For any of our members who had to miss the Google I/O 2013 keynote, they made the entire 4 hour event available on YouTube. Here it is above if you have half a workday to spare now. Enjoy!

For weeks now we have been hearing rumors about a new Hangouts unified messaging service from Google. Today at Google I/O they made it official and shared the details,

• Hangouts combines all Google messaging services including Google Talk, Google+ Hangouts and Google Messenger
• It will be available starting Wednesday on Google Chrome OS, Android and iOS
• It can also be accessed through desktop versions of Google+ and Gmail
• Hangouts will also allow users to save text, images and videos from any of their chats conducted across all platforms
• It will also allow you to access them through Google’s cloud storage service
• Hangouts will also let users start video calls with up to 10 people at the same time

Even though Google hasn't really announced any cool new gadgets (other than the unlocked pure Android SGS4), it is obvious they have been focusing hardcore on developing better software experiences. It's sometimes easy to forget that not all major technological advances are physical objects. Software is what drives our devices to do so much, and it's developers that make this amazing stuff possible.

Source: Google I/O

Be sure to request an invite to experience the new Google Maps folks! You will receive the invite first thing in the morning according to Google.

One of the most exciting things shared at Google I/O this year is some major improvements to their Google Now voice search functionality. In fact, they made it clear their intention is to eventually eliminate "search as we know it." The keynote speaker for the Google Now service made it clear that his dream since childhood was to create a computer experience in which the user communicated via voice with the device, just like in "Star Trek the Next Generation" TV series. The Google Now team has evolved the product to a whole new level, and although we aren't quite to the Star Trek level of things, the new functionality is dramatically closer than before.

For folks who have had the pleasure of using Google Now, it is an amazing and truly useful tool, but it's new functionality takes that much further. The demonstration shared several new focuses and features for the service.

First, they updated the intelligent search feature “knowledge graph,” and it now attempt to anticipate future searches based on past and current queries and your location. It now offers a much more personal experience as well. One of the examples in the demo found our user asking Google Now in plain conversational English a number of useful questions, including flight times, geographic locations and features, and much more. It can even interpret your intent and offer information without you sharing very many details in your query.

Google also added a hands-free conversational search to the Chrome browser, and users can start the voice recognition software with a simple, "okay Google." Google responds with a search result and an audio answer. It can even display cards in your browser after a search to allow you to categorize better.

Ultimately, describing this functionality is much less impressive than seeing it demonstrated. Eventually Google will likely make the keynote video available and when they do, be sure to start watching at about the 2 minute mark to see the new Google Now functions demonstrated in real-time. It's amazing how far we have come toward fulfilling that dream of voice communicated control of our devices.

Source: Google I/O

Those crafty Googlers at Google I/O this year shared a ton of new info regarding the direction of Android, the Google Play Store and the services and software for developers and consumers. We wanted to share a quick breakdown of what they said.

First, Android activations are already up to 900 Million total. This means we will easily hit the 1 Billion marke before the end of the year. As far as app installs go, 48 Billion apps have been installed from the Google Play Store, with 2.5 Billion last month alone. This has had a huge positive effect for devlopers, as revenue payed out to developers has risen by 2.5x per user in just one month.

They also announced several new services for both developers and consumers. Here's a breakdown of new Google Play Services,

There are three new Google Maps APIs

• Fused Location Provide which is a new location API - it is faster & more accurate and uses far less power than before
• Geofencing - creates virtual fences
• Activity Recognition - helps the Google Maps recognize whether you are driving, walking, riding a bike and more

Google Created a new Google IM cross platform sign-on which got the press and developers pretty excited.

