| Windows Phone gaining on iOS as BlackBerry crumbles May 16th 2013, 13:04 
Windows Phone has finally eased past BlackBerry and Symbian to take third place in the smartphone race, but IDC's latest figures make it clear just how much of a two-horse race between Android and iOS it has become. In fact, in platform terms, combining the two big rivals from Google and Apple amounts to a staggering 92.3 per cent of smartphones shipped in the first three months of 2013. Apart from IDC's analyst brilliantly suggesting that this amounts to "more than the lion's share" of the smartphone market, the breakdown of market share is just as deserving of attention. Android has been dominant for some time, but has ramped that up even more in comparison to the same quarter last year and now amounts to 75 per cent of the market with 162.1 million units shipped. Apple still bobbing alongApple's iOS accounts for 17.3 per cent of the market (down from 23 per cent in the same quarter of 2012) and Windows Phone has captured 3.2 per cent for third place, leapfrogging ailing BlackBerry which has declined from 6.4 per cent to a meagre 2.9 per cent. That means Windows Phone is growing faster than Apple's iPhone - although it has a long journey before it is competing for silver. At the foot of the table Linux and Symbian both fell away - the latter declining from a relatively healthy 6.8 per cent of market share in Q1 2012 to a terminal looking 0.6 per cent. Microsoft and key partner Nokia will certainly be buoyed by the 7 million Windows Phone handsets shipped - compared to just 3 million this time last year, and Apple - despite losing market share - has still managed to flog 37.4 million iPhones compared to 35.1 million in 2012. But Android - and that means principally Samsung - is the real success story, taking advantage of a burgeoning market to sell more than 70 million more handsets than a year ago.     |  | Ofcom says 4G will cut voice 'not-spots' May 16th 2013, 12:14 
The spread of 4G networks is likely to fill 'not-spots' for mobile communications in the UK, with extra 2G and 3G equipment backing up that made for the fourth generation, according to a report from regulator Ofcom. Its new report on the availability of communications services in the UK includes a prediction that three factors will lead to improved coverage. One is that wherever 4G networks are rolled out, 2G and 3G equipment will be installed alongside. More phones and dongles that use all three technologies are hitting the market and providing faster connections for users. Second is that the agreement between Vodafone's coverage should improve on the back of its agreement with Telefónica's O2 to share infrastructure, and the obligation on the latter's 4G licence to provide indoor coverage to 98% of UK premises. Third is that Telefónica's coverage advantage is likely to spur other operators to extend their coverage to compete for business. Funding factorThe report says these factors should combine with others, such as funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and reforms in the planning laws, to improve mobile and broadband coverage around the country. EE has so far led the way in extending 4G coverage, aiming to extend its network to 98% of the population by the end of next year.     | | In Depth: 11 incredible Apple imitations May 16th 2013, 12:00 
Inspiration is a two-way street, and Apple's inspiration often comes from elsewhere: Jonathan Ive happily lists famous Braun designer Dieter Rams as an inspiration (and you can really see the Braun T3 radio in the original iPod), and Apple recently had to hand over £13 million when it used the iconic Swiss Railway Clock in iOS without permission. Most of the traffic, though, does seem to be heading in one direction: Apple's products are so widely imitated, people are copying things it hasn't even made yet. Come with us as we discover some of the Apple kit that has, ahem, inspired other firms' products. If you're allergic to the word Samsung, you might want to sit this one out. 1. eMachines eOneYouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ICdXdPoZ8Its case is two-tone, white and translucent blue. The computer and the display are in a single case. And it runs Windows. eMachines' 1999 eOne wasn't so much inspired by the Bondi Blue iMac as a blatant, Windows-running copy of it, and eMachines' hope that it could avoid legal action by using a slightly different shape didn't pan out. Apple sent the lawyers in and eMachines settled for an undisclosed sum. 2. Samsung S i9000
We're sure you'll agree that Samsung's 2010 S i9000 doesn't look anything like the 2008 iPhone 3G, apart from the shape, and the rounded corners, and the grid of icons, and the shiny bezel, and the detail around the camera lens, and the buttons at the side. Nope, if you discount all of those things there's hardly any resemblance there at all. 3. Speerit
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, the Siri team must be feeling just great: Siri's distinctive look and feel has been imitated by Samsung's S-Voice, by the Speerit Android app and, as 9to5mac.com also discovered, by an app called Siri For Android that merely invoked Google's own voice recognition software. 4. Gooapple V5 3GYouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xiyCkUdMa2EI think we can let the Gooapple V5 3G marketing copy speak for itself. "Gooapple follow the step of Apple, released new generation smartphone: Gooapple V5 3G. The new phone use same retina screen like iPhone 4S, the display resolution is 960x640 pixels. Gooapple V5 3G also upgrade the camera to 5.0 mega pixel." It's an iPhone 4-a-like running Android 2.3. 5. Dell XPS 15z
