Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Video: Quick Hands-on With the Google Nexus 7 Tablet
If you tuned into the day 1 keynote for Google I/O, then you probably saw the unveiling of the Nexus 7 tablet. As we were making our way out of the keynote, we stumbled onto the device itself and managed to put together this quick hands-on video. While we only had all of 3 minutes with it, we definitely like the size and feel of it.
Web Version of Google Play Store Allows For Remote Uninstalls, Updates, and System App Viewing
It appears that the web version of the Google Play store has also been included in today's I/O festivities without much of a public mention. After loading up the store this afternoon, one of our readers jumped into a section called "My Android Apps" and fell onto some treats.
If you are signed into your Google account, you can now send remote updates to your phone, uninstall them if you'd like, and even view System level apps that are installed. I tried both updating and uninstall myself, and they work just as good as the remote installs do.
Cheers Anthony!
Google Releases Updates to Movies, Books, Chrome, Google+, YouTube and Maps
Many of Google's applications
Google+ lands official tablet app and events with Google calendar support
Did you really think we'd get through a Google event without seeing what's new with Google+? Google is always touting the numbers and services behind its social network whenever they get the chance, and today at I/O is no different.
It seems like the network was just launching yesterday, but tomorrow, Google+ will be one year old. So how has it fared over the past year? According to Google, not too bad. Here's how the numbers break down:
- So far, 250 million people have signed up for Google+.
- Of those 250 million, 150 million sign on at least once a month.
- Of those 150 million, 75 sign in at least once a day.
Those numbers are poised to go up, thanks to a little help from the new Google+ tablet app.
Available on Android today, the Google+ tablet app looks great. It's fast, it's fluid and it puts content from your stream front and center. For those of you not using an Android tablet, an iPad version of the app is coming out soon.
Also announced today, Google+ will be adding support for events that integrate with your Google calendar. By using a before, during and after mode, Google+ events will help keep photos and information organized surrounding the event. For example, during the event time, Google+ will ask if you'd like to share any photos taken to the event page. And afterwards, you'll be reminded to share and tag pictures.
Google+ events will be available to the public sometime in the near future.
Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ goes down to $349 on Google Play
If you've been waiting to pick up a T-Mobile and AT&T compatible GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google Play, today's your lucky today. Along with putting the Nexus 7 and Nexus Q up for preorder, Google has knocked the price of the unlocked HSPA+ compatible Galaxy Nexus down to just $349.
We've certainly had our say on the Galaxy Nexus here at Android and Me. Some good, and some bad. But no matter how you slice it, $349 for one of the best Android devices money can buy is an absolute steal. That's incredibly close to what you'd pay for some Android devices on-contract. And for the one that's guaranteed to get Jelly Bean first, well, like I said, it's an absolute steal.
I've been very happy with my Galaxy Nexus. So what are you waiting for? Is the Galaxy S III still tempting you? Perhaps you still have you eye on the One X? Let us know in the comments below.
Jelly Bean: Google Now, Project Butter, enhanced notifications and more
Google has officially announced, and detailed Jelly Bean, Android 4.1. And it's better than we could have possibly imagined. There's a ton of technical changes and new features that will keep Android ahead of the curve. Let's take a look at what the update will include.
Jelly Bean will be smoother than any other Android version before it thanks to Project Butter. By using "triple buffered graphics," Jelly Bean will feature faster and more consistent frame rates, creating a visually pleasing experience. Google used a super high speed camera to film animations on a stock Ice Cream Sandwich and stock Jelly Bean device. The difference was night and day.
Android already has the best notification system in mobile today. With Jelly Bean, it's going to get even better. Notifications are going to be expandable and collapsable in Jelly Bean, and they'll feature developer customizable quick actions. For example, when you get a Four Square notification, you can expand it in the notification shade, and either like or comment on the notification without ever having to enter the app.
Voice input is about to get a whole lot better in Jelly Bean too. From here on out, Voice Typing will no longer require an Internet connection. It will only be available in US English at first, but it should expand before too long.
Google Now and the new Jelly Bean flavored enhanced Google search is hands down the most exciting feature to come out of I/O so far. When asking Google simple questions like what's the weather, a card will pop up and tell you the weather. You can use Voice Typing to ask questions, and have the answers on cards read back to you. This is essentially Google's answer to Siri. And it looks fantastic.
Google Now takes the new Google search, and adds a personal assistant feature. Accessible by clicking the Google search bar or by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, Google Now will auto-populate information in certain cards, like sports scores, and use previous searches, calendar events and your location to provide you with other smart information. The more you use it, the better it gets.
Jelly Bean will be hitting the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom in mid-July.
We'll be bringing you much more on Jelly Bean and the news out of I/O as the day rolls on. Stay tuned!
