google // Posts tagged as "google"
Installation of Android apps on SD cards now slated for ‘future release’
Good news for those of you who just have to be able to install applications to the SD card. Google -- which said in January that this would be addressed -- has officially marked the issue (1151, if you're counting at home) with a "future release" status and has closed the thread.
And one Googler replied with the following:
Apologies, but I'm not permitted to disclose scheduling information - suffice to say it's coming soon :) Sorry for being vague, and thank you for your continued patience - I sincerely appreciate it.
Dunno about you guys, but Froyo and Google IO can't get here soon enough. Thanks, Jacob!
Google revamps mobile image search for Android, makes it look nearly native
Google just made a fairly major tweak to its mobile image search. As you can see above, a web-based image search now looks and feels almost like it's being done natively, on your Android phone. Thumbnails have been optimized for speed, you can flick your way through photos and the black background makes you forget you're in a web browser. OK, so you You don't get the zooming effects like you will in an on-device gallery, but it greatly cleans up the mobile interface. And it's pretty darn cool, if you ask us. Go ahead and give it a shot. [Google]
Win Phil’s (and Dieter’s, too!) Nexus Ones: Fifth batch of entries [contest]
I keep thinking entries will wind down as we reach the end of this contest, but you guys keep sending in more and more epic videos. The latest batch (and it's not the last batch) comprises robots, electrocution, the Black Crowes, free credit reports and an old myTouch 3G that's no longer loved. Check 'em out after the break. And remember that you have until 12:01 a.m. Saturday to get me your entry. Good luck!
(And for those who keep asking, we're going to compile all of the videos onto a single page and rig up some voting, early next week sometime. Stay tuned.)
Google introduces Place Pages for mobile
Google is making its mobile search even better by introducing Place Pages for Mobile. Place Pages for Mobile allows Android (and iPhone) users to find details of restaurants, businesses, etc. in one simple page. You can get basic info like store hours, pictures, and phone numbers along with the more in-depth details like user reviews, ratings, and tips from different online sources (citysearch, zagat, etc). We tried it out and it's pretty darn nifty. Since it's optimized for mobile phones, all information is displayed in an easy-to-read format.
You can try out Place Pages by going to google.com on your Android browser and searching for a restaurant or business. If you click on the local listing results, it'll take you to its Place Page. How do you guys like it? Think you'll use it?
Hit the jump to see a video of Place Pages in action!
HTC Android slider makes it through the FCC with AT&T 3G bands
Why, hello there, little HTC Android phone with a nice, fat keyboard. We've been waiting for one of you guys for quite some time now. That's right, it's a new (and probably) Android device going through the FCC (the buttons give it away, right?), and it has a keyboard that looks pretty much like what we've come to know and love on the Windows Mobile Touch Pro 2. Even better is that the one tested sports AT&T's 3G bands of 850 and 1900MHz. And, boy howdy, it'd sure be nice to have Android on this form factor without having to hack it on top of Windows Mobile. C'mon, AT&T. Do us right with this guy. We've got a few more pictures after the break. [FCC via PhoneDog]
Andy Rubin says Flash is coming in Froyo version of Android operating system
Andy Rubin, VP of engineering for Google and one of the chiefs behind Android smartphones, just slipped a little bombshell into an interview with the New York Times' Bits blog. In it he says that Flash will be coming with the Froyo version of Android. Much of the interview is paraphrased, but writer Brad Stone relates the following:
He also promised that full support for Adobe’s Flash standard was coming in the next version of Android, code-named Froyo.
Doesn't get much more clear than that. There's also some good stuff on Android's openness ("We use the same tools we expect our third party developers to") the iPad (he bought one for his wife) and Android and/or Chrome tablets ("If a consumer walks into store and two of those tablets are my company’s choices, I’m all good.") [NYT Bits blog]
Edit: Good lord, people. Yes. The writer (and not Rubin, actually) said "full support." Read into that what you will. We choose to believe that means Flash is coming with Froyo. At launch? Maybe. We'll just have to see, won't we ...
Rent movies now on YouTube (and let’s get ‘em on Android soonest)
Played around a little bit over the weekend with renting a movie on YouTube. And when I say "played around," I mean clicked about three times and had "Reservoir Dogs" available for 24 hours for just $1.99. No muss, no fuss. And best of all, no third-party app or download to do it. Watching full-screen wasn't quite as good as on a DVD (never mind BluRay), but for the price, it wasn't bad at all. And even better was how easy it was.
Point is, YouTube (at least to me) has already proven itself as a viable streaming movie rental service (look out, Netflix). How long until we see such service on an Android smartphone? Let's get that done, Google. Check it out for yourself at YouTube.com/store.
AdMob numbers show Android overtaking iPhone requests in the U.S.
AdMob, which serves up many (for 18,000 sites and apps, it says) of those little ads you see in Android applications, has released its March findings. The bullet points:
- Of smartphones in the United States, Android overtook iPhone usage, 46 percent to 39 percent. (In the UK there's much greater disparity, with the iPhone leading 70 percent ot 13 percent.)
- The HTC Dream (G1) and Magic (myTouch) made up 96 percent of traffic in September 2009. Seven months later, 11 Android phones make up 96 perecent of AdMob's traffic.
- In March, traffic was divided between Android 1.5 (38 percent) Android 2.0/2.1 (35 percent) and Android 1.6 (26 percent).
- Motorola scored 44 percent of AdMob's traffic with the Droid and Cliq. HTC had 43 percent of requests; Samsung had 9 percent.
- AdMob requests from Android phones grew at a compounded rate of 32 percent a month, from 72 million requests in March 2009 to 2 billion in March 2010.
Handset by handset, the Motorola Droid continues to rock with 32 percent of AdMob's traffic. The Google Nexus One had 2 percent as of March. Not greatly surprising, given the reasons we've stated over and over.
While the Droid, G1 and Moto Cliq lead in the U.S., the HTC Hero, Dream (G1) and Magic (myTouch) lead in Europe.
Do note that AdMob is (still) in the process of being purchased by Google. And these numbers are representative of the ads AdMob serves, and not necessarily of actual smartphone usage. So it's a good ballpark figure, but not necessarily gospel. You can read the entire report for yourself here. (pdf)
Win Phil’s (and Dieter’s, too!) Nexus Ones: Fourth batch of entries [contest]
Oh, my. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, here you go. As Dieter mentions above (you did watch the video first, right?), we're now giving away TWO T-Mobile Nexus Ones.
And, so, after the break is the fourth batch of entries. And just like the previous three batches, we've got five more gems here. Check 'em out after the break. A reminder that you still have the rest of this week to get your entries in. Remember, you are the ones voting. You'll decide who wins my (and Dieter's!) Nexus One. Now, on to the vids.
Verizon HTC Droid Incredibles are shipping all over the place
We hear you, folks. The Verizon HTC Droid Incredible that you all pre-ordered over the weekend are shipping now (if you're not one of the uber-lucky folks who have gotten yours already, that is).
If you haven't yet ordered yours, or you're still in mourning after finding out that the Nexus One isn't coming to Verizon and you're going to have to slum it with this 8MP monster instead, take heart and take the time to enter one of our two Droid Incredible giveaways. We're picking winners Wednesday morning, so time's running out to enter. Details here.
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