The GOOGLE | ANDROID Thread

[Swisha]

R.I.P. Steve Jobs. rivalries aside, the technology world has lost a true innovator.

Sergey Brin (Google co-founder)

From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met.

On behalf of all of us at Google and more broadly in technology, you will be missed very much. My condolences to family, friends, and colleagues at Apple.

[Swisha]

Vic Gundotra (Senior Vice President, Google)
Icon Ambulance

One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was attending religious services when my cell phone vibrated. As discreetly as possible, I checked the phone and noticed that my phone said "Caller ID unknown". I choose to ignore.

After services, as I was walking to my car with my family, I checked my cell phone messages. The message left was from Steve Jobs. "Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss" it said.

Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job.

"Hey Steve - this is Vic", I said. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn't pick up".

Steve laughed. He said, "Vic, unless the Caller ID said 'GOD', you should never pick up during services".

I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?

"So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I've already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow" said Steve.

"I've been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I'm not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn't have the right yellow gradient. It's just wrong and I'm going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

Of course this was okay with me. A few minutes later on that Sunday I received an email from Steve with the subject "Icon Ambulance". The email directed me to work with Greg Christie to fix the icon.

Since I was 11 years old and fell in love with an Apple II, I have dozens of stories to tell about Apple products. They have been a part of my life for decades. Even when I worked for 15 years for Bill Gates at Microsoft, I had a huge admiration for Steve and what Apple had produced.

But in the end, when I think about leadership, passion and attention to detail, I think back to the call I received from Steve Jobs on a Sunday morning in January. It was a lesson I'll never forget. CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.

To one of the greatest leaders I've ever met, my prayers and hopes are with you Steve.

-Vic

[Swisha]

Google Earth hits one billion downloads, those with fear of flying still getting virtual kicks



In a feat that outdoes even Dr. Evil's vision of worldwide domination, the folks in Mountain View have reported a staggering one billion downloads of Google Earth. Over the years, the service has taken us around the world, giving us a peak into amazing and sometimes obscure places ranging from the bottom of the ocean to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. It's also evolved from its humble beginnings as a desktop app back in 2005 to include a mobile app and a plug-in, not to mention a 3D flight simulation used with Google Maps -- all features that helped it reach the astronomical milestone. For that, we salute you Google Earth.



Engadget

The Official Google Blog

[Swisha]

Samsung Galaxy Nexus full specs revealed



Well, now that Apple has announced the iPhone 4S, there’s only one other flagship on the horizon that people are eagerly anticipating and that’s the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Codenamed “Nexus Prime,” the Galaxy Nexus is a phone we have scooped on numerous occasions, and now we can paint a complete picture of the device thanks to new information from a trusted source. Here’s what Samsung and Google will unveil next Tuesday:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
9mm thin
4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pixel Super AMOLED HD with curved glass
TI OMAP 4460 dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.2GHz
1GB of RAM
32GB of built-in storage
5-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel in the front
1080p HD video capture support
LTE/HSPA depending on carrier
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
NFC
1,750 mAh battery

We have confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be a pure Google Experience device without any third-party UI or modifications, so no TouchWiz on this one, guys. Also, one notable feature of Ice Cream Sandwich? The ability to monitor each app’s data usage on the device. Lastly, we’re still hearing that the Galaxy Nexus will be a Verizon Wireless exclusive here in the U.S., so it’s time to check out those contract end-dates if you’re on another carrier and you plan to scoop up the latest pure Google smartphone.

BGR

[Swisha]

ComScore: Android extends lead over Apple, holds 44 percent of smartphone market



Gather 'round, everyone, because a fresh batch of ComScore numbers has just arrived. According to the research firm, Android remains in firm control of the smartphone platform market, commanding 43.7 percent, followed by Apple (27.3 percent) and RIM (19.7 percent). In fact, Google extended its share by nearly two points over last month's figures, while Apple's iOS grew by just 0.3 points, but further distanced itself from RIM, which now sits 7.6 points behind. On the manufacturing side of the equation, Samsung remains top dog, accounting for 25.3 percent of all mobile subscribers (including both smartphone and feature phone users), followed by LG (21 percent) and Motorola (14 percent). Apple, meanwhile, sits a distant fourth, at 9.8 percent, followed by RIM, which rounds out the top five with 7.1 percent market share. Number crunchers can find more fodder in the full PR, after the break.

