At yesterday's Google I/O keynote speech, Google unveiled Android L, its new and significantly advanced version of the mobile software. Complete with a more layered approach benefiting from the company's "Material Design" initiative, it looks more fluid and immersive than it ever has, and while we were impressed by the demos, we also couldn't wait to try it out for ourselves. The Big G promised that a preview SDK of Android L was imminent, and today, those in ownership of the Nexus 5 smartphone or Nexus 7 (2013) tablet can dive right in.
Apple's product range is famous for a number of reasons. The sleek design is one, and that iconic bitten-apple logo is another, but the seamless manner in which devices and software interacts, notably through services like AirPlay, continues to promote the company's "it just works" philosophy. In the company's continued quest to expand and diversify its products and services, the Cupertino company is apparently considering the idea of pushing its own Smart Home hardware, which would once again integrate harmoniously with associated Apple devices, and although it's still a project very much on the drawing board, it's something that Apple is reportedly dedicating a fair amount of resources into advancing.
Even though security within technology is improving all the time, the advanced nature of the Digital Age means that intruders, malware makers and generally unscrupulous folks also have a robust tool set through which they can commit their unethical activities. As discovered by a group of researchers at the University of Massachusetts, the ubiquitous nature of mobile cameras makes it incredibly easy for a PIN or passcode to be logged and perhaps even utilized in an automatic fashion, and products like Google Glass, in particular, could prove problematic to the security-conscious consumer.
Apple has just tweaked the line-up of the fifth-gen iPod touch by ditching the cheapest, $229 16GB model and replacing it with an even cheaper, $199 16GB variant that also includes a rear-facing iSight camera. Hitherto, the entry-level model has shipped in only one color (space gray), and been bereft of a main camera, but now, those picking up the base version of the device can choose from pink, yellow, blue, silver, space gray and the company's charity-based (Product) RED.
When Google first brought Android Wear to the tech world's attention back in March, both LG and Motorola presented us with their respective efforts in the form of the G Watch and Moto 360. Today, with the search giant having subsequently pushed the full Android Wear SDK out to developers, Samsung has also thrown its hat into the ring with the Gear Live, a smartwatch that doesn't look too dissimilar to the recently-released Gear 2. With these three new devices all set for release in the near future, many of you will no doubt be considering one of them as a prospective acquisition, and if so, you'll definitely want to check out our videos below, where we take a closer look at each.
Google's I/O developers conference has commenced over at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and during the opening keynote, the company introduced quite a few exciting new products. Among them, Android Auto - Google's own answer to Apple's CarPlay - and Android TV, which even in these early stages, looks a marked improvement on the failure that was Google TV. Below, we go hands-on with both, so if you want a first-hand look at what Google has been slaving over of late, be sure to join us after the break.
Back in March, Google lit the proverbial blue touchpaper to the inhabitants of the smartwatch industry with the announcement of Android Wear, a variant of its famed mobile software designed specifically for the emerging wearables market. At the time, the Mountain View company also launched a Developer Preview of Android Wear's SDK for devs to sink their teeth into, and today, at I/O, the Android Wear SDK has been launched in full.
When Chromecast first hit the scene last year, its insanely low price turned the set-top streaming market on its head. Sure, it wasn't a set-top in the truest sense, but it provided many of the same functions, and thanks to an update announced today amid the I/O keynote event, it will soon offer a few more. Notably, a new Android Mirroring feature is upon us, giving owners of the minute device a way of projecting their device's display directly over to their TV sets.
Now that the epic 3 hour opening Google I/O keynote has come to a close, the big question on the lips of many was all about the free gifts that those in attendance would receive. It's becoming something of a tradition for anyone attending Google I/O to receive at least one expensive toy to come away with, and Google's Sundar Pichair didn't disappoint this time around.
The Apple iPhone 6 is arguably the hottest topic in tech space right now, and given the purported redesign and significant size increases in store, it's no wonder smartphone fans are firmly gripped by another dose of iPhone Fever. While we've long since presumed that the handset would arrive in late September, as it ordinarily does, sources out of China have offered a firm date.
