Google Archive

Ext4 Filesystem Hits Android, No Need to fear Data Loss

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-27 Google 4 Comments

"Google's new Nexus S smartphone is the first Android device to use the Ext4 filesystem. The company published a statement on the official Android developer blog earlier this month to discuss how adoption of Ext4 on Android will impact third-party application developers. In a follow-up post last week, Ext4 developer Ted T'so commented on the transition and offered some further clarification regarding concerns about fsync data loss issues, which he says pose minimal risk on Android due to the higher level of quality assurance testing."

Logitech Denies Google Asked for Suspension Google TV

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-27 Google No Comments

Logitech International SA Monday denied Google Inc. had asked the Swiss electronics firm to suspend production of television set-top boxes until the U.S. Internet giant irons out software problems. "Suggestions that production of the Logitech Revue companion box might need to be halted to address software issues are unfounded. As those familiar with the product know, it is not necessary for Logitech to make changes to the companion box to accommodate future enhancements to Google TV," Logitech spokeswoman Nancy Morrison said in a statement to Dow Jones Newswires. Logitech was addressing a report in trade publication Digitimes that Logitech is delaying shipments through January.

Guest post by fran 2010-12-27 Google 5 Comments

In a story about an upcoming tablet from MSI launching in March, the Taiwanese website Digitimes might just have spilled the beans about the approximate launch date of Android 3. The tablet mentioned will ship in March-April next year with Android 3. Android 3 will be optimised for tablets and some big name companies, including Motorola and Lenovo, were holding back on these tablets until the version 3 release. On Techradar, Google's Andy Rubin already showed off an Android 3 prototype tablet from Motorola that gave some clues as to what Android 3 might be capable of. This includes easier navigation requiring absolutely no physical buttons, as well as 3D processing power. Android 3 is also said to have a redesigned UI, support for higher resolution 1280x760 displays and has a strict minimum hardware requirement of a 1Ghz CPU, 512 RAM and a minimum display size of 3.5".

Android 2.3 Gingerbread Source Code Released

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-17 Google 27 Comments

The source code for Android 2.3 has been released. "Nexus S went on sale yesterday morning in the US, running Gingerbread. Just like I did for Froyo, I'm open-sourcing the matching Android platform source code, right after the first consumers get their hands on it. I'm going to start literally right now, and the process will take a few hours."

Submitted by B. Janssen 2010-12-10 Google 9 Comments

"At a high level, Chrome OS sounds like the most interesting thing to happen to the low end netbook/notebook market since we saw the first Atom platforms. The problem has never been hardware, but rather the software. At $299 - $399, for someone who is truly just going to rely on web based applications, I can see Chrome OS being a very good alternative to a netbook. The integration of Qualcomm’s Gobi modem is particularly brilliant, giving every Chrome notebook a GPS as well as cellular data connectivity. The 100MB of free transfers per month for two years is just perfect for light users. Chrome OS or not, I’d like to see this sort of a setup on all notebooks."

Google Shows Off Chrome OS

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-07 Google 33 Comments

Google held a Chrome event today, and the rumours had suggested we might see the launch of Chrome OS today. This turned out to be nonsense, and in all honesty, the entire event didn't really deliver much in the form of new information. The Chrome Web Store has been opened, and the first Chrome OS netbooks will arrive in the middle of 2011.

Google Unveils Android 2.3 ‘Gingerbread’, Nexus S

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-06 Google 45 Comments

After countless rumours, leaked screenshots, and what not, Google has officially unveiled Android 2.3, dubbed Gingerbread, today. Accompanying the release of this new Android version is the Nexus S, a Samsung-made successor to HTC's Nexus One, which delivers the pure Google experience - unlocked, without additional crap.

Google buy DRM firm Widevine, Solution to HTML5 Video Adoption?

Kroc 2010-12-05 Google 31 Comments

Google have agreed, for a yet-announced sum, to acquire Widevine, a DRM technology provider used widely in web-streaming and set-top solutions like netflix, LOVEFiLM and the DISH network. via Engadget

Chrome Adds Flash Sandboxing

Thom Holwerda 2010-12-01 Google 69 Comments

Finally! After pioneering sandboxing of Javascript and tabs in the browser, Chrome is now finally busy moving Flash into a sandbox. Windows users of the dev channel have been fed the new release with Flash sandboxing already.

