Google I/O 2012 Day 1 Kenotes

The kenote is shaping up to be incredibly packed already. The timer is counting down and the event is almost started. Vic just took the stage and is talking about how there are many surprises still left to announce today. 

Hugo Barra is next on stage talking about Android momentum. Last year at Google I/O there were 100 million devices, now there are 400 million activated android devices. Daily activations are also now up to over 1 million. 

Next up - Jellybean is now official, Android 4.1. 

Part of Android 4.1 is project butter, which is a number of improvements in smoothness. Fast UI is the number one priority of project butter. Triple buffering have been added in the Android 4.1 graphics pipeline, along with some touch anticipation and improvements to the governor to quickly ramp the CPU appropriately. 

Google has added a new system trace tool aptly named systrace, which appears to show the time for each step taken in drawing a frame to the framebuffer. Systrace is now a part of the Android SDK as well. 

Some comparisons in device framerate between ICS 4.0 and JB 4.1 is up next. At very high framerate capture speeds, the difference is substantial. I'm super excited about seeing how much improvement project butter has made to the UI smoothness. 

Some JB 4.1 features are up next. Widget placement is now dynamic - moving widgets around snaps the adjacent ones around complete with dynamic resizing. 

Keyboard dictionaries have been improved, along with predictive typing enhancements that look somewhat similar to Swiftkey 3. Voice recognition and typing is now also available offline without a data connection. Arabic and Hebrew input support have been added, alongside a few others. 

Jellybean adds improvements to accessibility for disabled users, including external braille support and gesture based input control. 

Camera has also been improved in JB 4.1 as well. There are some gesures here that look very similar to the Windows Phone camera UI, including a simple live preview alongside captured photos, which can be deleted by swiping up. 

Android Beam is now improved with NFC pairing for bluetooth devices, and files can be sent using NFC (I'm guessing similar to WiFi Direct). 

Notification improvements are next, including swipe to dismiss notifications and shortcuts from the notification shade. Quick responses are available, and no doubt other developers can add their own shortcuts. For example liking or dismissing items from social networks that appear in the shade. The notifications expand and collapse and can still be dismissed all at once.

Search in Jelly Bean is also getting revamped, with improved voice search and some semantic results that appear to be Google's answer to Siri. Randall demonstrated three queries, including a few challenging ones including asking for pictures of pygmy marmosets, this is absolutely Google's response to Siri on iOS. 

Google now is the next announcement, which appears to have personalized data based on your transit history, search results, and location. 

Google is showing off a ton of different semantic results and data queries that Google now can handle throughout the day. Google now is triggered by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or using the search box. 

Google now consists of a number of cards which populate with this data as time goes on.

Mid july, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom will get the OTA updates, but the Preview SDK will be available now. Google is now going to be more proactive about getting OEMs and SoC makers the latest Android release quickly, with beta Platform Development Kit releases before major Android point updates. 

Play store details are up next, with over 600 thousand applications and games, and 20 billion installs. Developer tools are also improving, including the ability to reply to user reviews. In Jellybean 4.1 and newer, paid applications will also be encrypted. Application updates are now also just binary diffs (or similar) instead of forcing a complete re-download of the APK. This is a big new feature for reducing cellular network bandwidth. 

Google briefly touched on Google cloud messaging, though I'm unclear if this is the rumored messaging product that I heard might be the answer to iMessage (in addition to Google Talk). 

Google Play is getting new titles, including magazines and TV content.  

Nexus 7 is now official, from ASUS and running Android 4.1. Display is 1280x800 HD, SoC is Tegra 3 (likely T30L), there's a front facing camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, gyro and accelerometer. 

The Nexus 7 is being shown off, including video playback (which looked smooth) and interface performance, which looks good. The Nexus 7 ships with Chrome as the default browser, I haven't seen any  shots of the previous stock browser anymore, so Flash might be on its way out. 