If it looks like a MacBook Pro, walks like a MacBook Pro and quacks like a MacBook Pro, it's probably a Dell XPS 15z. That's what Engadget reckoned, anyway, noting that while Dell said the laptop would have an "innovative new form factor" of some sort, "the company neglected to mention it would look like a MacBook Pro... From the aluminum chassis to the placement of the speakers, DVD drives and majority of ports... heck, even the tiny arrow key bars on the backlit keyboard and feet on the bottom of the chassis are cribbed from Apple's product." 6. Asus Eee Top PC
Asus is no stranger to Apple-inspired design - its 2004 W1N looked like a PowerBook and its S5Ne looked like a white iBook - and its Eee Top ET2203T PC looks like the 2011 iMac, albeit an iMac built after a few too many shandies. All-in-one design? Check! Black bezel? Check! Big silvery chin? Check! In fairness to Asus, the ET2203T also introduced features the iMac didn't have, such as a stylus-controlled touch screen and several brightly coloured stickers. 7. Every tablet, ever
It takes more than fiddling with the aspect ratio to make a tablet look different from the iPad, and it seems that many firms can barely be bothered doing even that. We don't really need to list all the iPad-a-likes, do we? We do? Okay then... *deep breath* HP TouchPad BlackBerry PlayBook Zenithink ZT180 A1CS X220 Kindle Fire Samsung Tab Kogan Agora Tornado FlyTouch 3 StarPAD 7 ViewPad 7 Folio 100 Dell Streak 10 iRobot Meizu MBook Google Nexus Ramos W9 GooPad Mini Cube U9GT5 iPed inPad LifesPadzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 8. Samsung Chromebox
Hat tip to Dustin Curtis, who spotted Samsung's Chromebox and noted that "all small computers are built with circular openings in the bottom, right? It's a natural method of construction. How else would you build such a thing?" How else indeed? 9. Smart Cases
In 2011, Samsung was unfairly blamed for the arrival of Galaxy Tab smart cases, which looked and worked an awful lot like Apple's newly introduced iPad 2 Smart Covers. Imagine! Samsung accused of copying! This particular incident was a third party's fault, though: accessory firm Anymode was a little too inspired by Apple's design, and while Samsung claims that it "reviews and approves all accessories" for its mobile products, it says that Anymode was using the "designed for Samsung Mobile" logo without Samsung's knowledge or approval. 10. Smart WatchesThe iWatch isn't even out yet, but Samsung's making one too - and so is Google, and Microsoft, and LG, and quite possibly your gran. 11. Potatoes
We've saved our favourite till last. If you live in Yorkshire, beware a "chubby white man in his forties who [has] dark blonde hair and an Irish accent": according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he's been flogging iPads made of potatoes. "A conman tricked a victim into buying an iPad which turned out to be a bag of potatoes," the Evening Post reported. "A price of £200 was agreed and the men drove to a nearby cash machine on Commercial Street where the £200 was exchanged for a black laptop bag that the victim believed contained the iPad." The next sentence contains a whole world of hurt. "It was not until after the victim left the area and opened the bag that he discovered it contained some potatoes," the newspaper says.     | | Google and Microsoft squabble over YouTube app May 16th 2013, 11:02 
Microsoft's new YouTube app for Windows Phone has been available for about a week, but it didn't take long for Google to kick up a fuss. Why? Because the app blocks ads, giving Google's potential revenue a kicking. Google claims this violates the YouTube API Ts and Cs, demanding that Microsoft remove the app by May 22. According to The Verge, Microsoft built the app without the go-ahead from Google. Now Microsoft has responded and said that it will include advertising if that's what Google really wants, but with one proviso. "We'd be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs," it said. Play nicelyOf course, it's all of us who get punished at the end of the day, and a lack of app will mean users are forced to stick with the Google mobile web version when watching YouTube. "In light of Larry Page's comments today calling for more interoperability and less negativity, we look forward to solving this matter together for our mutual customers," added Microsoft. But where does Google now stand? We contacted Mountain View to see how it feels about Microsoft's response and will update when we hear more.     | | What's new for BlackBerry business users? May 16th 2013, 10:16 
As well as announcing the budget Q5 BlackBerry 10 handset at the BlackBerry Live conference this week, the company is also updating its management features for businesses – for its own and other smartphones. So not only will the BBM messaging service be available for iOS and Android this summer - initially for text messages, photos and the new branded channels that businesses can use to reach customers - but with BBM voice and video features promised in the future. That could be useful within a business because it allows the sender to see when a message has been delivered and if it's been read yet. But if your business uses Microsoft Lync or IBM's Sametime instant messaging, you can now get encrypted instant messages on BlackBerry 10 handsets. You can see who else is available on IM, see new messages in the BlackBerry Hub, send individual and group messages or switch from a text chat to a voice call. And if you're using