EU Investigates Google Antitrust Violations

Guest post by HAL2001 2010-11-30 Google 23 Comments

The European Commission has decided to open an antitrust investigation into allegations that Google has abused a dominant position in online search, in violation of European Union rules. The Commission will investigate whether Google has abused a dominant market position in online search by allegedly lowering the ranking of unpaid search results of competing services which are specialized in providing users with specific online content such as price comparisons (so-called vertical search services) and by according preferential placement to the results of its own vertical search services in order to shut out competing services.

Google CEO Schmidt: No Chrome OS Netbooks for Christmas

Thom Holwerda 2010-11-22 Google 21 Comments

"Google's Chrome Operating System launch has been delayed, and the platform won't be available to launch on netbooks for at least the 'next few months'. Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed as much to reporters in a Q&A session at the Web 2.0 Summit Nov. 15, adding that the platform continues to be targeted for devices with a keyboard. Though he didn't provide a reason for the delay, he certainly shredded the rumor that there would be netbooks based on Google's Chrome Operating System launching this month."

Submitted by lemur2 2010-11-11 Google 77 Comments

Earlier this year, Google finally did what many of us hoped it would do: release the VP8 codec as open source. It became part of the WebM project, which combines VP8 video with Vorbis audio in a Matroshka container. The product manager for the WebM project, John Luther, gave an update on the status of the project - and it's doing great.

Submitted by poundsmack 2010-11-01 Google 76 Comments

That is without a single shred of doubt the most awesome headline I ever got to put on OSNews. This headline is so awesome I don't even need to write anything else, because it would just detract from the awesomeness. Cue Johnny Guitar, with a lone wanderer riding his horse towards a Mojave sunset, after just having... Wait, where were we? Right. Yes, Google has sued the US Department of the Interior because its Request for Quotation regarding a messaging solution demanded the use of Microsoft software.

Guest post by lemur2 2010-10-27 Google 13 Comments

Google has confirmed on the official Android Developer Twitter account that the Android Market has surpassed the milestone of 100000 applications. In perspective, Steve Jobs said last week that the Apple App Store now contains over 300000 applications. Having said that, the Android Market has now arguably reached a point where the difference becomes almost immaterial in a practical sense, because even with only 100000 applications it is unlikely anyone will be short-changed for choice.

Chrome OS Hits Release Candidate Status

Thom Holwerda 2010-10-12 Google 18 Comments

Interesting little digging from TechCrunch's MG Siegler: as it turns out, Google's Chrome OS is nearing completion. The company is currently testing a release candidate build, and has reiterated that devices running Chrome OS will arrive later this year.

Rubin: “The World Doesn’t Need Another Platform”

Thom Holwerda 2010-10-09 Google 46 Comments

Google's big Android chief Andy Rubin has given an interview to PC Magazine, in which he touches on some interesting topics. Sadly, PC Magazine didn't ask about the patent situation and why Google is seemingly letting its OEMs fend for themselves, but there's still a lot of other interesting stuff in there.

Google Unveils WebP, New Image Format for the Web

Thom Holwerda 2010-09-30 Google 103 Comments

A few months ago, Google open sourced the VP8 video codec as part of the WebM video project, to create a truly Free/free unencumbered video format for the web as an answer to the non-Free/free patent-encumbered H264 format. Today, Google launched a new image format for the web, WebP, which aims to significantly reduce the file size of photos and images on the web.

Android’s Google Apps Agreement: Google’s Leverage Over OEMs

Thom Holwerda 2010-09-24 Google 48 Comments

A few days ago I dove into the lawsuit filed by Skyhook against Google, and came to the conclusion that Skyhook's case - while an entirely plausible sequence of events considering Google is a big company and hence prone to abuse - simply wasn't a very good one. Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has given a rather generic-looking statement on the matter, but however generic it may be, there's a hint in there.

Android Not Open: Wait, What?

Thom Holwerda 2010-09-09 Google 54 Comments

TechCrunch held a little in-promptu poll a few days ago, asking its readers why they chose to go with Android instead of something else. Most people stated they choose Android because of "openness". The author of the article calls this "a load of crap", arguing that because carriers can do with Android as they so desire, the reality now is that Android isn't open. Clearly, the author doesn't get openness.

Google Launches Instant

Thom Holwerda 2010-09-08 Google 34 Comments

Hold on to your security blanket, people, because Google is rolling out a pretty big change to its search engine. Not too long ago the internet was in a shock because Google rolled out a new feature that allowed you to pick a background image for the Google home page, just like Microsoft's Bing. Google went a lot further today, and has launched Google Instant, adding search-before-you-type results to the Google home page.