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Engadget News |
- Google's Project Glass gets some more details
- Sergey Brin demos Project Glass onstage at Google I/O
- Google+ on Android, iPad goes tablet-sized
- Google+ has 250 million users, more mobile than desktop
- Google wants you to join the party, announces Google+ Events
- Google Nexus Q is 'Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.'
- Google Nexus Q lets Android owners stream media from the cloud, shipping for $299 in mid-July
- Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet
- Google makes the Nexus 7 tablet official: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a $199 price (video)
- Google brings incremental app updates, added encryption measures to Android
- Google Play starts selling movies, TV shows (single episode or full season) and magazines today
- Google Play hits 600,000 apps, 20 billion total installs
- Google: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean coming to Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom mid-July
- Google Now revamps search integration in Android 4.1 Jellybean
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean home screen revealed, automatically accomodates your apps and widgets
- Google details Jelly Bean NFC features: Android Beam upgrade, tap-to-pair speakers
- Android Jelly Bean input options include updated keyboard, offline voice dictation
- Project Butter improves Android 4.1's speed to a silky-smooth 60FPS
- Google: 400 million Android devices, one million activations a day
- Jelly Bean, Android 4.1 revealed by Google, rolling out in mid July
- Google cuts the price of the Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ to $349, adds Jelly Bean
- Live from Google I/O 2012's opening keynote!
- Google's Nexus 7 cover turns up on the Play store, will set you back $20
- $399 Triad speakers for Nexus Q surface in Google Play store
- Sprint's 4G LTE coming to five markets July 15th
- T-Mobile US CEO Philipp Humm resigns, Jim Alling takes over as interim CEO
- Google to hand over $25 Play credit with each Nexus 7 tablet purchase
- Lenovo begins Ice Cream Sandwich rollout to ThinkPad Tablets stateside
- Google leaks Nexus Q video and images ahead of I/O keynote
- Miselu Neiro synth at Google I/O: exclusive first look at apps from Korg and Yamaha (video)
- Google's Nexus 7 tablet outed before I/O 2012 (update: now with specs, price)
- Boost Mobile takes BlackBerry Curve 9310 to the US, spices it up with $30 unlimited BBM, voice and text plan
- Sirius XM details GoogleTV app ahead of the I/O party
- Acer launches 11.6-inch Sandy Bridge TravelMate B113
- Sony's Action Cam prototype is incredibly small, we go fingers-on at CE Week in NYC
- Spotify releases artist-branded apps, Quincy Jones and Rancid pick your music for you
- Georgia Tech's Shimi robot wants to rock with you all night, rock the night away
- Robotic quadrotors' training now complete, proven with razzle-dazzle Cannes show (video)
- Sirius XM gives Google TV a Stern look, plans radio app for this summer
- Google offers free online course to turn you into a 'power searcher'
| Google's Project Glass gets some more details Posted: 27 Jun 2012 11:22 AM PDT Google Glass has been one of the most anticipated and hyped projects to come out of Google in quite some time. After a rather epic demo the company finally gave us a slightly deeper look at the wearable computer of our (supposed) future. Inside is the usual set of components you'd expect inside any mobile phone. There's a "powerful" CPU and "lots" of RAM (though, there was no mention of specifics) alongside an accelerometer, gyroscope and wireless radios for pulling in data. There's a mic for voice commands, a speaker and a camera, which can also be controlled by the touchpad that lines the side of the wearable device. All of those components sit off to one side, though Google says they're still well balanced and actually lighter than some pairs of sunglasses. The tiny transparent display doesn't actually sit directly in front of your eye. It's slightly above your line of vision, so that it shouldn't interfere with your normal life. Sergey Brin had three different prototypes on stage -- a light blue pair, a white pair and a black pair -- indicating that personalization and style were a concern. And that's a good thing since Glass is meant to be worn in public. Ultimately Google hopes that the project will be the next step in its quest to make information quickly and universally accessible.
