App Permissions: Android M Spotlight

App permissions have long been a controversial topic for Android apps, lately there have been numerous articles regarding flashlight apps and the permissions they request. Google wants to make permissions easier for people to use and understand so that they can control their apps the way they want.

How it Works

Typically when you install an app from the Play Store you are provided a list of permissions that the app wants access to. In order to install the app, you must by default, accept these requests or no app for you. With Android M this changes, instead when you install the app you don't have to accept the permissions, instead you grant or deny them when the app actually needs it. For example if you download Facebook Messenger and you go to send a picture, the app will pop up a little window asking if you want to give the app permission to view your files. Same goes for using the camera in Messenger, if you want to take a picture it'll ask you for permission to use the camera first. The ability for users to fine tune their app permissions will go a long way for developers and trust.

Google Now on Tap: Android M Spotlight

Now on Tap

A cleverly worded feature for a equally clever feature. In its extended name Google Now on Tap is a new way to interact with Google Now making the app much smarter. Google Now will become aware of what is on your screen and give you the ability to take immediate action. Thus if you are looking at an email that says something about a location you can hold the home button and Google Now on Tap will show you information about that place. If somebody reminds you to do something Google Now on Tap will detect that and allow you to add that as a reminder. It will even allow you to use pronouns to ask questions, so if you're looking at a picture of an animal and ask Google Now on Tap, "What is that?" it will know you are referring to the image and search for you. When we speak commands to our smartphones users have to be very specific because smartphones typically can't pick up context. This also works with music, the example Google used on stage during I/O '15 was Skrillex. They had a song playing by him and then asked Google, "What's his name?" and Google served a result with Skrillex's real name, it was really cool from a technical stand point. My only question is, will we be able to leverage this feature an any app that happens to be playing music or will the music app need to take advantage of Google Now API's to do that. I'm sure if I watch the workshop video about Now on Tap I could find out for sure.

Why You Should Care

Google Now on Tap is honestly the most useful feature Google has announced for Android M, and although Now on Tap seems extremely gimmicky it is actually unbelievably useful. If I get a text message from my girlfriend asking me to pick something up at the store, I can hold the home button and Google Now on Tap will show up for me to add a reminder to pick something up at the store. The alternative is almost as easy using voice commands but this cuts that part right out of the equation. On top of that if she says she wants to go out to Olive Garden for dinner I can hold the home button and the Google Now card for Olive Garden will show up along with links to call, navigate, get reviews, and reservations. There are tons of uses for Now on Tap and honestly I will probably be writing an entire article about this later. Basically this features gives the average user the ability to take advantage of Google Now and all its features without needing to know what voice commands are required.

Android or iOS? Android Analysis [Part 2]

In part 1 we had a discussion about the advantages of iOS as it pertains to Android. Now it is time to flip things around and discuss Android. Again, I want to try to keep this as unbiased as possible as well as keep my points as relevant as I can to the average consumer.

Google Android OS

Pros:

• User Defined Default Apps/Customization
• Different "Flavors"
• Always Listening
• Contextual Awareness
• Inexpensive Ecosystem

Customization

I know, you've heard it a million and a half times, you can customize Android more than iOS. However I won't lean on the normal widgets argument because I personally only use one and technically I don't even need it. What I am going to talk about is default apps because people take for granted their ability to choose. Apple's approach to certain apps is that they will give you the very best but you have to use it. There is a perfectly valid argument to support this as well as another that shows how it can be annoying. iMessage is probably the best example of what happens when you don't allow users to choose. With everybody on iMessage, iPhone users can quickly chat using the internet rather than using SMS (the whole green or blue thing). In group messaging this is especially nice because MMS messages take ages to send and receive. As I pointed out in part one iMessage stands as a legitimate reason to use iOS.

