Ever heard a developer say they just pushed an update (and in some cases a brand new app) to Google Play, only to go to Google Play and see the update isn’t available yet? That’s because Google Play has a process it goes through when processing updates. Essentially it’s pushing that update to all of its servers around the world. So it typically takes a couple of hours before the update is available on Google Play. Well Google has changed that a bit this week.
Now when a developer uploads an update to their app to Google Play, they can click the “Go Live” button and have it available to everyone at once. Google does note that it could still take a few minutes, but it won’t take hours like it has in the past. Some have been confused and thought this also includes the ability to schedule updates. And that was based on how Google worded the update in their support docs. Developers can choose to have everyone get the update at once, or do a staged rollout. But not scheduled updates…yet.
This only works for App updates. Not brand new apps. So if you have an update you want to go live for everyone at the same time, easy as can be. But for those that are publishing a new app, it’s still going to take a few hours to show up for everyone. Additionally, there is still a bit of processing that these app updates must go through before it will be available for everyone. Finally, developers won’t be able to revert changes. So you’ll really want to be sure you squash all of the bugs, or at least the big ones, before making it live for everyone.
App updates are always a bit of a tricky things. End users like us want the update as soon as possible. But that’s just not possible due to the number of Android users out there using Google Play, as well as making sure the servers around the world are all in sync with each other. But things are getting a bit easier, and that’s a good thing.
A lot has been said in the past few months about mobile OS security and how difficult it is to get updates pushed out in a timely manner. And with the Android 6.0 Marshmallow version launching with the the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P — and coming to a slew of other Nexus devices as updates — Google is doing things one better.
In the wake of serious (but too often overblown) "Stagefright" issue, Google announced that it would begin issuing monthly security updates to its Nexus line. And we've already started to see them. (A minimum of 12 over-the-air updates a year likely will have some interesting implications on its own, but we're also not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.) But new on the Nexus phones at today's launch event was an extra entry in the settings section — a little bit of transparency telling us, the user, when the phone last received a security update, listed under "Android Security Patch Level."
This is more important than a meaningless version number. In plain English (or presumably whatever language your phone is set to) you'll known when you last received one of these monthly updates. No having to decipher a build number. It's just there.
We expect to see this on all Nexus devices in the near future. And hopefully we'll see the other manufacturers implement this same sort of thing as well.
If you’ve been waiting on Google Now to Tap to be available to those running the Android M Developer Preview, the wait is over. Besides a few days when Developer Preview 3 first launched, those running the developer version of M have been left without access to the feature. Now, it seems that Google is finally opening the floodgates…
Google Now on Tap is the latest big feature to come to Google Now, allowing users to quickly find more information about just about anything on their screen. If you’re reading an article about Donald Trump, Now on Tap can give you more info about him and links to his social media profiles and website, for example.
At this point, I’d suggest waiting until October 5th for the official rollout of Android Marshmallow to Nexus devices. But if you’re super antsy and just want to try out Google Now on Tap right now, you can head over and read this guide on how to install the Developer Preview 3 factory image. It’s not too tough, if you have the time.
Mobile games have a (somewhat deserved) reputation for being low quality and generally unable to compete with the complexity of console or PC games, but Google has just made it a little easier for mobile Android developers to offer more powerful gaming experiences on the Play Store by doubling the maximum file size allowed for Android application packages (APKs). Play Store APKs can now be 100MB in size, up from 50MB, and developers still have the option of supporting additional data from up to two 2GB expansion files.
“Smartphones are powerful devices that can support diverse tasks from graphically intensive games to helping people get work done from anywhere,” Google Product Manager Kobi Glick wrote in a blog post. “We understand that developers are challenged with delivering a delightful user experience that maximizes the hardware of the device, while also ensuring that their users can download, install, and open the app as quickly as possible. It’s a tough balance to strike, especially when you’re targeting diverse global audiences.
“To support the growing number of developers who are building richer apps and games on Google Play, we are increasing the APK file size limit to 100MB from 50MB. … We hope that, in certain circumstances, this file size increase is useful and enables you to build higher quality apps and games that users love.”
Glick notes that just because developers can create bigger APKs now does not mean that they should. Developers should still consider other limitations that could affect their users, including slow or intermittent mobile data connectivity, mobile data caps, limitations on hardware performance, and long install times.
Doubling the file size limitation will certainly allow for more complex mobile games to be released on the Play Store, but even with the extra 4GB from expansion files, Play Store games are still incredibly small compared to most modern non-mobile games. For example, the recently announced install size for Fallout 4 on Xbox One made headlines for being “only” 28GB, which is still a several times larger than the biggest Play Store games.