Developing... |
| Sergey Brin demos Project Glass onstage at Google I/O Posted: 27 Jun 2012 11:05 AM PDT It's hard to ignore Google's X Lab-born Project Glass. News of the slim-lined, scifi goggles' existence first surfaced this past February and it wasn't long after that Mountain View's own elite began to flaunt the heads-up display in public. While little of the device's true purpose and functionality is known, we have been privy to certain features over the past few months, like photo sharing to Google+ and even its ability to overlay Maps. Though product lead Steve Lee shrugged off rumors of a late 2012 launch, it does appear the company's itching to spill a few more (jelly) beans at today's I/O conference. To do that, Sergey Brin rushed onstage at Google I/O wearing the glass units to give us a brief live action demo courtesy of a skydive over San Francisco. Video of the jump, performed by four divers in a blimp, was streamed live through Google Hangouts to attendees at the Moscone Center. In keeping with the extreme vibe of this demonstration, the showcase was handed off to bikers on the rooftop, also outfitted with the lenses, who jumped from building to building via ramp and then eventually cycled into the arena and right up to Sergey, himself. As a finishing touch, Brin also snapped a shot of the team using his own headset. All told, it's a pretty incredible way to once again officially tease this forward-looking tech.
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| Google+ on Android, iPad goes tablet-sized Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:59 AM PDT Google+ just got a makeover very recently, but it was still very much oriented towards phones -- that's been solved as of today. The social networking app is now optimized for Android tablets and the iPad, with a whole new navigation system and Hangout video chats suited to bigger screens. The layout is landscape-friendly and, if you have a new iPad, will take advantage of every pixel on that Retina display. Android users can get the update today; iPad owners will have to wait for a release coming "soon." Android phone owners are getting some of the benefits of the supersized interface in their own, more modest screen sizes as well. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Google+ has 250 million users, more mobile than desktop Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:59 AM PDT Google wasn't going to leave its budding social layer (don't call it a network) out of today's IO fun. It gave itself a bit of a pat on the back for (probably) exceeding people's expectations. For all the jokes that have been made (some of them on this very site) at Google+'s expense, it's racked up more than 250 million users. Sure, only 150 milllion actually active, but simply getting people signed up is a victory in itself. And, hey, about 50 percent of them sign on every day. More interestingly, Vic Gundotra says that more users are signing in with the mobile app than visiting the desktop site. That's great news to go along with the dedicated tablet version that was also announced. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
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| Google wants you to join the party, announces Google+ Events Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:58 AM PDT At the tail end of today's Google I/O keynote, the company demoed Google+ Events, which, as you might imagine, let's you invite your virtual buds to an in-person hangout. You've probably already guessed that there's some pretty tight integration with Mountain View's other virtual properties, including Calendar, which means that sending your friends or coworkers a "save the date" to brunch or brainstorming no longer requires clunky email, or a phone call. That's not to say that your contacts need to opt-in to the search giant's social networking site to join the fun -- email invites are still available by typing your friend's address alongside your circles, or individual friends should you wish to plan an awkward inter-group soiree. You can choose from a variety of themes for your e-vite, which integrate motion or static banners. Once the fun begins, you can hop into Party Mode from your mobile, and photos you shoot during the event will appear beside the invite -- friends can add pics to the page as well, which you can later download. For now, please accept our invitation to jump past the break, where a Google demo video awaits. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
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| Google Nexus Q is 'Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.' Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:58 AM PDT Google didn't touch on it during its keynote, but The New York Times' John Markoff has the story on one fairly unique feature of its Nexus Q home media device: the base of the unit proudly boasts that it's "Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A." That includes an unnamed company in the Midwest that manufactures the metal base and another in Southern California that makes the case, while the device itself was reportedly being assembled just last week at a large factory 15 minutes away from Google's HQ. According to Google, it hopes that people will be willing to pay more for the device as a result ($299, if you missed it), but it has no plans to play up the "Made in the U.S.A." angle in its marketing. Hit the source link below for the full look at how the device came to be. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Google Nexus Q lets Android owners stream media from the cloud, shipping for $299 in mid-July Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:39 AM PDT ...And the Nexus Q is official. Google's first consumer electronics product is a small, sphere-shaped device that will work with the Nexus 7 tablet and other Android devices to stream media from the cloud. It's designed to hold court in your living room, pulling content from YouTube and the Google Play music app, among other services, to let you stream music and video. Anyone with an Android device will be able to take control of the Q to play content from their library; basically, everyone can be the DJ. What's more, the device can double as an amplifier, letting users plug in external speakers to receiver power from the Q's 25-watt amp. Under the hood, there's an OMAP 4460 processor -- the same as in the Galaxy Nexus -- along with 16GB of storage and 1GB of RAM. There's also dual-band WiFi and Ethernet, along with Bluetooth and NFC for tapping a device to the Q to exchange software and media. The media streamer will go on sale for $299 in mid-July. As we mentioned before, Google will also sell a set of $399 Triad bookshelf speakers to go with the Q. More coverage to follow. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! Update: Excuse the dyslexic typo. The Nexus Q is powered by an OMAP 4460 CPU. |