Improvements to maps include offline maps as a stock feature (no longer in Labs), and an indoor analogue to street view which works with the gyro. It looked incredibly smooth just like you'd expect using that MEMS gyro. 

Pricing for the Nexus 7 is $199 with a $25 credit for the Google Play store, along with a number of free titles from the market. 

Nexus Q is the next topic, which is a companion device to Google Play's media library. The device has an OMAP4460 SoC inside, along with dual band WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth, and both analog and digital outputs. This is definitely Google's answer to Apple TV. Nexus Q will be available for $299, available for pre order soon, and shipping mid-July. 

Vic is back up talking about massive improvements to Google+, including the Google+ applications. There are almost too many to list, but it looks like a dramatic set of sharing and engagement changes. 

Surprise Google Glass demos are up now, from Sergey Brin. There's a pair of skydivers wearing the Google Glass device and streaming a hangout video. Sharing what you're seeing live is an obvious part of Google Glass. There's some sort of relay race which started first with two skydivers, then bicyclists on the roof of Moscone, and now rappelling down the side of the building. 

More details are being given out about Glass. The device has an onboard camera, side touchpad for interaction, microphones, speaker, and the usual smartphone sensors (gyro, accelerometer, compass). There are multiple radios onboard for communication - not sure if that means cellular or just WiFi and bluetooth. The display field of view is placed above the eye, to not block normal vision. Emphasis on making the device light is important so it can be wearable. Google claims the latest prototype weighs less than many sunglasses.

Project Glass has two goals - sharing imagery, and getting rapid access to information. Capturing imagery through the point of view of the user is part of that first goal, along with scenes and parts of life that wouldn't normally be accessible with a traditional cameaara. 

Google I/O 2012 Day 1 Kenotes

By: Unknown on: Thursday, June 28, 2012

The First Samsung Galaxy S III Commercials

Prepare to be assaulted by Samsung Galaxy S III ad spots. It’s the company’s biggest mobile launch of the year and the phone is rolling out to carriers right now. Samsung found great success with the Samsung Galaxy S II ad spots that used real life situations to show its strengths against the iPhone. Expect more of the same this time around. After all, why deviate from a strategy that lead to selling 28 million units?

These are the first two ad spots although more are likely on their way. The Galaxy S III was supposed to hit AT&T last week, T-Mobile and Sprint today with Verizon’s version launching on July 9th. Check out our review here.

The First Samsung Galaxy S III Commercials

By: Unknown on: Sunday, June 24, 2012

Tablets substituting laptops... A matter of time

Laptops are doomed. In the next five years, tablets will displace notebook-style computers to become the dominant personal computing platform. And the transition from laptop to tablet has already begun.

That’s the key finding of a new Forrester Research report that predicts the end of the laptop’s 15-year reign. The trend is already well under way among people born between 1980 and 2000, known to demographers as the millennial generation. In the U.S., 30% of tablet owners in this age group have purchased a tablet in place of a PC, compared to 20% of baby boomers. 

"For this growing body of [millennial] users, PCs will seem like clunky trucks rather than sleek cars, dampening their long-term propensity to buy conventional PCs," says the 19-page report authored by Forrester analyst Frank Gillett.

But the tablet won’t replace the laptop all by itself, Forrester says. File-sharing services such as Box, DropBox, SugarSync and Apple’s iCloud will be critical enabling technologies, as well as a new type of stationary display the analyst calls a frame, due to become commonplace by 2015. 

Sales projections back up Forrester’s forecast. Tablets are expected to outsell laptops in 2016 as tablet shipments quintuple from 81.6 million in 2011 to 424.9 million by 2017, according to research firm DisplaySearch.

Tablet sales will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 46% during the same period, Forrester predicts, reaching 375 million in 2016. A third of those sales will be directly to businesses, as tablets become standard tools for executives, sales staff and other information workers.

China and other emerging markets will drive the fastest tablet growth because they aren’t already saturated with laptops and smartphones, according to Forrester. Emerging markets will account for 40% of tablets sold by 2016.

