This Gmail 5 for Android Concept is Amazing

An Android developer and designer named Paul Burke recently published a set of photos to his Google+ page that re-imagines Gmail for Android. The photos show a stunning, simple and elegant user interface that incorporates all of your contacts and reorganizes your inbox so that it’s more intuitive and easier to use.

“I’ve been imagining what Gmail for Android could look like in a post-Google Now world,” Burke said. “After seeing the Gmail for iOS design, I was inspired to create a concept that adopts the best of both apps. The basic premise of this redesign is new navigation, and more focus on people and content. I’ve been working on this in tiny bursts for a while, and wanted to get more screens done, but at this rate, the actual app will come out first. I hope to, at least, get more done to show how the cards would work in the Conversation view.”

Burke warns, of course, that his concept won’t ever be created by Google and that these are sketches he developed in Photoshop. Google: take note.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Chrome for iOS now includes Google Cloud Print, AirPrint, and fullscreen browsing

Google's Chrome browser for iOS (free) was updated to version 26.0.1410.50 today, providing some new and much-appreciated features.

To begin with, the app now provides support for Google Cloud Print, a way of printing documents to printers from just about anywhere through PCs or Macs that are aware of attached or wireless printers. The app also provides support for Apple's own AirPrint and AirPrint-aware printers.

Any page viewed in Chrome can also be saved as a PDF file to the user's Google Drive through Cloud Print. This is a way to quickly store web pages on Google Drive for download to an iOS device for offline reading.

In addition to the usual stability and security improvements and bug fixes, Chrome also adds fullscreen browsing support for the iPhone and iPod touch. This was implemented in a very intuitive manner; users simply scroll the browser window to the top of the screen to "push" the toolbar off the screen, or scroll back down to view the Google "omnibox."

While the changes are rather limited, they add a tremendous amount of utility to a fast and stable iOS web browser.

[Source: TUAW]

Chrome 27 beta wrings out more speed, streamlines HTML5 input

It's like clockwork, really. Chrome 26 has barely hit the stable track, and Google is already posting a Chrome 27 beta for desktops and Android devices to show what's next. Apparently, that future centers mostly on raw efficiency: Google has eked out an average 5 percent speed boost through a more aggressive resource scheduler. It also has a simpler interface for date and time forms on HTML5 pages. Most of the other upgrades coddle developers, such as the introduction of live audio input for the Web Audio API and an offline storage API for Chrome Web Store apps. There's no mention of Blink, so those who were expecting rapid adoption of the web engine beyond Chromium will be disappointed -- even so, it's good enough that we could see internet Guinea pigs giving the release a try.

[Source: Engadget]

Updated Nexus 7 with new screen and Qualcomm CPU coming in July, says Reuters

"Power reasons" force the switch from NVIDIA's Tegra platform to Qualcomm according to the source

A report from Reuters earlier says that come July, we'll have a new version of Google's popularNexus 7 tablet. ASUS will still be the manufacturer, but a few key things will have changed. Expect a higher resolution screen with smaller bezels, and concerns over "power" (we take that to mean battery power) have forced a switch to Qualcomm for the CPU.

Pricing is said to still be in limbo, but the $199 figure has been mentioned. This is the same base priceas last year's Nexus 7, and a key to its success. 

If this rumor turns out to be true, a July release would work well with an unveiling at Google I/O this May. ASUS sold an estimated 4.6 million Nexus 7s in the second half of last year, and updated specs at the same price will draw plenty more interest. We're keeping an eye on this one.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Are iTunes Links Being Downranked by Google?

Searching for direct links is a popular way to locate apps, but it appears that Apple's App Store links are being downranked by Google. As TechCrunch points out, a search for "Whatsapp iTunes" or "Whatsapp iPhone" would normally rank the target URL high on the search results page, but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. 

Searching for Whatsapp's iTunes link with those aforementioned phrases does not return an iTunes URL on the first page of results, and the same goes for many other popular apps like Facebook and Twitter for iOS. Even Apple's own Keynote and Numbers apps do not show up on the first page of results with search terms like "Keynote iTunes."

When searching for "Numbers iPhone," in fact, the iTunes link does not show up until the eighth page of search results. The results can vary slightly depending on whether one is logged in or out of Google, but for affected apps, the links remain low in the rankings. 

Not all apps appear to be suffering from the search bug. For example, a search for “Temple Run: Oz iPhone” returns a top ranked iTunes link, as does a similar search for Minecraft: Pocket Edition. 

Both TechCrunch and The Next Web have gone through several other examples of apps that appear to be suffering from downranked search results. There's no specific workaround for the search result mystery, but as noted by TechCrunch, adding "iTunes" to queries usually works to provide the proper links, though as seen above, that's not always the case.

For most apps, adding "iTunes" works to deliver the iTunes URL results, whether logged in or out. It's the other types of queries that are difficult, and it's difficult to pinpoint an exact time when these changes began. Because Google is constantly refining its algorithms, and many users are on Google while logged in, tweaks to search rankings are rarely spotted immediately, unless it's a case where a URL has been banned entirely, whether or purpose or by accident.

According to AppsFire co-founder Ouriel Ohayon, the search issue began recently, possibly just today. While Google has been contacted, the company has yet to issue a response on the odd search results. 

Update: A Google spokesperson issued the following statement to The Verge: "We've been having some issues fetching pages from the iTunes web servers, and as a result some people may have had problems finding iTunes apps in search easily. We're working with the team there to ensure search users can find what they're looking for."

[Source: MacRumors]

 

Google's 2013 April Fools' gags start with the shutdown of YouTube

Gotta hand it to Google -- the boys and girls in Mountain View can have some serious fun for April Fools' Day. Each year we get a handful of awesomely funny announcements and videos, including such gems as Google Translate for animals or Google Racing.

