Android - page 27

Google’s first foray into wearables didn’t do as well as the company expected. Despite closing the Google Glass explorer program in January though, Eric Schmidt says the project isn’t dead yet. It’s just getting ready for users.

Nest founder Tony Fadell, took over the project earlier this year after the company decided to stop selling the first version of Google Glass. According to Schmidt the technology behind Glass is too important to scrap, so they’ve moved it out of the Google X research lab and are developing it into a standalone unit.

Google’s official Android Wear app for iOS could be right around the corner if you believe the reports, but one developer has been proving that the two platforms can already be forced to play nicely together without any jailbreaking.

We’ve seen Wear receiving iPhone notifications and taking calls, and in the latest video from Mohammad Abu-Gabreyyeh, we see that watches like the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R are capable of controlling music playback, too.

Amazon is preparing a new app service for Android. It’s called Unlocked, and think of it as free Amazon Prime for apps. But there’s a catch. Apps that are given freely can also be taken away again.

With smartwatches set to take over the world, TAG Heuer is determined not to go down easy like other Swiss watchmakers. The company is teaming up with Google and Intel to build a high-end Android Wear watch that will give wealthy gadget lovers a premium alternative to Apple Watch.

While recent rumors have claimed that Google is working on bringing Android Wear support to the iPhone, the company hasn’t actually made anything official. But code found inside its firmware could prove that it has been working on making Android Wear devices compatible with iOS for some time.

The video game world rejoiced yesterday at the news that Nintendo is finally backing down on its anti-smartphone and tablet stance, and is working to bring its most beloved franchises to Android and iOS.

But gamers aren’t the only ones celebrating!

Nintendo shares shot up 21 percent in the 24 hours after the company said it was teaming with Tokyo-based mobile company DeNA to develop smartphone games. The result was Nintendo’s value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rising to its best closing price since June 2011.

Facebook is taking on Square, PayPal, and Venmo with its own digital payments service. Starting today, Facebook Messenger will allow users to instantaneously transfer real money at zero cost.

Google is said to be working on bringing Android Wear support to iPhone, but in the meantime, it’s up to third-party developers to marry the two.

One hack has already made it possible to display iOS notifications on Wear watches, and now it has been improved to take calls from your iPhone, too.

Nintendo has always been adamant it wouldn’t develop games for smartphones and tablets, but it has finally given in.

Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and other popular franchises could soon be coming to Android and iOS after the Japanese company confirmed it will be developing new titles for smart devices with the help of game developer DeNA.

Trading up from an Android to iPhone is about to get a lot easier, as Apple plans to incentivize switchers by offering Apple Store credit to customers who bring in their old non-iOS devices for trade.

Apple plans to expand its iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program to include non-iOS devices, reports Buzzfeed’s John Paczkowski, who says Apple Stores will soon take everything from Blackberry’s to Windows Phone handsets.

Having spent more than a year throwing smartwatch concepts a wall, only to discover that very few of them stick, Samsung’s taking a bit of a break from the wearables game.

But a newly-unearthed patent suggests that the South Korean tech giant could come back with a vengeance, thanks to a ripoff Apple concept bold new interface design based around an iPod-style rotating bezel. The idea would be that this rotating bezel could allow users to scroll through different apps, lists and menus without having to obscure the miniature display with their finger.

So, yeah, it’s basically the Apple Watch’s digital crown idea — only “different” enough to not be a direct analog.

Can poor old Samsung catch a break? After a tough period during which its mobile business was squeezed to an inch of its life, Samsung finally has two promising smartphones – the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge — which are praised in the tech press, and racking up millions of pre-orders.

But things aren’t quite that straightforward. First of all, Samsung’s new devices suffered a reported display problem, stopping them properly reading touch inputs around the bezel. Now the unusually-shaped S6 Edge is apparently suffering from production issues — and the problems may stop Samsung shipping the quantity of phones they’re hoping to.

The Mickey Mouse face that ships with Apple Watch, and has twice been demonstrated by Apple at its Watch events, is now unofficially available on Android Wear — complete with moving hands and feet.