BlackBerry Balance to separate personal apps and work information, secure IM can be managed inside the work perimeter of Balance. Secure Work SpaceThe free BlackBerry Enterprise IM 3.0 app is available on the BlackBerry site now, but the Secure Work Space apps for iOS and Android that BlackBerry showed in March is still in beta testing with selected partners. Secure Work Spaces will need an update to the BlackBerry Enterprise Service that will be available at the end of June. It's scheduled to ship by the end of August through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Both versions will include email, contacts, calendar, tasks and file access, a secure browser for looking at intranet sites, and allow admins to package up apps to run inside the BlackBerry-protected workspace. "What we're focusing on is data level protection," Jeff Holleran, Senior Director of Enterprise Product Management, told TechRadar Pro. "It's about protecting data on the device rather than the ability to control the complete device. "We use the right levels of data protection so we don't have the concern of attack vector going against the data, because it's just those fully authenticated apps from the business that have the ability to go across the secure connection to the firewall. You can think of it as extending the firewall to cover the apps on the device." Not only is that easier than trying to build an app that uses a VPN, but it's also better for battery life. Because a VPN connection will time out if it's not being used, other tools for connecting to business data have to keep the connection alive. This involves turning on the phone radio, which reduces battery life and uses up a data plan. BlackBerry isn't yet looking at Windows Phone or any other platforms. Feedback factor"Our customers have asked us to support iOS and Android," Holleran said. "If there is feedback from them, we will add additional platforms when it makes sense to do so." That's over and above the BES 10 version 10.1 update that's available this week, which allows admins to apply the same kind of policies to BlackBerry 10 handsets as they could with BlackBerry 7 devices, like turning off the camera or blocking personal apps and files. It's aimed at primarily government departments and heavily regulated industries that need to strictly control what employees can do with phones. But smaller businesses will also be interested in the new version of BES because it's significantly easier to install, as well as showing more information about the phones – BlackBerry, iOS and Android - that you're managing. The new dashboard will show how many devices are being managed, what mobile network they're on, what OS they're running, what apps are installed and whether they're complying with your policies. "We got a lot of user feedback," Holleran told us. "We listened to the feedback and we've simplified it a lot." For example, BES 10 had multiple installers, all with different requirements, and you had to run them in the right order. "We consolidated the installers so it's going to lay down the components you need in the right order. We do port checking to make sure there are no conflicts. We made sure it became a very seamless installation." Firewall optionsThe June BES update will also make managing iOS and Android devices easier by simplifying firewall options. "The number one complaint we had was all those ports you had to open on the firewall to Apple and Google for managing devices," Holleran said. "Now we route that through the BlackBerry secure infrastructure so you don't have to open extra ports." BES 10 version 10.1 is a free download and BlackBerry is continuing the offer of free upgrades for BES 5 users until the end of December 2013. After that licences will cost $59 (£39) per year per device.     | | Samsung promises to review Galaxy S4 storage space after Watchdog exposé May 16th 2013, 09:21 
Samsung has said it is "reviewing" the memory situation on the Samsung Galaxy S4 after it received a pasting on Watchdog last night. The pack over at BBC Watchdog, led by Anne Robinson, took issue with Samsung's claim that its flagship phone offers 16GB of storage when in fact users can only enjoy around 9GB of that space. Through what we imagine to be gritted teeth, Samsung told Cnet, "We appreciate this issue being raised and will improve our communications. "Also we are reviewing the possibility to secure more memory space through further software optimisation." All alone in the moonlightSamsung had originally said that the memory trade-off is down to the S4's "more powerful features" for which we should all just jolly well be grateful. We questioned the internal space in our full Samsung Galaxy S4 review, but our fears were somewhat allayed by a software update - although we still think that a lot of those "powerful features" are a bit of a waste of space if you aren't going to use them. Hopefully Samsung's internal reviews will give us the option to ditch some of that in favour of apps we've actually chosen.     | | ZTE Grand X2 brings high performance at low cost with new Intel chip May 16th 2013, 09:13 
