| In Depth: Android L vs Android 4.4 - what's new? Jun 26th 2014, 13:00, by Thomas Thorn 
New vs old: Android comparedHead of Android Sundar Pichai took to the stage at Google IO 2014 to deliver one of the biggest overhauls of Android yet - a whole new look and some big changes under the hood too. Sadly, it's only a peek at the new OS, as Google tries to appease manufacturers who think launching new versions of Android later in the year ruins plans to get the new platform on handsets for the holidays... but there's still enough to get worked up over. Android L not only marks a breakaway from Android naming tradition, that of sugary treats, but comes packed with over 5000 new developer APIs that help mark Android L as the "biggest release in the history of Android". So what exactly makes this update so big and so important, and more importantly why should you be pining for the letter L rather than the chocolate goodness of Android KitKat? User interfaceThe biggest change that users will notice is the whole new design language that has been developed with Android L introducing design guidelines that have previously been missing from the Android ecosystem. 
Known as Material Design, Google's new interface has been created "not just for mobile but for form factors beyond mobile" said Pichai. Android 4.4 KitKat and previous iterations suffer from a mishmash of app designs; the Gmail app differs largely from the messaging app which in turn differs largely from Facebook. Instead the new guidelines offer up a way of making the whole device feel unified. This new design also brings an almost 3D effect, offered as Android L now enables developers to add an elevation value to any UI surface which will come rendered "in correct perspective with virtual light sources and real time shadows" Put simply, developers can now make it seem that certain elements are floating above the rest of the app with shadows reflecting where those elements are making Android L more intuitive than the flat Android KitKat. Developers will also have access to a new grid layout, a key that will allow apps and websites to be more easily scaled between smaller smartphone screens up to larger tablet, even desktop monitors, and will ensure that every Google product, from the smallest smartphones to tablets, chrome books and even Android enabled TVs feel like a complete ecosystem. This was previously a lot harder leading to apps on KitKat varying greatly between devices, with the same app on an Android 4.4 tablet looking different to that on a KitKat smartphone. Also built in are a whole new raft of animations available to all apps that make moving throughout your Android L device seem more seamless where KitKat often feels disjointed. As Google put it, no more teleportation - everything will seem much more interconnected. NotificationsAnother key area that has been looked at is the way notifications have been handled. Up until now the notifications have been locked to the notifications bar, with the last real update coming in Ice Cream Sandwich where users could swipe to dismiss updates. On current KitKat devices the only way you can access notifications is by pulling down the bar, allowing you to view and react. Instead, Android L brings these interactions far more front and centre, from less intrusion to new ways to see them. 
This is most noticeable whilst receiving a call or a message whilst actively using your device; playing a game, for instance. When receiving a call in KitKat, users are greeted by the call screen, therefore taking you out of the app you are in, swallowing the entire screen and forcing you to accept or reject the call. Android L is far more subtle but is all the more useful for it, instead bringing down a 'Heads up' notification in much the same way as iOS. You can then dismiss or reply immediately without disruption. Notifications have also been given pride of place on the Android L lock screen in a bid to make receiving and responding more seamless. The effect that this will have on many Android KitKat users remains to be seen, as Android overlays such as Sense or TouchWiz and third party apps such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon Glance already offer this functionality. Those using Nexus devices and Google Play editions will find this a lot more useful though, and Google has also packed in functionality that has been omitted on many lock screen replacements. Android L will learn from your habits enabling it to prioritise the notifications that are most relevant to you, so avid tweeters will see Twitter notifications pushed to the fore, for example. SecurityGoogle believes 15% of Android users use a PIN or pattern lock on their device, and it wants to help cut down the time needed to open the phone. It claims that Android is being used regularly on over 1 billion phones, with average user checking their handset over 100 times a day so time saved unlocking can only help. 
Android KitKat has many ways of protecting your device, with pattern unlocks, PINs and passwords, even Google's (all too often inaccurate) facial unlocking. Therefore a KitKat device will only unlock itself to those that know the correct password but this can be time consuming and often frustrating if you press or swipe incorrectly. In order to reduce the time spent entering PINs and pass codes, Android L comes with 'personal unlocking', a feature that "enables the device to determine if it's in a trusted environment, [like] the owner's hand or beside the owner on a table". This is worked out by pre-designated locations, any visible Bluetooth devices such as a smartwatch or even through your voice print. For those that have been looking over their shoulders at the ease of TouchID on the iPhone 5S or the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S5, this could prove a real blessing. Android L also comes packing universal data controls allowing users to better see what data is shared with who. Where on KitKat you had to go through each app manually to discover which ones had access to sensitive data such as your location, Android L brings these under one roof. This will give security conscious users the ability to choose who is getting access to things like location data in a way that they haven't before. SpeedWhilst Android comes with some nifty new features that make an immediate visual impact, Google has put a lot of work in behind the scenes to ensure that Android L is the fastest yet. If you're not into code-speak, here's the summary: it's built on a new platform that's way more efficient than before and runs much faster. 
