Google’s New Voice Search Survives a 47 Question Barrage


Google’s new Voice Search and Google Now has gone through numerous tests by various users ever since Google announced them. Thus far, no one has given Google Voice Search such a long and informative test like this YouTube user by the name of JLishere on his Samsung Galaxy Nexus. He goes through various types of questions and I felt like Google’s Voice Search was really up for the challenge and performed very well. Take a look at the video yourself and let us know what you think about the tests that he ran.

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There’s Only 5 Days Left to get in on Kickstarter Project Pocket TV


Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to turn any high-definition TV into an Android running Smart-TV?  That’s exactly what Project Pocket TV does and they need your help to get their project started. We have written about Pocket TV and during that time there was 31 days left for consumers to “pledge” money to the program. Now there’s just 5 days left and even though the company has already surpassed their goal of $100,000 with a total of $409,111 in pledges, you are still welcome to pledge. Of course, if you get in now, you can save up to $50 rather than waiting until it’s released. Hit the break for all the details. 
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus No Longer Available from the Google Play Store


There it is folks, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is no longer available via the Google Play Store and is now deemed as “Coming Soon.” One can only guess the reasons why Google has pulled their iconic device temporarily off the shelves, although I’m sure we all can assume it’s due to a certain injunction that recently passed. Either way, the Nexus is now currently unavailable and Google didn’t give a time table as to when it will be available for purchase once again. I would expect this to be available once Google finishes a software “work-around” to comply with Apple’s complaint on a patent infringement on the Nexus.

This certainly is a frustrating time for customers that were looking to purchase the Nexus, especially after Google just dropped the price on the device to $349.99. If you would like to be notified by Google as soon as the Nexus is once again available in the Play Store, you can enter your email so that you can be notified. Of course, we will also have your back and inform our readers as soon as the Nexus is back.

source: Google Play Store

Samsung Denied Request to Lift Galaxy Nexus Ban; Software Update From Google Could be a Workaround


Despite Samsung’s best efforts, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will, at least for now, remain banned from any future sales. The Galaxy Nexus is already unavailable in the Google Play Store and is listed as “Coming Soon.” Judge Lucy Koh denied the Korean company’s motion to have the preliminary injunction overturned, which Apple was granted last week. All Apple needs to do now is post the $96 million bond and the injunction will be all set. Google and Samsung will now most likely go the same route that HTC did when Apple went after their One X and Evo4G LTE. A software update for the Galaxy Nexus will likely be made as a “work-around” to the patent that Apple claims Google and Samsung are infringing upon with the Galaxy Nexus.


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Verizon Galaxy S III Officially Available on July 10


We previously mentioned that you should expect the official launch of Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S III to be on July 10th. Verizon has now made that official with their press release. Pricing is at $199.99 for the 16GB version, and $249.99 for the 32GB model. You should be expecting the same great internals (dual-core S4 Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, 4.8-inch Super AMOLED) all on Verizon’s nationwide 4G LTE network.

Not much more can be said about the most hyped phone currently available, but you can always check out our review of the Galaxy S III to learn more about it! Any of you guys that didn’t pre-order the phone planning on heading to your local Verizon store on July 10th to pick this bad boy up? Here’s Verizon’s official press release after the break:


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Pre-order Google Nexus 7 in UK through Dixons group retailers


UK buyers waiting to place their pre-order for a Google Nexus 7 device can do so now through Dixons Retail group stores. These include PC World, Currys, and Dixons. All of the sites indicate they expect availability of the Nexus 7 to be July 19th. The only version available on the store sites is the 16GB model. It is unclear whether the 8GB model will be made available through retail outlets or whether the retailers just don’t anticipate enough demand for the storage deprived 8GB model. The shopping cart systems do not give buyers the option to pick-up in store and expedited shipping does not appear to be an available option, so it is unclear as to when buyers would actually have their hands on a Nexus 7.

source: androidcentral

Get full tablet UI on Google Nexus 7


While reading all the reviews and hands-on articles about the Google Nexus 7 revealed last week at Google I/O, readers may have noticed the device runs the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean phone interface. That seems to be an odd choice for Google to make and has prompted users to work on getting the tablet UI onto the device. XDA forum member SladeNoctis has figured out a relatively simple way to accomplish this task as outlined in the source link after the break.
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Google Maps U.K. Update Brings Indoor Maps To The Party


Google has finally granted Great Britain VIP access to its Google Indoor Maps treatment. This means Android users of all can enjoy the complete indoor maps of around 40 U.K. venues, which includes everything from art galleries to sporting venues to airports to give users an inside look of their buildings. The neat thing about the recent expansion to Great Britain is the fact building owners can upload their own maps by contacting an independent Google Trusted Photographer—- which should ultimately allow the feature/service grow immediately. Looks like folks in that part of the Commonwealth are about to have their lives just a little bit easier.

source: PCMag

 

Rooted Devices Can Now Enjoy Full Features Of Play Store, Regardless Of Location In The World


It’s no secret that Google’s Play Store is getting bigger and better— well for users in the U.S. that is. Those of us here Stateside have been able to enjoy different apps, games, books, music, movies, TV shows and of course our trusty mags— all in a cloud-based experience of course. However, those trying to use the awesome features outside of the U.S. are only held to the use of apps and games at this time. But you know that it was only a matter of time some crafty and ambitious individuals would jump in and make all those wonderful features available for all— regardless of where you are in the world. Thanks to XDA Senior member kishankpadiyar, users of Play Store worldwide will now be able to access all of the same wonderful features enjoyed here in the States— though users must have both a rooted device and Play Store version 3.7.11.

Jazzing up your personalized Play Store isn’t exactly rocket science for those of you who are a little concerned. You’ll need to install something called Market Enabler directly from the .apk and then install DROIDvpn from the Play Store. Hit the break in order to see the full instructions and source links.
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Nexus S 4G AOSP issues resolved, now fully supported


Readers may recall back in February when Google dropped full AOSP (Android Open Source Project) support for the Nexus S 4G model due to problems with CDMA files. Google indicated the .apk files for CDMA binary files from carriers required non-standard signing keys. As a result, Google was not able to provide support for these and dropped them from AOSP.

According to Jean-Baptiste Queru, Technical Lead for the AOSP, the issues have been resolved as indicated in the Google Groups post below:
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