Tag: google

Huawei Nexus 6P To Come With 128 GB Storage

It’s 2015 and our tolerance for 16 GB storage is almost coming to an end. Google is hearing your wishes loud and clear, the result of which will be seen by the end of the month. According to a report by Android Police, the upcoming Huawei Nexus 6P will feature a cool 128 GB of internal storage. The phone will also be available in 32 GB and 64 GB variants.

If the report is true, it would make the Huawei Nexus the first Google developer device to offer such a high storage capacity. Last year’s Nexus 6 had 32 GB and 64 GB variants. Google’s next flagship phablet is unlikely to feature a MicroSD card slot. The three variants will be separated by a price difference of anywhere between $50-100. The LG Nexus 5X that will be launched along with Huawei Nexus 6P, will be offered in 32 GB and 64 GB variants.

Other features of the Nexus 6P include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset, with 3 GB of RAM and a 5.7-inch display. Both Nexus’ will run on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and will debut on September 29th at the event in San Francisco. So if you’re looking to go big on storage for your next smartphone, you may want to start saving up from now.

September 21, 2015
Google’s New Phones Will Be Called Nexus 5X And Nexus 6P

We’ve been giving out rumours and hints about Google’s dual Nexus smartphones that will be unveiled on the 29th of September. We also know that one will be by LG and the other by Huawei. Now, we have reports by Droid Life who confirm that the LG device will be called the Nexus 5X while the Huawei will be Nexus 6P.

The LG device is rumoured to have a 5.2-inch display while the Huawei device will sport a 5.7 inch screen. Other features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset, with 3 GB of RAM for the Huawei Nexus 6P, while the LG device will feature a Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor with 3 GB of RAM.

Google will also release the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a 2nd Gen Chromecast. Whether or not the new Nexus names will stick till the end of the month is anyone’s guess. Follow this space for more updates on the Google event.

Image Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.talkandroid.com/265549-googles-upcoming-smartphones-from-lg-and-huawei-will-be-the-nexus-5x-and-nexus-6p/”]Talk Android[/tw-button]

September 19, 2015
Google Officially Confirms – New Nexus’ Arrive on 29th Sept

The invitations are out. Google has sent out invitations for the much speculated 29 September event, which is now a fact. Judging by the line “some tasty new treats and much s’more”, Google plans on showcasing some sweet goodies.

Earlier leaks hinted at the launch of two new Nexus flagships running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. One will be produced by LG and the other by Huawei. While there are no details on what other devices Google plans to unveil at the event, reports suggest that Google may just come out with a successor to Chromecast, the media streaming device, which is said to include some new features such as customizable feeds on the home screen, improved Wi-Fi performance, and a new feature called ‘Fast Play.

Seeing that Apple and Amazon debuted new devices for the TV this month, Google could also have something along this line up their sleeves. At this point, anything is possible. The event will begin at 12PM ET / 9AM PT on September 29th. Follow this space for more on the event.

September 19, 2015
Google Finally Releases its NFC Payment System Android Pay

Android Pay, the revamped Google Wallet app, was launched in the US in a number of locations. The Android Pay will be a one-touch payment app much like the Apple Pay, using NFC technology and Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

Existing Google Wallet customers can update the app and see it morph into the Android Wallet. Google launched a separate app Google Wallet app that focuses on person-to-person payments between friends and family like Square Cash and Venmo.

In their blog Google describes the new app as “easy, fast, and free to send money directly from your bank account, debit card or Wallet Balance. When you receive money through Google Wallet, you can spend it using your Google Wallet Card wherever Debit MasterCard® is accepted in the US, use your Wallet Card to withdraw it from participating ATMs, or cash out to a debit card or linked bank account.”

However, as of now if one tries to download the new app, users will not find it as Android Pay, but rather Google Wallet (New) with its logo similar to the old Google Wallet app but with softer colors much like the recently changed Google logo. This can cause some confusion to users initially. Google will most likely work out the bugs and come out with a separate Android Pay.

The app will be made available in new locations and will support Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards from banks including Bank of America, US Bank, PNC, and others. The app will come pre-loaded on new Android phones. No details on when the app will come to India.

Click here to download.

