The Motorola-made Nexus 6 seems a whale in today’s surreal world where huge is the new normal. Everybody has huge phones and once you hold this phone in your hands, the rest appear too small. No wonder it has been code-named ‘Shamu’.
A Quad HD screen, a powerful Snapdragon 805 processor, a 13 megapixel camera and a battery bog enough to power it all – with all these basic specs, this piece just looks like an over-sized Moto X. The only visual difference is the nexus logo stamped at the back and the slightly lower positions of the power and volume buttons accounting for the larger size.
The latest version of Android that’s Android 5.0 Lollipop with battery optimizations’ and security enhancements give this phone a thumbs up. Not just that, the camera is surrounded by an attractive ring flash that would produce an evenly-lit and awesome image.
Wondering if the huge screen packed with all those pixels could drain out the battery? Well, Thankfully the Nexus 6 comes with a large 3220mAh battery with an efficient processor, AMOLED screen and battery optimization. It is expected that the phone lives throughout the day with moderate to heavy usage experience.
The super-speedy multitasking and notifications option is cool. The face unlock too, seems to work well. Other attractive features include Turbocharging that charges your battery in 15mins and another that uses NFC pairing and then Bluetooth to transfer all the contents of your old Android into your new one.
It looks like this gigantic phone is all set to have a roaring success.
A smartphone exclusively for six billion people. That’s what Google declares, as it continues work on what might be a revolutionary milestone in the journey of smartphones. The manner in which smartphones are assembled, designed, and used is about to undergo a huge overhaul if Google succeeds in making this “modular” mobile phone a feasible reality.
Project Ara is the codename for a venture by Google aiming to build a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones that are assembled into metal endoskeletal frames (endos). These metal frames are the only components in the smartphone that is going to be manufactured by Google, acting as the switch to the on-device network linking all the modules together. The modules are going to be completely according to the choice of the user, for instance, a keyboard, display or an extra battery. This project seeks to significantly reduce electronic waste and ensure a longer life span for the handsets by enabling users to swap out malfunctioning modules or upgrade individual modules as innovations emerge.
Google’s target market for Project Ara encompasses not just 1 billion smartphone users but also the 5 billion feature phone users, paving the way for the entry of hundreds of thousands of developers and not just a handful of big players; anyone will be able to build a module without having to require a licence or paying fee. Modules can provide the usual smartphone utilities like camera, speakers, etc. and also more specialized features, and are secured with electropermanent magnets.
Google intends to sell a starter kit with billed materials worth $50 and comprising of a frame, display, battery, low-end CPU and Wi-Fi. The frames come in three sizes- mini (45 x 118 x 9.7 mm), medium (68 x 141 x 9.7 mm) and large (91 x 164 x 9.7 mm) with rear module slots of 2 x 5, 3 x 6 and 4 x 7 respectively. Each one of these frames is expected to cost around $15.
After claiming our cell phones and our entire social life.
Android is set to enter into our living rooms. Android based devices are now set to change our experience of television. We have the Android based Amazon’s Fire TV and with Android TV news coming just few days after the launch of Fire TV it is inevitable not to compare the two. After the launch, when the market was buzzing about how good Fire TV is with all its super awesome features, details of Android TV were there to distract the crowd.
Google plans to keep it simple, after the Google TV fiasco.. Android TV is about getting the desired content faster and even claims that not more than three clicks will be all that it takes to get what you want. Like Amazon Fire TV it has the ability to take in voice commands and notifications as well.
Amazon Fire TV Review
Amazon’s Fire TV has created a wave for an Android based television devices. With its easy and simple set-up box it is gaining popularity. It comes with its own tutorial that guides the user. It has a range of fun filled apps and its amazing ultra-slim looks are sure to woo customers.
It also has features such as Voice Searching which is super fast and unimaginably accurate. It is faster than any other such device ever made for your living room with zero buffering and instant video streaming. With such remarkably good features Amazon Fire TV is all set to give you a great experience unlike ever before…!!!
It’s the social app that’s currently seeing more than 350m photos shared every day. Snapchat started in September 2011 with no revenue. To date it has received nearly $94m of funding, and recently turned down a $3b acquisition offer from Facebook who immediately saw the potential.
Snapchat is a Venice Beach, California based mobile app that allows users to send photos and text messages that disappear after 8 to 10 seconds. Co-founded by 23-year-old Evan Spiegel, more than 400 million videos are being sent on Snapchat daily. Google reportedly attempted to buy out the new kid on the block of social networks, Snapchat, for a reported $4 billion, which was also turned down. The free app allows users to send photos to other members and control how long the receiver can see them for. These photos last for up to 10 seconds, before they disappear…forever. If you try to take a screenshot, the app will notify the sender.
Snapchat is #12 on the free iOS photo app charts in the U.S. and just scored some mainstream media attention in The New York Times.
