Tag Archives: GOOGLE

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[Google I/O 2021] Google & Samsung Take Wear OS to the Next Level

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Android Wear or Wear OS as it was renamed a few years ago has been a little anaemic when it comes to updates; that is until NOW. Google took the stage at I/O 2021 to announce what could be the biggest and most important update to Wear OS: Google and Samsung are partnering to push Wear OS to the next level. The announcement confirms rumours which have been making their rounds for months.

Source: Google

The new partnership sees Samsung bring their know-how, expertise and features from their successful Tizen OS to Wear OS. As the companies put it, they are bringing “the best of their platforms together into one unified experience”. So what does this mean exactly? Well, the biggest change is that Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch will be shipping with Wear OS instead of Tizen OS. While this might seems like Samsung will be leaving their older watches behind, the company reassures its users that Galaxy Watch and other Tizen OS powered wearables will be receiving updates and support for at least 3 years after their launch.

Improvements Under the Hood

That aside, the new collaborative Wear OS approach also brings a slew of improvements that will not only be improving the user experience but also making developing for Wear OS a lot easier. The collaboration’s biggest improvement comes in its improved load time. Google is touting a whopping 30% improvement in app load times. In addition, Samsung and Google have made improvements to the lower layer of Wear OS to improve battery life. If you’ve used Wear OS smartwatches, you’d know that battery life can be an issue with them.

Source: Google

Google and Samsung have optimised background processes, making them more efficient and less intensive on the processors. In fact, processor-intensive processes like continuous heart rate monitoring have been optimised to use lower power cores to conserve power. This also opens the doors to more power-efficient features for wearable devices. Samsung has also helped with power efficiency with its bundled sensors which allow them to include more than one sensor in a single module.

More Diverse User Experience

Aside from improvements under the hood, the improvements are also creating a more diverse user experience. Manufacturers are now allowed to skin the operating system to have a more unified look across their devices. This also means that we might see slightly different experiences from manufacturers like Tag Heuer, Fossil and even Samsung will have their own design language when it comes to the user interface for their wearables. Google is expecting that the new customizability will result in a more diverse Wear OS ecosystem.

Google is also opening up more features in the OS to developers. Developers will be able to bring features like tiles to their apps. They have also integrated development for Wear OS into Android’s Development Studio. They are creating a more unified development experience across Android and Wear OS with a single touchpoint for development. Development is also made easier with Google’s Jetpack development suite which allows developers to call and implement API more readily. In addition, they are bringing Kotlin APIs to Wear OS.

Wear OS is also getting more focused on health with help from Samsung. Developers will be able to create new apps and improve their current apps with a more streamlined and simplified work flow. This comes thanks to the new Health Services platform which allows developers to retrieve data without building from scratch. Developers are able to take advantage of continuous data from the sensors and other contextual metrics without impacting the battery life of the device too much.

New Apps, Better Experience

Finally, these improvements directly impact how the OS performs and how accessible apps will be for the platform. The most direct improvements that users will be benefiting from is improved navigation on wearables. Google is bringing simple improvements like a double-tap to jump to your most recent app and even simpler swiping gestures to access your information.

Source: Google / Double Tap for Recent App
Source: Google / Tiles

Google is starting the ball rolling with updates coming to its core apps like Google Maps, Google Pay, Google Assistant and YouTube Music. The first change that will be coming to these apps is the adoption of the new “Material You” design. In addition, Google Maps will be getting better, more visible turn by turn navigation to help with using the app on the go. There are plans to take Google Maps offline. The same applies to YouTube Music as well. Google Assistant and Google Pay will be getting improvements as well. The latter will be making its way to 26 countries in the next few months while the former will become more user friendly on Wear.

It isn’t just Google that is improving its offerings. Spotify has revamped its experience on wearables; allowing users to seamlessly move on the go. The simplified interface allows users to not only control their music but also seamlessly switch between speakers and their Wear OS device. Other companies like Nike, Calm and Adidas have been working on revamping their experiences on OS. Fitbit will also join the Wear OS family. Wear OS apps will also be more visible on the Play Store with a dedicated section and recommendations.

The new Wear OS will be making its way to the market in the coming year. Current Wear OS devices find out if they are getting the big update in the coming months.

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Wear OS Gets New GBoard -Fresher, Faster, Better

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Google’s I/O is just around the corner and there are plenty of things to look forward to in Google I/O. One of them is improvements and updates to Wear OS. If you do not know what Wear OS is, it is basically Google’s perception of what a wearable interface should look like. The smartwatch OS can be found on plenty of smartwatches you can find on the market that is not a HUAWEI, or Samsung, or Fitbit, or Apple. In Malaysia, the most popular Wear OS smartwatch currently are still from Fossil.

While it is considered one of the major smartwatch interfaces you can find in the current market, contents for Wear OS can be limited. Of course, the app ecosystem for Wear OS is still growing and there are still room for improvements for the wearables that are equipped with Wear OS. Google also hardly updates or releases new apps on their own Wear OS, weirdly enough. Until now that is, with a certain GBoard.

GBoard is a keyboard, yes. In fact, it is one of the most popular and most loved keyboards in the world of Android. Some of the best and most popular Android smartphone sports GBoard as their default keyboard, that is how good it is. Wear OS also sports Google’s own default keyboard on the platform that has not been updated until now.

Previously known as Google Keyboard, GBoard gets a new update that borderlines a makeover of the app on Wear OS. The new Wear OS still retains the full QWERTY layout but with a more streamlined and cleaner design compared to the clunky Google Keyboard of old. Of course, GBoard also retains gestures and voice input functions. They are much easier to access now though.

Source: Google

The new GBoard also still has word suggestions, except that it is now scrollable instead of a drop-down menu. That makes word suggestion a lot more accessible and much more intuitive to work with. The word suggestion bar is also your quick access to input methods now. To allow for a bit more space and accessibility on the keyboard, the language toggle is now moved to the spacebar instead of a dedicated language button.

The update for Gboard for WearOS should be a huge welcome for the platform and its users. The platform, since its 2.0 release five years ago, have stagnated a little. Its last update was a minor update to version 2.23 with minute changes to improve its connectivity support and battery life mostly. Wear OS is expected to receive a major update in the upcoming Google I/O.  

Android, Mobile, News

Google I/O 2021 Full Schedule is Out – What to Expect from Google in 2021

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Google’s I/O even is set to happen on the 18th of May 2021 onward (19th May 2021, following Malaysia time). Usually also, Google’s I/O is where Google announces their latest and greatest Android version. We can safely assume that the latest update to Android (Android 12) will be announced in Google I/O with Beta version rolling out immediately after.

According to their three-day conference calendar too, a new Android update is definitely on the cards with all the talk about “What’s new in Android”, and “What’s new in Material Design” talks. But Google I/O is more than just Android.  This year it really seems like Google’s biggest one yet.

According to the calendar also there seems to be a new Chrome OS lined-up for announcement with its own keynote. There is also a new update to Google Assistant in Google I/O. Smart homes ecosystem is getting some attention this year too at Google I/O with its own keynote segment. Google Play and Google Pay also get some new updates this year from Google I/O.

Oddly enough though there are no mentions of Wear OS within the schedule. While that also means that there should not be any update to Wear OS for the time being, do not discount Wear OS to be updated later in the year. Google’s acquisition of Fitbit will also not be addressed in Google I/O 2021, in this case. The Fitbit acquisition could also mean a new hardware announcement from Google in the wearable space though.

There are also numerous rumours surrounding Google’s upcoming or speculated Pixel device, the Pixel 5a. Alongside that, Google is also supposed to be announcing their new TWS earbuds in the conference. According to the schedule, there seems to be no acknowledgement on the hardware end of things. Most of the time though, hardware announcements are made in the first keynote of Google’s I/O. We are still expecting some new hardware from Google from Google I/O though. If you are too, keep your eyes peeled on Google’s I/O 2021.

Android, Mobile, News

Google Assistant will be Getting Smarter thanks to Guacamole

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You’d be wondering if anyone is still using Google Assistant – the short answer would be, yes. However, development on new features for the Assistant hasn’t been as fast as it once was – at least not as revolutionary. That seems to be changing with the a tasty update codenamed “Guacamole”.

The new update reportedly appears on the the beta version of the Google app which runs atop Android 11. Version 12.5 of the beta has a menu called Guacamole in the settings of the Google app which comes with a short description of, “Quickly get things done with Guacamole.” Needless to say, we’re pretty sure they don’t mean the delicious Mexican spread.

  • Source: 9to5 Google
  • Source: 9to5 Google

Upon opening the menu, users are greeted with another screen saying, “Skip saying “Hey Google” for help with quick tasks”. In 9to5 Google’s deep dive into the APK, they discovered that the feature will allow users to define commands where they can skip saying the activating “Hey Google” for Google Assistant. In their exploration of the APK, they found that ringing alarms can be cancelled by simply saying “Stop” or “Snooze” whil.e “Answer the call” or “Decline the call” will work for calls.

round grey speaker on brown board
Photo by John Tekeridis on Pexels.com

The feature isn’t really a revolutionary new feature. Nest Hub users have been using a similar feature since 2019. However, it looks like Google is looking to bring the feature to mobile devices which makes so much sense – I mean how many of us actually use our phones as alarm clocks!

There’s no real indication of when the feature will make it to the public Google app but it looks like the search giant is testing the feature with their employees. The screencaps, acquired by 9to5 Google appears to link to an internal page accessible by Google employees only.

Business, Computers, Lifestyle, News

Google I/O 2021 is Happening Online and Completely Free in May 2021!

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Last year, plenty of conferences and keynotes did not happen. One of the most anticipated conferences that did not happen last year was Google’s I/O conference. We expected Google to launch a new line-up of Pixel smartphones as well in the 2020 edition of Google I/O. Of course, that did not happen.

This year is a year where all these big conferences are making a comeback though. Apple and E3 have made a commitment for an all-virtual WWDC 2021 and E3 2021 this year. They are also making the event available to attend completely for free. Google has just done the same.

Source: Google

As with any other year, Google is a little cryptic with their Google I/O conference and its event date. This year you have to solve some puzzles over in Google’s event page. They call it the punch card, and it is exactly that. With some guidance from 9To5Google, you should be able to breeze through the Punch Card puzzle and reveal the Google I/O dates.

Google’s I/O event for 2021 is also confirmed by Google’s own CEO, Sundar Pichai to be happening from the 18th May 2021 to the 20th May 2021. As with any other virtual conferences happening in 2021, Google I/O 2021 can be attended online completely free. You should be able to sign up right after you complete the puzzle for Google I/O.

We are still expecting a Google Pixel announcement out of Google I/O 2021’s keynote. Other than that, the three-day conference is filled with workshops and learning experiences. The best part of all of that, of course, is that they are all completely free. All-virtual also means that you can take your learning all from the comfort of your homes.

There are also some rumours of Google working on their own new-generation TWS earphones in the Google Pixel Buds A. Not much is known yet about the new TWS earphones from Google though. Of course, the TWS earphones will be compatible with Google Assistant and probably come with more functions than your average TWS earbuds.

As mentioned, Google I/O 2021 is happening May 18th, 2021 to May 20th, 2021 onward. The event will be held completely online, and attendance is free. The only catch is completing their puzzle.

News

Google Comes Under Fire For Chrome’s Incognito Mode

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As a Google user, using Google Chrome in incognito Mode has become something of a habit especially when we don’t want people to trace our browsing behaviour. However, have you ever thought that certain authorities might be able to trace your activities on social media or the internet, even with incognito?  

Recently, Google has come under fire for an issue with their Google Chrome incognito mode that consists of misleading and deceitful behavior. A group of users in California voiced out that they realized that Google Chrome’s Incognito mode does not do a good job in preventing and safeguarding the activities of the user. This has created a contradiction of the purpose of incognito mode, which is privacy. Therefore, this group of users from California filed a lawsuit against Google.   

Koh, a US District Judge in San Jose who is presiding over the case also questions what data is being collected and why is Google collecting user data and activities in a way that big data companies can sell to advertisers or others.  

wooden gavel on table in courtroom
Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com

Google’s lawyer is trying to dismiss the issue by saying that Google did follow the terms and regulations in protecting user’s data. Additionally, the plaintiff said that it is just another tactic for Google to observe and collect user data.  

Google claims that it is very hard for a user to prevent Google from collecting their data, and users should assume that their internet and social media activities are often traced by someone else. Even though Google claims that there will be no record of what you are working on while using incognito mode but they will still be able to access your activities. From a different perspective, users might think that Google’s access is a way to protect their users from bugs and other dangers from websites.  

As a Google user or online consumer, you have to understand that no matter what, tracing your activities on the internet is not all that difficult. Hence, users must always be aware of the security risks of each channel they are using to prevent leaking personal data.   

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung Ups Its Commitment to Security with 4 Years of Support for Devices

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Let’s be frank, Samsung’s track record when it comes to device support hasn’t been the best. However, in recent years, the company has shown a vested interest in demonstrating its commitment to providing more secure devices. One of the ways in which they have done this is by decreasing their rollout times for updates across the board.

However, it seems like they are looking to up the ante with new policies. Just recently, in August, the company announced that it would provide three major updates to all its Android-powered devices at the launch of the Note20 series. Today, Samsung announced that, in addition to the three major updates, they would be providing four years of security patches. This promise extends to devices released since 2019 – i.e the Galaxy S10 series onward. The commitment doesn’t only cover flagships though, Samsung is committing to support all their major line ups including the Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Note, Galaxy XCover, and Galaxy Tab line ups.

In its announcement, Samsung listed the complete list of Galaxy Devices eligible for this new commitment.

Eligible Galaxy Devices Include:

SeriesModels
Galaxy Foldable devicesFold, Z Fold2 5G, Z Flip, Z Flip 5G
Galaxy SS10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, S10 Lite, S20 5G, S20+ 5G, S20 Ultra 5G, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G
Galaxy NoteNote10, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra 5G
Galaxy AA10e, A20, A50, A11, A21, A51, A51 5G, A71 5G
Galaxy XCoverXCover FieldPro, XCover Pro
Galaxy TabTab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+

That said, Samsung also highlights in the footnotes that the availability of security patches and updates is subject to market and device. This could mean that lower priority regions may still be stuck getting lagging updates if any at all. So far, Samsung has kept to its word in Malaysia and countries like the U.S. and U.K.

Samsung’s move to provide these updates go above the minimum requirement that Google has set for its Andoird OEMs. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t seem like the company has been enforcing the requirement. However, Samsung’s move to champion the updates under their security umbrella brings a little bit more reliability and longevity to the Android Ecosystem.

Podcast

Tech & Tonic Podcast: Apple Car & Google Stadia – Vision or Fiction?

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[Podcast] Tech & Tonic S02 Episode 2 - Apple Car and Google Stadio, Vision or Fiction?

We are back for another episode of Tech & Tonic Podcast. In this episode of the Tech & Tonic show, we look deeper into Apple’s Car project and whether or not Apple is reaching too far out from their own industry and expertise. While we are on that subject, Google is also shutting down one of their most hyped project, the Stadia Studios.

On Apple’s end, Hyundai and Kia have severed any ties they had with Apple on their autonomous vehicle projects. On Google’s end, Stadia’s closure also means that Stadia may not be competitive at all. What is happening here? Are they taking bigger bites than they should have? What will become of autonomous cars and cloud gaming?

Follow us on our Spotify channel too for the latest Tech & Tonic Podcast weekly!

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Android, Mobile, News

Xiaomi Promises GMS Will Remain on Its International Devices

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Towards the end of the Trump administration, Xiaomi was added to a Department of Defense blacklist similar to fellow Chinese company, Huawei. The Chinese technology company finds itself on the blacklist due to claimed ties and dealings with the Chinese Military. The company has since denied the allegations. In a statement to Android Authority, Xiaomi stressed that “The company has been in compliance with law and operating in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of jurisdictions where it conducts its businesses. The company reiterates that it provides products and services for civilian and commercial use. The company confirms that it is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with the Chinese military“.

Photo by Sumeet Singh on Unsplash

In the weeks since the announcement, we’ve also been able to clarify what has actually happened. Unlike Huawei, Xiaomi is on a different blacklist – one that doesn’t bar it from doing business with U.S. companies like Google. However, U.S. based companies and entities are barred from investing in Xiaomi. To that end, companies who have invested in the technology manufacturer are required to divest that interest by 11 November 2021. This could affect the company’s stock value and liquidity when it comes into full effect. Since the initial report, Xiaomi has initiated legal proceedings against the U.S. Government citing the blacklisting is unconstitutional and can cause “imminent, severe, and irreparable harm” to the company.

Even more recently, rumours have begun surfacing that Xiaomi may be facing the same fate as Huawei when it comes to Google’s Mobile Services. The rumour started in Xiaomi’s Community interaction channels and has since garnered more attention. Xiaomi has since taken to Weibo to refute and clarify the claims.

Original weibo posting by Xiaomi. Source: SoyaCincau

In its statement, it clarified that domestic models in China will still support GMS. However, like many other companies in China, they also has models which do not run GMS. Xiaomi is no longer allowing users to sideload or self install GMS on these models. That said, they will be releasing GMS models in China to fulfill customer demand.

When it comes to international models, Xiaomi stresses that they will remain unaffected by the change. They will continue to launch with the Google Mobile Services pre-installed. So, rest assured, if you’re planning to pick up a phone from Xiaomi, POCO or Redmi, they will come with a complete version of Android with GMS. This includes the recently announced Mi 11.

Editorial, Health, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

It’s Official; Fitbit is now Google’s. What Does This mean?

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CES 2021 is well under way. But we are not talking about CES at this point. No, we are talking about the merging of giants.

Google is undoubtedly one of the most successful tech companies you will ever see in your lifetime, beside Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. They started out in the Search Engine industry in the midst of the MSN and Yahoo! boom. They bloomed and grew to surpass two of their biggest competition at the time and now they are in everything. They are in applied sciences, corporate backend solutions, automotive, smartphones, computing, and even your homes.

They are also on your wrists with the guise of Android Wear. They do not make any watch hardware on their own though. They have always relied on their partners like Fossil, Motorola, OPPO, and even Vivo to design and create their own iteration of what an Android Wear watch should look like. This situation might change soon though.

As per Google’s Blog post alongside Fitbit’s one in their own blogs too, Fitbit is now a part of Google. As of the 14th of January 2021, Google and Fitbit finally concludes their deal. Google has officially acquired Fitbit.

As we mentioned also, Fitbit is also a giant. They are a giant in their field, the fitness tracker and smart wear field. They have revolutionised the smart wearable devices market in more ways than one.

They are, technically, the largest standalone smartwatch making company in the world currently. They have a more complete product range than any other smartwatch maker in the world right now too. They have simple fitness trackers that look like wristbands and can be easily hidden. They also have full on smartwatches now in their Fitbit Versa line-up. The Versa and Sense watches are clearly also a side effect of them acquiring Pebble a while ago.

Now though, they are a part of Google. What does this mean for you Fitbit users?

On the surface, Google says that this acquisition has always been more about hardware instead of software. They want Fitbit watches and wrist bands. They basically wanted to experiment making their own smart wearable in the future, like how they experimented with smartphone manufacturing when they acquired HTC years ago. They are still making their own hardware today with the Pixel line-up. They have an amazing line-up of Chromebooks too.

The only thing they have not been making on their own then, are smart watches and smart wearables. With Fitbit as part of Google, now they can. So, according to Google, it is not about software and data.

In terms of software though, Google has a thing or two to learn from Fitbit and vice versa. We at techENT love our Fitbit Versa devices because they are so simple to work with. Their interface is easy to understand and navigate it becomes second nature when you acclimatise with them.

We also think that the Fitbit line-up could use a little bit of Google’s magic touch. In that case, they will be easier to pair with Android smartphones, faster too, and probably even more intuitive to connect. We find that these are our biggest pain points using the Fitbit devices. Of course, there is the subject of software integration too. Currently Fitbit’s collected data does not sync to Google’s own fitness app. Maybe we might see a merging of the two apps. At the same time, we doubt we will see that integration happening too soon because Fitbit also has the premium subscription segment.

Source: TechPP

Google has ensured that they will not touch Fitbit’s data pool at this time. They also confirmed that Fitbit’s user data will not be used for Google Ads purposes at this time. From the blog posts from both sides too, it seems that Fitbit will continue business as usual at this time. Which also means that Fitbit devices will remain Fitbit devices for a little longer.

In Google’s blog post, Rick Osterloh’s statement also reads, “the combination of Fitbit’s leading technology, product expertise and health and wellness innovation with the best of Google’s AI, software and hardware will drive more competition in wearables and make the next generation of devices better and more affordable”. We are more excited about this than anything. It means that you can start expecting Google smartwatches soon. You might want to expect some changes in Fitbit’s software approach now too. We hope that it is for the better on both parties. You might even get an Android Wear update for your Fitbit Sense.

Still, we see this as a win-win situation. At this time anyway, the acquisition and merging of the two giants in their space may prove to be just what both companies needed for the uncertain times ahead. For us consumers, we only care about their upcoming devices, and we are expecting them to be miles better than what we have now. Google Watch anyone?

Source: Google Blog, Fitbit Blog