Gmail And Other Google Services Now Gets New Unified Login Page

Google is rolling out a new log in screen for all its services located right at the centre of the page, unlike the previous page that appeared on the right side. Google highlights the “One account” all the Google messages, placing it right at the top of the page and displays icons of all its different services including Search, Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, Maps, Play Store and Google+ at the bottom.

It displays the account photo and just ask for your password, in case you are logging in after a long time. Google wants more users to know that a number of services they use are offered by the Mountain View-based Internet giant, and that they just need one Google account to access them all.

They have decided to ditch the navigation bar it used to place on its websites and introduced a new menu which looks like the Chrome app launcher placed upside down. The new launcher is visually appealing and features different Google services as apps rather than offering them as hyperlinks placed on the top of the page in an omnipresent black navigation bar.

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Nexus 5 Retail Box Leaks Out, Showing White Color Device

We have seen Nexus 5 leaks every now and then, rumors from how the device would look like to Google accidentally showing the listing of the device on the play store.

Now what has leaked out is the packaging of the device, the alleged box is said to be the retail packaging for the upcoming nexus 5. The leaked images were seen on Korean site Underkg.com. In the pictures of the Nexus 5 boxes, which you can see above, it appears that the white version of Google’s next flagship Android phone will keep its regular black front, but bring a white rear to the Nexus series.

As mentioned above these are rumors, can be fake. However, we have seen white nexus device before so it will not be something new if the upcoming nexus 5 will also be available in white color as seen in the leaked images. Expected release date is 28 of October, official news still away.

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Nexus 5 Images Leaked Again: Nexus 5 Revolution Be Ready

Case maker SPIGEN leaked the Nexus 5 images yet again with a photo showing back of the device. The recently leaked image shows the large camera sensor at the back of the device which is supposedly a 8 MP camera as per the manual that leaked out previously.

According to an earlier leak by SPIGEN, the Nexus 5 will launch on October 31, but the latest information shows October 30 is the date. Earlier this month, the rumored Nexus 5 showed up with leaked battery, pricing and storage details. The report showed us that the 16 GB Nexus 5 model will supposedly be priced at $299, while the 32 GB Nexus 5 might be priced at $399.

However, the rumoured specifications of the Nexus 5 are a 4.95 inch full HD IPS LCD display, supposedly the device will be powered by a 2.3 GHz Quad-Core processor with a Snapdragon 800 chipset along with a 2 GB of RAM, 8 MP camera, a 1.3 MP front facing camera. The device is believed to be run on Android 4.4 KitKat. While these are some leaked specification, the official news should not be away. Stay tuned!

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Google Chrome Saves Sensitive User Data In Plaintext

Google Chrome browser may be storing sensitive data in such a way that it would be relatively easy for a malicious third party to dig it up and steal your identity, among other things.

Security researchers at Identify Finder said they performed a series of deep scans on several employee computers using the latest version of Sensitive Data Manager (SDM). The scans revealed a bunch of Google Chrome SQLite and protocol buffers storing user information such as names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, bank account info, credit card details, and even social security numbers.

“We confirmed with each employee that sensitive data, such as social security and bank account numbers, were only entered on secure, reputable websites,” claims Identity Finder.

The data is not protected in the cache, which means that anyone with access to it can extract the information. This does not necessarily mean local access, as malicious software running on a user’s computer, and even social engineering, may yield the same results.

Handing over the computer to a computer repair shop, sending it in to the manufacturer, or selling it may provide third parties with access to sensitive information stored by the browser.

Google Chrome is the world’s third most popular web browser with a 16% market share; Firefox has a 19% share and Internet Explorer holds a 58% share, according to Net Applications.

This is the second finding of a profound Chrome shortcoming in three months. Last July, NSS Labs analyzed the privacy mechanisms built into Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari and found Chrome offering the poorest privacy protection.

A statement by Google on The Verge reads :

Google Chrome is the most secure browser and offers you control over how it uses and stores data. Chrome asks for permission before storing sensitive information like credit card details, and you don’t have to save anything if you don’t want to. Furthermore data stored locally by Chrome will be encrypted, if supported by the underlying operating system. For example, Chrome OS encrypts all data stored locally by default. We recommend people use the security measures built into their operating system of choice.

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BlackBerry Looking To Rope In Google, Cisco, SAP For Potential Sale

Another round of big name organizations are reportedly interested in BlackBerry. According to a report in Reuters today, Cisco Systems, Google and SAP are all ‘in talks’ with BlackBerry and considering purchasing the companies assets, specifically its secure server network and patent portfolio.