For users, the rise of the tablet will bring one outstanding benefit: Convenience. At 1.75 pounds or lighter, tablets are half the weight of the sleekest laptops. They turn on instantly, are easier to use and have a long battery life. In time, they’ll acquire more processing muscle and move beyond today’s most common uses: reading email and documents, browsing the Web and watching video. Eventually they’ll come to rival laptops as workhorses. Apple is already pushing in that direction by making iWork available on the iPad. Microsoft is expected to make the Office suite available for tablets next year.

One stumbling block in the tablet’s path to dominance is screen size. At 7 to 14 inches diagonal, tablet screens are too small to handle the gamut of computing chores comfortably. That's where frames come in, according to Forrester.

Frames will be large, stationary displays that a person can use to wirelessly show video, documents and any other tablet-based content. They’ll be laden with sensors, so people can interact with them through touch, voice and gestures (via motion sensors similar to those in Microsoft's Kinect).

Forrester envisions frames as fixtures in homes, offices, hotel rooms, coffee shops and conferences. Forrester analysts expect them to reach the mass market in 2015, when they will spark an acceleration in the displacement of laptops. 

The presumed ubiquity of frames might be the report’s most iffy prediction. But the technology’s forebears are already on the market, Forrester points out, including the Apple Thunderbolt,Samsung Central Station and Sony Power Media Dock. Apple AirPlay wireless technology enables the iPad and iPhone to send video and audio to TVs or external speakers via Apple TV, and Intel Wireless Display technology moves content from PC to TV.

More than the iPad

Note that tablet dominance doesn’t mean iPad dominance. Apple's market share will shrink from its current 68%, dropping below 50% by 2017, according to the NPD Group. Nevertheless, Forrester predicts that Apple will continue to lead in the enterprise and among premium buyers worldwide. Tablets based on Google's Android platform will capture the low end. Microsoft Windows 8 tablets (Surface), expected to reach stores by the end of the year, will become a strong competitor in 2014.

While laptops will no longer be the center of the personal computing universe, they won't disappear for a long time. The transition to tablets will take years, and meanwhile laptops will be used for graphic- and processing-intensive tasks such as graphic design, engineering and complex calculation. But as tablets become better-suited to a wide range of tasks, and the support technologies become more widespread, most people will find them simpler and more convenient. Then, Forrester says, even die-hard laptop lovers will ditch their notebooks and jump on the tablet juggernaut.

Tablets substituting laptops... A matter of time

By: Unknown on: Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Google Glasses are almost here!

Google have released a fabulous video to get us pumped up and excited for Project Glass: Google’s augmented reality glasses. To be honest, it’s worked on me. I want a pair of these right now!

Augmented reality is the concept of altering or overlaying what we see. If these glasses are one day released to the public, we could all be comfortably reading the news as we walk to work, or watching a video without having to tilt our heads down. It’s an amazing concept, and one that Google hope to formally demonstrate by the end of the year.

As well as the video, I have included a list of the features portrayed within it, as well as my speculation on how some of the features will be implemented.

How will they work? 

Babak Parviz (a member of the Project Glass team) has developed contact lenses with pixels in them. Presumably you wear one of these, and perhaps a Near Field Communication system built into the housing above your right eye (see images) sends the video signals wirelessly. If Project Glass does use a contact lense with pixels in it, it’ll make for an interesting start to each day!

Presumably there is a sensor/camera directed towards your eyeball to detect where you are looking, if the glasses respond to eye gestures. In the video, the wearer occasionally looks away from whatever is happening to use his glasses, so they may be motion triggered instead. Perhaps a combination of both. As for a camera which takes images of things in front of you, that can be seen clearly as the hole in the right-eye housing.

As for the audio, the images seen so far do not show any sort of earpiece attached to the glasses. Presumably there is a microphone on them somewhere, perhaps in the housing over the right-eye, but this means conversations would be difficult to keep private. Perhaps they will connect to a small Bluetooth headset?

