Android Jelly Bean Could Be Next to Ice Cream Sandwich

I, myself, can’t figure out any other names of a dessert which begins in “J”, so I have to agree by now that the next version to Android Ice Cream Sandwich could be "Jelly Bean".

What a sweet name Google has for its mobile platform, but no matter what – the folks over at This is my next got a pair of tipsters saying Jelly Bean is indeed the next flavor of Android. The name however, hasn’t yet been finalized by Google and so what version number will it get. ICS don’t have a version number yet either. Although nothing much have been revealed what specific features Jelly Bean would bring, the “source goes on to say that there are some fairly major architectural, functional, and design changes in Ice Cream Sandwich.”



While Ice Cream Sandwich is speculated for an October/November release, you certainly would be miffed after hearing that the “game-changing stuff” that was supposed to be present in the next Android version will be pushed back to Jelly Bean. Though this “game-changing stuff” being pulled from the upcoming ICS is relatively not specific, at least for Android users, it could be a bummer right? Of course the folks at Google know better than us so I guess they will do that for reasons.



Just a trivia particularly for those who don’t know yet, Google usually continue the legacy of giving names to Android versions after delicious things or desserts, and the names are ordered alphabetically relative to the release date (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo or Frozen Yogurt, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich).



Is Jelly Bean could be next? I don’t know Maybe.J Anyway, let’s just wait until Google officially confirmed the authenticity of this rumor. Just stay tuned! [via]



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Download Official Blogger App for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

Wait no more, bloggers. If you’re using Google’s blogging platform, well, you should be happy to hear that the official Blogger app for iOS devices has already made its way to the App Store.

The new Blogger app which is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad running at least iOS 3.1.3, brings similar features as its Android counterpart including publishing of posts with photos, labels, and location information.

Blogger app will allow you to: Select account/blog if you have more than 1. Include pictures from the gallery or by taking a picture directly from the app Add labels Add location information Save as draft or immediately publish View list of saved/published posts

Though the UI is only available in English, the app supports blog posts written in all languages. The app doesn’t have some of the features available on the web-based version including video upload, stats, comment moderation, as well as formatting tools – but I’d guess Google will bring it all very soon. I can say though the app is still great after all. Go check it out here and do let us know what you think about it.



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Google Chrome!

That was fast! Really, really, fast! But despite being the newest in the list of web browsers, Google Chrome is among the best to bring great innovations in today’s generation of the internet.

Chrome was launched as an open source web browser 3 years ago, well, by the search giant Google. The first beta version of Google Chrome was made public in September 1, 2008, and the first final version was released December 11th of the same year. Today, the Chrome browser is already on its 13th release, and Google says they would stick to its plan of shipping stable channel updates every six weeks. Impressive!



I’m honestly an avid Chrome user, so I extend my sincere appreciation to the open source community behind the Chrome project.



To CTB readers, whom majority are also Chrome users according to my Google Analytics, I encourage you guys to read this comic book about Google Chrome. Likewise, check this infographic to see the highlights in the evolution of the web. It’s an interesting read!

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google to Buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

Boom! Who would have expected this is going to happen, huh? But yeah, Google will acquire the mobile devices division of Motorola Inc.

Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. is priced at $12.5 billion and is expected to close in late 2011 or early 2012.



In a blog post, Google said that the acquisition will not change its commitment to run Android as an open platform and Motorola will remain a licensee of Android while the software will remain open. Still, Motorola will run as a separate business of Google.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”

Larry Page added that the combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. Motorola owns thousands of patents and needless to say, this acquisition will also strengthen Google’s patent portfolio to combat against companies like Apple and Microsoft who are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android.



Motorola is very popular in the US for making Android smartphones like Droid, Droid X, Droid 2, as well the first Honeycomb tablet, Motorola Xoom. Majority of these handsets though didn’t make a landfall here in the Philippines.



Now the big question is what will happen to other phone manufacturers using Android then? Because in my own humble opinion, companies like LG, Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, and among others – are actually competing in handsets’ hardware since all of them are using the same software. Isn’t it hard to compete a company which has full control of the software you’re using and is about to design its own hardware? Well, let’s just see how everything goes with Google’s “Android partners” after this acquisition. [via]



Click to Read Press Release

Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility



Combination will Supercharge Android, Enhance Competition, and Offer Wonderful User Experiences



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.



“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”



The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.



Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”



Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”



Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”



The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Blogger and Picasa to Get a New Name: Google Blogs and Google Photos

To unify the brands of its products, Google apparently has plans to rename Blogger and Picasa into Google Blogs and Google Photos, respectively.