Android or iOS? iOS Analysis [Part1]

Some people are going to read the title as Android vs. iOS, but that's not what I am trying to do here. A friend of mine who is way less into technology than I am currently owns an iPhone 5S after owning a Samsung Galaxy SIII for a couple years. The SIII was his first smartphone and Android was his first mobile OS, but unfortunately he had some issues with the SIM card that were a known issue in some of those phones. Subsequently his experience was soured by that which caused him amongst other factors such as owning a Mac to switch to an iOS device. I've taken it upon myself to start a discussion here to convince him to come back to Android. While I will be attempting to persuade him to come to my preferred OS, I have to uphold a certain level of integrity. I will try my best to write this without a bias. I am far more knowledgeable with Android than iOS so if it seems I am more in depth about Android it's for that reason.

iOS and Android - A Discussion

The reason I've waited until now to discuss this is in order to wait for Apple to hold their WWDC '15 conference and for Google to hold I/O '15. Now that we've seen what is in store for both platforms we can hold a discussion with the inclusion of new features to come in the next year. Both conferences introduced some great ideas and features, some more exciting than others, but valuable non-the-less.

Google I/O 2015 Live Stream!!!

Google is holding its annual developers conference on May 28th (this Thursday) and 29th in San Francisco and you can live stream the whole thing right here! Thats right, come here on May 28th at 12:30pm EST to watch Sundar Pichai and the rest of Google's team for the keynote speech. The keynote speech is where we will hear about all the new features coming to Android, Chrome OS, and other Google platforms. The app for the event has also been released, a link will be provided below for you to download the app from the Play Store. I know I am looking forward to this year's event, let me know in the comments what you'd like to see from Google this year.



Google I/O 2015 - Google Play Store

Nexus 6 Review

I've had my Nexus 6 for about two months now and I love it. I was a bit skeptical because I only bought it for the unlocked bootloader and developer support. Which means I was also getting a phone codenamed "Shamu" that was facing numerous issues with encryption and memory leaks and weird screen problems. I was the most disappointed person in the room when Google announced the 6" monstrosity that is the Nexus 6. I put off by a lot of the news with the specs because it became apparent that Google might actually care about sales for once. Regardless, I am one of few customers who value their level of tinkering over everything else about the phone. To be honest if the Nexus 5 worked on Verizon I'd have bought it instead because I would have a smaller phone that I could still tinker with despite it being a year old. All of this considered I really like this phone, more than I

thought I would.

Specs

OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop

Display -

     Size: 6"

     Resolution: 1440x2560p QHD

     Tech: AMOLED

Camera - 

     13 megapixels

     4K video capable

     2 Megapixel front facing

Hardware - 

     SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805

     Processor: Quad Core Krait 450 - 2.7 Ghz

     Memory: 3GB

     GPU - Adreno 420

     Storage - 32GB or 64GB

Battery - 3220mAh

Wireless Qi Charging - Yes

Bluetooth - 4.1

WiFi - 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac

USB - 2.0 micro

Can be used on any carrier with any radio type.

Qualcomm Turbo Char
ging 2.0

Source: Phone Arena

Beyond the Specs

Google MVNO [Confirmed] | Will Only Support Nexus 6? [Rumor]

Google's Sundar Pichai made an official announcement confirming rumors that Google intends to become a MVNO carrier later this year. Google's service is a very unique one, it involves using both T-Mobile and Sprint networks simultaneously depending on the best signal. The reason this is so intriguing is because T-Mobile uses GSM technology while Sprint uses CDMA. Currently there is only one phone (at least that I know of) that is capable of switching between the two, that is the Nexus 6. Unlike most phones which release a different version of the hardware for each carrier, or at least different hardware between GSM and CDMA carriers. The Nexus 6 come packed with radios for all carriers in the US despite carrier branding. Save for whitelisting IMEI numbers for devices purchased from certain places I could hypothetically use my Nexus 6 on any carrier by popping in a different SIM card.

Google had planned to be an MVNO carrier a long time ago (obviously) and it explains why they designed the phone the way they did. With its ability to use Enhanced LTE features, the legacy radios are kind of just there wasting space but if Google's service can't take advantage of VoLTE or they are compensating for T-Mobile's and Sprint's, spotty, coverage outside highly populated areas then they are more necessary. Ironically the past issue with Nexus devices for Verizon users has been lack of CDMA support on Verizon, and now the Verizon release is rumored to be using VoLTE and other Enhanced LTE features thus making the legacy CDMA radio useless. Times are changing folks, and one day all carriers will be relying solely on LTE and there will be no more CDMA or GSM, just LTE (technically is a GSM band though).


So while the news that you'll only be able to use the Nexus 6 with Google's service is still just a rumor, there is sufficient evidence in the device alone to say that its likely true.

Source:
 Phone Arena
Android Police