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Google Releases New Awesomeness!

Posted on June 29, 2012 By nicksimpson

Google I/O 2012 started yesterday and there are a lot of cool new gadgets, features and more coming your way all thanks to Google. The devices that were released were not so much of a big surprise considering most of the information was already leaked on the internet before the actual presentation took place. This doesn’t mean that Google doesn’t have some more tricks up their sleeves for the coming days of this developer conference. Today, the second day of the conference, there were a couple more newsworthy releases too, so go ahead and keep reading to see what is new from Google.

Along with all sorts of amazing updates to the android os, they have also made some new updates to how application updates work on the Android Market. Now when you update an app, you don’t have to download the whole file, just the parts that changes. Google hopes this will cut down your bandwidth and battery usage and that sounds like a pretty cool way to give you more out of a device you already own to me!

Google’s Social Streaming Media Device – Nexus Q

I must say to me this was probably the least exciting of the new products that Google released on the first day of Google I/O, but it is pretty neat all the same. Using this spherical shaped device, you can in effect allow all your friends to stream their own media from Google services directly to your device. It is setup for a party type queue. Everybody that you grant access to can use their own android device to queue their own music up on a shared playlist. It comes with a 25w amp and as cool as this sounds, it seems like it will never get off the ground with a $299 price tag.

New Google Tablet – The Nexus 7

The long awaited Google tablet is going to be available very soon. If you have been waiting for this one, it was well worth it. Asus has partnered with Google to create this very cool and very powerful 7″ tablet that will ship with the latest version of the Android OS (Jelly Bean). It would seem apparent that they are going to challenge the Kindle Fire market more than the Apple iPad with its smaller form factor. They are also going after a very competitive price point. The 8GB version will sell for $199 and the 16GB tablet will go for $249. When it comes to hardware this tablet offers a big quad-core Tegra processor and a 12-core GPU that should give this little mighty might enough power to run some amazing 3-d games and stream videos with no problems. Below you will find the original promo video, but you can learn even more about the Nexus 7 by watching the unboxing Nexus 7 video here.

Chrome For iOS Finally!

Here is another release that many Google fans have been waiting on for some time now. Their are so many browsers already available on the iPhone, but there is nothing like the Chrome browser and who wants a slow browser on their phone? The speed of this browser is yet to be documented, but many who have already downloaded this #1 free app in the iTunes App Store have already reported faster page load times than the Opera browser or Safari for iOS currently offers. This browser is forced to use the same backend code that Safari uses per Apple’s so called security measures, but for some reason the page loads seem much snappier.

Using this cool browser you can also sync your open browser pages from any computer that you are currently logged into Chrome on. This means from the office to the car is seamless now and that is a cool feature. Also the ability to have many tabs open simultaneously without bogging down the browser seems to be another big thumbs up for those that need 20 tabs open to feel like they are browsing.

Skydiving With Google Glass

Google Glass has been a project in the works for some time and these space aged looking terminator glasses are getting one step closer to being something that is very awesome, but not quite there yet. The current Google Glass models only offer audio and video recording which was showcased at the conference when skydivers wore them as they plummeted to earth and people repelled down the side of walls. With these first person views that were streamed to a Google Hangout, really did turn some heads. They offered to sell some to developers for $1500 but they would not be shipped until early next year.

I am very excited about all the cool new stuff Google has showcased so far and there is still one day left in the Google I/O 2012 dev conference so it will be interesting to see what else they have in store too.

Let us know what you think about the Google news below!

Thanks for reading,

Nick Simpson

Popularity: 2% [?]

Run Android Apps On Your Windows PC

Posted on March 31, 2012 By Jason B. - TechBloq Editor

3 Comments

Windows and Android may not sound like a match made in heaven, but the fact that the latest release of Windows that will be coming to stores near you very soon, will be offering “apps” tells you that this is where things are going. Mobile is so huge that that there are no more mobile internet devices activated than actual PC’s and Mac’s. It sounds strange, but when you think about it, there are very few people who do not have one if not more than one mobile device that allows them to get to the web like a cell phone, tablet device or mobile gaming system. So the question is are you looking for more apps?

