Early adopters know that Firefox likes to put new features through the paces via beta versions of its browser. Accordingly, Firefox today announced some fresh goodies for both mobile and desktop. On the Android side of things, the app has been redesigned with a panel-based layout called "Home," ...
Following a recent across the board price drop to $100, Amazon is taking another 40 dollars off the price of the Moto X for AT&T subscribers, and $50 off for Verizon users. This the best Android phone for most people, and even if you're enamored by today's reveal of the Nexus 5, this is quite a bit cheaper.
Music-focused social network SoundTracking released a new version of its smartphone app today, one that co-founder and CEO Steve Jang said will make the app useful beyond “hardcore music lovers.”
We're also hearing that SoundTracking has reached an agreement with Sprint, with SoundTracking being preloaded or featured on certain Sprint Android phones starting next spring. However, Jang declined to comment on any potential partnership, so hopefully we'll know more about that soon.
Anyway, back to the updated app. There's a new design with features like larger photos and brighter colors, but the most interesting addition is probably a Discover section, which is basically a new take on finding music through Soundtracking.
Previously, people discover music based on what was shared by the users they followed. With the new section, you can find music in a way that's not subject to the randomness of who you follow and when you checked your newsfeed. There's a song of the day chosen by the SoundTracking team (something the company was already experimenting with via email, and which got a positive response), hashtag-based search, and charts of general trending music and music nearby.
Jang said he plans to go further in this direction with more charts focusing on different types of music.
The obvious comparison seems to be Twitter #Music, an app that recommends music based on what people are tweeting. Jang suggested that social networks in general have moved toward personalized recommendations that less reliant on timelines and on who you follow. On the other hand, a recent report suggested that usage of the #Music app has declined and that Twitter may shut it down. The problem in that case, Jang suggested, is that people wanted that experience in Twitter itself, not in a separate app.
Jang added that 14 million tweets, Facebook status updates, Instagram pictures, Foursquare check ins, emails, and SMS messages are sent each day from SoundTracking. Users have created a total of 40 million music moments, which have been shared more than 6 billion times and viewed 530 million times within the company's mobile and web apps.
“The stats reflect that we continue to create a product that's' really great for expression, sharing, and outbound messaging,” he said. “I think our work on the Discover section and charts and personalized is really going to address the other side. … Now we need to help people who love music that are little bit more passive, more of viewing and listening type.”
” So we can expect more “lean back” type experiences to come in the future.
Google says that Android 4.4 will come to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play Edition devices "in the coming weeks," but what if you bought your device from a cellular carrier instead? If you own an HTC One in North America, you should see an update within the next 90 days. In an interview with Engadget , HTC America president Jason Mackenzie committed to deliver the update to every HTC One device within that time period.
Now that we know what smartphone market share looked like in the third quarter when broken down by manufacturer, it's time to compare performance by platform. As you'd imagine, the world is still Android's oyster. Strategy Analytics estimates that the OS has crossed the symbolic 80 percent mark, ...Got a Galaxy Nexus? No KitKat 4.4 for you. Sorry. That seems dumb and weird since KitKat is supposed to be tricked out for low-spec phones, but it seems to be the case.
Now that we know which of Google's Nexus devices will be eligible for an update to Android 4.4 KitKat, other manufacturers are starting to speak up about their rollout plans as well. Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC America, confirmed to us in an interview that the company is going to aggressively ...
From the horse's mouth, we're hearing some unfortunate news: Google has taken to its Spanish support pages to announce that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is not on the list of devices to receive Android 4.4 KitKat. This seems a bit odd, given the new update's focus on "the next billion" and offering ...
When it was released last year, the Nexus 4 was one of the best Android smartphones around, aside from one glaring issue: it didn’t include LTE. Google has finally righted that wrong this year with the Nexus 5, and it’s overhauling the phone in a number of other big ways as well. But in a year where Google has already released stock versions of the most powerful Android phones around, and Google-owned Motorola has learned to stand out from the crowd, is a new Nexus able to hold its own in Google's all-star lineup?
Today Google launched the latest in the Nexus line, the Nexus 5, and showed off the newest version of its Android OS, KitKat.
The great tech rivalry of recent times has a new milestone in its narrative today, courtesy of JD Power whose tablet owner satisfaction study has placed Samsung ahead of Apple for the first time. Apple has in the past cited these very rankings as indicative of the iPad's preeminence and superiority — having noted back in June that iOS devices were on a run of nine consecutive JD Power awards — so it's a blow to the company's public image to lose out in a comparison that it has shown itself to care about.
The margin between Samsung and Apple is razor thin, with the Korean maker of Android tablets gaining a score of 835 to Apple's 833. Tim Cook and company will find solace in the more detailed breakdown, where Apple's tablets earn the...
It should be clear by now that there's much more at play in Android 4.4 KitKat that some early reports alluded to, and one of the most interesting (to me, anyway) tidbits managed to escape the early leak treatment.
Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google's Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That's because Google has worked up a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user's Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.
Here's how it works. Let's say for instance that you're using KitKat's Google Search app to dig up some dirt on that Ender's Game movie that doesn't look very good. If you happen to have the IMDb app installed on your device while you search, you'll be treated to an info card in that results stream that includes an “Open in app” button. Give it a quick tap and the IMDb app will spring to life and immediately direct you to its Ender's Game listing.
Naturally, the feature isn't just limited to showing off movie details - so far the full list of supporters includes Allthecooks, AllTrails, Beautylish, Etsy, Expedia, Flixster, Healthtap, IMDB, Moviefone, Newegg (yes!), OpenTable, and Trulia.
The way Google sees it, the move is all about providing these companies with a choice. If they think their mobile interfaces are enough to keep users engaged, they can simple go about their business. But if they already have an Android app (or are in the process of building one) that can do a better job of engaging with its users, a little extra work to implement those deep links may be well worth it.
It's not hard to look at this a move to bolster Android app development either. Google's Sundar Pichai said very pointedly today that KitKat is meant to be a version of Android that reaches “the next billion people” because of its improved memory management and decreased OS overhead. That means that with any luck, huge swaths of the global Android community will be searching for stuff within KitKat and seeing those deep-linked “Open in app” buttons when they've got the right apps installed. Tell me that's not a compelling reason for a company to develop an Android app if they haven't already.
Despite the buy-in from all those app partners, I'd wager it'll be some time before the feature starts seeing more widespread support. Pichai noted that the ability to deep link within apps is one that has been built into the Nexus 5′s launcher itself, though another Googler was quick to exclaim that the feature would ultimately find its way into all KitKat-powered devices at some point.
"Okay Google." Those Touchless Controls aren't just for the Moto X anymore -- they're now part and parcel of the Nexus 5. With today's unveiling of Google's (terribly leaked) Nexus 5, we're getting a first look at Android 4.4 KitKat on the handset, and that OS update comes with some significant ...
After entirely too much teasing, Google has at last taken the wraps from Android 4.4 KitKat. The new mobile OS is based on efficiency that brings smartphones to "the next billion people," according to Android Senior VP Sundar Pichai. Google's own apps use less memory, and the interface will ...
It's about time. The Google-backed and LG-manufactured Nexus 5 is now really a reality, after countless rumors and leaks (a few of them coming from Google itself). The new device, which predictably boasts the latest and greatest version of Android known as KitKat (or 4.4, if you're so inclined), ...
The new version of Android is finally here, and its biggest feature isn't something literally new, but a new stage for an old fan favorite. Google Now is getting more limelight than ever and that's fantastic.
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At long last, Google has officially announced what has been perhaps their worst kept secret in a while: the Nexus 5.
The Nexus 5 had seen more than its fair share of early outs, with everything from fleeting, "accidental" appearances in the hands of Google employees in quickly-deleted promo videos to full-blown product pages going up on the Google Play store ahead of time.
The Nexus 5 will be the first device to ship with Android 4.4 (codenamed "KitKat" through a suprising collaboration with Nestlé and Hershey), which they first announced back in early September. Other devices, like the Nexus 4, 7, and 10, will be getting 4.4 in “the coming weeks”.
The new Nexus comes with two color variants: one black, one white. The 16GB LTE model will cost you $349, while the 32GB LTE model will set you back $399. Both devices are unlocked, and will go up for sale later today.
While Google's Nexus line mainly exists to provide people a direct route to an unlocked, higher-end device, the Nexus 5 will have a few features that'll be exclusive at first. It'll be the first device with Google's "HDR+" mode, their company's new in-house approach to HDR, which takes multiple shots in rapid succession and combines the best parts of each into one photo. It'll also be the first with Google's new homescreen launcher, which brings Google Search to every page of your homescreen and allows you to trigger a search at any time by saying "Ok, Google".
Here's what we know so far about the innards:
We're just about to run off and spend some time with the device, so check back in just a bit for our hands-on pics and early impressions!
Google's Nexus program has a simple goal: make the best, purest, most perfect Android phone. And, beginning with last year's Nexus 4, Google did all that at a remarkable price, charging with no strings attached what most carriers and manufacturers would charge with a two-year contract. The Nexus 4 had a few issues — its missing LTE support chief among them — but overall it was an excellent phone, a refined and usable example of Android's prowess and possibilities.
That's why Google's new device, the Nexus 5, has been so remarkably hyped. It's been leaking for months, speculated about for much longer — and today Google's finally pulling the veil all the way back on the device that it hopes will show the world what Android can...
Over the past year and a half Google's steadily added new features and cards to its predictive search assistant, Google Now. With Android 4.4 KitKat, the company's taking the opportunity to upgrade Google Now and search on mobile with the goal of "bringing apps and the web together," as Android and Chrome OS chief Sundar Pichai said in a meeting with press today.