In addition, the report also notes that BlackBerry ‘has asked for preliminary expressions of interest from potential strategic buyers, which also include Intel Corp and Asian companies LG and Samsung.’ This is particularly interesting as Samsung has repeatedly declared they have no interest in the Waterloo-based company.

A week ago BlackBerry announced a $4.7 billion bid from Toronto-based Fairfax Financial, but the clause still ‘entitled to go-shop’ for other potential offers. New York-based Cerberus, who apparently specializes in investing in troubled organizations, is nowhere close to closing a deal and ‘is aiming to sign a confidentiality agreement that would allow it to access BlackBerry’s private financial information.’

The WSJ also reports that there’s another ‘distressed-investing firm’ interested in snatching up BlackBerry, but the ‘person familiar with the matter’ didn’t want to disclose the name. In addition, as previously rumoured, BlackBerry co-founder, Mike Lazaridis is considering a bid for the business.

BlackBerry declined to comment on the potential investor, stating “We do not intend to disclose further developments with the respect to the process until we approve a specific transaction or otherwise conclude the review of strategic alternatives.”

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Nexus 5 full details emerge in Leaked LG Service Manual

In a twist of events Google has not been able to keep the upcoming device under wraps. The first images of the Nexus 5 came thanks to Google’s own Android Kit Kat unveil video, post which a barrage of images started to pop over on to the inter webs. 

Now a leaked LG service manual with the model number LG D821 has emerged which gives of the complete low down on the new Nexus 5 and its design. According to the leaked resource the handset will have 4.95-inch display, a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, inductive charging and NFC. This particular model’s LTE bands (1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 20) are optimized for Asia and Europe.

On the optics front there’s an eight-megapixel camera with OIS on back and a 1.3-megapixel front camera for selfies. Storage is a steady 32GB and is powered by a 2300 mAh juice pack. The LCD IPS display has a 1080p resolution and screen tethering is supported via a Slimport (just like the Nexus 4).

The Hardware will have the usual array of sensors, but one unique one which measures pressure, there is also a notification light and a microSim Slot. 

LG D821

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Whoops! Chrome For iOS's Incognito Mode Isn't Really Incognito!

If you’re a regular user of Google Chrome, you know how important its incognito mode can be to save some unnecessary embarrassment when you decide you need to search for something completely strange you would rather not let your family, friends or roommates be aware of. That’s why we thought you should know if you rely on the privacy of incognito mode in Google Chrome on your iOS device running iOS 7, you might want to hold off on using it for the time being.

As TechCrunch reports, a new update for Chrome for iOS adds iOS 7 support, but there’s also a big flaw as discovered by UK development and design firm Parallax. It turns out that when you use the search/address bar in Incognito mode in Chrome, that history will show up when you return to standard browsing in Google’s mobile website search bar.

The above video is rather swift, and has no commentary, but what it shows is erasing history to start with a clean slate, entering Incognito Mode, visiting a website, returning to normal browsing and then viewing search history at Google – where the supposed private web session shows up.

Note that you do need to visit Google to see the history: it doesn’t show up when simply using the combined URL/search bar.

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48.6% Of Android Devices Now Run On Jelly Bean

It’s taken seemingly forever, but Jelly Bean is now on nearly 50% of active Android devices — 48.6% to be exact — as of October 2nd, 2013.

The stats, which are released each month, indicate that Jelly Bean’s slow-and-steady march to the top has not exactly fixed Android’s fragmentation problem, but has allowed developers to target Android 4.0+ devices more readily without risking alienating large swaths of users.

While Gingerbread still powers a staggering 28% of active devices, which could mean some 280 million if we use Google’s recent announcement of 1 billion activated Androids as an indicator, developers can take the Ice Cream Sandwich number, which is dropping but still powers 20.6%, and combine it with Jelly Bean for a comforting 69.2% of all devices.

Android 4.3, the newest version of the OS to hit Nexus devices and some Samsung and HTC products, is only on 1.5% of the total, and with KitKat nearing its inevitable rollout, it seems likely that most devices will likely skip directly from Android 4.2 to 4.4.

It must be noted that these stats only include Android 2.2+ devices and only those that are actively visiting Google Play each month, not those that connect to forked app stores like Amazon.

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Chrome For Android Gets Application Shortcuts and Faster Search, 200-400 Milliseconds Faster

The new browser lets users add ios like web shortcuts to the home screen, will now open in a full-screen experience and appear as a separate app in the app switcher. With the Beta release of Chrome for android, it’s now easier to create shortcuts on the homescreen which open the website that you often go to.

