ContributorNetwork - Let's say you're in charge of a company that makes Android smartphones and tablets. Android is open-source, which means the programming code is free for your engineers to use without asking permission. Read more...
Google Maps gets weather layer, might obsolete weather apps
Google chose Thursday to give Google Maps a weather layer. The addition gets updated information from Weather.com that cues sky conditions and temperatures to positions on the maps. Results also bring worldwide cloud coverage from the US Naval Research Lab and, with a press, will expand to include forecasts, humidity, wind and other detailed information.... Read more...
Santa, dancing elf apps for smartphones
It’s that time of year again and Santa is well past making his list and checking it twice. He’s getting ready to take off and this year, kids and their smartphone-carrying parents can track Santa on a variety of fun apps. Here’s what you need to know to be ready for Christmas Eve. On Christmas [...] Read more...
Google Maps adds 3D buildings, dynamic rendering, and offline mode for Android (Digital Trends)
Digital Trends - Google Maps may not be the hottest new thing at Google, but it’s still getting a bit of attention. Last night, at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference in San Francisco, Google’s Android chief, Andy Rubin, unveiled some new features to Google Maps. New techniques that make it faster to draw maps on Android smartphones has made it possible for the search giant to introduce smoother, faster zooming and introduce 3D maps, reports the NY Times. No, not pop-out-of-the-screen 3D. Read more...
Google Maps adds 3D buildings, dynamic rendering, and offline mode for Android (Digital Trends)
Digital Trends - Google Maps may not be the hottest new thing at Google, but it’s still getting a bit of attention. Last night, at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference in San Francisco, Google’s Android chief, Andy Rubin, unveiled some new features to Google Maps. New techniques that make it faster to draw maps on Android smartphones has made it possible for the search giant to introduce smoother, faster zooming and introduce 3D maps, reports the NY Times Read more...
Google buys Phonetic Arts to get more natural phone speech
Google on Friday confirmed that it had bought Phonetic Arts in a boost to spoken text on mobile devices. The Cambridge, UK-based company is best known for a suite of tools that generate more natural-sounding computer-generated voices by blending phonemes together and sampling real voices. It would most likely be used for tools such as Google Maps Navigation on Android but also Google Translate and other independent features.... Read more...
Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010
It's not the full-on demo you're probably hoping for, but Sony devoted a section of its sprawling, city-within-a-city of a booth at IFA 2010 to diving into some of the capabilities its Google TV -enabled televisions will be offering when they launch in the US before the end of the year. The two-plus minute video loop runs through web search, Google Maps (which looks pretty awesome, we have to admit), YouTube and Picasa functionality, app favorites, and picture-in-picture, which means you don't have to miss those first few precious minutes of Iron Chef America while you look up desserts that use eggplant. Interestingly, we stopped by Logitech's booth today, who insisted there wasn't a Revue anywhere near the show -- despite the fact that beta units are in the field , the launch is coming up, and these guys are probably all looking to strike content deals with European providers right about now. In other words, we've got a sneaking suspicion there are Revues (and fully-functional Google TV sets from Sony) on the premises, they're just locked away in meetings where our press badges are.. Read more...
Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010
It's not the full-on demo you're probably hoping for, but Sony devoted a section of its sprawling, city-within-a-city of a booth at IFA 2010 to diving into some of the capabilities its Google TV -enabled televisions will be offering when they launch in the US before the end of the year. The two-plus minute video loop runs through web search, Google Maps (which looks pretty awesome, we have to admit), YouTube and Picasa functionality, app favorites, and picture-in-picture, which means you don't have to miss those first few precious minutes of Iron Chef America while you look up desserts that use eggplant. Interestingly, we stopped by Logitech's booth today, who insisted there wasn't a Revue anywhere near the show -- despite the fact that beta units are in the field , the launch is coming up, and these guys are probably all looking to strike content deals with European providers right about now. In other words, we've got a sneaking suspicion there are Revues (and fully-functional Google TV sets from Sony) on the premises, they're just locked away in meetings where our press badges are... Read more...
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