Although many of Google's big announcements over the past year or so have related to Project Glass, this year's I/O developers conference was all about Android, Android Wear, and the Chromecast, with the search giant also rolling out some new products and services for the home and auto markets. Chromecast, which first hit the scene last year, is not only incredibly cheap, but also highly functional, and at the aforementioned I/O in June, we learned that the Big G was about to add Android Mirroring to the HDMI dongle's repertoire. Today, the company has delivered on that promise, and now, Android-wielding Chromecast users can beam the contents of their display onto their HDTVs.
Google made a whole bunch of exciting announcements at I/O in June, and today signals the first wave of deliverance on those promises. Following the news that Chromecast users will be able to beam the contents of their Android smartphone or tablet to their TVs through the new Android Mirroring feature, it is now also possible for Android Wear enthusiasts to utilize their wrist-worn gadget as a remote shutter for their device's camera.
As technology enthusiasts, most of us are fascinated by the booting of operating systems on devices that the software mightn't necessarily be familiar with. There's a massive market for software products that facilitate, say, OS X on a PC and likewise, Windows on a Mac. Console OS, which seeks to bring a genuine Android experience to Intel-based machines, has announced its intention to bring the infrastructure to the Surface Pro line-up, including the Surface Pro 3.
Android's open-source nature is a bit of a double-edged sword in many respects, for although it's customizable to the nth degree, it's also much more susceptible to malicious intrusion when compared with the likes of Apple's iOS. On a regular basis, we hear of new, cunning schemes designed to attack smartphones and tablets running on Google's flagship mobile OS, and today, we've encountered a particularly alarming security hole that could potentially help a hacker relieve you of vast mounds of cash.
If you’ve been worried about your car security and not satisfied with just having an alarm locking mechanism for deterring unwanted individuals, then you’re going to love the product that we’re showcasing today. Named simply “CarLock”, it’s a car security system consisting of three parts; the CarLock OBD device that will plug into the car itself, a companion smartphone app (for Android and iOS at present), and CarLock Cloud, which we will come to later. Intrigued? Continue reading past the break to find out more.
Nokia, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, has long built great smartphones, particularly those of the Lumia variety. But while the market has been enticed by the sleek, funky designs and top-notch rear-facing camera technology, most have been put-off by the Windows Phone OS, which is nowhere near as evolved as, say, Android.
Having visually compared Android L with KitKat, we found out that Google is pushing hard to take Android one step further from where it stands right now. But how does it compare to its fiercest upcoming rival, iOS 8? That’s exactly what we’re going to find out, by comparing Android L preview with iOS 8 beta, visually.
The next major version of Android, dubbed as ‘L’ (Lollipop?) was announced by Google at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Android L brought with it a ton of new changes, most of which are for developers. But the user-facing end got a neat facelift too, and as ever, we took the latest OS from the search giant for a spin on a Nexus 5, and couldn’t help comparing it with last year’s offering, Android KitKat.
Google's Android Wear platform is nearing maturity, and following the I/O developers conference, devices are already beginning to ship. Thus, it should come as little surprise to see the Play Store stocking up with content related to the wrist-based OS, and having already seen a few standalone apps, custom watch faces have also started popping up.
Even before the arrival of the Galaxy S5 back in April, there was always a lingering feeling that Samsung was also plotting something better, perhaps even offering the metallic finish that so many have craved. The Galaxy F, as it has been referred, has not escaped the headlines despite the release of the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, and now, we have yet another alleged sighting of this most elusive of smartphones. Check out the snap, as well as all of the other details we have on the device, after the leap.