ZTE has announced another in its line of Intel-toting Android phones, except this one is ramping up the power. The use of the new Intel Atom chip, which is dual-core with up to 2GHz speed, means the pone should come with a lower price tag while managing to offer a decent slug of power. ZTE loves to chuck out phones with 'alternative' processors - the uninspiring ZTE Grand X came with a Tegra 2 processor rather than the Qualcomm options beloved by the industry. The ZTE Grand X2 is otherwise a squarely middle-of-the-road handset, with Android Jelly Bean, an 8MP camera, a 4.5-inch HD (1280 x 768) display, 8GB of internal memory with 1GB of RAM to go on top. Why are you wearing THAT?However, thanks to the Intel technology, the Grand X2 can shoot snaps at up to 24 shots per second, and promises zero shutter lag when time is of the essence and you're after the perfect picture. Quite how the camera is 'socially smart' we don't know – but we assume that ZTE has placed a 'cool kids' filter on top to make sure you stay up to date with what's happening, dog. ZTE has been quietly trying to push its hardware into the hands of consumers for the past couple of years, and has had a modicum of success – however, it hopes with higher-end hardware like this it can start to be seen as a more relevant player in the smartphone game. While it says that the Grand X2 release date is set for Q3 2013 with 'key operators and channel partners' in Europe, the problem has been nobody seems to want to stock anything with a ZTE badge, and in a world where consumers are being forced to believe that quad core and oodles of RAM is best, it's hard to see where this phone will fit in. It's good to see a faster Intel Atom processor in a phone though – more power with less of a battery drain (at least, that's what's promised) is always a good thing.     | | Google IO: Google's Galaxy S4: what you need to know May 15th 2013, 21:54 
Google was rather busy during the first day of its annual Google IO conference, announcing not just new music and game services for Google Play, but also shocking everyone with the reveal of a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4. Though Samsung has been rather pivotal in making Android the most successful and widely adopted operating system in use around the world, the version available on smartphones like the Galaxy S4 isn't as pure as that found on Google's own devices like the Nexus 4. That's something Google is hoping to rectify with this new version of Samsung's flagship phone, which will be completely unlocked running a stock version of Android 4.2: Jelly Bean. Google takes Android backWhile we certainly sang a lot of praises for the Galaxy S4 in our review, we found the additional features added to the core Android experience by Samsung "flawed or overly complex." Google is attempting to alleviate that issue by providing a more pure Android experience along the lines of its Nexus devices. Gone will be the added Air Gestures and Smart Scroll and Samsung's TouchWiz interface, all of which will be replaced with the core Nexus experience as delivered by Android 4.2. Additionally, the Google Galaxy S4 will include a fully unlocked bootloader, which bodes well for Android modders or developers keen to customize as much of the experience as they possibly can. Even more important, with the core version of Android, users will be able to upgrade to each new version with ease. That should come in handy considering it's widely expected Android 4.3 will make its debut during this week's Google IO (though this morning's keynote would have been prime time to roll it out). Mirror GalaxyBased on what we know from Google's presentation, the foundation of the Galaxy S4's hardware will remain intact and unchanged. The Google Galaxy S4 should still get a massive 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, backed by the 1.9Ghz quad-core Qualcomm 600 processor. The 13MP rear camera doesn't appear to be going anywhere either, and the same can be said for the phone's 16GB of internal storage. That said, the standard version of the Galaxy S4 loses a lot of that storage space to all the extra features included by Samsung. With Google stripping the smartphone of all the non-essential bells and whistles, it would appear its version of the Galaxy S4 will start off with much more than 9GB of free space out of the package. Google's version of the Galaxy S4 will also still support 4G LTE, as well as NFC, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi, and will still include the solid 2600mAh battery. You've got to pay to PlayThe Play Store will be the only place you can purchase the new Galaxy S4, though the phone will be completely unlocked, and usable at both AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. Sadly, Verizon subscribers will be left in the cold when it comes to Google's own phones, even though the carrier is getting the Galaxy S4 later this May. Unlike the Nexus 4, which also came completely unlocked, the Galaxy S4 will unfortunately not be quite as affordable. Beginning on June 26, Americans will be able to get their hands on the exclusive phone for $649 with no contract, which is $10 more than AT&T and $20 more than T-Mobile is charging for the Galaxy S4 outright. The price converts to AU$657 and UK£426. Part of what made the Nexus 4 so appealing, despite its lack of 4G, was the $299 (UK£239, AU$499) price tag, which without a contract, made it rather comparable to most competitor phones purchased through a specific carrier on contract.     | | Google IO: Sending payments through Gmail redefines moneygram May 15th 2013, 21:34 