They also improved GCM (Google Cloud Messaging)

• Now supports persistent communication with servers
• Now supports upstream messaging
• Synchronizes notifications across multiple devices

Google also announced their new Google Play Gaming Services and Gaming APIs

• Cloud Safe - saves user data across multiple devices (you can finish level one of a game on your phone and start where you left off on your tablet for example.)
• Achievements and Leaderboards - encourages friendly competition with friends - check out your rankings compared to others - allows for cross platform comparisons
• Comprehensive Player Matching Service for Multiplayer - Easy to invite & quickly find and join friends or new people for multiplayer gaming

Android Studio - based upon IntelliJ

• Allows developers to be faster & more productive
• Includes multi-configuration editor - can make easy alterations for apps across multiple sized and multi-language devices & more

Google Play Developer Console has been improved with 5 exciting new features

• Optimization Tips
• App Translation Service
• Referral Tracking
• Revenue Graphs
• Beta Testing & Staged Rollouts

Finally, they also shared their new Google Play improvements including a UI that scales across multiple devices and a similar design for the web based version.

After this they showed off their new Google Music Subscription service called "All Access" which is a pretty big deal for the industry and will shake things up a bit. You can read more about that at our separate story from "CK." They topped things off by announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition Pure Android Unlocked device.
... [Read More]

Google has announced their new music streaming service today at Google I/O. The music service will come as part of Google Play Music, and gets a subscription tag called 'All Access.' Some of the great features you get with All Access:

• Immediate and instant access to millions of tracks and Albums
• Recommended Playlists
• Featured lists and genre's
• Can be accessed via Browser, PC, Tablet, and Smartphone
• Turn your listening/artist preference into your own 'radio station'
• Ability to skip, move and delete tracks from your 'radio station'

The service is launching today in the US with a FREE 30-day trial. Following the trial, the service will cost just $9.99 per month, but if you try out the service before June 30th, Google will give you full access for only $7.99/month.

It's interesting how polarizing Google Glass can be (and I am not referring to a sunglass mounted version, although that will likely come in the future). Some folks are thrilled by all the possibilities presented by the device, while some are appalled at the concept and think it will flop. Of course, there are the folks in the middle who will happily sit on the fence until all of this actually shakes out with the retail launch of the device. In the mean-time, a clever videographer at Playground Labs decided to create a small movie showcasing a ton of creative and practical uses for the device, just to show the possibilities for the future.

Will this video get some of the folks in the middle to jump off the fence, or even sway some who think it will flop? Share your thoughts.

We have a couple of smokin' hot Google I/O rumors for you guys this morning ahead of the event. Both of these showed up late last night. First, there is a huge amount of industry buzz from several big players suggesting that Google has beat Apple to the punch and will be offering a paid subscription based music streaming service with full licensing from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment and more. This new streaming service, designed to compete directly with Spotify, will supposedly roll out on YouTube and the Google Play Store. Here's a quote from The Verge with some more of the details,

Google plans to add separate music subscription services to YouTube and Google Play, the entertainment hub for the Android operating system. Earlier this year, Fortune magazine reported that Google had already struck similar licensing agreements with Warner Music Group, the smallest of the top three record labels. But landing Universal Music and Sony gives Google access to the two largest record companies, home to such acts as Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and Jay-Z. Spokespeople from Sony and Universal declined to comment.

When Google rolls out the new services tomorrow at I/O, it will mean that it gets the jump on Apple, which is also trying to launch a new streaming-music service. According to reports, Google's subscription services would resemble Spotify, and offer on-demand songs that would be streamed to their PCs and mobile devices. In contrast, Apple is working on an online radio service that is said to be more akin to Pandora, a service that plays songs at random similar to traditional radio.

Google comes to these negotiations as a powerful player in music. While Google Play is still a relatively new service, insiders say YouTube is a juggernaut. The user-generated video site sees more than 800 million unique visitors a month and music videos are among the most popular fare.

If this is true, it would be a remarkable coup d'état considering how long Apple has been trying to negotiation the same thing with these music companies. The scuttlebutt is that the service will likely be subscription based for approximately $10 bucks a month or so.