September 12, 2015
Top 5 Features of Android Marshmallow
Three days ago, Google announced the sweet its Android OS was named after; Marshmallow. Now that it’s out in the open, let’s take a look at 5 noteworthy features it has:
1. App Permissions : You’re the Boss
This feature has gotten a makeover and Google will now allow users to take a call on which permissions they want to allow or revoke, based on the usage of these functions. Unlike right now, where you don’t have a choice but to agree to all app permissions on first install or updates, in Android M, you will get a notification asking you to allow an app to use a specific function.

Google helps to give permission in parameters like, location, camera, contacts etc. So if you’re using WhatsApp and you want to send a voice message, the App Permissions tab will pop up, asking you for permission to use the microphone. You can also revoke the permission later if you so wish. This is exactly the way Apple handles it on iOS.

2. Better Web Experience: Custom Chrome Tabs

The web browsing experience has been further enhanced with Chrome Custom tabs, a new feature, that will let you include webviews within a particular app, without switching to the Chrome browser on your phone. Features such as automatic sign-in, saved passwords, autofill etc., will work on the apps seamlessly. The Chrome Custom tab also blends with the colours and fonts of the app it is being opened with to make it more seamless than it already is.

3. App Linking

Known as Intents, Android currently supports the app linking system, which lets you open a web link in a web browser or app. Before, if you had a Twitter link in, say your inbox and you clicked on it, you got a prompt asking if you want to open the link in your browser or within the Twitter app, which is installed on your phone.

So now, Android M will first let developers add an auto-verify feature within their code, which will, in turn, help open the link within the respective app (provided the app is installed on your phone). Instead of giving you the option. Don’t worry about the security because it is only after post-authentication and verification, that this feature will follow through.

4. Android Pay

With this feature, all you need to do is unlock your phone, keep it near and NFC (near-field communication) terminal and voila, your payment is done. You don’t even have to open the app for this because payments are done by using NFC and host card emulation techniques for smooth tap-to-pay services.

Worried about security again? Google claims that once you share your credit card details, it creates a virtual account number. So, your real card number isn’t actually shared with the store you’ve shopped from.

5. Power management

Since battery is a perpetual problem, Android M will feature something called ‘Doze’ that will optimally manage the background processes.The OS keeps a watch on the motion detection sensor and if it sees no activity for a while, it shuts down some processes. However, alarms and high priority notifications can still be activated on this mode. Confident about this feature, Google claims that it helped the Nexus 9 to increase its stand by time by almost double, as compared to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Although those were just top 5, features like the standardised finger support and the USB Type-C for charging support, will just make your life easier. You can authorise an Android Pay transaction, unlock your device or make Play Store purchases, all with the sensor. Similarly, a USB Type-C has a bi-directional port which you can use to charge the phone along with another device.
August 21, 2015
Google Reveals Why We Won’t Get to See Project Ara This Year

We told you that Google’s Project Ara had been delayed and now we know why. It turns out that the futuristic phone failed its drop test and caused the the Project Ara team to rework the phone’s current model, completely.

They themselves tweeted explaining why the delay was caused saying that the phone wasn’t fairing well, when dropped. This can pose to be a huge problem when phones today are made durable, at least for typical falls. Google will now have to see how to fix the Project Ara jigsaw, without it falling apart.

Project Ara’s creators now say they’re “testing a signature experience” to attach its modules. It’s not easy to put together a phone that allows you to interchange its core components and we hope that the team can demonstrate its revised design as soon as they’re done with finding the missing link.

August 20, 2015
Name Game: Google Teases the Name of the New Android M

Remember the last time we asked you to guess what the next version of Android will be named? It’s entertaining to see which candy will get to hold the coveted title of being the latest Android OS’ name. Last year, it was Lolllipop and this October, we should hopefully see what Android M is going to stand for.

Googlers Nat and Lo were seen having some fun with the names as well as giving us a sneak peak of the new Android statue that will be displayed in the front lawn of the Google HQ, like every year. Take a look at the video below:

Apart from a new name, the Android OS will see a hoard of updates like support for Android’s version of Touch ID, better battery life management, improved permissions settings for apps and a smarter Google Now.