Now you'll definitely always "accidentally forget" to send attachments, as Google announced that users will be able to send recipients money through Gmail. "Google Wallet is now integrated with Gmail," the company announced during its Google IO conference in San Francisco. "You can quickly and securely send money to friends and family directly within Gmail - even if they don't have a Gmail address." All it takes to send money through Gmail is a bank account linked to Google Wallet, the mobile payments service that Android users have been able to use since 2011. The best mobile payments in life are freeThe best part about sending friends and family money through Gmail is that it will be free when using a bank account linked to Google Wallet or your Google Wallet balance. Sending money through linked credit or debit cards will incur low fees, according to Google, which currently charges a 2.9 percent transaction fee (minimum $0.30). The company notes that receiving money is always free regardless of the funding source the sender chooses. Just like file size limits on Gmail attachments, Google Wallet has a transaction limited on USD $10,000 (£6,577, AU$10,134) per 5 day period. This applies to all transactions. Gmail money attachment release dateGoogle Wallet's 2.9 percent transaction fee puts it in direct competition with PayPal and Square, which both charge higher fees for manually-entered transactions. One advantage the other services have, however, is the ability to send money across various devices including iPhone. Currently, sending money through Gmail is limited to the desktop, and Google Wallet is only available on eight Android phones and tablets. They may change, of course, as the new Gmail feature is only now beginning to roll out to users. "We're rolling out this feature over the coming months to all U.S. Gmail users over 18 years old," said Google. When that happens, a user will see a $ icon appear in the attachment options of their Gmail account, or they can just beg someone else using the feature to send them money for earlier access.     | | Google IO: No 'Nexus Edition' HTC One in the cards, phone maker reveals May 15th 2013, 20:32 
Google has taken its Nexus wand and waved it over Samsung's flagship phone, creating a stock Android 4.2 Galaxy S4 device it plans to sell unlocked for $649 on U.S. carriers T-Mobile and AT&T. The question is: Will Google do the same to other Android devices? One manufacturer has already answered the question for us. "HTC is not currently planning a 'Nexus Edition' of the HTC One," Jeff Gordon, senior global online communications manager at the phone maker told TechRadar. Only oneThe Nexus 4-influenced Galaxy S4 was the lone hardware announcement to come out of this year's Google IO keynote, and it looks like it will be the lone phone to strip the manufacturer's skin in favor of Google's Nexus. We can't imagine the S4 will be charting this territory alone for long, however, and will keep our ears open for phones that jump into the Nexus-ized S4's waters. Check out the latest from Google's developer conference through our comprehensive hub page. John McCann contributed to this report     | | BB Live: BlackBerry rules out full HD smartphone in 2013 May 15th 2013, 20:26 
We've heard rumours that BlackBerry might be planning a super sized handset complete with full HD screen for later this year, but TechRadar has found out that this may not be the case. TechRadar spoke to Marty Mallick, VP of Global Alliances at BlackBerry during the firm's annual conference in Orlando who explained the firm is looking to keep resolutions consistent to encourage developers to build native BlackBerry 10 apps without having to worry about a range of resolutions. Mallick said: "We announced last fall that for at least the next year our plan is to stay with the same resolutions on our two form factors, all touch and QWERTY touch, to give developers the confidence and consistency to leverage their investments. What you looking at?"The screen resolutions are 1280 x 720 and 720 x 720 - these are the two we're focussed on for this year." This doesn't mean BlackBerry will never consider full HD displays, but if reports suggesting we'll see another three handsets from the Canadian firm this year turn out to be true, you can probably expect more of the same in the screen department. BlackBerry hasn't commented on any future devices so far, but if this resolution promise to developers holds out until the end of the year it could risk falling further behind the likes of Samsung, Apple and HTC.     | | Samsung Galaxy Mega reportedly delayed until July. Waiting for bigger jeans pockets? May 15th 2013, 20:20 
When Samsung announced its massive Galaxy Mega 6.3 smartphone back in April it pledged a May launch in the UK, but by all accounts that isn't on the cards anymore. As reported by The Inquirer, the massive smartphone has turned up on Carphone Warehouse's coming soon page, which quotes a July release date. What's caused the apparent delay isn't known, but it may be that Samsung has ploughed its efforts into meeting the demand for the flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone rather making than this mid-range effort. The Carphone Warehouse page doesn't give an exact date, neither does it quote pricing or network availability, but it seems certain that the retailer will offer contracts with all of the top carriers. Note-liteThe Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 was unveiled alongside the Galaxy Mega 5.8 in mid-April as lower-spec alternatives to the best-selling Galaxy Note 2 device. Samsung immediately confirmed that Europe would only be getting the 6.3-inch device, which rocks a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device also brings an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, 4G LTE support and a large 3,200mAh battery.     | | Google IO: YouTube announces 'we'll do it live' with more live streaming channels May 15th 2013, 19:50 
