The Samsung Galaxy S4 will release with Samsung tweaked and ‘stock’ Google-based Android operating systems when it arrives in the United States on June 26.

We have now learned that the June 26 date will include a $649 unlocked version of the device which has been branded as the S4 ‘Google Edition.’ Featuring a straight from the factory Google Android setup the S4 Google Edition will only be sold to US customers through the US Google Play Store.

Instead of featuring Samsung TouchWiz technology over the Google Android OS, the smartphone offers an untouched version of Google Android.

Other than the difference in operating systems the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition are the exact same smartphones in terms of hardware.

The biggest draw for US buyers may be the lack of TouchWiz and the ability to purchase an unlocked device right out of the box.

In comparing prices the LG created Google Nexus 4 is $299 for the 8GB model and $349 for the 16GB model. Google is currently planning to release a white version of the Google Nexus 4. The new Nexus 4 color option is expected to shit with Google Android 4.3 pre-installed.

Recent rumors have suggested that Samsung would like to move away from the Google Android OS in the years ahead, therefore Google attempting to capitalize on its own OS via Samsung’s popular hardware in many ways makes sense.

With the Apple iPhone 5S and potentially the iPhone 6 set to be announced in the coming months it looks as if 2013 will shape up to be quite the battle on the mobile front.

Are you interesting in purchasing a Samsung smartphone with a stock version of Google Android or do you prefer the Galaxy S4 with TouchWhiz technology pre-installed?

Samsung Galaxy S4 ‘Google Edition’ With ‘Stock’ Android Will Be US-Only Model is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google just likes to watch you poop.

Google Chrome: Now Everywhere Parody [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google is in the process of reinventing itself.

In a live blog today, Google has been making announcements about changes it is making to almost everything. The live blog has been happening since 9:00am Pacific, and details have been trickling through.

Early on in the live blog, Google showed a history of Android, giving props to the fact that Apple revolutionized the way mobile devices are used. Had it not been for iPhone, Google knows that Android probably wouldn’t exist. Android was created as a way of bringing a standard to the mobile world.

Google Maps is now smarter and more efficient with battery usage on mobile, as Google says they are always looking for ways to improve battery efficiency with their apps. Google Now is being planned as a replacement for Search, which has gotten smarter, now integrating Maps and Images for a more intuitive interface.

Google Plus has been redone to allow you to sign in across platforms simultaneously. It has been updated to include auto-hashtags which can be removed if they are wrong.

Google has created Android Studio with developers in mind, so the platform is easier to create apps for, and users will encounter less bugs and glitches as a result of development difficulty. It can literally be done from an Android phone with its intuitive design.

Google Play is now improved to offer smarter suggestions based on current data and even Google Plus usage. It will also highlight apps that are made specifically for Tablets, so the chances of discovering the app doesn’t work on your device the hard way have been minimized.

Google Play’s music streaming service will soon available for $10 a month.

A new system being launched is Google Play for Education, which has been recommended by actual teachers. The cost of the apps will go against a school’s purchase account and make Tablets more school-friendly. This could cut down on storage needs as books can also be downloaded to the Tablet.

A new social-friendly app being released is Hangouts, which will allow one-on-one or group messaging.

For those photo editors out there, Auto Awesome will give you the option to make an animated GIF image from a collection of stills. You upload and edit with a variety of tools, and it’s done.

More updates are still to come as the live blog progresses.

What do you think of the changes Google is making?

Google Is Reinventing Itself is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google SMS search is no more. The search giant quietly killed the platform this week, bringing an end to searches being conducted by users of non-smartphone or feature phone devices.

Google SMS search was a semi-popular feature before users gained access to higher end devices that provided faster and better search results.

The Google SMS service allows users to text messages to 466453 (Google) and then receive search results back in the form of a text message. The messages returned were actual answers to questions and not links to web pages. Google SMS search was often used for currency conversions, weather information and local listings.

Google employee Jessica S. posted on Reddit:

Google Kills SMS Search Service is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google will unveil the Google Babel platform when the Google I/O conference rolls around according to a new report.

The Babel platform is a new system from the search giant which hopes to tie together Google’s main platform-based products. Users can converse with one another using the system without needing to share the same account types.

The Babel system will be renamed Google Hangouts, sharing its name with the currently supported Google+ Hangouts system which offers video messaging and chat capabilities for groups of social network users.

Google is attempting to create a social network that not only focuses on traditional social networking but also on productivity and increased communications across its various platforms.

Google Hangouts incorporates GChat instant messaging and will reportedly allow users to archive Hangouts, block users, and even jump back to a previous version of the company’s chat services (for a short period of time after launch).

The Google Hangouts platform is based on the XMPP open chat and messaging platform which Google already utilizes for its Google Talk service. In theory the use of XMPP will allow Google to implement Babel via iOS devices in the future. In fact code hooks discovered inside the Google Hangouts platform point to support for multiple OS and device types.

Some experts believe that Google’s ability to attract more than one billion users could ultimately allow the search giant to create a messaging platform bigger than BlackBerry Messaging and Apple’s iMessages.

The platform with its focus on bridging the gap between software platforms should be a big win for Google if it is implemented and launched properly.

Google Babel To Be Unveiled At Google I/O Conference, Change Name To ‘Hangouts’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Happy Mother’s day to all the mom’s of the world! And if you’re not a mom but you forgot about this special day a new Google Doodle can help you whip up a card in no time flat.

The search giant on Sunday rolled out a new Doodle that actually creates a card for mom. The cards are specifically designed to look like arts and crafts projects which definitely gives them a touch of personality.

To use the cards simple head on over to Google.com and press the play button found on the Doodle. Google will then give you the option to draw your mom or choose flowers or a gift. Users can then choose the “materials” they want to use for drawing such as crayons, scrapbooks, beans, pasta, and more which are used to create the cards border.

In a blog post for the Mother’s Day doodle Google Mike Dutton writes:

“Naturally, we wanted to mix it up a bit and take things one step further … with something like a full-on card-building machine. Almost as if Google the Search Engine had a mom of its own and wanted to make some artwork for her.”

The Google Doodle program has created 27 different Mother’s Day card designs this year.

After creating your card you can share the design with your loved one online or even print them a high-resolution card to put on the fridge and save for safe keeping.

I made a card for my wife with the Google Doodle program and here are the results:

Sadly that is better than I draw in real life.

Give the Mother’s Day Google Doodle software a try and let us know what you think.

Happy Mother’s Day: Google Doodle Helps Create Electronic And Printable Cards For Mom is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama has selected a Twitter lawyer for office.

Nicole Wong has more than a decade of experience as an attorney for Silicon Valley covering copyright and privacy, and all this behind the scenes of a site you might use all the time. Nicole Wong has worked for Google and Twitter, making her a formidable proponent for internet privacy law.

Nicole Wong previously was a vice president and deputy general counsel at Google at its Mountain View, California headquarters. Nicole Wong helped review privacy, copyright, and removal requests, and ultimately gave the thumbs up or down on things that could make or break the company. She was nicknamed “The Decider” for her work with a team of lawyers who reviewed Google’s products, according to the New York Times.

After eight years with Google as part of the Perkins Coie law firm, Nicole Wong moved on to Twitter. With Wong at the helm, Twitter won several accolades for privacy practices. The Electronic Frontier Foundation gave Twitter the full 6 stars in a recent survey of tech companies, titled “Who Has Your Back?” Twitter has also backed a coalition lobbying for three years to have Federal privacy laws rewritten to require search warrants for remote server data.

President Obama selected Nicole Wong as a senior adviser to the chief technology officer, focusing on internet privacy. The current chief technology officer Todd Park took over for Aneesh Chopra, who was the first one appointed to the job and left the company at the beginning of 2012.

Some may find President Obama‘s selection an odd choice after recent hacking from the Syrian Electronic Army had taken over several news site Twitter accounts, an obvious violation of privacy and security. It is also a reversal of previous picks for senior privacy officers, as in the past they have usually been selected from the Library of Congress.

Nicole Wong of Twitter being selected as privacy officer was a controversial move on the part of President Obama, but nowhere near his first.

Do you think President Obama’s selection of a Twitter privacy officer was a good choice?

Twitter Lawyer Selected For Office By President Obama is a post from: The Inquisitr

Conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones seems to be calling on the true believers overthrow the system with the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal: Facebook.

While we’re not entirely sure what Jones was trying to say on his May 7 show, we can attest that he opens his mouth and sounds do indeed come out (there’s video below to prove it).

