jelly bean

Want to know more about Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? A free 84-page guidebook explains how to use the new tablet and OS.

The guidebook is available for Android, IOS, and PC users via Google Play.

Essentially an early version of the manual for the new tablet, the guidebook is geared more for people who already own the Nexus 7. But those of you thinking of buying the tablet when it debuts in mid-July can learn a lot about its operation and its use of Android 4.1. The document covers just about everything … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Google's annual developers conference started this year with the kind of rush that one can only get from demoing new technology while plummeting out of an airplane. Thursday's announcements promise to be more subdued but could have a wider impact.

Google kicked off Day One of I/O 2012 with a flurry of Android-related announcements. As expected, Google's got a big 7-inch tablet called the Nexus 7 that looks to stomp on the Kindle Fire. It'll be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a minor-point update that nevertheless offers performance and usability improvements that the … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Play, Google's online market for Android apps, movies, music, and books, now lets people purchase movies instead of just rent them.

"We're also adding TV," announced Chris Yerga, an engineering director for Android, at the Google I/O show today here. "You'll be able to purchase episodes or entire seasons."

Google has partnerships for the service with a range of producers, including NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Disney, Bravo, Paramount, Virgil Films, and Sundance, he said.

Also new are magazines, purchased individually or by subscription, he said. Google has deals … Read more

Day one of Google I/O 2012 hasn't lacked for news, from introduction of the $199 Nexus 7 tablet to a significant OS update in the form of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to a heart-stopping live demo of Google Glass via chute-gliding, rappelling and biking.

And CNET has video of it all. Enjoy.

Google redesigns mobile search

A first taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Unveiling the $199 Nexus 7 tablet

The Nexus Q, a disco ball that streams music and video

Skydive with Google Glasses! No, rappell with them! No, bike!

Google Glass hits the market … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, gets a more responsive user interface, a much more interactive notification system, better voice transcription, overhauled search, and a major new feature called Google Now that tries to anticipate what a person needs to know at any given moment.

Android has exploded in popularity, but the OS takes a lot of heat for allegedly being an Apple iOS copycat. Google is clearly trying to vault over that issue with new features detailed at its at its Google I/O show today here.

Google Now, triggered by swiping from the bottom of … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- A total of 1 million Android devices are activated each day, Google announced today at its Google I/O show today.

The number is a big jump from the 400,000 per day the company reported at last year's show in May. In addition, Google said 400 million Android devices have been sold so far.

"Four hundred million is a pretty huge number, but were definitely not slowing down," said Hugo Barra, director of product management at the show's opening keynote. The more customers use Android, the easier it is for Google to … Read more

Google will launch a $199 tablet this week at its developers conference co-branded with Asus, Bloomberg is reporting.

This follows a series of reports that have been trickling out for months about a 7-inch Nexus tablet being developed with Asus. The tablet is slated to debut at the Google I/O conference that starts Wednesday.

The one feature garnering the most attention is price. At $199, the Google tablet is $200 less than Apple's $399 iPad 2.

Previous reports have claimed the Nexus device will sport the Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" operating system, a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 … Read more

Squashing any lingering doubts about the arrival of the next version of Android, Google has put up a Jelly Bean sculpture on its campus.

The sculpture appears next to others in a collection of alphabetically ordered sweets after which new versions of Google's mobile operating system is named: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Google Developers Google+ page showed off the new sculpture today, the day before the company's Google I/O conference begins in San Francisco. The show is geared for Android and Web developers and others who tap into Google's … Read more

The Android version of the Google Play Store will get yet another makeover, according to details hitting the Internet this week. Italian Android site HDblog (translate) obtained an image, which appears to show a new look for the app store that borrows from previous versions yet still resembles its desktop counterpart.

Appearing cleaner and clutter-free, the Google Play Store experience appears to offer quick access to the various types of content such as games, music, and books. The color-coded icons across the bottom mimic those found on the desktop version and the top left has what looks to be a … Read more