Engadget

[Swisha]

EXCLUSIVE: We get the allegedly proper Nexus Prime specs

Today is a busy day for Nexus Prime - it's been all over the news more than twice. Just hours earlier, we told you about a 'trusted source' who told BGR the phone's key specifications. Well, they may turn out to be completely and utterly wrong.

We were contacted by a tipster from inside Google, who claims to be familiar with the next Nexus phone and he basically put the previously speculated specs to sleep. As usual, tips like these are to be taken with a pinch of salt, but for now we're buying what this guy's selling. What you are about to read is quite dazzling.

According to our source, the device codenamed Nexus Prime is going to ship with Samsung's own chipset, probably the Exynos, with a blazingly fast dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. But wait, there's more.

On that chipset will also reside a powerful dual-core GPU from Imagination. We suspect it's going to be the PowerVR SGX543MP2, or in other words, the same GPU found in the iPad 2 (and quite probably on the iPhone 4S as well).

On the back, instead of the 5-megapixel snapper, our source claims, there's an 8-megapixel, full 1080p HD video-shooting camera with some sort of an improved sensor. As for the battery, expect a 2050mAh one (do we hear a whoa?), which should be good for a couple of days use without charging.

The Nexus Prime will also be LTE-enabled, but the most interesting part is that it would probably boast a dual-mode GSM/CDMA radio, just like the Apple iPhone 4S.

All those specifications sound almost too nice to be true, but keeping in mind the advertisement for the Nexus Prime, prompting us that "something BIG is coming", we won't be surprised if all of these purported specs turn out to be real.

What we do know for sure is that the head-turning 4.65-inch, 1280x720 pixels screen is definitely a go. Whatever the truth might be, we'll definitely find out on October 11, which is just a few days from now.

Which specifications list sound more plausible to you?

Thanks, Anonymous!

GSM Arena

[achillies]

It better be what GSMArena stated, if so, this thing would scream.....

[achillies]

Galaxy Nexus Will Have A Notification Light And Amazing Camera – Ice Cream Sandwich Updating On The Daily

So I’ll start off by making a quick comment or two about the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that were “leaked” earlier this morning. I know that there are some people looking to question them, but like I said in that post, these match up exactly to what our sources have told us. So unless Google and Samsung are taking extra steps to fake the specs inside their test phones to screw even their testers up, then I have no reason to disbelieve what I have been told. While I have not been specifically told what size front camera, internal storage capacity or mAh battery, I can tell you that everything else is on point (aside from the fact that I think it’s a 4430 and not the 4460).
With that said, our sources wanted to toss in some additional details that were left out of this morning’s post. Let’s talk notification lights, cameras and updates to Ice Cream Sandwich.
Notification Light
As many of you know, Samsung seems to leave off notification lights on their phones – not with this one. We have been told that the Galaxy Nexus will have a multi-colored notification light placed towards the bottom chin. So with all physical buttons removed thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung has placed a notification light, smack dab in the middle there instead.
Camera
A lot of chatter this morning about how the camera is only 5MP. Just know that megapixels aren’t all that you should consider when talking cameras (think sensors too). From what we know, this camera is ultra-fast and has an almost instant shutter. Click the camera button and your picture is taken – no waiting. Will be interesting to see this compared to new camera in the iPhone 4S.
Ice Cream Sandwich Updates
Android 4.0 is close to being unveiled, but that doesn’t mean Google has stopped working overtime on it. From what we have been told, ICS updates are popping up on Galaxy Nexus devices almost daily. With each update, the phone has gotten “snappier and snappier,” creating a phenomenal experience. And again, the leaked video from last week is not fake. If you want a preview of ICS, just keep watching it over and over.
As we have more, you’ll be the first to know.

