It is really nice that Android allows you to see everything on your device that an app will have access to in the permissions but it can get annoying that it is an all-or-nothing choice. For instance, you may love the Amazon app, but you don't see any reason why the app should need to access your WiFi/GPS location data.  However, there is no way to deny that one permission and still use the app, but Google may be thinking about changing that.

Google software engineer Dianne Hackborn admitted that the Android team has thought about that exact issue and has also considered changing the permissions model to give users more granular control. This would enable you to pick and choose which permissions to accept & which to deny. Since there are no concrete plans to implement such a system anytime soon, it is all just a hypothetical possibility.

Google did not declare a new Smartphone delivering Android Nexus experience at the recent Google I/O 2013 convention. However, it is being rumored that the company is still working on the fifth generation Android Nexus device along with LG. A Dutch website, Tablet Guide, spotted a federal communications commission filing of a Google media player with model number Google H840. Google had declared the new subscription based music service - Play Music. But this service is not supported by the Nexus Q media player that was declared last year. The developers had to be satisfied with the Chrome Pixel ultra book running Chrome OS with hardly any new Nexus series device announcements. A new FCC filing reveals a Google H840 device which is actually a media player with model number - H2G2-42. Google's team has several geeks and thus this model number H2G2-42 is a direct reference to Douglas Adam's famous science fiction comedy - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In this book, the number 42 is referred as an answer to everything in life. However, there are no details available on this Google H840 Device with H2G2-42 model number. The Nexus Q device was codenamed Project Tungsten. It has been speculated that this device is the successor of Nexus Q and is likely to be a smaller version. Nexus Q was a media hub with functionality very similar the Apple TV. Last version of the Apple TV was really compact. We hereby speculate that the new Google media player would be a smaller iteration of the Nexus Q.

Google in their latest move has asked Microsoft to remove Youtube application from Windows Phone 8 devices and app marketplace. However, the reason for this demand is that the app doesn't allow advertisements. Also, it allows users to download videos from Youtube. These are considered to be violations of Youtube's terms of use. As a result, there are no ads that means no revenue for Google and content creators. Therefore, it hits the Google's very source of revenue. According to a letter by Google to Microsoft, Google has asked Microsoft to "immediately withdraw this application from the Windows Phone Store and disable existing downloads of the application by Wednesday, May 22, 2013." As per Microsoft spokesperson, “We'd be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs." It is hoped that the issue is resolved in time and the Windows Phone users do not suffer from this wrangling between two companies. In case, Youtube app is pulled out of Windows Phone store, users can still access youtube.com through their phones browser.

Source : themobileindian

Google has declared a major update for its Google Map service.  Google Map has got a major design overhaul for the first time in 8 years. When you search for a place, the map shows only the roads and landmarks you need to get there. The new Google Maps instantly changes to highlight information that matters most. The Map service learns from your usage pattern just like Google Now. Google Maps will build new maps with recommendations for places you might enjoy when you do things like setting your home and work locations, star favorite places, write reviews and share with friends. Also, search has been improved in addition to a customized map. Search results are labeled directly on the map with brief place descriptions and icons that highlight business categories with other useful information like restaurants that are recommended by your Google+ friends etc.  Google has also added a new carousel that gathers all Google Maps imagery in one spot allowing you to fly through cities, walk canyon trails, climb mountains, and even swim the oceans. Google Map service also includes features like smarter directions and tours generated from user-submitted photos. Some other new features include smarter directions and tours generated from user-submitted photos. However, the service is currently available only on invitation. The change will happen in Android and iOS apps for Google Map as well, but no timeline has been provided.

Source : themobileindian

Google, giant global search engine, has brought some great news for users worldwide. As a part of free plan, Google users will get 15GB of free cloud storage on Google drive that was 5 GB earlier. The Google drive will keep on providing its services without any modifications or changes.  Possibly, this is the reason that from last couple of days, users were having frequent service breaks in Gmail and Google drive.  Though the storage size has been increased by Goggle for the users but the company logically has not given away any additional storage to users. At present, the company has simply joined both in single storage which will work across Gmail, Google+ and the Google drive. However, the unused storage will be put to a better use that users were having in Gmail. In comparison to Google drive's 15 GB storage, Dropbox offers 2 GB initial storage that can be taken up to 6 GB's whereas Skydrive provides up to 7 GB of free storage along with Sugar Sync offering same storage as well. For business users the same storage has been hit up to 30 GB from exiting 25 GB which was the lowest possible offering for paid users.

Source : themobileindian