13
May
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Head Of Android Sundar Pichai Talks Google I/O, Android, And Chrome - Confirms Focus On Developer Tools, Not A Major Android Revision

Posted by in Android OS, News

Newly appointed head of Google's Android division Sundar Pichai - who perhaps not-so-incidentally also leads the Chrome OS team - recently sat down with Wired for his first interview since Andy Rubin's departure. Though he didn't speak to specifics about any mysterious Motorola smartphone or Chromebook Pixel follow-up, Pichai did shed some light on the state of Android, Google's open-source philosophy, and future projects.

When asked if separate operating systems - Chrome OS and Android, for instance - confuse users, Pichai said the OS is less important than the apps, ecosystem, and backend people rely on. He also emphasized that developers, concerned about distributing their products on particular platforms, appreciate the flexibility multiple operating systems provide.

10
May
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Multiple Reports Now Indicate Babel Will Be Called Google Hangouts, May Be Unveiled At I/O

Posted by in News, Rumors

Readers, Babel no more. As first reported by a historically credible member of The Verge forums and confirmed today by a Tech Radar source, Google's unified messaging platform will be known as Hangouts when it's officially unveiled, and may launch as soon as Google I/O. Tech Radar's contact provided a screenshot that further lends credence to the new name: nestled among the emoticons and toolbar of the alleged interface, an expanded drop down menu includes particularly conspicuous options referencing "Hangouts," which is the closest thing to a dead giveaway that I can think of.

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Google's efforts to consolidate its Talk, Google+ Hangout, and photo sharing services into a cohesive product have been rumored for the past several months.

10
Apr
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Chrome Beta For Android Updated To 27 – Brings Fullscreen To Phones, Better Searching, Tab History, And More

Posted by in Applications, News

Well guys, after lots of wishing/hoping/praying, fullscreen is finally available on Chrome for Android. The phone-specific feature made its way into Chrome 27 – which currently just hit the beta channel – alongside a few other useful features:

The Chrome Team is happy to announce the promotion of Chrome 27 to the Beta channel for Android. Chrome 27.0.1453.49 contains a number of great new updates including:

  • Fullscreen on phones - Scroll down the page and the toolbar will disappear.
  • Simpler searching - Searching from the omnibox will keep your search query visible in the omnibox, making it easier to edit, and show more on your search result page.

25
Mar
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Chromebook Pixel Lightning Review: The Best $1300+ You Can Spend On A Web Browser

Posted by in Google, Other Reviews

Yeah, we know – it doesn't run Android, and really, it has nothing to do with Android. But it is a Google product, so by default it's at least tangentially related - call it Android's cousin. It's also Google's statement that ChromeOS is important, that it's not just some side project. It's saying that we should all pay attention. That ChromeOS is the real deal, and the Chromebook Pixel is the best experience that ChromeOS has to offer.

And what an experience it is. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill, $250 Chromebook. Far from it, in fact – the Pixel is jam-packed with some of the best hardware on the market (rivaling most Ultrabooks), and has the most beautiful display I’ve ever laid eyes on.

11
Mar
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Google Chrome Uploads 'Now Everywhere' One-Minute Spot, Reminds Viewers 'Chrome Has You Covered'

Posted by in Google, News, Videos

I've been using (and loving) Google's Chrome browser daily on my laptop, desktop, phone, and tablet for quite some time now. Heck, I'd probably install it on my toaster if it were possible. And despite any of the complaints I routinely hear about Chrome's mobile iteration (ahem, where's the "full screen" option, again?), there are a few great reasons I keep it on all my devices.

Touching on each and every one of those, the Google Chrome YouTube channel today uploaded a one-minute ad spot touting the fact that Chrome is "For Everyone, Now Everywhere," and can enhance your life with auto-filled addresses, remembered passwords, and cross-device sync.

27
Feb
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Use Chrome On Your Phone As A Controller In Google's New Desktop Browser-Based Game 'Super Sync Sports'

Posted by in Games, News
Last Updated: March 1st, 2013

Google's no stranger to using web technologies to do cool, innovative things. In fact, some would say that over the last few years the company has pushed (or broken) the barriers of what a web browser is, and can be – just look at ChromeOS, for example. It's an entire OS based on the idea that you can live your digital life inside of a web browser. The thought itself is bold, but the execution could be game-changing as the OS grows and becomes more polished.

Today, Google is further showing off what it can do with its Chrome browsers – both mobile and desktop – with a new game called "Super Sync Sports." Essentially, it's a Chrome game that uses your mobile device as the game controller.

19
Feb
androidland

[Rumor] Wall Street Journal Corroborates Report Of Google Retail Stores In The Works

Posted by in Google, News

There have been a few items in the rumor mill about Google either investigating or planning retail stores, not unlike the Apple stores that famously dot malls and upper-class shopping areas around the world. 9to5 Google reported a tip from "an extremely reliable source" citing a 2013 rollout schedule for a Google store. Then the Wall street Journal, itself a pretty reliable reporter of the inner workings of Google, reported the same thing. The WSJ omitted a time frame, and noted that the 2013 claim may not be accurate.

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Australian carrier Telstra's Androidland in Melbourne. Photo credit: Wired

A Google store would naturally focus on Google hardware, such as it is: you could definitely imagine Nexus phones and tablets, Chromebooks, and maybe even a few Google TVs littering a showroom.

08
Jan
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Mozilla Lays Out Feature Sneak Peeks For Firefox For Android: Private Browsing, Themes, And More Devices

Posted by in Applications, News

The browser wars have seen a strange resurgence in the mobile world, as each platform brings its own-branded browser (Safari for iOS, Chrome for Android, IE for Windows Phone), and competitors see this as a new opportunity to gain more relevance after the desktop arena begins to settle. Mozilla certainly seems to think so as it starts to tease some new features it's currently working on for its Android-based Firefox app.

For starters, private browsing. It should go without saying that whether you're looking for some—*ahem*—discrete fun, or just want to check out a site without storing any personal info, this is an absolute must.  No word on when it will arrive, but it will.

01
Jan
android-a-look-back-to-2011-and-a-look-forward-to-2012

Android: A Look Back To 2012, And A Look Forward To 2013

Posted by in Editorials, News, Rumors
Last Updated: January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year! It's that time again; with the new year comes our new annual prediction post. I tackled this last year, and rather than do a bunch of crazy, pulled-from-thin-air predictions, I ended up with a link-filled research-fest for the year. It worked out pretty well, so that's what's on the docket for today. First though, I'll take a look and see just how many of last year's predictions and rumors came true, and provide some updates for the more important topics.

A Look Back To 2012

What a crazy year. 2012 brought us two versions of Jelly Bean: 4.1 and 4.2.  We saw a complete transformation of Google Search with the Knowledge Graph, Google Now, voice output, and Google Goggles integration.

08
Dec
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Google Now Heading To Chrome In The Future, 'Skeleton' Framework Already In Place

Posted by in Google, News

I hope you like Google Now, because it looks like this product is here to stay for a long time. As we speak, Chrome developers are working on bringing Popular Science's Innovation of the Year to the desktop, instead of keeping it trapped just on your phone or tablet. As it turns out, a "skeleton" framework is already in place for the search product to move in.

Google's not being shy about the existence of this product, but also isn't in a hurry to announce it, either:

Google confirmed that it's working on the project, but stopped short of committing to it.

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