| Google modifies Maps, YouTube for Nexus 7 tablet Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT We've seen Google take Maps indoors, with interior schematics and even photos, but the Nexus 7 tablet brings a new twist to that familiar nav experience with 360-degree venue photos. Engineering Director Chris Yerga demonstrated the new feature within a local San Francisco bar called District, moving the device to show us how the compass and gyroscope work to provide 360-degree views based on your current direction and angle -- it's a pretty slick effect. There's also offline map viewing that expands the Google Labs map caching to include entire cities, which should definitely come in handy for navigating beyond your comfort zone (and mobile coverage area). Naturally, there's also an updated YouTube app, letting you take full advantage of that 7-inch display with video preview grids and HD playback, with a familiar Play store-like interface. Stay tuned for a closer look at these apps and more in our Nexus 7 hands-on. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
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| Google makes the Nexus 7 tablet official: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a $199 price (video) Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:19 AM PDT Some of the mystery has been taken out of it, but Google has officially taken the wraps off of the Nexus 7, its first reference-grade tablet. The 7-inch slate is the first and currently only device shipping with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and takes advantage of its optimization for smaller tablet screens, magazines and movies. Like was widely suspected, the tablet is built by ASUS (shades of Eee Pad MeMO ME370T, anyone?) and mostly draws our attention in terms of what we get for the money: that quad-core Tegra 3, 1.2-megapixel front camera, NFC and 1280 x 800, IPS-based LCD are traits we'd normally look for in a pricier tablet. How much pricier, you ask? Google is asking just $199 for a dainty 8GB model and $249 for a 16GB version -- that's a lot of speed for the money, especially with a $25 Google Play credit and a slew of bundled content. There's no SD card slot, however. We'll test the Nexus 7 as soon as we can, but you can swing by Google Play (and possibly local stores) to order one in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US with a mid-July shipping window. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
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| Google brings incremental app updates, added encryption measures to Android Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:18 AM PDT Google has just announced a new feature for Google Play that's sure to please anyone who's sat though an app update that never seemed to end. It now offers what it calls "Smart App Updates," which will let developers provide incremental updates to apps instead of forcing people to download a whole new APK for every minor update. On average, Google says those should be about a third the size of typical updates. What's more, the company has also announced that it's bringing added encryption measures to Android, which will let paid apps be encrypted with a device-specific key that makes them harder to rip and share. Both features will supported on Android devices running Gingerbread or above. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Google Play starts selling movies, TV shows (single episode or full season) and magazines today Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:18 AM PDT The Android Market became Google Play to focus on how it pushes media, and now it's adding a few new options. On stage at Google I/O 2012 the company just announced it's adding support for the purchase of movies, as well as TV shows by episode or by season, and even magazines all available today. That's in addition to the existing apps, movie rentals, music and books. Oh, and look, Google just introduced a new tablet that you can use to access all of that content. We'll keep an eye out for an exact list of all the new media partners, although magazines Hearst, Conde Nast and Meredith and TV networks Disney / ABC, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures and Paramount were mentioned on stage. Check out our Google I/O live blog for even more details as they're announced, and look after the break for video introductions. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
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| Google Play hits 600,000 apps, 20 billion total installs Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:16 AM PDT Google during its I/O keynote hit a symbolic milestone: it now has 600,000 apps in the Google Play Store. As well, the store is clearly hitting a brisk pace in adoption, with 1.5 billion downloads every month and 20 billion since Android began. That stacks up fairly well to Apple's own claims, although not universally: it's just short of the App Store's 650,000 apps, but Apple can still point to 30 billion total downloads. Google also hasn't said how many apps are explicitly tablet-friendly versus 225,000 iPad-oriented apps. Either way, Google can say that it has largely erased the app quantity deficit, and that's no mean feat. |
| Google: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean coming to Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom mid-July Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:08 AM PDT As is the norm for developer summits, Google's kicking off I/O with a keynote highlighting whatever the heck it wants to. Jelly Bean is, of course, one of the big topics of discussion at today's session, and we're hearing more news come down the pipeline straight from the horse's mouth. Jelly Bean, also known as Android 4.1, should be making its way to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom in mid-July as an OTA update, and the SDK will be available today as part of a developer preview. Keep up with the latest Google news by checking out our I/O keynote liveblog! |
