Google prepping for Glass version 2.0 with new swap program for current Glass owners

Google indirectly announced today that it is updating its Google Glass wearable computer to version 2.0 sometime this year. The company revealed this juicy tidbit in a post describing some changes to its Google Explorers program. The Explorer program is for early adopters of Google Glass who are willing to wear and provide feedback about the wearable device . It’s available by invite only to US residents. Google confirmed that current customers who bought their Google Glass device before October 28, 2013 will be eligible...

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Google’s smartwatch to enter into mass production in coming months

It looks like there might just be some truth about the Google smartwatch rumor floating around. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google’s upcoming smartwatch is in the late stages of development and the company is in talk with Asian suppliers to begin the mass production of the device.  Google’s smartwatch will be running on a stripped down version of Android with Google Now on top of it. The smartwatch will display all the relevant Now cards depending on the user’s location and time of the day. The smartwatch will also...

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How to change the default launcher in Android 4.4 KitKat

One minor change that Google has introduced in Android 4.4 KitKat is the ability to change the default launcher much more easily. Up until Android 4.3, users would need to install a third party launcher on their device and then press the home button to select a default launcher. If they wanted to switch back to the old launcher, they would either have to uninstall the current launcher or go to Settings-> Apps, find the new launcher and tap the ‘Clear defaults’ option. With Android 4.4, users can change the default launcher by going to Settings...

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Google brings SMS integration, Location Sharing and more to Hangouts

Google has just concluded its Google+ event without announcing the Nexus 5 or Android 4.4 KitKat. However, the company announced some major new updates for Google+ and Hangouts.  The company announced that it is finally bringing SMS integration to the Hangouts app for Android, along with support for location sharing and GIF support. Hangout users can now easily share their location with just a simple tap on Share button. SMS integration has been one of the most requested feature to Hangouts so it is nice to see Google finally adding...

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Lenovo unveils two new Yoga tablets with up to 18 hours of battery life

Most of the companies that ruled the PC industry at one point of time are now entering the highly competitive mobile and tablet industry. Most of them, however, have met with little to no success. Lenovo has released quite a few Android tablets in the past but none of them stood out from the competition.  The company is looking to change all that with its latest Yoga line-up of tablets. The new Yoga tablets have a subtle curve at its back to help in better handling and easier gripping. The curve also hides a nifty kickstand which puts...

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Samsung ships 5 million units of Galaxy Note 3 in its first month

Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 3 back in September at IFA, this year. The company filled the handset to the brim with features and powers, which was evident from its hefty price tag as well. Initial reports, after the device went on sale, suggested that the Note 3 is not doing as well as Samsung had hoped. However, today Samsung’s CEO, J K Shin, announced in a press briefing that the company has managed to ship more than 5 million units of the Note 3 within a month of launching it. The handset has received good market response, according...

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Intel to start making quad-core 64-bit ARM processors from next year

Intel is the largest supplier of x86 based processors. The company has been, unsuccessfully, trying to enter the mobile market with its lower power Atom processors.  Now, in a highly ironic move, Altera – Intel’s partner – announced at the ARM conference that the largest semi-conductor company in the world will be making its quad-core 64-bit ARM chips from next year. “Altera and Intel are pleased with the early results of the relationship between the companies and this announcement from Altera is consistent with the agreement we announced...

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Sprint’s Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 update is slowly rolling out

Sprint has started rolling out the Android 4.3 update for its variant of the Galaxy S4 from today. The update comes just a day after Verizon started rolling out the update for its variant of the Galaxy S4.  Similar to the update for the Verizon’s Galaxy S4, the update will introduce Galaxy Gear and KNOX compatibility. The 538MB update also contains under the hood changes which will help in improving the overall performance and battery life of the handset. It also packs in the Android 4.3 goodies that Google introduced including OpenGL...

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Google Glass accessory store silently goes online

A couple of days ago, Google unveiled the new version of Google Glass and extended its explorer program to friends of current Glass owners. Today, the company has silently brought online an official accessory store for Glass. The store is present as ‘Accessories’ under the Google Glass help page and lists various accessories for the device, mono earbud, including chargers, swapping frames, pouches etc. The accessories, however, are pretty expensive with even the pouch costing $50. Some users have reported that they have been able to access...

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Android 4.4 KitKat details surface: Optimized for low memory usage, better wearable support and more

Here is a fresh new leak about Android 4.4 KitKat. As reported by Amir Efrati, Google’s next version of Android will help the company in resolving the fragmentation issue plaguing the OS and will be optimised to run smoothly even on low-end devices.  From the leaked documents that Amir got his hands on, KitKat “optimizes memory use in every major component” and will be providing “tools to help developers create memory-efficient applications” for “entry-level devices with as much as only 512MB of RAM. KitKat will also add...

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Nexus 5 torn down before its official unveiling, confirms 2300mAh battery

We are just hours, or maybe minutes away from the official Nexus 5 launch. However, the Nexus 5 leaks keep flowing in at full flow. If you were tired with all the image and specs leak, here is something new for you. Someone managed to get their hands on the Nexus 5 and has done a complete tear down of the device.  The teardown reveals the sealed battery, the pretty thick camera module and the uniquely round earpiece. Below are some of the high resolution images of the device in all its naked glory. You can treat your eyes to some more...

