Google is firing on all cylinders at Google I/O 2012. They’ve announced a new, much improved version of Android – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an accompanying Nexus tablet that’s getting rave reviews, new and updated Google apps and services and, more recently, Google Chrome for iOS devices.
Plugging a hole that has been around since its release in 2010, Twitter's Windows Phone app now sports push notifications, bringing it in-line with the iOS and Android versions of the app.
It has taken a day or two, but now videos are beginning to crop up comparing Apple's Siri on the iPhone 4S to Google's new voice options in the just announced Android 4.1, Jelly Bean.
It was a pretty action packed couple of hours over at the Moscone Center in San Francisco yesterday, with the building packed with developers to learn about and discuss all the latest that is happening in the world of Google, mobile and social technology breakthroughs. As is usually the case with conferences like the I/O and Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, proceedings are kicked off with a keynote presentation, headlined by the company executives who talk about the exciting things the company are planning, which in this case is Google.
Back before the first iPad was announced and when the rumor-mill was in full force, everyone pretty much knew that a tablet was on the way, but nobody really knew what form that tablet would take. Whilst many thought that the tablet would indeed turn out as it did, some were more hopeful that Apple would simply offer an OS X-like machine that resembled a MacBook Pro, but in tablet form. Sort of like one of those Tablet PCs that nobody bought back in the 1990s. Thankfully, Apple knew better.
For today only, fans of Atari classics from the Atari 2600 era can get their hands on a little slice of nostalgia for the bargain price of absolutely nothing. Free. Zero. Zilch. You don't get many better bargains than that!
It doesn't matter which company we are talking about, or what software or hardware they are intending to release, there is always going to be something which users will never like. In this instance, Microsoft is a company involved, and the product is the rather beautiful looking Windows 8. A few feathers were ruffled and noses disjointed when the Redmond company took the decision to remove the Start button from the Consumer Preview of Windows 8.
If day two of the annual Google I/O conference has taught us anything, it is that Google clearly recognizes the need to offer native experiences of their services to the millions of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners around the world. Today, Google has announced the official Drive app for iOS along with an update to Docs which brings offline editing support to users.
Whenever something new is announced by Apple or Google, we always secretly hope that the launch switch will be flipped immediately at the end of their keynote presentations, allowing us to get our hands on the new hardware or software soon after. The opening keynote of the Google I/O presentation really got tongues talking yesterday as they went through a number of announcements relating to new devices and the first official unveiling of Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android.
It is always a nice and welcome change whenever one of the big players in the mobile smartphone world takes to the stage to announce the release of something new. Familiarity often breeds contempt, and considering the mobile sector is an ever-changing landscape, the release of new hardware or software really helps to keep things fresh and keep end-users and developers alike engaged.