Thinking of Bluetooth headsets made me realise that these glasses are incredibly thin with very little room for technology, let alone a battery. So how will they be powered?

The Video

It certainly has me excited! You? Unfortunately you never see the glasses themselves, but you certainly get an exciting taste as to what we can hope for.

Features shown in the video

Checking In

This is demonstrated by the wearer using head gestures and another form of control to check into the food truck he is standing by with his friend.

Video Calling

This is an amazing feature and a technical marvel. As well as transmitting video from his position, the wearer can see his girlfriend as a small image at the bottom of the screen. Remember this is probably all mocked up in a video editor, and the real image quality on the glasses may be considerably lower.

Calendar/Appointments

Perhaps the most useful feature of them all. I am constantly looking at my calendar to see what is coming up and how I should prepare myself. This feature would make me a very happy man.

Taking Photo/Sharing to Circles

The wearer finds a piece of graffiti art on a wall and takes a photo. Though he asks the glasses to do this for him, it has been reported that the glasses will also have a button for taking photographs. He then shares the image to ‘all my circles’ with a voice command.

Playing Music

Throughout the video music is played, and the viewer is led to think it is being played as background music for the video itself. Turns out that it was representing the ability to listen to music with these glasses, as the wearer gives the command ‘stop music’ before he answers a call from his girlfriend.

What do you think?

Do you want a pair of these glasses? Would you go to the trouble of wearing contact lenses with pixels in them? For that matter, would you be seen in public with them? They certainly have a very distinctive style which may not be for everyone. If these are released anytime soon, I will be fascinated to know the uptake rate.

Google Glasses are almost here!

By: Unknown on: Monday, June 11, 2012

Offline Google maps

Google has just announced that they plan to bring the full Offline functionality in its Google Maps app on Android over the next few weeks. Google would also like to bring these features to other other popular operating systems, WP7 and iOS, but there is nothing concrete on that.

The Maps android app by Google, that comes preloaded with each and every android phone, will be receiving an update for the offline mode. Users will be able to touch and hold on an area on the map, upon which they will get an option to download the whole of that area for offline access anytime anywhere, working up to street level.

Offline access is available in Google Maps app is at this moment too. You need to enable it under labs (settings) of Google Maps app. For that, open the Maps app, get your route or are o the screen that you wish to be cached, then go to the app’s settings » Labs » and select the ‘pre-cache map area’ checkbox. This will allow you to cache that area already on your map. Though, the update will bring detailed downloading for later uses too, naturally better than current caching technique, in terms of longevity and details.

The offline update will be launched in over 100 countries, over the next few weeks – no solid time frame was given, sadly. The offline feature would work on selected locations. Now what does that actually mean will be known only when you and us actually use it after the update.

Another cool addition is ‘highly-detailed 3D maps’ (see the pic above). It looks very impressive, and very clear and detailed. Even tress will pop out for you, it’s said. And how Google did it is even more interesting – at least to me. The company says they own a fleet of airplanes and have some on contract, with camera attached to them to enable them to take shots at no more than just 45 degree angle. Outright impressive, right?

Offline Google maps

By: Unknown on: Thursday, June 07, 2012

Galaxy S3 Special Edition (Only for Japan with 2GB RAM)

Japan seems to be getting the best version of the LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy S3, as NTT DoCoMo has officially announced that the Galaxy S3 coming to their network in Japan will feature 2GB of RAM, along with a Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. Couple the 2GB of RAM with the fact that the dual-core S4 is at par in most situations with the quad-core Exynos processor in the international Galaxy S3 when it comes to performance (apart from the graphics department), and you’ve a beast of a device in your hands.

Having the model number SC-06D, the Galaxy S3 for DoCoMo will come with support for their LTE network, and will be available in the colours white and blue (much like the international variant). Other major specs will remain unchanged, which include a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, 8 MP camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and a 2,100 mAh battery.

