Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Android World Update # Google Now smart watch close to being mass produced, says WSJ

Phandroid
Android Phone News, Rumors, Reviews, Apps, Forums & More! 
Manage your social media

Best social media tool for image publishing to Facebook and Twitter. Look amazing and delight your followers. Get 40% off when you sign up today.
From our sponsors
Google Now smart watch close to being mass produced, says WSJ
Oct 29th 2013, 12:10, by Quentyn Kennemer

A couple of weeks ago, we’d heard a rumor that Google would be working on a smart watch that would emphasize Google Now integration. This wasn’t totally unbelievable, of course, as rumors of smart watches being developed by the internet giant have been swirling for months. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that we’re closer than ever to seeing an unveiling.

According to them, Google has started talks with Asian partners to mass produce the device in the “months ahead.” As close as they make it sound, the timeline seems closer to “a few months” than anything in the immediate future. That’s still quite close, though, and such a timeline could put us on track for a Q1 2014 unveiling.

google-watch

Google’s apparent goal with a smart watch of their own is to introduce a solution that’s not gimmicky, but useful, and has battery life exceptional enough to make for pain-free, day-to-day usage. Google certainly has a chance to hit on all those points, especially with the power of Google Now being the driving force behind the experience.

Being able to look down at your wrist and get all the updates that matter to you — such as upcoming appointments and meetings, reminders, directions to various destinations, information about movie showtimes and sports, and more — in automatic fashion would be killer. Google could also be looking to introduce standard connectivity features that is compatible with most smartphones, such as information about incoming calls and the ability to view notifications.

As decent as smart watches have been so far, there’s no secret that the sector is leaving a lot to be desired. The Pebble smart watch is an inexpensive option, but limited functionality has people from flocking to it in droves.

Samsung galaxy gear on wrist

Mainstream offerings from Samsung and Sony have garnered lots of attention, but the value of these products are questionable. Take Samsung, for instance — the Galaxy Gear only works with a few smartphones, and it costs $300. Even with millions of Samsung users, that’s not exactly a winning formula in today’s world.

More folks are looking to step into the ring soon, with Qualcomm’s Mirasol-enabled Toq smart watch turning quite a few heads. We’re also aware that LG could be getting ready to take the segment on at some point in the future.

While we’re happy about any attempts to move the smart watch scene forward, we reckon it won’t be until Google raises the bar that everyone else begins to step their game up (much like they’ve been able to do with Android so far). Let’s hope our expectations are met whenever they’re ready to unveil it at some point next year.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Motorola introduces Project Ara: build your smartphone piece-by-piece

Android News + App Tests - AndroidPIT
This feed includes text previews of the latest news articles and app tests on www.androidpit.com. Click on the article title to read the entire article. 
Many wonderful memories are captured in black and white.

With digital photographs, the art is now in creating black and white images. This course will teach you how to use Photoshop techniques to create beautiful images.
From our sponsors
Motorola introduces Project Ara: build your smartphone piece-by-piece
Oct 29th 2013, 12:00, by Loie Favre

Imagine if smartphones could be built the way you want them to be, with all sorts of different combinations possible with various parts made from different manufacturers and developers. This open-source hardware idea is the basis of a new initiative developed by Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects group. Today they announced Project Ara. 

motorola project ara 003
This is how a Project Ara smartphone could look like. © Motorola

(This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # The Nexus 5 is ready in waiting and we know the specs

Android News + App Tests - AndroidPIT
This feed includes text previews of the latest news articles and app tests on www.androidpit.com. Click on the article title to read the entire article. 
Want to speak effortlessly in any situation?

Actress Alexa Fisher will teach you tips that will set you on the road to success.
From our sponsors
The Nexus 5 is ready in waiting and we know the specs
Oct 29th 2013, 11:30, by Kris Carlon

So that's where it's been all this time, hiding in the Great White North. We know the big reveal is only a matter of days away now, and if you believe some, hours, as there is a Google+ event scheduled for today, before we see the big announcement of the Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 along with the Nexus 10 and possibly also the Gem smartwatch. There's not much else to know, but this is like seeing the presents under the tree on Christmas morning. I just wanna tear into those boxes and die in an ecstasy of geeky giddiness.