Still, as phones become more and more powerful, the gap between mobile and non-mobile software will continue to shrink, and one day there may be little difference between the two.
Floating apps have become emblematic of Android's unique flexibility and range. No other mobile OS allows non-system apps to directly interact with users and overtake the screen while another app is supposed to be in the foreground. This capability allows for a powerful and customizable user experience, but it can also quickly become a problem if an app is poorly implemented or its developer abuses this privilege for malicious purposes.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow is setting some new rules for drawing on the screen. Starting with Developer Preview 3, apps targeting API 23 (or above) will have to ask users to grant permission for them to draw on top of other apps. This won't be done through the new à la carte-style permission system with friendly pop-up dialogs, but instead with a more daunting context switch to a list of toggles like we're accustomed to visiting after installing a new software keyboard.
Background
The system permission in question is named android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW and it has been around since API Level 1. The developer documentation is fairly brief, describing it simply as a way to open a window on top of other apps and warning developers that it's only intended for system-level activities. Allows an application to open windows using the type TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT, shown on top of all other applications. Very few applications should use this permission; these windows are intended for system-level interaction with the user. Facebook Messenger debuted "Chat Heads" just over two years ago, giving users a perpetually available tap target on their screens to quickly see and respond to messages. While Messenger was far from the first app to make use of a floating UI, it can be credited with popularizing the feature and the now-familiar floating bubble interface. Since then, quite a few notable developers have either added floating elements (e.g. LastPass and MusixMatch) or built entire apps around the functionality (e.g. Link Bubble).
Why Change Anything?
So far, Google hasn't released any official statements regarding this change. In fact, this particular detail was left out of the API Overview for Preview 3. It's probable the Android team doesn't consider this important enough to describe along with all of the new capabilities listed on that page; but strangely, it has also be left out of the Behavior Changes page, where it almost certainly should have been documented. The only place with any record appears to be the Android API Differences Report, a somewhat unwieldy set of automatically generated pages that list modifications from one API level to the next. I'm really not trying to paint a picture where Google is trying to hide this change, but there's obviously no effort to make developers aware of the new behavior, either. While there's no official explanation, the reasons for locking down this permission aren't hard to guess. The ability to draw on top of other apps is a profoundly risky proposition, especially given that the Android OS doesn't add any decoration to signify a background app is responsible for content on the screen. For example, a malicious developer could display a cloned login screen for a popular app – let's say Facebook or Twitter – in an effort to steal credentials. One interesting detail has surfaced thanks to the Developer Preview Issue Tracker. A Googler responded to a question by noting that the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission had been "raised to be above dangerous." Android permissions are technically ranked as either 'normal' or 'dangerous' as described by the protection levels. (Note: 'signature' and 'signatureOrSystem' are also options, but they aren't relevant to this discussion.) In rare instances, certain capabilities have been given special attention because they necessarily have to grant very high-risk access to be functional. Some examples are input methods like software keyboards, and device administrators like Android Device Manager, which has the ability to initiate a factory reset. Drawing on top of other apps will now rank in this exceptionally high-risk category.
What Does This Mean For Users?
Users can look forward to yet another prompt asking for a permission, but this one won't look or feel like the new Android M permission dialogs. There's no way to authorize apps to draw onto the screen without a context switch. Developers will have to send their users to a special screen in the Settings app with specific instructions to enable the permission. If this sounds familiar, it's because the same pattern has been used for years when we're setting up Input Methods, and more recently with Accessibility and Device Administrators.
Developers can send users directly to the right screen for each app. There's only a quick context switch, a toggle, and then returning to the calling app with the back button. It's easy enough, but make no mistake, this flow is meant to feel intimidating. People are expected to feel nervous when an app gives them instructions and sends them to an unfamiliar part of the system, at which point they will be faced with a warning message that further reminds them that this might not be safe. For somebody who has never done this before, it should feel a little scary, like carrying a stranger's luggage through security at an airport.
Some major apps are already being updated to support this new requirement. Credit for first raising the flag on this new policy belongs to Sebastiano Gottardo, a MusixMatch developer who discovered the issue while working on an update. Likewise, LastPass has been quick to add support for Android 6.0 permissions, and has already released an update to the Play Store. LastPass's flow simply involves posting a notification the first time a login form is detected, so long as the App Fill-In feature is enabled.
Not all apps that draw on top of the screen will be asking users to go through this step right away. Apps that target API Level 22 or below are automatically granted permission, presumably to maintain compatibility. Only by targeting API Level 23 (Android M) will developers have to send users through the extra steps. At least, that's how it works in Developer Preview 3 – Google could plausibly change this behavior for the final release, but don't bet on it. Regardless of API Level, users can revoke this permission from any app by visiting: Settings -> Apps -> Advanced (the gear button) -> Draw over other apps.