Our second hot rumor is that Samsung and Google have been working on (and will announce at Google I/O) a pure Android version of the Galaxy S4 which will be called the Samsung Galaxy S4 GE (Google Edition). We aren't sure what to make of this rumor. Obviously the prospect has us pretty excited, but it also seems a bit far-fetched because a Google Edition SGS4 would compete directly with Google's own Nexus devices. Of course, this was probably Google's plan all along, as the Nexus devices were simply a way to get manufacturers interested in doing a pure Android version of their devices. If the Nexus devices were simply meant to be... [Read More]

It's been quite sometime since we have heard anything about the Apple vs. Samsung court trials, which is likely a very good thing. However, that doesn't mean it has completely gone away. In fact, if you remember, the new patent trial between the two companies is set for the early part of 2014. As it stands, it looks like Apple's lawyers are up to their same shenanigans. Apparently, even though Judge Lucy Koh requested both parties "narrow their focus" on the lawsuits, Apple still plans to add the brand new Galaxy S4 to the trial. To be fair, they will be dropping one device in favor of this one. At any rate, here's a quick list of products which both companies claim infringe their patents:
Apple's List:

1. Samsung Admire
2. Samsung Captivate Glide
3. Samsung Conquer 4G
4. Samsung Dart
5. Samsung Exhibit II 4G
6. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
7. Samsung Galaxy Note
8. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
9. Samsung Galaxy Note II
10. Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0
11. Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0
12. Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro
13. Samsung Galaxy S II
14. Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch
15. Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket
16. Samsung Galaxy S III
17. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
18. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9
19. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
20. Samsung Illusion
21. Samsung Stratosphere
22. Samsung Transform Ultra
23. Samsung Galaxy S4 (if allowed by the judge - and subtracting one of these others)

Samsung's List:

1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. Apple iPhone 3GS
3. Apple iPhone 4
4. Apple iPhone 4S
5. Apple iPhone 5
6. Apple iPad
7. Apple iPad 2
8. Apple iPad 3
9. Apple iPad 4
10. Apple iPad mini
11. Apple iPod Touch (5th generation)
12. Apple iPod Touch (4th generation)
13. Apple iPod Touch (3rd generation)
14. Apple MacBook Pro
15. Apple iMac
16. Apple Mac mini
17. Apple Mac Pro
18. Apple iTunes (including iTunes Match)
19. Apple iCloud
20. Apple TV (3rd generation)
21. Apple TV (1st generation)

Source: PhoneArena

We have a Google Double for your guys today, not to be confused with the Daily Double on Jeopardy. This story is actually from yesterday, but we didn't quite get to it because yesterday had quite a few stories which were a bit more exciting. Still, it's important to share this in case you guys missed it. Google has made some updates to their services. First, Google Play Store developers can now respond directly to app reviews in the Play Store to answer questions or offer help. The feature was actually available to the top developers for about a year, but Google has since unrestricted it and it is now available to "all" developers.

You can post your responses using the Developer Console and it will show up right below the person you are responding to. An email notification will be sent directly to any user you reply to. Then, users can update their reviews, if they choose. This system can help you build a reputation as a developer who follows up with customers, so use it accordingly.

The second interesting change Google made is they have combined many of their cloud storage options into one. You can now combine your 5GB of Gmail storage with your 5 GB of Google Drive storage and your 5GB of Google+ Pics storage for a total of 15GB. You no longer have to separate them and can commingle your personal content. For Google Apps customers you can now do the same thing and combine for 30GB of unified storage, and if you purchase additional Google Drive storage it too will combine with your total. Well... why didn't they think of that sooner?

Source: Gmail Blog

The latest Gartner Marketing Analytics are out and from the numbers they compiled it becomes obvious that Samsung and Android are completely destroying their competition. Here's a bullet point list of the most relevant figures below just to give you a quick glimpse of the domination:

• Samsung sold 64.7 million smartphones which was 30.8% of the total global marketshare
• This was a 59% increase from the 40.6 million it sold in the same quarter last year
• For perspective, Apple sold 38.8 million iPhones during this same time which was an 18.2% market share
• LG was in third with 10 million smartphones sold, or 4.8% total global marketshare
• A win for Samsung translates into a win for Android to the tune of 74.4% of the global marketshare for smartphone operating systems
• Conversely, iOS dropped to just 18.2% of the global marketshare (from 22.5%), Blackberry dropped to just 3% and Microsoft gained a point to 2.9%

It became obvious last year that Samsung and Android would start wrecking the competition, but to this degree so quickly is a bit unexpected. Keep in mind, that these numbers reflect the quarter before Samsung even released the Galaxy S4, so it hasn't been accounted for to derive these statistics.

