Google Box On Wheels For Drone Deliveries; Another Feature Samsung Borrows from Apple for the Galaxy S7
Posted: January 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Box on Wheels, Drone Delivery, Galaxy S7, Google, iPhone, Leasing, Project Wing, Samsung, Upgrade Program Leave a commentSince announcing last November that they were launching the Project Wing drone delivery service, not much has been heard from Google on the topic. Now, thenextweb.com says a patent reveals a so-called ‘delivery receptacle.’ It’s essentially a box on wheels with a computing system and drive mechanism, so a drone can drop it off, and it rolls the final distance to you…even into your garage, if you have concerns with packages being stolen off your porch. Google is aiming for a system that will deliver packages of 5 lbs or less to your home or office in under 30 minutes, and this may be an important piece of that puzzle.
We had already reported that the Galaxy S7 will sport its own versions of Apple’s Live Photos and 3D Touch. Bgr.com reports that Samsung will also be rolling out an upgrade program like Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program that arrived with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The leasing type program will drop in South Korea first, then come to the US.
More iPhone OLED Display Rumors; Google Makes WHAT from Android?
Posted: January 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, Japan Display, Java, LG, OLED, Oracle, Samsung Leave a commentJapan Display says it will start mass producing OLED displays within the next 2 years, according to a Reuters report picked up by theverge.com. This is being seen as angling for the Apple iPhone business Samsung and LG are gunning for. It’s been widely rumored that iPhones will use OLED screens by 2018. Numerous Android phones already have them, with Samsung touting Super OLED. Those screens are lighter and thinner than the LCD displays Apple uses, and have more vibrant colors and greater contrast.
Those pesky lawyers! An attorney for Oracle said in court that Google’s Android generated revenue of $31 billion and $22 in profit. If my math is correct, that’s around a stunning 70% profit margin! Bloomberg.com says the disclosure was made January 14th in an Oracle suit accusing Google of using Java software without paying for it to develop Android. Meanwhile, Oracle’s copyright suit against Google also revealed that Google dropped a cool billion with Apple in 2014 to keep it’s search bar on the iPhone! Note to Apple: I’m available for adoption.
Apple iPhone 7 Rumors & Holiday Sales; New Google Glass Model Leak
Posted: December 29, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, Google Glass, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, phablets, Waterproof Leave a commentAnother rumor has the iPhone 7 being waterproof, and in addition, appleinsider.com is reporting it will used new compound materials to conceal antennas, losing those unsightly plastic antenna cover bars. There is some hand wringing that iPhone 6S sales won’t be as good as the 6 had, but the holidays were great for Apple…according to a Flurry Insights report picked up by appleinsider.com, 49.1% of all devices activated Christmas week were from Apple. Phablets were only 13% of last season’s sales, but this year they grabbed 27% of the device market.
Whether we like it or not, there will be more glassholes. Google Glass lives! Hi resolution images of the next generation Google Glass have showed up on an FCC site. They look almost identical to the previous model, but have a hinge to fold just like regular glasses. The prism is larger, as well, according to arstechnica.com. This version of Google Glass is supposed to be enterprise only, and not intended to retail customers.
Google-Password Free Sign In Using Phones; Smaller iPhone 6c…or is it 7?
Posted: December 23, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 6c, 7c, Apple, China Mobile, Google, iPhone, Password-free log in Leave a commentGoogle is testing a way to sign in to your Google account without entering a password. You associate a prime smartphone with the account…locked with a PIN or password. Then, when you want to log in, a notification is sent to that phone. If you click yes, you’re logged in. It’s not super high security, but occasionally asks for a number you have on the phone. Since no password is entered…on a work computer, for example, it can’t be compromised that way. According to 9to5google.com, no word on when or if Google will roll this feature out.