Blogger is a free blog-publishing service created by a company named Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003. Picasa on the other hand is a free image organizer (both offline and online) originally created by Idealab in 2002 and also acquired by Google in 2004.



Mashable is said to have learned about the move from two reliable sources, saying the rebranding is coming in the next 6 weeks. Blogger and Picasa users don’t need to worry about the services though as both aren’t going away.

Blogger and Picasa aren’t going away, of course — they’re two of Google’s most popular products. Instead, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Google intends to rename Picasa “Google Photos” and Blogger will become “Google Blogs.” Several other Google brands are likely to be affected, though our sources made it clear that YouTube would not be rebranded.

This early report seems to be true. CTB did a quick Whois Lookup for domain names googleblog.com and googlephotos.com, and both points to Google Inc. as the registrant of the domains.

DNS Records of GoogleBlog.com

DNS Records of GooglePhotos.com

Records of both domains got updated just in the past couple of months. Though it appears both domains have been registered 7 and 9 years ago, the recent updates may indicate Google has plans of using it anytime soon. Surely we’ll try to find out, so just stay tuned for more updates. [via]

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Amazing! Mark Zuckerberg is the Most Popular Person in Google+!

Believe it or not, the Facebook co-founder is the most popular user of Google+.

If popularity is based on the number of followers, socialstatistics.com tells it all. As of this writing, Mark Zuckerberg has 34,759 followers, leading Google’s co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page at 18,715 and 23,633, respectively.



Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook in 2004, which made him to Forbes list of world billionaires. He currently has $13.5 billion worth of fortune. Facebook, for the record, is the biggest social network to date with estimated global users of 700-750 million. Though Facebook hasn’t confirmed the latest numbers yet, the company is expected to announce when it hits the 1-billion-users milestone.



A week ago, the search giant Google announced its own social network called Google+ (Plus). Google+ is considered as the new main rival of Facebook, with social features at its launch identical to the latter. Google+ is still on its beta stage and it hasn’t been rolled out to all Google users just yet. Being said that, number of total active users of the new social network has still yet to be known.



It’s really interesting to see Zuckerberg topping the list of Google+ most popular users, and though it appears he’s doing nothing with his profile, at least for those visible to the public, I’m sure he’s exploring what Google brought to it. He probably believes on the principle: To win a competition, one should know the competitor’s product. Right, Zuck?

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

CTB is now in Google+!

Absolutely! Cebu Tech Blogger is now using Google+!

Seems like at first Google doesn’t love me much as I didn’t receive any invitation to join the party right on the same day when its social network was launched. Not even good enough when I was invited by a friend to join Google+ only to find out the invite mechanism had been blocked in no time.



But here I am now, has joined the network since last weekend, and is inviting you to connect with CTB in Google+. I’m certain though the service is not yet available for everyone. But if you too are already using the search giant’s new social network, it would be great if we’ll be in your Circles. Here’s the link to CTB profile.



If you haven’t received any invitation just yet, but eager to try using Google+, I suggest you check plus.google.com from time to time.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Plus (Google+), the Search Giant’s Social Network

Google finally introduced its own social networking layer called Google+ or Google Plus.

Google+ is definitely the search giant’s answer to Facebook, the world’s biggest social networking site to date. Though still on development and is available by invitation only, Google allow us to preview what social experience Google+ would bring. It features what they called Circles, allowing users to group contacts in various social circles and share things just in particular group; Sparks, which delivers a feed of contents from the web depending on your interest (think of Twitter hashtags); Hangouts, which is basically a chat room; and Mobile, allowing users to update Google+ via mobile with focus on messaging, photo and video sharing, and location-based services. Google+ also includes what is called Huddle, a group messaging experience that lets everyone inside the circle know what’s going on.



As of the moment though it's not yet available for everyone, but Android users can already have it at the Android Market. Watch featured videos after the break.

























So what do you think of this innovation? Could this be a big hit? Well, I think with its comprehensive key features, I would say that it's not yet late for Google.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Launches Music Beta, Allows You to Stream Music from the Cloud

A better way to play your music, that is how Google describe its new service called Music Beta.

Music Beta by Google is a cloud-based service that allows you to stream music in your computer and Android devices, similar to Amazon Cloud Drive (though this service also stores photos and videos); just with added features like easy playlist creation, “caching” of recently played music for offline use, and synchronization of music in all devices.



Though first available in the US, Music Beta by Google allows users to upload up to 20,000 songs for free. The service will require the Music App for Android handsets running at least Android 2.2 (Froyo). If you’re an Android user, I suggest you get in line and request a beta so you’d be among the first to avail of the service. Featured video after the break. [via]

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Gmail Motion, Google's 2011 April Fools Prank

Earlier today, Google announced a new innovation called Gmail Motion, a new way to interact with its email service through bodily actions.

