Showing posts with label Android. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Android. Show all posts

Friday, January 6, 2017

Samsung’s new Chromebooks offer the best of two worlds

Read this post on Medium


There have been rumors about a new OS, Andromeda, all throughout 2016. Andromeda would be a combination of Chrome OS and Android, but Google has always denied something like this was going on. Hiroshi Lockheimer, responsible for Chrome OS, Android and Google Play told The Guardian last month that a merge of code would not be happening, “ but we are doing is to bring the best of both systems to each other.”

The Samsung Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro seem to do exactly that. For a while, select Chromebook models were able to run Android apps, but these new devices, which Samsung developed in partnership with Google, are built around this possibility. They are convertible from laptop to tablet, have a touchscreen and a built-in pen.

I wrote about Chrome OS before and I also tested Remix OS, which is essentially Android for PCs. I then thought that Android was a little limited as a full desktop OS, especially when using an app like Chrome, which doesn’t have extensions on mobile. With a device like this, you get both all your favorite Android apps + a full version of Chrome.

Actually, I think this might also be the best Android tablet, because Chrome OS is simply suited better for a larger display than Android these days. So, I’m wondering where Google takes this in 2017.

Chrome OS already was perfect for most average computer users. A lot of people buy expensive Macbooks while all they do is reading email and watching Netflix. Convertible Chromebooks might be — just like Microsoft’s Surface — a good replacement for both a tablet and a laptop.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Report: "The Pixel C was probably never supposed to run Android"

According to a great report by Ron Amadeo from Ars Technica, Google's recently launched Pixel C tablet was never supposed to run Android, at least not from the start.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Apps are the future of TV, but do they have to be on the TV?

Apple is not the first company to see apps as the future of TV (although they might think they are), but the question is if the apps have to be on your TV.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Android apps won’t save Windows Phone

Apps have been Microsoft’s longtime Windows Phone problem. Not every major app is on the platform and the ones that are, are often not on par with the Android and iOS versions. For example, Windows Phone users are left wondering if the recently released Periscope, that didn’t even find its way to Android at launch, will ever be at the platform. There are some developers making great third party clients, Poki (Pocket) for example, but this is only possible when the official app maker has a decent API system and appreciates third party work.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Why Google won’t fix that Android bug

So, there is a bug in Android that affects 60% of Android phones and Google won’t fix it. Why? Short answer: because they can’t.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Paper and ink

Everything starts with a simple sheet of paper and a pen, whether it’s a child’s first doodle or its final exam. Every idea, drawing, song, map, letter, book and even this story shifts from the mental to the physical world by putting it down on (digital) paper. Humans have been using it for ages and are familiar with its form, physics and boundaries. Oh, and it’s also the inspiration for Google’s new design.