Android 5.0 Lollipop and its Material Design still seem like a distant dream for many Android users. While Google was quick to update some of its core apps with the Material Design even before Lollipop was released, it has just done the same for the iOS variant of the Google Search app as well. Not only does the new Google Search app carry the fabled Material Design, it also brings in a bunch of new features.
Google and Apple's partnership has been a shaky one at best, especially when it comes to iOS devices. Earlier on, Apple dropped Google Maps integration from iOS as the default maps and navigation app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in favor of its own Maps app, and YouTube was pulled from the list of stock apps as well, forcing Google to make both of these apps user-downloadable ones from the App Store. Now, it seems, that the default search provider for iOS Safari browser is up for grabs as well, as Google's contract is close to termination, and sources say that Bing and Yahoo! are both vying for the top spot.
Apple likes to build things that just work, requiring as little intervention as possible on the part of the user, and AirDrop, the company's local file-transfer service, typifies this notion. Google, Apple's main rival in the mobile industry, is apparently working on a similar feature of its own, with a number of blogs having been tipped off that a service named "Copresence" is currently in the works.
Things are definitely changing at Google, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the company's former head of Android Andy Rubin is leaving the company.
Google may be the author of the Android platform, but despite its ubiquitous software being a leader in the mobile industry, the Big G is still heavily invested in rival Apple's iOS. A number of apps, including Gmail and GApps, already grace the iTunes Store, and today, the search giant has just rolled out a new News & Weather app for those rocking an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Details, screenshots, and that all-important download link can be found right after the leap!
As well as continuing work on its bread-and-butter services like Search, Maps and Android, Google is always looking to expand with intriguing, innovative advancements. Project Ara is one, Project Glass another, and with self-driving cars also in the works, the Big G has just showcased Project Wing. A drone-powered courier service, Project Wing appears to be a competitor to Amazon's Prime Air, and the aircraft itself is lightweight, completely unmanned, and considered a cross between a helicopter and a plane.
We’d like to think that most people who use Google’s services are fully aware that the technology giant is monitoring their every move. Literally. But it’s clear that the great unwashed masses have no idea that their Android phones are tracking their location as they go about their business and, if you have Google Now installed on an iPhone, that’s probably doing the same too.
Google is inarguably the most innovative company in the modern mobile industry, with several exciting products already in the pipeline. The head-mounted Glass device is perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated of them all, but as far as allowing us to engage with digital products using just our eyes, it's not the only project that the search giant is plotting. The company is also working on some smart contact lenses offering significant health benefits those suffering with diabetes, and today, this enterprise got a significant boost with the Big G having struck a licensing deal with Novartis subsidiary Alcon.
Sometimes a company buys another and it makes perfect sense. Other times, it takes a little while for the obviousness of the partnership to sink in, but once it does, you can't help but wonder why you hadn't thought of it before. We're going to put Google's somewhat stealthy acquisition of Skybox into that second category.
Wearable technology is fast becoming the next big battleground for the big tech companies of the world, but a key part of that expansion beyond the smartphone is likely to be health, and Google is reportedly taking steps to make sure it isn't left behind.