YouTube live streaming is coming to the average web video producer that has at least a small following, Google announced during its Google IO conference today. "YouTube is expanding live streaming access to all channels in good standing with more than a thousand subscribers," said the Mountain View company in a statement. The year-old live streaming service has previously been available to select YouTube partners, who will now see competition from the eager video producers who make up the majority of Google's audience. Live streaming should come to even more accounts in the future, as the company promises to "expand availability to more channels and add more features to YouTube Live over time." How to live stream on YouTubeGaining access to YouTube's live streaming capabilities requires account holders in good standing to apply for an invite first. To verify if your account with one thousand subscribers is eligible, log into the Account Features page of YouTube and look for an "Enable" button. This will trigger the required sign-up function. The ability to live stream might not be present right away, as Google has stated that you'll be able to broadcast to the world from your channel "in the following weeks." YouTube live streaming APIOn top of expanding YouTube Live, Google has expanded the YouTube live stream API, which lets users create, update and manage live events. Specifically, the API will allow everyone on the video hosting website to schedule event broadcasts and associate them with video streams. YouTube Live partners who had a year-long headstart were able to create "Emmy-winning sports events, amazing music, immersive gaming, [and] engaging talk shows," noted Google. With more than one billion unique users visiting YouTube each month, Google has the power to immediately challenge other live video sharing websites like Ustream.tv, Justin.tv and Live Stream, which are now buffering in their boots.     | | Google IO: Larry Page: I wouldn't grade the industry well in terms of where we've gotten May 15th 2013, 19:33 
Google CEO Larry Page staged the final act of the marathon Google IO keynote today, a 3-plus hour barrage of music, the Galaxy S4 with a Nexus twist and Maps news. While he stayed fairly high level in discussing how humans should use (and not have to think) about the technology in their lives during his prepared remarks, it was after an audience question that he threw barbs at the industry for not progressing as quickly as it should by focusing on "negative and zero-sum games." One culprit in particular: Microsoft. "I've been quite sad at the industry's behavior around [open web standards]," he said. "If you take something as simple as instant messaging, we've had an offer forever that we'll interoperate on instant messaging. "Just this week, Microsoft took advantage of that by interoperating with us, but not doing the reverse, which is really sad. We need interoperation, not just people milking off one company for their own benefit. Google has always stood for that." Sad LarryPage was referring to Microsoft's move earlier this week of adding Google Talk to Outlook.com via the latter's APIs. We've asked Microsoft for its response to Page's comments, and will update this story when we hear back. The CEO, who yesterday revealed he's endured vocal chord paralysis for the past 14 years, admitted that while Google tried to stay "on the right side of things," the company is practical in terms of not "shooting ourselves and our users in the foot." "I'm sad that the web is probably not advancing as fast as it should be," he continued in his response to the query which was posed by a Mozilla employee. "We've certainly struggled with people like Microsoft. We've had a great relationship with Mozilla I think, and value that deeply. I'd like to see more open standards and [companies] get behind things that just work." Devs shouldn't have to chooseEven though Android has seen a surge in adoption, Page said he doesn't think developers should have to decide which system they will create software for. "In the long term, developers shouldn't have to think about, 'Am I developing for this platform or another,'" he said. "I think you should be able to work at a much higher level. The software you write should be able to run everywhere easily." Page's comments were perhaps the most rousing part of an otherwise anti-climatic keynote. Though developers are sure to jump on services like Android Studio, the lack of major hardware announcements and demonstrations that have defined conferences' past left a rather empty aftertaste from an end-user perspective. Granted, this is the foundation for the groundbreaking announcement's of next year's (or the year after's) IO. Perhaps if Page's hope for a free-experimentation, Burning Man-type safe spots - a wish he expressed during the unorthodox Q&A - will bring out such earth shaking developments.     | | Google IO: Google Maps Photosphere adds tours via user-generated pictures May 15th 2013, 18:47 