If you answered yes, then the TechBloq Team has a very pleasant surprise for you today. We have just happened to run across what we think is one of the coolest software tech nuggets we have seen in a very very long time. The BlueStacks application will allow you to run Android Apps on your desktop and if you are already using the Android OS on another device you can even synchronize your apps across your other devices and to your PC, how friggin sweet is that!

Do The Apps Work?

Surprisingly yes! All the apps that we have tested thus far actaually work and work well. The BlueStacks App Player, seems to have got it right. We are sure at some point, there may be some issues with apps that are looking for a gyroscope or accelleromitor, but the majority of all applications can get by with substituting your computers keyboard, mouse, monitor, microphone and camera for one that would otherwise be on the Android tablet or phone.

Do I have To have An Android Device To Use The BlueStacks App?

No, not at all. If you do have an Android enabled phone or tablet, there are some cool features that this makes available. However, you can run this Android virtualization app as a standalone program on any Windows computer.

Why Mobile Apps and Mini Programs Are Making A Comeback

They say all things are cyclical and the computer world is no different. In years past, people were trying to integrate everything and create large bulky apps that performed many different tasks. Now, the industry is moving back towards simplicity and Microsoft wants a piece of that pie. Microsoft has two different Windows environments that will ship with Windows 8 and you guessed it, one of them is a complete eco-system to run their “apps” many made originally for mobile devices running the Windows Phone OS.

Apple has almost formed a monopoly in this space, at least for paying app purchasers, but you will find that the Android marketplace has many applications that cost money for the IOS that are completely free to download. This makes the Android Marketplace and the BlueStacks App a very dangerous combination for both Microsoft and Apple. If you are looking for a way to break away from the herd and still have a huge selection of great apps, this may be just what you are looking for.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Where Is Facebook eMail?

Posted on December 14, 2010 By Jason B. - TechBloq Editor

There was a big announcement about a week ago that Facebook would be releasing their own mail service to rival other popular mail services like Yahoo Mail, Gmail and Hotmail. When you open a new message in Facebook it currently says you can add an email address to send a message to, but many users have found that even this newly added feature is not working yet. If you are one of the many Facebook users who is wander where the new Facebook email is you are not alone. Facebook has recently purchased FB.com from the Farm Bureau and this may be what they are going to use for the new email addresses to allow users to have a very short url.

The mail system from Facebook has yet to officially roll out, but you can currently ask for an early invite to the Facebook email system if you are interested in checking out the newest Facebook features. Here is the address of the official Facebook email request page: http://www.facebook.com/about/messages/

Have fun checking out the new Facebook email and hopefully you get your invite soon. I for one am not sure if using a dedicated Facebook email address has any value for me, but there are many people who are very excited about this new feature. I am more interested in getting accepted into the Google CR-48 Notebook Pilot Program! If you are already using the Facebook email please leave a comment below and let everybody know what you think about this new service from FB.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook

Posted on December 8, 2010 By Jason B. - TechBloq Editor

The Google notebook is coming very near. In fact they are already asking for testers, to start tinkering around with their new prototype Chrome powered notebooks. The Google CR-48 Chrome notebook is going to start shipping out to a few lucky souls for absolutely free before the end of the year. Yes, you may actually know somebody who has already received an invite or you have just stumbled upon their Pilot Program where you, your business or your organization can apply to be the first testers on the market.

This new Google authorized notebook will be sure to turn some head and raise the question “Do we really need a operating system at all?” to many users. The cloud based Chrome OS is about ready to hit the streets for real and only time will tell how earth shattering this news really is. There are a lot of consumers who have high hopes for Google making a serious move in the PC world and bringing affordable and usable computers to the masses once and for all.

The very nondescript look of the laptop is definitely a way to keep prying eyes from knowing what you are working with, but because they have already put images on the net, we don’t know why they did not at least slap a Google sticker on the back of it.

Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook Screen Shots

Google Cr-48 Chrome Notebook

There are no complete spec sheets on what Google has put together yet. However, here is what Google is saying about the first ever official Google Chrome Laptop:

The Cr-48 is the test notebook we designed for the Pilot program. It’s the first of its kind.

It’s ready when you are, booting in about 10 seconds and resuming from sleep instantly. There’s built-in Wi-Fi and 3G, so you can stay connected everywhere, and a webcam for video chat. The vibrant 12-inch LCD display, full-size keyboard and oversized touchpad let you enjoy the web comfortably. And at just 3.8 pounds with over eight hours of active usage and a week of standby time, it’s easy to take along for the ride.

What did we leave out? Spinning disks, caps-lock key, function keys, and lap burns.

The Cr-48 is available exclusively to participants in the Pilot program.

More Information About The CR-48 Chrome Laptop

The official release of this new web operating system based laptop has not happened yet. There is more information on what is in the works, so if you want to learn all the ins and outs of this new laptop and want to see if Google will ship one to you for testing, check out the Google Laptop Pilot Program and see if you can be one of the lucky googlers to test it and get a free laptop to boot. Looking for more information on the new Google Chrome Cr-48? Let Google tell you more about the features on their new operating system by visiting their official project site here : Google Chrome Laptop Features

If you want to learn more about he new Google laptop just keep checking back here, we will be posting more information as we get it and will be posting plenty of screenshots if we get one for testing.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Google Voice Out Of Beta

Posted on August 28, 2010 By Jason B. - TechBloq Editor

The Google Voice service has been one of the most anticipated Google services of all time, only second to the launch of Gmail. They have only been allowing users who have received an invite to take part in this beta and it filled up very fast! The Google Voice service allows people to use a myriad of very cool and useful phone services. You can forward phone calls to different phone numbers based on the caller id or the name of the caller. Another great feature offered by this service is the ability to receive your voice mail in your email. Google’s servers will actually translate voice into text for you. There are many other great features being offered and for now at least they are all free to use, except calling overseas.

There is no more waiting for an initiation, now you can simply go signup at the site : http://voice.google.com You can choose to get a new phone number to tie to your account or you can use an existing mobile number for your service. Both have their advantages, so choose wisely!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Google’s Silent TelCom Take Over

Posted on July 30, 2010 By Jason B. - TechBloq Editor

Google is a company that millions love and most people have a very high level of confidence in. Most people overlook the fact that much like Microsoft and other huge companies, they to have bought out and squashed more than one competitor in their time, because they keep dangling something shiny in front of us to keep us distracted. After all free stuff sure makes people forget about a lot of not so sound choices they may have made in the past and Google definitely provides plenty of free stuff for us.

So many are already aware of the new and very cool “free” service Google has started called Google Voice. This was a great idea and many people are using this service to it’s fullest by taking advantage of the totally free phone number they give you, the customized answering service that can be used from the internet or email, call filtering to only redirect calls you want and much more. All in all the Google Voice service is simply amazing and a great value even if they were charging for it. The ability to take your voice messages in your email after they have been magically translated into text for you should be a service on it’s own, but it is just one part of this great package Google is offering for free.

I was doing some research on free calling from the internet and was surprised to find how many services still offer totally free calling from your PC. However, in my journey I ran across this post on 100% free voip phone service using Google Voice and Gizmo which really got me exited about using the free “Skype” like app called Gizmo and the free phone number from Google paired together to make a totally free functional intnernet phone. However, once I tried to access the Gizmo website, I realized it was down. So back to the search engine and I soon found this link on Google’s own website http://www.google.com/gizmo5/

So it looks like Google has already acquired this company and is planning on integrating it with their Google voice service. Once this takes place it will cost to make outgoing calls, pretty much like the service that Skype is offering. With heavy competition from companies like Vonage and my personal favorite Magic Jack, it will be interesting to see how Google fits into the new age of VOIP and how long before the telephone companies that we now know are gone altogether. You can read more about this on the Google Voice Blog here.

Popularity: 2% [?]