Google

Feb

[Updated: OTA Installations Are Here!] Google Announces Android Market Web Store - Online Now At Market.Android.Com

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Apps/Games, Google

Oh yes, those juicy rumors about an online version of the Market were true - the "Android Market Web Store," as Google is calling it, is accessible now via market.android.com.

As you can see, a list of featured/best selling games populates the front page, along with a list of categories, a "Sign in" button (~~which, at the time of this writing, leads to an 'invalid request error'~~), and a "Search" function. Once you click on one of the apps, you are taken to a page somewhat like the one in the second screenshot, with a description, links to "Overview," "User Reviews," "What's New," and "Permissions" on top, as well as a list of related apps on the left side and a QR code and a "Tweet" button on the right side.

Feb

[Updated: It's Back] Android Market Currently Experiencing Downtime - A Sign Of Things To Come?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

Update: And it's back, with no noticeable changes. Nonetheless, we'll be sure to let you know if and when Google announces something Market-related - stay tuned!

We don't want to jump to conclusions here, but it's February 2nd - the day of Google's Honeycomb- and "Android ecosystem"-related event, and the Market is currently experiencing downtime. It makes perfect sense given the rumors we've been hearing about an upcoming update to the Market, though it could, of course, be nothing more than scheduled maintenance. We hope we'll find out exactly what this is about later today - whatever it is, we'll keep you updated (pun intended)!

Jan

Google: OTA Fix For The Nexus S Reboot Issue Coming In 1-2 Weeks

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Nexus S owners, listen up. If you own Samsung's flagship "Google Experience" device, it's likely you've experienced a random reboot bug that we reported on over 2 weeks ago. The Google bug tracker thread for this issue has been a roller coaster of emotion - after getting filled with a large number of comments, it was declined by a Google employee, only to be reopened shortly after due to a public outcry.

As if adding fuel to the fire, the thread was closed yet again in the past hour by a different employee. His action were reverted mere minutes later, which is making me wonder whether Google engineers sometimes need to talk to each other a bit more often.

Jan

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

Posted by Artem Russakovskii 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.

Jan

Editorial: The Nexus One: One Year Later

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Google, Nexus One (Passion)

It doesn't seem like it, but just a year and a few days ago, Google made available the first handset to bear the Nexus name - and what a long way we've come since. When the Nexus One was released, there were cries of "iPhone killer" and of Google entering the handset arena in direct competition with Apple. While the latter assertion remains debatable - the first does not. The Nexus One was a near-total commercial failure next to the iPhone 3GS, and even the original Motorola DROID ate the Nexus One for breakfast in terms of sales.

But the Nexus One changed so much about Android, and the design philosophies of the phones that followed it.

Jan

Google Translate For Android Hits Version 2.0, Receives Conversation Mode, Updated UI

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

As far as Android translation apps go, Google Translate is still among the best available - sure, it isn't perfect, but it's free and for the occasional translation it'll suffice. To celebrate the app's first birthday, Google has updated it to 2.0 and added a new feature called "Conversation Mode."

Image Credit: Engadget

Conversation Mode allows you and your foreign friend to speak in two different languages before having Google Translate display the words you say onscreen in your native languages (as seen in the second screenshot above). For now, it only works with Spanish and English, and it has problems with regional accents, background noise, and rapid speech, but it's a start.

Jan

Google Acknowledges Nexus S Reboot Issue

Posted by Josh Cooter in Google, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

If you were one of the early adopters of the Samsung Nexus S, chances are you have been plagued by the highly obnoxious reboot syndrome experienced during daily phone calls. Upon making or receiving a phone call, the phone will suddenly and unexpectedly go black and reboot for no apparent reason. Up until recently, Nexus S owners have felt ignored by Google in regards to this issue. Previously, Google has qualified their negligible stance on the issue with claims that the issue was not with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but instead Samsung's fault because of the hardware itself. All of the concern growing in the community forum seems to have gained their attention now; however, and Google has successfully replicated the issue in order to issue a fix.

Jan

CES 2011: A Look At RCA's Android TV Prototype

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Google TV, News

At the RCA booth today we got a quick glimpseat something they're working on. It's a 42" full HD TV, that runs Android 2.2 at the same time. The OS can be controlled from the TV's remote or with what looked strikingly similar to the Brando Rii Bluetooth keyboard. The UI is a custom media-centric launcher which allows you to view images and videos on the large screen. Around the back we found a USB port which indicates that you should be able to play external media from your own storage devices.

As you can see in the notecard, the Android TV supposedly has access to the Android Market.

Jan

Logitech Revue Rooted Using Soldering Iron, USB Drives, And Un-Updated Firmware

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Google TV, Logitech, Mods, News, Revue

It's taken months of blood, sweat, and tears, but the Logitech Revue has finally been rooted!

Before you get too excited, I must warn you that the process isn't for the faint of heart (you'll have to physically crack open the Revue's box and solder some wires in), and you'll need a brand new device that hasn't received any firmware updates.

That said, there will undoubtedly be those of you eager to give it a shot, so if your device qualifies, go ahead - instructions lie below.

Hardware Portion
In order to complete the root you will need an un-updated box, it seems as if the first or second update to the box closed the serial access hole.

Jan

Samsung Shows Off Two Google TV Boxes, Calls Them An "Experiment"

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Google TV, News, Samsung

Google TV has met a lot of troubles on its quest to popularize Internet-connected TVs, not the least of which has been several lackluster reviews. So it isn't surprising that manufacturers have either ditched plans to develop their own Google TV products or at least held off on announcing them until after CES. Samsung, however, has decided to show off two of their own boxes running the software, though they aren't throwing their support behind the platform just yet.

The two boxes - one a stand-alone set top box (similar to Logitech's Revue) and the other a Blu-Ray player - are not even close to their final form, and neither even had a controller yet.