Posts with tag android
Factory reset your Google Glass
Google releases Google Glass system image
It’s no secret that people like to mod their Android devices, and Google’s new Google Glass headset has been no exception – a young but vibrant modding and hacking community has already flourished out of the Google Glass Explorer Edition developer kits that have already been made available, and now Google is supporting this small but eager community by releasing the clean Google Glass system image for those looking to factory reset their Google Glass’s operating system and bootloader.
The operating system itself weighs in at 331MB and the bootloader at a mere 4.4MB, Google also provides a warning for those who are using these to fix Android installations broken in rooting processes, saying:
Warning: Rooting, unlocking, or flashing your Glass voids your warranty and can leave your device in an irrecoverable state. You will no longer receive OTA updates if you unlock or root your GLass. There is no guarantee that you will receive OTA updates even after flashing back to factory specifications. Proceed at your own risk.
Google Glass Explorer Edition is just now being made available to those in the general public invited by Google – the headset is slated to go on sale for an undisclosed price later this year.
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: Android Police
Could the Nexus program expand to HTC?
HTC One model with stock Android coming soon?
Google made waves when they introduced the “Google edition” Samsung Galaxy S4 the other week at I/O 2013, which brought the pure stock Android experience traditionally found in Google’s own Nexus devices to Samsung’s high end Android device. But what about us fans of the beautiful and powerful HTC One – don’t we have anything to look forward to? We do, according to sources who have spoken with popular Android blog AndroidAuthority, who say that HTC will soon be announcing the HTC One “Google Edition” to match Samsung’s efforts.
The device is said to be coming sometime this summer and will include an entirely stock version of Android 4.2.2, the absolute latest version of Android available. The hypothetical device would sell alongside the Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 “Google Edition” on Google’s own Play Store and would come unlocked for use on either T-Mobile or AT&T, and yes – unlike the Nexus 4, it will retain LTE capabilities.
So you can pay $649 for a piece of plastic running stock or… You can wait :) #IO13
— Leigh (@jetleigh) May 15, 2013
To add to the rumors, HTC employee Leigh Momii recently tweeted her thoughts on the stock Samsung Galaxy S4, coyly telling users to wait if they’re interested in a stock Android device.
Source: AndroidAuthority
Strike one for Facebook on mobile
HTC not bringing the HTC First to the UK after Facebook Home’s poor reception
While there’s no denying that Facebook Home is a promising alternative to the standard Android home screen, there’s also little denying that it’s been – well – somewhat of a flop until now. With poor reception of the software, poor sales of the HTC First (the first and as of yet only phone with Facebook Home preloaded), and few download numbers putting a damper on Facebook’s vision of a Facebook Phone, everyone knew it could only be a matter of time before Facebook made some sort of comment on the matter.
Well, today’s the day we hear such a comment – according to HTC carrier EE, Facebook and HTC have opted not to bring the HTC First to the UK due to what the carrier is calling poor “customer feedback”. In the statement, EE said they were told by none other than Facebook and HTC themselves not to carry the HTC First “at this time”, saying: “While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision.”
Don’t worry EE/Facebook/HTC, we’re sure nobody has really shed a tear for this today.
Still has a long way to go
Windows Phone becomes the third most widely used mobile operating system in the world
Things have been pretty bad for BlackBerry for quite some time now, but today they just got a little worse – market firm IDC has just released their latest look on the mobile landscape and have discovered that, for the first time, Windows Phone has overtaken BlackBerry’s spot as the third most widely used mobile operating system platform in the world, behind Android at #1 and iOS at #2.
According to IDC’s numbers, Windows Phone made up 3.2% of all mobile handsets shipped this quarter, while BlackBerry only made up a mere 2.9%. Android devices meanwhile made up 75% while iOS dropped to 17.3%, a huge shift in the tides towards Android’s favor. That said, the iPhone 5 has been on sale for quite some time now while Android competitors such as Samsung and HTC continue to make constant improvements to their products.
Source: IDC
Stock Android on your Galaxy S4
Google announces special “Google Edition” Galaxy S4
I/O has been full of surprises today. Just announced is the “Google Edition” Samsung Galaxy S4. Hardware-wise, it’s exactly the same as a retail Galaxy S4; the difference is in the software.
The “Google Edition” Galaxy S4 comes with Android 4.2 with the same experience as the Nexus family of devices, despite it not being a Nexus device. The phone comes with 16GB of built-in storage, is SIM unlocked for AT&T and T-Mobile and is also bootloader unlocked so you can run just about anything on it.
If you’re interested in one, you can head over to the Google Play store on June 26th. It will cost $649.
Source: Google I/O 13 Keynote
Finally, a real XCode competitor for Android
Google announces new “Android Studio” development environment
In one of the best kept secrets of this year’s I/O Developer Conference, Google has just announced a new tool exactly zero people were probably expecting – Android Studio, a brand new development environment similar to Apple’s XCode and Microsoft’s Visual Studio, entirely for Android applications. Android Studio comes with some pretty unique (and extraordinarily useful sounding) features, including live code updates, live graphical user interface rendering, support for differences between international versions of applications in one binary, and the ability to check and see what your application looks like on any of Google’s flagship Nexus devices before ever even hitting the “compile” button.
