Google Updates Gmail, Voice, YouTube For Android

Google pushes out slew of improvements to Android apps, including cards for Gmail and a remote locking option for Android Device Manager.

Google is constantly updating its mobile apps and services and this week offered new versions of three key apps for Android devices: Gmail, Google Voice, YouTube and Android Device Manager.

The latest update to Gmail brings the application in line with the card-based user interface Google has been slowly introducing across its mobile apps. Google has applied the card look to the conversation view within Gmail. Google believes this makes conversations easier to read and follow from message to message. The application also added new check marks to make it easier to see when multiple messages have been selected for actions such as move, archive or delete. Last, Gmail now provides a visual indicator about sync status. If sync is off, the app will let you know so you don't miss messages.

Gmail is free to download from the Google Play Store. It is compatible with devices running Android 4.0 and up.

Google surprised fans of its Google Voice service this week with a minor update to the app. Google Voice has been gathering dust for a while. The update doesn't add much to Voice. Google Voice now offers a warning when users attempt to send text messages to 911. It also added support for new short codes and fixed a number of bugs.

[ Google just made its Wallet electronic payment service available to users of iOS devices. Read Google Wallet Arrives For iOS. ]

Google Voice appears to have fallen out of Google's good graces. Many think the service and associated apps are next on Google's list of "spring cleaning" shutdowns. The app has been neglected for nearly a year, as it continues to have limited functionality -- it doesn't support MMS messages, for example.

For those still maintaining a Google Voice number, the update is free to download from the Play Store.

Google recently updated the YouTube application for Android devices. There's no change log for the latest version of YouTube, and it likely only contains bug fixes. The app was overhauled recently with a number of new features.

Last, Google updated the Android Device Manager with one significant new feature. Users can now remotely lock their Android device with a new passcode entered on the Web. When the service first launched, users could locate their device by ringing it, or erase it completely. The locking feature is a nice in-between step that can be used to secure a device while preserving the information on it.

Microsoft to end security updates for Windows XP next year.

 Microsoft announced that it will not be releasing any more security updatesfor its Windows XP operating system, meaning XP-loyal users are going to face a difficult time in converting their systems to the latest version of Windows 8. 

The end of security updates to XP would mean that any flaws reported by hackers will not be fixed by the company. 

Microsoft ended security updates to many of its previous Windows versions like Windows 95, 98, Vista and XP would be the latest to finally face the axe after Microsoft updated it several times before. 

XP has key security features missing, can't support the latest, safest and most web-compatible versions of Internet Explorer and can't take full advantage of the latest hardware advances. 

Users familiar with the good-old Windows XP might have to upgrade to a new computer, upgraded software and possibly new accessories like printers and scanners and yet the biggest change would be the switch to the Windows 8 OS which has its own set of complexities to access. 

According to the report, Windows 8 is the only operating system available on new computers and since it is radically different from previous versions, desktop owners will find the system complex to operate which is ideally meant for touchscreen tablets.

Mobile computing:Ocean of technology in the hands.

Mobile computing is human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties,protocols, data formats and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.

Mobile computing is "taking a computer and all necessary files and software out into the field."

"Mobile computing: being able to use a computing device even when being mobile and therefore changing location. Portability is one aspect of mobile computing."

"Mobile computing is the ability to use computing capability without a pre-defined location and/or connection to a network to publish and/or subscribe to information." Uwe Vieille, ACM.org/

Devices

Many types of mobile computers have been introduced since the 1990s including the:

• Personal digital assistant/enterprise digital assistant
• Smartphone
• Tablet computer
• Ultra-Mobile PC
• Wearable computer

Limitations

• Range & Bandwidth: Mobile Internet access is generally slower than direct cable connections, using technologies such as GPRS and EDGE, and more recently HSDPA and HSUPA 3G and 4G networks. These networks are usually available within range of commercial cell phone towers. Higher speed wireless LANs are inexpensive but have very limited range.
• Security standards: When working mobile, one is dependent on public networks, requiring careful use of VPN. Security is a major concern while concerning the mobile computing standards on the fleet. One can easily attack the VPN through a huge number of networks interconnected through the line.
• Power consumption: When a power outlet or portable generator is not available, mobile computers must rely entirely on battery power. Combined with the compact size of many mobile devices, this often means unusually expensive batteries must be used to obtain the necessary battery life.
• Transmission interferences: Weather, terrain, and the range from the nearest signal point can all interfere with signal reception. Reception in tunnels, some buildings, and rural areas is often poor.
• Potential health hazards: People who use mobile devices while driving are often distracted from driving and are thus assumed more likely to be involved in traffic accidents.(While this may seem obvious, there is considerable discussion about whether banning mobile device use while driving reduces accidents or not.) Cell phones may interfere with sensitive medical devices. Questions concerning mobile phone radiation and health have been raised.
• Human interface with device: Screens and keyboards tend to be small, which may make them hard to use. Alternate input methods such as speech or handwriting recognition require training.