Th funfilled video leaves you thinking of all the delectable edibles that start with the letter M. So go ahead, tell us what you think it’s going to be as we wait for October to come.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.in.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/Google-starts-the-guessing-for-the-official-name-of-Android-M/articleshow/48501688.cms”]Techradar.india[/tw-button]

August 17, 2015
China Blocks Alphabet Within Hours Of its Announcement

Yesterday was dedicated to Google’s new parent company, Alphabet, and the new CEO of Google, Indian-born resident of US, Sundar Pichai. The social media feeds have been trending with these two names in countries all over the world. Well, all but one.

China, the country made infamous on the grounds of not allowing its citizens access to sites like Google and Facebook, banned Google’s new Alphabet website in less than 24 hours of the announcement. China has one of the most sophisticated Internet censorship systems in the world, named as the ‘Great Firewall’. This has blocked the website that only contains Google’s co-founder Larry Page’s letter and a link to Google’s existing investor relation page. Though, this is not a new story. Google withdrew from China in 2010 over censorship issues where China drew the last ball when Beijing blocked Google’s widely used Gmail service last year.

The latest news on Google Inc. is that it has renamed itself as Alphabet, an umbrella company that owns Google and the other companies that Google owned. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will run Alphabet as CEO and President, respectively, while Sundar Pichai will be the new CEO of Google.

In an official blog post, former Google CEO Larry Page claimed that the major restructuring is to make “things cleaner and more accountable.” The official Google announcement on its blog, suggest that there will be a new placeholder site called abc.xyz. However, the entire list of companies that come under Alphabet is unclear.

August 12, 2015
5 Facts About Google CEO Sundar Pichai that Ought to Inspire You

While every Indian is ecstatic at the thought of Sundar Pichai becoming the newly appointed CEO of Google, how much do we really know about the whizkid who made it to the top ranks of the $66-billion revenue, $16-billion profit, company?

Here are a few things we should know about the Indian who made it to the top, for the sake of making our morning a little inspiring.

1. He was born in Chennai and did his schooling in PSBB Jawahar Vidyalay. He belonged to a modest family where his dad managed a warehouse that made electric components. It is from there that Pichai developed an inclination towards technology and went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur.

Source: www.bloomberg.com Pichai with his parents in 1997

2. Pichai also has an MS degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School of Business (where he was awarded the Siebel scholar and the Palmer scholar). So he was always at the top of his class and continues to be so, even to this day. He’s only 43, after all.

3. While work politics play a huge role in most offices, and ego clashes occur on a regular basis, the reason that Pichai stood out so much is due to his simplicity and his ability to create brilliant teams. Caesar Sengupta, a Vice President at Google who worked with Pichai for eight years said, “I would challenge you to find anyone at Google who doesn’t like Sundar or who thinks Sundar is a jerk.” How many of us can find one person like that at our respective workplaces?

4. Pichai made a breakthrough in Google after he was given the opportunity to handle Toolbar. Although he joined in 2004, he created a lot of revenue for the company as the toolbar was a huge success and made Google come up with its own Browser in 2008.

5. Lastly, Pichai almost left Google in 2011 to become the Product Head at Twitter. However, his work and reputation had reached such heights that Google offered him a whooping 50 million dollars to stay back in the company. Naturally, he declined Twitter’s offer and look where he is today!

Source: free-stock-illustration.com
Sundar Pichai with his wife, Anjali Pichai

Pichai is a family man with a wife and two children and enjoys playing chess in his free time. He isn’t known to be a workaholic and is popular for his impeccable work ethics. While we as Indians, feel extremely proud of his accomplishment, let’s be inspired by his success. Don’t you think?

August 11, 2015
This is How Google Helps You Avoid Long Queues

Google has introduced a new search feature which can now show you the busiest hours of a particular business, so that you can avoid transactions during that period.

The location card search will now show a “popular time” section, which shows you the address, phone number and hours of the business’. You can use this feature by typing in the name of a restaurant, store, or any other business and then select the “more about” button. This will give you more information about the place and will show you the “popular times” panel. This section, is based on the “historical visits to this place”.

This feature also keeps you updated about the traffic throughout the week on an hourly basis, in case it varies. The graph will not provide you with specific numbers but will show you the busiest hours in comparison to the rest of the day.

