Google Maps Tracks Places You’ve Been on a Timeline

July 22, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

If you leave everything on default, Google Maps will track every single place you’ve been on a detailed timeline. Hey, it comes in handy if you get blackout drunk, and want to retrace your steps for your misplaced keys.

Google’s new feature is only available for Android, and desktop users.

If you just love to stalk yourself, Google Maps will most definitely please you, and your new hobby. Think of it like something on the lines of Google Definitely Knows The Things You Did Last Summer.

This new tool that the big G just implemented will let users browse through their history, and if you pair it with their, also new, Google Photos, Google Maps will even show you pictures you’ve taken when you reach certain destinations on your route. It’s possible due to having Location History turned on – which it is by default.

You can even stalk yourself in real-time. A tool that aims to pleases the psychopath inside of you.

But leaving all the jokes aside, and paranoia, it can be really helpful if you don’t remember the let’s say route to your girlfriend’s apartment. Users can even stalk their loved ones, and catch them red handed. ” You said you were on a diet Timmy. This Timeline says otherwise. You made 25 trips to McDonald’s today!”

Users of Google Map’s new feature can re-name their frequently visited spots – they will translate into the traditional Google Maps, and also Google Now.

If you’re misbehaving, and don’t want your dearest SO to find out about your trips to The Hilton each Friday night, you can easily turn Google’s feature off in your account. If you get a thrill by the fact that you might get caught, then just don’t disable it.

The team behind Google Maps describes best their new feature –

Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you’ve been — whether it’s a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled upon a few months ago? Well, starting today, Google Maps can help. We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year. Your Timeline allows you to visualize your real-world routines, easily see the trips you’ve taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.

You can read more on Google’s official blog.

I, for one, won’t keep this enabled on my device, nor desktop. It’s a little bit scary, isn’t it? Google doesn’t need to know where I’m going, what photos I took in the places I frequently visit. Sure, they don’t disclose this information, but you never know who’s in charge of your personal data.

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Google Drive Ups Its Security Features

July 15, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Google Drive has upped its security features – now, you can rest assured that nobody will be able to download, share, or simply copy your personal information.

Google Drive is one of the most used cloud storage services – along with DropBox, and Amazon’s service – and reassuring its user-base that their personal information is safe and sound can cement the big G’s position in the industry.

The company has released an Information Rights Management tool that can be accessed from Google Drive.

What does this new Information Rights Management mean? Well, basically, you can remove the ability to download, copy, print, and even share for certain files on your Drive – of course, you can choose this option to be widely available for the entirety of your information.

Developers have the possibility of implementing this option in their apps with an API.

After you choose to disable the feature that allow others to copy, download, and etc. your personal info, you’ll receive a notification that entails that your export options have been disabled in the File Menu.

Of course, if someone wants to steal your information, he eventually will – given the means, tools, and skill necessary. But we always welcome more layers of security, even though they might give users a fake state of being safe.

The feature has rolled out today, but it’s only available for Web users. Mobile users will probably have to wait a little bit longer for it to be implemented – it will most definitely come to mobile, but at the current moment, we don’t know when.

In 2014, a work-around was found that let users, who had an url link to a Google Drive account folder, to wreak havoc. Google fixed it quite quickly, but who’s there to say that it can’t happen again in a different form?

Google is preparing for the future. Adding more layers of security can garner a lot of popularity, and shift some users from its direct competitors to join their service.

Are you more keen on using Google Drive now? Or are you going to stick with your current cloud storage service provider? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Google’s Self Driving Cars Aren’t at Fault for Accidents

July 7, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Google’s self driving cars have been involved in two accidents during June of this year – humans were at fault in both of the cases. As we previously discussed earlier this year, the big G set free their self driving cars in Mountain View, California.

Google’s self driving cars are accompanied by two safety drivers on board – ready to jump and take controls if the need arises, but it seems they weren’t quick enough, and two accidents occurred due to human error. Neither of the accidents resulted in injury, they were only minor scrapes.

One of the accidents consists of a Google Lexus stopping at a red light, and the one driving behind bumped into it at 5 miles per hour. There were minor scrapes, and nobody was injured.