But whatever you think of Alex Jones, be he an uncompromising truth machine or an out-and-out wing-nut, you have to admit, his comments about Facebook, YouTube, and the like were difficult to parse.

MofoPolitics posted video of Jones in the midst of a melodramatic rant about Google, Facebook, and YouTube, alleging that they’re basically “front operations” for the Central Intelligence Agency.

While discussing yelling about social media in general, Jones dropped this little marble that was picked up by Mediaite:

“Use it like a toilet! Use Facebook to jack their system! And jack ‘em hard! But hate ‘em, and spit on ‘em while you do it. Same thing with YouTube. And all of it. Jack the enemy conduits. Jack it hard and hate ‘em! And spit on ‘em while you do it.”

Then Jones slipped into some more familiar territory:

“This is a war! They’re killing kids everywhere with GMO and vaccines knowingly. This morning they had jets out spraying chemtrails everywhere. It’s a public G.O. engineering program — partially declassified and the public doesn’t even know about it! You think you’re in Kansas? You’re not in Kansas anymore!”

Jones also accused Google of blocking traffic to his website (InfoWars) as well as to the Drudge Report. It’s not really a secret that Google is headed up by some pretty liberal folks, so, naturally, they’re going to use their power to make sure that no one can reach sites containing content they personally disagree with.

“Google is the one jacking and breaking through your pass codes. And spying. And [Google CEO Eric] Schmidt says, ‘You shouldn’t visit anything you don’t want me to see.’ On a power trip. What a joke! By the way he only sold 10,000 of his book. What a joke you are, scumbag. Just because you can run a CIA criminal front, doesn’t mean you actually ever did anything, little man! Hope you’re cozy under the black wings of the New World Order!”

For journalistic purposes, I just attempted to access InfoWars and Drudge and can report no problems on my end.

Check out the video below, and let us know what you think of Alex Jones. Oh, and if you watch the video, here’s the Mark Zuckerberg article he shows at the end. Make sure to read the last paragraph.

Alex Jones Wants Us To Use Social Media To Overthrow … Something [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

We’ve heard it a million times, and yet another study claims that Apple’s iOS still beats the better selling Google Android OS in terms of overall web usage.

The analytics guru’s at Piper Jaffray studied US mobile web traffic in April 2013 and found that iOS controls a 69 percent market share, up from 66.4 percent in March 2013.

The Jaffray study also finds that Google Android now commands a 28.7 percent market share for web usage, up from 26.5 percent in March 2013.

According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster:

“For the second straight month in our tracking of the data, iOS gained on Android as a source of mobile traffic. We believe the traffic data continues to demonstrate that iOS is not only the leading platform in the US, its users are generally more engaged with their mobile devices.”

Munster examined traffic from the following 10 mobile websites: Answers.com, Tumblr, ChaCha, Examiner, LinkedIn, Bleacher Report, Hubpages, White Pages, Squidoo, and Dictionary.com.

The final result was simple: Apple and Google are gaining ground at the expense of Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and other mobile platforms. The study found that other mobile platforms have fallen from 4.9 percent market share to 4.5 percent.

Interestingly, the study found that the usage gap between iPhone and iPad users has continued to shrink. While iPhone users represented 60.3 percent of traffic in March 2013 and iPad users represented just 39.7 percent of the company’s mobile web traffic, the iPad jumped to 41.7 percent in April 2013.

With more Android devices appearing on the market every week and Apple shares slipping, the remainder of 2013 will be an interesting time for investigating Apple’s shrinking stranglehold on the mobile market.

Apple iOS Still Kicking Android Butt In Terms Of Mobile Usage, Study Finds is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new market share study from the team at comScore claims that Apple is winning in the US smartphone market while Google Android is helping the search giant win in virtually every other country.

According to recently acquired data, Apple’s smartphone market share increased from 36.3 percent in Q4 2012 to 39 percent in Q1 2013. The same survey finds that Google Android devices lost US market share, slipping from 53.4 percent to 52 percent over the same reporting periods.

Apple has continued to receive increased interest in the United States while Google Android smartphones appear to have peaked in 2010.

BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone devices are not fairing well at this time; however, as we learned from their quick fall from grace, customers are willing to jump ship in a heartbeat if a new piece of technology captures their imagination.

Apple, in the meantime, is dealing with a slow release schedule, which leaves more than one year between major updates to both its iOS platform and iPhone hardware.

In a chart representing the shift in mobile dominance, Horace Dediu at Asymco explains Google Android’s growth in the US mobile market compared to other OS’.

Notice in the Asymco chart that third place competitor BlackBerry also managed a slight increase, more than likely do to the one million plus Q10′s the company is believed to have sold in Britain and its home country of Canada.

With the HTC One already selling and customers clamoring at the chance to own a Galaxy S4, it will be interesting to see what this market share study has to say about the mobile space when 2013 draws to a close.

iPhone Dominates In US As Android Wins Internationally is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google on May 1 changed the tagline on Google.ps from “Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine,” and that simple change has pushed Google directly into the path for one of the most heated political issues on the planet.

Speaking to the BBC, Sabri Saidam, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, revealed:

“This is a step in the right direction, a timely step and one that encourages others to join in and give the right definition and name for Palestine instead of Palestinian Territories.”

While Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin, told Israel’s Army Radio:

“I think that the Google decision from the last few days is very, very problematic. When a company like Google comes along and supports this line, it actually pushes peace further away, pushes away negotiations, and creates among the Palestinian leadership the illusion that in this manner they can achieve the result.”

Google made the choice to change the Google.ps tagline after the UN recently granted Palestine the status of ”non-member observer state. ”

In a statement regarding its decision, a Google spokesperson said:

“We’re changing the name ‘Palestinian Territories’ to ‘Palestine’ across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN, ICANN, ISO [International Organization for Standardization] and other international organizations.”

The Jerusalem Post notes that Elkin took his statement one step further by sending a letter to Google CEO Larry Page in which he wrote:

“Google is in essence recognizing the existence of a Palestinian state. I would be grateful were you to reconsider this decision since it entrenches the Palestinians in their view that they can further their political aims through one-sided actions rather than through negotiating and mutual agreement.”

At the time of this post, the Google.ps tagline still simply reads “Palestine.”

Google.ps Changes Tagline To ‘Palestine’, Controversy Erupts Out Of Israel is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google X phone is the company’s first solo attempt at a smartphone and the product of its $12.4 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. While the X Phone has not officially debuted, the team at Tinhte.tn recently posted photos which were quickly followed by rumored specs for the smartphone.

On Thursday, photos of the device in a protective casing were revealed. While those photos did not showcase the full design for the X Phone, they appeared to validate Tinhte’s leaked photos (pictured above and below) which were revealed in March.

The Google X phone appears to have a sleek design with a display that nearly reaches the edges of the device.

According to 9to5Google, the phone is believed to feature a 4.7-inch (diagonal) HD display, 32GB of internal storage, and 2GB of RAM.

With Google owning the X Phone, the device is also expected to feature Google Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It is very likely that future upgrades to the OS will be pushed out quickly since the Android OS being featured will be a direct take on the mobile OS.

It is also reported that the Google X Phone will ship with 25 different protective skin color choices.

While Google is remaining tight-lipped about the Google X Phone, some analysts believe it will debut during Google’s three-hour Google I/O keynote address later this month.

Are you ready to jump ship from Samsung, LG, or another manufacturer to give the Google X smartphone a chance? I will personally reserve judgement until Google I/O.

Meet The Google X Phone is a post from: The Inquisitr

COMMENTARY | I remember way back in 2010 when Steve Jobs stood on a stage and declared that the iPad was a “magical” device that would further “revolutionize” the mobile industry. Fast forward to 2013, and, indeed, Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices have helped revolutionize the way smartphones and tablets are designed from the hardware they feature to the software they support.

With Apple devices losing some of their appeal, according to recent surveys, it was only a matter of time before analysts and reviewers began focusing on the “next big thing” in tech. In late 2012, along came Google Glass.

Almost immediately after the technology was revealed, analysts began complaining. There were complaints about privacy, complaints about daily living with technology overload, complaints about battery life, and complaints for the sake of complaining. Let’s face it: Google Glass is the whipping boy of the wearable tech industry.

In reality, Google Glass is an experimentation in what wearable technology could and shouldn’t be. On the one hand, the technology allows users to pull up mapping, take photos, share information with friends, and basically discover the world around them with ease and efficiency. On the other hand, Google Glass can take photos where it shouldn’t (locker rooms, bathrooms, etc.), access information where it shouldn’t be accessed (hospitals, court rooms, etc), and even distract drivers and workers who might cause serious injury and potentially life threatening accidents.

