Roku Releases Free Android App For Its Streaming Player
Roku, manufactures of the Roku streaming player, have just released an Android app that lets you use your phone as a remote control. The app can control any Roku box that is on the same Wi-Fi network and lets you launch your Roku channels, rate, add, or remove them. It will also perform the standard functions of a remote control like allowing you to surf channels and play content but it also has the benefit of being able to use the phones keyboard when text input is required.
The app is free so if you have a Roku box you can head over to the Android Market now.
Android 5.0 (Jellybean) rumoured to have android@home integration
The rumour mill has been in full swing the last few days about upcoming features within the next version of Android (5.0), or Jellybean as it has been unofficially dubbed.
The most interesting of which is the rumour that Android 5.0 will include some form of android@home integration. As rumours go, this one makes perfect sense. Although things may currently seem quiet on the surface, we know that android@home is coming, with big announcements expected at the Google IO conference in June. It is feasible that Android 5.0 could be released as early as this event, and if any version of Android is going to have android@home integrated into it, this would be the one.
Another interesting one is the suggestion of Android moving further into the more conventional desktop environment. We have already seen hardware such as netbooks capable of booting to an Android desktop, but recent rumours have suggested Google will be actively pushing this crossover with new features built into 5.0. The first of these is that Android 5.0 will be able to coexist with the forthcoming Microsoft Windows 8.0 (a beachhead on path to Androids domination of the desktop?).
Claims have also been made that the next version of Android will have a dockable desktop feature, turning any handset with a HDMI and USB port into a fully fledged desktop computer. As a side note to this rumour in particular, it is interesting that Canonical, the creators of the Linux based desktop operating system Ubuntu, have just announce their plans to port their operating system to run on top of Android. This would give you a full blown desktop environment and allow Android apps to run along side it. As great an addition this would be, the features that Ubuntu would bring to the table wouldn’t really work well on a portable device unless it could be docked to a keyboard and monitor and used as conventional desktop.
Whether there is any truth to these rumours or not, 2012 should be a very interesting year for Android and android@home in particular.
Google files patent to control Google TV device via voice commands
According to a patent filed back in September of last year, it seems Google have further plans to automate your living room. The patent describes a Siri like application aimed at controlling a Google TV device via voice commands. The patent gives an example of asking the simple question ‘When is Seinfeld on?’ a query is then made to a cloud service which compiles an appropriate answer.
Of particular interest is that the patent describes a significant tie-in with a mobile handset. As some Google TV devices may not have the ability to receive voice commands, the use of a mobile phone allows the user to make a query via the handset and receive an answer both to the phone and the Google TV device. Both answers can be formatted differently to suite the appropriate device’s display.
Another feature of using a handset and cloud based system is that the handset doesn’t have to be in close proximity to the Google TV device. An advantage of this given by an example in the patent is making use of the handsets GPS functionality to send commands when the user is within a set distance of their home.
With this invention, Google’s plan for hardware that is capable of controlling other devices, and of course android@home, all the pieces required for automating your home via your voice commands are starting to fall into place. And although this patent only makes mention of Google TV, it is only a small step to having a system like this know when you have left work and automatically turn the heating up in your home and turn the lights on as you pull into your driveway.
Source: patentlyapple
New Updates to YouTube for Google TV
In the next few days Google are releasing an update to your YouTube experience on Google TV, making it faster and easier to find great content, adding YouTube channel pages, and giving you more control over your experience.
You’ll be able to update your app through Android Market, and you’ll see some big improvements. First you’ll notice the app works faster with smoother navigation for a better experience. Next, they’ve added a new feature called Discover, which lets you browse YouTube channels by categories. Whether you’re looking for hilarious comedy, delectable cooking content, or the latest news, you can find great channels for any of your interests.
They’ve also updated the YouTube app with new channel pages. You can navigate through playlists and videos in your favorite channels, and you can subscribe to channels from the YouTube app with just a click.
Source: googletv.blogspot.com
Google Testing Mystery Entertainment Device
It seems from a recently surfaced FCC application that Google is in the process of developing some form of home entertainment device. The application describes a device that connects to a WiFi network and can communicate with other home electronics via bluetooth. The filing is requesting permission to allow 252 of its employees to test the device in their own homes between January and July of this year, and hopes to gain information about the thru-put and robustness of home WiFi networks. The mention of thru-put suggests that this device will handle video in some form. Interestingly though, there is no mention of Android, although it is very likely that this will be an Android based device.
