Displaying items by tag: Android

A few days ago information was published that Microsoft was independently developing cell phones, while Nokia developed smartphone devices  based on Android operating system. Now according to the latest rumors, the Finnish manufacturer is still working on that project, codenamed MView (Mountain View).

The smartwatch is the device that everyone wants to make and that many people are already planning to purchase. This is not surprising as there has been quite a bit of news about them in the recent past (despite this being an old concept). Samsung, Apple, and others are pushing out their smart watches as companion devices and, in the case of Samsung, in conjunction with new phones. However the big boys are not the only ones entering the market. Guidertech, a Taiwanese company, is planning to build a smartwatch aimed at the healthcare market.

According to the security expert Michael Horowitz, who published a great article about it in the Computer World, a service for backing up data from Android devices allows Google to simply find out passwords of its customers whenever they wish and wherever it is "needed". Horowitz believes that this is a result of the way in which Android devices store user passwords, which isaccording to him made purposely that way, just so that we can lose the security that would lead to "too much" privacy.

The impact of Edward Snowden is still being felt on a daily basis and is even growing due to the continued release of information in the form of classified slides from the NSA. In recent months the information coming out of these slides has been quite alarming and ranges from the fact that the NSA wrote the standard for most of the encryption used today to being able to break into our smartphones and harvest information almost at will. Of particular interest to the NSA was (and still is) the Apple iPhone. This is interesting simply because Apple has always touted the iPhone as more secure than everyone else’s. Of course, every other phone is still vulnerable to NSA eavesdropping, but the iPhone appeared to be much more vulnerable and had specific details listed in the slides released so far.

Microsoft is an interesting company. Over the years they have built more than a few very solid products (including operating systems), but because of a lack of real leadership and marketing ability many of these products have remained in the shadows. One of these has been the Zune music service Zune Pass. This service was put into competition with Apple’s iTunes at the height of Apple’s power and consumer influence. Microsoft updated the service when they launched the ill-fated Zune HD that allowed for unlimited downloads and streaming with a simple monthly fee and still failed to get the service to take off.

The next version of Google's operating system Android 4.4 will be called KitKat. Senior Vice President of Google Sundar Pichai confirmed this information on his Google+ and Twitter profiles, with the addition of the image of android robot looking like a KitKat chocolate bar. Beside this, the company on the web site for Android developers put the list of all previous versions of Android.

IDC has reduced its forecast for tablet sales for this year due to a lack of new devices that could boost sales growth. According to a new IDC's predictions this year tablet sales will reach 227.4 million units, which is slightly less than previously projected 229.3 million. The main reason for lower sales is the lack of attractive new devices, especially new models of the iPad, which sales have decreased in the second quarter.

Google is aware of applications for the Android operating system abuse which is done by developers. Users  quite often spend more time after installing the application on shutting off the ads then they do by actually using the app. Because of these programmers there are apps that block ads, which are not in Google's favor because ads are source of income for them. In order to put an end to these practices, Google introduced new rules for the developers.

Google has redesigned the Android YouTube app and now interface greatly resembles the Google Play store. On the left side tehre is still the previously known menu where you can navigate through your subscriptions and recommendations, while the rest of the interface is presented in the form of cards.

According to Bloomberg, Samsung will present their smart watch at the beginning of September. The device named Galaxy Gear will reportedly allow owners to make telephone calls, have internet access, and display e-mail, according to Bloomberg, citing two people familiar with the whole thing. The device should be presented at the event on 4th of September, two days before the opening of the IFA in Berlin.