Gmail Motion is said to utilize a computer’s built-in webcam to track human gestures and translate it into Gmail functions: from logging in, composing and sending messages, and etc. Could be a new way to always stay fit at work, too? I guess so.







Well, I know they can do it; but at least not now. Why? Check your calendar. Seems like the web drive into frenzy with the cool Gmail feature. But no, it’s Google’s April fools prank for this year. Unconvinced? Here’s what you get once you hit that button to try Gmail Motion.

Nice try, Google. At least it’s more realistic than the Google Translate for Animals "thingy" you had last year.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google +1 Button, the New Way to Recommend Websites and Pages in Google Search

Google is rolling out a new feature called +1 (reads “Plus One”) represented by a white small box with numerical symbol at the center of it, which then turns its color to blue when clicked from the Search Engine Result Page (SERP).

The +1 button is yet another social feature of Google Search as a way for users of telling they recommend a particular webpage discovered after doing a search. The new feature would then help Google identify which of among the number of links from the search results are relevant based on the number of +1’s, thus delivering even more relevant results to other users searching for same queries.



Here’s a video showing how Google +1 works.







Google says they’re already rolling the new feature starting in English in Google.com; however, you may also opt-in ahead of the schedule in your location by joining the experiment at Google Labs.



Could this be Google's answer to Facebook "Like" or "Recommend" features? Well, I guess so.



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Instant Previews Now Available on Android and iOS Devices

Following the desktop version of Google Instant Previews, the search giant made the new search feature available today for mobile devices running Android 2.2 and iOS 4.0 or later across 38 selected languages.



The functionality of the mobile version is almost the same as the desktop version, except on how the thumbnails are being presented to users. Here’s how Google Instant Previews looks like in an iPhone 4 running on iOS 4.2.1.

Google Search Result

Google Instant Previews on Mobile

The next time you search on Google using your Android or iOS-powered device, you will notice a small magnifying glass next to the search results. Just tap on it, and there you will see the Instant Previews. And if you don’t mind me saying, it’s actually cool! Go try it! J

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Android Market Website is Now Live

Previously, you can only visit Google Android Market through your Android-based device such as smartphone and tablet- but this time; you can already visit the site on a bigger interface through the use of your favorite web browser.

Listing more than 100 apps, the Android Market offers its users an easy navigation to browse different apps and games, allowing them to read and post reviews about a particular app, and send apps directly to the device. The Web-based Android Market also allows users to share apps directly on the site to the popular micro-blogging site, Twitter. But there’s no way you can share any app directly to Facebook. Thinking of rivalry? I think so…



What more with this cloud-based Android Market is the easy access using your Google account, in which you can see and manage all the apps you’ve purchased and downloaded. You can visit the website by hitting this link.



Hopefully, we can see Apple doing the same for its iTunes contents. Yeah, I’m referring to the cloud-based iTunes- at least that would be more flexible managing the contents in the clouds rather than on local computer libraries. What do you think?



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Says Bing is Copying its Search Results

There’s a developing story here, folks. The search giant, Google, says on its official blog that its rival search engine owned by Microsoft is copying its search results on queries.



Bing, which also powers Facebook search as well as Yahoo! search, is allegedly using Google web search results to improve its own search ranking for various queries.

Google claims not into prejudice after they conducted an experiment that shows and proves their suspicions on the “silly” activity to be stronger. One of which is the creation of “synthetic queries” that returns no results at all. Google manipulated the results of those “synthetic queries” in which they inserted unique webpage for each query that has nothing to do with it; in other words, completely irrelevant result for a particular query. Google defines “synthetic queries” as something you can’t expect a user will search for it.

Surprisingly, if you search for the said keywords using Bing, the same webpages will appear on search results. Interesting!

Microsoft is denying the allegation saying that the software juggernaut is not copying Google’s result. However, Google insist that Bing could possibly been using other Microsoft applications that will allow it to acquire data as to what people search for on Google and which of the results the users click. An example of this application is Internet Explorer 8, which can send data to Microsoft via its Suggested Sites feature; or the Bing Toolbar which can send data via Microsoft’s Customer Experience Improvement Program. You can read more about this story at the official Google Blog.

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Because of Microbiology, Google Grow Biologically

I don’t have much idea about microbiology, and that’s probably the reason why I was amazed a bit when I saw this video posted by the search giant just recently.

Two microbiologists in the name of Dr. Edward Johnson and Clayton Wright conducted an experiment that will “grow Google” using samples of bacteria. Really quite strange, but they were able to form the Google logo in exact colors by culturing such microorganism. Watch the video below to see how they “grow” the already grown giant.