It might be that the US variants may also get 2GB of RAM, but nothing is certain at this point, so only time will tell. Though those that are not in the US or Japan will have to settle for the quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor and 1GB of RAM, which is still a damn good deal.

Galaxy S3 Special Edition (Only for Japan with 2GB RAM)

By: Unknown on: Thursday, June 07, 2012

AMOLED screens... from A to Z

You've heard the AMOLED term a bunch of times when looking for more information about a certain smartphone (especially an Android-powered one) or when actually talking with the in-store carrier representatives about the characteristics that differentiate various mobile devices between them.

Whether you already know what AMOLED is or not, I'm going to thoroughly explain it for you, so next time you buy a mobile device and somebody tells you it’s got an AMOLED screen of some sort, you know exactly what they’re talking about.

What is AMOLED?

AMOLED is a display technology used in some of the most popular mobile devices available today, including various Android handsets and tablets that you see featured on my blog on a regular basis. AMOLED stands for “active-matrix organic light-emitting diode” – a rather complex term that you don’t have to remember as long as you know how it works.

The technology, especially used in Samsung-made Android devices, is very popular among Android device makers, although not everyone in the mobile game can use it as they please. Because Samsung is one of the main AMOLED panel makers, I'm not surprised to see the displays used especially in Samsung devices, with its direct competition (HTC, Motorola and others) having to sometimes wait for longer periods of time to get their AMOLED supplies, and even to replace AMOLED panels with different screen technology altogether.

How do AMOLED displays work?

OLED-Displays bests describes how AMOLED displays work:

Active matrix (AM) OLED displays stack cathode, organic, and anode layers on top of another layer – or substrate – that contains circuitry. The pixels are defined by the deposition of the organic material in a continuous, discrete “dot” pattern. Each pixel is activated directly: A corresponding circuit delivers voltage to the cathode and anode materials, stimulating the middle organic layer. AMOLED pixels turn on and off more than three times faster than the speed of conventional motion picture film – making these displays ideal for fluid, full-motion video.

What you should remember is that AMOLED displays will offer a great viewing experience, whether we’re talking about videos, games or pictures. The image is superior, in some cases, than the one experienced on devices using different screen technology, and it offers a better performance in direct sunlight (again, in some cases.)

Samsung Galaxy S III with Super AMOLED Display

Also worth mentioning is that AMOLED display offer faster response time, higher refresh rates, are more and more power-efficient (especially more advanced variants,) a major feature when it comes to mobile device use. Less power consumption means that smartphone and tablet makers can offer a better image without affecting battery life, especially in a mobile environment that’s getting ready for 4G LTE technology, another power devourer for mobile devices.

AMOLED: Super, HD, Plus & others

Naturally, the AMOLED development is going forward, with various companies further experimenting ways of taking advantage of the technology in future devices. Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear various other terms used in conjunction with AMOLED. These include: Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus, Super AMOLED Advanced and HD AMOLED Plus. Such displays are found in various Android handsets and tablets available in stores right now. Here’s what it all means:

Super AMOLED is what Samsung calls its own AMOLED display technology because the display actually includes a digitizer (the component of the screen that detects touch). Super AMOLED screens offer a much better viewing experience in sunlight conditions and it is found in some popular devices including: Samsung Galaxy S, Google Nexus S, Samsung Focus and Samsung Omnia W.

Motorola Droid RAZR with Super AMOLED Advanced Display

Super AMOLED Plus is another display-related term marketed by Samsung. In comparison to AMOLED and Super AMOLED displays, the Super AMOLED Plus displays are even more energy efficient and brighter. You’ll certainly recognize some of the Android devices that employ such panels: Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Droid Charge and Samsung Infuse 4G.

Super AMOLED Advanced is a term marketed by Motorola that’s supposed to described a brighter display than Super AMOLED screens, but also a higher resolution – qHD or 960 x 540 for Super AMOLED Advanced compared to WVGA or 800 x 480 for Super AMOLED. This display equips the Motorola Droid RAZR.

