The major names in the modern tech industry engage in battle on a variety of fronts, and while a cloud service seems a must-have in this modern Digital Age, the social networking spectrum is considerably broader than Facebook and Twitter. Before Google+, the famed search company also had Orkut, and although its following had died out in most areas aside from certain quarters of Latin America, it was still running up until early on in July this year. It was at that point that the Big G decided to kill off Orkut for good, and with the deadline for the retrieval of data also set for September 30th, Orkut is now officially no more.
The biggest stories in technology these days tend to be about smartphones. Even with smartwatches threatening to take over as the most talked about, highly anticipated hardware releases going, the not-so-humble smartphone still manages to truly capture the imagination like few other new releases.
The world of wearables is currently amid something of a boom, and with Google Glass having recently arrived at the Play Store, head-mounted gadgets continue to arouse interest. Several other big-name vendors in the tech game have also sought to get in on the act, and among them, Japanese outfit Sony has been working on some eyewear of its own. The SmartEyeglass, as it is named, will be heading to market in March of 2015, and today, the PlayStation maker has released the SDK.
YouTube has just announced that it will be making some changes to how users can interact with video content in the next few weeks on Android, but only for users in India. As part of the improvement process, YouTube will afford Indian media lovers with the ability to download and save videos to view offline, meaning they can be viewed anytime without an active Wi-Fi or cellular data connection.
Despite the stringent measures being put in place by software makers far and wide, large-scale security breaches remain a black cloud over modern technology, and today, a Russian Bitcoin site has leaked a total of 5 million Gmail addresses and passwords. Initially, it was suspected that the leaks were of passwords specific to the Gmail account in question, although now, it seems that the credentials have been snatched from external websites of users who signed up using a Google email.
Google's Project Glass has been in the works for years now, and since the initial dev roll-out back in 2013, generated quite a significant amount of interest in tech circles. First it was a closed beta available to selected creatives and developers, before eventually becoming an invitation-only enterprise. This year, the Explorer Edition relaxed the invitation system, making the gadget available in the UK and US to the masses, and now, finally, the head-mounted gadget is available at the Play Store with all of those lovely accessories to boot.
As well as continuing work on its bread-and-butter services like Search, Maps and Android, Google is always looking to expand with intriguing, innovative advancements. Project Ara is one, Project Glass another, and with self-driving cars also in the works, the Big G has just showcased Project Wing. A drone-powered courier service, Project Wing appears to be a competitor to Amazon's Prime Air, and the aircraft itself is lightweight, completely unmanned, and considered a cross between a helicopter and a plane.
The importance and popularity of music is at an all-time high, thanks to companies like Apple and Google who have pioneered the use of digital infrastructure to deliver content directly to a range of devices. In an effort to promote music downloads and give back, Google is offering Prism by Katy Perry as a free-of-charge download.
Google has authored a whole range of great apps across a number of platforms, and today, has rolled out a brand-new one for iOS by the name of 'Slides'. Essentially a presentation app, it's very much a PowerPoint incarnate, and as well as the roll-out of Google Slides, the Mountain View outfit has also updated Docs and Sheets - the company's answer to Word and Excel.
Every year, Google comes through a new Nexus smartphone, and although LG is ordinarily tasked with building side of things, it's reckoned that Motorola will be at the helm for this year's edition. Given that we had the Nexus 4, then the current flagship Nexus 5, it was naturally presumed that the Big G would take the wraps off the Nexus 6 later on this year, but as per a new report, it may well be given the 'Nexus X' moniker.
