Google Glass however is not meant to be the “magical” iPad device Steve Jobs showcased in 2010 or the revolutionary iPhone platform he debuted in 2007. The technology is meant to be a roadmap for the future, a piece of technology that figures out what wearable tech could be when executed properly.

After finally releasing Google Glass, we will likely hear complaints about battery life, OS issues that still need to be solved (rumors point to a Google Android supported build),  eye strain issues, and various other issues.

I don’t expect to see 100 million people walking around with Google Glass; however, the technology will likely lead to more discussions about how to create technology on a smaller yet usable scale.

Google jumped into the autonomous vehicles field without a second thought and since that time numerous autonomous vehicle company’s have developed technology that will ultimately lead to the first mass produced vehicles.

Google Glass, for its part, is an experiment in wearable tech that won’t reach mass adoption but will reach mass appeal for developers who are always looking for something shiny and new.

If nothing else, Google Glass gives the tech giant bragging rights as a first adopter of new technology, and, in the eyes of consumers, a first adopter is an innovative adopter.

In the meantime, Google Glass will continue to be poked fun at while offering a new way to think about technology. I leave you with this fun “review” of the technology from the fine folks at Saturday Night Live:

Google Glass Is An Experiment In Wearable Tech, Deal With It is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google Glass isn’t available to the masses, but that hasn’t stopped the technology from making its way to the Large Hadron Collider.

A newly released YouTube video titled “Explorer Story: Andrew Vanden Heuvel [through Glass]” has debuted in which Heuvel explores the inside of the famed scientific facility.

The particle accelerator is located nearly 500 feet below Switzerland and features long pipes and various pieces of equipment that help scientists accelerate particles for research purposes.

Heuvel not only showcased the LHC; he also broadcast his experience to his brother’s physics class in real-time.

In a blog post regarding his adventures, Andrew reveals: “It’s not about the technology, but what you can do with it.”

Here are some of the important lessons the physics teacher learned from his recent trip to CERN:

Ok, so what have I learned from this experience? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Put yourself out there. Had I not applied to be a Glass Explorer, I never would have been invited to such a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
2. Human ingenuity is awe-inspiring. During this adventure, I directly experienced two impressive technological achievements (although at very different scales). Both the LHC and Glass were made by teams of scientists and engineers working to achieve a seemingly-impossible goal. The human mind’s capacity for creativity is truly worthy of awe.
3. It’s not about the technology. As an online teacher, I frequently say, “It’s not about the technology, but what you can do with it.” We have now reached an inflection point in the evolution of technology where each new advance means we see technology less and can do more with it. What a tremendously exciting time to be in education!

Google may believe its technology is ultimately for the masses, but, with this type of video, I can see geeks jumping all over the tech.

Here’s the full “Explorer Story” from Andrew Vanden Heuvel:

Are you going to buy a pair of Google Glass when it debuts for consumer sales?

Google Glass Explores The Large Hadron Collider, Doesn’t Find God Particle [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google Nexus 5 may come in the form of another collaboration between the teams at LG and Google.

A report circulating on Saturday suggests that the South Korean electronics manufacturer is working with Google to create the next-generation Google Nexus 5 smartphone.

Last month, rumors began surfacing in which the Nexus 5 would be a simple retooling of the company’s last device. The new rumor suggests the companies could be working on a new distinct Nexus phone.

Sources at the Korea Times claim that Google founder Larry Page recently met with LG CEO Koo Bon-joon, and they discusses how the company’s could improve their relationship.

The source claims that LG wants to take its relationship to the next level, perhaps through the creation of smart TVs and wearable technology. The new tech would use Google’s software know-how and LG’s hardware expertise. LG Display already provides screens for Apple and other devices and its ability to scale production could provide Google with the power it needs.

When the Google Nexus 4 debuted, the handset sold out in less than half an hour. Google and LG oversold the handset and offered only a limited amount of supply. Analysts were quick to point out that the Google Nexus 4 would have sold out even with light demand because of supply levels.

Google aligning itself with LG couldn’t come at a better time. Samsung, the Android smartphones largest supporter, is believed to be planning its own OS that could debut in the next five years. Should Samsung choose to ditch Android OS in the future, Google could shift its focus and massive sales potential to LG.

LG, receiving a vote of confidence in the meantime, could lead to other manufacturers choosing the South Korean company for their own product builds.

Do you think LG and Google will make for a good future partnership?

Google And LG Working On New Nexus Handset is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google is rapidly expanding its Google Fiber network, announcing service on Friday for citizens in the city of Shawnee.

The Shawnee City Council voted on May 2 to allow for the expansion of the Google Fiber network. Google first launched its new high-speed data network in Kansas City with promises to expand the service after initial testing.

On the Google Fiber blog, a representative for the service writes that the company still has “a lot of planning and engineering work to do before we’re ready to bring Fiber to Shawnee.”

Google has promised to update the Fiber blog when more information is made available.

Shawnee joins a host of other cities that are receiving Google Fiber. Those cities including Olathe, Kansas; Austin, Texas; and Provo, Utah.

We should expect to witness a rapid increase in Google Fiber’s reach now that multiple providers have surfaced to take on the provider. AT&T recently announced a gigabit fiber network of its own in Austin and CenturyLink is already building a pilot program for gigabit service in Omaha.

As previously reported Vermont Telephone (Vtel) has launched a rural gigabit service of its own. VTel was helped along by nearly $100 million in government grants.

The number of “zero TV” households has continued to increase as more users turn towards Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other online video services. As more customers move their music, video viewing, and file sharing onto the internet, the need for faster connections continues to increase.

Do you think Google Fiber is the future of online data services? Or did Google launch the service in order to light a fire under other providers so they would create the faster internet Google has pined for over the years?

Google Fiber Expands In Kansas, Will Enter Shawnee Area is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Barnes & Noble Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets are upping the number of apps customers can download.

The book seller on Friday announced that it is adding the Google Play store to its list of approved apps. The Play store allows users to downloaded apps from the full catalog of Google Android-based apps.

With the inclusion of Google Play, users of the Nook tablet series will gain access to more than 700,000 programs.

Google Play also offers access to millions of songs found on Google Play Music and other options found via Google’s other content hubs.

As Barnes & Noble updates its software users will also be given access to Google’s main services, which includes the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube, Google Search, and Google Maps.

When the update is available, users will see an automatic notice for over-the-air updates. The update can be handled when a user is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Users will soon see a notification for an automatic over-the-air update over Wi-Fi from later today.

Moving towards a full Google Android eco-system is a new approach for Barnes & Noble. Much like the Amazon Kindle Fire devices, B&N chose to use the Google Android OS as a backbone for its own hacked version of the system.

By offering its own apps store Barnes & Noble was able to maintain full control over a users purchases, allowing them to buy apps under the company’s control.

Do you think the Barnes & Noble Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets are better off with the Google Play store?

Barnes & Noble Brings Google Play Into The Mix is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google Denies Battery Drain Caused By Google Now is a post from: The Inquisitr

Research firm IDC believes the Google Android tablet market is besting Apple iPad shipments. The study focuses on Q1 2013 shipments in which the research firm says 56.5 percent of the market was dominated by Android. The company’s study claims that Apple achieved a 40 percent marketshare. 

In third place, the IDC study claims that Asus managed to best Amazon as the third largest single vendor with a 5.5 percent share. If that number is correct, Asus has managed 350 percent year-over-year growth.

While those numbers are impressive, the study focuses solely on “shipping” units and not on the actual number of end-user sales. Apple has long claimed that it only ships enough devices to fulfill immediate orders. Android manufacturers, on the other hand, tend to ship millions of extra devices in an attempt to flood the market. In Q1 2012, Samsung told press reporters that it has shipped 2.3 million Android tablets. Then, during its Apple patent lawsuit, Samsung revealed just 1.2 million tablet sales when asked by a federal judge.

Even if 70 percent of all Android devices have actually been sold, Apple would still lead the market based on sales.

The IDC report focuses on every brand of tablet, even knock-off and local tablets that feature the Google Android OS.

While Google Android devices might be shipped more often, it is the Apple iOS platform that still dominates ad impressions, internet access, app downloading, and various other connected metrics. It is those metrics that have led many analysts to believe Apple is still dominating between 60 and 80 percent of the tablet market.