For Developers
If you're working on an app that makes use of the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission, there are a few things you'll probably want to know. The Android 6.0 SDK introduces a couple of things to the API that make this new process relatively painless to implement.
To begin with, a call to Settings.canDrawOverlays() reports back whether or not your app has been granted permission to draw on the screen. If permission hasn't been granted yet, create an Intent and set its destination to Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_OVERLAY_PERMISSION and add a URI in the form of "package:" to send users directly to your app's page. Alternatively, you can leave off the URI to send them simply to the full list of apps. For sample code, check out this StackOverflow answer.
Conclusion
Unlike the new permission dialogs, this one should definitely include a custom UI to explain why users are being sent to another screen and what they should do there. The steps to support this change aren't complicated and don't add very much work for developers, but the change in context is an intentional hurdle. Developers will have to earn trust from users before asking for too many permissions, and this one may be just a step too far for some.
Android M may soon earn a reputation for an overabundance of confirmation dialogs, at least that's how it will feel to anybody setting up a new device. Fortunately, we need only grant each permission to an app once, so things will never get as bad as Windows Vista. source: http://www.androidpolice.com
Android, Google’s open source mobile operating system, has changed the landscape of mobile computing in many ways. Since its inception, Android has become the dominant mobile platform, and has made its way into the realm of cars, TVs, wristwatches, and even video game consoles. This, coupled with Android’s rich ecosystem and development framework, offers nothing less than an immense potential for the success of any Android mobile app.
However, a great system is only as good as the people using it, and amidst the fierce hiring competition for top developers that exists in this day and age, finding a great Android developer is a daunting task in and of itself. The good news is that with a few key strategic approaches, the Android hiring process can be entirely demystified.
Here is the vital guide on how to hire an Android developer.
1. Put thought into your approach
Finding a great Android developer is like searching for a needle in a haystack, except that there are countless other people searching for the same needle. At some point, you’re going to need a shinier, more powerful magnet. Your first magnet is your job description, so it needs to be really excellent.
The hiring process is painful enough already, so save yourself time by using an Android job description template. To reduce the volume of applications you’ll see, customize this so that it clearly discusses the minimum qualifications you expect any candidate to have and include a clear description of the job and the relevant responsibilities. Android as a platform is not limited to handheld devices only, and unlike other platforms such as the web, applications developed for Android usually are capable of going beyond the typical click or tap interactions. They can also use contextual information obtained from available device sensors, take better control of the other device features and resources, and more. Simply describing the position as “Android developer” is far too generic of an approach.
Moreover, make sure that your job description includes information about your company culture and clearly lays out why it’s a great place to work. Remember that great Android developers typically have more than their fair share of opportunities. Your job listing not only needs to weed out bad candidates, it needs to catch the eye of good ones.
2. Establish Your Interview Funnel and Pool of Interview Questions
Technical interviewing is hard, and there are many techniques out there for evaluating a programmer. It’s extremely difficult to tell if someone’s a good programmer unless you are one yourself, so be sure to involve your must trusted developers in the interviewing process. This needs to be done intelligently to avoid overwhelming them (and to avoid diverting their attention too far from your ongoing projects). Be sure to include steps that can be handled by non-technical people in order to weed out obviously unfit candidates.
Even more important than your interview sequence is the questions you use to gauge aptitude. These should be a mix of general intelligence and behavioral questions, software development questions, and Android-specific questions. Questions from all of these categories should ideally be as relevant to your project as possible. Above all, be sure to avoid questions that are irrelevant or that require the candidate to remember random facts. These are a big tip-off to the candidate that you don’t know what you’re doing.
3. Assign a Test Project and Review Past Work
As an open and extremely customizable platform, Android suffers from the obvious problem of fragmentation. Android comes in thousands of device sizes and feature combinations. This issue, and many other potential logical mistakes, can cause applications to fail on any number of devices if not handled with care. To make sure this isn’t a risk for you, check whether anything in your candidate’s portfolio violates any platform guidelines or makes any common Android mistakes that all experts should know how to avoid.
If you still aren’t sure, assign a test project (this can be a highly watered down version of your ongoing project) to get an idea of the candidate’s technical expertise, communication skills, and more.
Conclusion
Mastering Android development requires a lot more than just the ability to program in any particular language. Candidates need to have passion and truly understand the platform inside and out. The best Android developers will be committed to collaborative problem solving, sophisticated design, and creating quality products.
The hiring process has a make-or-break effect on your projects. Do not overlook the importance of a planned and strategic approach to hiring an Android developer.
