Android L: 8 New Features in the Next Major Android Release

Android L: 8 New Features in the Next Major Android Release

NDTV Correspondent

Android has grown from a tiny upstart to the world's dominant mobile computing platform with over a billion active users. Google isn't sitting still, though, and has just unveiled what it calls the most ambitious Android release yet. Currently known only as Android L, there's no dessert-themed codename or even formal version number yet. Android L will release later this year, though an exact date isn't known.

We hope to see new smartphones launch around the same time which take advantage of all the new features, and also updates to existing smartphones. HTC is amongst the companies committed to bringing it to its existing HTC One family, while others should announce support soon.

Here are some of the most exciting new features of Android L

Material design
Android will receive a complete visual overhaul aimed at promoting a consistent experience across Android device sizes and types. The new "Material Design" identity is bolder, more colourful, and more animated. Every transition between screens and every user interaction has been refined, down to the system-wide Roboto typeface and the Android navigation buttons.

Screen elements will be able to simulate depth, with automatic shadows and scaling, but will also inherit elements of classic magazine typography and layout. There's more emphasis on simple shapes and consistent actions that lead you from one app into another. Google's new design page offers hints of what is to come.

The change could also be aimed at discouraging third-party vendors from developing custom Android overlays which greatly deviate from Google's vision. A strong enough core UI experience could lead users to reject anything seen as inferior to it.

The Material Design identity integrates elements of responsive Web design and will extend to other Google properties including Gmail, which will be redesigned for the Web as well as mobile apps. Material Design takes into account the fact that touch, voice, mouse and keyboard are all equally important input methods, clearly illustrating goals above and beyond smartphone usage scenarios

.Improved notifications

You will be able to interact with notifications more easily in Android L. For starters, you can choose which ones show up on the lock screen and what amount of detail they'll show. You can decide whether snippets of actual messages are displayed when your phone is potentially visible to others, or whether more details will only be revealed when you unlock it. They also aren't necessarily displayed in chronological order anymore - the OS can learn which ones you're more likely to respond to urgently and prioritise those.

There's also a new type of notification altogether - Google calls these heads ups. These appear on top of whatever you're doing and allow you to take action or dismiss them immediately. These are meant to be less intrusive, and can be used for things that can't wait, such as incoming calls.

Trusted environments
Speaking of the lock screen, you'll soon be able to have your phone detect when it's in a trusted environment, which will dispense with the lock code. This could be triggered by the presence of a Bluetooth device such a smartwatch that you wear all the time, a specific Wi-Fi access point, or other factors. When the environment is deemed safe, you won't have to bother with unlocking your phone

Project Volta, battery improvements
Android L will be able to manage battery life much better, but Google's moves go beyond that to the app development stage, for which new tools have been developed that let developers track battery drain and optimise apps before they ever reach end users. The battery saver mode is similar to those implemented by third parties so far - non-essential services can be turned off or made to run only at intervals in order to save power. Android L will also be able to lower the screen refresh rate, reduce the frequency of data exchanges, or force apps to change their behaviour to match the prevailing battery state.

Google Fit
Everyone's getting into health and activity tracking, and Google is no exception. The new Google Fit framework will take Apple's Healthkit head on, tying into sensors on phones themselves as well as connected accessories to collect data which will be ready for apps to use. Major partners including Nike, Adidas, Runkeeper, HTC, Asus, LG and Motorola are already on board. Google Fit could monitor physical activity and food intake as well as health indicators such as heart rate and breathing.

Greater Web integration

There's also a change to the way individual tabs and documents in apps are handled by Android L. They'll now show up as individual entries in the Recents menu, allowing users to jump directly between them. This pulls the focus away from apps and puts it onto all the things you do with them. For example, Web apps open in Chrome tabs would appear much like native apps running on your device, and you'd be able to jump in and out of them more quickly.

Links on the Web can now also be used to launch apps instead of websites (presumably falling back to the website in case the app is not installed). For example, Google demonstrated looking up a restaurant in Chrome and then tapping a link to not only launch the OpenTable app, but also have it know that it should bring up that restaurant's booking page. Google search results can also now be links that trigger an app, rather than links to websites.