There is currently a flurry of suggestions circulating the internet that this device may have something to do with Google’s Android@Home project. However, although the filing mentions its WiFi and bluetooth radio interfaces, it makes no mention of the 900MHz based radio system that Google chose for its Android@Home system. So what is this device? Is it a home hub, a next gen Google TV device, or something completely new? Read the FCC filing below and decide for yourself…
Name of Applicant:
Google Inc.
Please explain in the area below why an STA is necessary:
Google is developing an entertainment device that requires testing outside the laboratory environment. The device is in the prototyping phase and will be modified prior to final compliance testing.
Please explain the purpose of operation:
Testing throughput and stability of home WiFi networks using an entertainment device. Testing will include functional testing of all subsystems, including WiFi and Bluetooth radio. Users will connect their device to home WiFi networks and use Bluetooth to connect to other home electronics equipment. This line of testing will reveal real world engineering issues and reliability of networks. The device utilizes a standard WiFi/Bluetooth module, and the planned testing is not directed at evaluating the radio frequency characteristics of the module (which are known), but rather at the throughput and stability of the home WiFi networks that will support the device, as well as the basic functionality of the device. From this testing we hope to modify the design in order to maximize product robustness and user experience. Utilizing the requested number of units will allow testing of real world network performance and its impact on applications running on the device, so that any problems can be discovered and addressed promptly. All devices will be used by and registered to specific individuals (all Google employees), and Google will maintain a record of each device, so that they can be easily recalled at any time during testing and when testing is complete. The devices will be tested at Google facilities and within employees residences in the following areas: Mountain View, CA: 37.421265 N, -122.085314 W; Los Angeles, CA: 33.995388 N, -118.477035 W; Cambridge, MA: 42.362754 N, -71.088023 W; and New York, NY: 40.741872 N, -74.004579 W.
Operation Start Date: 01/17/2012
Operation End Date: 07/17/2012
Automating Your Home with Nest and Your Android
PIMs and PDAs, and now smartphones and tablets are great at organizing our personal information and making our lives easier, but they tend to stop at contacts and calendars.
What if there was a device that could make the leap from oganizing your personal information to controlling the world around you? With the Nest Learning Thermostat now you can!
We spend about half our energy on heating and cooling. The guys at nest have put their computer and UI skills together to build a smart thermostat that you don’t have to program — it programs itself. It’s got three thermometers, humidity sensor, light sensor, and even a proximity sensor. Yes, not only does this thing know how hot and humid it is in your house, it knows when you’re at home — and will save you energy when you’re not.
Source: www.pocketnow.com
CES 2012 Round-up: Samsung…. again! The Android Fridge
If you have a spare $3500 burning a hole in your pocket, and you can’t tweet from your existing fridge, then Samsung has the solution with its Android-powered fridge. The fridge allows you to run apps including Twitter, Epicurious, Google Calendar, news and weather. It also includes a Pandora app that allows you to stream music from your Pandora stations and play them out via built-in speakers.
CES 2012 Round-up: Lenovo Demonstrates 55inch Android TV – That you won’t be able to buy!
Chinese manufacturer more known for its notebooks and smartphones demonstrated a 55 inch HDTV running Android 4 Ice-cream Sandwich. The TV has an incredibly intuitive skinned interface making navigation extremely simple. It can stream content from computers, smartphones and tablets, or from Lenovo’s hosted cloud storage. There was also a demonstration showing its ability to play motion-based video games via its console-style remote control. Unfortunately this model will only be distributed in China with no indication of a worldwide release.
CES 2012 Round-up: Samsung brings the internet to your ‘dumb’ TV
Samsung announced its new inTouch device intended for bringing web connectivity to existing HDTVs. The device is intended to sit on top of your TV and is controlled by a QWERTY remote control. Not actually a Google TV, it runs a heavily skinned version of Android 2.3. Applications include YouTube, Google News, Weather apps and HD Skype video chats via it’s built in 720p webcam. The device will be available in March for $199.99.
CES 2012 Round-up: Samsung AllShare
Samsung intends to forge ahead with its own alternative to Android@Home with its AllShare product. AllShare is Samsung’s DLNA solution that allows sharing of media between your phone, computers, and other media devices. Now Samsung want to take this solution further by extending it to its other product lines including, washing machines, refrigerators and lighting.