Sales “share” and shipments “share” are too very different things, and, while Apple is sure to lose some of its market as more competitors emerge, the market is still being left wide open.

The IDC study does not adjust for seasonal sales. Some companies such as Amazon receive most of their tablet orders during seasonal periods, most specifically during Q4.

While Apple may very well be losing market share to the Android tablet market, the IDC study does note that Apple is still the single largest tablet vendor with more than 40 percent of market sales.

Apple Tablet Shipments Lose Ground To Android is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Meebo Bar is officially shutting down on June 6. The popular social media attachment displays as a single bar at the bottom of websites. Users are able to connect with the bar to their Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and other social media accounts.

The once popular social bar was installed on some of the webs top properties and was acquired by Google in 2012. Users could chat with one another across various social media platforms, sign up for newsletters, share articles, and more directly from the Meebo bar.

Google on Monday sent out emails to website owners asking them to remove the Meebo Bar by June 6.

According to the Meebo website:

“We have decided to focus our resources on initiatives like the recently laynched Google+ Sign In and the Google+ Plug-ins.”

The Google support page for Meebo suggests that users remove the feature before June 6 to avoid any site display issues.

Google will allow webmasters to download their Meebo Bar analytics through the end of June.

The acquisition of Meebo cost Google a reported $100 million. Shortly after purchasing the company, Google pulled most of the platforms services but left the Meebo Bar in place. Because of the Meebo services closures many analysts at the time suspected that Google made an acquisition play for the company’s employees and not necessarily its technology.

Meebo likely stayed active because the platform offered a new advertising channel for Google that was both easy to use and minimally invasive for website visitors.

In the meantime, there are still competitors in the social sharing bar space including Meebo-competitor Wibiya.

Are you a fan of the Meebo bar, or, like me, have you ignored the website plugin over the last few years?

Meebo Bar Gets Axed, Team Joins Google+ Developers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google on Friday began to restrict auto-updates from outside of its own Google Play store. Before the restriction was put into place. popular apps such as Facebook Home could roll out updates to users without Google Play access required.

Google claims the move will help improve overall security for Android Apps by placing the upgrade path back into the Play Stores control.

In response to its decision, Google released an updated terms of service (TOS), which added new wording to its “Dangerous Products” section. In that section, the company’s policy now reads:

“An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism.”

The new restriction is placed in the same section reserved for malware, viruses, and other harmful software and hardware issues.

While the idea behind the restriction is sound, the move does block many legitimate apps that use automatic updates for testing and other purposes. For example, Facebook Home pushes out small updates to a small subset of users. If the Facebook Home updates go over well, Facebook rolls them out to users on a large scale.

Some legitimate apps that allow for updates outside of the Google Play Store did so to quickly fix security issues and other problems with their apps.

Facebook must now remove the functions that allow for automatic updates outside of the Google Play Store. We are not sure at this time how long Google is giving developers to remove the restricted updating.

Google Bans Auto-Updates Outside Of Google Play Store is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wavii on Friday confirmed earlier rumors that it has been acquired by Google.

On its website, Wavii acknowledged the buyout and revealed that it would be shutting down its own natural-language processing projects in order to focus on the same type of technology with the team at Google.

Wavii uses reports to develop newsfeed summaries via natural language processing. The company’s technology is able to use summary technology to determine the important parts of a story to display.

The tech firm technology in many ways mimics what Yahoo acquisition Summly accomplishes. Last month, Yahoo paid $30 million to acquire Summly. It is believed that Google paid about the same price for its acquisition of Wavii. According to one report, Google engaged in a bidding war with Apple when attempting to purchase the natural language processor.

The Wavii team is expected to help its technology integrate with Google News, Google Now, and various other applications.

Google was attempting to use Facebook social graph results for its news stories. This new acquisition could allow the company to focus on the same type of social graph output while potentially shifting towards Google+ integration.

It is believed  that the staff from Wavii will make the move from Seattle to the Bay Area where they will work with Google’s Knowledge Graph division.

Do you think Wavii will help Google further its efforts towards perfecting its own natural language processing algorithms?

Google Acquires Wavii, Shuts Down Natural Language Processing Platform is a post from: The Inquisitr

Harvey Weinstein took off the gloves and blasted Google for “stealing content” at a Creativity Conference in Washington, The Wrap reported on Friday.

According to the website, Weinstein warned that the failure to compensate performers and content providers for YouTube videos would result in a community of “starving artists.”

“Look at Chicago. If you go to YouTube, you can download nine songs. There are 13 songs in the entire movie, pretty much 70 or 80 minutes of it. Nobody is getting paid for that. Neither Rob Marshall who directed, me, nor the studio. Nothing,” Weinstein said.

(According to The Richest, Weinstein is currently starving to the tune of a $150 million net worth.)

“It’s a very creative business plan: Use somebody else’s content for free. Deliver it. Don’t pay them for anything. And build a $500 billion Silicon Valley company and be very, very rich,” Weinstein said. “And then have these slogans like, ‘We just want to help the world.’”

(Google’s slogan is “do no evil.”)

Weinstein was also angry about the state of new media, adding, “As we see magazines erode, as we see journalism destroyed, as we see newspapers destroyed, we see their houses get bigger, their planes get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

And here, Harvey Weinstein wasn’t talking about just Google: “They are all like this. They are all not paying for content … They are all stealing it under the guise of, ‘We are all hippies,’ but hippies don’t have $22 billion valuations.”

Weinstein’s comments forged a different path than HBO programming president Michael Lombardo, who earlier this month told Entertainment Weekly that Game of Thrones, the most illegally downloaded program of 2012, did not experience a negative impact in DVD sales as a result of tormenting.

Lombardo even told EW it was “a compliment of sorts.”

For more on YouTube piracy claims, check here:

No one asked Weinstein about the common practice of “Hollywood accounting” that essentially turns films as profitable as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix into $167 million losers. The Potter film earned $938 million in revenue on a budget of $150 million, yet Warner Brothers tried to project it at a loss.

Essentially under “Hollywood accounting,” cast, crew, marketing, and anyone else associated with the production outside of the studio itself is screwed out of money even when a film rakes in record profits, no doubt resulting in more than a few “starving artists.” Studios usually set up a corporation for each film and then slap the company with a hefty fee (to be paid to the studio), resulting in a loss.

In other words, they’re paying themselves and then saying they lost money to avoid paying back-end royalties.

(To learn how Warner Brothers went about it, check the full info at TechDirt.)

Meanwhile, a recent study found that piracy can actually help independent films gain exposure.

What do you think? Does Harvey Weinstein have a point, or should artists and studios be more worried about obscurity than the possibility of someone “stealing content”?

[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]

Harvey Weinstein Blasts Google For ‘Stealing Content’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google has been fined $189,230 by government regulators in Germany. The search giant was in court after it was determined that private Wi-Fi data was being accidentally collected by the company’s street view car cameras.

Street View cars from 2008 through 2010 inadvertently collected data packets from homes and businesses as they passed by buildings and homes.

The German court in Hamburg led by regulator Johannes Caspar decided to reopen the civil lawsuit after prosecutors decided to drop a criminal case over the data breach. Speaking to Bloomberg, Caspar claims that  ”Google’s internal control mechanisms must have severely failed” in order for the system to collect the data it obtained.

Google’s fine was low-cost because German law limits data violations to 150,000 euros, an amount equal to $195,330. Caspar, in the meantime, believes the violation cost should increase to deter future breaches.

Google’s Street Views program has come under fire all over the world. The data breach was first discovered in the United States, and Google was forced by the FCC to pay a fine of $7 million.

Under terms of the US Wi-Fi data breach, all Google employees must be properly trained in all aspects of data privacy and the confidential nature of user data. The Google training program extends for a full decade.

Google must also provide public service advertising campaigns in the United States to educate Wi-Fi users on how to secure their wireless networks.

Do you think Google should have been fined more for its part in Wi-Fi data breaches throughout Germany?

Google Street View Fined $189,000 In Germany Following Wi-Fi Data Breach is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new piece of malware discovered in the Google Android Play store has been downloaded millions of times. The malware is part of a grouping of questionable Russian developed clone apps. Despite the questionable materials, the apps featuring the BadNews malware have been downloaded repeatedly.

Security firm Lookout has discovered 32 different apps from four separate developer accounts that feature the BadNews malware.

The firm believes that the malware has been downloaded two to nine million times, although determining the full number of downloads and infections is hard because of the Android App ecosystems fragmentation.