ART Runtime and Android Extension Pack
Google is ditching the Dalvik runtime which has served well for years, in favour of a new one called ART. It can make apps load and run quite a bit faster while using less RAM. ART is 64-bit compatible, and is also engineered to allow apps to work across hardware architectures such as ARM and X86. This also means that Android devices will be able to address more RAM than the 32-bit limit allowed.

With greater diversity in Android hardware obviously envisioned for the near future, the move is a welcome change. Google has worked with major hardware vendors to enable more fluid graphics, potentially paving the way for new Android-based game consoles and set-top boxes. Desktop-class graphics including tessellation, geometry shaders and texture compression will potentially be possible on Android devices.

Knox

Google also made a few announcements that indicate interesting things on the horizon for enterprise users. The company announced that Samsung's Knox feature for work and personal separation will become a part of Android itself. Knox allows corporate IT administrators to control work-related data and policies on employees' smartphones while letting the employees themselves continue to store personal data and use unrelated apps. This alleviates many of the problems with accessing secure information from mobile devices and could make Android far more attractive to businesses.

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Argentina vs Netherlands Google Doodle on Wednesday Is About 'Goal Line'

Argentina vs Netherlands Google Doodle on Wednesday Is About 'Goal Line'

The World Cup 2014 has provided plenty of inspiration to the Google doodle design team, which is currently stationed in Brazil, to come up with interesting doodles. The latest from its arsenal is the Argentina vs Netherlands doodle, which focuses on the 'Goal Line' technology. The technology made its debut in this edition of the World Cup. It is also important to remember that on Tuesday, for the Brazil vs Germany match, Google had doodled about the vanishing spray, which too debuted at World Cup 2014.

Wednesday's Argentina vs Netherlands 'Goal Line' doodle, shows the ball being struck forcefully at the second 'O', which is the goalkeeper, and makes a diving save to stop the ball. The other letters are depicted as mute spectators in the background. Even though the 'O' makes the save the ball just rolls over the line. An ant comes up and uses a measuring ruler to see whether the ball has crossed over the line or not and then declares it to be a legit goal. 

The final image of the doodle has a blue background with the ball in the foreground just over the line. The ant is standing with a red flag signifying that the goal stands. The Google logo is pasted in the far left hand corner in white. It is needless to say that the ball in question is the same green and canary yellow ball. The blue background is a sort of tribute to Argentina, which not only plays the second semi-final of World Cup 2014 on Wednesday but also celebrates its independence day on July 9.

The Argentina vs Netherlands doodle is number 57 on the list of Google's World Cup 2014 doodles. It is visible in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It is not visible in Central America, Russia, North, East and West Africa, parts of far South-east Asia, and Brazil. There is also another doodle, number 58, which is visible only in Germany. It has the word 'Finale' celebrating Germany's entry, for a record eighth time, in the finals.

The Argentina vs Netherlands match will be played at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. Argentina have made it to the semi-finals after 24 years, while Netherlands have been the runners-up in the previous edition of the World Cup.

 The focus however, continues to be on the first semi-final and the German team that annihilated Brazil on their home turf by a record score of 7-1. The game was wrapped up within the first half-hour when Germany had scored five goals and had fans of the host nation weeping. Amongst others, Miroslav Klose, Germany's famed striker broke the world record for most number of World Cup goals when he scored the second goal of the night against Brazil. Others who made it to the scoresheet included Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira and Andre Schurrle. The Argentina vs Netherlands semi-final match will be telecast on July 10 

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Nokia Lumia 930 Goes on Sale Worldwide

Nokia Lumia 930 Goes on Sale Worldwide

by Ketan Pratap
NDTV

Microsoft on Monday has announced the availability of its recently unveiled Lumia 930. Priced at $599 (approximately Rs. 35,800), the sales of Lumia 930 will begin this week in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The company also said that "further rollout throughout the world (except the US) will continue over the coming weeks."

The Lumia 930 was first unveiled in April at Microsoft's Build 2014 conference along with the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635.

The smartphone is already listed on various online retailers (Flipkart, Infibeam, HomeShop18) in India also without price.

The Nokia Lumia 930 features single-SIM support and runs Windows Phone 8.1 out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) ClearBlack OLED display with a pixel density of 441ppi. The display boasts of a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, the 'Super Sensitive Touch' feature, and 'a near 180-degree viewing angle'. The Lumia 930 is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage.