In-vehicle computing and fleet computing

Many commercial and government field forces deploy a ruggedized portable computer with their fleet of vehicles. This requires the units to be anchored to the vehicle for driver safety, device security, and ergonomics. Rugged computers are rated for severe vibration associated with large service vehicles and off-road driving and the harsh environmental conditions of constant professional use such as in emergency medical services, fire, and public safety.

Other elements affecting function in vehicle:

• Operating temperature: A vehicle cabin can often experience temperature swings from -20F to +140F. Computers typically must be able to withstand these temperatures while operating. Typical fan-based cooling has stated limits of 95F-100F of ambient temperature, and temperatures below freezing require localized heaters to bring components up to operating temperature (based on independent studies by the SRI Group and by Panasonic R&D).
• Vibration can decrease the life expectancy of computer components, notably rotational storage such as HDDs.
• Visibility of standard screens becomes an issue in bright sunlight.
• Touchscreen users easily interact with the units in the field without removing gloves.
• High-temperature battery settings: Lithium ion batteries are sensitive to high temperature conditions for charging. A computer designed for the mobile environment should be designed with a high-temperature charging function that limits the charge to 85% or less of capacity.
• External antenna connections go through the typical metal cabins of vehicles which would block wireless reception, and take advantage of much more capable external communication and navigation equipment.

Several specialized manufacturers such as First Mobile Technologies, National Products Inc (Ram Mounts), Gamber Johnson and LedCo build mounts for vehicle mounting of computer equipment for a wide range of vehicles. The mounts are built to withstand the harsh conditions and maintain ergonomics.

Specialized installation companies design the mount design, assembling the parts, and installing them in a safe and consistent manner away from airbags, vehicle HVAC controls, and driver controls. Frequently installations will include a WWAN modem, power conditioning equipment, transceiver antennae mounted external to the vehicle, and WWAN/WLAN/GPS/etc.

Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying

Google is racing to encrypt the torrents of information that flow among its data centers around the world in a bid to thwart snooping by the NSA and the intelligence agencies of foreign governments, company officials said Friday.

The move by Google is among the most concrete signs yet that recent revelations about the National Security Agency’s sweeping surveillance efforts have provoked significant backlash within an American technology industry that U.S. government officials long courted as a potential partner in spying programs.

Google’s encryption initiative, initially approved last year, was accelerated in June as the tech giant struggled to guard its reputation as a reliable steward of user information amid controversy about the NSA’s PRISM program, first reported in The Washington Post and the Guardian that month. PRISM obtains data from American technology companies, including Google, under various legal authorities.

Encrypting information flowing among data centers will not make it impossible for intelligence agencies to snoop on individual users of Google services, nor will it have any effect on legal requirements that the company comply with court orders or valid national security requests for data. But company officials and independent security experts said that increasingly widespread use of encryption technology makes mass surveillance more difficult — whether conducted by governments or other sophisticated hackers.

“It’s an arms race,” said Eric Grosse, vice president for security engineering at Google, based in Mountain View, Calif. “We see these government agencies as among the most skilled players in this game.”

Experts say that, aside from the U.S. government, sophisticated government hacking efforts emanate from China, Russia, Britain and Israel.

The NSA seeks to defeat encryption through a variety of means, including by obtaining encryption “keys” to decode communications, by using super-computers to break codes, and by influencing encryption standards to make them more vulnerable to outside attack, according to reports Thursday by the New York Times, the Guardian and ProPublica, based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

But those reports made clear that encryption — essentially converting data into what appears to be gibberish when intercepted by outsiders — complicates government surveillance efforts, requiring that resources be devoted to decoding or otherwise defeating the systems. Among the most common tactics, experts say, is to hack into individual computers or other devices used by people targeted for surveillance, making what amounts to an end run around coded communications.