China Mobile just held an event previewing upcoming plans for 2016, and they indicate a 4 inch iPhone which they call iPhone 7 in April, along with the new version of Apple Watch. Most other rumors have this phone as the iPhone 6c. Macrumors.com says it’s supposed to have an aluminum casing like the 5s, and use the A9 processor of the 6s and 6s Plus.
Google Partnering with Ford on Self-Driving Cars; Sony Working On 40% Longer-Lasting Battery
Posted: December 22, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 40% longer life, Ford, Google, Lithium Ion Batteries, Magnesium-sulphur batteries, Self Driving Cars, Sony, Sulfur based batteries Leave a commentGoogle and Ford are partnering to build self-driving cars, according to a report by Yahoo Autos. Businessinsider.com says the deal should be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. The joint venture will create a company that builds self-driving cars using Google technology. The entity will be legally separate from Ford, partly to protect Ford from potential liability. Google has been testing out their odd looking little self driving cars on city streets for a couple years now. Ford and numerous other car makers have been hard at work on self-driving car tech. The partnership would represent Google’s first success enlisting an established car-maker to adopt its technology.
Lithium-ion batteries have been powering our phones and laptops for a long time, but there are other technologies that may work better. Sony played a key part in popularizing Li-ion batteries in the 1990s. Mashable.com reports they are now working on new, sulfur-based batteries, which could offer up to 40% better energy density per volume. That means battery life would last roughly 40% longer.The first Li-S batteries were built in the late 2000s, almost none are commercially available today, mostly due to the sulfur easily degrading. It’s unclear exactly how Sony plans to solve this problem with its new batteries. Sony is apparently also working on magnesium-sulfur (Mg-S) batteries, which are potentially both more efficient and cheaper than today’s batteries.
Sony reportedly aims to have the new batteries ready for commercial production by 2020.
New Apple iPhone Battery Case; Google Makes Mobile Chrome Safe by Default
Posted: December 8, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Apple Maps, Chrome, Google, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, Logistics center, Sacramento, Safe Browsing, Smart Battery Case Leave a commentSeveral Apple news items: Today, Cupertino rolled out a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6S and 6, their first since 2007. According to appleinsider.com, Apple claims 25 hours of extended use. It’s soft silicone with a strange hump for the battery on the back, and runs $99. The silicone gives a sure grip, but does collect dirt.
Many people will be surprised to find that Apple Maps is now used 3 times as often as Google Maps on iPhone. Macrumors.com says this figure was given to the AP by Apple. Google does dominate over all smartphones, of course, with more Android phones in service than iPhones. I tried Apple Maps last spring traveling from Northern California to the Magic Kingdom, and it routed me off the 5 through city streets and back. I thought it was nuts, until I discovered it routed me around a terrible crash in LA with a monster backup.
Apple is dropping 13 million on their Sacramento area campus. Reportedly, this is to change a large warehouse into a logistics center, and they will add an additional 1450 parking spaces and jobs, of course. It’s possible more than logistics is going on…this facility was Apple’s last manufacturing center in the US until 2004.
In a nice move by Google, they have turned on Safe Browsing by default on Chrome for Android. Theverge.com reports that it has always been in the settings, but this will give an extra layer of protection to mobile browsing on Android for Chrome users. Google is releasing the feature as part of Play Services, which means it will appear in other in-house apps moving forward.
Google’s Chromebook Has Taken Over Education; New 10 Terabyte Hard Drive
Posted: December 4, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 10 Terabyte, Apple, Chromebook, Classroom, Education, Google, Hard Drive, Helium, Microsoft, Schools, Storage, Western Digital Leave a commentEven as they seemed to be slipping away as a company back in the bad old days, Apple was a powerhouse in schools. Not anymore. According to 9to5google.com, Google’s Chromebooks have emerged as the clear leader in classrooms, leaving Apple in the dust. Chromebook’s now account for over half of all devices in US classrooms, up from 1 percent in 2012. Meanwhile, Apple has dropped from 52% to 24, and Microsoft from 43 to 24%.
