07
Jan
2013-01-07_09h38_17

Swype Beta For Android Updates To v1.4, No Longer Requires Registration, Adds 'Living Language' Crowd-Sourced Dictionary

Posted by in Applications, News

Who knew that keyboards could be so competitive? After SwiftKey released its new Flow feature, and even included the ability to fly through space, Swype had a pressing need to escalate. Well, how's this for handy: now you no longer need to register in order to download the new Swype beta! In times past, Swype's distribution model has been a little cumbersome. Of course, this will only help people who want in on the beta, but it's still a great thing. Speaking of great things, here's a video of anthropomorphized finger ninjas talking about crowd-sourced dictionaries.

Yeah, you read that right.

19
Apr
gplay_logo_g_thumb3

Google Wrests Controls Of GooglePlay.Com From Squatter

Posted by in Android OS, Legal, News

After what was a pretty obvious application of the ICANN anti-squatting policy, it seems Google has now gained control of GooglePlay.com from an ad-serving Japanese squatter. Google filed a complaint under ICANN anti-squatting regulations, and after the case's short stint at the National Arbitration Forum (a non-court but legally binding decision-making body in the US), Google now shows as the registrant of GooglePlay.com.

A quick 'whois' of the domain yields the following:

Registrant Name: DNS Admin
Registrant Organization: Google Inc.
Registrant Street1: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Registrant Street2: 
Registrant City: Mountain View
Registrant State: California
Registrant Postal Code: 94043
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: 16506234000
Registrant Fax: 
Registrant Email: dns-admin@google.com

While the page in question still loads, it shows that the domain has been seized (according to Google Translate), and a change in registrant information usually indicates that either the squatter has given up the domain freely, or a decision has been reached and the domain seized by ICANN, beginning the process of transfer of ownership.

10
Mar
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[App Giveaway] 1 VPN Is A 1-Click VPN Widget That Can Save Your Passwords - Win 1 of 20 Free Licenses ($3 Each)

Posted by in Applications, Contests / Giveaways
Last Updated: May 4th, 2011

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

One of my greatest annoyances with Android, as a developer and an employee having to connect to my company's VPN, is the complete lack of attention to usability of VPN-related activities. Not only is it impossible to pull out a widget to connect to a VPN server, but Google apparently thought it wasn't useful (and so insecure that it shouldn't even be an option) to add the ability to save the VPN password. Sure, it's more secure to type it up every time, but I give you 3 tries before you want to pull out your hair, especially on a shaky connection.

07
Feb
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[Updated: Sold Out] Google I/O Public Registration Now Open

Posted by in Development, Google, News

The tickets for Google's upcoming developer conference called I/O are now for sale to the public. They will go fast, so you may want to grab that credit card and start mashing away at the keyboard pronto. Public registration comes after a week of early registration, which was capped at 1500 tickets and ran out very fast. A total of about 5,500 tickets are said to be available, all expected to melt away very fast. So, what are you waiting for? Cough up the $450 and go, go, go!

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Update: Google's servers are currently crumbling under massive demand:

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Update #2: Google is aware.

31
Jan
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Google Opens Up Early I/O Registration

Posted by in Android OS, News

Google I/O, a conference dedicated entirely to Google technologies and hosted in San Francisco's Moscone Center, is fast approaching, and Google today opened up early registration to key developer partners and 2010 I/O attendees. Early reg, available to the first 1500 people who complete it, costs $450 ($100 more than last year). Don't worry though - when it goes public next week, the price is going to stay the same until April 17th, at which point it will go up another $100 to $550 (thanks for the correction, Philip!). Unfortunately, unless you've received a personal invitation, you will not be able to proceed with the early signup and will have to wait until February 7th.

25
Jan
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[Updated: Registration Opens February 7th] Google I/O 2011 Site Goes Live, Confirms Increased Pricing, Includes Sessions On Google TV Apps, Honeycomb

Posted by in Android OS, Google, Google TV, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Every year, Google takes over the Moscone Center in San Francisco (a convenient train ride away from me) and hosts a full-blown conference called Google I/O. The usual schedule consists of 2 opening keynotes followed by presentations and demos related to all kinds of Google technologies. Google I/O also gives you an excellent chance to mingle with developers from all over the world, network, and exchange contact information. My favorite part is something called Fireside Chats, where developers from a specific team in Google sit around, talk about their product, and answer questions. Oh, and of course, the swag and t-shirts with secret QR codes.

02
Dec
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Theft Aware Giveaway - Win 1 of 20 Free Licenses (EUR10 Each)

Posted by in Applications, Contests / Giveaways
Last Updated: December 12th, 2010

Ingenious apps come out very rarely, but when they do, I make sure to have them installed on all my Android phones and recommend them to everyone I know. Theft Aware is one such app, as you may have already found out if you've read my review. It hides itself in your phone so well, especially if it's rooted, that unless the thief installs a whole new ROM (a hard reset doesn't remove Theft Aware on rooted phones) or knows you are running Theft Aware for a fact, you will be able to track your device for as long as it has battery life.