Hasta La Gadget!

Getting Jelly Bean to run on a Galaxy S III has so far required a strictly unofficial build that strips away much of Samsung’s handiwork. If you prefer the official software to the point where thoughts of TouchWiz keep you comfortable at night, you’ll be glad to hear that a beta of a more official Android 4.1 upgrade has reportedly landed in the hands of AndroidMX.net. An extensive video look in Spanish (after the break) almost completely mirrors what you’d expect: clear advantages like the expanded notifications and Google Now make the cut, while Samsung’s Nature UX vibe remains intact. Only a few minor surprises have snuck their way in, such a brightness slider in the notification bar that we’d previously seen in some firmware for the Galaxy Note. We’re skeptical of claims that Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III is just days away — Samsung isn’t exactly known for speedy Android updates. As long as the update we’ve seen here isn’t just a clever hack, however, it’s close enough to completion that it might tame the pessimists.

Continue reading Official Jelly Bean for Samsung Galaxy S III spotted in the wild, blends old with new (video)

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Official Jelly Bean for Samsung Galaxy S III spotted in the wild, blends old with new (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has been offering the ability to search the web with your voice using its iOS app for some time. But, it always just spit out a pile of links. While the next version wont be getting quite as creepy as Google Now, it’ll be bringing with it the vocalized responses that debuted as part of Jelly Bean’s revamped search offerings. The UI is also getting an overhaul to bring it inline with Now and Mountain View’s recent aesthetic tendencies towards sharp lines and limited color schemes. Obviously, the new app also taps the Knowledge Graph, allowing you to make natural language queries like, “what’s the weather like in San Francisco,” and get a detailed vocalized response. According to Google the update should be hitting the App Store in “the next few days,” but don’t expect it to keep tabs on your favorite sports team for you.

Continue reading Google’s revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf

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Google’s revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you can’t wait to subject Google Now to an epic interrogation of your own but don’t have access to Android’s Jelly Bean-flavored OS, then you may want to check out what’s cooking over at the XDA Developers forums. If you’ve got a rooted ARMv7 device with Ice Cream Sandwich and ClockWorkMod Recovery, it’s actually possible to start enjoying Google’s take on the virtual personal assistant on your smartphone right now. As usual, you’ll need to download the requisite file and partake in some good, old flashing action. Folks who appreciate having options can also take their pick between a fuller Google Now experience or a more stripped down version by hitting the source link below.

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Google Now hits some rooted devices, adds topping to your Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve seen us give Google Now a shakedown in our Jelly Bean review, but one JLishere decided to give the voice command system an unusually thorough grilling. The 47-question test goes beyond what Google showed onstage at I/O and shows that, in some cases, Android’s new rival to Siri can cover a wide range of answers, whether it’s day-to-day queries like directions and image searches to more esoteric trivia, like the minimum height for riding Disney World’s Space Mountain. There’s even a special treat for those who dare to bring up Google’s best-known Easter egg. That said, we wouldn’t be too eager to kick earlier voice command systems to the curb: we’ve tried a few close variants on the questions and sometimes managed to stump Google Now, so it’s clear Google could stand to layer on some more polish. JLishere’s original video evidence is available after the break.

Continue reading Google Now gets an epic 47-question interrogation, survives for now (video)

Google Now gets an epic 47-question interrogation, survives for now (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Too lazy to download and install the brand new Android SDK yourself and don’t feel like tweaking an AVD for optimal operation? Don’t know what an AVD is? We don’t blame you, and that’s why we’re here. We fired up Jelly Bean in the Android emulator and started poking around a bit. Sadly, most of the most exciting new features — offline speech recognition, Google Now — don’t work. And we couldn’t really delve deep into the new notifications system thanks to some limitations on the SDK. We could, however, play with the new version of Maps and demo the new widget placement tweaks. Most of the UI should look familiar. In fact, the only obvious changes we noticed were the new search widget and a few tweaked buttons, like notification clearing option. You’ll also notice a new layout for the clock and date in the notification pull down. Mostly, from a aesthetic point of view, the refinements are minor, but welcome. Everything feels a little more spacious, less cramped, without becoming overly simple. Want to see it for yourself? Check out the gallery below and the video after the break.

Continue reading Android 4.1 SDK hands-on

Android 4.1 SDK hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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