If you applied for the opportunity to hand over $900 to Google in exchange for a ticket to its Google I/O 2014 conference then now's the time to start checking your email inbox, because the company has started sending out confirmation emails to those that have been selected to attend.
Google's Play Store app is an integral part of the entire Android infrastructure, and with this in mind, it's no wonder the updates are rolling through thick and fast. Just a week or so following the release of version 4.6.16, the Big G is rolling out Google Play Store 4.6.17, and as the version number states, the updates therein are relatively incremental. Details and download information can be found after the fold!
Even though, as time goes on, it's difficult to see exactly where Google Glass will fit into the consumer side of the market, part of us is still glad that the project is in development. Cool and uncool in equal measure, it would seem, it has proven a polarizing topic of debate that every tech fan has, at some point, discussed with their peers. Every so often, an eye-opening development is made in relation to Glass bordering on the bizarre, serving to remind us that we're dealing with a technology that could significantly alter the way we interact with each other and the world around us, and Emotient has certainly done that with its new Sentiment Analysis app.
Android, or the associated open source project (AOSP), are technically derivatives of Linux, and hence, they natively work with any Linux-based system without requiring extra configurations. This holds true for any Linux variant, and even OS X, too, which shares a common base. However, for Windows – the most widely used PC operating system – things are little different. In Microsoft’s operating environment, everything is about drivers. Any hardware component that you have attached to your system, it will require proper drivers to be configured, whether it’s an internal piece of hardware or a peripheral. It’s not like this is something unique to Windows; it’s just that the latter requires more third-party drivers than its counterparts, and that’s where Android users share the same woes.
Along with Project Ara, Project Glass, and all of the other exciting innovations that Google has going right now, the company's Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) team also took the wraps off Project Tango back in February. The aim of Project Tango's mapping technology is to allow common devices such as smartphones to perceive space, objects and movements in the manner that humans do, and in order to really test the resolve of its emerging invention, the Mountain View-based company has teamed up with NASA for some zero-gravity testing.
One of the great things about the Google-branded Nexus range - besides the fact that users can enjoy untouched Android and swift, timely updates - is that the devices themselves are considerably cheaper than comparable products. But while the likes of the Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus 5 smartphone continue to offer a fairly high-end experience on a budget, the search giant could take things a step further with a sub-$100 handset.
As much as we all love and treasure our mobile devices, we also love it when an individual or company creates and uploads a video that shows a device being pushed to its physical limits.
Google has several innovative projects on the go at any one time, and while the world continues to be fascinating by Project Glass, Project Ara - the company's endeavor to build a modular smartphone that allows specific hardware features to be swapped in and out at will - has gathered a significant amount of interest in recent weeks. It's a concept that, if the Big G manages to pull it off, could really change the face of the smartphone market, and with a couple of teasers already having been released by the Project Ara team, we're now hearing that the first modular handset will be available from January next year.
Those looking to attend Google's big I/O developer conference can now register their interest in obtaining tickets for the event. The Big G is holding a lottery for tickets, so there's no need to rush over to the registration page, and you have the next three days to sign up for a chance to win.
Google Glass is now on sale for 24 hours only, are you buying it? Take our poll at the bottom of this post and let us know. In order to be able to purchase a Glass headset, the consumer must be a resident of the United States and be legally classed as an adult. Oh, they must also be willing to part with $1,500 plus local sales tax. That bit’s important.
