Google has nearly tripled the number of countries that can access Android Auto. The smart car interface now has functionality in 18 new countries plus the territory of Puerto Rico; the list now incorporates potentially huge markets like India and Russia, along with several countries that mark a major expansion into South America.
The full list of new regions is below:
- Argentina
- Austria
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Guatemala
- India
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Russia
- Switzerland
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Google announced the news in an emojified tweet from the official Android account.
Android Auto is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US. Getting car manufacturers on board with preloading the system on their vehicles is another matter entirely, although it can now be pretty easy to retrofit your dashboard with an Android Auto (or Apple CarPlay) head unit.
According to reports, users of Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 under Sprint has been acquiring the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update. The Android M roll out is slow, therefore, owners should expect to get a notification shortly.
The mobile carrier Sprint decided to skip Android 6.0 Marshmallow and jump directly to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will have operating system from Google, version N910PVPU4DPC1 after the update. Furthermore, the mobile carrier Verizon has rolled out the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update to its users of Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
According to some reports, T-Mobile and AT&T are currently testing the Android 6.0.1 update. It is expected that both T-Mobile and AT&T will roll out the update to their subscribers pretty soon.
Users who have not get a notification about the latest Marshmallow update yet can check for its accessibility manually. They should go to About Phone > System updates > Check for update to check if their handset is ready for the Android 6.0.1 M update.
The size of the Android M update is 1.4 GB. Users are recommended to download the update with a fast Wi-Fi connection. Also, they should get the update with an entirely charged mobile phone.
The electronics giant Samsung is rolling out Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update to Galaxy S5. The update was at first made available in South Korea; however, at present it is rolling out to users of S5 throughout the world.
Meanwhile, according to a Digital Trends report, the mobile carrier Verizon has started rolling out Android 6.0.1 M update to S6 Edge and S6. In addition, the security patch dated April 2, 2016 is included in the build of Android 6.0.1.
Google Now on Tap, Android Pay, a shortcut to settings like the display or battery and improved system for app permissions are some of the new features of Android Marshmallow. Also, according to a BGR report, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow gives older Nexus devices, such as the Nexus 9, Nexus 7, Nexus 6 and Nexus 5, the ability to open up the camera by double tapping the home or power button.
Source: Yibada.com
Smartphone security is the new concern as cases of Android malware were reported to have increased in 2015 as compared to 2014, said a new report which warned that, in 2016, more hacks on smart technologies could result in fatal privacy injury.
The annual security report from security software company Trend Micro Inc. also noted that the increase in Android malware is owing to the energetic adoption of smart technologies.
"Android's 'MediaServer' component took a lot of hits in 2015. Vulnerabilities identified in the component can be exploited to perform attacks employing arbitrary code execution. Such attacks could force a device's system to go on endless reboot, draining its battery," Trend Micro said in a statement.
The hacks can render Android devices silent and unable to make calls due to unresponsive screens, constant rebooting, making the device totally useless.
Some other Android vulnerabilities incorporate the susceptibility of the Android debugger Debuggered that can expose a device's memory content.
The Samsung SwiftKey Keyboard vulnerability had a pre-loaded malicious code masquerading as special language packs that put over 600 million Samsung Galaxy-series phones at risk.
With the emergence of vulnerabilities like iOS Quicksand and AirDrop, even Apple's phones took some hits in 2015. These proved that iOS users could potentially be hit with malware.
Although there are no existent solutions designed to protect Internet of Things (IoT), the report proposed that in order to maintain devices protected from attacks, developers need to be able to push regular updates and patches to close off any holes attackers can exploit.
Source: Gadgets.ndtv.com
The Android version of Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana can soon be upgraded with a plethora of new functions, the tech company announced during its Build 2016 keynote broadcasted yesterday from San Francisco, California. Among other things, Cortana will soon be able to track notifications all around numerous devices regardless of the OS they're running. Naturally, that also includes Android smartphones and tablets. This news comes shortly after Microsoft rolled out the latest Cortana update which included a new widget for voice searches, improved general loading performance of the app, added a few other goodies and brought the mobile version of one of the most popular digital assistants on the planet to 1.4.0.
Other than notification tracking, Microsoft revealed that Cortana will soon also have the ability to respond to SMS messages received by one's Android device directly from the connected PC. All of the announced features will come packed in the upcoming Anniversary update of Windows 10 which is expected to launch sometime during summer. More news is expected to follow soon, so stay tuned.
