for the approval of an official Google Maps app, the source says.

[The Guardian]

November 7, 2012
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Hits 2.7% Adoption, ICS at 25.8%, Gingerbread Still On 50%

Google has once again released their numbers of where each Android OS version is sitting at. This month it’s OS 4.1 Jelly Bean that has seen a modest boost, now powering 2.7% of all Android devices and up 0.9% in the last month. Ice Cream Sandwich also rose a respectable 5.1% to 25.8%. Still making up the largest share is OS 2.3 Gingerbread with 54.2%, but a good sign is that it decreased in the last four weeks by 1.6%. In addition, Cupcake, Donut Eclair and Froyo have all falled in percentages and continue to make their way into the history books.

What version are you running?

November 2, 2012
75% Of Smartphones Shipped in Q3 Run On Android

Smartphones running Google’s Android software have leapt to 75% share of worldwide smartphone shipments, according to market tracker IDC.

Google’s OS was present on 136 million devices shipped in Q3, up from 71 million a year ago, a boost of 91.5% year-over-year. Apart from RIM and Apple, most smartphone manufactures have produced a wide variety of handsets that run on Android.

Coming in a distant second was Apple’s iOS with 14.9% of the smartphone market. That is also impressive as Apple has only three phones in production, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5.

Top-end Androids like Samsung’s Galaxy S III (which is expected to sell 30 million this year) are holding their own against Apple’s iPhone.

Coming in 3rd place is RIM – who hasn’t come out with a new smartphone in over a year – and they captured 4.3% of the market, significantly dropping of 34.7% over last year. Hopefully RIM’s tune will change when they launch their new BB10 devices in early 2013.

Nokia’s Symbian squeaked in with 2.3% market share, meanwhile Microsoft’s Windows Mobile/Windows Phone rose 140% over the year to take hold of 2% of the market, but have failed to grab the buyers attention. This might shift with all their new WP8 handset coming out in a couple weeks.

November 2, 2012
HTC Will Launch the new portfolio including Windows Phone 8X and 8s for India and Asia Today

We are in Singapore for the launch of the new HTC Windows Phone 8 Devices, including the Windows Phone 8X and the 8S alongside Android devices like the HTC One X Plus. We will get you cover by cover so stay tuned to iGyaan and expect updates on Twitter ( @iGyaan) and Facebook as they happen.

HTC Windows Phone 8X will Be HTC’s flagship running Windows Phone 8 operating system, which was officially released on the 29th of October. It features a completely new approach to Windows Phone 8 Devices with a new polycarbonate unibody design and a list of new bright colors. The HTC Windows Phone 8X features a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.3 inch display, 16GB of inbuilt storage and 1GB of RAM. WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC and an integrated 1,800mAh Li-ion battery. There’s also quadband radio support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSPA/WCDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) and LTE where available.

The HTC Windows Phone 8S also features similar builds but has a dual tone look. The display is a rather sharp 4-inch, 720p screen. For memory there’s 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage, with room for an additional 32GB via microSD expansion. That actually puts it above the 8X, which is stuck at 16GB of space thanks to its lack of expandable memory support.

The HTC One X+ (plus) will come with a faster 1.7GHz Tegra 3 CPU, larger 2,100mAh battery, expanded 64GB of storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4+ onboard. The One X+ is targeted to replace the One X as a new flagship for Android.

No information on pricing, but all of the above are pegged at a pre Diwali availability. Stay tuned for more information.

November 2, 2012
Android 4.2 Camera Ported to Galaxy Nexus on 4.1.1

Sporting a Galaxy Nexus, and love the camera on the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean? Then you might just be in luck, as a user from Android Central’s forums has ported the camera app and is now available to download for your Nexus Running 4.1.1.

Its as easy as moving files into location and changing the permissions. Interested?. check out the link below for more instructions.

[Android Central Forums]

November 1, 2012
Asus : Nexus 7 Sales Approach 1 Million Per Month

Sales of Google and Asustek’s Nexus 7 tablet have steadily increased since its launch, and are now near 1 million units per month.

Asustek Chief Financial Officer David Chang told The Wall Street Journal that Nexus 7 sales have grown from a start of about 500,000 units in the first month. In the latest month of sales, the number was “close to 1 million.”

[quote]David Chang said , “At the beginning, it was, for instance, 500K units a month, then maybe 600, 700K. This latest month, it was close to 1 million.”[/quote]

Even though Apple sold some 14 million iPad for this quarter, 3 million devices for the quarter is a pretty big number for Google’s tiny tablet. Asus also showed a 43 percent jump in net profits — $230 million compared to $160 million last year, says the report.

The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire face stiff competition from Apple’s new 7.9-inch iPad mini, which will go on sale this Friday. The iPad mini has a starting price of $329, which places it at a premium over the $199 entry price of the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7.

Late Monday, Google also released an upgraded version of the Nexus 7. The $199 version now has 16GB space while there’s another 32GB version with 3G for $299. Wi-Fi only 32GB Nexus 7 will cost $249.

The original 8GB Nexus 7 has been discontinued. The new version runs pure Google Android OS version 4.2 aka Jelly Bean.

October 31, 2012