It sports a 20-megapixel PureView camera with dual-LED flash, which has optical image stabilisation (OIS) and Carl Zeiss optics. A front-facing 1.2-megapixel wide-angle camera is onboard as well, apart from four directional microphones and integrated Dolby Surround Sound. The Nokia Lumia 930 comes in 32GB of built-in storage (additional 7GB free OneDrive cloud storage), but there is no expansion option for microSD card.

Various connectivity options on the Lumia 930 include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Micro-USB, 3G and LTE. The Lumia 930 runs on a 2420mAh battery which is rated for up to 21.7 hours of 2G talk time and 17.9 hours of 3G talk time. Other than that the Lumia 930 smartphone also boasts of built-in wireless charging. It measures 137x71x9.8 mm and weighs 167 grams.

Featuring an aluminium frame with metallic accents, and a curved polycarbonate back, the smartphone comes in Bright Orange, Bright Green, Black and White colours. The Nokia Lumia 930 comes with OneDrive, MS Office, Nokia Camera, MixRadio and HERE Maps, as well as specific imaging apps, such as Nokia Camera, Nokia Storyteller, Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Refocus, pre-installed.

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Sony Xperia C3 and Xperia C3 Dual Selfie-Focused Smartphones Launched

Sony Xperia C3 and Xperia C3 Dual Selfie-Focused Smartphones Launched

by Robin Sinha

NDTV

A day after an official teaser and several leaks, Sony has made a move on the selfie trend by officially announcing its Sony Xperia C3 and Xperia C3 Dual smartphones, which have been designed for selfie shot lovers.

Although the price details have not yet been revealed for the Sony Xperia C3 and Xperia C3 Dual, the Japanese giant says it will launch globally from August 2014, starting with China as the first launch market.

The Sony Xperia C3 and Sony Xperia C3 Dual feature identical specifications, with the latter sporting dual-SIM card slots in addition. Both phone runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box. 

The Xperia C3 features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) Triluminos display supported by Bravia Engine 2 and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM.

The Xperia C3 sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera along with LED flash. The smartphone is Sony's first to come with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera along with an LED flash as it focuses more towards the selfie trends. The front-facing camera features a wide- angle view to capture a group selfie without unnecessary squeezing inside the image.

Some of the other features included in both the front and the rear camera are Superior Auto, Portrait Retouch v.2, Timeshift-burst, Picture effects, Movie Creator, Social Live, Sweep Panorama and a special dedicated app for Vine which lets users capture short 6-second videos and share it directly from the smartphone.

While the Portrait Retouch and Picture Effects are post-image editing features, the Superior Auto offers users the option to choose between 36 scenes including HDR mode, backlit mode and more. The Movie Creator is for editing and customizing the video shot, Social Live for broadcasting the images or videos easily to social websites, Timeshift-burst for capturing the best image from the 31 frames taken by Xperia C3 in two seconds, and Sweep Panorama for easy capturing of extra wide shots just by panning the smartphone.

The Sony Xperia C3 supports storage expansion via microSD card (up to 32GB), with 8GB of inbuilt storage. It packs a 2500mAh battery, which is rated for up to 24 hours of talk time (unspecified network) and 1,071 hours of standby time, according to the company.

The various connectivity options on the Xperia C3 include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi, and USB charging. The smartphone measures 156x78.5x7.6mm, weighs 150 grams and comes in Black, White and Mint colour variants.

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Brazil's World Cup dream shattered against Germany

Brazil's World Cup dream shattered against Germany

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) -- It was a humiliating home defeat of record proportions that no Brazilian could have seen coming.
With its defense collapsing early and nobody able to spark the attack, Brazil conceded four goals in a seven-minute span, trailed 5-0 at half time and was routed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
''We got lost a little bit there,'' Brazil's stand-in captain David Luiz said. Germany ''realized the game was there for the taking and scored the goals.
''It's very difficult to explain right now. The dream is over, in a way that the people didn't want.''
Brazil's most heartbreaking World Cup defeat had been a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the last match of the 1950 World Cup that it hosted. The loss to Germany ranks right up there with that painful defeat.
Fans were in shock, some leaving way before the final whistle.