In any case, the upcoming update will hopefully make the regular user experience of the Android version of Cortana feel a bit more smooth and intuitive, especially in regards to the new notification-tracking capabilities of Microsoft's digital assistant. That's precisely what many have been hoping for as Microsoft was recently forced to disable the "Hey Cortana" functionality of the Android version of the app because it was interfering with Google's "OK Google" voice command feature. While this doesn't seem like a big deal, Microsoft faced some complaints about its app feeling less organic to use because of that in the following months. And it kind of makes sense, as people who rely on digital assistants often prefer to actually be able to activate them with voice because they're going to talk to them anyway. The upcoming update of Cortana might not solve that particular problem, but it seems like it will definitely make its user experience a bit more seamless for people who own multiple devices. And given how these "devices" include smartphones, tablets, and PCs-- that's pretty much everyone.
Sources: AndroidHeadLines.com
Google has updated the stable channel of Chrome for Android to Chrome 26, which offers two new syncing features designed to save you a bit of time on mobile devices.
You can grab the latest version of Chrome for Android from the Google Play Store.
This release has two noteworthy features — password syncing and form autofill syncing. Keeping track of passwords is a pain and let’s face it, most mobile password managers leave much to be desired. With the new Chrome for Android you can sync and access your saved passwords across devices.
Even if you prefer not to have Chrome store your passwords for you, the form autofill syncing is equally handy — especially given how tedious it can be to fill out forms using your mobile device’s tiny keyboard.
Like all of Chrome’s syncing features, you’ll need to be signed into your Google account to use the new password and autofill sync.
This release also fixed a few bugs and offers some modest performance and stability improvements. For more details, see the Chrome blog.
Read complete at: webmonkey.com
Photo-sharing phenom Instagram is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Android with a fun fact: Nearly half of its members are using the Android application.
Instagram launched its Android application on April 3, 2011, a whole 17 months and 30 million users after the popular app for shooting square, filtered photos first debuted on the iPhone. At the time, the service was also just days away from announcing that it would be purchased by Facebook for about $1 billion in cash and stock.
Today's little reveal suggests that Instagram's Android application has at least 50 million active users. The app's Google Play page, which shows a wide range of 50 million to 100 million installs, seems to support the claim.
"We're working hard to make the app fast and easy to use, and we're dedicated to always bringing you the best Instagram experience possible," Philip McAllister of Instagram's Android team wrote in a celebratory blog post. "So to all of our Instagrammers on Android, thank you for helping to make this community amazing. We're glad you're here."
I'm sure they are. The Android application has helped the service become a force to be reckoned with in social-networking land. Instagram has more than 100 million active users and is incredibly popular with teens and tweens who seem to prefer the simplified social experience over Facebook.
Read complete at: cnet.com | venturebeat.com
It’s official: the smartphone marketplace is a duopoly. Chances are, if you own a smartphone, your device’s operating system is either Android or iOS. Combined, The Register reports that the two operating systems accounted for 91.1 percent of all smartphone sales after 2012’s fourth quarter, according to analysts at International Data Corporation.
Apple fans will be upset to know that the bulk of that dominance belongs to Android, which topped out at nearly 69 percent of all smartphone sales. (To put it into perspective, there were nearly 500 million Android-powered smartphones sold in 2012, versus the 136 million Apple devices sold, giving them nearly 19 percent of the smartphone market.)
Sales of iOS-powered smartphones were highest in the Western markets, and the increased numbers are largely accredited to the lowered prices of the iPhone 4 or 4S after the introduction of iPhone 5. (We should also mention, the excitement over the release of the iPhone 5 also brought in record sales.)
In comparison, Blackberry device sales plummeted more than 36 percent last year. It’s no surprise, considering how long it took for the company to step up its game and catch up with the innovations that have made Android and iOS so popular. BlackBerry 10 was only unveiled a few couple weeks ago.
But Microsoft phones are still at the bottom of the totem pole, accounting for just 2.5 percent of smartphone sales.
It’s tough to say whether or not there’s a chance for any of the current companies to make any headway in the market, but for the time being, if you’re looking to buy a new smartphone, chances are the device you’ll choose will be powered by either Android or iOS – the Windows and Mac, or Pepsi and Coke, of the smartphone market.
Read complete at digitaltrends.com
