Android 4.3, Google Babel, and the Nexus 7: What’s in store for Google I/O?
Google’s annual developer conference is mere days away, so expect a
giant heaping of announcements in the near future. We absolutely know
the keynote will take place on Wednesday, May 15, and there we can hope
for a number of new products and features to be unveiled. But
truthfully, for now, we can only assume and guess at what those might
actually be.
Plenty of rumors cropped up to fuel this intrigue, most of them
surrounding Google’s forthcoming Nexus devices. But there are a few
related to new features within Android, like an integrated multiplayer
gaming service. We may also see the return of the Nexus Q, or a device
like it, that Google could be putting the finishing touches on at this
time. Speculation points to happenings with Google's Wallet service too,
and there is even talk surrounding Google's consolidated messaging
service.
Google "Games"
The hysteria began when Android Police first
discovered a feature list related to what appears to be a multiplayer
gaming service, a la Apple’s Game Center. The list was discovered in
a tear down of My Glass, which is the companion application for Google
Glass. The package contained back-end code for an integrated multiplayer
gaming service that has a separate “Games” folder. The folder revealed
files related to turn-based multiplayer games and an in-game chat
module. Further evidence pointed to a gaming leaderboard, as well as the
ability to receive invitations from other users wanting to play or
“lobbies” where players can hang out as they wait for the roster to fill
up. Many popular game titles have made their way over to Android in the
last year and Google recently hired Noah Falstein as its Chief Game Designer. In the pre-I/O rumor mill, that's enough to give some credence to these findings.
But then Android Police managed to get a copy of the new version of
Google Play services, which had genuine evidence of shared files for
Google Play Games. The site provided screenshots that leaked what the
new "Play Games" application will look like. There was a drop-down menu
that will enable users to switch accounts and a settings menu for
managing game notifications. A full-blown tear down
discovered that the application will enable synced game saves, icon
badges, matchmaking and invitations, achievements, and leaderboards.
Although Android Police has always been rather spot on with its leaks
and pre-release teardowns, remember—everything is alleged until we hear
it straight from Google.
.And the X phone?
TechCrunch reports
that sketches have surfaced of a new handset model number from
Motorola. What makes the news particularly interesting is that the
blueprints of model number XT1058 are purported to be preliminary plans
for Motorola's supposed "X Phone." Currently, there are no actual specifications tied to it.
The FCC's listing of this model number shows that it at least
features Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and 802.11ac, and apparently it supports
AT&T's particular LTE bands. The sketches also match leaks that had
surfaced a few months ago from Android and Me, which reported
that the back of the "X Phone" would use a logo that acts as a touch
sensitive button to launch commands on screen. The mock up photos
originally appeared on Vietnamese tech news site, Tinhte.vn, but the speculation matches up with the recent patent Google filed for backside controls.
However, it seems unlikely that Google would reveal the "X Phone" at
I/O this week. It was only a few months ago that the company was looking
for someone to head up the project. It seems more possible that we will
learn more about the what the future holds for this collaboration
between Motorola and Google.
LG plans to launch a flexible OLED smartphone before the end of the year, the company’s VP of mobile has confirmed, though it’s unclear to what extent the work-in-progress handset will actually flex. The OLED panel in question is the handiwork of LG Display according to VP of LG mobile Yoon Bu-hyun, the WSJ reports, with the proposed device set to launch sometime in Q4. LG Display’s work on flexible OLEDs has been underway for some time, though the company’s efforts have perhaps been overshadowed somewhat by rival Samsung’s YOUM development. Last year, according to a Korea Times report, LG Display was preparing for
Late least year, Microsoft rolled out a half dozen Bing Apps for Windows 8 users, each one focused on a specific category, such as travel and sports. The apps were designed to offer “immersive vertical experiences,” and now, about six months later, a big line of updates for them is being pushed out. Users can grab the updates now by heading into the Windows Store and selecting the updates notification.
Flexible displays are the Future of IT Industry! A part from 4k and smart home appliances, the CES 2013 saw a lot of attention being drawn towards bendable, flexible displays. The elasticised display idea isn’t something new as we have seen hoards of device concepts being crafted around flexible, bendable and even foldable displays. These concept devices give us a futuristic feel, be it a flexible phone to be worn around the wrist or a phone that opens up to turn into a tablet or PSP-like device. But how far is this future? Nokia has been toying with the idea ever since we remember. The technology sounds very fascinating and the possibilities and the extent to which bendable displays could be used are vast and leave us spellbound. However, these have always been concepts and we haven’t seen any device materialise in the real world. There have been several technologies that were conceived in these years and all have been put to their practical use. But the bendable d
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