The Brazilian crowd that had been supporting the national team throughout the tournament jeered loudly after the match, and again when the players raised their hands to applaud them. Luiz kneeled on the ground and prayed, with his arms and index fingers pointed up. Oscar, who scored Brazil's lone goal, cried near midfield.

''The players knew from the beginning that by playing at home our obligation was to reach the final and win the final,'' Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said.
Home-field advantage wasn't enough for Brazil again, but not having its top two players available for the semifinal played a major part in the defeat at the Mineirao Stadium. Without suspended captain Thiago Silva and injured star striker Neymar, the Brazilian team appeared rudderless.
Although Silva's replacement, Dante, was not directly responsible for Germany's goals, the defense seemed lost from the beginning, giving up space and easy chances to the Germans, who had a 5-0 lead by the 29th minute.

Brazil pressured in the beginning, but the attack never had a chance to keep the hosts in the match. Central forward Fred, one of the most loudly jeered players when he was substituted in the second half, ended the tournament with one goal. No other Brazilian striker - other than Neymar - scored at the tournament. Of the team's 11 goals, four came from Neymar and 10 from defenders and midfielders.
Neymar was ruled out of the World Cup after fracturing a vertebra late in the 2-1 win against Colombia in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Seven years after winning the bid to host the tournament, the five-time champions already know that they can finish no higher than third place. The playoff - some argue the cruelest of the World Cup matches - is Saturday against the loser of the Netherlands- Argentina semifinal.
It was one of Brazil's heaviest losses in terms of goals conceded. It had lost 8-4 to Yugoslavia in a friendly in 1934. Tuesday's result equaled the margin of its previous worst defeat - the 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920.

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Dubai is building the world's first temperature-controlled city

Dubai is building the world's first temperature-controlled city

Cassandra Khaw

The Verge 

Dubai is set to become home to the first temperature-controlled city on the planet. The ambitious project is expected to feature a mall, an indoor family theme park, and a "network of temperature-controlled openable promenades" — all billed as "the world's largest." According to developer Dubai Holding, the 7km (4.35 miles) expanse of covered walkways will allow week-long stays without the need for cars or exposure to Dubai's harsh desert climate, which averages 104 degrees Farenheit in the summer.

The Mall of the World will also include a three-million-square-foot wellness district and theaters modeled after famous cultural landmarks like the West End and Broadway. There will be 100 hotels and service apartments built on the 48-million-square-foot premises in order to accommodate the 180 million visitors the mall hopes to host annually. "The objective is to create an integrated city with a plethora of best-in-class options within pleasant environments," said United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in a statement.

Neither a budget nor a completion date have been announced as of yet. The Mall of the World might seem like an outlandish, capitalistic fantasy, but Dubai is no stranger to extravagance. Among other things, the city is famous for containing the world's tallest building and throwing a record-breaking fireworks display.

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Find Out :Why Demi Lovato Unfollowed Selena Gomez on Twitter

 Demi Lovato dramatically unfollowed Selena Gomez on Twitter last week because According to Hollywood Life, Demi thinks that Selena has too much drama in her life and wanted to send a message by unfollowing her.

While Demi defended Selena in a recent issue of the UK magazine We Love Pop by saying that "nobody knows" Selena, a source has revealed that Demi can't stand to see her friend struggle and refuse help. Plus, she's apparently not a Jelena fan!

“Demi tried to help Selena with her problems and also getting rid of Justin from her life and it is apparent Selena refused to listen to Demi‘s advice," the source said.

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Is Justin Bieber Stepping Up His Style 

credit : instagram

Is it just us, or has Justin Bieber transformed his Instagram account into a high-fashion modeling portfolio lately? While he normally posts  selfies and cool behind-the-scenes pics from his world adventures, the Biebs has been showing off new grown-up outfits and suave poses in totally stylish photos!