ART was made available in Android KitKat as an optional runtime but has now been made the standard for Android L and has been developed to work with ARM, x86 and MIPS platforms, running twice as fast as the Dalvik runtime that is found on previous Android iterations. The biggest benefit to users comes that this won't require apps to be readjusted in order to benefit, instead all apps will benefit from ART right away. ART is also more memory efficient than Dalvik meaning that apps that are running in the background will benefit from megabytes of saved data. ART is also 64-bit compatible, where Dalvik on Android KitKat and lower only worked with 32-bit chips, allowing Android L to benefit from the larger number registers, cross platform support and the increased RAM support that 64-bit architecture supports. Improved GraphicsAs mobile GPUs have evolved, so has the mobile gaming industry although the last real mobile graphics boost that Android saw was with 4.3 Jelly Bean with the addition of OpenGL:ES 3.0 support. At the time, EA Labels president, Frank Gibeau commented "In the near future, the next wave of tablets and phones will have nearly Xbox 360 or PS3 capabilities in terms of graphics." To a certain extent he was right as Android KitKat brought along some pretty impressive gaming capabilities; think Shadow Gun Dead Zone rather than Flappy Bird. 
Android L looks to build upon the work already done by Android Jelly Bean and KitKat bringing with it the sole task of closing the gap between mobile and desktop-class (DX11) graphics. This has been done by work with Nvidia, Qualcomm, ARM, and Imagination Technologies Google leading to the creation of the Android Extension Pack. Technically speaking this means a set of features that includes tessellation, geometry shaders, computer shaders and ASTC texture compression which will result in "more realistic environments, more realistic characters and vastly improved lighting". Overall Android L will bring far more powerful graphics capabilities to Android, exceeding what is currently available in even the most high-end Android KitKat games. Interlinked appsThe way Google search interacts with your Android L device has also been taken a look at. Searching before was a lot more hassle, with Android L looking to streamline the process. Using the KitKat search bar allows you to search the web and your device for certain details, although has always defaulted to bringing up the website address. Android L changes all of this with far greater app indexing making your Android L device more intuitive. 
Android L allows users to search through apps directly from the search bar, whether it be a restaurant in the OpenTable app or a friend's page via Facebook The 'Recents' pane of Android L has also been reimagined to fit in with Google's new Material design, but also comes with far greater functionality. In Android KitKat it is possible to fire up into multitasking and flip through the recently accessed apps, but that is as far as it goes. With Android L, Google Chrome tabs are now listed within the multitasking pane, something that has previously been unavailable. This won't just be limited to Google Chrome though, as many Android L apps will also be able to open up multiple cards. This will all save time as you'll no longer have to load up an app like Chrome and then navigate through; instead you can go directly to where you need to be. Battery lifeFinally Android L is also helping OEMs by extending battery life through Project Volta. This brings two main power-saving elements to Android L: opening up the data and extending battery life through a low-drain mode. Android KitKat brought over Project Svelte, aimed at making the Android experience less memory intensive. This might have brought some battery improvements, but Project Volta has taken this to a whole new level. Where Project Svelte was designed to make Android KitKat as a whole run on less powerful devices, Volta allows developers to target individual apps. The creation of the Battery Historian tool allows them to measure battery drain corresponding to exactly what was going on the device. Developers can then rewrite code to counter that battery drain thereby making Android L apps more power efficient than on Android KitKat. This has been backed up by a new Job Scheduler API , allowing Android L to "make your application more efficient by allowing the platform to coalesce non-urgent network requests from multiple apps". By doing this, Android L can significantly reduce the amount of time that the Wi-Fi and cell radios are on compared to the Android KitKat equivalent, thereby reducing the amount of drain these have on the battery. Combined, Android L should make a battery last a lot longer than its older brother. The second battery saving feature that Google has brought across is a battery saving mode. This might seem familiar; this is something that is now fairly common, appearing on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One (M8). Nexus users will finally reap the benefits though, with the new mode allowing the CPU clock speed to be reduced, refresh rate to be lowered and data to be turned off. Google claims that this mode will extend the battery life of a Nexus 5 by about 90 minutes in a typical day        |  | Samsung Galaxy Note 4 may go blur-free with OIS Jun 26th 2014, 11:01, by James Rogerson 
We first heard rumours that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would have a 20MP camera, then a 16MP one and now the latest reports point to a 12MP snapper, which would actually be one megapixel lower than the Galaxy Note 3. But it's not all bad news, because South Korean site ETNews reports that the 12MP camera on the Galaxy Note 4 will include optical image stabilisation (or OIS), which is lacking from the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy S5. According to industry sources speaking to the site, Samsung has already lined up a production facility to build the camera and alongside the 12MP main snapper there'll be a 3.7MP camera on the front, up from the 2MP unit on the Galaxy Note 3. Trimming off the fatApparently Samsung had originally looked at using a 20Mp sensor but dropped it down to 12 as it wanted to keep the Note 4 as thin as possible while still including OIS. The 20MP camera it developed may not have been abandoned though, as the report goes on to say that Samsung now plans to use it in the Galaxy S6 instead, though it's not clear whether that means the S6 won't have OIS or whether it will sacrifice slimness to have both and be a true photo-taking beast. - The Galaxy S5 might not have OIS, but the LG G3 does.