Samsung Galaxy Note with HD Super AMOLED Display

Finally, HD Super AMOLED describes those mobile panels that offer a higher (HD) resolution, typically 1280 x 720 pixels or even higher. The following devices have such panels on board: Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (technically, the tablet comes with a superior HD Super AMOLED Plus display).

Which AMOLED display type is best for me?

When it comes to choosing your next smartphone, the size of the display and the technology behind it can be pretty important, although these are not the only factors you should be interested in when purchasing the device – other things to consider include processor speed, 3G/4G support, OS version and upgradeability, battery life, compatibility with worldwide carriers and even camera(s) performance.

But when it comes to choosing between the different AMOLED displays mentioned above, you’ll need a deeper understanding of how these display work and how they could better suit your needs. 

Are you looking for finer images? 

Do you plan to use the device out in the open a lot? 

Are you constantly streaming videos and using graphics-rich apps and games? 

These are things you should think about when choosing an AMOLED display type.

In other words, there isn’t necessarily a best one, but if you were to choose a device by the kind of AMOLED display it comes with, then you’d better get a Super AMOLED Plus or HD Super AMOLED screen. These are the kind of panels that you’ll find in the latest Android handsets from Samsung, therefore the devices that equip such panels will certainly meet your needs when it comes to CPU performance, connectivity choices or OS version.

The Super AMOLED Plus panel has an increased number of subpixels, which means the image is crispier, close to Retina Display – but not necessarily, as a higher resolution is also needed to achieve such performance. The HD Super AMOLED display sacrifices sharpness in favor of a HD resolution. This is achieved by using the PenTile technology that’s also found in regular Super AMOLED screens, which uses fewer subpixels to achieve larger resolutions.

PenTile explained

PenTile or PenTile Matrix is a technology that refers to subpixel arrangement in AMOLED displays. PenTile screens have a RGBG (Red-Green-Blue-Green) pixel layout – see image below – compared to regular displays that rely on an RGB-RGB pattern. The advantage is that PenTile displays can offer a higher resolution utilizing less pixels, but the disadvantage is that image is not as sharp as you’d expect it to be exactly because less pixels are involved.

RGB-RGB Display (left) vs RGBG PenTile Display (right)

Of the AMOLED variants mentioned above, only the Super AMOLED Plus displays offer an RGB-RGB arrangement, and therefore are capable of offering a crisper image.

Other mobile display kinds

While AMOLED displays are mostly used by Samsung in their Android and Windows Phone devices, you are going to find various AMOLED panels in various mobile gadgets, from smartphones and tablets to PMPs, gaming consoles and digital cameras.

But since we’re focusing on Android devices over here, we’ll note that the competition can use other display technologies marketed under different monikers such as Retina Display (Apple) or SLCD (Sony, Samsung, HTC, others).

Other uses

AMOLED displays are currently used in mobile devices although we’re expecting the companies involved to continuously develop the technology to include it in bigger devices (namely HDTVs) once larger AMOLED panels become more budget-friendly. Samsung also happens to have a 40-inch AMOLED TV prototype seen in the following image:

Samsung 40-inch AMOLED TV protoype

A recent iSuppli study revealed the challenges encountered by companies interested in mass-producing AMOLED TVs and suggested that only a few thousand such television sets will be sold this year, with production expected to increase gradually over the next couple of years. The following comparison chart shows the differences between AMOLED TVs and TV sets using other technologies, both when it comes to certain specs and features but also when it comes to prices:

AMOLED TVs vs LCD TVs – via iSuppli

While we wait for AMOLED TVs to be mass produced, we’ll certainly see more and more smartphones and tablets ship with AMOLED displays on board, which we’ll certainly cover thoroughly for you here on The Mythical Truth.

AMOLED screens... from A to Z

By: Unknown on: Wednesday, June 06, 2012