The moment Android fans had been waiting for has finally arrived! Google has announced the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop - the latest version of the world's most popular mobile platform. Google is throwing in their latest OS with their new debutants: the Nexus 6 smartphone, Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player streaming device. For those of you with the Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play Edition devices, Google will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks!
It's been a busy day today as far as Google is concerned, and alongside the all-new Nexus 6, the Mountain View outfit has drafted in the services of Taiwan-based HTC for its next major tablet. With the Motorola-made Nexus 6 set to be the first handset running on Android Lollipop right from the get-go, the Nexus 9 will follow suit for the larger occupants of the mobile world, and given that it's made by HTC - designer of some highly-regarded smartphones over the past couple of years as you may recall - we've been very intrigued to take the wraps off this particular slate. Now, Google has put paid to the rumors, offering glimpses of the tablet as well those all-important specs, and here, we dig through them all to see if it has justified the hoopla.
There's good news on the horizon for members of the Google Glass Explorers initiative. As part of the continued development of the internal software that powers Google's intelligent eyewear, the company has introduced a new feature that will allow users to view all phone notifications via Glass. As things stand at the moment, Glass owners are only able to view and interact with notifications that are presented as part of Glass compatible apps. This will be extended to fall in line with the notification-forwarding system that allows Android Wear wearables to receive every notification as it's received on the connected device.
Google's next big release of Android, currently simply known as Android L is only a short time away from release and it's certain to undergo a name change before landing on the phones and tablets of users around the globe. In order to follow along with the current naming convention of choosing a name based on desserts that begin with the next letter in a sequence, Google only has so many options to choose from.
Smart home products have risen in prominence over the past couple of years in particular, and thanks to crowd-sourcing sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, these seamless home automation gadgets continue to gather steam. The August Smart Lock, which was first introduced last year, has just begun shipping to those who pre-ordered, and if you wish to get your hands on a unit, you can do so right now for the price of $250.
A few days back, Skype introduced some revamped features for its desktop client, with a distinct focus on improving the user's instant messaging experience. So while Skype is busy improving the users' experience on both, the mobile and desktop version of its app, let us introduce you to Skype Qik. Taking a distinctly different route than Skype, Skype Qik is built for asynchronous video messaging, where you create and share video messages with online and offline users. The app gives you a slight peek into what Skype may have looked like had it started out as an app for the mobile.
Google has made three new ads available online with just days if not hours left to go before it is expected to launch new Nexus devices. With a new Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus 6 smartphone peeping over the horizon, the three new ads have appeared just at the right time, with Google getting ready for another charm offensive while trying to peddle its new wares.
Not too long ago, we covered how Facebook will be bringing Stickers to its comments system. Well, finally, someone in Facebook managed to push out an update to Facebook, which allows you to express your emotional glory in the comments section for all those pillow fight, status', pictures, videos etc., using Stickers.
Users of most Android-powered smartphones and tablets aren't really used to timely software updates, but the barely available Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has already seen its first update arrive, and the chances are you can't even buy one yet.
Modern smartphones are great and all, but even with the trend of ever increasing screen sizes making it possible for manufactures to squeeze larger batteries into them, today's flagship handsets just don't last long enough between charges. There are exceptions to the rule, granted, but as a whole it's likely you're going to be charging that new phone of yours by the end of the day, especially if you know you won't be able to charge it the next.