       | | Apple could be packing 128GB of storage into the iPhone 6 Jun 26th 2014, 09:25, by James Rogerson 
It's been a long time coming but we might finally see a mainstream smartphone with 128GB of storage. A few years back the built in storage of phones was gradually creeping up but that largely came to a halt when 64GB was reached, however we may be seeing progress again as new reports claim that the iPhone 6 will come with up to 128GB. That's according to sources from Apple's supply chain speaking to Feng.com. Interestingly though it's claimed that only the 5.5-inch model will have that amount of storage, while the 4.7-inch handset will be capped at 64GB. That could make some sense. The larger model will have more room to squeeze extra storage into and it could also be that Apple wants to make the larger phablet iPhone stand out in more ways than just its screen size. Fab phabletIn fact that lines up with a recent note from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, obtained by AppleInsider, where Kuo predicts that in an effort to differentiate the two handsets the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will have optical image stabilisation while the 4.7-inch model won't. That said we're always wary of analyst predictions and we're not totally convinced that Apple would want to position such a large device as its flagship. It's a huge jump over the 4-inch iPhone 5S and we'd wager that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will have more mass market appeal, so it would seem odd to leave it less well equipped. Still, with the iPhone 6 rumoured to launch in September we should know for sure soon enough.        | | Updated: Sydney gets same-day delivery for online Telstra mobile orders Jun 26th 2014, 07:05, by Farrha Khan 
Update: Telstra has confirmed that the same day delivery in Sydney is a free service available for online purchases (made before 10am) of handsets and SIMS at this stage. Original article... Telstra is rolling out same-day deliveries for online orders so that you can get your hands on a shiny new phone quickly - and without leaving your home. While Telstra already offers free next day shipping to metro areas, orders placed online before 10am will be delivered by 6pm that day. Telstra has been trialing same day delivering in Sydney for about a month, before the service went live yesterday. Telstra plans to roll out the service to other major Australian cities "over time." I want it nowWhile MVNO Amaysim provides 3 hour deliveries of SIM cards to metro areas, Telstra's same day deliveries applies to both devices and SIMs. This new service likely falls into the telco's "Digital First" initiative, which it announced earlier this year. At the time, Telstra CEO David Thodey said that the main focus of the initiative is to allow customers to have the "convenience of dealing with us on their terms in their own time". The aim of the initiative is to give customers more control and transparency of their own accounts and services, technical appointments, support options and product features.        | | In Depth: Android L: the 10 things you need to know Jun 26th 2014, 07:00, by Gary Cutlack 
New design, Project Volta and moreIt's ahead of schedule, but we've already got an early look at Android L before it rolls out to the consumers properly - Google wants to attract the developers, and this is the way to do it. Sadly, the most important thing about the next version of Android remains a secret. We don't know what the 'L' stands for. Google abandoned its pudding and confectionary-based development naming system at 2014's Google IO developer event, revealing that the next big Android release is known simply as Android L. The Android development team didn't even say if this forthcoming update is to be considered Android 4.5 or the full 5.0 update. But on the plus side, there are still a lot of new features, big visual changes and clever tweaks added to Google's latest refresh to get excited about. Here are 10 of the most important and obvious changes you'll find, should that phone of yours be lucky enough to get the Android L update at any point in the future. 