Source: Gartner

It looks like the NVIDIA Shield has graduated. It's no longer just a "Project" and is instead now a "Product." NVIDIA just announced this morning the regular preorder for the device will begin on Monday, May 20th. If you were one of the folks who signed up for their "Shield Updates" you can preorder the device now. The Shield preorder price is $349 and it will ship in June. You can head over to the preorder source link below for more info. Here's the presser,

Project SHIELD has dropped the “Project” and is now available to pre-order for those who signed up for the newsletter at shield.nvidia.com. Haven’t registered? Not to worry – there’s still time to sign-up before the general pre-order begins on Monday, May 20.

SHIELD is an open platform gaming portable designed for gamers who yearn to play when, where and how they want, featuring some cool new technology including:

Tegra 4 – the world’s fastest mobile processor, Tegra 4 packs 72 custom GPU cores and four Cortex-A15 CPU cores
Console-grade controller – dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons
High Fidelity Audio and Video –5-inch, 720p retinal multi-touch display and custom bass reflex tuned port audio system
Memory and Storage – 2GB RAM, 16GB internal flash storage and microSD storage slot
Android Jelly Bean – the latest Android Jelly Bean operating system
And More! – 802.11n 2X2 MIMO game-speed Wi-Fi , GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, mini-HDMI, micro-USB 2.0 and 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack

And SHIELD will also give you the power to wirelessly access your NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU-powered computer from the comfort of your couch with GeForce game streaming, now in beta. We’re working on streaming your favorite PC games to SHIELD, including great titles from Steam.

SHIELD will begin shipping in June for $349. Newegg, Gamestop, Micro Center and Canada Computers will all carry SHIELD.

Five exciting new TegraZone games coming to SHIELD and Tegra 4 devices later this year were also announced this morning:

· Broken Age, Double Fine Productions

· Costume Quest, Double Fine Productions

· Flyhunter: Origins, Steel Wool Games

· Skiing Fred, Dedalord Games

· Chuck’s Challenge 3D, Niffler


More information on SHIELD and these great games can be found in a pair of blogs that went live this morning:

· Be Among The First To Wield SHIELD: Taking Pre-Orders Now: Be Among the First to Wield SHIELD: Taking Pre-Orders Now

· 5 Cutting-Edge Games That Will Rock SHIELD: 5 Cutting-Edge Games That Will Rock NVIDIA SHIELD

... [Read More]

Here's a bit of news from late Friday we felt it was worth sharing. A soak test invite has been sent out for Jelly Bean on the Verizon Motorola Xoom 4G LTE. It's a two-year old tablet, but the venerable old device is still going strong for a number of owners in the world, and it's exciting to see that the Android 4.1 version will be coming to this version of the device. Here's the email of the soak test invite,

Hi,

Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. We are inviting owners of the Motorola Xoom on Verizon to participate in an early preview of a new Jelly Bean software release, and provide feedback. If you are not currently using a Verizon Xoom, please excuse and ignore this email.

Click this link “link retracted“ to take the enrollment survey if you wish to take part. Note that you must be a member in good standing of the Motorola Owners’ Forums to be included. The registration window could close without notice so please respond as quickly as possible.

This is a confidential test under the terms of the Motorola Feedback Network. Do not post any details or information about this on any public sites.

Thanks — please understand that start times are always fluid. We ask for your patience if you register but don’t hear from us right away.

Matt
Motorola Owners’ Forums
Motorola Feedback Network

Thanks to all of our tipsters!

Source: Droid-Life