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Google launches Nexus 5 on Play Store for $349/$399, ships in 1-2 days

After numerous leaks, Google has finally gone ahead and unveiled the new Nexus 5. While it was widely expected that Google would be holding an event, the company decided to unveil the handset without holding any event.  The leaks have already provided us with nearly everything that is to be known about the Nexus 5, including its full specs and pricing. The full spec of the Nexus 5 are as follows -: 69.17mm * 137.84mm * 8.59mm, 130gms 4.95-inch 1080p True-HD IPS LCD display Snapdragon S800 processor clocked at 2.26GHz Adreno 330...

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More Android 4.4 KitKat details and screenshots leak

The Nexus 5 leaks are getting pretty annoying right? Fear not. We have something new for you. A dude over at Reddit managed to get his hands on the Nexus 5 and has posted screenshots of Android 4.4 KitKat running on the device.  The screenshots show off the new launcher, the always-on listening ability as seen on the Moto X and the new Widgets screen. The dude has also posted screenshots of the new home screen dedicated exclusively for Google Now. You can find all the screenshots over on this Reddit thread. The dude also answered...

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Verizon blames Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for the delay in certifying the Nexus 7. Wait, what?!

Verizon is America’s largest wireless operator. Often called “Big Red” due to their logo, they have some of the best coverage in the country, though not the best speeds since their network is obviously more taxed. Curiously, when Google announced the 2013 Nexus 7, they said it would work on every network in the USA, including Verizon. Fast forward to today and that’s obviously not the case. Big Red is incredibly stubborn, to the disappointment of many, about letting Google’s popular tablet run on their network. Why? Here’s the full statement...

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Nexus 5 camera samples surface

The 8MP optically stabilised camera on the Nexus 5 is one of the highlights of the device. This is the first time that Google has actually used a decent camera system on a Nexus device. According to Brain Klug of AnandTech, the Nexus 5 uses the Sony IMX179 CMOS, with a 1/3,2-inch sensor size. The individual pixels are 1.4um in size, which along with OIS should help greatly in low-light situations. So, how good is the Nexus 5′s camera? While reviews of the device are not yet out, some camera samples are already available, thanks to Anirudh...

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Download: Android 4.4 KitKat Wallpapers

With the Nexus 5 factory image up for download from Google’s website, developers and tinkerers have started getting dirty with it. Someone from XDA downloaded the image and has extracted all the new wallpapers from the GoogleHome APK.  There are 8 brand new wallpapers in Android 4.4 KitKat, of which 2 are landscape in nature and the rest being abstract. You can download the above wallpapers at their full resolution by opening them in a new tab, and then use the Save Image as option by right clicking...

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HTC One developer edition to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update within 30 days

HTC has been consistently rolling out software updates for the One. The company recently started rolling out the Android 4.3 with Sense 5.5 update for the Intentional variants of the device. The company has also been very transparent with the end users, informing them of any delay in its roll-out process. Today, the company confirmed to Engadget that it aims to roll out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Google Play edition of the One within 15 days. Google Play edition devices are not updated by Google, but by their OEMs itself....

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Download: Google Hangouts v2 APK

While Google is yet to roll out the new Hangouts v2.0 update, it has included the app in the factory image of the Nexus 5. Once the factory image went live, it was just a matter of time before someone extracted the APK and uploaded it for all Android lovers.  The folks over at Phandroid are the good samaritans here, and have extracted the APK from the factory image. The latest version of Hangouts comes with SMS and MMS integration, Location sharing and GIF support. The APK can be downloaded from here and will...

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Check out the easter egg in Android 4.4 KitKat

Google has always included a nice easter egg and a hidden animation in all its Android releases. Android 4.4 KitKat is no different, with not one or two, but three different hidden animations.  The folks over at Android Central have shot a video showing off the the new hidden animations. If you own a Nexus 5, head over to Settings -> About Phone and tap on ‘Android version’ a few times. Once the animated logo appears, long press on the screen and another animation with Android wrapped in KitKat will appear. Another long...

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CyanogenMod 10.2 M1 build based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean now available for download

Before the CyanogenMod team starts shifting its focus on Android 4.4 KitKat, it has decided to start roll out the first Milestone build of CM10.2, based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.  The M1 build is just the CM’s way of branding a build for each device as a bug-free extremely stable daily driver level. However, since this is not the final CM10.2 based build, there might be some minor bugs lurking around, but nothing too serious to affect usability. If you have been running an older version of Cyanogen, like say CM10.1.3, you can safely...

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How to install Android 4.4 KitKat on your Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 and the other Nexus tablets are expected to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update over the coming weeks. Hopefully, Google will roll out the update available by the middle of next week itself. However, if the wait is too much and you are itching to get your hands on Android 4.4 KitKat, fret  not. An AOSP based KitKat ROM is already available for the Nexus 4, so you can enjoy the latest version of Android on your handset right away. Before you jump to the installation steps below, make sure that the bootloader of your Nexus...

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Did Google just leak the Nexus 8?

Remember how Google accidentally posted a video to YouTube that featured a guy taking a photo with the then unannounced LG Nexus 5? Well, it’s happened again. The search giant with a public relations department that doesn’t seem to respect embargoed information has uploaded some Play Store promotional material that features a woman using a tablet that looks nothing like anything we’ve seen before. It’s got a hint of the Nexus 7 design language, but the bezels are practically nonexistent on the side. Could this be a photo of a generic...

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