1. New Material Design lookThere will be no mistaking the arrival of Android L on your phone or tablet if you're using an unskinned stock version of the OS, as there are stacks of new visual touches on the way. Google calls the new changes to the Android UI its "Material Design" approach, one that takes the Google Now cards system and adds depth, shadows and more to layouts across the system, with app elements able to slide into and atop each other. And look, new on-screen software button icons are in there too, with a triangle replacing the Back arrow, a circle for Home and a simple square for accessing the Recent Apps multitasking menu.
2. New animations and transitionsThe Material Design look is supposed to give users visual clues as to how things work. Each app element has an "elevation level" that decides how high it can float above over information panels, with on-screen ripples and cues letting you know when a press has registered. Animation effects kick in as you tap names in the dialler, with "nested scrolling" resizing the top bars and tabs on the fly as you scroll down lists. Android L also adds seams and real-time shadows to panes as they slide around. And this isn't just for Android either. Google wants to roll out this design ethic across all of its products, with the desktop Google Drive productivity apps set to get a Material makeover too.
3. Full lock-screen and "heads-up" notificationsThe notifications system is finally getting a serious visual jazz-up, with Google transforming its dull grey list into a card-based, white tile system that's fully accessible and actionable from the lock screen. The posh new notifications animate, pop out and expand using the new 3D layers and shadows, looking vastly more impressive than they ever did in the old style KitKat system. 
And there's a new miniature "heads-up" notification too, one that adds a live notification overlay to games being played in full-screen mode without interrupting the action - which you're able to swipe away and continue playing if it's someone you don't really like wanting you to do something you don't really want to do. 4. Project Volta The big moan as far as users of every type of smartphone in the world was addressed by Google's Android team, who claim that the "Project Volta" modifications to the code may increase battery life. When running Android L, Google suggests a user might see up to 90 minutes of extra uptime on the Nexus 5 thanks to Volta and more battery/power management tools, which is significant given that particular phone's rather dismal battery life. Developers are also able to access a Battery Historian feature to measure consumption by apps, spotting troublesome high-drain issues. 5. Personal unlocking A very clever idea, this. The new Personal Unlocking feature has the ability to learn where you are and what other devices you use, and even use your voice print, as a method of verifying you as the owner of the device. Activate this and, if the phone's sure it's you using it in the place you usually use it and with the things you have attached to it attached to it, it can bypass the PIN-protected lock screen and let you straight into the phone. The example Google gave us was of a phone recognising a user had a known Bluetooth device within range, so it deactivated the lock. This is something Samsung had created with its range of wearables and we bet that the two had a little chat about this somewhere in-between shouting about Tizen in hotel rooms. Chromebook fun, faster speeds and phones at work6. Chromebook phone notifications Google's finally looking at ways to link its ChromeOS ambitions with Android a little more deeply, with Android L devices able to tell a Chromebook the user is nearby and have the laptop automatically login -- doing away with the password once again. Google also demonstrated Chrome OS notifications that can display SMS messages and call details on a Chromebook, also popping up warnings that your nearby phone is running low on battery. Google wants us to start treating Chromebooks like massive Android Wear devices. This is similar to what Apple is doing with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 - it's always nice to see two companies coming up with the same idea, isn't it? 
7. Enhanced card-like mobile web search resultsGoogle will also completely redesign the Search features within Android L, again bringing more of a Google Now-style cards approach to web searches. Search results are displayed in a rich card format, complete with animations and shrinking header tabs, with Google proudly claiming it uses 60fps animations to transition between page elements. An image carousel automatically pulls out visual results, while results related to apps you have installed can instantly open within the relevant app. 8. New Recent Apps list with Chrome tabsAnother fairly huge change to the usual Android way of managing your phone stuff, Android L tweaks the Recent Apps multitasking menu in a couple of ways. First is a complete visual overhaul that turns it into more of a rolodex type affair with shadows and perspective elements, while the other change sees recent Chrome tabs appear in the list too. So if you're looking for a recently visited web page, it'll be right there in your recent stuff list -- making the multitasking menu much more useful.
9. ART the new default for better performanceA huge under-the-bonnet change has also been made, with Google switching from the long-running Dalvik runtime to the experimental ART option that arrived as a slightly-hidden developer option inside Google's previous KitKat release. To the end user this won't make much or perhaps any difference in the way the phone operates, although Google claims an up to two-times performance boost may be seen in some situations, without developers having to lift a finger or change a line of code. ART is also more memory efficient, saving megabytes of RAM -- and it's fully 64-bit compatible for future hardware bragging.
