Google Search For Android Updated, Brings New Hotword

Google Search for Android has been updated, bringing a new hotword, reminders for notable people and a new look for search results. Users can now say “OK, Google” to initiate a search from within the app.

If a user happens to search for a “notable person,” Google will offer you the option of saving that search as a card which will show up in Google Now, providing updates on that person.

Look for this update to be hitting your device soon, as the features are rolling out at a gradual pace.

[Via: Android Central]

Raised in rural Northern California, Ian spent his early years embroiled in video games, comic books, and making spaceships out of Legos. He escaped to San Francisco in the early 2000's, mastering the art of coffee making to pay his bills. Ian then attended Mosaic Art school in Italy, returning to the bay area afterwards, and worked on a few art projects of his own. Ian currently resides in sunny Portland, OR.

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Mysterious Nexus phone shows up in Google KitKat statue video

Update: Well that didn't take long, it looks like the video has gone private. We at least have the above screenshot for you to take a look at.

Original story: Google took the unveiling of Android 4.4 KitKat seriously today by putting up one of its trademark statues of a KitKat-shaped Android on the Google lawn, and released a promo video showing the setup. The most interesting part of this video may not be the statue itself, but what one Googler is using to take a picture of the event.

As seen in the still we've grabbed from the video (seen above), someone is holding onto a phone unlike we've seen before. It's big, flat, says "Nexus" on the back in landscape orientation and looks a heck of a lot like a shrunken Nexus 7 (2013) — the materials and camera lens look nearly identical to the latest tablet.

Not much more can be seen from the video aside from a few frames and a nearby Nexus 4 for size comparison, but we know this isn't any phone available today. You'll find the video after the break, you can scrub forward to about 35 seconds if you want to cut to the Nexus phone action.

Via: Reddit

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Kit Kat statue joins the crew at Google HQ

just showed us an absolutely awesome picture. A giant, chocolaty, delicious Kit Kat bar Android statue has joined the rest of the bunch on the lawn at Google HQ in Mountain View.
Does this mean what we think it means? Apparently it does, as it has been announced that Android Kit Kat is the next name for Android. We've got a live page already, and the folks who make the candy bars are getting in on the action and offering Android limited-edition versions that may contain coupons for a Nexus 7 or Google Play credit. Major props for pulling off the licensing on this one, Google.  (Update: Turns out no money changed hands in this deal, it's just mutual goodwill. Kit Kat's already got the Android branding out in force.)
Now who's ready for Android 4.4 KitKat?
Source: +Sundar Pichai
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Google working on smartwatch with talent acquired from WIMM Labs

The idea that Google will soon enter the connected smartwatch arena is getting more weight today as details emerge that it purchased smartwatch maker WIMM Labs last year. As a report from The Wall Street Journal
earlier this year suggested, Google is actively working on a smartwatch competitor to the yet-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy Gear and the ever-rumored Apple iWatch. Talent and technology from WIMM Labs is expected to be a big part of the effort.
WIMM Labs, if you aren't familiar, was a small company working to make watch hardware and software centered around Android with its first product release, the WIMM One, in late 2011. Beyond just hardware and software, WIMM worked to build up a development program for third-party developers to make what it called "micro apps" that were more tailored to running on a small screen independently of a connected phone.
What WIMM did with watches is far beyond what we see with Pebble, which is a frankly basic notification system, and could give us a look at what Google intends to do in the space. It is reported that the employees from WIMM that stayed on with Google post-acquisition have been moved directly into the Android team rather than their own division.
There may be a lot of talk around the smartwatch — and greater wearable technology — space right now, but there are very few products that have actually been released at this point. We're not entirely sure what Google can do to shake up the space before it has a robust marketplace, but presumably a combination of general improvements in Android along with the new talent from companies like WIMM Labs can get it started on the right foot.
Source: GigaOM
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