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Latest Gear Live Videos
Google Fiber applies for permission to provide television packages
Posted by John Ball Categories: Broadband, Google, Home Entertainment, Internet, Rumors,
Some might remember the announcement from Google a while back that they were hooking up the good citizens of Kansas City Missouri with a fiber optic gigabit network. Google has since named its fiber optic network “Google Fiber” and has continued building out the network and is making further plans for the service. From the looks of things, Google is looking into providing more than just super-fast Internet speeds. According to The Wall Street Journal, the search giant has entered an application to the Missouri Public Service to gain permission to offer television service later this year, and its expected that Google would make a similar request in Kansas. According to sources the ability to watch TV through Google Fiber will not be free, but no official price point (or announcement, for that matter) has been set as of yet.
Read More 
| WSJ
Gallery: Google Fiber applies for permission to provide television packages
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Google+, the slow to start but quickly growing social media site is now allowing any user 13 and older to create a Google+ account and join their ranks in this social networking system. Now teens can stay connected with friends and family even easier thanks to this new policy.
Along with the policy change that allows teens to join in on the fun come new safety features to keep kids protected. Before posting a public update, for example, minors will get a warning displayed on-screen. By default, only the people that appear in the teens' circles will be able to contact them, and if an unknown person joins a hangout that a teen happens to be in, the teen will be removed, notified of the changed, and asked if they'd like to re-join the video chat.
You can find and circle Gear Live on Google+.
Gallery: Teens can now join Google+
Motorola Xoom tablet receives Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich update
Posted by John Ball Categories: Google, Handhelds, Software,
Motorola announced on Wednesday that its Xoom tablets are going to finally receive the Ice Cream Sandwich update that so many have been waiting for. For those of you who do not know, Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest version of Android (currently Android 4.0.3). The update will be applied over the air, assuming you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, immediately. The update will give Xoom tablet users more functionality, including voice capabilities and faster browser rendering. This update will also make the Xoom one of the first tablets to adopt the Ice Cream Sandwich update.
Gallery: Motorola Xoom tablet receives Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich update
ASUS set to start Android 4.0 rollout for Transformer Prime on January 12
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Handhelds, Software,
We've gotta hand it to ASUS for being quick about updating the Transformer Prime to the latest release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The company has said on its Facebook page that it will begin the Android 4.0 rollout to Transformer Prime owners on January 12, just over a week from now. When compared to how some of the other companies out there are being all slow about the Ice Cream Sandwich update on their devices, ASUS is looking like one of the few Android device makers that cares enough about its userbase to put Android 4.0 on the fast track.
Read More | Facebook
Gallery: ASUS set to start Android 4.0 rollout for Transformer Prime on January 12
Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2011
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Google, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software, Videos,
We've come to the end of another year, and as we wave goodbye to 2011, we figured it was only fitting that we share the most popular stories published on Gear Live this year, as determined by our readers (we've also got the top ten most read stories regardless of publish date, as well as the ten most popular Gear Live videos of 2011!) These are the ten stories that were read the most, and when you consider that fact, it's pretty surprising to see what made the list. Let's kick it off with our most read story of the year:
Giveaway: Apple iPad 2 32 GB!:
The iPad 2 certainly got a lot of attention this year, and our iPad 2 giveaway served as our most popular post out of them all for 2011.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2011
Gallery: Top 10 Gear Live stories of 2011
Kindle Fire Hack: Run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Handhelds, Mods / Hacks, Software,
If you've got a Kindle Fire and have been waiting for the opportunity to to install a full-on version of Android, you may want to look into the newest hack that's just been released that allows you to install Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Amazon tablet. Yep, you read that right - thanks to an early Ice Cream Sandwich port based on CyanogenMod 9 that was put together by JackpotClavin, you can turn your Kindle Fire into a real Android tablet, with some caveats, as you'd probably expect.
Click to continue reading Kindle Fire Hack: Run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Gallery: Kindle Fire Hack: Run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
How much does Android 4.0 mean to you? How much do you need to have it right now? Because that's the dilemma with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone ($299-$649). Overall it's not quite as good a phone as the Motorola Droid RAZR ($299). But right now, it's the only phone running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and that's the future.
In many ways, this is the ultimate early adopter phone. The phone itself isn't perfect; typically, Nexus phones aren't the best hardware on the market. But the software takes a major leap forward, with everything from a better Gmail experience to a faster browser and the ability to put folders on your home screens. Do you need that right now? Then yes, you need the Nexus. Why else might you want to jump on board the latest flagship Google device? Hit the link and follow us through our full Galaxy Nexus review for the answers.
Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy Nexus review
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Nexus review
Google says over 700,000 Android devices are activated each day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Google,
Google's Android platform is steadily climbing toward 1 million daily activations. There are currently more than 700,000 Android activations every day, Google's Android chief, Andy Rubin, announced Tuesday night.
"For those wondering, we count each device only once (ie, we don't count re-sold devices), and 'activations' means you go into a store, buy a device, put it on the network by subscribing to a wireless service," Rubin said in a followup post on Google+.
The news comes just one month after Google announced at its November music event that there were 550,000 Android activations each day. Back in June, Rubin said that number was at 500,000, up from 350,000 in April.
With numbers like that, it's not surprisingly that Android is one of the most popular smartphone operating systems around the globe. About 44.2 percent of those in the U.S. have Android-based devices, split largely between handsets from HTC (15.8 percent), Samsung (10.4 percent), and Motorola (10.7 percent), according to recent data from Nielsen.
Click to continue reading Google says over 700,000 Android devices are activated each day
Gallery: Google says over 700,000 Android devices are activated each day
Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S: Screen size
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Displays, Google,
This picture of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus next to the iPhone 4S says so much to us. Seriously, what is up with that display size on the Galaxy Nexus? I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I'd like to see the iPhone screen size get bumped up from the 3.5-inches that it's been at since the original iPhone hit the scene, but the Galaxy Nexus display is a whopping 4.65-inches. Sure, some people would love a display that size, but for the flagship Nexus device that launches Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it just feels impractical. The screen is so big that one-handed use of the phone get frustrating, and I'm someone with large hands!
What do you think? Are you good with a 4.65-inch smartphone, or is that a bit much for your tastes?
For more on the Nexus, check out our Galaxy Nexus unboxing gallery, and our full Galaxy Nexus review.
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S: Screen size
Google releases Android 4.0.3 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ partner update
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Software,
Google formally announced Android 4.0.3 on Friday, the base version of its "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system that will be provided to partners.
Although Google described the new version as a mix of optimizations and bug fixes, the real significance is that the new OS will be the baseline version that will be rolled out to partners interested in developing phones and tablets around the new OS. It also appears to possibly include Facebook Ticker-like functionality.
"Going forward, we'll be focusing our partners on Android 4.0.3 as the base version of Ice Cream Sandwich," Xavier Ducrohet, the Android SDK Tech Lead, said in announcing the new version. "The new platform will be rolling out to production phones and tablets in the weeks ahead, so we strongly encourage you to test your applications on Android 4.0.3 as soon as possible."
In addition to incremental improvements in graphics, databases, spell-checking, Bluetooth, and other features, the new OS includes a new social stream API.
Click to continue reading Google releases Android 4.0.3 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ partner update