10. Separate home and work profiles Another big pair of introductions should make blagging a nice phone for work a little easier. The Android for Work system allows users to have multiple app instances on one device, separating work app data from home app data. The certified Android for Work programme is coming in the autumn, with some features also set to appear on devices running software older than the new L-update. As well as this, Samsung's well thought of Knox workplace security tool is also coming to Android L, with Samsung's tools getting integrated into Google's core code.        | | Google IO: Drive for Work delivers unlimited storage for $10/user per month Jun 25th 2014, 19:26, by JR Bookwalter 
Enterprise users received a nice shout-out at Google I/O this year with the introduction of Android for Work and a new suite of Google Drive options offering unlimited storage for as many users as needed. Google Drive reported for work Wednesday with launch of a new unlimited storage offer for corporate and enterprise customers priced at only $10 (about UK£6, AU$11) per user monthly. With the ability to store files up to 5TB in size, Google Drive for Work now includes additional audit reporting and security features as well as the ability to sync, open and edit Microsoft Office files without the need for conversion, removing a long-standing pain point for Drive adoption. Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai announced Wednesday that Drive now has more than 190 million active personal and business users monthly, with the new Drive for Work offering is available worldwide today. Just the factsGoogle Drive for Work promises end-to-end data encryption with advanced features including API auditing for developers, eDiscovery for Google Vault search across all stored content and security certifications for specific industries such as health care. One tiny footnote for small businesses with fewer than five users: That "unlimited" storage offer will actually be 1TB per user for the same price, which is still a heck of a deal all things considered. - Drive yourself straight over to our review of the latest MacBook Air!
       | | Google IO: Android L will separate work, home data on single device Jun 25th 2014, 18:35, by JR Bookwalter 
The days of carrying separate devices for work and pleasure may soon be a thing of the past when Android L arrives later this year, thanks to the platform's newfound ability to separate data on a single handset or tablet. Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai shifted Google I/O 2014 from Android running on Chromebooks back to the forthcoming Android L update, which promises to make life easier for corporate employees currently carrying more than one smartphone. "As a user, you can have one experience, and both your personal applications and your corporate applications can live on the same device. All your personal data is isolated from your corporate stuff, and vice versa," Pichai announced on stage Wednesday. Dubbed Android for Work, the new initiative is intended to help enterprise and corporate customers deploy devices to employees with a minimum of hassle using a certification program that will launch this fall. Made for workThanks to a set of new APIs and what Pichai calls "underlying data separation," Android L will allow a more seamless user experience for home and work applications, with a separate app planned for similar functionality on older devices. These APIs require no modification to existing apps, works with bulk deployment of apps and takes advantage of Samsung's Knox platform to maintain full security for sensitive corporate data. With more than 190 million active users monthly, Google Drive is also receiving some welcome work-related improvements thanks to Drive for Work, an unlimited storage option featuring encrypted data priced at only $10 (about UK£6, AU$11) per user per month. Along with the announcement of the Google Slides mobile app for Android and iOS, Pichai also introduced native editing support for Microsoft Office documents, meaning no more format conversion when going from Word to Docs. - Need more Google? Check out our up-to-the-minute review of Google Glass!
       | | Google IO: HTC vows speedy Android L upgrades for its flagship phones Jun 25th 2014, 18:33, by Michael Rougeau 
Google unveiled the next major Android update, Android L, during its Google IO keynote, and it wasn't long before HTC joined the hype train with a statement. The Taiwanese hardware maker vowed to upgrade the HTC One and HTC One M8 to Android L within 90 days of it receiving the final software from Google. The rest of HTC's One devices and other "select devices" will be upgraded "shortly thereafter," the company said. "HTC is excited about the new features in the Android L release and we can't wait to share them with our customers," the statement read. "We are committed to updating our flagship HTC One family as fast as possible as part of our HTC Advantage program." Hold your horsesThat time frame should sound really good to HTC users, but don't expect to see Android L on HTC flagships before the fall. An HTC spokesperson emphasized that "the clock starts after HTC receives full code from Google, not today or tomorrow morning when the Developer Preview goes live. We don't know precisely when we'll get full code from Google, but wanted to make sure you're aware of our commitment!" Android L is a major Android overhaul that includes everything from UI tweaks to a new notifications system. As HTC noted, developers will have access to Android L on the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, but the timing for the final release of Android L into the wild is more up in the air.        | | Google IO: Android device mirroring come to Chromecast Jun 25th 2014, 17:54, by klee 
The Google Chromecast has proven to be a successful little streaming stick, and now users can cast media without having to be on the same network. Rishi Chandra, Chromecast director of product management, took to the Google IO 2014 stage to demo any Android device can cast media to the Chromecast stick. There's also a new pairing method for devices. Rather than needing to be on the same Wi-Fi network, users can simply enter an onscreen pin and pair the devices together. The new pairing method works even if the phone is running on a cellular connection. Google plans to roll out the new feature to Android users later this year. Mirroring Android
In an even nicer touch the Chromecast will soon also support screen mirroring. All it takes is a couple of taps with the Chromecast app. Full-screen mirroring doesn't just work with the media but cloning users' entire Android experience to their big screen. Chandra demoed on stage two neat mirroring features: Google Earth and the camera app. 