Google released Chrome 45 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android yesterday, and today we’re learning that the Android update includessupport for a new feature called Chrome custom tabs. You can download the new Chrome version now from Google Play, but you won’t see Chrome custom tabs right away — today’s news is primarily aimed at developers. That said, Google has partnered with a few apps already — Feedly, The Guardian, Medium, Player.fm, Skyscanner, Stack Overflow, Tumblr, and Twitter will support custom tabs “in the coming weeks.”
Google first shared details about Chrome custom tabs when it unveiled Android Marshmallow at its I/O conference in May, but to be clear, the feature is available to all Android versions that can run Chrome 45 (Jelly Bean and up). Instead of dumping the user into the browser or using a WebView, developers can use Chrome custom tabs to leverage all of the browser’s features while still maintaining the app’s design. Features like automatic sign-in, saved passwords, Tap to Search, and autofill are all available.
Here is how Chrome custom tabs work when developers build the functionality into their app. When the user opens a link in an app, it loads in a Chrome custom tab. This new view appears native to the app, as developers are essentially customizing Chrome’s look and feel to match the app, including changing the toolbar color, adjusting the transition animations, and even adding custom actions to the toolbar that let the user interact with the app. On top of all this, content loads more quickly.
In fact, Google says custom tabs are optimized to load faster than WebViews and traditional methods of launching Chrome. Because apps can prefetch pages in the background, they appear to load nearly instantly when the user navigates to them. Chrome’s security features, including multiprocess architecture and permissions model, are also available. Custom tabs use the same cookies as Chrome, meaning users stayed signed into sites. Google explains the issue that Chrome custom tabs is trying to solve:
Android app developers face a difficult tradeoff when it comes to showing web content in their Android app. Opening links in the browser is familiar for users and easy to implement, but results in a heavy-weight transition between the app and the web. You can get more granular control by building a custom browsing experience on top of Android’s WebView, but at the cost of more technical complexity and an unfamiliar browsing experience for users.
If you’re a developer who finds the above intriguing, check out the Chrome custom tabs developer guide.
If you can't wait to see what Android 6.0 Marshmallow will look like on your phone, you can give it a whirl by installing the new version's updated Google Now launcher.
The launcher has been extracted from the latest developer build of Android Marshmallow and has been made available to install for people with Android devices – no matter if they aren't developers or don't own a Google-branded Nexus device.
While the new launcher does give us a good idea of how Android M will look on our devices, there are some caveats, as some of Android M's most interesting features aren't included.
Toasted marshmallow
That means there's no Google Now on Tap, nor will the vertical app layout be present. Hey, at least you'll get some nifty Android Marshmallow wallpapers though.
Although it's a shame – though understandable – that the new features of Android Marshmallow aren't included, it will help you decide if Marshmallow is shaping up to be to your liking.
Downloading the launcher is quite straightforward, and you can get it from the APKMirror website. You can download it straight to your Android device, though to run it you'll have to make sure that your device can install apps from unknown sources. This can be toggled on and off in the Settings > Security menu.
We'll have to wait for the full release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow to get the full range of new features, but this should at least whet our appetites for Google's upcoming operating system update.
Google is finally doing its part to minimize its contribution to the scourge of bloatware.
Has anybody in the history of owning a phone ever wanted a Google+ app? Shitty preinstalled apps like Google+ on Android and Stocks on iOS are called “bloatware” because they’re stuck on the phone before you buy it, and are often either difficult or impossible to delete. They hog memory and serve no purpose and generally infuriate people.Why is the first thing I have to do when I get a phone delete a bunch of crap I don’t want?
With Google bloatware, most phonemakers either have to choose between too many Google apps or none: If phonemakers like Samsung or LG want to include actually useful tools like the Gmail app on their phones, they have to include a preset list of other Google apps as well. It’s an obnoxious Google rule. But the company is dialing back the restrictions: It’s getting rid of Google Play Games, Google Play Books, Google+, and Google Newsstand in its mandatory app bundle.
This doesn’t mean your next Android phone will be free of bloatware. Samsung, LG, and other phonemakers tend to include their own special brand of bloatware, as well as carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile. But hey it’s better than nothing.
Microsoft just stepped on Google’s toes, beating the search giant to the on-demand info finish line. Bing now has Now on Tap superpowers, thanks to an update that hit the Play Store this morning.
The new app update allows users to long-press the home button and get access to search results based on whatever image or text was on screen at that time. Bing’s app also makes sure these searches don’t interrupt whatever you were doing when curiosity struck.
Google’s ‘Now on Tap’ does pretty much the same thing–only it’s not available for the masses until Marshmallow launches this fall. The only thing that may set these two contextualized search features apart is finding out which search engine is better. Because ultimately, it’s Google versus Bing–and the question becomes which search engine can best identify the subject and find the information you want.
