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Android

  • Weekly Round Up #37: Google event, Takealot raising 1bn, Tesla Model X and Edward Snowden on Twitter

    By on 2 October, 2015

    Welcome to Weekly Roundup, our podcast discussing the tech trends, innovation and news from the last few days. This week on BurnCast, Stuart Thomas, Jacques Coetzee, Graham van de Made and Andy Walker discuss the Google event, Takealot, Edward Snowden and the Tesla Model X. Earlier this week, Google laid out the red carpet and announced new devices. You can watch the event here. Amongst the exciting announcements Google made were new Nexus devices: the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, and its Google Pixel C. The team discusses the possibility of the Nexus devices coming to South Africa, the similarities of...

  • Android is now used by 1.4 billion people worldwide

    By on 30 September, 2015

    At last night’s Google Nexus event, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Android now has more than 1.4-billion active users. That's 400-million up from the one-billion it had at the same time last year. Speaking at the event, Pichai said "The scale at which everything is working is pretty breath taking to see" Pichai also highlighted the growth of Android in developing markets like Indonesia and Vietman. The number of Android users in those two countries has doubled in a year, he said. Pichai suggested that increasingly affordable Android devices and the launch of Android One are at the heart of...

  • Google Maps takes a giant step into Zomato’s territory with individual restaurant recommendations

    By on 3 September, 2015

    Google Maps has always been about giving users more than detailed directions, and now it seems to be heading into Zomato’s territory. The internet giant announced that Google Maps on Android is receiving an update to its explore feature that will give users curated restaurant recommendations. Google says that the update will allow Android users in the US and UK to enjoy curated restaurant recommendations from Google Maps. The recommendations have options like Lunch, Breakfast, Drinks, Dinner, Best spots for dinner with kids this weekend. Read more: Uber and Zomato tie-up to simplify booking taxis to restaurants, even...

  • Microsoft’s Cortana now available on Android in public beta

    By on 25 August, 2015

    First announced in May this year, Microsoft has finally launched Cortana for Android devices in public beta. Some of the digital assistant's features include searching the web by voice command, setting reminders and alarms, making calls by voice and voice texting. Similar to Apple's Siri and Google Now, Cortana also gets to know the user over time by keeping track of their interests and providing them with relevant content. Read more: Microsoft’s Cortana whips Apple’s Siri in this new Windows Phone ad Microsoft says that since it launched the closed beta, it has made several improvements. Some of these include the ability to...

  • Google confirms Android 6 is called Marshmallow, reveals it likes to Troll

    By on 18 August, 2015

    Google has revealed that the latest version of its Android operating system is called Marshmallow. Set for release in the next few months, Google teased the new operating system -- code-named M -- some time ago. As it has done with the previous few Android releases though, Google kept the name under tight wraps. Along with the name, and an official lawn statue, Google also announced that the launch of the official Android 6.0 SDK and opened Google Play up for publishing apps that target the new API level 23 in Android Marshmallow. Read more: Google launches Android Experiments to...

  • Google launches Android Experiments to showcase app creativity

    By on 13 August, 2015

    If nothing else, it appears that apps are going to make us magicians who can flatten landscapes with a tap on our device screens. This is only seems like a far-fetched idea if you have not seen what the new Android Experiments launched by Google yesterday look like. The apps feature are not at all new but they are a blueprint of what apps can become. Android Experiments is a platform to celebrate the creative, experimental Android work of developers everywhere. It is also a way to inspire more developers to get creative with technology and code. Read more: Wits...

  • Google: Android Lollipop adoption hits 18.1%, KitKat 39.3%

    By on 4 August, 2015

    Google did not disclose Android adoption numbers for June. There was no explanation as to why that was, but now it has released new numbers for the period ending 3 August 2015. Since the last time these adoption numbers were released, there has bee a 5.7 % increase in Lollipop adoption. In June, Lollipop was sitting at 12.40 % and now it has jumped to 18.1 %. Android Lollipop 5.0 is present on 15.5 % devices whilst 5.1 is only present 2.6 %. Google’s Android Lollipop roll out was quite slow in the beginning and even though it has been...