| Google Now revamps search integration in Android 4.1 Jellybean Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:59 AM PDT Google just officially unveiled its next iteration for Android -- Jelly Bean 4.1 -- and now we're getting to see the various "buttery" improvements the company's worked into the OS. Hugo Barra, Director of Product Management, took to the I/O 2012 stage to detail the refinements introduced to its search integration. The entire experience has been redesigned from the ground-up with a fresher UI and a "faster, more natural" voice search ability. That refreshed interface borrows from the recently outed Knowledge Graph, displaying queries for weather, Wikipedia and restaurants in graphical card format. That same layout extends to voice search, now spoken by a much more human-sounding voice. You can also dismiss the cards with a simple swipe, exposing the full list of search results beneath. But that's not the whole story, the company's also introducing Google now -- a new form of search that ties your browsing and navigation histories together to anticipate your needs. In the demo, Barra showcased how the new system could help to calculate a user's commute, replete with alternate route suggestions and even scheduling info, recommend nearby restaurants as they're passed and keep users abreast of impending appointments with departure time recommendations. Excited for this next search-based step in Android? Then look for it to hit Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom devices as part of the 4.1 update coming mid-July. Keep up with the latest Google news by checking out our I/O keynote liveblog and event hub!
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| Android 4.1 Jelly Bean home screen revealed, automatically accomodates your apps and widgets Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:58 AM PDT It's a pain manually moving apps and widgets on Android screens, ain't it? Well, at Google I/O 2012, the folks in Mountain View have just given us some Jelly Bean salve to soothe that irritation. The latest Android OS automatically arranges onscreen icons around any new widgets or apps you choose to insert. Not only that, but you can also remove any unwanted apps and widgets with a simple swipe up and off the home screen to delete them. A welcome Android addition, to be sure, but it begs the question, when will us non-Nexus owners get to enjoy it? Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Google details Jelly Bean NFC features: Android Beam upgrade, tap-to-pair speakers Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:57 AM PDT During today's Google I/O keynote, Director of Product Management Hugo Barra detailed Jelly Bean's NFC updates, including Android Beam enhancements and a new tap-to-air feature for Bluetooth speakers. While the company confirmed that there are more than one million Android devices coming online each day, NFC-equipped devices total that same figure in a week. With Android 4.1, those gadgets will be able to transmit photos by tapping (similar to what we've seen with S Beam on the Galaxy S III) with an updated version of Android Beam, and pairing your smartphone with a set of Bluetooth speakers will require a simple bump, assuming the speakers are NFC-equipped as well. There are plenty of more Jelly Bean features to unveil, so that's all we're seeing of NFC for now, but stay tuned for more in our hands-on. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Android Jelly Bean input options include updated keyboard, offline voice dictation Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:55 AM PDT On stage at Google I/O, the company is showing off its newest features for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which include a new keyboard with SwiftKey-like word prediction, and voice typing that works even when you're offline. From the demo on stage it worked quickly without the annoying lag of waiting for the server to process your words we've experienced from voice control so far. There's 18 new input languages including Persian and Hindi, although offline voice dictation is US English only for now. Also mentioned on stage are new audio cues for blind users, and support for Braille. Check out our Google I/O 2012 live blog for all the details. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Project Butter improves Android 4.1's speed to a silky-smooth 60FPS Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:48 AM PDT As part of its unveiling of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google has unveiled Project Butter, a major effort to squash Android's frequent problems with device lag, as well as Systrace to help diagnose performance. Project Butter lets the CPU and graphics run in parallel, rather than crash into each other, and has a big impact on both real and perceived speed: the entire interface runs at 60 frames per second on sufficiently fast hardware. Graphics are now triple-buffered to keep scrolling and transitions humming along, and the processor will swing into full gear the moment you touch the screen to keep input lag to a minimum. Systrace, in the meantime, will help developers stamp out what performance hiccups remain. The tracing tool will be a part of the Jelly Bean SDK, so every coder can get an app running in tip-top shape. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Google: 400 million Android devices, one million activations a day Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:43 AM PDT Google has just kicked off its I/O keynote with some big new numbers to share. It now says there are 400 million activated Android devices out there, and one million activations per day. That's up from the 100 million activated devices it announced at Google I/O last year, and 200 million it announced last fall, while the activations per day are up from the 900k it confirmed just earlier this month. As Google was quick to point out, that translates to about 12 devices activated every second, and it's happy to note that things are "definitely not slowing down." Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub! |