For now though, Bing’s update is out and we’re all curious to see how well it works. While Now on Tap won’t arrive until the fall with Marshmallow we assume the functionality will be better thanks to its native build. Still, Google should hope that people don’t adopt its rival’s useful feature too quickly. source: http://gizmodo.com
The update lets app developers customize the main screen of Android Wear.
Today Google announced an upcoming Android Wear update that adds interactive watch face support to the platform. Developers can now write watch face apps with customized layouts and buttons that reveal information and trigger new activities.
One app that takes advantage of the new API is the "Bits" watch face. Right from the watch face, this app lets you see appointments, unread e-mails, the weather, and more. Tapping on any of the circles will expand that section to take up the huge screen.
Google hasn't given a formal name to the Android Wear update, but the Bits app description says it requires "Android Wear 1.3." The update seems to let developers fully customize the main interface of Android Wear. Wearables don't really seem like a fully mature product category, so opening the floodgates of third-party innovation should be a boon to Android Wear. Before today, developers could only make static watch faces.
The update also has a special bonus for LG G Watch R owners: Wi-Fi support. Google says the update will come to all Android Wear devices over the coming weeks. source: http://arstechnica.com
BlackBerry's upcoming device is rumored to use Google's Android operating system (OS), in what could be the Canadian company's "last chance" to win in the smartphone market.
Philadelphia-based writer Evan Blass published images early Wednesday on Twitter, which he claimed showed the new BlackBerry smartphone model, dubbed Venice, set for release in November.
The big point is that it would ditch BlackBerry's own OS and run Android for the first time in its history. By adopting Android, the world's largest smartphone OS, BlackBerry is trying to appeal to a wide base of existing consumers.
"BlackBerry is taking the view that if you can't beat them, join them," Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, told CNBC by phone.
"BlackBerry OS is not as popular as it once was, so it's looking to move to Android to address the larger market on the consumer side."
BlackBerry has a tiny share of the global smartphone market and revenue from its hardware business declined 30.6 percent year-on-year in the three months ending May 30.
One of the biggest pain points for users is the lack of apps in BlackBerry's own app store, as well as a user experience that has lagged behind Apple's iOS and Android.
BlackBerry would not confirm if Wednesday's leak was true.
"We don't comment on rumors or speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched," a Blackberry spokeswoman said.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the veracity of the photos.
'Last chance'
If the Android speculation is true, it would continue BlackBerry's shift towards opening its software and services to other operating systems.
The Canadian company opened its BlackBerry Messenger service to the other mobile operating systems last year and in March released its security and enterprise apps as well.
Analysts said that a move to Android could be make or break for the future of BlackBerry's devices division.
"From a hardware perspective this is really one last chance for BlackBerry. They have stuck to their guns sticking with their own platform and what they believed was the right thing to do, but consumers have not seen it in the same way," Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director for ComTech at Kantar Worldpanel.
A preview of the upcoming device was provided during a BlackBerry press conference at the Mobile World Congress trade show in March. Few details were given, except that the device was a slider phone with a touch screen and keyboard.
Security is key
BlackBerry has billed its OS as one of the most secure systems, which is particularly important given its pursuit of enterprise customers.
Android, however, has a bad reputation as a much less secure platform, due to the open source nature of its OS.
If Blackberry does adopt Android, it will need to convince users it features the most secure version of the OS on the market.
"The most important is not whether the device runs Android or not, but it's about what kind of Google services will run on the device, and what kind of security Blackberry will bring on to it to make Android more secure," Francisco Jeronimo, a research director at IDC, told CNBC.
"How will they secure Android like no other vendor can do? If they manage to secure Android they will address the need from enterprises and end users." source: http://www.cnbc.com
US based design and manufacturing company Fossil were given the opportunity to show off their upcoming wearable range at Intel’s annual Developer Forum, which is currently under way in San Francisco. Among the three ‘connected’ devices shown off were a bracelet and two smart watches, one of which was Fossil’s anticipated Android Wear device.
No specifications or details about the devices were provided outside of the fact that it will be powered by an as yet unnamed Intel processor, and obviously one of them will run Android Wear.
From the images all that we know is that it appears the watch will have a “flat tyre” on the bottom of the display, ala the Moto 360. The device looks like a mix between the Moto 360 and an Lg Watch Urbane, with a shiny metallic frame and crown on the side, though unlike this generation Moto 360, lugs are attached for the watch band. The images also showed a range of leather and metal bands that may or may not be available as options for the watch when released.
As the device is running Android Wear we can expect that the software will be fairly standard from an OS perspective. We will have to wait for Fossil to formally announce the device and in which markets the watch will be released.