The Photosphere app actually has a relevant use now that Google announced at the IO conference that its Maps service will use the 360 degree images for tours. The new Google Maps enables impressive user-generated tours of landmarks via Photosphere, with pictures showing up at the bottom of the new Maps design. A 3D model of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was shown off using "the Google Earth in the browser" with no plug-ins and no downloads necessary. 3D photo tour examplesThe beauty of St. Peter's Basilica is on the inside, noted Jonah Jones, lead designer of Google Maps. Jones transitioned to an indoor panoramic of the Vatican City church, giving the Google IO conference an interactive look at the inside that could one day be a 360-degree tour. "This is a 3D photo tour that is automatically generated from user photos," said Jones. "So, it will only get better and better. Like 'user-generated Street View'A little closer to home, Jones brought the Google Maps Photosphere demo back to the Google IO conference in the Moscone Center. First, he gave everyone the outside perspective from a certain skydivers, noting last year's keynote Google Glass opening. Jones then revealed that he had taken a Photosphere image of the this year's audience and uploaded it to the Google Maps "This is what you guys look like from up here," he said while showing off the recently captured Photosphere. "It's like a user-generated Street View," Jones said to applause. Google said that users won't want to wait for this, so it's rolling the Photosphere-filled Google Maps feature to users via invites starting tomorrow.     | | Google IO: Google announces 'the end of search as we know it' May 15th 2013, 18:07 
Google announced the rather stark "end of search as we know it" at its annual Google IO conference today. Really, the search engine giant is looking to change the way users go about finding information through its various Google services. Namely, this applies to the Google knowledge graph and Google Now, which are expanding with a credo the company labeled "answer, converse and anticipate." Answering your next questionGoogle's knowledge graph has the basics down, as Amit Singhal, the company's senior vice president and software engineer, demonstrated on the Google IO stage. Asking the search engine for basic information like the release date of Star Trek: Into Darkness movie and the population of India returned the relevant answers. He showed that this information will be supplemented by predicting what a user's next question might be based on what others have searched. "Starting today, we will be anticipating your next question, which may very well be how does [India's population] compare to the population of other countries?" The comparison behind him showed a graph with the U.S. and China's populations above and below the line that represented the 1.21 billion people in India. 'OK, Google' itSearching doesn't have to be a lonely experience, as Google previewed its search engine with a conversational, voice-only approach on Chrome and Chrome OS. The feature rids the need to push a button and allows users to simply say, "OK, Google," to prompt Google to pull up answers to any and all burning questions. The idea is that people don't talk in keywords, so allowing search to recognize casual speech is an evolution of the search system. Anticipate itGoogle's ability to interpret casual speech is where the company's "anticipate" experience comes into play. While traditional search typically relies heavily on keywords, the future of Google's core business will attempt to define "it." For example, with as little information as "how far is it from here," voice search can collaborate distance and directions with current traffic conditions highlighted as well. The most concrete example came during an onstage demo, in which Google highlighted Now's ability to pull up handy, need-it-now information about particular places and things - how tall someone has to be to ride a roller coaster, dinner reservation reminders, and package tracking information. Google won't talk back just yetTalking to your search engine as you bend in anticipation of an answer may still have an air of the absurd about it, but probably not for very much longer. Google said that its conversational "OK, Google" concept is "coming soon" to Chrome OS and the Chrome browser on PCs, Mac and Linux. In the meantime, the Google Now desktop functionality and the expansion of the Google knowledge graph are rolling out to users starting today. Additionally, Google's instant answers, which were made available in nine languages last year, will come to people who search in Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese are on the way now.     | | BB Live: BlackBerry promises to be relentless in quest to become top dog May 15th 2013, 17:59 
There certainly seems to be a lot of fire in the BlackBerry belly as the Canadian firm looks to become a dominant force in the mobile market once again. The company starting to branch out in an attempt to control a bigger chunk of the market with the news that BBM will be available on iOS and Android devices from this summer, plus the fact that the BES 10.1 backend system will allow companies to control iOS and Android devices on top of BlackBerry handsets. BlackBerry realises that a lot of its customers aren't aware of everything the firm can offer, and a degree of education needs to happen in order to increase awareness of the brand and its services. Don't stop me nowRob Orr, BlackBerry's UK Managing Director told TechRadar: "people need to understand that BlackBerry is able to, and the best in class at providing a secure VPN on an iPad. "That's something that's probably not at the forefront of people's minds, so we're getting out there to tell people what we're doing and why we're doing it." Talking about what's next for BlackBerry Orr said: "We're just going to keep going. We're going to be relentless, listen to our customers, engage with them and build the true reality of our mobile computing platform." This sentiment echoed what BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said during his keynote presentation at BlackBerry Live in Orlando, explaining that the firm is "committed to making BB 10 the platform which will take the mobile industry to the next level."     | | Google IO: Google Chrome 'races' to bridge the gap between mobile devices May 15th 2013, 17:41 
