Halloween is not a day that we would associate with receiving technology based gifts but it seems that Google is making an exception on this occasion. The Nexus 5 has been officially announced by the Mountain View giant, designed and manufactured in conjunction with LG. Not content with dishing out some exceptional new hardware, Google has also announced that Android 4.4 KitKat will be made available for a whole host of existing devices in the coming weeks.
It's definitely been a long time coming. We've been hearing rumors about the existence of the device for quite some time. We've been seeing leaked images doing the rounds on the Internet for almost as long. Thankfully, we no longer have to speculate on the existence of the device and its technical specifications as the LG-manufactured Nexus 5 has now been officially announced by Google.
Smartphone manufacturers do pretty much all that they can to give users a great experience when using their hardware. That experience usually extends to all aspects of the system and invariably involves making the experience as true to real-life as possible. System actions like receiving incoming phone calls contain a ringer, sending an email is usually followed by some kind of sent tone and using a camera generally has a default shutter style noise attached to it. That's all well and good, but what happens if you want to preserve the system sounds but deactivate that sometimes annoying and disruptive shutter tone? Well, if you're an Android user then Camera Mute could potentially be right up your street.
Google Glass has almost become old news at this point, and will possibly remain that way until the device either gets a major redesign or becomes available to the public. Google did offer a minor redesign of the Glass hardware very recently, dubbed as Google Glass v2, but it managed to fall considerably short of where we had all hoped it would go. Prescription lenses are all well and good Google, but if you still look like you're walking around with a tube of candy stuck to your ear, the game's up.
This Custom ROM Comparison For Android Helps You Find The Right One For Your Device [Database Chart]
One of the great things about using Google's Android over one of the rivaling ecosystems is the access to after market firmware releases. If you're not a fan of the stock offering, you can always download an alternative ROM, but while having so many options out there is in the best interests of consumer choice, it does make things a little bamboozling, particularly for the newbie. Thanks to the work of XDA-Developers member Nimrodity, who has curated a massive database of ROMs and their various features, you can not only find out which ROM is best for you before downloading, but also date of release, build version and other useful information.
Facebook's Messenger app has come along in leaps and bounds over the past twelve months, and today, the Menlo Park-based social company has announced a substantial update to the Android version of the app, with the iOS version being in the pipeline for an update as well. As well as affording the IM app a few aesthetic touch-ups, it would seem as though Mark Zuckerberg's team is seeking to further differentiate it from the standard Facebook app by placing more emphasis on messaging itself.
Google has wrapped up its Morning with Google+ event, and the Internet is abuzz with news and reviews surrounding the announcements. Amongst several other features, Google’s social network is getting a slew of new photo and video enhancement features, that intend on not just making the sharing experience better, but put Google in a position where the Mountain View company can compete directly with dedicated filter and photo-enhancement apps that are available for Android and iOS. Let’s take a look at what they announced for Google+ today.
In the grand scheme of Android releases, 4.4 KitKat mightn't be a great deal to write home about, but with the Nexus 5 also a part of the deal, we've reason to be somewhat excited. Today, the official KitKat YouTube channel has been given an update with a new video entitled "magic," and although it doesn't give too much away regarding the software's features, it does serve to whet the appetites of Android users far and wide. Check it out after the break.
The great thing about Google's Android, is that it's inherently hackable, and even those bits of exclusive software specific to one device invariably wind up dissected and ported through to other smartphones and tablets on the market. The Galaxy Note 3 may well be Samsung's latest premium handset, but the Galaxy S4 remains the flagship, and with so many more consumers in ownership of this summer's blockbuster, it's good to see work being done to bring the Note 3's exclusives over to the main event. The latest feature to make its way to the S4 is the camera app, and thanks to the work of the guys at XDA-Developers, installing it on your own handset is fairly painless. Details, as ever, can be found after the break.
There's always going to be a subset of the technology loving community that simply can't force themselves to get on-board with a particular piece of tech, but the overall opinion about Google Glass seems overwhelmingly positive thus far. The good news coming from Google today is that reports of a Google Glass Explorer Program expansion are most definitely true with Google themselves confirming the imminent introduction of an invite system.