Google finally revealed what the M on stands for, but that wasn’t the only thing they did. If you’re a developer, you can now download the Android 6.0 SDK to get started creating apps or upgrading yours for the new OS.
What’s also new is that Google Play is now accepting API 23 apps, which are apps for Android M, via Google Play Developer Console on Alpha, Beta and Production channels. With this, developers can get started publishing their apps and having them ready for the new Android 6.0 release.
If you’re running the Android M Developer Preview 3 software on your Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player, you’re probably going to want to update your phone again.
Google has released a new version of the Android M Developer Preview 3 update. The old build, which was released earlier this week, was build MPA44G. The new build is MPA44I. You can find the new system images right here if you want to manually flash the update. Otherwise you can wait around for an OTA update to roll to your device.
So what’s different in these new builds? That much isn’t yet known, but if you’re using the Android M Developer Preview 3, it’s probably a good idea to update to the newest version. Not only do you want to avoid whatever it was that caused Google to release this new build, but if you’re using the Android M preview, you probably just want to be on the latest version of Android anyway.
Google pushed an update to its Android Auto app today refreshing the home screen to bring bigger, easier to see cards, particularly when using navigation and playing music. Previously, all stacked cards were of equal height. Now, the top activity card is double the height of any of the cards below. Being bigger not only makes them easier to see, but also easier to interact with on the touch screen.
As well as the updated user interface, there are a few bug fixes and performance improvements. You can download the fresh update right now from the Google Play Store. It’s a free update and requires Android 5.0 or later to work. Obviously, you’ll also need a car with a compatible built-in system, or a compatible after-market system.
You can find out more about Android Auto, including compatible vehicles, over at android.com/auto.
On Tuesday, Nuance Communications debuted what executives called “true” mobile versions of its popular Dragon dictation apps for iOS and Android, bridging them to new, updated Windows and Mac apps with a cloud-connected service.
This new platform, called Dragon Anywhere, consists of both of Nuance’s mobile apps as well as the service that connects those recordings back to new versions of Dragon for Mac and Dragon Professional Individual, a cheaper version of Dragon Professional for Windows. Dragon Anywhere isn’t cloud-based, where the processing takes place in the cloud—instead, the cloud just serves to transmit files back and forth between the various Dragon products.
But its competition isn’t standing still. When Dragon NaturallySpeaking debuted in 1997, dictating text via Windows was a novelty, even after Microsoft built its own dictation functions into the Windows operating system. (It’s still there in Windows 10.) Today, however, orally commanding Microsoft’s Cortana, Apple’s Siri, or Google Now is relatively commonplace. If you’d like, you can still buy Dragon Dictation for iOS, or use the mic function that’s built into the Swype keyboard.
“But that’s all tuned to the short stuff, rather than actual document creation,” said Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager of Dragon, in an interview with PCWorld.
Why this matters: With operating systems incorporating speech to command and control them, Nuance hopes that uses will become more frequent users of dictation—and quickly discover the limits of the operating systems that they routinely use. At the same time, Nuance’s new pricing models offer the barest acknowledgement that consumers are becoming more used to be free. But Nuance executives are also clear: Dragon is a premium product, with premium pricing.
On the go dictation
The idea behind Dragon Anywhere is that users can begin dictating notes on the go, then save them to the cloud. Later, they can either pick up the session on their phones or on the desktop apps.
The Android and iOS versions of Dragon Anywhere use the same Dragon engine that’s found on the desktop. Users train the engine using their voice, and can use customized words, voice shortcuts (macros, essentially) and frequently-used text. But the two mobile apps will be sold on a subscription basis this fall for either $15 per month or $150 per year, Mahoney said.
Nuance has priced its Dragon Professional Software at $600 for a single license—quite a bit to pay for dictation software. On Tuesday, Nuance will offer a cheaper option: Dragon Professional Individual, which will be offered for $300 (or $150 for those upgrading from Dragon Professional versions 12 and higher; or for $200 for users upgrading from Dragon Premium 12 and up). It too will offer custom words, the creation of text macros, and the ability to automate repetitive tasks.
Nuance will also offer Dragon for Mac, which will be available for download in the U.S., U.K., and Australia for $200 in early September, with special upgrade pricing of $100 for registered users of Dragon Dictate for Mac, versions 3 and higher. While it has the same core Dragon engine as the Windows version, it lacks some of the features, Mahoney explained, including the automation component. But it, like the Windows versions, will talk to Dragon Anywhere.