Android and Chrome OS aren't coming together just yet, but the Google IO conference proved that the gap between Google-powered mobile devices and hardware with Google Chrome has been unified. "It's something tremendously exciting," said Linus Upson, vice president of of engineering for Google Chrome about where mobile web is headed. "We want this elegant UI framework that works across all form factors, all devices." Proving that vision is already getting started, Upson invited some volunteers to play a game called "Racer: A Chrome Experience." Google Chrome slot car game demoThe slot-car racing game had primitive overheard graphics, but it was running across five different devices using Google Computer Engine. Web sockets kept all five of the devices in sync and web audio sound transitions kept the sound effects transitions on point. So, even though the track was broken up across multiple tablets and smartphones, the racing game action was fluid and seamless. The most amazing part was that this included an Apple iOS device thanks to a volunteer manning an iPhone as part of the racing game. Unified Google platform in the works"It's still early and not ready for consumption by regular developers," cautioned Upson at the Google IO conference. However, he urged interested developers in the audience to participate in the "Web components and action session" at Google IO on Thursday. Developing...     | | Google IO: Google announces a Nexus-ized version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 May 15th 2013, 16:58 
Google today announced its very own take on the Samsung Galaxy S4 during the Google IO developers conference. The device runs stock Android 4.2 with the same software that runs on the Nexus 4 - meaning it's essentially an S4 without the heavy TouchWiz touch. It will cost $649 unlocked (with an unlocked bootloader) and house 16GB of storage. Users can pick it up starting Jun 26 via the Google Play Store. The device will support LTE on T-Mobile and AT&T, and there's no word yet on international carriers. "It's Google's take on Android," Hugo Barra of Google said, which while a bit of a "no duh" comment, also points out that Google views this handset as a "true" Android device built in its vision. Go go S4There appears to be no changes on the hardware front for Google's version: this is the 1.9GHz quad-core version of the phone with all the specs intact. The changes are on the skin front, with the device running the Nexus 4 user experience all on Samsung's massive 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display. Samsung's Galaxy S4 shares the "phone of the moment" spotlight with HTC's One, though this Google take on the Sammy machine looks like it will fly solo for now. "HTC is not currently planning a 'Nexus Edition' of the HTC One," Jeff Gordon, senior global online communications manager at the phone maker told TechRadar. You can read all you need to know about the new device in our handy "what you need to know" run down.     | | Google IO: Android hits 900 million activations, Google reveals during its IO keynote May 15th 2013, 16:21 
Google announced during its Google IO keynote in San Francisco this morning that Android hit 900 million activated users in 2013. Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and apps, took the stage to announce the milestone during the keynote. Pichair focused on Google's dual dominance in browsers and mobile through Android and Chrome. He said the possibility for developers to build thousands of third-party apps is what really excites Google. Google also revealed that Google Play has surpassed 48 billion app installs. Party at Google's placeGoogle today kicked off its three-day Google IO conference in San Francisco with several key announcements. Google senior vice president Vic Gundotra took the stage to kick things off at the sixth annual Google I/O conference. He revealed that over one million were watching the keynote live on Youtube alone. Google also announced its new subscription music service Google Play Music All Access, its own version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, Google Play game services, and more. Stay tuned to TechRadar over the coming days for more Google IO coverage.     | | Get ready to thump and scratch your iPad May 15th 2013, 16:08 
Another new batch of patents have been granted to Apple - 35 to be exact - but there's one in particular that's caught our eye. The "Electronic device housing as acoustic input device" patent, issued by those great people over at the USPTO, details a technology that would let us interact through taps, scratches and other actions we're not used to using on our iDevices. The microprocessor will interpret the type of input, picked up by the transducers or microphones, and turn it into a function. iThumpIt's essentially turning the device - iPhone or iPad probably, though notebooks are also referenced - into one massive input slab. Of course, this isn't anything groundbreaking, but it would be nice to do things like adjusting the volume by rolling a finger down the side of our tablets. Buttons are so yesterday. The original patent surfaced back in 2011, but now this technology has been granted to Cupertino it can go ahead and implement it as it wishes. That said, the usual caveat applies – don't take this as any sort of confirmation of what's coming.     | |
No comments:
Post a Comment