Security experts say the time and energy required to defeat encryption forces surveillance efforts to be targeted more narrowly on the highest-priority targets — such as terrorism suspects — and limits the ability of governments to simply cast a net into the huge rivers of data flowing across the Internet.

“If the NSA wants to get into your system, they are going to get in . . . . Most of the people in my community are realistic about that,” said Christopher Soghoian, a computer security expert at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This is all about making dragnet surveillance impossible.”

Google turns 15: How it has changed our lives

From a garage startup in Silicon Valley to a multi-billion dollar company that has more than 70 offices in over 40 global locations, in 15 years, Google has come a long way. It has changed the way we study, communicate and find places. Now to do most tasks, there's always an option to 'Google' it.

“I do not take the effort to memorize information that I can easily find on Google,” says 28-year-old marketing professional Divyam Kumar who knows he can depend on the search giant for help for almost everything. “I don't even need to remember difficult spellings or locations,” he says.

Daniel D'Mello (@danieldmello) agrees with Kumar. “I don't need to remember locations or names of specific sources of information anymore. No more books, libraries, websites,” he says. “I just need to know what I'm looking for. Through Google, or Google Scholar, the answer is at my fingertips.” 

So common is this dependence on Google that a 2012 study suggests that people actively forget information if they think they can look it up later. It also states that our minds are changing to ensure we're experts at knowing where to find the info even without being able to recall it.

What made Google make us this way? How does it make itself so relevant?

For a typical query on Google, “there are thousands, if not millions, of webpages with helpful information.” And it is its algorithms that have been developed over years – that throws up the most-related and relevant links and answers to questions you ask.

Today, Google’s algorithms rely on more than 200 unique “clues” that make it possible to guess what you might really be looking for. These signals include things like the terms on websites, the freshness of content, your region and PageRank. This very ability makes people use Google everyday to find everything. Tech journalist Nimish Dubey (@nimishdubey) admits. “Google made a search page my landing page for everything from news to images to videos. Pretty astounding."

The search also has 22 special features that can be activated by typing trigger words. For example, one can use it to find the current time, stock quotes, sports scores, and the weather. You can also use it directly for doing calculations.

Then there is the story of how Google changed the way we use email to become the world's most popular email service. When Gmail was introduced in 2004, it was the first time people heard about free unlimited storage space.

“I would use multiple email IDs because they allowed only 2-4MB storage,” says Chinmay Shah (@chin80), a communications professional who moved to using only one account after Gmail invited users to try its email service that significantly increased storage to 1 GB.

Its minimalistic look and feel made people appreciate it more. The in-email chat grew popular on Gmail although it was not their innovation. Other options like Gmail labs, introduced in 2008, allowed users to try experimental features like the ability to create custom keyboard shortcuts, move the chat box to the right side of the inbox or even the incredible undo send option that lets users 'Stop messages from being sent for a few seconds after hitting the send button'.

Fans of Google Translate, Maps have their say:

French translator Gurudutt Kamath is a big fan of Google Translate, an instant automatic translation tool. “I improve my French to English translations using it because it lets me learn new terminologies about new domains like nuclear science and cardiology,” he says. Translate currently supports 71 languages. First launched in 2006, the service is used by over 200 million people every month on  translate.google.com and Google services such as Chrome, mobile apps, YouTube.

Homemaker Ranjana Vashist uses Google Maps on her phone when she is exploring new places. “I use it in the city and even when I travel to new destinations. It's handy especially in areas where there is no one you can ask for directions.” The web-mapping service that offers a route planner for travelling by foot, car, bike, or with public transportation and also lets users see which areas are congested with traffic in real-time was acquired by Google in 2004.

Then of course there is YouTube, the second most-used search engine in the world. The site hosts millions of videos created by people including teachers and artists. It's partner program has allowed these creators of video content to make money and some make a living just creating videos that people want to see. "YouTube is my favourite teacher," says Tanisha Dey. "I have learnt how to play the guitar, canvas paint and even braid my hair in 5 different ways on the website."

Other Google tools and services include:

Chrome: Its web browser

Google Docs, now Drive: Online file sharing and collab editing tech

Android: Mobile operating platform for smartphones and tablets.