The security firm notes that some of the apps may have been developed by honest developers who simply chose bad ad networks that passed along the malware.

Google uses its Bouncer software to constantly scan apps for malware; however, BadNews made it past those scanners by posing as an ad network and then passing along malware via its various ad spots. The developer didn’t turn on the malware via remote code until it had been downloaded millions of times.

So far, Lookout says it has found two things that the program appears to do:

• Fakes alerts encouraging you to download other infected apps as well as things things like AlphaSMS, which hijacks your phone and silently signs it up for premium SMS services
• Sends your phone number and unique device i.d (the IMEI) back to the malware’s mothership

If you think your Android smartphone may have been infected, you can check a full list of known affected apps and then determine your next set of actions.

Do you think Google Android apps need to be more closely monitored to ensure tricky developers can’t so easily steal user data and sign them up for expensive and unwanted services?

New Google Android Malware Has Been Downloaded Millions Of Times is a post from: The Inquisitr

Archos has made the leap from Android Tablets to Google Android-based smartphones. The company on Friday debuted three new entry, mid, and high-end smartphones.

The new Android-based devices include the Archos 35 Carbon ($99.99), Archos 50 Platinum ($219.99), and Archos 53 Platinum ($249.99).

Archos plans to launch all three smartphones in Europe sometime in May. The devices do not require a contract, which may make them a more attractive offering given their relatively low price structure.

The company’s mid-range Archos 50 Platinum features some nice options including a 5.0-inch full black IPS display that is powered by a quad-core CPU running a 1.2GHz processor and 8 megapixel camera. The company claims that that the Archos 50 Platinum offers end-users an “experience similar to the Samsung Galaxy S3 for half the price.”

The Archos 53 Platinum, in the meantime, offers a 5.3 inch screen, while the Archos 35 Carbon pushes out a much smaller 3.5 inch display.

“The smartphone market is shifting, as SIM-free sales versus subsidized sales are increasing, and Archos is prepared to respond, as we can offer retail channels affordable, unlocked and feature-rich smartphones without the need to subsidize,” said Loïc Poirier, CEO of Archos, in the statement. “Furthermore smartphones and tablets are interrelated markets that have quickly crossed over with the arrival of ‘phablets’ — half-phone, half-tablet devices. It only makes sense that this should be our next phase of products as this would be a natural fit for our brand and long term growth.”

Here are the company’s three devices for comparison purposes:

All three smartphones operate on the Google Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, and they support 3G speeds but lack 4G LTE compatibility. The devices also feature Dual SIM card slots,cloud storage, and both rear and front-facing cameras.

Google Android is still dominated by the Samsung Galaxy S line of smartphones, and the HTC One has finally released in the US. The real question will be whether or not consumers are willing to give an untested line of smartphones a chance.

Archos Debuts Google Android Smartphone Line is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you are a software or hardware developer and you manage to get your hands on a pair of Google Glass, you can count yourself lucky. If you plan on selling or loaning out the glasses, your luck just ran out.

Under the Terms of Sale for the Google Glass Explorer edition, the company strictly forbids the sale or loaning of the device.

Google Glass has been such a hot product before its release that Google literally setup an application process for early access to a very limited number of Google Glass.

Google apparently doesn’t want profit mongers going after the glasses to turn a quick sale, and, therefore it created the TOS for the product.

Because of the TOS, critics have been quick to call the terms a bit overbearing.

According to Google’s Terms of Sale:

“You may not resell, loan, transfer, or give your device to any other person. If you resell, loan, transfer, or give your device to any other person without Google’s authorization, Google reserves the right to deactivate the device, and neither you nor the unauthorized person using the device will be entitled to any refund, product support, or product warranty.”

Google has not commented openly about its terms of sales for the Google Glass Explorer edition. Google has also not revealed the TOS for Google Glass in consumer edition. It is not likely that Google will attempt to restrict the resale of its final consumer item as that policy would be overbearing by tech product standards.

Also highlighted in the Google Glass Explorer edition TOS is that owners are not permitted to “serve or include any advertisements” on the devices. Developers also can not charge other Google Glass Explorer customers to download apps to their own pair of Google Glass.

Do you think the Google Glass terms of sale is too overbearing?

Google Glass TOS Forbids Resale, Loaning Product is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has announced that 1.5 million Google Android devices are now activated every single day. The former CEO of Google also says that more than one billion Android devices will likely have shipped by December 2013.

Google Android has witnessed a meteoric rise. In September, Google announced 1.3 million units per day, and, in June, that number sat at just 900,000 devices. Google is now shipping more than double the number of daily Android devices compared to its 700,000 milestone in December 2011.

Speaking at the Dive Into Mobile conference Eric Schmidt says that Google’s biggest hope is that it can soon hit the $100 price point for smartphones. Schmidt believes that lowering the cost of his company’s devices will ultimately bring the “next five billion people looking to get connected” into the fold.

Smartphones are expected to drop in price over the next two years, and, according to Schmidt, “As long as memory requirements don’t massively increase, these devices will trickle down.”

During his speech, Schmidt showcases just how far Google Android has come by loading the newest version of Google Android on the OS’ first ever smartphone: the T-Mobile G1. Schmidt showed off the device and then told those in attendance: ”It actually works… it’s just a little slow.”

Eric Schmidt says Google’s two biggest hurdles will be pricing and capturing the smartphone browser market. The Google chairman says developing parts of the world need broadband access that is reliable and cost effective.

Do you think the lowering of smartphone prices and new advances in mobile data technology can help usher in a worldwide expansion of the smartphone and mobility market as a whole?

Google Android Activating 1.5 Million Devices Each Day, 1 Billion By December is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has gazed into his crystal ball and boldly predicted that everyone in the world will be online by 2020.

Writing on his Google+ account (and later his Twitter feed – see below), Schmidt estimated:

“For every person online, there are two who are not. By the end of the decade, everyone on Earth will be connected.”

Schmidt‘s prophecy was met with some derision, with multiple users noting that plenty of the world doesn’t yet have ready access to food or water. User Omar Sa’d replied:

“Even the kids in Africa dying of thirst and salvation? Hmmm, let’s hope we can get that problem sorted before enabling them to tweet about not being able to find a supply of water.”

Meanwhile, Jerome Hanson was a little blunter:

“I definitely like reading these thoughts. But this is some pretty lofty s**t to say. Let’s not get too carried away here.”

However, some were in agreement. Gopinath Sadasivam wrote:

“why not… already mobile phones are everywhere including places without access to clean drinking water! Today web sites have desktop version, mobile version of their sites, now add an audio version of the site plus IBM Watson answering masses from some cloud… Eric’s claim makes perfect sense to me!”

Google is certainly doing its bit to introduce net access to more remote locations. The company’s “GEEKS Without Frontiers” project aims to create low-cost technology that can bring wireless Internet to places where traditional wired Internet isn’t possible.

What do you make of Eric Schmidt’s 2020 prediction?

For every person online, there are two who are not. By the end of the decade, everyone on Earth will be connected. #NewDigitalAge

— Eric Schmidt (@ericschmidt) April 13, 2013

Eric Schmidt Predicts Entire World Will Be Online By 2020 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google wants to make sure that your data is deleted or transferred to the right person when you die. To accomplish that goal, the company is offering the new Inactive Account Manager. The platform can be setup to automatically delete a user’s data after a set period of inactivity or to hand over data from Google-powered services to user-specified accounts.

Users can pick their time period for inactivity by choosing a period of three, six, nine, or twelve months.

When a user is one month away from missing their time limit, Google sends a reminder that they must log-in or lose their data.

Google announced the move on its Public Policy blog and stated that only data is transfered  and not the actual account. If you missed your deadline, you still have access to the account if you haven’t chosen to have it deleted.

Data can be pulled from the account by users through various Google account types including Blogger, Google Drive, Gmail, Google+ Profiles, Pages, Streams, Picasa Web Albums, Google Voice, and YouTube.

The Google Inactive Account Manager is one of the more advanced ways we have seen for dealing with death. Facebook offers a memorialization service for deceased user accounts, but users must request that service, and it is simply freezing the user’s Facebook account in time. Twitter will deactivate a deceased users account after mail and fax information is sent to Twitter headquarters.

Here is a screencast of the Google Inactive Account Manager:

Are you going to use the Google Inactive Account Manager to ensure your data falls into the right hands or is deleted after your death?