Nexus 5 WIND Mobile

This pre-registration page has pulled back the curtains.  / © Wind Mobile

(This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # WSJ: Google watch with Google Now in late stages of development

Android Central - Android Forums - News - Reviews - Help and Android Wallpapers
Android Central 
Want to speak effortlessly in any situation?

Actress Alexa Fisher will teach you tips that will set you on the road to success.
From our sponsors
WSJ: Google watch with Google Now in late stages of development
Oct 29th 2013, 11:33, by Alex Dobie

Google+ event

Google's Android-powered smartwatch 'could be ready for mass production within months'

Rumors of Google working on its own Android-powered smartwatch are nothing new — we've been hearing whispers to that effect from several sources over the past six months. But a report in The Wall Street Journal today gives us our clearest indication yet as to when the elusive wearable might make itself known. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the paper reports that the Android-powered watch is in the late stages of development, with Google currently working to fine-tune the device to improve power efficiency and battery life. The company is reportedly now in talks with Asian suppliers to begin mass production of the device, according to today's story.

What's more, the WSJ reports that the watch will be based heavily around Google Now, Google's predictive search app. As we said in an article back in March, the advantages of having Google Now on a wearable device could be immense. If it's properly implemented, Google Now could be a perfect fit for wearable devices, and a key differentiator for Google in what could quickly become a very crowded market. Samsung and Pebble are the main players right now, but Fitbit recently inched closer to smartwatch territory with the launch of its Fitbit Force device, and HTC is said to be prepping its own smartwatch for a late 2014 launch.

The Google watch could be ready for mass production "within months," according to the WSJ, which suggests the possibility of an early-to-mid 2014 launch for the product. Google has been getting Android ready for wearables with new features like Bluetooth Low Energy support and notification listener services, but today's news casts doubt on the possibility of any watch-specific announcements alongside Android 4.4 KitKat, which we're expecting to see later this week.

For more on how Google Now might work on a watch — and why it makes too much sense not to happen — check out our write-up from earlier in the year, linked below.

More: The Google Watch with Google Now - A wearable computer for the present

Source: The Wall Street Journal


    






You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Verizon Galaxy S4 gets Android 4.3 first in the US

Android News + App Tests - AndroidPIT
This feed includes text previews of the latest news articles and app tests on www.androidpit.com. Click on the article title to read the entire article. 
Don't wait in line!

Buy your movie tickets online. Find reviews, trailers, and more at Fandango.
From our sponsors
Verizon Galaxy S4 gets Android 4.3 first in the US
Oct 29th 2013, 11:00, by Kris Carlon

At last, I hear you say! There's only days left before Nexus owners get Android 4.4 KitKat and Samsung Galaxy S4 owners are at last getting a glimpse of Android 4.3 in the US. S4 owners on the Verizon network are the first to get 4.3 Jelly Bean on their snazzy Samsung flagship. No, this is not a Halloween prank (as far as we know), but it's a welcome, albeit surprising, turn of events for the cellular network with the worst reputation for updating their devices in a timely fashion.

GS4 Verizon White Black
Doesn't matter what color your S4 is, you're getting 4.3 Jelly Bean! / © Samsung/Verizon

(This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Motorola announces crazy Project Ara modular phone concept

Android Authority
Android News, Reviews, How To 
Want free Kindle ebooks?

Sign up to receive the best freebie Kindle ebook deals in your email every day.
From our sponsors
thumbnail Motorola announces crazy Project Ara modular phone concept
Oct 29th 2013, 09:45, by Bogdan Petrovan

motorola project ara modular smartphone (1)

Motorola just announced a wild modular smartphone project that hopes to change the way we buy and use mobile devices.