So, here’s a few things to know about Snapchat.
Snapchat is not intended for children under the age of 13. Minors ages 13-17 should have permission from a parent or legal guardian before using Snapchat.
Only for Teens? No! Snapchat is not just for teens. Snapchat users include parents, grandparents and adults of all ages. Snapchat can be a fun and easy way for families to stay in touch.
Snapchat also provides delivery confirmation for every message sent, letting you know if your message has been delivered and when it has been opened. So make sure you send the message to the right person!
Pressing Send? Take a second to think how your message will make the other person feel? Would you be upset, embarrassed or get in trouble if they show it to someone else? If you feel like you’re taking a risk or doing something that makes you even a little bit uncomfortable — stop what you’re doing and don’t send the message. Snapchat is supposed to be fun, if you’re not having fun or if you’re ruining someone else’s fun, you’re missing the point and you should re-think what you’re doing.
Check out this video of the five types of people on Snapchat…
As you know, Google has spoiled its Nexus 5 with the deployment of the new version of Android 4.4 KitKat and it offers lots of new features on the new Nexus, you may be entitled to a reading adjusted audio and preview images in full screen. Some of these unique features are also available on other devices using a custom 4.4 ROM . Here are five features that you will surely love!
1 – An audio system channeled power and specific sensor
With the release of Android 4.4 KitKat, the sound offered by the Nexus 5 is simply beautiful. Moreover, Google says it’s adorned with its exemplary audio quality. With this audio tunneling, the Nexus 5 provides audio capability off-grid for a period of 60 hours. This represents an improvement of over 50% compared to conventional audio systems. Here’s what Google has recently stated:
“Unfortunately, this audio tunneling ‘requires a specific’ hardware ‘. At this moment it is only available on the Nexus 5, but with our partners, we are working to make this happen on other devices as soon as possible. “
Other functions ‘hardware’ exclusive enjoyed by the Nexus 5 is the new detector and not counting sensors. Add to this the new camera sensor technology. The step counter cannot be used with fitness applications without affecting the battery life. With these technological sensors, Android works on the ‘hardware’ of the device to collect and distribute data from the last batch, even if these data are detected individually.
This allows the processor to save energy during this process; it is also possible if you are using regular headphones. Also, you can select the interval at which you want to receive the famous audio. You can even make immediate distribution, which is very convenient because it does not shorten your battery. This use includes fitness applications, geolocation, monitoring your system and more. In addition, it can improve the quality of your applications and allow your device to detect these constantly. This is possible even when the screen is idle.
2 – Photos in HDR +
The HDR + is also a feature in the Nexus 5, this photograph mode offers better images. In fact, this system uses different parameters of exposure to light and the mixture in order to provide us with enough sharp detail day and night. You should also know that Google has added some additional improvements such as the sharpening algorithm. Thus, the images taken with the Nexus 5 are better in HDR mode than without it. These images seem even supernatural because thanks to this software, the images are not blurred. When used at night, the contrast is quite balanced.
3 – Wallpapers with a full-screen preview
If you’re using a Nexus 5 or other smartphones with a 4.4 custom ROM, beware that your home screen will appear in full screen. When you want to change the wallpaper, you can get a glimpse of it before using it on your screen.
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4 – Support voice command is always available
With Android KitKat, you will receive assistance in voice command just by placing your hand over the left side of the set, it is the ‘Google Now’ feature on the Nexus 5, it is possible to perform a Google search directly on the home screen because the voice function will run without even the need to touch your screen. This function is different from that which can be found on devices like the Motorola X, which remembers, listens to your request even when the screen is locked. However, we like the quality of its service. What’s funny is that the Nexus 4 last year could also start researching from the wallpaper when uttering these two keywords: ‘OK, Google’.
5 – An improved touch screen
This is very interesting, in this regard, Google says the following:
“Improving manufacturing and software mean that Android Nexus 5 offers a more touch screen than ever.” We’ll look more closely at the issue of improving the touchscreen of Nexus 5, but for now, you can be rest assured about the quality of the features available on this new Smartphone. “
Google Glass, the company’s flagship product, which is all set to erase the thin line that’s left between sci-fi movies and reality, has a new look now. Although a major portion of this device will remain the same, but it’ll have a mono-earbud now, whose plugging into the glass remains an optional feature, for the users to decide as per their comfort and use.
This ~1500$ worth device is Google’s step towards wearable computing, as you must have seen in those sci-fi movies. With the latest design update, the user is given freedom to go for any sort of lenses.
For those of you who are still wondering about what this device can do, here’s a dig at its features.
ü This piece of hardware, while being attached to your face, like a pair of shades, will enable you to click pictures, and record videos, just like you’d do with your smart phones.