| Jelly Bean, Android 4.1 revealed by Google, rolling out in mid July Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:41 AM PDT It's seems like only yesterday we were all crowded around our laptops, watching a live stream and getting amped for Ice Cream Sandwich. Truth is, that was six months ago now and, while most of the Android running public still hasn't been blessed with 4.0, it's already time to make the leap to 4.1. Today Google officially took the wraps off Jelly Bean, the next evolution of its mobile platform and while its not quite the revolutionary shift that was Gingerbread to ICS, it still marks an important improvement for the ecosystem. One of the biggest features is Project Butter, a deep diving effort to improve performance and response time. The whole system hums along at 60fps now, and while the difference of a few miliseconds might sound like small potatoes, it becomes glaringly apparently the moment you run Jelly Bean next to an ICS device. Animations are smoother and quicker. The CPU immediately ramps up the moment a touch is detected to ensure speedy response. The home screen has also been tweaked, adding some nice features like dynamically resizing widgets, so you no longer have to place it, resize it then move it to where you want if there isn't enough room. If there is room, but you app icons are merely in the way, the widget will automatically push them to the side. And, in a nice slick touch, apps and widgets can be removed by flicking them off the screen. Another extremely welcome touch is the addition of offline voice input. Now you can tap the microphone and dictate a message even with the phone in airplane mode. The camera app, which was already a highlight of ICS, has gotten even better in 4.1. Now, the gallery is slickly integrated, allowing you to quickly pull up the photo you just took with a swipe to the left. You can keep swiping through your images or even pinch to zoom out and view all your images in a filmstrip view. Deleting images is as simple as swiping a pic off the screen and, if you've manage to accidentally removed one, a quick tap of the undo button restores it. And, speaking of images, you can now share them and video using Google Beam, and Android now supports pairing with Bluetooth devices with the assistance of NFC. Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
One of the most drastic updates is to the already incredible notification system. Alerts dynamically expand and shrink as they roll in, and canned responses are even integrated. When an MMS pops up you get a preview of the image and can even view full size without leaving the notification area. You can even +1 Google+ notifications and images from same UI. Basically Google has combined its top notch notification system with a interactive, unified inbox. Google Now and the revamped search functions probably got the most applause of the day, though. The tweaked app has a brand new UI and will even respond to your queries in an impressively human sounding synthesized voice. The new design takes queues from the recently updated Google+, with large cards for results that you can swipe away. It also heavily personalized your results based on your search history and the vast stores of data Google has built up about you thanks to its various services. Google Now is smart enough to know when you're at a bus stop and will tell you when your ride will arrive, or alert you to delays for your flights. It will even monitor your calendar and tell you when you'll need to leave your location to make your next appointment. In short, Google knows all. Welcome to your extremely convenient and extremely creepy future. Jelly Bean will be rolling out to Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom devices in mid July, along with the open source code. Developers though, can start playing with the SDK today. |
| Google cuts the price of the Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ to $349, adds Jelly Bean Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:36 AM PDT Jeez Louise, Google's 2012 I/O opening keynote has barely begun and much of the news has already leaked out on the company's own Play Store. Add this to the list: Google is dropping the price of the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus to $349 from $399, and is updating its flagship phone with the next, soon-to-be-unveiled version of Android, Jelly Bean. That screenshot up there should answer some of your most likely questions, but here's the short version: it'll be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, and roughly 200 other GSM carriers everywhere else in the world (no surprise here). As for the software, well, we have enough early intel about Jelly Bean to know that's Android 4.1 running on a seven-month-old handset. As for what that jump from 4.0 to 4.1 entails, you can expect quite a few stories from us, but this official announcement should be as good a place as any to start. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] |
| Live from Google I/O 2012's opening keynote! Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:28 AM PDT |
| Google's Nexus 7 cover turns up on the Play store, will set you back $20 Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:26 AM PDT Not surprisingly, Google will have some accessories for its new Nexus 7 tablet, including a cover that also leaked out a bit early though Google Play (and spotted by MoDaCo's Paul O'Brien). As you can see, it will cover both the front and back of the device, and set you back a fairly reasonable $20. Available at least in dark grey, it has a matte (seemingly textured) finish, and provides access to both the tablet's headphone jacket and charging port. |
| $399 Triad speakers for Nexus Q surface in Google Play store Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:25 AM PDT Well, we certainly know what's coming at 12:30. In addition to outing the Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus Q media-streaming device, the Play store has a listing for $399 Triad bookshelf speakers "designed to optimize the sound quality of the Nexus Q." The listed specs peg each speaker at 14 pounds, with a 1-inch fabric dome tweeter and a 6.5-inch proprietary woofer. The speakers' range is 75 Hz - 20 kHz, and according to the page they will ship in two to three weeks -- only in the US. |
| Sprint's 4G LTE coming to five markets July 15th Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:20 AM PDT Already got the Sprint LTE-enabled handset, but still waiting for the network to kick in? Good news if you happen to live in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City or San Antonio -- Sprint today announced that its 4G LTE will be hitting those markets come July 15th. Sprint, naturally, thinks the new network is "the best choice in wireless," when packaged with its oft-discussed unlimited data plan, and has already anticipated its launch with a handful of LTE-capable handsets, including the LG Viper 4G LTE, Samsung Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Nexus, to name a few. For more info, check out the full press release after the break.
