One can paint a fairly accurate picture of a company's future movements by assessing public job postings. The requirement of a software expert, for example, is more than a strong indication that a new app, or series of apps could be on the horizon, and in the case of Motorola, its latest job posting serves only to corroborate the rife notion that the company is working with Google to manufacture the 'X Phone' and an accompanying 'X Tablet'. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the codenamed devices, and although there has been little else in terms of solid evidence, the vacancy search suggests both Motorola and project partner Google are looking to get the wheels in motion.
Google’s has always had a rather funny and intriguing way of announcing new Android versions, coupling the news with the installation of a new Android statue at their campus. We’d seen these sculptures being erected for Froyo, then Gingerbread, Honeycomb, for Ice Cream Sandwich, and then Jelly Bean. Thus, it was no surprise when people went crazy over a certain Google+ post from Google’s Android community manager, Paul Wilcox, that indicated a new statue having been installed at the company’s official campus!
Google's Nexus 7, built in collaboration with consumer electronics giant ASUS, has been a great success, having almost reached six million units sold since its release last Summer. Citing the usual sources familiar with upstream supply chains, the famously hit-and-miss Digitimes seems to think Google will team up with the very same manufacturing partner to bring a second-generation iteration of the popular slate, complete with a thinner bezel, full HD 1080p display, along with the Jelly Bean operating system.
It is no secret that iOS and Android devices are the leaders on the smartphone market, with outputs that greatly outweigh the other players. The latest data published on Monday shows that their lead has edged, having taken over 92.1% of smartphone shipments in the last three months of last year.
Google's Nexus 10 tablet has hit the ground running in tablet space, with the majority of consumers and reviewers giving it the proverbial seal of approval. It features a dual core Exynos 5 processor to keep things ticking over, and while, all told, it does a fairly good job in doing so, it does struggle to cope with the 2560×1600 display. At a time when quad-core processors are ever becoming the norm, it has been suggested that Google may be planning to slap the revered tablet with a quad-core SoC later on this year.
The beauty of Android is that it’s not just limited to one specific manufacturer or operating system variant, which gives it the real edge over Apple’s iOS. The iPhone in comparison has only one company behind it, and while their work so far has been nothing sort of stellar (I am talking the sales volumes here – no judgment), the open source nature of Android and the large manufacturer support behind it makes the platform far more diverse and unique, not to mention variable. The availability of multiple OEMs not only impacts the buyers’ choices and hardware diversification, but also impacts the software side of things. How? HTC has its Sense theme, Sony came up with Timescape. Samsung favors TouchWiz and Motorola cooked up MotoBlur, just to name a few Android skins.
The turn of the year always brings with it new found excitement about the potential hardware and software that we are likely see introduced from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google. It also marks the start of the countdown to events like Apple's WWDC and Google's I/O conference, both of which take place in the Bay Area at the Moscone Center. We won't find out exactly what both companies have in store for us during their respective events, but early reports are suggesting Google could be planning on announcing information and technical specifications of two new Nexus branded devices.
The technology industry seems to be overflowing at the moment with discussions related to whether or not smart watches are a particularly good idea and feasible piece of consumer tech that will stand the test of time. The Pebble E-Paper watch managed to raise a staggering $10 million through its Kickstarter funding, a total that all but confirms consumers are ready for an intelligent watch that can adapt and change depending on the owner and the devices that they own. Although we have subsequently seen a number of smart watches appearing in recent months, we now have a Google inspired concept design coming from design Adrian Maciburko.
Despite having been around for considerably less time than the App Store, Google Play has grown to house almost as many apps as its Cupertino rival. With 2012's conclusion nigh, the Big G has released a list pertaining its favorite apps and games released this year in two separate lists. "Games We Love" focuses on those addictive, exciting, and thought-provoking releases this year, while "App Focus" gives an insight into the rich, diverse quantity of apps available.
Android is constantly a target for those looking to spread malware, and the latest - discovered by Russian security outfit Doctor Web - is probably one of the more significant to date. Arriving in the form of a trojan, it can aid the loathed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, while also housing the ability to send spam SMS messages and receive commands from the criminals behind them.