It is available on Google’s Android app and searches within Chrome and Safari Apps on iOs. Google says it has enabled the feature for millions of places and businesses around the world.

July 29, 2015
Tech Highlights of the Week: Yureka Plus Launch, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and Much More

Yu Yureka Plus Launched in India

Yu Televentures has launched the Yu Yureka Plus, the successor to Yu Yureka, priced at Rs. 9,999. The phone comes with a 5.5 inch FHD display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 615. Check our review of the new phone and find out whether it is worth your money.

Major Moto G (Gen 3) Details Leaked

A new promotional video for the Moto G has been leaked ahead of its July 28th launch date and confirms most of what we knew about the phone so far.

Amazon Prime Is Expected to be Launched in India

According to a report, Amazon will launch its Prime service in India later this year. It is the membership program that offers unlimited free shipping on most deliveries with no minimum order size, unlimited backup for photos, access to streaming movies and music, free books from the Kindle Lending Library and more, for an annual fee.

Xiaomi Finally Launches the 32GB Variant of Mi4i

Xiaomi Mi 4i is now available in 32GB variant.

As part of the celebrations for its first anniversary in India, Xiaomi has launched the 32GB variant for its popular Mi4i phone, priced at Rs. 14,999.

Google Photos to Replace Google+ Photos Starting 1st August

In a bid to connect with their audience and to up their usage, Google has finally decided that it will be shutting down Google+ photos and making way for Google Photos by August 1st.

Sony Rolls Out its Android TV in India, Starting at Rs. 69,900

After announcing it in CES, Las Vegas, earlier this year, Sony has finally rolled out the Android TV in the Indian market at a starting price of Rs. 69,900.

With the 360 Degree View, Google Has Made Advertisements Interesting

After rolling out 360 degree videos on YouTube in March, Google has now extended the same to video ads from today. Check out one such video:

Leaked: Micromax’s Next Ultra Budget Snapdragon 615 Smartphone

Details about Micromax’s next ultra budget phone has been leaked. It will apparently be the next big thing since Canvas. The phone is expected to be below the 10k price bracket and will use a Snapdragon 615 processor.

Apple’s Q3 Report Shows The Dismal Performance of Apple Watch and Rise in China

Apple has posted its third quarterly results for 2015 and the company has performed better than the previous quarter, but apparently it wasn’t enough for the investors. Apple’s performance is based on the rise in iPhone sales and its increasing popularity in China.

Samsung Launches Galaxy Tab S2 in Two Variants

Samsung has announced the launch of Galaxy Tab S2, which the company says is “the most immersive Samsung tablet to-date” . The Galaxy Tab S2 is available in two sizes – 9.7-inch and 8.0-inch.

July 26, 2015
With the 360 Degree View, Google Has Made Advertisements Interesting

After rolling out 360 degree videos on YouTube in March, Google has now extended the same to video ads from today. No one prefers to sit through advertisements, but Google’s latest move should lead to some interesting ad campaigns, like this one:

Google says that these 360 degree videos are best enjoyed on Cardboard, its VR platform for Android. The VR does give an added advantage to 360 degree videos as it increases the presence of interactive elements in the video. Google says that for every one of these videos run as ads, the results have been impressive. For instance, Google says that Coca-Cola’s 360 video celebrating the 100th anniversary of their iconic bottle design outperformed standard in-stream video ad view-through rates by 36%.

The 360 degree videos can only be viewed on Google Chrome and YouTube apps for iOS and Android. If you want to create your own 360 degree video, you have to use one of these cameras as described by Google: Ricoh Theta,Kodak SP360, Giroptic 360cam, or IC Real Tech Allie.

Check out some more 360 degree videos:

July 23, 2015
What We Know About The Apple Car So Far

As reported earlier by us, Apple has not yet made an official announcement about its new electric car project that is currently being called Project Titan. What we know about it, is that Apple has been on a recruiting spree, hiring about a hundred new professionals from Tesla, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and the like. They have also hired former deputy director of the Autonomous Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Paul Furgale. In fact very recently, Apple just settled a law suit filed against them by automotive battery manufacturer A123 Systems accusing them of an attempt to use A123 employees to start a battery operation.