Motorola's initiative, called Project Ara, is very similar to Phonebloks, the modular smartphone concept launched in early September by Dutch designer Dave Hakkens. Motorola said it'd been working on Ara for over a year, and that it teamed up with Phonebloks to popularize the concept.

Moto wants to create devices that are made of an endoskeleton, which is similar to the motherboard of a PC, and various specialized modules that users can install and replace themselves. For instance, users who want a nice camera can pick up a high-quality camera module and simply fit it on the phone. If battery life is more important, users will be able to ditch the camera module for an extra battery module. The idea is to let customers choose precisely what features they want in their smartphones, as well as to extend the lifespan of the device by making it easy to swap faulty or obsolete components.

motorola project ara modular smartphone (2)

This is how Motorola outlines the goals of Project Ara:

We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines

Project Ara will be developed in the open, says Motorola, and Phonebloks will serve as the project's community. The Google-owned company hasn't reveal any details on the technology behind Ara, but said it did "deep technical work", suggesting that it already laid the technical foundations. Moto will open the Ara platform to module developers "in a few months" and hopes to release the initial version of the Module Developer's Kit (MDK) this winter.

motorola project ara modular smartphone (1)

Project Ara is certainly inspiring, but Motorola will have to overcome huge challenges to make it a reality. Some of the most obvious problems are making various types of modules connect through a standard interface, keeping the phone's size and weight in check, and obtaining regulatory approvals for a device with variable configuration. Still, with Google's backing, it's not impossible for Motorola to turn Ara from an ambitious concept to a real, albeit niche, commercial product.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Haunted Village Live Wallpaper – free for today only!

Android News + App Tests - AndroidPIT
This feed includes text previews of the latest news articles and app tests on www.androidpit.com. Click on the article title to read the entire article. 
Manage your social media

Best social media tool for image publishing to Facebook and Twitter. Look amazing and delight your followers. Get 40% off when you sign up today.
From our sponsors
Haunted Village Live Wallpaper – free for today only!
Oct 29th 2013, 09:30, by Kris Carlon

If you just can't get enough of this spooktacular time of year then have we got some fun news for you. How would you like to roam the streets of a haunted village, surrounded by ghosts and skeletons and jack o' lanterns? To celebrate the advent of Halloween, the awesome Haunted Village 3D live wallpaper is free today only. So if you want to get some ghosties and thieving skeletons on your smartphone, now is the time to do it!

Haunted Village Overview
Looks like a nice place for a leisurely midnight stroll. / © Genbu Studios

(This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # International Galaxy Note 3 getting another OTA, reactivation lock now defaults off

Android Central - Android Forums - News - Reviews - Help and Android Wallpapers
Android Central 
Learn Adobe Illustrator CS6 Master Techniques from an Adobe Guru!

With over 25 years of experience teaching, Robert Farrell has been a trusted instructor for individuals and companies who want to improve their Adobe skills.
From our sponsors
International Galaxy Note 3 getting another OTA, reactivation lock now defaults off
Oct 29th 2013, 09:55, by Alex Dobie

Note 3 OTA

Another 'stability' update for the unlocked LTE-capable Note 3 with a couple of important fixes

The international Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE (SM-N9005) is getting yet another over-the-air update this morning, bringing it up to firmware version UDMJ6. The 116MB update includes stability fixes according to the official changelog, in addition to a change which may be of interest to anyone selling or giving away their device in the future. Until now the "reactivation lock" feature, which requires your Samsung account details to use the phone after a factory reset, defaulted to "on." It's a useful anti-theft feature, but if it could cause you some headaches if you weren't aware of it. As such, the new update sets it to "off" by default, requiring users to manually enable it under Settings > General > Security.

Other changes in the OTA include a fresh coat of paint for the Samsung keyboard and fixes for bugs which prevented certain features, such as direct pen input and the one-handed windowed mode, from being reactivated after enabling Pebble's accessibility service.

If you're updating this morning, hit the comments and let us know if you're seeing any other changes or fixes.


    






You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions