SYNAPSE CIRCUIT GOOGLE i/O CONFERENCE EVE 14

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
GOOGLE i/O CONFERENCE 2014, THE EVE
#Google #i/o2014 #Android #Chrome #ChromeOS #Glass #Nexus #Silver

Good early evening, Synapse Circuit Readers. How are you? I hope that all is well! Yes, it is the eve of the Google i/O conference and it brings such excitement to us Tech Lovers! Google i/O is the new Christmas! Ha ha!

I’ve pretty much done my predictions and way ahead of any other tech magazine / blogger! Hee hee hee...

HAPPY
Yes, I am happy that not too many things have been “leaked”... Sure, it was common knowledge that there would be development with Android Wear, Chromebooks, and minor developments with Android and so on. Oh, Google Glass is on sale on the UK Play Store for £1k! Gosh! I’d love to have one!

We’ve not seen or heard anything on the next Nexus handset; it may not happen. It could very well be that a Motorola handset will replace the Nexus until this “Silver” concept has been ironed out. Ok, we’ve heard a little about HTC doing an 8” tablet but I reckon many of us would still welcome the Nexus 7 2014. But as we advance in Tech – especially with Android – the notion of the 7” tablet is becoming outdated; I believe Samsung is going to release a 7” handset. Can you believe it? Of course you do! Once upon a time we’d laugh at such a concept... A 7” handset! Golly gee! Thanks to Asus and the FonePad it changed a lot of our perceptions! I took a look at the FonePad and I almost got one! It is so inexpensive but at the same time the processor, Intel Atom™ Z2420 1.2 or 1.6 GHz, isn’t all that. I might have invested if it was a quad-core processor. I have the Intel RAZRi and I wished I hadn’t bothered as it is S... L... O... W... The screen is less responsive too! So, that’s why I probably will not go for a device containing an Intel chip – unless they bring out some decent processors. But rumour has it that Intel will team up with Samsung on a device – now this I have to see! But yes, if the spec was good, I would consider a 7” tablet capable of making calls.

Is that in the Google ethos? But I do wonder if Samsung will create a 7” Galaxy Tab S just for Google; it would make sense. It would also make sense if it were able to make calls too! 7” is the new phablet!

ANDROID
I am not expecting to hear of a new immediate Android release, no. What I am expecting is to hear of an incremental update i.e. 4.4.5 and 5 will be released towards the fall. What I think is happening is a design overhaul, more Google app tweaking / refinement, so we’ll see more of an improvement in notifications and overall speed. Google has been gearing up to a major release since Jelly Bean and it is continuing to get there.

Sundar Pitchai has revealed that he wants to do what Apple does in telling the world about what is coming instead of waiting until a release is ready. Yeah, the Apple smoke and mirrors machine is to announce “improvements to the best operating system in the world” that has been a staple of Android for years. It’s a good move to let the world know what is being planned as it shows where the innovation is coming from and I think it’ll help manufacturers plan new releases for the Christmas holidays for example.

Android and its survival depend upon manufacturers working together. At the moment Samsung is trying – and succeeding – to out punch Apple but this causes some friction with Google – not as much as the media would have us believe. Companies like Samsung need to innovate and develop their technology and with the advent of Tizen it will allow Samsung to express itself without limitation. I do think that Tizen threatens iOS more than it does Android. I don’t think Google have anything to worry about because it is easier to pick up a great brand new Android handset than it is to pick up any iPhone model. iOS and Windows mobile operating systems will face stiff competition from Tizen when it is fully operational. I own over 7 handsets (simply because they aren’t worth much after a 2 year contract, so I keep them, root and experiment) and they are all Android. Should Tizen prove to be a formidable operating system I’d try a handset. I do think that Samsung will end up pushing Google way beyond anything Apple can do. It’s what Google has done for Samsung! It wouldn’t surprise me to see in the not too distant future a dual screen handset that features both Android and Tizen.

Tizen makes me wonder if Samsung will eventually cease TouchWiz in favour of widgets. These widgets could be sold on the Play Store. I would imagine that a lot of time and effort goes into TouchWiz but if they are going to concentrate on Tizen it would make sense to turn some of those wonderful ideas into widgets that can be bought by Android users and therefore have another revenue stream.

GET READY FOR THE LAUNCH
I would really appreciate it if Google announced improvements to its launcher as I have it on one of my handsets. It’s on a phablet and therefore I do not need many homescreens. However, for my smaller handsets I wouldn’t mind being able to rotate my homescreens in an infinite scroll and to have a landscape mode. Fingers crossed! But who knows?

CONCLUSION
It is going to be a very exciting conference from Google this year as they keep pushing the boundaries of technology. We’ve yet to learn what these robots are going to do that they have recently acquired. I hope to learn more! Get ready!

IN THE MEANTIME...
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THE BREAKFAST WITH SUNDAR FALLOUT PART TWO: CHROMECAST UK

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
THE BREAKFAST WITH SUNDAR FALLOUT  PART TWO: CHROMECAST UK
#SundarPichai #Android43 #Nexus72 #Chromecast #Apple #iPad #BBC #BBCiPlayer #UKTVLicense

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Chromecast is such a great idea and US residents are so very fortunate to be getting the first bite of that cherry!

WHAT CHROMECAST MEANS TO THE UK
Quite some time ago I wrote an article on how we in the UK can legally avoid paying the TV license. The current fee for colour TV license is £145.50 and for those rocking a black & white television set is an amazing £49! What’s the situation like where you’re from? It’s only the BBC that requires TV owners to pay the fee as they claim the licensing revenue is used to fund their programs. There are a few flaws in this system:

1. The BBC programs do not reflect the multicultural aspect of the UK.

2. If one genuinely does not watch the BBC channels how would the license enforcers (yes, people do come around to make sure that you have paid the license fee) know what channels you are watching?

3. Some BBC programs are funded through the UK Lottery and European Commissioning.

However, the BBC stipulates that as long as you don’t watch their programs live i.e. you watch their programs through the iPlayer then you don’t have to pay the license. You’d be surprised at how many British people do not know this. Many British people are so used to the thought of a private BBC police force kicking down the door and confiscating TV and video equipment that they wouldn’t think to look into the legalities of avoiding the hefty license fees. The other side of coin is that so many UK residents illegally do not pay the license.

CABLE
I can’t say what the quality of cable TV is like in the rest of Europe and the US but I can tell you that in the UK the quality is very, very poor. There are more repeats on cable than from eating a dodgy meal! I am on the Virgin Media cable and if it was not for the benefits of having items like the Internet, landline and mobile thrown in I wouldn’t have bothered with cable – it’s that bad!

However, Virgin wants to charge me extra to have YouTube on my list of duff channels! Ok, they aren’t all duff but for the 400-odd channels there must be about at least 6 channels that I would actively watch!

CHROMECAST IS THE ANSWER
Chromecast can and will play a vital role in alleviating folk from paying the TV license fee! I am certainly going to get the Chromecast HDMI dongle as soon as it is available in the UK; I can see it selling out because at $35 (around £22) it is an absolute steal! As you may already know there are similar ideas that involve purchasing yet another box that requires more bloody cables! And if you buy into certain technological brands you’d have to opt for more of their equipment to enjoy TV their way. Chromecast does none of that.

UK CHROMECAST
I have read somewhere that the success of Chromecast in the UK lies with the BBC iPlayer app adopting the Chromecast transmitter in future updates. That’s not true. If you go to the BBC iPlayer website through the Chrome browser then you’d be able to transmit what’s on the Chrome browser to the Chromecast enabled TV.

I have noticed that Google specific apps have been updated for Chromecast compatibility and therefore Google already knows that Chromecast will be worldwide success. I am expecting that the likes of Netflix UK will be adopting their app to accommodate Chromecast. I am also expecting BBC to adopt Chromecast too.

In fact Google has given app developers the Google Cast code to place in their apps and therefore I am also expecting to see developers of media players to include Chromecast in their apps. So, expect to be able to play your videos and slideshows produced with your favourite Android and iOS devices.

At the time of writing Blackberry and Windows mobile will not be getting a Chromecast compatible app. However, if Blackberry adopts Android apps it may well be possible.

I can’t wait for Chromecast to come to the UK! You ought to be feeling the same way too if you are paying the high BBC TV license fee!

What do you reckon?   

Take good care!

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BREAKFAST WITH GOOGLE’S SUNDAR PICHAI.

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

BREAKFAST WITH GOOGLE’S SUNDAR PICHAI.  
#SundarPichai #Android43 #Nexus72 #Chromecast

Good afternoon, Synapse Circuit Readers! Did you see the live streaming event launching the second generation Nexus 7, Android 4.3 and Chromecast? No? Ok, let me fill you in...

NEXUS 7 II
After the recent “leaks” of the eagerly awaited successor to the original Nexus 7 the second generation came is no surprise in terms of the look. I think the design shows an overall improvement and there’s a 5MP back-facing camera that is capable of capturing 1080p video.

What is a little disappointing with the Nexus 7 II is no expansion via a microSD card. Other than the lack of expansion the price remains relatively low for an HD tablet.

On the upside the screen is sharper and displays true full HD 1920 x 1200 resolution with a pixel density of 323! WOW! I like it! And that’s not all... It is enhanced by stereo surround sound speakers designed by Fraunhofer. 

The 16GB Nexus 7 II is listed at $230 and the 32GB model is $270, $30 more than the first edition. The 32GB LTE version is $350. UK prices have yet to be announced.

The Nexus 7 will arrive 30 July in the US through the Play Store, and in the UK "in the coming weeks", Google said.

ANDROID 4.3
Yes, as expected, this was not a major advancement but a very good tweak. For example, if you intend to share the tablet with a family member it is possible to create restrictions that disables in-game-purchases so that you won't get a surprise spend on your credit card.

Bluetooth Smart allows one to connect to Bluetooth devices such as a heat monitor without draining the battery.

OpenGL ES 3.0 is supported to get the most out of videogame graphics. Google apps such as Maps, Drive, Calendar, YouTube, etc have been optimised for the HD screen and they look great – stunning! Chrome for Android now features web page translation like the desktop version. Excellent!

As you’d expect Nexus devices such as the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google editions will be getting the upgrade very soon. 

GOOGLE PLAY
Google Play has been enhanced with Game Play Services. Furthermore, students can purchase or rent text books.

Google Play users will be able to see specific apps meant for the tablet; there has been an increase in apps meant for the tablet display! Roll on!

 

CHROMECAST
Chromecast was a very pleasant surprise... If you have seen my review on the Honestech  nScreen device for sharing mobile and computer screen content and was impressed then prepare to be impressed even more! Chromecast is a HDMI dongle that can be connected to any HDMI enabled screen such as a computer monitor and television. Once Chromecast is connected to a television you will be able to broadcast YouTube, Google Music and Netflix content straight from a mobile, tablet, PC, Chromebook and Macbook to the Chromecast enabled TV. What is not clear is if you are able to broadcast a video or image file i.e. a slideshow made from your pictures other than going through the Chrome web browser. The good news is that it’ll only cost $35! Very nice! It is expected to come to the UK soon.

Take good care!

Please enjoy the video below! Feel free to leave some comments and subscribe!

  

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com