Their latest hire is Mr.Betts, a former VP for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), who has also worked with Toyota and Nissan in the past. He worked at Chrysler from 2007 to 2014 and is said to have left one day after after the company had a relatively poor showing in a Consumer Reports quality survey. It is said that Mr.Betts may be the first major automotive executive to join Apple.

Furgale is said to be hiring recruits and researchers to work with him while Apple CEO Tim Cook is also said to have hired Steve Zedesky, a veteran product designer and former Ford Motor Co. engineer, to hire a 1000 member team and recruit employees from other parts of Apple.

This initiative from Apple Inc. comes at a time when many other software companies are looking at opportunities in the automobile industry by creating software savvy, driver-less cars. Google and Uber have also been reported as developing and testing what might be called the next-gen automobiles.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.wsj.com/article_email/apple-hires-auto-industry-manufacturing-veteran-1437430826-lMyQjAxMTI1NjIwMDgyODA4Wj”]Wall Street Journal[/tw-button]

[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://mashable.com/2015/07/22/apple-hires-fca-vp-car-project/”]Mashable[/tw-button]

July 23, 2015
Google Reported 17.7 Billion In Revenue Last Quarter – Thanks To Youtube And Mobile

For the past quarterly earning reports, Google had been having a bad time. But this time, Google has beaten the expectations in the April-June quarter with a net income of $3.9, which was $3.35 billion last year, the search engine giant reported. The advertising revenues spurred by 11% yearly to make it to $17.7 billion.

The new Chief Financial Officer, Ruth Porat, said

Our strong Q2 results reflect continued growth across the breadth of our products, most notably core search, where mobile stood out, as well as YouTube and programmatic advertising. Shares soared almost 12 percent in after-hours trading.

Ruth Porat also said a part of the 60% surge of overall viewership spent on the website is all due to the time spent watching YouTube videos on smartphones or tablets.

Google acquired a total of $17.7 billion in revenue from the commencement of April to the end of June, which is an 11% increase. The net income has seen an increase to $3.93 billion, up from $3.35 billion, that the corporation earned last year, at this time. Sites owned by Google made $12.4 billion, up 13% year over year. Paid ad clicks have seen an 18% yearly increase, and paid clicks on Google’s websites saw a 30% yearly and 10% quarterly increase.

The company stated that if foreign exchange rates continued to be constant from Q2 2014 to Q2 2015, Google’s revenues would have been $1.1 billion higher.

Much like Facebook, Pinterest, and many other social networking sites, Google expects to boost its future earnings by attaching the ‘buy button’ on to mobile ads to make purchasing and shopping easier for smartphone users.

Google succeeded to accumulate a 31.42% share of funds spent on digital ads worldwide, last year. It is expected to slip marginally this year as leading social networking sited Facebook, gains ground, according to industry tracker eMarketer.

Google continues to dominate when it comes to online search-related advertising, with its share of the market this year expected to be 54.5 % according to the industry tracker.

July 17, 2015
Google Celebrates Godzilla’s Creator Tsuburaya Through Interactive Doodle

Google is renowned for recreating pop-culture nostalgia through its doodles. From Pac-man to Rubik’s Cube, these doodles celebrate the pop-culture items in our life. Today, Google has released a doodle to commemorate 114th birth anniversary of Tsuburaya Eiji, best known for creating the iconic monster lizard, Godzilla.

Light the set! Stomp the tanks! Make your own Ultraman-style monster movie w/ today's doodle ? http://t.co/1BFLUuTzW1 pic.twitter.com/6b38oYOaGA

— Google (@Google) July 7, 2015

The doodle is an interactive game that allows the user to create his own monster movie in ten easy steps or tasks. Based on how you complete each task will result in a different film.

According to Jennifer Hom, the brain behind this doodle, the project took six months to develop. The doodle was created in association with the Tsuburaya studio, so that the doodle could capture the spirit of Tsuburaya’s works.

Tsuburaya Eiji was famous for introducing tokusatsu, a special effect technique used in kaiju or Japanese monster film. The technique involves using hand-built scale models of cities and actors in foam and rubber costumes, which results in this:

Godzilla (1954)

The doodle fulfills the lifelong dream of every movie buff – to create his/her own monster film. So go ahead and make the monster film you always wanted to.

July 7, 2015