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| T-Mobile US CEO Philipp Humm resigns, Jim Alling takes over as interim CEO Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:20 AM PDT Philipp Humm, the CEO of T-Mobile US, has resigned, according to a report from All Things D. While no official reason has been given, an official statement given to the publication tells us that Humm is heading back to Europe to be with his family and will look for a career outside of Deutsche Telekom. We're still waiting to receive the full statement from T-Mobile, and will update this post as we get more information. Update: We just received the official press release, which you can peruse below. Jim Alling, COO of T-Mobile US, will be the new interim CEO while a search for Humm's replacement is underway. Jim Alling Appointed as Interim CEO at T-Mobile USA Philipp Humm, resigned as CEO of T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom's mobile business in the USA. Jim Alling, Chief Operating Officer of T-Mobile USA, will take over the duties of CEO on an interim basis while a search is underway. |
| Google to hand over $25 Play credit with each Nexus 7 tablet purchase Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:15 AM PDT Among the premature Google Play leaks this morning is a line about a purchase bonus, to ship alongside each Nexus 7 tablet. As a temporary incentive, Mountain View is offering customers a $25 credit to spend on Play store content, along with additional content, including a copy of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. We're just minutes away from the start of Google's I/O conference keynote, where we expect to hear full details about the tablet and bonus cash, along with a handful of other devices, such as the Nexus Q. |
| Lenovo begins Ice Cream Sandwich rollout to ThinkPad Tablets stateside Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:14 AM PDT Today may be the day the world meets Jelly Bean -- Android's 4.1 evolution -- but that doesn't mean the 4.0 upgrade train needs to stall. While overseas owners of Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet began to see that software update hit a few week back, statesiders are just now beginning to enjoy the benefits of the soon-to-be-passé ICS OS. If you claim this Honeycomb tab as your own, you should soon be receiving an OTA notification prompting you to install the software which adds stock features like face unlock, screenshot sharing, multi-tasking and resizable widgets amongst others. So, congratulations -- you're once again yet another step behind Google's mobile evolution. |
| Google leaks Nexus Q video and images ahead of I/O keynote Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:05 AM PDT Speaking of Google-related leaks, we've got another one for you. After a bit of digging, we were able to hunt down some images of the rumored Nexus Q, and it now seems inevitable that we'll be getting some up close and personal time with this particular device after today's keynote session. According to some documents found by Droid-Life, the Nexus Q will have some interaction with YouTube, Google Play Movies, Play Music and TV, and will require the use of a phone or tablet running Gingerbread or higher. Update: it looks like the official product page on the Google Play Store has been updated. So here's the details: the Nexus Q lets you stream music and movies from Google Play and YouTube to your home entertainment system. It offers a 25W amp, enabling you to power it to a set of speakers, or you can hook it up to an AV receiver or HDTV. According to the product page, the Nexus Q will be available for $300. So far it appears to be a US-only product, so we'll have to wait and see if more is revealed at the I/O keynote session. Check out the video after the break!