Google's getting started a day early this year. This morning it posted a video to YouTube announcing that it's received enough entries to finally pick the best video, and that YouTube will shut down at midnight tonight until 2023, at which time the winner will be announced.

Thanks for all your great entries.
YouTube finally has enough videos to begin selecting a winner.
What do you think is the #bestvideo on YouTube?

We've been thrilled with all of the diverse, creative entries we've seen so far, and we can't wait to begin the process of selecting the best video. We'll be announcing the winner in 10 years. 

The cameos are worth watching as well. Antoine Dodson as a judge? Of course. Taking a shot at unboxings? Love it. iJustine, Rafi Fine. David from "David after Dentist" fame. Awesomesauce.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Google’s Unified Messaging Service Will Work Across Five Platforms

A new report from Droid-Life details Google’s upcoming Babble—or Babel, sources say— messaging service, and how it’ll unify across five different platforms. The platform is allegedly being tested internally by Google across Android, iOS, Chrome, Google+ and Gmail, and willsync across all five seamlessly in a conversation-based UI. If ever there was one, this is Google’s answer to BBM and iMessage.

Google is allegedly going to push these bullet points when the service officially launches (date is still unknown):

  • Access the same conversation list from anywhere
  • A new, conversation-based UI
  • Advanced group conversations
  • Ability to send pictures
  • Improved notifications across devices

If this new Babel service turns out to be legit, I’m already a fan. We currently use a few different methods to communicate at work, and it’ll be nice to have something that unifies across five separate platforms. Of course, this is still a rumor at this point, but many of them hammer around the same main points. If this is something Google has planned for I/O in May, we don’t have too much longer to wait.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Google Glass will reportedly be built in America, at least initially

That $1,500 price tag for Google Glass Explorer Edition? Perhaps it makes a bit more sense considering that US labor will be used to manufacturer it. According to unnamed sources cited by Financial Times, the first run of production-quality Glass headsets will be built in Santa Clara, California. The reason? A lot is riding on the quality of Glass, and it's likely that Google just wants to keep a close eye on every single prototype that leaves the lab. In fact, it's not exactly uncommon -- the outfit did the same for its ill-fated Nexus Q, and Apple is building some of its iMacs here in the states as well.

It's also important to note that the initial batch of Glass headsets won't be high yield, so there's little reason for Google to look overseas with so few units slated for production. Whether or not the lines in NorCal will continue to hum once these things hit critical mass remains to be seen, but it is interesting that Hon Hai Precision (read: Foxconn) will reportedly manage the facility that cranks 'em out.

[Source: Engadget]

Gmail for iOS Updated with Ability to Swipe Between Messages

Google has updated its Gmail app to version 2.1, adding swipe controls that allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through emails without returning to the inbox. 

Edit mode is now initiated when a message in the inbox is selected, allowing users to quickly organize emails into folders and add labels from the action bar at the top of the screen.

-Swipe left or right to move between messages without returning to the inbox. 

-Take action on multiple messages more quickly: Selecting a message in the inbox now enables edit mode. Once in edit mode, tap on messages to select them and then choose to archive, delete, or more, from the new actions bar. You may select Cancel at any time to leave edit mode. 

-And of course: performance improvements and bug fixes.

[Source: MacRumors]

'If I had Glass' winners selected by Google, invites due out in coming days

Even though they're still priced at a cool $1500 plus tax, it seems there's a whole lot of people who really want to get hold of Google Glass. The 'If I had Glass' competition offered 8,000 eager early adopters a chance to get in on the ground floor, and now those lucky thousands have been chosen. 

The Explorer Program is only for individuals, so companies such as JetBlue that came up with pretty awesome looking suggestions will have to wait it out for now. But, in the coming days the lucky individuals that have been chosen to hand over their money for Glass will be notified of their success. Google says that the response has been 'enthusiastic.' 

So, if you entered, and you win, be sure to let us know. We just hope that LeVar Burton was one of them.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Evernote 5 hits Android with revamped camera, shortcuts and tweaked UI

Evernote has finally brought its Android client up to par with its iOS counterpart, pushing it to version five. The update, which just hit the Play store, includes a mild face lift that offers more contrast between notes and other UI elements, as well as a few new icons with a bit more depth and detail. The visual tweaks aren't particularly exciting, though. What has us rushing for the update button are all the new features, like the completely revamped camera interface. You can now take several images and add them all to a note in one shot. While a dedicated "page" camera helps you get the best results when snapping photos of hand-written missives by boosting contrast and removing shadows. Of course, the company thinks that feature works particularly well when paired with its branded Moleskin notebooks, but those are purely optional. The results from the couple of quick snapshots we took were bright clear and as legible as could be expected. Unfortunately there are continued issues with Evernote's text recognition, which tends to be slow for non-premium users.

[Source: Engadget]

Google starts a TV white space trial in South Africa to wirelessly link schools

Google has been a strong advocate of white space wireless as democratizing broadband access: its long-range nature can bring people online when the local internet framework isn't always reliable, if it exists at all. The company is about to illustrate that potential through a new trial in South Africa. A trio of base stations at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town will supply ten nearby primary and secondary schools with internet access to prove that white space access can work without affecting TV signals. To make sure it won't, Google is picking the safest frequencies from a database and is measuring the results for the sake of both nervous broadcasters and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. If all goes well, it (and similar efforts from Microsoft) should make a case for full approval of white space use across the country and deliver internet access to remote areas that risk being left by the technological wayside.

[Source: Engadget]