When visiting a website you would like to save, user will have to simply select “Add to homescreen” from the toolbar menu. The new version 31 also brings the desktop client’s search focused tab. google has even provided search speed boost through server-side code. The new update, google have also made it work for web payments. On sites with request Autocomplete(), users will be able to either use their existing payment data stored with the browser or enter new details through a browser-provided interface. 

While, Google says that this feature will be rolling out to Beta users in android, Windows, and Chrome OS in the coming days. A Mac version will be included in a future release. Whereas, Google also shared that with all these new updates they promise much faster browsing experience on mobile phones. Google’s Developer Advocate, Ilya Grigorik said in a post:

Google mobile search is getting faster – to be exact, 200-400 milliseconds faster! We are gradually rolling out this improvement to all browsers that support the <a ping> attribute (currently, mobile Chrome and Safari).

What’s the benefit? Whenever the user clicks on a result, typically they are first sent to a Google URL redirector and then to the target site. With <a ping>, the click is tracked using an asynchronous call, meaning that the user sees one less redirect and a faster overall experience!

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Google Acquires 'Flutter' the Company Which Builds Gesture Recognition Technology

google acquires Flutter, a company which builds gesture recognition technology for computers. This came up an year back as Flutter started to build software allowing users to control their computers by making gestures in front of their webcams.

This technology can be used in the company’s Chromebook line of laptops. This is what the company says after being acquired by google

When we started three years ago, our dream to build a ubiquitous and power-efficient gesture recognition technology was considered by many as just “a dream”, not a real possibility. Since then, we have strived to build the best machine vision algorithms and a delightful user experience.

Even after we launched our first app, we didn’t stop our research; your enthusiasm and support pushed us to continue to do better. We’re inspired everyday when we hear, for example, that Flutter makes you feel like a superhero — because any sufficiently advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic, right?

Today, we are thrilled to announce that we will be continuing our research at Google. We share Google’s passion for 10x thinking, and we’re excited to add their rocket fuel to our journey.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to all of our users; your feedback and evangelism inspire us every day. Flutter users will be able to continue to use the app, and stay tuned for future updates.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the deal to the media, “We’re really impressed by the Flutter team’s ability to design new technology based on cutting-edge research. We look forward to supporting and collaborating on their research efforts at Google.”

This deal might bring up the Gmail motion live, the company released a video long back in 2011 showing this technology:

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Upcoming Nexus 5 Poses In Latest Leak

The Nexus 5 release date should be sometime next month as pictures of the device hit the internet this week.

The photos were taken by a MacRumors user who happened to encounter the device while out and about. He released a brief report detailing his experience with the Nexus 5.

“Got to handle the Nexus 5,” he said. “It is smaller than the G2. Didn’t actually measure it, but holding it in the hand it is smaller. It does feel good holding it. The black back cover feels like my Nexus 7. The screen was ok, didn’t wow me like the Note 3. The bezel is very small.”

This is another solid and somewhat clear view of the back plate, albeit partially obstructed by another device at the bottom (likely to cover up any identifying information), that shows off the vertical “Nexus” logo and large camera pod in the top left corner. The back seems to be of a similar material as what we’ve seen before, but giving the lighting we can’t be sure.

The device that appears in the new pictures closely resembles the handset seen in the Android 4.4, KitKat software unveiling photos. This enhances the possibility of the Nexus 5 sporting this same design seen in both pictures when it launches later this year.

Documents at the FCC confirmed a few specs: display of 4.96-inches, 2,300mAh battery, 2GB of RAM, 16-32GB of internal storage, LTE connectivity, 13MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera.

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Google To Pay €300,000 Fine for Privacy Violations to a French Agency

France’s National Commission on Computing and Freedom (CNIL) threatened Google with a €300,000 fine due to the company’s lack of compliance with a June decision aimed at protecting users’ private data. The French agency that regulates information technology says Google had not satisfactorily responded to its June decision giving the company three months to be more upfront about the data it collects from users.

In a statement Friday, France’s National Commission on Computing and Freedom, known as CNIL, said:

Google hasn’t made requested changes, including specifying to users what it uses personal data for, and how long it’s held. CNIL said it will now launch formal sanction proceedings, a process that could take months.

On the other hand, Google spokesman Al Verney said:

Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services. We have engaged fully with CNIL throughout this process and will continue to do so going forward.”

The National Commission on Computing and Freedom said five other European countries are also taking similar steps in a staggered offensive against Google’s privacy policy between now and the end of July. It said Google has largely ignored earlier recommendations from European regulators. Similar actions are underway in Spain, Germany, Britain, Italy and Netherlands.