Google Inactive Account Manager Wipes Or Transfers Your Data After Death is a post from: The Inquisitr

I only started to really look at Glass yesterday. The hype is definitely starting to pick up. and I think rightly so. Up until yesterday I had this gut instinctual reaction that said “I like this – a lot” but I never actually took a closer look. Then last night during my late night hang out with YouTube I came across some really interesting Zeitgeist videos which led me to Googling  Google, which led me to Glass.

I have to say something at this point in order to give full disclosure. I must admit that since last night i have become a little bit obsessed with Google. OK that’s enough disclosure.

So what really got me going wasn’t all the safety and real life documentation concepts but rather as Sergey so eloquently showed in his Ted speech (see below) we as a humanity have basically become glued to our phone screens – looking down – constantly. Its the natural position – check phone screen – check updates – look at Facebook – check emails – check whats app – play snake – oh that was Nokia days – the point is we as a species are glued to the screens of our phones, and it does not necessarily HAVE to be that way,

And that’s what has really piqued my enthusiasm here. Google Glass precludes the reality that a few years down the line basically phones are going to be completely obsolete.

Rather than positing, as my colleague has here, that things are going to go the route of flashing the screen on contact lenses and imprinting circuit board’s (powered by natural heat from skin) ‘tattooed’ onto the skin – I believe it will be more subtle with the “computer” existing in the pocket much like the smartphone is now, but relegated to the warm darkness of the pocket/pocketbook and Glass/future iterations of Glass doing the rest. My gut feeling is that it wont take long before they develop the technology that just splays the screen in front of the person when so desired without any real need for more than a standard glasses lens.

Here is the Recently Leaked Ted talk from Sergey which was delivered pretty much off the cuff and not as a planned talk.

I really like how he so easily proves the point throughout his talk by just staring at his phone. So the real question is how quickly once fully released the technology will catch up to allow you to do all the other things you rely on your smartphone for asides from shooting a quick easy image or text message, like analyzing data on a website, or sending an email that has more than two paragraphs.

And the answer is – MUCH quicker than you think. With 3 of the top Venture Capital firms now entrenching big money into the deal in order to capitalize on the early movers, its clear that an entire Eco-structure is going to develop around it.

Knowing Google, anyone lucky enough to get their hands on the developer version in the next few weeks is going to be smart enough to either start building applications or invent them for others to build.

And so the race begins to banish the smartphone from in front of our faces. My prediction – our children’s children will be laughing at our “smartphones”

Here are a few choice videos that will open your mind more to the possibilities of Google Glass.

Are you excited about Glass after a little bit of looking deeper? Or do you think everyone looking up at their Glass ‘screen’ instead of looking down at their Smartphone screen is just going to take us down a step on the evolutionary ladder – one step closer to zombie…

Google Glass – The Death of the Smartphone? [Commentary] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google search app for iOS released an update on Tuesday, but Google Now was nowhere to be seen.

The new update was released to fix some minor bugs that were discovered since Google’s last iOS search release.

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that the next iOS release from Google would bring with it the Google Now platform, a system currently only available for Google Android smartphone users.

In mid-March, the company watched as a leaked video with an alleged look at Google Now for iOS devices. The video showed Google Now built right into the Google Search feature.

Following the leaked video, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said the ball was in Apple’s court to accept the app. Apple, in the meantime, said Google never actually submitted the new Google Now included platform.

While Apple claimed that the Google Now app was never submitted, many analysts believed Google would use the search app to push through its new platform.

While Google Now is not yet available via the Google Search iOS app, that doesn’t mean Google won’t push the platform out in the near future.

Here is a video that discusses the rumored addition of Google Now via the Apple iOS app:

Apple and Google have been at odds with one another over the last several years. The two companies most recently bumped heads over the Apple Maps platform. With one year remaining on their contract, Apple chose to terminate its relationship with the built-in Google Maps platform. What followed was one of Apple’s biggest platform launch failures in history.

Apple has promised to better its mapping software and has hired some of Google’s former maps specialists to help with the process.

Do you think Google Now will ultimately win over Apple iOS users, or will Apple fight back against the new mobile technology?

Google Search App For iOS Receives Bug Fixes, Still Lacks Google Now is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google Play Store version 4.0 will soon be released for Google Android users and a first image of the store’s new interface has leaked online.

While much is still to be determined, the leaked photograph spotted by Droid Life does show several notable changes, namely a simplified user experience via the Google Play front page. Google has also tweaked the Holo theme for the Google Play store.

The image of the new Google Play 4.0 store was posted by YouTube employee Eileen Rivera. The image was removed shortly after it made its way onto the web.

As a Google Play user, I’m happy to see that Google has replaced its heavy grey interface with a lighter-theme that more closely resembles current Google platform output.

The new Google Play 4.0 store also features moved content categories at the top of the page while the top bar features a pixelated gradient in the background.

While not shown via the image, Google is believed to have simplified various parts of the Play Store’s navigation and settings, making it easier for users to access Google Play store features.

Google has not yet announced when it will release version 4.0 of the Play Store. With that being said, the highly polished look of the leaked screenshot likely means the interface is close to completion.

Here’s a video that teases the new Google Play 4.0 upgrade:

With Google fully revamping its platforms, it looks as if the company will continue to bring its various platforms both desktop and mobile based into the fold.

Are you ready to download Google Play 4.0 for your Android-based smartphone?

Google Play Store 4.0 Gets Spotted In Leaked Photo is a post from: The Inquisitr

WhatsApp Could Be Google’s Next $1 Billion Acquisition is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook Home for Android has just been unveiled. The new integration with Android phones will allow users to get at their Facebook stuff that much easier while giving Facebook a new foothold in the smartphone market.

When the social media giant tipped the media off that there would be an announcement this week, quite a few imaginations started going wild. The announcement actually said that the company was going to show off their “new home on Android.”

It turns out that the company was being literal. Unbeknownst to those who were actually invited to the event and because they assumed it was going to be a bigger announcement, some will probably disappointed that we aren’t going to see a phone that is completely dedicated to the social media firm.

Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new UI that will be debuting on a couple of select Google Android phones in the very near future. Zuckerberg explained just how this new UI would work. Facebook Home will act like a kind of wrapper for the current Android operating system.

Zuckerberg did claim that Home would basically create a new kind of phone, without actually having to produce a brand new phone. He added that this development will allow the smartphone to focus more on people than on applications.

The new service will be rolled out on April 12 for the HTC One, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III and S IV, and Samsung Galaxy Note II. AT&T and HTC are apparently also working on some new phones that will also sport this new UI.

Insiders have long been claiming that Zuckerberg has been pushing his employees to take a longer look at Android. He’s even encouraged them to move away from the iPhone in order to pick up Google’s OS. It seems there is an obvious reason why now.

Is Facebook Home enough to get you to switch to Android?

[Image by Pan Xunbin / Shutterstock.com]

‘Facebook Home’ For Android Unveiled is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google is rumored to be bringing an Android laptop to the market by the end of this year. Google is apparently looking to transfer their mobile Android operating system in order to put together a new kind of notebook computer.

This would actually be the second operating system that Google had put into a a notebook computer. Chrome was the first and the company was able to make that into a laptop operating system thanks in large part to the OS being used on computers already.

Now the company will be looking to launch another operating system for notebooks. At that point the company will actually have more operating systems than either Apple or Microsoft. The computing giant has already managed to change its Chrome notebooks with the release of the Pixel.

Google might actually be trying to blend its Chrome operating system with Android in order to actually put together a brand new kind of operating system. While none of these particular computers have been put together yet, the same reports seem to indicate that the new Android notebooks might be ready to ship by the third quarter of 2013.

The search engine king of the hill has sold about 1 million Chromebooks this year. That means that there is still a rather limited market for their specialized laptops. There might be a bit more of  a market for and Androidbook as long as the company can find a new way to market the device.

Android is currently the most popular mobile operating system in the world, thanks in large part to sheer number of different kinds and brands of devices that the operating system is running on.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this story is that the Androidbook might actually be put out sooner rather than later.

The Jelly Bean-running MiiPC is looking to beat Google to the market through Kickstarter.

Google Allegedly Bringing Android Laptop This Year is a post from: The Inquisitr

Every time a major Christian holiday rolls around, Google is criticized for its failure, willing or otherwise, to recognize it on the home page of their search engine. Easter 2013 was no different, with the Google Doodle going not to Jesus Christ (or even the Easter Bunny) but to Big Labor icon Cesar Chavez.

Google’s “Doodles” are meant “to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists,” in the company’s own words, but sometimes the homepage graphic is criticized for ignoring Judeo-Christian holidays celebrated by billions across the globe.