If you really, really need an insane amount of storage, and want to trust it to a single drive, Western Digital has what you need. They just rolled out a helium-filled 10 terabyte hard drive that uses 44% less power than their 6TB model. Geek.com reports it will set you back around $460. That’s light years away from my original 10 MEGAbyte hard card back in the 80’s!
Facebook Enters Crowdfunding; Ford Sees Self-Driving Cars in 4 Years
Posted: November 19, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android Auto, Apple, Autonomous cars, Car Play, Crowdrise, Facebook, Ford, Fundraiser, Google, Indiegogo, Kickstarter, Mcity, Self Driving Cars Leave a commentA lot of projects have been launched on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Now, it appears that Facebook is dipping its toe into the crowdfunding pool. According to techcrunch.com, they’ve just released something called Fundraiser, which lets non-profits set up a campaign page where they can roll a video, collect cash, and let people share on their newsfeed. As it stands, Fundraiser competes with Crowdrise, but it wouldn’t take much for Facebook to drop the ‘non’ from nonprofit. With people able to donate and never leave Facebook, it will be easier than ever to fund nonprofit projects…and perhaps in the near future, FOR profit ones.
The race is really on…figuratively, at least…to autonomous cars. Recode.net reports that Ford’s CEO Mark Fields said this week that he sees completely self-driving cars on the streets within 4 years. That’s even quicker than Google’s prediction of 5 years. Ford has started testing autonomous cars at Mcity, the 30 plus acre test layout operated by the University of Michigan. Mcity has a full scale urban streets test layout. The Ford CEO also said they have plans to include Apple Car Play and Google’s Android Auto in some of the Ford line, but he didn’t specify what models or the timetable.
Google Weighs Building Its Own Smartphone From Scratch; Samsung Galaxy S7 Update
Posted: November 11, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Galaxy S7, Google, Nexus, Samsung Leave a commentGoogle already has the Nexus, and two models just recently rolled out. Now, according to bgr.com, which spotted something in The Information, Google may not look to HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, or Huawei for future smartphones, but may roll their own. The Silicon Valley giant is apparently considering developing its own chips for mobile devices…like Apple does. Even though Android dominates the smartphone market, they continue to lose share to Apple. Nothing’s decided yet…including whether or not they would use the Nexus brand.
Earlier, we reported that Apple may be on track to drop the iPhone 7 by June or July, instead of September as with the iPhone 6S and 6 before it. Now, it appears Samsung is at least a month ahead of last year in developing firmware for it’s next iteration of the Galaxy, the S7. 9to5google.com notes that his could allow them to get the drop on Apple with a rollout as early as January or February.
Google Maps Adds OFFLINE Features; Vizio TVs Sleazy ‘Opt Out’ Data Harvesting
Posted: November 10, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Data Harvesting, Google, Google Maps, LG, Offline, Samsung, Smart Interactivity, Toshiba, TV, Vizio Leave a commentGoogle is rolling out a MAJOR new feature for Google Maps on Android…full offline support. 9to5google.com says you could already see a map area without a net connection, but now you will be able to use features like navigation and business info without being connected. You will need to download sections of the map while you’re online first…once you’ve done that, all of the above is available without using your cellular or wi-fi connection. Keep in mind that some features…like traffic alerts…won’t work if you’re offline. The rollout of the feature is underway to Android users now.
Big Brother may not be watching, but your big screen TV may be. Of course, you knew that some brands have had this dubious feature….it’s been reported about Samsung, LG, & Toshiba…but on those, you have to opt in. It turns out that Vizio smart TVs make you opt out of their spying on you and selling your data. Geek.com reports that they’ve buried the option under the ‘Smart Interactivity’ label, and they even tell you the so-called feature is at ‘no cost to you,’ and warn that you’ll miss out on coupons and special offers if you turn it off. As geek.com pointed out, if you’ve ever wondered how Vizio can sell its TVs so cheaply, with the same features as the big boys, now you know.
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