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| Miselu Neiro synth at Google I/O: exclusive first look at apps from Korg and Yamaha (video) Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Remember Miselu's Neiro -- that prototype app-based Android-powered synth we last played with at SXSW? Not only is it being showcased at Google I/O 2012 here in San Francisco, but we got an exclusive first look at some of the apps being developed for the new platform ahead of the event. The company's been on a roll since our meeting in Austin, gaining (ex-OQO CEO) Jory Bell as CTO and building relationships with partners like Korg and Yamaha. Now on its second iteration, the laptop-like synth has evolved from the hand-built prototype we saw at SXSW to a more polished reference design -- complete with breakout board for SD card and Ethernet support. As before, the device runs Gingerbread on a dual-core TI OMAP processor and features a two octave velocity and pressure-sensitive keyboard, a capacitive multitouch widescreen, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, audio and MIDI I/O, plus USB and HDMI ports. This version even adds XLR and quarter-inch audio jacks -- just keep in mind that those specs have not been finalized. What's really exciting about the synth is the apps. The company's ongoing partnership with Retronyms to create a suite of touch-controlled, cloud-enabled musical apps has evolved beyond the drum-machine demo we covered at SXSW. Called nStudio, the suite now also includes a pad-based sampler / sequencer and a mixer. Plasma Sound is a touch-based musical instrument that's part theremin, part keyboard / sequencer. It's already available for other devices on Google Play, but was easily tweaked to run on the Neiro -- sight unseen -- thanks to Miselu's musicSDK and OS X-based emulator. Miselu will be showcasing two more apps on its synth here at Google I/O: Korg's Polysix and Yamaha's Vocaloid. The Polysix app fainthfully recreates Korg's legendary 1981 synth -- known for its rich, thick analog sound. A real, mint-condition Polysix was even available for comparison during our brief time with the app (see our gallery). Vocaloid takes full advantage of the NSX-1 DSP chip that's built-into the Neiro. It's a singing synth app produced by Yamaha that "uses concatenative synthesis to splice and process vocal fragments extracted from human voice samples." We'll be spending some time with the Vocaloid app and its creator -- video game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (of Sega and Lumines fame) -- later today. In the meantime, check out the gallery below and watch our hands-on video with the other apps after the break.
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| Google's Nexus 7 tablet outed before I/O 2012 (update: now with specs, price) Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:54 AM PDT |
| Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:46 AM PDT RIM gave the impression when it unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 that its lowest-cost Curves were doubtful prospects for the US. Thankfully, that's been proven wrong by Boost Mobile, which just launched the 9320's CDMA cousin, the Curve 9310. The message-manic BlackBerry comes to Sprint's prepaid network with its BBM key intact as well as BlackBerry 7.1, a 3.2-megapixel camera and that all-important low price: at $100 contract-free, it's one of the cheapest ways to leap into smartphones in the US. To top it off, Boost is throwing in a very tantalizing BBM Unlimited plan. The deal offers unlimited calling, text messaging and (naturally) BBM; although it starts at $45 per month, it gradually dips down to a very reasonable $30 per month if owners pay their bills properly for six months. Both the Curve 9310 and its companion plan will be available July 10th, giving us time to find the needed spare change under our couch cushions. |
| Sirius XM details GoogleTV app ahead of the I/O party Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:28 AM PDT The fine folks at Sirius XM just couldn't wait for Google I/O to kick off. Yesterday the satellite radio giant tipped off Reuters (not that it was the only one "spilling the beans," mind you), and today it's offering up even more information on its upcoming Google TV offering. The app, still slated for a broad 2012 release, will be available as a free download for US subscribers via the Google Play store. The list of features includes Start Now, which lets users listen to programming from up to five hours prior, pausing / fast forwarding / rewinding and Tune Start, which brings up the beginning of an already played song. Also on-board is the Show Finder, a program guide that lets subscribers set show alerts. The company will be demoing the product later this evening at I/O. In the meantime, check out the press release after the break.