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iPhone 4 and Nexus 7 (2012) Get A Price Cut

At the global unveiling event of new iPhoness this month, Apple had announced that it will discontinue the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 that was launched three years ago. Now when the new iPhone 5C and 5S are expected to launch in India soon, the older iPhone 4 gets a price cut on various online store.

Now you can purchase the iPhone 4 for approximately Rs 21,500 via online retailers. This price is applicable for the 8GB variant of the phone, whose official price tag is Rs 26,500. Whereas the 16GB model, which is officially priced at Rs 31,500, is now available for approximately Rs 25,000.

Similarly, Google Nexus 7 (2012) can be purchased at lower rates across all models. Recently the Nexus 7 (2012) prices were slashed to 11,999 when company had introduced the latest Nexus 7 globally. Now the prices are future reduced to Rs 9,999 on e-commerce websites for 16GB Wi-Fi-only version. Its 32GB Wi-Fi variant can be purchased for Rs 13,499; the official price of this model is Rs 18,999 in India. The 32GB Wi-Fi and 3G model of the Nexus 7 (2012), which was launched at Rs 21,999, is now selling for Rs 16,999.

The all new Nexus 7 (2013) is yet to make its debut in India and is expected by the end of this year.

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Google Improves Search Accuracy Via Hummingbird Update

Marking Google’s 15th birthday, the Hummingbird update was release which is the biggest change to the inner workings of the world’s most popular search engine since Google’s “Caffeine” update in 2010, which sped up Google’s indexing of sites and delivery of search results.

The Hummingbird update focuses more on Google’s Knowledge Graph – an encyclopaedia of about 570m concepts and relationships that allows Google to anticipate facts and figures you might want to know about your search term.

When you search Google it no longer just searches for individual keywords; it can now respond to questions and statements in the same way a human might, by looking at the whole query – even if it doesn’t have an exact answer. 

Apart from ‘Hummingbird’, several other updates have been announced, with most aiming at providing the data more concisely to allow people not to navigate to another website to find out more – which can prove difficult on small smart phone screens. 

“Remember what it was like to search in 1998? You’d sit down and boot up your bulky computer, dial up on your squawky modem, type in some keywords, and get 10 blue links to websites that had those words,” Senior vice president Amit Singhal wrote in a separate blog post. 

“The world has changed so much since then: billions of people have come online, the web has grown exponentially, and now you can ask any question on the powerful little device in your pocket.”
These changes mainly affect the ‘Knowledge Graph’, a box that appears on top or alongside other search results. In particular, its new version will be able to compare the attributes of two different things. ‘Google Now’, a virtual assistant that provides for the user the information about his interests and location, will start flagging new developments – for example, in the life of a celebrity – that interest the user.

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Is this the Nexus 5 ? Google slips up in its own video

Earlier today Google Announced the new version of Android 4.4 aka Android KitKat. During the video unveil of the new statue at the campus, a Google employee seen in the green shirt above seems to be hold a unique device which appears to be bigger than the Nexus 4 seen on the right being held by the woman. The word Nexus is spelled out in a different direction, the camera seems different, and it looks bigger than the Nexus 4, but it appears to have an LG logo on the bottom. Could this be the next nexus aka Nexus 5?. Google has stuck its guns for the Nexus 7 and continued production for the Nexus 7 with Asus, so LG may as well be next manufacturer for the Nexus 5.

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"KitKat" will be the next version of Google's OS : Android 4.4

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After the previous minor upgrade retained the “Ice Cream Sandwich” moniker, the next version of Android OS aka Android 4.4 will be called KitKat. Google’s SVP Sundar Pichai has just confirmed by posting the image of the statue across the social networks.

    “It’s our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody. :- Google

The company is remaining mum on the project and on what new features the new name will bring. Google has also already worked out a no money agreement with Nestle for the name sans a space in the middle, hence, KitKat vs the original Kit Kat. Google SVP Pichai also announced that there are now over one billion Android device activations, surpassing the 900 million mark back in May this year.

The list of Android versions incase you have not kept up

    Cupcake (1.5)
    Donut (1.6)
    Eclair (2.0)
    Froyo (2.2)
    Gingerbread (2.3)
    Honeycomb (3.0)
    Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)
    Jelly Bean (4.1-4.3).
    KitKat (4.4)

The deal between Nestle and Google closed within 24 hours of the first phone call to the confectionary manufacturer.

John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, also confirmed that his team did originally consider “Key Lime Pie” as a potential name for Android after Jelly Bean, but the issue was “very few people actually know the taste of a key lime pie.” The BBC reports that there will be more than 50 million Kit Kats promoting the Android mascot in 19 markets (including Brazil, India, Japan and Russia).

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