Samsung, Nexus, HTC and LG are on the docket to support mirroring, and Google announced it would roll out as a beta to multiple devices over time. One giant picture frame
Users that have always wanted to turn their home cinema screens into a massive picture frame will be able to do so with their Chromecast this summer. Chandra introduced Backdrop, a new Chromecast ambient experience that lets users display a wallpaper on their television sets. Backdrop kicks in whenever the Chromecast isn't casting movies or music, and it can be set to pull images from the users Google+ account. The new feature also has a set of filtered options that will automatically display Places to show different locations around the world. Alternately, users could set the Chromecast to display art, lifestyle, weather and news. If Backdrop shows anything the user wants to learn more about, they can turn on the Chromecast app's built-in voice search to look up details on the item and relay the information to their device. - In other big screen news Google announced Android TV
       | | Google IO: Samsung's Gear Live smartwatch revealed Jun 25th 2014, 17:15, by John McCann 
Samsung has followed in the footsteps of the LG G Watch and Motorola Moto 360 and produced its own Android Wear smartwatch dubbed the Samsung Gear Live. Revealed at the Google IO conference in San Francisco, the Samsung Gear Live slides in alongside the Tizen driven Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit wearables. You'll be able to order the Gear Live on the Play Store later today and eventually in Samsung Retail Stores. There's no word yet on price. Gear Live specsThe Gear Live watch features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display designed for colour and screen clarity. It will have customisable clock faces and utilize one-touch wake up for instant access. On the processor front, it's equipped with a 1.2GHz chip. The Gear Live laps up 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. It is Bluetooth 4.0 LE capable (necessary for mobile device connectivity) and features an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. 
Battery-wise we're looking at a Li-ion 300mAh juicer to power the 37.9 x 56.4 x 8.9 mm/59g wrist wearable. The smartwatch is dust and water resistant and houses a heart rate monitor that works with several fitness apps, meaning that hike you took on the dusty trail won't go unrecorded. The band is a standard 22mm strap and users can choose either a black or 'Wine Red' colour option. Several apps, including ones of the fitness variety, are compatible with the Gear Live. Users can post to social media via apps, chat from messaging apps and get notifications when they're out shopping, wanting to stay up on the news and more. Voice commands are supported, so saying, "OK Google" and asking questions about things like flight times, checking game scores, sending a text, calling a taxi, setting an alarm or making a restaurant reservation are doable with Gear Live. The Samsung Gear Live works with any Android device running Android 4.3 and up. Heard about Android L?   | | Google IO: Android Chief disses iOS 8 during Google IO keynote Jun 25th 2014, 17:13, by klee
Google had a boatload of new Android L features to show off but despite introducing over 5,000 new APIs, Android Chief Sundar Pichai still managed to find the time to sneak in a jab at iOS 8. On the Google IO 2014 stage, Pichai noted that custom keyboards and widgets have been a part of Android for the last four to five years, clearly a dig at some of the features Apple was most excited to introduce at WWDC 2014 just a few weeks ago. The head of Android continued to say he wants Android to innovate faster. Further, the plan is to introduce new features as soon as possible. "The approach we're taking is very distinctive," Pichai said. "We're building an open platform at scale, and will be able to touch billions of people." Missing bitsFighting words from Pichai but we could just as easily see how Android L's new Material Design interface looks pretty similar to the flat look Apple introduced with iOS 7. Similarly the new block of notifications on Android's lock screen has been fundamentally missing part of Google's mobile OS for some time now. Meanwhile iOS has had lock screen notifications since iOS 5.   | | Google IO: Google goes back to square one with Android One mobile platform Jun 25th 2014, 16:30, by Michael Rougeau 
Google wasted no time during its Google IO keynote, kicking the event off with the announcement of a new mobile platform called Android One. Android One is a software platform that will provide a space for building high-quality but affordable smartphones for emerging markets and elsewhere, Google Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome and Google Apps Sundar Pichai said onstage. It's a version of stock Android, but it will let OEMs install "locally relevant" apps for specific regions, and it will automatically install updates from Google, just like with Nexus and Google Play edition phones. One under-$100 (about £60, AU$106) example device Pichai showed off sported a 4.5-inch screen, dual-SIM, an SD slot, and FM radio - features that he said matter to countries like India, where Android One will launch first. Plenty of pie left to eatWith Android One Google hopes to nab some of the five billion people around the world it says aren't using smartphones yet, despite the reported one billion who are using Android phones. "Our goal is to reach the next five billion people in the world," Pichai said. "If you look at all the OEMs in these countries, each of them has to reinvent the wheel. And in the fast-paced mobile industry, they have to build a new smartphone within nine months." The OS also includes "a set of hardware reference platforms" by which Google will identify the components that will go into these smartphones and help OEMs in other ways. Android One launches this fall in India, where Pichai said Google is also working with carriers to provide affordable plans, through local phone makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. A worldwide release will follow.   | | Updated: Android L officially unveiled by Google Jun 25th 2014, 16:21, by John McCann 
After months of rumour and speculation Google has officially launched Android L at its IO conference in San Francisco. With over 5000 new APIs Google is promising big things from the Android L update - its biggest release to date - and the developer preview will be available from June 26. Something users will immediately notice is the change in navigation icons at the bottom of the screen, with the home key changed to a circle and the multi-task button now a single square. The back key has also been updated to a triangle. It's like a Playstation controller without the X key. Notifications have been streamlined in Android L and you can now get interactive access to notifications from the lock screen. These notifications are automatically organised and prioritised based on your usage habits. Android L also adds 'Heads up notification', which pops up an interactive panel on top of whatever app your using, allowing you to respond to a call or text without leaving the current application. Material thingsGoogle has added a new user interface to Android L, something it's called 'Material UI' and the search giant claims it gives all navigation and animation on screen a more natural effect. Apps have been cleaned up, with a fresher appearance and less clutter, while smoother transitions persist throughout the interface. There are hundreds of more enhancements in Android L which Google didn't have time to show during its keynote including a new keyboard UI, do not disturb setup and quick settings. You can look forward to PC quality graphics on high-end phones and tablets thanks to Android L, and Project Volta looks to ensure battery life keeps up with the performance. Developers will be able to use Android L on the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 from June 26. Developing...   | | Opinion: Here are 5 reasons to stay away from Amazon's phone Jun 24th 2014, 21:01, by Marc Flores 
When Amazon announced the Fire Phone, my initial response was, "Are you kidding me?" I've been covering the wireless industry for about seven years now, so it's not a good sign when that's my first thought. You may already be familiar with the Fire Phone by now, especially since years of rumors and hype preceded its announcement. But if this is your first time hearing about it, you aren't missing much. It's basically a mid-range smartphone with two big gimmicks: a 3D feature called Dynamic Perspective, and a camera that can scan and recognize products, so you can spend all your money buying those things on Amazon. The latter is called Firefly. My level of frustration with this scam of a phone is so intense that it's hard for me to put my thoughts down into words, but here's what I've got in terms of why you should not buy this phone. 1. All Amazon, all the timeYou may think it's an exaggeration to say Amazon is going to be in your face on a daily basis, but if you're ever owned or used a Kindle Fire HD, or a Kindle Fire HDX, you'll know exactly what I mean. First, it's almost pointless to use the Kindle Fire devices without an Amazon Prime account because that's where you'll get the most out of the device. Video streaming, premium app downloads and everything else is better when you have Prime. With the Fire Phone, you're essentially buying a device that's going to act as your primary tool into the world of Amazon. You'll be watching multimedia, reading books and buying all kinds of things you probably don't need because this phone will make it that much easier. Did you just see something you might want to buy, but you aren't sure what it is? Point your phone's camera at it and within seconds you'll be taken to the related Amazon product page, ready for you to hit "Buy now with 1-click." Oh, but before you think this is some kind of revolutionary technology, Google Goggles was doing this years ago. 2. Mediocre hardware and softwareA 720p display? Really? In a world where we have 2560 x 1440 smartphones on the high end, and 1080p displays on almost every other phone being released today, Amazon gives us a phone whose primary function is to get you to spend more money on Amazon junk with a 720p display. Oh, but it has four front-facing cameras on it so you can tilt the screen around and peer into a 3D world! Yawn. That will either get really annoying, really fast, or you'll disable it for good after about a week. I'd knock it for having a 2.2GHz Snapdragon CPU, but it probably doesn't need much more than that for its very limited selection of apps, running on a tweaked version of Android 4.2. Yes, it's ancient. Let's talk