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| Acer launches 11.6-inch Sandy Bridge TravelMate B113 Posted: 27 Jun 2012 08:11 AM PDT 4GB of RAM, half a TB of storage, Sandy Bridge and an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 panel starting at €450 (about $563), sounds like a pretty sweet deal on a last-gen ultrabook right? Well, Acer's TravelMate B1113 is actually brand new and, as you dig a little deeper into the specs, this one sounds more like a rather hefty netbook. And we do mean hefty -- this laptop apparently tips the scales at 1.88 Kg, which puts it a touch over the four pound mark. 4.1 pounds certainly isn't shoulder busting, but it's a solid half a pound more than you'd expect from a machine of this size. Then there's the fact that the base model ships with a 1.4Ghz Celeron, and the top shelf €560 version (roughly $700) only sports a 1.5GHz Core i3. We haven't been able to dig up the dimensions on this sucker, but the press pics don't make it look particularly bulky. We can only assume, given its considerable weight and diminutive size, that the chassis is made of cast iron. On the plus side, it does have a matte screen... that's gotta count for something, right? |
| Sony's Action Cam prototype is incredibly small, we go fingers-on at CE Week in NYC Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:41 AM PDT CE Week isn't typically a venue for major product introductions, then again neither is Sony's blog. Last night, we got a sneak peek at the company's new Action Cam on the aforementioned site, and this morning the Japanese manufacturer dropped the black curtain on what appears to be the very same prototypes used in yesterday's tease. We almost missed it at Sony's pint-sized booth at the annual week-long CEA event in New York City -- the camera, which has yet to get an official name and model number assignment from Tokyo, is massively smaller than yesterday's snaps may have implied. The adventure shooter is hidden behind glass, but we did manage to pull it out for a brief inspection, and boy is it tiny. A variety of mounts were on hand to demonstrate the shooter's versatility, including a handlebar attachment, helmet holster and some sort of plastic enclosure that could presumably be used to shield the Action Cam from underwater hazards, though Sony declined to confirm. Specification details are also quite spotty at the moment, but we were able to confirm that there will be an Exmor R CMOS image sensor and a wide-angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens on board. Things seem to be quite limited on the controls front, with simple navigation buttons, a Start/Stop toggle, a tiny LCD and stereo mics up front representing the entire bounty of I/O offerings. There also appears to be SD and Memory Stick storage on board, based on familiar logos printed on the jet-black housing. For now, that's all she wrote -- we expect more details as we approach the Action Cam's official launch in the fall. Flip through the gallery below for a closer look. |
| Spotify releases artist-branded apps, Quincy Jones and Rancid pick your music for you Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:14 AM PDT Finding new music can be difficult. And sure, internet radio services like Pandora are all well and good, but can you really trust their algorithms to chose your music for you? What you need is an experienced tastemaker, like Quincy Jones or Tiësto or those dudes in Disturbed, whatever their names are. Thankfully, all of the above and Operation Ivy expats Rancid have signed up to create the first round of Artist Apps for Spotify, which can be downloaded now via the desktop verison's left nav bar.
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| Georgia Tech's Shimi robot wants to rock with you all night, rock the night away Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:46 AM PDT Shimi certainly has the makings of a viral video hit, but its creators at Georgia Tech want you to know that there's more to the dancing robot than just a pretty face. The "interactive musical buddy," designed by the school's Center for Music Technology, is a one-foot-tall smartphone-enabled "docking station with a brain." Shimi has a whole slew of functionality, using the phone's face-detection to track listeners and better position its speakers. Users can also clap out a beat, which the 'bot will use to pull a matching song from the phone's playlist, playing the track and, naturally, dancing to the beat. Forthcoming functionality includes the ability for users to shake their heads or wave a hand to affect Shimi's song choices. Google I/O attendees will get the opportunity for a closer look at Shimi this week in San Francisco. In the meantime, check out a couple of videos of the robot doing its thing after the break.
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| Robotic quadrotors' training now complete, proven with razzle-dazzle Cannes show (video) Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:21 AM PDT We've watched our potential quad-mech overlords from KMel Robotics evolve from agile solo acrobats to worker bees to deft synchronized performers. It seemed only a matter of time before they would hunt down Sarah Connor en masse -- or take the show-biz world by storm. Fortunately for us, the tricky flyers chose to embrace their flamboyant side at a tour-de-force 16-quad lightshow in Cannes, where they opened the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors' Showcase. The soaring automatons pulled all their past tricks out of the bag, flying precisely with mirrors to bounce lights from below, all timed to dramatic music --which they also had a hand in controlling. The sparkly treat awaits right after the break.
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| Sirius XM gives Google TV a Stern look, plans radio app for this summer Posted: 27 Jun 2012 05:50 AM PDT |
| Google offers free online course to turn you into a 'power searcher' Posted: 27 Jun 2012 05:26 AM PDT If you're game for learning some new search tricks, they may as well come from the hive mind itself. Mountain View is currently accepting registrations for "Power Searching with Google," a free-of-charge virtual course which will start on July 10th and involve six 50-minute interactive classes spread over two weeks. In addition to plugging Google+ at every opportunity, it promises to explain how to "solve real, everyday problems" using advanced search features -- and there's even a certificate at the end of it. Sign up at the course homepage linked below. |
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