The NowNow tweak by iOS developer Nick Frey has been around since just after the Google app got updated to support Google Now-like voice commands. That wasn’t the real Google Now, though, due to the absence of “Cards,” a feature which provides you with information you may need before even searching for it. The NowNow jailbreak tweak, which replaces Siri on your iOS device, is still fully compatible with the latest update to the Google app. (more…)
The Google Now voice assistant that Google introduced on Android almost a year ago is now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Like the Android version, this Siri competitor hope to make your life easier by predicting your searches, providing excellent voice recognition, and presenting you with cards which show you information you need “Now.” (more…)
iOS hacker and JailbreakMe.com creator Nicholas Allegra, who previously held an internship stint with Apple in 2011, will soon be working at Google. In a recent tweet, Allegra claims that he will start an internship with the Mountain View-based corporation in a few weeks.
In other news, I’m going to intern for Google in a few weeks.
— comex (@comex) April 24, 2013
Fellow iOS hacker Joshua Hill (p0sixninja) was quick to call out the fact that Allegra won’t be able to hack the Android operating system once he starts working at Google, but Allegra subsequently expressed that he has never had enough interest in the mobile platform to hack it anyways.
Allegra rose to fame as the creator of the popular JailbreakMe.com 3.0 website, which allowed users to jailbreak most iOS devices running iOS 4.3. It is unknown exactly what Allegra will be working on during his internship with Google, but we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
The competitive rivalry between iOS and Android has now been going on for over five years, and the two software platforms continue to fight each other in a two-horse race for supremacy in the mobile space. No other mobile operating system even comes close. Not Windows Phone. Not BlackBerry 10. Not anything. So, who is winning the iOS vs. Android war?
Time reporter Harry McCracken has collected and compiled statistical data about iOS and Android from various research firms, with most of the information being from this past fourth quarter or later, to provide a glance at the battle from a numerical perspective. Based on numbers, and solely numbers, the mobile platforms war looks something like this. (more…)
Google Fiber, the internet service that made its debut in Kansas last year with some of the fastest speeds seen, will be expanding in 2014 to Austin, Texas. The gigabit internet service built by Google should become available to homes sometime in 2014, as the service is rolled out across the city.
Today, we’re pleased to announce with Mayor Lee Leffingwell that Austin, Texas is becoming a Google Fiber city. It’s a mecca for creativity and entrepreneurialism, with thriving artistic and tech communities, as well as the University of Texas and its new medical research hospital. We’re sure these folks will do amazing things with gigabit access, and we feel very privileged to have been welcomed to their community.
With offices of various tech giants (including Apple and Samsung) in the city, as well as various startups making the central-Texas town their home, Austin is rapidly becoming a center of technological progress to rival even Silicon Valley in California.
[Google]
While speculation has circulated over the past few days about a potential Google acquisition of WhatsApp for upwards of $1 billion, WhatsApp business development head Neeraj Arora has told AllThingsD that the reports are not true.
Neeraj Arora, WhatsApp’s business development head, told AllThingsDigital today that the company is not holding sales talks with Google.
Earlier this week, a single-source report from Digital Trends said that the company was contemplating a $1 billion sale to the search giant.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about a potential WhatsApp acquisition before, as Facebook was also said to be planning to purchase the popular app back in December. Obviously, none of these reports have yet to materialize.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular integrated messaging services available, combining text messaging, photo, video, audio and location sharing together into one mobile app. The app is 99 cents for iPhone, while pricing varies for Android.
Just in case you thought that attempting to navigate Google Maps on your smartphone while driving on the freeway was acceptable, a United States court has ruled that the action is unlawful. According to Hon. W. Kent Hamlin, presiding over a California appeals court, viewing maps on your mobile phone is an issue because of the hands-on use that is required to perform such an action.
Most new vehicles come equipped with a touchscreen satellite navigation system nowadays anyways, but this ruling now sets a precedent across the United States for usage of Google Maps and the likes in your hands while operating a motor vehicle. Do you agree that trying to tap, swipe or navigate Google Maps on your smartphone while behind the wheel should be banned?
[Gizmodo]
Google+ now allows you to set an animated GIF as your profile picture, according to Engadget. I’m not sure how much of a positive effect this will have on the social network, as it could result in increased trolling, but that’s a completely different subject.
Google+ itself continues to grow as a social network, especially as Google continues to integrate it alongside its other existing services such as YouTube and the Play Store. The platform has enormous potential, already approaching 250 million active users.
If you are using the desktop version of our website, be sure to follow the official Google+ page for iFans by adding it to your circles using our sidebar widget. iFans will be increasing its presence on the platform in the ensuing months, so make sure to follow along so that you don’t miss out on our iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android coverage.
[Engadget]
One would assume that Google chairman Eric Schmidt would use an Android smartphone, considering it is a platform curated by the very corporation that he sits on the board for. Nevertheless, a recent interview with The Guardian confirms that — surprise, surprise — Schmidt actually uses a BlackBerry. Why, you might ask? Simply put, he prefers the tactile keyboard experience that the BlackBerry provides.
The interesting fact behind this story is that there are a number of Android smartphones on the market that do in fact have physical keyboards. Schmidt obviously doesn’t seem to be interested in those devices, but perhaps we’ll see the chairman in line for the upcoming BlackBerry Q10, which will run BlackBerry 10 software and still utilize a full QWERTY keyboard. It really doesn’t matter which smartphone Schmidt uses, but the irony is still strong.
[The Guardian via The Loop]
Google today officially unveiled their note-taking solution. Built to sync notes through Google Drive, the replacement of Google Docs, the system currently supports both Android and the web.
Google Keep’s Android client is actually very nice. The design of the app is similar to the language used in Google Now, heavily relying on clean corners and typography to convey information. For me, it’s on the verge of replacing my previous system. It is unclear as to whether or not an iOS version will be released, though given Google’s recent track record of supporting iOS, it seems likely.
[Google]