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Google and the Super Bowl: Mobile browsing, YouTube uploads skyrocket

Élyse Betters — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:01:22 +0000

Americans were busy consuming record amounts of chicken wings and dip during yesterday’s big game, but they were also mobile web browsing more than ever before.

According to an official Google blog post, United States viewers used their tablets and smartphones to Google the Giants and Patriots, halftime acts and the best Super Bowl advertisements.

“In fact, around 41 percent of searches related to [Super Bowl ads] that were made during the game came from mobile devices, up from 25 percent for the same time the day prior,” wrote software engineer Jeffrey Oldham.

The Super Bowl XLVI streamed live for the first time this year, and a soaring spike in related searches came with the flagship circumstance. Predominate searches initially came from desktop devices, but mobile devices leaped forward as the four-hour game launched into full swing.

Read below for more details on Google and the Super Bowl.

Google announced the Top 5 Google search trends during the game were Madonna, Halftime Show, Patriots, Tom Brady, and Giants. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Company also announced the most popular commercials were from Acura, GoDaddy and M&M’s.

“Super Bowl ads or ad teasers were watched more than 30 million times on YouTube before the big weekend this year,” Oldham continued. “Game day searches for [super bowl ads] were 122 times higher than the same time last week.”

More information on YouTube’s Super Bowl-related searches is available on its blogspot. The ads are available on the YouTube Ad Blitz channel until Feb. 18.

Oldham also showcased a Think Insights info-graphic (PDF) that highlighted a few more statistics about the Super Bowl in relation to the globally popular search engine, such as YouTube witnessing 96 hours worth of Super Bowl content uploads and various search terms for Super Bowl party planning.

Google wants people to ‘Solve for X’ with new conference [video]

Dan Graziano — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:43 +0000

Google unveiled its new “Solve for X” website early Monday morning, and it looks as if the Mountain View-based company is planning a TED-like think tank to encourage problem solving and teamwork. “Solve for X is a place where the curious can go to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems,” reads the Solve for X website. “Radical in the sense that the solutions could help billions of people. Radical in the sense that the audaciousness of the proposals makes them sound like science fiction. And radical in the sense that there is some real technology breakthrough on the horizon to give us all hope that these ideas could really be brought to life.” One of Google X’s chief scientists, Richard DeVaul, revealed via his Google+ page that the “Solve for X’ conference had discussed ways of “transforming eduction, 5x improvements in agriculture through better decision support, synthetic biology, and carbon-negative biofuels.” DeVaul also announced that the “We Solve for X” YouTube page and website will be updated to include video’s of the presentations for all to see. Google’s video follows below.

Read [WeSolveForX] Read [Youtube] Read [Google+]

Kayak abandons BlackBerry, will support ‘Googlerola phone’ — or other Android devices

Phil Nickinson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:52:27 +0000

It's bad enough that when Kayak.com announced it was dropping support for its BlackBerry app that it said it was a "practical decision." That's gotta sting, right? (Even if it's true. Or especially if it's true.) But what really gave us a chuckle was Kayak's line about devices it will continue to support.

"If you're thinking of switching to an iPhone, Googlerola phone, other Android device, Windows Phone 7 device, or a Nokia device, we will continue to innovate and maintain our free apps for you," Kayak's billo wrote on the company's news section. "Googlerola phone." Heh. Looks like we're not the only ones chomping at the bit to see what what comes out of the proposed merger (acquisition, really -- Motorola's getting about $12.5 billion out of it) between Google and Motorola. And Kayak, like many of you, is of the mind that soon enough in the future you'll have two classes of Android -- Googlerola, and everything else.

Google's Andy Rubin, of course, has said otherwise -- that Motorola continue to operate as a separate company, and that it doesn't have a lock on future Nexus phones. (Of the major smartphone manufacturers, HTC and Samsung have been tapped for the three Nexus devices.)

"We don't expect that to change at all," Rubin said back in August 2011. "The acquisition is going to be run as a separate business. They will be part of that bidding process, and part of that lead development process. And obviously Android remains open to other partners to use as they are today."

The two companies expect the merger to be finalized "in early 2012," meaning any time now, once regulatory approval is received.

The Secret Google X Lab May Be Revealed Today (Feb 6), As "Solve For x" Website And YouTube Channel Go Live [Video]

Artem Russakovskii — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:42:21 +0000

The veil of secrecy surrounding Google's mysterious X lab may be getting pulled back later on today, as evident from new developments around the web in the last couple of days. The X lab, revealed by the New York Times a few months ago, could reportedly have engineers working on projects spanning from plates that post what you're eating on your social networks to driverless cars, robots, and things most of us have never even dreamt of.

Yes, project Majel, a "highly advanced artificial intelligence robot" that has the potential of turning Voice Actions into our own pocketable J.A.R.V.I.S. ...

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The Secret Google X Lab May Be Revealed Today (Feb 6), As "Solve For x" Website And YouTube Channel Go Live [Video] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Google hires Apple Senior Director for “secret project”

Edgar Cervantes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:29:05 +0000

While Eric Schmidt and Steve Jobs may have had a “no poaching” agreement before, it seems like it is no longer in place. According to Venture Beat, Google has just hired Simon Prakash, Apple Senior Director of product integrity.

Prakash worked with Apple for eight years, and most recently was in charge of quality control for all Apple products. We do not yet know what Simon will be bringing to the table, though, or if it will be related to Android. Google has hired him to work in a “secret project.”

