6 min ago
Google I/O 2015 was all about making better apps
Android M promised to be beautifully polished and smooth. New developer tools help bring the same to the apps we all love.
Google I/O 2015 was pretty awesome if you're an Android fan. The new features coming to Google Now are an incredible display of machine learning and will tell us more about Skrillex than we ever wanted to know. The new Google Photos looks like a great (and mostly free) way to keep everything organized and available everywhere, and Chromebook users might just have a viable Lightroom alternative for organizing and cataloging photos in the works — we'll be trying to do just that. Android Pay shows how Google can evolve and adapt when a great idea doesn't get the traction they expected. And there were glorious beards.
But in 2015, even more than years past, Google is serious about developers making better apps.
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4 hours ago
Inside Android M's new Do Not Disturb mode
Things may still change, but the first Android M preview shows signs of bringing sanity to Lollipop's 'interruptions' mess
The "interruptions" system in Android Lollipop is among the OS's more controversial features, obscuring basic mute functionality behind a new layer of choices — "all," "priority" or "none." Android 5.1 brought some changes to interruptions, making it easier to understand how they work and change when the various modes are active. But for average users it still seemed like a complicated, over-engineered solution to a problem that didn't really exist to begin with.
Enter Android M. At the recent Google I/O keynote, Google's Dave Burke seemed to acknowledge that the changes to Lollipop's volume setup hadn't been particularly well received, and promised a "simplified" system in the next version of the OS.
While nothing here should be considered finalized — remember, 'M' is still a developer preview — there are enough interesting changes to mull over. We'll take a closer look after the break.
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5 hours ago
Required Reading: The Android M Developer Preview
If you're looking to get started with Android M, Google has a wealth of information already available. Here's where we'd start.
We've reached another milestone in the lifecycle of Android — welcome Android M to the fold. It's available now in as a preview for developers to start getting their apps ready for the new features, and as flashable images for those of us who don't mind (or, more accurately, live for) beta firmware on our phones.
As always, Google has a slew of documentation to help walk you through the new features and functions that'll eventually make up the next major version of Android. These pages and videos are worth keeping at the ready.
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1 day ago
Quick comparison: Shield Android TV vs. Nexus Player vs. Razer Forge TV
The Android TV offerings are expanding, and we're taking a quick look at the three set top box options.
With the introduction of the Shield Android TV from NVIDIA, the previously-available Nexus Player and Razer Forge TV have new competition. Each of these three boxes is making a play for a spot in your entertainment center, and covering a wide range of prices and feature sets, each one is offering up a different value proposition.
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1 day ago
Here's a quick video walkthrough of the Android M Developer Preview
Here it is, Android M in all of its not-yet-finished glory.
There's no shortage of things to be excited about this week, which is to be expected when Google spends half a week showing off what they've got planned for the future. Naturally, the next iteration of Android is the talk of the town. Android M promises to be a leaner, cleaner, and smarter version of what we've got now, and if you've got a Nexus 5, 6, or 9 laying around that you don't need to do anything important you can flash the Developer Preview and take a look at what might be coming this fall.
Since not everyone is able to do this, we've put together a quick video walkthrough of the changes we've found so far.
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1 day ago
We took a look at the GoPro Google Jump camera array
Google has been working on a way to bring more content to VR users and allow anyone to create it.
Jump, Google's newly announced VR creation platform, is entering the market with a GoPro camera array. This new camera rig will hold 16 GoPro cameras that will work in parallel to record an immersive 3D video. These new panoramic videos can then be shared to a new YouTube service and then can be enjoyed on VR systems such as Google Cardboard.
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1 day ago
Amazon Echo can now keep you up to speed with Google Calendar events
The Amazon Echo is ready to help you stay on task with added support for Google Calendar events.
The Amazon Echo just keeps getting handier. After adding numerous new features over the last several months, the connected speaker and digital assistant has picked up support for Google Calendar events.
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1 day ago
This weekend's sidebar poll: which Google I/O announcement excites you the most?
Google I/O is here, and while the developer sessions are still very much underway (and you can find all that coverage on our Google I/O page, the keynote has come and gone. What tickled your fancy the most?
We know that this year may not have been quite as sexy or exciting as years past. There was no skydiving or free Pixels, no driving cars onstage and not much new hardware. But that didn't mean that there was nothing at yesterday's announcement — far from it, in fact. While L was a new runtime and a fresh design, M looks to be the update that focuses on polishing the Android system, making our devices last longer, work more smoothly, and be more secure. While we might not have quite gotten everything we asked for, there's a lot that we did get.
So, which announcement made you scream at the livestream (or in Moscone West, if you were lucky enough to be there)?
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1 day ago
NVIDIA introduces AndroidWorks, wants to help everyone build great games for all Android devices
AndroidWorks is the latest set of developer tools from NVIDIA, and they are geared towards helping make the best games possible for all Android devices.
With more than 4000 unique Android devices out there development can be difficult at times, but NVIDIA is looking to make game creation a bit easier with their newest developer tools. AndroidWorks is the latest release from the company, which builds on top of their existing GameWorks tools.
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1 day ago
Getting acquainted with the new Google Photos on Android and the web
Google Photos is finally here, and that means we have a new photography tool to play around with on our phones and computers.
After being tied completely to Google+ (woefully) for some time, Photos has finally been broken out into its own apps for Android, iOS and the web. Google Photos, as it's now known, adopts the same icon as the old app (which was really just a stub to the Google+ back end) as well as many of the same features, but is also developing its own identity since gaining independence from Google+.
That means you technically no longer need a Google+ account to use it, and your photos now get a first-class experience with their own apps and website.
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2 days ago
Google is working with Qualcomm on a Project Tango reference smartphone [Update]
Google and Qualcomm are teaming up to make a Project Tango smartphone, but it won't be released to the public.
Google is still working to bring Project Tango, and its 3D-sensing camera technology, into the light. Today, at a panel during the 2015 Google I/O conference, the company revealed that it is working with Qualcomm to bring Project Tango's camera hardware inside the chipmaker's reference smartphone designs.
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2 days ago
Project Abacus is an ATAP project aimed at killing the password
Google ATAP wants to implement a real time security system that constantly makes sure the person using your phone is you.
The folks at ATAP, who are usually busy with things like Project Ara or making our clothes smarter, want to kill the password. It's a lofty goal, one we've heard from many folks in the past, but the demonstration at Google I/O today is one of the first that seems like it might actually work. The effort is currently being called Project Abacus, and it's the result of a massive collaboration with 33 Universities, tested with 40tb of data across 28 states.
How does it work? Well, in a sense, it works by constantly paying attention to who you are and how you behave.
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2 days ago
Google's new Saved Passwords site and Smart Lock for Passwords are now available
Google quietly rolled out a new password service that builds on its existing Chrome sync system.
With the announcement of Google Play Services 7.5 during all of the Google I/O fun yesterday, Google quietly slipped in a new password syncing feature that developers can take advantage of. What we didn't know is that it'd be going live for anyone to use so quickly, and now the new features are out there to see.
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2 days ago
Google's Project Jacquard turns your tunic, trousers or anything else into a touchpad
The idea of slipping sensors and controls into clothing isn't exactly new — you'll read stories about it every now and then. Connected workout clothes for monitoring your heart rate or other vitals without having to wear a wristband or chest strap. Or maybe you're just talking a hoodie with built-in Bluetooth. Whatever.
Google's Project Jacquard takes things to a new level, basically turning your clothing into a touchpad.
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