Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Lots of news during the Google I / O - digi.no

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Google’s annual developer conference, Google I / O, opened today with a three-hour main speech. Beforehand, it was announced that the conference would include as many new products as before, and it agreed well. Much keynote address was used to tell the new opportunities that are now open to developers of both Android apps and webappplikasjoner.

That does not mean it was unveiled many new products, but there was little new products. Instead, Google has focused on expanding and improving the products and services the company already offers.

advance had been some leaks and rumors about what would be presented today. Top voted, but the biggest surprise was enough that it was not presented any new Android version. It has been debated whether I should now come with version 4.3 or 5.0. But then there were none of them.

That does not mean there were not many Android-related news, but most of these will initially get Android developers to good. We will later with a separate case in which the most developer-related news is gathered, including those on Chrome.

 Hugo Barra showed off a Samsung Galaxy S 4 with the standard Android installation but otherwise had the most to tell the developers.

Hugo Barra showed off a Samsung Galaxy S 4 with the standard Android installation but otherwise had the most to tell the developers. (Photo: Morris / Bloomberg / Getty Images / All Over Press)

Hugo Barra, director of Android product management at Google opened the Android section to tell that it has now been registered more than 900 million Android devices. During the last Google I / O, in June last year, the number was 400 million. Android users have now downloaded and installed a total of 48 billion applications, of which 2.5 billion last month. Sales in the Android ecosystem for apps is growing too powerful. The amount that Google has paid to application developers this year is already larger than the total was paid last year.

Chris Yerger, who is chief technology officer for Android, told the news in Google Play. An update is now being rolled out, will make it easier for users to find content they are interested in, including by means of recommendations based on what the user has consumed by applications and other content previously. This memory quite a bit about the Netflix have succeeded. It should also be easier to find apps designed specifically for tablets. Among other things, the headliners of tablet applications.

Music
Google Play Music (originally Google Music) was released in November 2011. Still, the service is only available in selected countries, like the range of digital magazines, books and videos offered through Google Play.

Today Google launched an extension of Google Play Music, namely Google Play Music All Access . This is a subscription service similar to Spotify and Wimp, where users have full access to millions of music tracks for a fixed price – $ 9.99 – per month. Currently the service is only available in the U.S. but Yerger announced that it will be available in other countries “soon”.

 Chris Yerger, teknologidifektør for Android, launched the new Google Play Music All Access service during Google I / O 2013 (Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / All Over Press)

Customized “radio stations” are part of the All Access Music. These are playlists that I put together based on what the user has listened to before. However, it is possible for the user to remove the trace and to change the order of the tracks is in the list.

service also has a library of music users have uploaded from their own collection, as well as music that the user selects in range offered by Google music partners.

Moreover, it turned out that the rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S 4 with absolutely pure Android installation was correct. This will go on sale on 26 June Google Play. It will cost $ 649 and be completely unlocked. It will receive the new Android versions as soon as Google is ready to release them. It is unclear whether it will be possible to order the phone from Norway.

Teaching
Google has begun to gain a firm foothold in schools and education, particularly in the United States . According to Sundar Pichai, as CEO for Android and Chrome at Google, uses 74 of the 100 leading universities in the U.S. Google Apps. But I increasingly to bring also Android and Chrome into teaching. Currently, 3,000 U.S. schools introduced Chrome OS-based Chromebooks. Pichai said that the 10 000 schools in Malaysia will now get 4G access and that Chromebooks also here will play a central role.

But Android will be more school mates, which will take place through Google Play for Education , a special edition of the apps marketplace. This is now under pilot testing in some schools. The applications provided are recommended by teachers and sorted by subject and grade level. It will be possible for administrators to purchase and remotely install apps, books, and training videos on all Android tablets in the school district.

Google Play for Education will be launched this fall in the U.S., but it will be welcome applications from summer off. More information is available here.

Google+
Vic Gundotra is head of Google+ and told that Google is about to roll out a major redesign of the social hub the company.

Firstly Google+ stream hereafter consist of up to three columns, depending on the screen size. “Cards” that displays the contents of the stream will be able to snuff, which will create more depth for users who want to delve deeper into the topic is about. This is achieved through increased use of hashtagging. In fact, the posts tagged automatically, depending on what Google thinks the deal. The use of image recognition also means that images are tagged, at least when the subject is known landmarks and the like. If you click on when such a picture in the stream, you will be shown other images of the same or similar design.

 Google+ profile Larry Page for redesign. Shown here with two columns. (Screenshot: digi.no)

It will be possible for users to remove the hash tag if Google automatics have missed.

But the new design is not the only news in Google+. According to Gundotra talking about the 41 new features. An overview of many of these can be found here.