In 2011, President Obama designated March 31 as Cesar Chavez day, which Easter also fell on this year. Google chose to commemorate Chavez with a graphic of the American labor leader, while top search engine rival Bing changed its homepage to an Easter graphic (albeit a non-religious one).

This isn’t the first time Google has been criticized for ignoring a Judeo-Christian holiday nor the first time that Bing has scooped its search engine rival on a national holiday. Last year, Google didn’t change its homepage at all to reflect Christmas on December 25th, nor did it choose to celebrate July 4th (while Bing did).

Additionally, this is actually the 13th year in a row that Google has ignored Easter. Many on Twitter criticized Google for recognizing Chavez instead of Easter, even threatening a boycott.

So, let me get this straight – according to @google, Cesar Chavez >>>> Jesus, Easter, and Opening Day/Baseball? #google hates America

— Mallory Factor II (@MalFII) March 31, 2013

@cocrowe I guess we all need to Boycott Google and use a different email and search engine.

— ConservativeLinda (@Linda18788) March 31, 2013

It wasn’t just “traditional conservatives” or “Tea Partiers” criticizing Google either. MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski, a non-subtle Liberal on many issues, said on today’s Morning Joe, “how about a statement one day that just says: ‘we screwed up’?” from Google about the Chavez graphic.

For their part, Google did provide BuzzFeed with a statement regarding the Chavez graphic on Sunday afternoon:

“We enjoy celebrating holidays at Google but, as you may imagine, it’s difficult for us to choose which events to highlight on our site. Sometimes for a given date we feature an historical event or influential figure that we haven’t in the past.”

What do you think? Does Google purposefully ignore Judeo-Christian holidays? Should they have celebrated Easter on March 31? Was the Cesar Chavez graphic offensive to you? Sound off!

Google Ignores Easter For 13th Year In A Row, Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google continues to unveil April Fool’s day jokes, this time with the release of Gmail Blue, the company’s next big version of email which is completely colored blue.

So far, Google has announced that YouTube is closing down and that a new product called Google Nose can smell for nearby ghosts. The search giant also announced Google Treasure Maps for Google Maps users.

Google has a long storied history of releasing April Fool’s Day jokes. When the search giant first started releasing its jokes in 2000, they were simple. For example, Google’s first joke asked users to attempt the MentalPlex. The program invited users to project a mental image of what they wanted to find whilst staring at an animated gif. The MentalPlex then displayed various messages including “Error 001: Weak or no signal detected. Upgrade transmitter and retry” and “Error 666: Multiple transmitters detected. Silence voices in your head and try again.”

You can see a full list of Google hoaxes here.

Google doesn’t really try to hide the fact that it’s jokes are meant for April Fool’s Day. What the company does manage to do is release some pretty funny videos. Here’s the Google Blue video:

Google doesn’t say why it went with the blue coloring for Gmail Blue; however, we get the distinct impression that it has something to do with Facebook’s constant use of the color blue all over its social network.

Google has been participating in April Fool’s Day jokes for 13 years, and, if anything, it appears the company’s jokes are becoming more advanced in their scope. What do you think of Google’s April Fools day jokes so far this year?

Google Introduces Gmail Blue: It’s Just Like Regular Email, But Blue is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google joined other publications on Sunday in launching its April Fool’s day prank a full day early. The company on Sunday announced Google Treasure Maps, its next take on the Google Maps platform.

The pirate-style treasure maps were created alongside 2D hand-drawn landmarks and hidden treasure chests.

The Google Treasure map platform uses a spyglass to zoom in for Street View access and features a rounded telescopic frame and old-school filter.

Users can access Google Treasure Maps by visiting the Google Maps website and clicking on the “Treasure” picture icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Furthering its joke, Google warns: ”Your system may not be able to display at higher resolutions than paper print.”

Google lists the Treasure Map setup as “beta technology” and claims the map once belonged to infamous pirate William “Captain” Kidd.

Continuing with its storyline, Google claims the map was recently discovered during an expedition in the Indian Ocean while the team was working on underwater Street View collection.

Users are given clues and hints to help “crack the code” that will ultimately unlock the treasure.

Some serious thought was put into the Google Treasure Maps, which also including real locations like Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay and San Jose University. Those locations feature mini maps with X marks.

Google has taken the idea of April Fool’s day and turned it into less of a time for jokes and more of a way to have some fun with its own well-respected technology.

Here is a demo video for the new Google Treasure Maps program:

Google can add its treasure maps platform right next to its recently released ski resort mapping technology for ski trails.

Do you think Google Treasure Maps is a fun and unique way for Google to celebrate a day of mischievous pranks?

Google Treasure Maps Debut Just In Time For April Fool’s Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kids these days are technologically advanced. 1-year-olds figure out how to move around iPads, 9-year-olds are developing computer programs, and teens are getting in all types of digital trouble. Now a new Kickstarter project known as the MiiPC is attempting to allow parents to follow their possibly mischievous children around the web.

The MiiPC is a Google Android powered PC that keeps track of all online browsing and the content children are coming in contact with.

The MiiPC connects to most computer monitors or TV screens, allowing parents to track internet usage by way of a mobile powered app.

Running on the Google Android OS the platform allows each family member to access their own separate desktop account, thus ensuring monitoring matches the child.

The platform monitors both website visits and app usage, the perfect way for parents to tell if their child is doing homework for school or goofing off with Candy Crush Saga.

If your child won’t get off the device when told the MiiPC offers a remote logout option and the ability to prevent future logins.

Parents also gain access to a log of online use that can be controlled in real-time.

Apparently parents really want to make sure their children are safely browsing the internet, the MiiPC reached its $50,000 funding goal in less than 24 hours and has now achieved $108,062 at the time of this posting.

Here is a video of the MiiPC:

Money earned so far has come in the form of 750 backers. There is still 40 days remaining in the Kickstarter campaign.

The MiiPC is available through Kickstarter at the very reasonable price of $99. The devices won’t ship until August but you can get your order in now and be at the front of the line.

Are you interested in the MiiPC and its ability to track internet usage for your children in real-time?

MiiPC Runs On Android, Monitors Web Activity Of Children is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google on Thursday released 10 patents for use by open source developers. The company announced its decision by claiming to be “taking a stand on open source and patents.” The search giant promised not to sue ”any user, distributor or developer of open-source software on specified patents, unless first attacked.”

The first 10 patents released by Google are related to MapReduce, an algorithm that is used in the processing of large-scale data.

Google has named the program OPN Pledge, and the company hopes it will help open up the tech industry while allowing for faster and better innovation breakthroughs. OPN Pledge asks other patents holders to pledge which patents they are willing to share at no cost and under the promise of no legal action.

According to Electronista, the pledge includes the ability for patent holders to “determine which patents they wish to pledge, breadth not confining pledges to a specific project, defensive protection allowing holders to terminate the pledge but only if a party brings any patent suit against holders of the pledged patent, and durability leaving the pledge in force for the life of the patents even if transferred.”

On its official blog, Google says, “Open-source software has been at the root of many innovations in cloud computing, the mobile web, and the Internet generally. And while open platforms have faced growing patent attacks, requiring companies to defensively acquire ever more patents, we remain committed to an open Internet—one that protects real innovation and continues to deliver great products and services.”

The pledge has built-in failsafes that allow patents to sue a developer if that developer first files suit against the patent holder.

The release of several high profile patents are largely seen as Google’s attempt to appease federal officials in response to accusations that Google has too aggressively gone after patent violators.

Do you think more companies should open up their patent libraries to developers of open source programs?

Google Offers 10 Free Patents To Open Source Developers is a post from: The Inquisitr

The team at Google Maps has expanded its ski runs for 100 additional ski resorts throughout North America.

The search giant on Monday announced that the new trail maps were added for 100 new resort locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Among some of the major resorts to receive the new trails support are Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows and Timberline Lodge resorts.

The update isn’t just for large scale ski resorts. Google also updated Google Maps with trails support for New York’s Hunter Maintain Ski Resort.

Just like ski slope maps in the past, the new Google Maps trails are marked by blue, green, and black lines to signify the difficulty of each slop. The maps also offer red dotted lines to show skiers and snowboarders where they can find ski lifts.

The last trails update was delivered by Google in November 2012. At the time of its last update, Google added 90 new resorts to its platform. Before that update, the company had indexed just 35 ski resorts and the trails they operate.

To date, Google Maps offers trails support for 225 different ski resorts.