ü You can view messages on its screen, without having to look for your cell phone time and again! Apart from viewing, you can even reply to these text messages, via voice commands.
ü This becomes your personal computer in case you need any information. Google Glass has had to do what Google does best, Search.
ü Google Glass comes with pre-installed Google Maps and a video calling feature. So, no need to hold your phone at your face, talk freely.
Google is planning to launch this device by next year, for the masses. Soon smart phones will remain in the pocket, and Glass will be the new in!
According to Google, its sales topped the original estimates made for the third quarter. It is speculated that the number of promotions sold via mobile, video and other services were sufficiently lower than originally anticipated.
According to the reports compiled by Bloomberg, the original estimate was $11.64 billion but the revenue, without including sales from partner sites alone was $11.92 billion.
Google expanded its channels by providing not only search results on the web but promotions that targeted users of mobile phones, tablets, and applications found on the smart-phones. It is reported that the paid clicks jumped up to 26 percent. According to EMarketer, Google will hold 33% share on the global on-line-advertising market this year. 2% higher than last year (31%).
The analysts predicted that the profit per share would go up to $10.36 but profit was about $10.74 USD per share. Increasing the Net income by 36% to $2.97 billion from the year-ago period.
Google encouraged its users to take advantage of its “enhanced campaigns” feature. This special campaigns targeted wireless devices and has been proven significantly profitable than the original PPC search results model that Google setup decades ago.
Even after all these years and the ups and downs, Google still remains the on-line giant it was a decade ago. With its advertising and revenue powerhouse in place Google is working on other changes. They are updating their marketing rules to allow the users to display their own reviews and pictures by the ads, give the advertisers the tools to analyze and understand user behaviors and habits and much more.
Recently Twitter, Inc hired the Google, Inc advertising executive to lead its retail sector. It is speculated that the company is expanding its workforce in order to expand its business before offering the new services to the public.
Who was hired by Twitter, Inc?
At Google, J.J. Hirschle was in charge of the media and entertainment advertising. But at Twitter he will be working on selling advertising products to retail companies. According to the spokesman for Twitter, Will Stickney, J.J. Hirschle will start on October 28, 2013.
The hiring process was not intended but as Twitter was building up its advertising business by reaching out to the retailers they needed someone experienced to lead the effort. After Facebook, Twitter is one of the leading social networking website on the Internet. Twitter disclosed in S-1 prspectus that it is growing revenue from advertising even though it remains unprofitable.
In order to stay ahead with rest of the competition Twitter is increasing its workforce aggressively. According to Twitter, the company added 300 employees in the third quarter. Increasing its workforce size to 2,300 in total. It is rumored that Twitter is planning to lease a 320,000-square-foot office space adjacent to its San Francisco headquarters.
This isn’t the only time Twitter, Inc hired someone from Google. Matter of fact Twitter hired Shailesh Rao from Google in 2012. Shailesh Rao was in charge of the Google’s display-advertising sales in Asia. It is not clear whether Twitter, Inc will be hiring talents from other companies or not but it is not unusual to see employees from Google to go to Facebook, Facebook to Twitter and swap between these technology giants.
Do you feel Twitter made the right decision by hiring J.J. Hirschle? Since Twitter’s advertising sector is still not profitable do you think going public or utilizing the retail market will help twitter increase its revenues?
Google’s 5 minutes outage drops internet usage by 40 percent
It has being confirmed that all Google services went down on Friday evening. Old news, you may say. But that small act, where all of its services–that’s YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, Google Drive–were unreachable for a few minutes, cut Internet traffic by 40%. That is an amazing figure. No one outside the company is quite sure what happened as yet, services in most of Google products went down briefly during the blackout that evening, leaving users in the dark and without access to what they wanted to do.
Screenshot of Google’s Apps Dashboard shows its red-light status above.
Analytics company called Go-Squared watched the dip happen in real time on Friday as it monitored more than 30,000 customer websites for traffic data. The trouble started at around 23:52, and it took just one minute for inbound page views to stall. According to Twitter, there was a sudden and very drastic spike in the volume of tweets during those five minutes. Digital expert Phil Dearson, Head of Strategy for integrated marketing agency Tribal Worldwide, said the disruption cost Google an estimated US$500,000 in the few minutes that it was down, equivalent to about five of chief executive Larry Page’s Tesla electric car, or about 363 Google Glass units, surely now that must hurt.
A 40% drop is enough to send chills down the spines of the people who pay the bills, but thankfully this was a very ephemeral drop. It was business as usual but a few minutes later, the Google train was happily dropping off search passengers once again. However, the plunge in internet traffic also shows the strength of Google as a primary internet source and the unpopularity of its competitors such as Bing, which were unable to pick up the slack during the outage. It’s insane just how much we take Google for granted every day, but we sure do miss it when it’s gone.