Search has always been closely tied with Google Now, and it's receiving some much-appreciated attention today. Search results no longer ignore the apps on your phone. Google is now crawling through mobile apps to find their content and bring features directly to the fore, just like the company has done for years on the web. For example, a simple search for a restaurant will...
Google and Verizon haven't had the closest relationship in recent years — the Verizon-specific Galaxy Nexus was held back by the carrier's long software review process, making it feel like a second-class citizen in the Nexus family. And, of course, the Nexus 4 didn't support LTE and only worked on GSM-based networks, leaving Verizon customers out in the cold. Unfortunately, that's still the case with Google's newest flagship: senior VP of Android Sundar Pichai told us that "the Nexus 5 will not be on Verizon." Somewhat surprisingly, the Nexus 5 will run on Sprint's network — the carrier is listed as one of Google's official retail partners, making the phone's lack of compatibility with Verizon a bit surprising.
This comes after...
When you step back and look at just how powerful smartphones have become, there's one important tool that's been criminally neglected: the phone dialer. At least that's what Google thinks. "Smartphones have been getting smarter and smarter, and yet the dialer seems to be stuck in a feature phone world for some reason," said Google engineer Dave Burke, who moments later unveiled a new dialer that's debuting with Android 4.4. According to Burke, KitKat brings with it a modernization of the dialer — a utility that's obviously essential to voice calls, but one that's rarely gotten much attention throughout Android's evolution. That's all changing today. "We applied some Google smarts to the problem," he said.
Android's new dialer is...
At its event in San Francisco, in the midst of flashing some new hardware, Google's also unveiled version 4.4 of Android, the long-awaited KitKat. It's much more than a marketing gimmick, or an excuse to make limited-edition candy bars in Paris — it brings some real change to Android, and some much-awaited integration among Google services.
Most immediately obvious are a handful of design tweaks to the OS, which make Android cleaner and simpler than ever before. The status and notification bar are now translucent, and they disappear completely when you're in a fullscreen app; there's less chrome across the entire OS, and more space on the Nexus 5's five-inch display for whatever you're doing. There's a new launcher, a new condensed...
For the past year, the Ingress beta has been as much an exclusive club as it is an augmented reality game -- you've had to request an invitation to play. Google and Niantic Labs must want more of us to join the party, though, as they've quietly dropped the invitation requirement. Any Android user ...
Music video powerhouse VEVO is launching a major redesign this week, after rebuilding its back end from the ground up. The online music video site has undergone a complete overhaul, which you can see here, designed to make it easier for users to browse and discover new content, while also streamlining the ability to search for the videos that they want to watch.
The new VEVO, which goes live Friday, is an extension of the company's continued iteration on its web, mobile, and connected TV platforms. With this launch, the VEVO team has done a lot of work to actually simplify the user interface and strip out some of the clutter that had been in previous versions. At the same time, it's setting the stage for VEVO to do some more interesting things around content discovery and personalization.
The new web site is designed to be cleaner, faster, and dynamic, so viewers can tune in via desktop, smartphone, or tablet, and it automatically fits the screen. Now viewers who go to VEVO TV will have a simplified nav bar with just a few options: VEVO TV, Search, and Browse.
On the homepage, in addition to the carousel of videos, there's also now a feed of regularly updated content that goes beyond its usual daily feed. By featuring new videos regularly, the hope is to draw the user in and get viewers watching videos more quickly.
“We wanted to simplify things to get people watching videos right away. As we started thinking about engagement, there's now a sense of urgency… There's always something new coming up,” SVP of Product & Technology Michael Cerda told me.
In addition to updating the homepage, VEVO has also expanded its VEVO TV live music feed. Launched in May, VEVO TV is designed to evoke the same feeling of that old “music television” - you know, from back when it actually played music. But it's mean to be streamed rather than just delivered via cable.
Now instead of a single VEVO TV channel, VEVO will have three channels of videos. VEVO's “Pop” channel will take over as the main feed, providing a live broadcast of all the most popular music videos today. It's also introducing two new channels - Country and R&B/Rap - to provide viewers with access to continuous, linear programming of music from both of those genres.
While the most obvious changes might be on the VEVO homepage, the more important work went on under the hood. When it first launched, VEVO had been built on a Microsoft .NET stack. But according to Cerda, the team has quietly moved its backend to a Node.js framework.
It's also refined and rebuilt its API, which will help VEVO extend its content to new partners, and also make it easier for the company to build experiences for new platforms.
Given all the changes behind the scenes, Cerda called it the most significant update that the company has ever done. The company started building the new experience in the late winter, rebuilding the backend from the ground up. The first step was building the web and mobile web sites, but the new backend will speed up its ability to reach new devices and update apps on existing platforms.
For instance, the company just rolled out a new experience on Samsung Smart TVs and is currently working on apps that work with Google's $35 Chromecast streaming dongle. Once that's done, viewers will have the AirPlay-like ability to send videos from its mobile apps for iOS and Android straight to their TV.