Oh yeah, Microbiology triumphs again!

To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Larry Page is the New Google CEO, Eric Schmidt as Executive Chairman

Eric Schmidt, the current Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc., announced today that he will be transitioning as the company’s Executive Chairman starting April 4th, 2011.

Google’s founder Larry Page will seat then as Google CEO, while Sergey Brin will stay as the company’s Co-Founder.

From left to right - Eric, Larry and Sergey in a self-driving car photo

In his blog post,

Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. I am enormously proud of my last decade as CEO, and I am certain that the next 10 years under Larry will be even better! Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead.

Sergey has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products. His title will be Co-Founder. He’s an innovator and entrepreneur to the core, and this role suits him perfectly.

As Executive Chairman, I will focus wherever I can add the greatest value: externally, on the deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership that are increasingly important given Google’s global reach; and internally as an advisor to Larry and Sergey.

With more than a decade in the Search industry, Google has revolutionized the way people use the internet. Since 2001, three years after the search giant was incorporated, Eric Schmidt played the role as Google CEO - leading the company to a place he never had imagined. While the company continues to grow, and innovates technological and advanced products and services for its users, they’ve decided to simplify the management structure of the company.

We are confident that this focus will serve Google and our users well in the future. Larry, Sergey and I have worked exceptionally closely together for over a decade—and we anticipate working together for a long time to come. – Eric Schmidt added.

What do you think of the move? Will Google continue to dominate the search engine market? How about its mobile platform, Android; and its upcoming Chrome OS? Well, let’s just see.



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Leaked on Video, Designed for Tablets

I think you gotta love Google again! After opening the door for the Gingerbread to come out with the Nexus S last month, it seems like we gonna taste another Android flavor, this time with a sweeter Honeycomb!

Google Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)

Yes, as we continue to see the release schedules of the series of tablet computers unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there’s no doubt Android 3.0 will be released anytime soon. I’d bet that will be this first quarter, but anyway – we’ll just have to wait. What’s important for now is we’re able to have a quick glimpse of the Honeycomb featuring a superb interface, better web experience, Google eBooks, optimized Gmail, redesigned YouTube, Google Talk, Google Maps in 3D, and what’s more – showcasing why it's entirely built for tablets! Go watch the video after the break, and do let us know what you think about it.







To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Google Cr-48 Notebook Hacked to Run Windows 7 and Mac OS X

Remember that Cr-48 notebook again which was announced last month as the first laptop to run the much-anticipated Google Chrome OS?

Oh, yeah. We actually joined the ride with the folks at CNET with their first look of Chrome OS on Cr-48. I assume you learned Google is inviting participants of its Pilot Program to test Cr-48 Chrome notebook and have them sent with detailed feedback.

Mac OS X on Cr-48

It turns out there’s even more than a detailed feedback, but some sort of - bad news for Google perhaps? The unbranded matte black notebook donning a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 CPU is actually designed to run Chrome OS. Interestingly, it has been hacked to run Ubuntu, and now – the Windows 7 and Mac OS X. The interface is obviously sluggish, that’s basically the Cr-48 specs was not designed to run these platforms. Nevertheless, the trick to do that is indeed something awful. Check out the videos after the break.



Cr-48 Running Snow Leopard





Cr-48 Running Windows 7





The Google Chrome OS is due mid this year, as expected, so just stay tuned for more updates.



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

It’s GMMXIe, not GMMXLe: Google Doodle to Welcome 2011

Five, four, three, two, one… Happy New Year! Techies, few hours left and we are going to celebrate the New Year’s Eve and finally welcoming the year of the rabbit.



Until the last day of 2010, we continue to bring you the latest and hottest buzzes around the search giant, Google, including its latest products and innovations in search, social media, software applications, and etc. Of course, we also cover Google’s Doodle. And if you are going to visit Google.com today, you will notice the company logo is again, temporarily replaced with the new doodle below.

To make it clear, it’s GMMXIe – not GMMXLe. The letters in yellow are actually the Roman Numerals equivalent of 2011. It’s certainly the last Google Doodle this year, and let’s all celebrates and have fun ending the year 2010. Looking forward to bring you the latest news and updates about Google in 2011.



Happy new year Cebu Tech Blogger readers!



To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.

Chrome OS Demo, CNET’s First Look

Google announced last week the Cr-48 notebook, the very first laptop to run Chrome OS. Though we have already seen Chrome OS notebook in action, the folks at CNET just had their first look of the most anticipated new operating system.

Watch the video after the break.





To receive latest technology updates, you can subscribe either by E-mail or by RSS Feeds. Follow me also on Twitter.