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Disneyland Paris getting Ratatouille attraction

Disneyland Paris getting Ratatouille attraction

Associated Press,

PARIS — A new attraction inspired by the Disney movie "Ratatouille" is scheduled to open July 10 at Disneyland Paris.
It will be the first ride at any Disney park based on the 2007 animated movie about a rat named Remy who is a gifted French chef.
The dark ride offers what the park describes as a "comical, rat's eye view" of Remy's world, beginning on the rooftops of Paris, continuing in "ratmobiles" through a restaurant's cold storage area, and into a dining room overseen by an intimidating chef.
In French, the attraction is called Ratatouille : L'Aventure Totalement Toquee (toe-kay) de Remy. In English, it's Ratatouille: The Totally Zany Adventures of Remy.
The area includes a restaurant, Bistrot Chez Remy, and a boutique that opens at the end of the year.

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Samsung, Intel, Dell team up on standards for connected gadgets

Samsung, Intel, Dell team up on standards for connected gadgets

By Noel Randewich

Reuters 

SAN FRANCISCO - Samsung Electronics, Intel Corp and Dell have joined to establish standard ways for household gadgets like thermostats and light bulbs to talk to each other, at odds with a framework backed by Qualcomm, LG Electronics and other companies.

The new Open Interconnect Consortium, like the Qualcomm-supported AllSeen Alliance, aims to establish how smart devices work together in a trend increasingly called the Internet of Things.
Manufacturers are rolling out growing numbers of Internet-connected burglar alarms, televisions and light switches. But like the early days of video cassette recorders, current smart home products are often incompatible with each other.

The new consortium, which also includes chipmakers Broadcom and Atmel, was announced in a news release late on Monday.
Doug Fisher, general manager of Intel's Software and Services Group, told Reuters that the framework to be developed by the new consortium would address security and other issues not adequately handled by the AllSeen group.

The potential emergence of smart household products made by manufacturers using two sets of incompatible standards would be incidental, he said.
"We're not out to create that. We just think the industry has spoken and there's this approach that's needed," Fisher said. "We're certainly welcoming others to participate."
Last week, Microsoft became the 51st member of the AllSeen Alliance, which also includes Sharp Corp and other consumer electronics manufacturers.

Rob Chandhok, senior vice president of Qualcomm Technologies Inc, compared the two competing standards groups to walled-off online services in the early 1990s before widespread Internet use.
"It's better for us to have an industry-wide shared platform than to be divided," Chandhok said. "I don't want to get to a 'Prodigy and CompuServe' of the Internet of Things."
Technology heavyweights Apple and Google are also pursuing their own ways of interconnecting household devices.

Apple, known for strictly controlling how other companies' products interact with its own, in June announced HomeKit, which will integrate control of devices like lights and thermostats
Google's Nest has also partnered with companies including Whirlpool Corp and light bulb maker LIFX to integrate their products with its thermostats and smoke detectors

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Sleeping Yankees fan sues TV announcers

Sleeping Yankees fan sues TV announcers

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- A Yankees fan has filed a $10 million lawsuit against two ESPN announcers contending they mocked him when he was caught on national television sleeping in his seat during a game at Yankee Stadium.
Andrew Robert Rector admits in court documents he ''napped'' during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 13, but says commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an ''avalanche of disparaging words'' against him. The suit says they used words like ''fatty'' and ''stupid.''
Rector says he suffered ''substantial injury'' to his ''character and reputation'' and ''mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity.''
The lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court Thursday also names ESPN, Major League Baseball and the Yankees as defendants. They didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

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New Kinect for PC Arrives July 15th (and the Hacks Not Long After)

New Kinect for PC Arrives July 15th (and the Hacks Not Long After)

Jamie Condliffe

Gizmodo

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One's Kinect sensor will be available for PCs from July 15th—and it will usher in a whole new wave of fascinating and useful hacks.

Cast your mind back to when the first Kinect became available for PC, and you'll remember a sudden explosion of cool and crazy hacks that made use of its sensors. This time, though, the new Kinect for PC—which will be virtually identical to the One's—features a higher fidelity sensor with a 1080p camera, larger field of view, and better skeletal tracking.

In other words, those hacks are going to get cooler and crazier—and Microsoft already knows it. As a result, it's listened to developers wants, including reduced latency and improved finger tracking, and rolled them into the new release. With improved accuracy, applications for the new device could range from robotic sight to remote surgery, and practically anything in between.

From July 15th, you can bet developers everywhere will be toying with one of these things. If you want to join in, it'll cost $200. You can preorder now. [Microsoft]

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