Microsoft’s virtual assistant Cortana has been pretty vocal about bashing rival services like Apple’s Siri. But she may soon get the chance to put her money where her mouth is.

That’s because, according to a new Reuters report, Cortana is about to bust out of the Windows Phone ghetto and make her way to both Android and iOS.

The version of Cortana set to arrive on non-Windows devices is reportedly a new, improved version, using research from an artificial intelligence project called “Einstein.” This same version will also be available on Windows 10 desktops this fall.

I’m not sure about you, but even with the aid of the Apple Store app, I’ve sort of intuitively felt that the Apple Watch just must be huge, and certainly way too huge to put on my wrist.

Well, maybe it is. I won’t know until I go into an Apple Store and actually try one one, which I intend on doing at the first opportunity. But as this image proves, even the biggest Apple Watch is positively tiny compared to the Asus Zenwatch.

Google today announced its new Chromebook Pixel, which is just as pretty as its predecessor, only more powerful and less expensive. It’s powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, and just like Apple’s new MacBook, it uses do-it-all USB-C connectors.

Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays have long been some of the best you can get on a mobile device, and they only get better with the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. According to the experts at DisplayMate, they are the “best mobile displays ever tested.”

Samsung’s smartphone sales may have taken a plunge as of late, but its new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge handsets could turn out to be just the devices the South Korean tech giant needs to rebuild its mobile division.

Following strong advance orders of more than 20 million handsets, Samsung is reportedly expected to ship 46 million S6 units this year — representing an increase of 8 million on the previous 38 million estimate.

Those may not be close to iPhone 6 numbers (which sold 74.5 million devices in the last quarter of 2014 alone), but it’s certainly enough to earn Samsung back some of the respect its lost.

Google’s gorgeous redesign of the Calendar app has finally made its way to iPhone. The Android version of Google Calendar’s redesign was released last fall, but iPhone users can now get their fingers on the official Google Calendar app too.

Like on the new Android version, you get new features like Events from Gmail, to turn emails into events on your calendar. Assists makes adding events quicker by recommending information to insert, and the new Schedule View makes it easier to scan your calendar and see what events you have coming up.

Take a tour of the new app below:

Shortly before Apple kicked off its Spring Forward event yesterday, Google released its latest Android Wear ad, which showcases the one thing you won’t get with the upcoming Apple Watch: choice.

If there’s one thing Xiaomi can’t be accused of, it’s having a lack of ambition.

Not content with having come out of nowhere to become the world’s third-biggest smartphone maker, the CEO of the Chinese tech company, Lei Jun, has announced that he next plans for his company to become the number one smartphone vendor globally within the next 10 years.

Now that we know more about the long-awaited Apple Watch, it’s time to find out how it stacks up against Google’s Android Wear platform and the growing number of wearables that support it.

There are lots of similarities between the two, but there also some big differences in software, hardware, and price that will likely help you decide which one is right for you.

Samsung’s smartphone sales may have dipped in recent months, but its new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are already off to an excellent start. Since their unveiling at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this month, more than 20 million handsets have been pre-ordered.

Samsung is rightfully envious of Apple’s mobile payment service Apple Pay, which has swept the mobile payments world since being introduced at the end of 2014. With that in mind, it’s introduced its own “Samsung Pay” rival service, which it hopes will sway customers back in the South Korea tech giant’s direction.

But with Apple having both a lead-time advantage and the “halo effect” of a beloved brand behind it, Samsung’s trying to appeal to something a bit more base when it comes to swaying people in favor of its mobile payment service: cold, hard cash.

According to new reports coming out of Korea, the company has decided not to collect fees on Samsung Pay, rather than the 0.0015 percent demanded by other mobile payment services. Samsung allegedly won’t charge partnered credit card companies either, or from service providers for online payments.

Google has already confirmed plans to experiment with its own wireless services to “show what’s possible,” and we know it’s going to be limited in its reach. So limited, in fact, that you might need Google’s own Nexus 6 smartphone to connect to it.