Most trail support for Google Maps is located in North America; however, the company’s first batch of trails support did feature a few mountain ranges in Europe.

Users will likely be given access to further ski resorts since Google typically attempts to fully saturate all areas it focuses on.

The need to continually add new locations to Google Maps in important to the company. A recent test by PC Magazine found that Apple Maps’ actually provided better driving instructions versus Google under certain real world road conditions.

Do you think Google Maps should continually add new types of location information to its mapping software?

Google Maps Adds Ski Trails Support For 100 New Ski Resort Locations is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Google smartwatch is currently being developed by the search giant, according to several rumors that surfaced on Thursday.

According to reports, the Google Android division is developing the smartwatch in order to ensure its compatibility with the company’s mobile OS. In comparison, Google Glass was developed by Google X Lab.

News of the Google smartwatch surfaces at the same time that Samsung and Apple have begun working on their own wearable tech. Very few facts about those smartwatch devices have surfaced at this time.

A source at the FinancialTimes says the new project is separate from Samsung’s own attempts to create an Android friendly smartphone. The source also says the Google smartwatch is still in its infancy and could be sidelined before it gains traction.

Last year, Google filed a patent for Google Glass that would allow information to display via a flip-up front bezel. That same patent could be used to help the Google smartwatch.

The Samsung smartwatch surfaced in alleged photos several days ago with a 500×500-resolution screen, while the Apple iWatch is believed to be utilizing curved glass. Should Google decide to compete in the smartwatch sector, we assume they will offer similar features found on Samsung and Apple devices.

The Google smartwatch could be a smart move for the internet giant. Google Glass is a great new product, but it will likely suffer from a lack of mass appeal. A cheaper smartwatch, on the other hand, could give Google a way into the wearable tech market.

Google will be competing against an Apple iWatch team that is believed to include 100 Apple employees. The company will also have to convince an already established user base to turn away from the Kickstarter-funded Pebble smartwatch and the Sony SmartWatch.

Are you prepared to make the jump from smartphone to mobile based smartwatch?

Google Smartwatch Currently Being Created For Android is a post from: The Inquisitr

People really had it rough circa 20 years ago.

How Did We Survive Before Google? is a post from: The Inquisitr

A couple in Manchester, England, has been caught engaging in a lewd sex act in an alleyway by Google Street View cameras.

The duo were down a discreet back street in the English city when they were caught enjoying the steamy encounter, which has now been plastered across the internet for the entire world to see.

Google automatically blurs out the faces of the individuals who appear in the Street View pictures, but the location of the image has also raised further questions.

This area of Manchester, Temperance Street just behind Fairfield Street in Piccadilly, is renowned for being the home of prostitutes in the city.

The image was then spotted by Google users who shared it across the world wide web. Various Twitter holders have added captions with the photos that read, “Al fresco. Mancunian style,” and “Classy Manchester.”

Google then decided to blur the image even further on Friday morning, before removing it entirely by the weekend.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Google View have caught people committing acts of debauchery on their travels.

In January, a photographer for the website’s huge congregation of mappers accidentally took a photo of two extreme-sports hobbyists in a compromisng position in a French retail shop’s dressing room.

A Street View car filming in upstate New York was also thought to have injured a deer after it hit the animal, but it later got up and walked away.

Whilst, in Germany an image caught a woman giving birth on a pavement just as a man held up the baby. However this latter turned out to be fake.

It has also worked for good too. A pedestrian by the name of Bob Mewse decided to lose seven stone after he saw a photo of himself taken by a Street View car online.

Google Street View Captures English Couple In Lewd Act is a post from: The Inquisitr

I suppose we all will now.

Existential Google is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google search filter was upgraded on Tuesday to include transparent images and GIFs.

Using the search giants “search tools” feature located via Google images search allows for easy perusal. Under the new system’s controls, users can choose to search for Gifs or transparent images with just a few clicks of their mouse or trackpad.

To use the platform, a web user much click “search tools” and then choose the box that says “animated.” Users are then told to look under “any type” via the dropdown menu and from there choose GIF or Transparent under the search engine’s color filter options.

While GIF based files have been around since the days of bulletin board systems, they have recently made a big comeback thanks to the internet meme crazy. The creation of platforms such as Viddy and Vine have also helped users reconnect with often hilarious and sometimes very inventive GIFs.

Internet GIF files offer animated responses to just about any situation. Even in today’s age of massive communication options, I have friends who communicate their emotions online almost purely through GIF-based links and postings on their own websites. Networks such as Tumblr and Reddit also capitalize on GIFs to express an emotion or share a quick clip from funny moments frozen in time.

Transparent images on the other hand could help webmasters and designers find images that would work well with their own web design backgrounds. Transparent images, before this system, were often hard to find and involved trial and error searches. In many cases, buying an image and turning the background transparent yourself was often a time saving method.

Google users should start seeing the new feature over the next few days, at which point we expect funny GIFs of cats and dogs to start trending on a more regular basis.

Do you see the value in being able to find GIFs and transparent images more easily? Give the new Google search filter setup for GIFs and transparent images a try and drop us a line with your thoughts.

Google Search Filter Adds Transparent Images, Gifs is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google Babble is the newest rumored offering from the search giant. The Babble platform promises to unify Google’s many platforms into a singular point of communication.

According to several sources at Geek.com, the Google Babble platform will act as a cross-platform communications hub between various services including Google Talk, Google Hangouts, and Google Voice, among others. The platform would allow Google platform users to connect with one another without the need to be on the same system.

The rumor claims that Google Babble is being built from the “ground up” so that all services run by Google can be included in the platform as the company sees fit.

The Babble platform is meant to include the ability to share images from a users chat windows, start Hangouts from any Google-based contact list, and provide other services that can be shared between users.

Google already takes advantage of XMPP, an open platform used to power its Google Talk platform. There is a good chance Google will take its new Babble configuration and create a closed network of communications that rivals BlackBerry Messenger and iMessage by providing deeper file integration and more uses among a larger audience.

The snoops at Google have not given a possible released date for Google Babble.

Thankfully, we might not have to wait long to learn more about Google’s unification of apps. The Google I/O conference is held in May, and Google loves to give sneak peaks at rumors that turn out to be true.

Hopefully, Google will integrate the new Babble platform with the Google Android system in such a way that users can better communicate across all of their devices.

Do you think a unified Google Babble system will convince users to better communicate with others by using all of the company’s top systems as they deem necessary?

Google Babble Will Unify Search Giants Platforms, Allow For Open Communication is a post from: The Inquisitr

In its never ending attempt to map out the world in photos, the team at Google Maps Street View have begun taking to the mountains.

So far the world’s largest search engine has taken to the Aconcagua mountains in South America, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Kilimanjaro in Africa, and Asia’s Everest Base Camp.

Those particular mountains are part of the grouping known as the Seven Summits.

In a company blog post, Google explains that the photos were taken with the use of a lightweight tripod attached to a fish eye lens. That process was used in place of a Google Street View car. The tripods and lightweight cameras were used to carry as little weight as possible so Google employees could reach the peaks of each summit.

This is not the first time Google has captured hard to reach places. Google employees deployed autonomous cameras attached to a backpack a few months ago in the Grand Canyon.

Google Street Views has been quick to detach itself from the standard street view model. Google has given tours of the Swiss Alps and traveled to Antarctica, and the search giant has even given a tour of its own data centers.

Today Google users can literally receive “street views” for various non-street based locations. Google walking directions have even begun to enter the inside of malls and other large indoor locations, allowing users to take advantage of indoor directions where needed.

While Google has not yet managed to cover every street in the world, the company is edging ever closer to its goal. Recently Google mapmaker was even used to secretly display several major streets in the secretive country of North Korea.

Google plans to continue the expansion of its Google Maps Street View product. Where would you like Google to take its street views product?

Google Maps Street View Takes To The Mountains is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google on Sunday released a new Google Doodle which celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with the help of a little jig.

Google has been creating Google Doodle’s for St. Patrick’s Day since 2000, but this is the first time an animated offering has been displayed.

The Google Doodle examines a traditional Irish stepdance with the help of six Irish children dancers.

The new graphic is being displayed in the United States, Ireland, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Irish stepdance became popularized in 1994 when the popular troupe Riverdance began touring with the complicated and often physically draining dance steps.

Are you curious to see how the Google Doodle has evolved over the last 13 years? Check out the full gallery of St. Patrick’s Day Doodle’s in the gallery below:

Google Doodle Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day is a post from: The Inquisitr