quickly about the Dynamic Perspective. The idea is that with the ability to move the phone around to peer around corners, barriers, walls, edges or whatever is a little ridiculous. It's just as useful as augmented reality in smartphones. Sure, being able to tilt the phone in a map to see around buildings is neat, but is it necessary to have all those cameras tracking your eyes/face instead of you using two fingers to move around? It's a gimmick. Secondly, there's Firefly. Maybe you see a camera that you like and you can't quite make out the make or model. Just scan it with your Fire Phone's camera and Amazon will tell you what it is, along with a link to buy it - from Amazon. It's neat if all you ever do is spend all your hard-earned cash on Amazon, but it's certainly not a new idea. Google Goggles has been doing this for years, perhaps not as elegantly, but its utility and usefulness is pretty limited. You don't need a phone for any of these features; all of this could have been executed in one or two apps, which should tell you a lot. Basically, Jeff Bezos did everything he could to mask the obvious when it came to the purpose of the Fire Phone, and I want to make sure you see past that. 3. Pricing and availabilityThe fact that it's available only through AT&T should deter you already. But if it doesn't, think about this: the Fire Phone is $199 with a two-year agreement, but it's $650 off contract. If you commit two years of your life to this phone, you'll regret it every day and you'll probably end up getting divorced, too. I don't know. Phones like the iPhone 5S, HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5 can be had for roughly the same price as this thing, and its hardware and software is nowhere near the caliber of the other phones I mentioned. Someone was smoking something funny when the pricing scheme was drawn up for this phone. Trust me when I say that you don't ever want to spend $650 for the privilege of spending even more cash on Amazon products and services. And with the Fire Phone, that's exactly what you'll be doing. 4. Better phones out there, better phones comingI hope it's obvious to you by now that this is nowhere near the caliber of flagship smartphones out there. There's no reason to consider a phone like the Fire Phone when you have the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5 on the market, the iPhone 5S is still leagues ahead, the LG G3 is coming and the iPhone 6 is shortly on its way. Even if you don't need the hottest device out there, you certainly don't want a mediocre niche device, either. Let's not forget how poorly the HTC First did as a Facebook-centric phone. One has to wonder whether the Amazon Fire Phone will be discontinued by AT&T as quickly as it did with the HTC First, and if that were to happen, you'll be out of luck with updates and upgrades. 5. Amazon Prime is expensiveLook, you need Amazon Prime to really enjoy this phone. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with whatever crappy apps work well with the Fire OS on this phone. Amazon Prime is $99 a year, so on top of the cost of the phone, you're also paying so much more in order to pay so much more for videos, books, two-day shipping and other tidbits that Amazon offers with Prime. Prime used to cost $79 a year, but in March 2014 the price jumped to almost $100. There's no guarantee it won't go up to $110 or $120 in the future, and if it does, you may consider holding back on upgrading. You know what else that will cause? Regret and utter disdain for the Fire Phone if you happen to own one. Wrap upDo not buy. Seriously.   | | Unabashedly plastic HTC Desire 610 inbound for AT&T Jun 24th 2014, 18:18, by JR Bookwalter 
They can't all be the One: A midrange handset HTC unveiled earlier this year appears to have found a carrier home in the US. Judging from the product shot above, it could very well be one worthy of desire. Frequent gadget leaker @evleaks once again proved the early bird gets the worm, kicking off Tuesday with an early morning tweet showing what the HTC Desire 610 (better known across the pond as HTC Desire 816) will apparently look like when it arrives on AT&T soon. Apparently taking a break from flagship smartphones with the coveted One branding, the HTC Desire 610 is a decidedly midrange affair that delivers the same stylish looks with a more wallet-friendly plastic casing. HTC first unveiled the Desire 610 in February, and the 4.7-inch handset appears to finally be on its way out of international hibernation and headed straight for the shelves of Ma Bell. Whatever you DesireFeaturing a 960 x 540 display, the Desire 610 isn't quite the pixel-packing heavyweight compared to its older HTC One M8 cousin, but not everyone wants or needs the biggest around. With a mere 8GB of onboard storage, the Desire 610 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM running Android 4.4 KitKat. It has a respectable 8MP rear camera. Since the handset has previously been outed as packing 4G LTE, the Desire 610 would seem to be a no-brainer for AT&T's speedy network, and the device should feature a full complement of HTC apps and services to boot. About the only thing we don't know is when AT&T will start stocking the shelves with the HTC Desire 610, but given the handsome product shot, we'd say the wait isn't likely to be much longer.   | |
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