The folks over at Geek.com got this sneak peek at a significantly updated test design for Timely, Google's stock calendar app. If this is the final version that Android users will see, it'll be a nice update.
Rick Osterloh named President and COO of Motorola Mobility
Effective as of today, Rick Osterloh has been named President and COO of Motorola Mobility. Osterloh came to Motorola by way of the Good acquisition and has been with the company for nearly 7 years. For now he will be reporting to the Motorola Operating Board at Google. That is, until the Lenovo acquisition is complete.
Osterloh previously held the title of Senior Vice President of Product Management with responsibilities to include the "planning, strategy and delivery" of products at Motorola Mobility. Osterloh also spent some time with Skype, overseeing design and product, and before that -- he helped push Motorola towards Android.
"Rick first joined the company 7 years ago when Motorola acquired Good, and he started Motorola down the Android path while managing product and engineering teams."
Jonathan Rosenberg, who shared this news on the Motorola Blog, mentioned how he feels "Rick’s appointment provides the focused leadership and business continuity needed to steer the organization into the future." Rosenberg also touched on how he looks forward to continuing his role as a Google liaison and advisor as Motorola continues through this transition period.
Additional comments from Rosenberg touched on how Osterloh has played a "key role in the company’s reinvigoration" citing how he has been a "guiding visionary on the entire product front and a passionate advocate for our philosophy to focus everything we do on the consumer experience."
SOURCE: Motorola
Nexus 5 arrives with Odin Mobile
Odin Mobile, for those unfamiliar, is an MVNO carrier focusing on persons who are blind and visually impaired. Perhaps more important for current Odin Mobile customers is this latest handset release. The carrier is now offering the Nexus 5.
The handset is available in the 16GB variant, and priced at either $359 or $399. Wait, one storage option and two prices. Yes, the higher priced of the two includes a special instructional package. This goes back to the bit about Odin Mobile focusing on those who are blind and visually impaired.
That package includes a one-on-one over-the-phone tutorial that should get you up and running in terms of the accessibility features found on the Nexus 5. This call is provided by a "blind expert in Android" and those choosing this route will also be able to make additional support calls for one month following the purchase.
Aside from the over-the-phone help, Odin Mobile also has a custom widget. In this case that widget offers access to eight applications that Odin Mobile says are "of particular interest to blind users." The widget will basically walk the user throughout the process of installing any of those eight applications.
Otherwise, the Nexus 5 is the same in terms of features. That is to say the handset has a 5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP rear-facing camera, Android 4.4 Kit Kat and LTE connectivity.
SOURCE: PR Newswire
T-Mobile “Simple Starter Plan” unveiled
T-Mobile isn't quite done making changes. Coming by way of a recently issued press release, the carrier has unveiled the "Simple Starter Plan." And along with this new plan being announced today, there was also mention about more changes coming shortly.
The Simple Starter Plan will be available beginning on April 12th. The plan will be $40 per moth and include unlimited talk and text with up to 500MB of 4G LTE data (with tethering). T-Mobile is pushing this one for the "value-conscious" and as we've seen before -- they have said there will be "absolutely no data overages."
T-Mobile hasn't offered specifics in terms of those other promised changes, however they did lead off with a bit about how this is "day 1of 3" and they are "on a roll again with multiple initiatives." Simply put, it seems we can expect more changes in the coming days. The other aspect here is how good T-Mobile seems to be at touting themselves above other carriers.
In this case they made it clear they are the "only major US carrier to offer a single line of 4G LTE data @ just $40 a month." To that point, we look towards AT&T who offer a plan with 300MB of data (and at a higher monthly price). Aside from the extra data and promise of no overages coming from T-Mobile, they also have the month-to-month no-contract aspect in their favor.
SOURCE: T-Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S5 promo arrives without the Apple bashing
We've seen a handful of official Galaxy S5 videos from Samsung. Those earlier videos have included the official introduction and the official hands-on. The one that has arrived today is a television commercial and clocks in at 30-seconds in length. Samsung begins with mention of "meaningful innovation" and then goes on to highlight a few of the features.
There is talk of the "state-of-the-art" camera and heart rate sensor, as well as the IP67 rating. Viewers are also reminded of the 5.1-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display. But perhaps key for this commercial -- Samsung gives a nice overview of the device, which has us believing Samsung is showing off the design just as much as the specific features.
Anyway, the video is currently available on the Samsung Mobile YouTube page and will likely begin airing on television. Compared to some of the earlier commercials from Samsung -- this one seems rather mild. Of course, this is likely just the beginning of Galaxy S5 promos and the Apple bashing may continue with future commercials.
The Galaxy S5 pre-orders are well underway here in the US and the handset should actually be available for purchase rather soon. We've recently been seeing some early reviews of the device, and will suggest keeping an eye on the Galaxy S5 tag here on Android Community because we should have our hands-on and first impressions coming a bit later today.
Google Glass field trial aims to help those with Parkinson’s
Newcastle University has recently begun a field trial to see whether Google Glass will be able to assist people with Parkinson's. In this case Newcastle University was gifted five pairs of Glass which researchers are using to see whether they can be used to help with independence.
The research teams are working with volunteers with Parkinson's ranging in age from 46-70. The initial work was being done to determine the acceptability of Glass. And at this point the teams have moved onto the next stage of the project, which is putting Glass to use to offer "discreet prompts linked to key behaviours typical of Parkinson’s."
Some of these include reminders to speak up, or to swallow to prevent drooling. Along with reminders specific to Parkinson’s, the team also has Glass being used for more personal items such as when to take medication and for any upcoming appointments. There was also mention of using the motion sensors in Glass to support people with "freezing." It was said freezing is a "behaviour caused by motor blocking," which is another common symptom with Parkinson’s.
Anyway, for now the study is still said to be in the "very early days." But despite that, it appears there is some hope moving forward.
“What was really encouraging from this early study was how well our volunteers took to the wearable technology and the fact that they could see the potential in it.”
Some of the future work involved with this trial will include development on new apps. The team appears hopeful on that front as well, noting how they "are designing the apps and systems for Glass in collaboration with the users so the resulting applications should exactly meet their needs."
VIA: Engadget
SOURCE: Newcastle University
Chromecast update bringing volume and stability improvements
One of the perks of the Chromecast is the ease of use. Going along with that is the lack of needing to worry about software updates. In fact, we suspect some Chromecast users never even pay attention to updates. Still, Google does push them. They also detail them on the Chrome Releases blog and this time around there was one item of particular importance.
That one deals with the volume level. Google mentioned how this Chromecast update brings a fix so the audio volume level will remain the same across sessions. Basically, this means you shouldn't have to worry about flipping to the Chromecast to be greeted with a super high (or super low) volume.
The remaining pieces associated with this update include unspecified stability improvements and bug fixes. Google also mentioned this update will improve IPv6 support and DNS robustness. But again, the one that will likely be most welcomed is the fix for the volume level across sessions. Finally, for those curious, this update brings the Chromecast to build 16664.
Aside from this Google provided update, the Chromecast seems to have been getting a fair bit of attention recently. You are now able to stream private YouTube videos, as well as YouTube live streams (using a desktop browser). Other recent app updates have added Chromecast support with Rhapsody, AutoCast, AllCast, Rdio, Crackle and the Music Boss Pebble app.
SOURCE: Chrome Releases
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