The new Dragon software is all speaker dependent, meaning that it’s really designed for one speaker: You. But Mahoney also showed off a capability in Dragon Professional that allows you to import speech files (such as an MP3) and run it through the Dragon software. Once you do so, it will ask you to “train” the engine for that speaker, correcting the first minute of audio as it plays back. Thereafter, Dragon will apply that speaker model to the rest of the speech. There are a few catches: The audio has to be sampled at 16 KHz or higher, and can only include one speaker. Dragon anticipates a day where it can transcribe audio with more than one speaker, but it’s not there yet. source: http://www.pcworld.com
The release of Android Lollipop (version 5.0) saw one of the biggest updates to the operating system to date, not only visually with a large splash of Material Design but also through the introduction of numerous backend functions and refinements.
While Android 4.0 finally unified the Android experience on smartphones and tablets, Android 5.0 sowed the seeds for Android powering a whole raft of new devices including smartwatches, televisions and even in-car technology. So what will the next version of the operating system bring?
Respond Native
What will Android M be called?
Google has finally taken the wrapper off the next version of Android and revealed it will be known as Android 'Marshmallow'. More importantly, it's also been given the version number 6.0, rather than the point update many of us were expecting. The announcement was made in a blog post on the Android Developers Blog. The blog post also announced the final software development kit (SDK) for Android 6.0 is now available for developers to get stuck into ahead of the autumn release of Android Marshmallow. For the brave and curious, preview system images are also available for many Nexus devices, including the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player. Developers can begin uploading their updated apps to the Google Play Store in preparation for the wider roll out in a few month's time.
Google has also released this behind the scenes video of how the Marshmallow name came about as well as a look at how those famous lawn sculptures are made to commemorate each new Android release:
Android M release date
We got our first proper look at the new version of the operating system at Google’s annual developer conference - Google I/O. Android 5.0 Lollipop was debuted at a similar time of year and so we can make some pretty accurate presumptions about how things will pan out from here. An early summer announcement provides plenty of time for developer previews over the next few months and a full release probably around November, likely alongside a new Nexus device.
Android M review
With the Developer Preview now available, we've been able to flash onto our Nexus handset and give it a thorough going over. Now it's early days for the new version of Android, and we've seen a number of crashes usually in relation to connecting to Wi-Fi networks that have intermittent or limited connections, but generally the new Android is pretty stable. All the new features haven't been integrated yet, most notably there's no Now on Tap, see below. For our full take see Android M review.
Get Android M now
If you've got a Nexus 5 or Nexus 6 smartphone, or Nexus 9 tablet, then you can install Android M Developer Preview today. It's not straightforward, you'll need to be happy to wipe your phone entirely, download and install various tools and flash a new ROM to the wiped handset. The best description of how to do this we've found online is available from www.androidexplained.com, although we ran into problems with our Nexus 5 install and had to manually execute a number of CMD line instructions to get it working - you can find that information over at the www.ibtimes.co.uk. Obviously we take no responsibility if you render your phone useless in the process.
Android M new features
For our take on the early current version of the new operating system, see our Android M review - Hands on with Developer Preview. However that build doesn't include everything that Google has promised us in Android M when it launches, so here's a quick rundown of all the big new features.
Now on tap
The most obvious and impressive new feature demoed was Now on Tap. This takes Google Now and spread it out across the operating system, so that you can use it pretty much wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. You simply make a long press on the Home button and Now slides up from the bottom of the screnn over whatever you’re doing
It’s driven by some very powerful context sensitive, intelligent search algorithims. Which means it scans the content you’re looking at and provides information around that, which may be useful. For example, you could make a voice query such as ‘how old is he?’ while looking at a page about Hugh Laurie, and Now on Tap will pop up the answer - it knows which ‘he’ you’re referring to.
If you’re reading an email and it mentions a film you can quickly get local screening times, or reviews. And it ties into other apps now too, so Google Now will offer IMDB for example to provide more information on that film. It all looks very clever and it could make Now a key part of Android, rather than simply an aside that most people don’t use very often.
Doze
Google is again promising to improve battery life, but this time its standby power that’s getting the boost. Doze is a new technology that detects when the device is motionless and unused and goes into a deeper sleep mode, polling for updates less often, but still available for important incoming events like calls or VoIP.
In internal tests, Google found it doubled the battery life of a Nexus 9 tablet, we’re guessing a not-much-used Nexus 9. Still we’ve always found our iPad lasts for ages longer on standby than our Google-power equivalent, so it sounds like a good move.
App Permissions
App permissions are a bit of a pain in Android. The more open nature of the Play Store, compared to say the App Store, means that you’re forever giving apps endless permissions to do things, many of which you aren’t happy with.
Now app permissions are granted when used, not at installation. So the first time an app tries to access your camera, it provides a request to do so, and you can agree once or forever. This way apps that may have certain functions you don’t use, don’t have access to things you don’t need them to access. For example, Skype, if you only use voice calls it doesn’t need to access your camera.