Droid-Life

[jmctt1]

Up for pre-order

the Lenovo A1 7" Tablet

Starting @ $199US

Specs - Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Capacitive Muti-Touch Screen
1024x600 res.
1GHz Single Core CPU
2GB H.D (16GB $250)
Front Facing Camera 2.0mp
Rear Facing Camera 5.0mp
OFFLINE GPS
Flash supported web browser
MicroSD
Google Market
Bluetooth


Look far better than the upcoming Kindle Fire ($199) & DO NOT have most of the specs. listed for the lenovo A1

[achillies]

Google & Samsung Cancel Nexus Prime & Ice Cream Sandwich Launch Event



Google & Samsung Cancel Nexus Prime & Ice Cream Sandwich Launch Event

By Killian Bell on October 7, 2011 (1 hour ago) in Google, Samsung

Samsung Google Unpacked event

Following yesterday’s report that we could expect to see the release of the new Samsung Nexus Prime and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich at CTIA next week, both companies have pulled a surprise move and decided to cancel the joint event.

A combined statement from the two companies, released today, reads:

“Samsung and Google decide to postpone the new product announcement at CTIA Fall.

“We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced.”

Although neither company has specifically stated the reason for the event’s postponing, it is believed that the decision is a mark of respect to Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder who sadly passed away earlier this week.

It looks like neither Google Ice Cream Sandwich or the Samsung Nexus Prime will launch next week, then, but the event is expected to take place on a later date in the not-so-distant future. In the meantime, you can enjoy a leaked video of the two in action which was discovered just this morning.

Technobuffalo

[achillies]

Nexus Prime REALLY Caught on Video (No Blurrycam Either)



The first time we supposedly got a look at the Nexus Prime on video, it turned out to be a fake of epic proportions. Well, it appears we finally have a glimpse of the device and new software Samsung and Google are set to announce in October 11th. This is a pretty significant UI update, relatively speaking.

In the video we’re treated to a few different things. We’ve gotten a look at the newly-designed launcher that brings it more in line with Honeycomb’s UI. We still have the search bar embedded into the top of the homescreen but it appears to have a white box outlining itself to make it easier to see than before.

New animations for flipping between pages of apps in the app drawer are present. You scroll side to side like in Honeycomb. At the bottom of the homescreen is the launcher dock, something we imagine can be customized. There are two slots for apps on each side of the app drawer icon.

Everything takes a noticeable turn in style from green to blue – again, like Honeycomb. We’re not sure how you feel about this but it’s yet another example of how Google wanted to unify tablet and phone OS into one with Ice Cream Sandwich. We’re not too mad about the new direction in style.

As you can see, the phone itself won’t have capacitive buttons for home, menu, back and search and are instead replaced by software buttons at the bottom. While some may be going “ugh” at the lack of physical buttons, it was pretty quick to get used to on tablets and I’m sure phones will be no different.

We’ve also got a new lockscreen. Again, it’s a “ring” based lockscreen like Honeycomb’s with a twist. You can drag the ring over to the left to immediately launch the camera. You can also drag it to the right to a lock icon, but we’re not exactly sure if this is for unlocking or relocking the device. It’s an open lock so we’ll assume the former for now.

Finally, the camera app has certainly got an upgrade. We didn’t see much there but it looked like it belonged with everything else on the device. It’s a quick video, but we appreciate the lack of blurrycam and we’re glad to finally see what’s in store for the Android world come October 11th.

Oh, and according to the leakster the specs BGR posted yesterday are supposedly the right ones. If you don’t remember, they alleged it would have a 4.65 inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display, 32GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, a 1.2GHz TI OMAP4 dual-core processor, a 5 megapixel rear camera along with a 1.3 inch front camera, 1080p HD video capture, NFC and more.

Goes to show why everyone shouldn’t trust their own anonymous source (unless, of course, a new Nexus certainly is coming after that – bum bum buuuuuuummmmmm.) Let us know what

Phandroid

[Greypatch]

prime gonna be my next unit

[trinitachi]

meh..imma wait and see what else other brands produce..tbh im really enjoyin this SG2 which i recently bought so i'm in no rush.

[ismithx]

nexus prime gonna be awesome specs out of this world! but the galaxy S3 i think will give it a serious run for its money

[sentraman]

Just as I getting ready to buy the Galaxy S2 they teasing man with this steups... Just cant keep up.