It is said that this “secret project” is ran by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Sergey has worked with Google on multiple secret projects. With Android being one of the main products for Google, though, we hope this man can work on something related to our favorite mobile OS.

Apple is very well known for product quality, probably making Simon a great asset to the company. Who knows, he might be getting involved in the Nexus program.

Either way, the Department of Justice is investigating both companies, since it seems they might have agreed on not “poaching” each other’s employees (along with other companies). We will have to wait and see how things work out, and what this “secret project” is all about.

We love speculation, though. So hit the comments! What do you guys think this project is all about?

[Source: Venture Beat Via: The Verge]

Android 4.0.4 leaked to Verizon Galaxy Nexus early, brings improvements

Jake Smith — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:40:12 +0000

Android 4.0.4 was leaked early for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, and —of course— in typical fashion, a user at the XDA-Developers Forums made a guide available to install the update. The update will presumably be rolling out over-the-air to the masses soon, but if you are up to the challenge, you can install it early with some trickery. Obviously, it is not for the feint-of-heart.

Android 4.0.4 brings many necessary updates, according to the unofficial change log posted on XDA. The update brings noticeably faster speeds, battery stats bug fixed, new radios, improved signal strength, a new power menu, faster boot time, increased volume, keyboard fixes, improved quick controls in the browser, updated News and Weather app, and much more. You can read the full unofficial change log after the break.

Update: One of our commenters (“Eddy”) gave us more insight into after the install.

I updated to 4.0.4 last night via CWM. I can confirm that, although root is initially broke after the update, you can use Wug’s GNexus Root Toolkit to re-root and flash CWM again.

Visit the XDA-Developers forum to access the guide on installing.

Unofficial change log:

Noticeably Faster
Android OS bug fixed (in battery stats)
Long-pressing on a blank spot on the last page of app tray bug is gone
New Radios. 3G/4G switching MUCH better. Don’t even notice it changing.
Improved signal strength
New Power Menu. New from 4.0.2, familiar to those who have used a stock 4.0.3 rom. Screenshot here
PRIMELA03 Bootloader
Faster boot up time
Auto-brightness Functionality changed. Smooth transition
Holding down camera button now refocuses again
Multitouch issue seems resolved. Screenshot here
Autorotate is faster
Browser performance noticeably improved
Recent apps list opens faster
Miscellaneous camera UI changes
Increased volume
Keyboard fixes
Updated News & Weather app UI
Improved quick controls in browser. New when coming from 4.0.2. Present in 4.0.3. Screenshot here (Update: 02/05)

Google poaches Apple’s Senior Director of Product Integrity for secret project, maybe to work on Google X?

Jake Smith — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:22:59 +0000

Google reportedly poached an Apple employee to hire on its own staff. VentureBeat reported that Google hired Apple’s (now former) Senior Director of Product Integrity Simon Prakash for a secret project, where he would work perhaps alongside Google’s cofounder Sergey Brin. Prakash could even work under Motorola Mobility, whom Google is working to acquire, to head hardware projects.

Prakash worked at Apple for over eight years, and was responsible for the product quality across Apple’s products—from iPhones to Macs. To boost his reputation, you may recall that Apple was voted top among product quality in a recent JD Power and Associates Award for the sixth consecutive last year. It is obvious why Google would go after such an employee.

Prakash could be joining Google to work on Google X’s wearable heads up display glasses we showed you in December. Former Apple employee Richard DeVaul, a PhD. scientist from MIT with a focus on building wearable technologies, also left Apple to join Google X’s team. Is Google building up a huge and talented team for such a large product?

We have more iOS device executive departure news forthcoming, so stay tuned.

Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

Zachary Lutz — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've spotted a leaked Android 4.0.4 ROM for the Nexus S 4G, and we've also come across a price and release date for the Droid 4. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 30th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ComScore: Android and iOS gallop ahead, US smartphone usage approaches 100 million

Zachary Lutz — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:03:00 +0000

The latest report is in from ComScore, and as you might expect, the news is sunshine and roses for the crews at Google and Apple. Both companies platforms charted some worthwhile month-over-month gains, as Android is estimated to account for 47.3 percent of smartphones in the US, while iOS runs a strong second with 26.9 percent. Meanwhile, former BlackBerry fans continue to scatter, as the platform now accounts for 16 percent of smartphone users. Similarly, Windows Phone (and whatever's left of Windows Mobile) have taken it on the chin, and have fallen to just 4.7 percent market share. Without ever gaining much traction in the US, Symbian now makes up 1.4 percent of the smartphone pie. You'll find a quick look at the manufacturing side of the equation, along with the full ComScore press release, after the break.

Continue reading ComScore: Android and iOS gallop ahead, US smartphone usage approaches 100 million

ComScore: Android and iOS gallop ahead, US smartphone usage approaches 100 million originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Update: Official Word] Is Google Dropping The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Like A Bad Habit?

Cameron Summerson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Holy crap. Brace yourself for some Friday afternoon bad news -- it looks like Google may be washing its hands of all associations with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. No one knows for sure why El Goog would do this, but all signs point to the fact that it is indeed turning its back on the first ICS phone here in the US.

Update x2: Let's see if we can clear this up a bit, shall we? The basic gist is this: CDMA phones require proprietary code in order for voice and data service to work. This code is handled on ...

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[Update: Official Word] Is Google Dropping The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Like A Bad Habit? was written by the awesome team at Android Police.