There will be a smaller, simpler set of permissions now, and you’ll be able to go in and edit them either by app, or by permission type (say contacts or microphone). Updates are now more seamless for apps as updated permissions don’t require agreement at install.
Fingerprint sensors and Android Pay
Support for fingerprint sensors is being added in Android M, in conjunction with a push on Android Pay - which seems to have superseded Google Wallet entirely, initially you'll be able to authorise Play Store transactions and unlock your phone using the system. Phones with scanners will be coming soon, so expect them on every flagship handset in 2016. What we're really waiting on though is the ability to buy stuff using our phones, so we don't have to fish out our debit and credit cards to make quick purchases.
With Apple Pay finally rolling out in the UK, making use of the now widely spread Contactless payment system, we're hoping that Google steps up its game too and paying for lunch with your phone should soon be the norm. Although for this you will need a handset with NFC and preferably a fingerprint sensor, you could probably use a security PIN but that rather defeats the convenience of the whole system.
Multi-app, splitscreen support
The new operating system will also be able to run two apps side-by-side. We've seen this before on Samsung's Note devices, but it's never been a feature in Google's own version of Android. It will be a huge boon for users of biggers handsets, such as the Nexus 6.
Other bits
Google is adding Chrome Custom Tabs to Android. These allow app developers to create browser tabs in their own style, to make the move from app content to web content smoother, allowing apps to integrate web content without a visually jarring effect.
There will also be Improved linking between apps, so you’ll see a lot less of that annoying screen that asks you to pick which app you want to open your request. Certified apps will be able to ‘own’ links connected to them, for example by default the Twitter app will own Twitter links, and you’ll get taken straight to it should you click on one in a browser. You’ll be able to reassign these if you prefer another app, but by default it will be a far more seamless app-to-app experience.
What else do we want to see?
While Lollipop was a great evolution of the operating system, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Here are a few features we would love to see:
Integrated Android Wear support
Rather than needing you to install a separate Android Wear app to communicate with your smart watch, it would be great if this functionality was baked into the operating system and was more seamless.
Dark mode / night mode
There’s an awful lot of white used for stock Android 5.0 from the app drawer to menu bars. These aren’t great for battery life on certain screens but they’re also incredibly harsh on your eyes – especially at night. A dark mode would help but even better would be a mode that could filter out blue light that has been associated with negatively effecting your circadian rhythm; making it more difficult to fall asleep.
Manual camera functionality
Many smartphone manufacturers are including custom camera apps alongside their Android customisations, seen recently with the LG G4. These often offer far more manual exposure controls, something we would love the stock Android camera to have as well.
Better notification syncing between devices
Anyone that has an Android smartphone and tablet has probably gotten annoyed by notifications appearing on multiple devices that don’t get cleared when you acknowledge on one device. So if you get a Twitter notification on your phone and get rid of it, it’s still there on your tablet. It would be great if notifications were synced across devices so there was less duplication. It’s also especially annoying if you’ve not had your tablet on for a few days only to be greeted by a massive wave of notifications when you turn it back on as it catches up with notifications the device has missed (that you might have actioned or cleared from your smartphone).
More sophisticated data usage warnings
Previous versions of Android made it easier to keep a tab on your mobile data usage, useful for those on limited data tariffs. You could also set warnings so you knew when you were approaching your limit, which is handy. We would love to see more sophisticated warnings, such as day-to-day warnings so you could more easily ration your usage over the month. An optional data ticker in the notification bar could also be useful.
Smart app uninstalls
The storage option in the settings menu helps you get an idea of how your storage space is being used and distributed, whether by apps, music or videos. It would be useful if you could get recommendations on apps you could uninstall if you’re running low on space, this could be based on infrequently used apps, for example.
Ability to uninstall any app
Some of the pre-installed apps with Android have better alternatives, such as the Calendar. However, there’s no way to uninstall the stock apps, meaning they clutter up your app drawer even if you don’t use them. A way to uninstall these would be great.
Faster updates
This is a big one for many. Google is infamous for slowly rolling out updates in waves, meaning you could be waiting weeks before an update reaches your device. This is exacerbated by the need for manufacturers to make their own customisations. Having tighter control over custom skins, or making them completely optional, would speed things along.
More unlock options
Google has already embraced a number of new security features with Lollipop, such as one of our favourites, Smart Unlock, which removes the need to enter your PIN or pattern unlock when the device is connected to a trusted Bluetooth device or is in a trusted place. We would love for Google to adopt some other unlock methods we've seen from certain Android customisations such as tap unlocks.