Google says that they have “big plans” for Android Studio going forward – it isn’t yet a complete replacement for whatever you’re using now, but Google promises that they’ll be adding functionality and features quickly as time goes on to make it your one stop shop for Android development.
Source: The Verge
It's been long expected
Google formally announces Game Center competitor, “Google Play game services”
Not too long ago we brought you evidence that Google was preparing to announce a competitor to Apple’s Game Center service, and today Google made good on our prediction at I/O 2013 – Google has just announced that they’re calling the much rumored service “Google Play game services” (doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it?) that any Android application will be able to plug into with ease.
Using a set of new APIs, developers will be able to enable their games to take advantage of a Cloud Save feature, meaning users will be able to pick up their games from where they left off no matter what device they pick up and play it on, leaderboards, achievements, multiplayer, matchmaking, and – you guessed it – total Google+ integration, if the developer is so inclined.
Developing…
Source: The Verge
That's the wow factor
Google announces 900 million Android activations in 2013
Google has just announced at their annual I/O developer conference that Google has seen 900 million unique Android activations thus far as of May 15th 2013, essentially eclipsing the total number of activations in the entirety of 2012 in just four and a half months. According to Google’s Sundar Pichai, head of Android and Chrome OS, this is up from 400 million Android activations in 2012 and just 100 million in 2011.
Google Android has obviously seen a huge growth spurt in the last couple of years as Android devices become more and more prominent in the marketplace. Android has just recently began to see some success in the tablet space, where the Apple iPad previously dominated essentially without competition. Though he did not go into specifics, tablets likely made up a large portion of the total 2012 and 2013 activations.
Source: The Verge
iMessage is the new BBM, BBM is the new iMessage
BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android and iPhone this summer
BlackBerry’s CEO Thorsten Heins just announced this morning that BlackBerry’s golden jewel of exclusivity, BlackBerry Messenger, will be coming to both the iPhone via an iOS app and Android devices sometime this summer. Once upon a time, BlackBerry Messenger was the premiere mobile messaging service before it was replaced by the likes of iPhone and Android users running WhatsApp and iMessage. BlackBerry is obviously hoping that the move will revitalize the aging service, bringing a much needed boost of users and potential contacts for current users.
Heins noted that only simple messaging and group capabilities will be available at launch, but the application will quickly expand to include the usual array of BBM voice, BBM channels, screen sharing and video capabilities that current BBM users are used to.
Clearly, BlackBerry is hoping that yesteryear is the new tomorrow – but what say you? Have you permanently jumped ship in favor of iMessage, or are you willing to give BlackBerry another chance?
"NVidia Shield" is about to launch
NVidia’s revolutionary new game console to sell for $349, preorders start May 20th
NVidia is getting ready to launch the NVidia Shield, a revolutionary new handheld game console running Android complete with a 720p screen built into a controller similar in appearance and functionality to your average XBox 360 controller, which we first saw at CES earlier this year under the name “Project SHIELD”.
The new console will be available for preorder starting May 20th at NewEgg, NVidia, GameStop, Micro Center, and Canada Computers and will run you a pricey $349 – that’s more than the similarly spec’d Ouya console and even Nintendo’s base model Wii U, if you’re keeping tally.
For those more interested in spec’s then value, the NVidia Shield should more than deliver – inside we’ve got a Tegra 4 SoC, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.2.1, GPS, and HDMI for more traditional TV gaming; the Shield will support “Shield” exclusive games, Android games, and will even allow users the ability to stream desktop PC games to the Shield’s built in display.
NVidia has yet to reveal the specific release date for their new console, however given the imminent pre-order we’d assume that we’ll be hearing about a release date fairly shortly.
Siri or Now?
Google Now for iOS now available
Yes, the rumours were right: Google Now has come to iOS. The Now functionality comes as an update to the Google Search app. The only downside is, it’s not a 1:1 duplicate of the Android version. Google Now for iOS will not include integration with notifications or alerts nor will it include support for all the cards such as events, concerts, boarding passes, etc.
It may be that over time the iOS version grows closer to its Android counterpart. In the meantime, iOS users will have to put up with a slightly less-featured version of Google Now.
Source: Engadget
The Glass Companion app knows all
Google’s upcoming Google Games for Android service outed
Google has long rumored to be building a competitor to Microsoft’s XBox Live service and Apple’s Game Center service, but we’ve always been relatively short on any actual evidence – until now, that is. A look into the just released Google Glass Companion App reveals numerous references to the upcoming service, as uncovered by Android Police today.
Inside the APK resides an innocent enough looking “Games” folder which, when taking a peak inside, reveals files that provides compatibility to important pieces of functionality such as Real-Time Multiplayer, Turn Based Multiplayer, In Game Chat, Achievments, Leaderboards, Invitations, and Game Lobbies.
Though Google Glass Companion appears to make no use of the aforementioned functionality, these files were provided and bundled by Google themselves – a simple update is all that would be required to provide a UI for the service. Based on the evidence here, it appears that Google Games for Android appears to be incredibly late in development, if not completed, and could potentially be making an appearance any day now – perhaps at the Google I/O conference next May?
Source: Android Police
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