  • Google Now lets you dictate WhatsApp, WeChat messages on the go

    By on 29 July, 2015

    Google has introduced an new feature to Google Now that makes it easier to send an instant message without actually having to type them on your mobile. Since released in 2012, the intelligent mobile assistant has been excellent at aggregating relevant content. Though it has been lacking in other areas. Sending quick emails, using Hangouts or text messages have not been very intuitive nor user friendly. The latest update of the Siri and Cortana contender allows users to dictate and send messages through multiple third party messaging apps. For now these include WhatsApp, Viber, NextPlus, Telegram and WeChat. Read more: Google revamps...

  • Truemessenger blocks spam SMSes from flooding your phone

    By on 7 July, 2015

    Truecaller, the Swedish company behind apps like Truecaller and Truedialler, has launched a new Android app called Truemessenger. The app is aimed at making SMS smarter and spam-free. Truemessenger utilises the company’s network of users to verify the identify of those who send text messages. The app, like Truecaller, identifies the sender of the SMS and detect, block or report spam, fraud, telemarketing, sales, and unknown phone numbers. Read more: Why ecommerce companies need to reassess the ‘traditional’ call centre If a user marks a number as a source of spam Truemessenger saves this contact as a spammer. It then uses this...

  • Android triumphs in the US for June quarter, assisted by Samsung S6

    By on 1 July, 2015

    The race between Apple and Android continues and has been going on for a long time and still not a clear winner. This quarter the one OS wins, the next quarter the other one does. According to new research, Android appears to be edging Apple slightly, at least in the US. The research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech looks at the last three months ending May 2015. The research shows that Android continues to reclaim market share in the US, increasing by 2.8 percentage points to 64.9%. The same research also point out that Android is not doing as well...

  • Don’t know which Android you should have? Google thinks it does

    By on 12 June, 2015

    Buying a new smartphone can be difficult. Even if you buy something low-end, you're likely to be outlaying a fairly significant amount of capital. Google has attempted to take a little pain out of the process with the launch of Which Android, a tool which aims to help you decide which Android device you should buy. The site starts off by getting you to select a number of categories for what you're likely to use your phone for, including music, fitness, being productive, social media and gaming. From there, you're asked to get a little more specific around those...

  • Instagram opens feed to businesses to increase revenues

    By on 11 June, 2015

    Instagram has expanded its ad product offering as it looks become a financially viable entity. The Facebook-owned company announced on its blog that it is making advertising available to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Instagram’s announcement comes at a time of significant growth at the company. Instagram has expanded the offering to eight countries around the globe, and the social networking site is one of the most popular for brand marketing today. This system enables businesses to target marketing at their direct user base. This also means that users who want to get in touch with small, medium...

  • Vendors shipped 11.4m wearables in the first quarter of 2015

    By on 4 June, 2015

    According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), vendors shipped a total of 11.4-million wearables in the first quarter of 2015. Fitbit shipped the most units, with Xiaomi in second place. This is a 200% increase from the 3.8-million wearables shipped in the same quarter in 2014. Though there might have been skepticism from the market when it comes to wearables in the beginning, their popularity however is proving to be growing. Ramon Llamas, research manager of Wearables at IDC, explains this growth and says that "It demonstrates growing end-user interest and the vendors' ability to deliver a diversity of...

  • Will crucial partnerships help drive Android Pay’s ecosystem?

    By on 29 May, 2015

    Android Pay has officially introduced at Google’s I/O conference in San Fransisco. While the "simple and secure" mobile payment solution has been in the pipeline for better over a year, Google unveiled some interesting details we could look forward to. With rivals in the space like Apple, PayPal and Square, mobile payments is yet to take off in the US. Though Google hopes its key partnerships and open philosophy will help drive the industry forward. Similar to Apple Pay, Android Pay relies on Near Communication Frequency (NFC) to make transactions. The customer simply swipes their Android smartphone at an in-store terminal...

  • Live video streaming for everyone as Periscope finally comes to Android

    By on 26 May, 2015

    It has taken two months for Periscope to arrive on Android but it is finally here. The Twitter-owned live video streaming app has had an incredible run with iOS users, trying to dethrone Meerkat of its title as king of live video streaming. Meerkat came out of beta a few weeks ago and now its nemesis has followed it to the Android operating system. “When we started Periscope, we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation -- by providing users with the best way to start or watch a live video broadcast. As a small startup, our initial launch was limited to...