[S_2NR]

ill stick with my nexus s when prime comes out.
just got this in august

[Scoobert Bauce]

Samsung Galaxy Nexus full specs revealed



Well, now that Apple has announced the iPhone 4S, there’s only one other flagship on the horizon that people are eagerly anticipating and that’s the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Codenamed “Nexus Prime,” the Galaxy Nexus is a phone we have scooped on numerous occasions, and now we can paint a complete picture of the device thanks to new information from a trusted source. Here’s what Samsung and Google will unveil next Tuesday:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
9mm thin
4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pixel Super AMOLED HD with curved glass
TI OMAP 4460 dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.2GHz
1GB of RAM
32GB of built-in storage
5-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel in the front
1080p HD video capture support
LTE/HSPA depending on carrier
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
NFC
1,750 mAh battery

We have confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be a pure Google Experience device without any third-party UI or modifications, so no TouchWiz on this one, guys. Also, one notable feature of Ice Cream Sandwich? The ability to monitor each app’s data usage on the device. Lastly, we’re still hearing that the Galaxy Nexus will be a Verizon Wireless exclusive here in the U.S., so it’s time to check out those contract end-dates if you’re on another carrier and you plan to scoop up the latest pure Google smartphone.

BGR

*nerdgasm*

too bad itll be like three years before it becomes available at a reasonable price down here

[wishmaster]

Got a Nexus S last month and boy this phone rel bess. I rooted it and now running MIUI ROM

cm7 > miui..

im running stock right now tho..
i fedup of the random reboots.

as solid as a rock now

Dont really think so. MIUI never reboots on me plus its way more customizable. I also changed the kernel to trinity144 so i overclocked the cpu to 1.44ghz. Now i runnin tegra2 games like Samurai II vengence with ease

[wishmaster]

What mobile antivirus ya'll does use?

lookout is a good one. It scans apps plus it has backup for contacts. it can also email you the location of the phone. it dont use anitviruses on the phone anymore tho. always runnin in the background slowin down my phone

[achillies]

Got a Nexus S last month and boy this phone rel bess. I rooted it and now running MIUI ROM

cm7 > miui..

im running stock right now tho..
i fedup of the random reboots.

as solid as a rock now

Dont really think so. MIUI never reboots on me plus its way more customizable. I also changed the kernel to trinity144 so i overclocked the cpu to 1.44ghz. Now i runnin tegra2 games like Samurai II vengence with ease

Actually MIUI is a 'kang" of CM7

Basically MIUI is built on top of CM7 with a lot of modification/tweaks

[S_2NR]

Back on Cm7 Nightlies now and running smooth as ever on stock kernel.
no probs.

[r3iXmann]

trying MIUI on the captivate as we speak...missing BLN too much

[S_2NR]

miui too iphone-ish IMO.
and doesnt go well on the samoled since all the menus are white. more battery is used and doesnt look good.

[r3iXmann]

miui too iphone-ish IMO.
and doesnt go well on the samoled since all the menus are white. more battery is used and doesnt look good.

i see they got a ton of themes for it...will definitely play around with that

[r3iXmann]

been using MIUI for the day..no issues except that it has no BLN

i love how customizable it is..you can customize almost everything

didnt like the 'iphone' ish look like s2nr mentioned but you can change anything you want on it

[RASC]

I wanna issue a public call out to any owner of a STOCK GSII to go against my HD7 in a high res pic 1080p showdown... 100 pics, scrolling left to right... 1 sec intervals. First one to stutter/hang/freeze/delay... Loses. $300usd at current exchange rates. WP7 vs Android. Any takers?

None rooted. No side loaded galleries. Everything stock.

Anyone???

[nemisis]

I wanna issue a public call out to any owner of a STOCK GSII to go against my HD7 in a high res pic 1080p showdown... 100 pics, scrolling left to right... 1 sec intervals. First one to stutter/hang/freeze/delay... Loses. $300usd at current exchange rates. WP7 vs Android. Any takers?

None rooted. No side loaded galleries. Everything stock.

Anyone???

Doubt any android man who used a wp7 device would accept

[S_2NR]

must....not...feed....the ....troll!

[S_2NR]

[r3iXmann]

captivate sold

was just getting the hang of serendipity (best rom btw)

new owner will collect next week or so

i was thinking to cop a nexus s in the meantime until the nexus prime is released

that stratosphere doesnt look too bad...anyways i have a week or so to make a decision