Android

Google's Page: We should be building great things that don't exist

The technology industry should be moving faster to address opportunities instead of constantly battling each other, Google's chief executive said Wednesday.

Instead of "building great things that don't exist," some companies focus too much on negativity and one-upping each other, Larry Page said at the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco.

"Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," Page said. "Being negative is not how we make progress. The most important things are not zero sum. There is a lot of opportunity … Read more

Google unveils own Samsung Galaxy S4 variant

At today's Google I/O developers' conference in San Francisco, Google announced that it would release its own variant of the previously unveiled Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

For the most part, the device will remain largely the same. It will feature 4G LTE and 16GB of storage space.

However, the handset will offer a skinless Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Nexus experience, it will come with its bootloader already unlocked, and users will receive system updates as they come in.

This unlocked GS4 version will be available starting June 26 and will work on AT&T and T-Mobile … Read more

Google: Android activations to total 900 million this year

Google expects users to activate about 900 million Android devices this year, more than doubling the number activated in 2012, an executive said Wednesday.

Sundar Pichai, head of Google's Android and Chrome operations, said at the company's developers conference that users activated 400 million Android devices in 2012 and 100 million in 2011.

"The momentum has been breathtaking since then," Pichai said.

And Hugo Barra, vice president of product management, said Google Play has just passed 48 billion app installations, with 2.5 billion installations in the last month alone.

Google is hosting Google I/O, … Read more

Android 4.3 pops up ahead of Google I/O

Rumored to be something between a Jelly Bean and a slice of Key Lime Pie, Android 4.3 is currently appearing in search results on the Android developers' site.

Numerous excerpts in the results reference "Security Enhancements in Android 4.3"

Click through any of those results and you'll find a page with no apparent mentions of the new Android update, although it is hidden in the HTML. Click through the link in that tag and you get a 404. Dead end. Scavenger hunt over.

Guess we have to wait for the expected unveil of the update … Read more

Rumor Has It: Next Xbox don't need no stinkin' Internet

Google I/O begins this week, so the rumor mill churned out a few goodies for us to take a look at.

A couple rumors we're bound to see: the next-gen Nexus 7 and a revamped Maps. A new Nexus 7 sounds great, but you know what doesn't? Google+ tainting my Maps searches with its stupid opinions.

The long-rumored Amazon phone might actually be two phones, with one supposedly sporting 3D hologram images. Um, why? And finally, the debate on whether the next Xbox will require an always-on Internet connection might finally come to an end, at least … Read more

Glass soon, Fiber for all: My Google I/O fantasy

In our Google I/O poll, we looked at what Google could possibly announce this week to measure up to the high bar set by last year's skydiving introduction of Google Glass, along with the Nexus 7, Android Jelly Bean, and the apparently ill-fated Nexus Q.

Most of you were interested in seeing some really cool new Nexus hardware from Google this week. It's a sentiment I share, but I also have a fantasy that we'll see something relatively unexpected and bleeding edge that will top even last year's Glass debut. I've come up with four imagined Google I/O announcements that I think are highly unlikely, but within the realm of possibility, and would have the whole world buzzing for weeks to come.

Just to be clear: I have no evidence any of these things will happen this week. In fact, I'm pretty positive three of them won't come true anytime soon. It's just my (admittedly demanding) wish list for Santa Brin and his elves in Mountain View. Let's hope they're listening.… Read more

App-controlled robot bartender debuts at Google I/O

It won't console you as you drown your sorrows in alcohol, but MIT's Makr Shakr robotic bartender can make exactly the drink you're looking for before you've even arrived at the bar.

MIT's Senseable City Lab teamed up with Coca-Cola and Bacardi Rum to bring Makr Shakr to Google I/O, which starts Wednesday in San Francisco. The system allows barflies and frazzled developers alike to personalize their cocktail recipe of choice via a smartphone app, or to choose a libation created by another user, creating a crowdsourced drink menu.… Read more

Archos ChefPad tablet: Now you're cooking with Android

My poor iPad has survived flour, oil, lemon juice, and countless other kitchen mishaps. Maybe it's time I look a little more seriously at a dedicated kitchen computer. My options have just expanded with the arrival of the Archos ChefPad, an Android tablet built to handle the rigors of the cooking life.

The ChefPad is a full-blown 10-inch Android tablet running Jelly Bean with a 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM behind it. There are the usual front and back cameras, in case you want to launch your own online cooking show. What makes it kitchen-specific are the preloaded cooking apps and easy-to-clean case.… Read more

Recent FCC filings support rumors of Motorola X phone

The highly anticipated and hotly rumored Motorola X phone may have just popped up in FCC filings earlier this week.

According to the paperwork, the Motorola device includes the model number XT1058, and supports earlier rumors that the X phone will be available on AT&T.

For one thing, the handset is enabled for a GSM network, and it appears to be operating on 1900/850 bands -- both factors are indicative of an AT&T device.

The report also notes that the phone has 4G LTE and NFC capabilities.

Ever since Google acquired Motorola, talk of the … Read more