Google Ad Sense: It's ad serving application for online publishers

Tell us how Google has had an impact on you. Share your views below

Google says next version of Android will be called KitKat.

Sundar Pichai, head of Androiddivision at Google, on Tuesday revealed on Twitter that the next version of the company'smobile operating system (OS) will be called Android KitKat.

"We now have over 1 billion Android activations and hope this guy in front of the building keeps that momentum going," Pichai tweeted as well as posted an image of a giant Android mascot built like KitKat chocolate.

Earlier, there were rumours that the next version of the OS would be called Android Key Lime Pie.

Since Android 1.5, Google has named each version of the OS after a sweet. Android 1.5 was Cupcake. Android 1.6 was Donut. Android 2.0 was Eclair. Android 2.2 was Froyo. Android 2.3 was Gingerbread. Android 3.0 was Honeycomb. Android 4.0 was Ice Cream Sandwich. And Android 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 have been called Jelly Bean.

"Android is the operating system that powers over 1 billion smartphones and tablets. Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named after a dessert... As everybody finds it difficult to stay away from chocolate we decided to name the next version of Android after one of our favorite chocolate treats, Kitkat," Google said.

The KitKat will be Android 4.4. So far there is no word on when Google will release this OS but it is likely to debut in the market with the new Nexus phone in the coming months.

Google announced the new version of Android just minutes after Apple sent out invites for an event on September 10 where it is likely to launch the next version of iPhone.

For KitKat name Google has tied up with Nestle, which makes KitKat chocolates.

"We couldn't imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that's been a favourite among the team since the early days of Android," said Marc Vanlerberghe, director of Android marketing.

Nestle said that to mark the release of Android KitKat, more than 50 million specially branded KitKat bars will be available in 19 countries including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The packs will lead consumers to the website www.android.com/kitkat where they will have the opportunity to win prizes including a limited number of Google Nexus 7 tablets, and credits to spend in Google Play.

A small number of Android robot-shaped KitKat bars will be offered as prizes in selected markets.

Now Facebook is testing out ‘Trending’ section in News Feed.

Facebook just can’t stop copying Twitter can it? After introducing Hashtags in 

June, the social networking site is now actively testings a ‘Trending’ section.

The ‘Trending Section’ will appear on the top right hand side of the News Feed. 

On Twitter, trending topics or trending hashtags appear on the bottom left.A  

Facebook spokeswoman confirmed the test on Friday and said, “We are running

a small test of a unit on News Feed. Right now it only available to a small 

percentage of US users and it is still in the early stages of development.”

Twitter’s trending tags, the section on Facebook will reflect trending tags andtopics under that particular tag.Currently if you click on a tag that someone has added to say a picture, then Facebook has a separate pop-up which shows others posts with that tag. This could and does included sponsored posts at times.At the bottom of this pop-up, Facebook has a list of more trending tags. When you click on them, you can see more posts related to that tag and also tags linked to that tag. For instance currently #labordayweekend is trending on Facebook and so is #iTunesfestival. When you click on iTunes Festival, you will also see that Lady Gaga, Applause ( the song by Lady Gaga) are also trending on Facebook.

A lot of the posts on the trending boxes are by sponsored links or by official pages. When Facebook finally rolls out the trending section, it would definitely mean good news for news publishers, brand pages etc .

Brands, news publishers, etc would be able to try and set off a trend/key word etc to get on top of that trending box and gain more visibility. This would be a new way of gaining visibility, other than the current form where a post shows in a users News Feed and can be easily missed if a user has a ‘busy News Feed,’ thanks to the presence of many Facebook friends.

But the only problem that stands in the way of ‘Trending on Facebook’ is that many people still view their conversations, pictures, etc on Facebook as private, unlike Twitter which is seen as more of a public forum.

The truth is that I might share a link on Lady Gaga but if I don’t add the hashtag or make it a publicly shared link, its unlikely to show in the trends box on top. Supposing Facebook does show a user post in the trends box even if its not public or not tagged, that is likely to spark a privacy outrage.

Also if the trending section is only going to show sponsored posts or posts by page, people might not feel the need to click on them at all.

When it comes to ‘Trends’ Facebook will have to work very hard to ensure that its able to provide meaningful content, not just sponsored stories or stories by pages. For that it will have make some changes to privacy settings for users. That might go down so well.

Tell us if in the comments if you would click on the Trending section in Facebook.