This includes the separate application Hangouts. Typically, Hangouts associated with video conferencing functionality in Google+. But in this case we are talking about an application that is now available for Android, iOS and Chrome. This reminds much of an instant messaging clients, where you can type text messages to individuals or persons with the user’s Google+ circles. But you can also, using a mouse, start a video conference instead. Gundotra describes application as a place to converse. Should the user wish, all you have written will be taken care of for years.

Google+ has since the beginning been particularly attractive to photographers, both professional and amateur. Now Google has come up with enough functionality that is primarily aimed amateurs, but the functionality can probably also be helpful for professionals who want to save some time.

According to Gundotra want Google that its data centers not only be used for backup photos, but also the users ‘darkroom’. Not everyone has the knowledge or resources to fix and organize all the photos from vacations or companies.

When I come back from vacation, so are the holidays over, said Gundotra.

Photo functionality, both in Google+ is now expanded with Auto Highlight, where Google’s systems go through collections of photographs and selects the best. This is done by systems looking for photos that are duplicates, misty, have poor lighting, familiar motifs and people who smile, but also based on aesthetics and recognition of the user’s closest.

Auto Enhance shall control could rectify and improve properties such as lighting, contrast, saturation, structure, noise and focus on images. It is possible to undo all changes after the fact. A gallery of before-and-after pictures can be found here.

Auto Awesome is an automatic function to be able to create new images by combining image sequences user uploads. It can create animations, panoramas and group shots where everyone smiles at equally.

Google Now
While Google eventually have quite a few legs to stand on, search is still essential to the company. Last year the company took the technology called for Knowledge Graph, which helps the search service not only can recognize key words, but also understand the relationship between different objects. It has opened up new opportunities, and Google Now among these.

Google Now, available on the Google Search app for Android and iOS, the user infomation card service user think would benefit from there and then. This may be travel time to work, departure at the upcoming flight, the weather at your destination, restaurant reservations or what is shown in the cinema. Now it should also be possible to create reminders in Google Now and get your own information card about books, music, games, television shows and other user is concerned. But seek chief Amit Singhal said nothing about when Google Now coming to the common browsers.

other hand, said he and his colleague Johanna Wright much about the voice-based search that is available in Chrome. As long as you have Chrome open, it keeps saying “OK I” and then speak into question one has the microphone to the computer. Feature reminiscent of Apple’s Siri, in that it talks back and remember the previous question, so that the user does not need to repeat everything if you have a follow-up question related to the same topic. One example given is:

“OK Google, will it be sunny in Santa Cruz this weekend?” And then “How far is it from here?”

It was stated that the demonstration was a preview of something to come, so even if speech recognition is available for Chrome users in the Google search, so it is not certain that this type konversering will work yet.

Map
The last major topic during the keynote speech was Google Maps. Technology Manager for Google Maps, Brian McClendon said that most of Google Maps usage is now underway on all sites other than Google’s own. The maps are integrated on more than one million Web sites.

 Daniel Graf told the news coming in Google Maps.

Daniel Graf told the news coming in Google Maps. (Photo: Google YouTube video)

Maps-director Daniel Graf and product management for Google Maps, Bernhard Seefeld, told of a new version of Google Maps which is now under testing. You can see more and apply for access here. It is expected that the new version, including applications for Android and iOS, will be available during the summer.

Among the news that was displayed was the ability to see offers from restaurants and other businesses when you open business listings in map. A new Explore feature makes suggestions on what to kill time with the environment in which they are located or to go.

But the biggest news – in addition to a significantly altered appearance, better imagery and user interface – is that map now displays a much greater extent adapted to the individual user, based on what the user actually does and has done in previous maps. Recommendations Google+ contacts also plays an important role in which places of interest are highlighted.

Searching for instance, for a particular museum, not only will this museum will be highlighted in the maps, but also other museums nearby. The same also applies when seeking other types of interest, such as restaurants and shops. This is shown with animations on this site, but also in the video below.

Google Maps will also use many of the same data as Google Now and the result will be better the more you use it.

view of itineraries to be smarter, as one in the same view as can been seen several different routes, both by car and public transportation, all at once. This will make it easier to choose.

Moreover, experience with satellite and aerial perceived more as with Google Earth, but without the use of plugins, at least in browsers that support WebGL.

It should also be possible to zoom much further out than is possible today, so the view of the world goes into a view of the stars and planets in space.

 Larry Page completed keynote address by responding to questions from a number of conference participants.

Larry Page completed keynote address by responding to questions from a number of conference participants. (Photo: Google YouTube video)

The main speech was ended by Larry Page, who acted in such a large audience for the first time in a long time. There has been much speculation surrounding his absence, but Google has always claimed that he is seriously ill. How serious it is, you probably debatable, but this week stood up and told Page that his absence is due to paralysis of the vocal cords. It affects his ability to speak. It all started with a cold he had 14 years ago.

Nonetheless Page stood on stage and answered questions from the audience in half an hour.


Read more about: google i / o 2013 android, google maps, google local, google plus, google chrome

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