The second accident was even more anti-climactic. The Google car was stopped at a red light when the car behind bumped into it at 1 mile per hour – no damage occurred, not even a scrape.

Now, Google is testing their new tech in Austin, Texas. They have take all the safety measures, states a spokesperson. Permits from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Transportation, police and other authorities have been acquired by the company, but somehow, they completely forgot to announce this little experiment to the public.

Some say that Google isn’t really acting that legally when it’s about self driving cars – more so, because laws don’t exist for this kind of thing.

But why is Austin the first city where Google has decided to test their new tech? Welp, the reason behind this, according to a Google spokesperson, is that – ” We’ve loved how much Austin embraces innovation.” Or, maybe, how Austin embraces Google spending big bucks on their city.

The June report, according to Google, states that there are 2 Google Lexus self driving cars around the Mountain View area, and other 25 vehicles prepared for internal testings. Of course, we can’ really predict when the big G wants to innovate some more around the world.

Google isn’t the only one developing this kind of technology. Tesla, of course it’s Elon Musk we are talking about, has been developing their self driving cars around the same time that Google has started, but they have a fleet of only 12 autonomous vehicles.

Also, Delpi, the car manufacturer, is developing new tech regarding sensors, and soft-ware based on self-driving systems.

The future seems bright, hopefully Google isn’t going to unleash the A.I. Apocalypse on us – even Elon Musk is afraid of this, and when great minds like him suggest that we shouldn’t dwell that much in A.I. it would be best that we would heed the warning.

What about you? Do you think Google’s self-driving cars aren’t at fault? Or do you think that they are mischievously lying in their monthly reports?

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Google Play Music is Now Free, Sort Of, In America

June 24, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Google Play Music is now kinda’ free for users residing in America, but it’s ad supported following Spotify’s model.

Google couldn’t have announced this at a better time, for them. Apple Music is almost a week away from us, and Google announcing this new option for their music streaming service might cripple Apple’s plans of dominating the market. Sure, it’s going to be ad supported, you can’t use the service in offline mode, and it excludes some songs from its repertoire.

The free version will consist of curated playlists, which are tailored for different parts of the day – I don’t think you want to hear melodic death metal just before you go to sleep.

Google Play Music, the free version, will run on Google-owned Songza radio app – which the big G bought last year.

Google product manager Elias Roman said that – ” Even if you’re not already a Google Play Music subscriber, we’ve got you covered. Google Play Music now has a free, ad-supported version in the US, giving you a new way to find just the right music – and giving artists another way to earn revenue. The new free, ad-supported version of Google Play Music is launching first in the US. It’s available on the web today, and is rolling out this week to Android and iOS. “

With Apple Music launching on the 30th of June, Google might have just shifted some of the hype towards them. It wouldn’t have been such a big news if Apple Music wasn’t launching, but Google knows that timing is essential.

Audiophiles might just join Google Play Music after having but a taste of what the music streaming service is all about – the monthly subscription costs $10.

According to reports, Google Play Music had around 815,000 paying subscribers in the US last December.

The free option for Google Play Music doesn’t seem to be expanding to other countries anytime soon, but their paid subscription is already available in 52 countries across the world.

Apple Music is already facing some serious issues, but the whole scandal with Taylor Swift was the cherry on top. I know, they twisted it around, but does it seriously take a huge artist to pull its most popular album, Taylor’s 1989, for Apple to realize that not paying royalties to musicians for the first three months of the free trial is just plain absurd?

The shame Apple, the shame.

Taylor Swift Apple Scandal

We should be happy that the competition is so big – this means that we, the users, should get only the best quality of service.

I’m a fan of Google Play Music, but I’ll definitely try Apple Music out to see what’s it all about – hey, free three months!

What about you? Are you sticking with Google Play Music? Or are you switching to Apple Music? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Huawei is One of the Manufacturers for Google Nexus

June 19, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

A source that’s close to the Chinese manufacturer spilled the beans on the whole thing. Now we just have to wait for an official announcement, but we all know now that Huawei is indeed one of the manufacturers working on Google Nexus.

Almost a month ago Deborah talked about Google Nexus 2015 rumours, and the possibility that Huawei is going to build a phablet for Google.

A source that is working for Huawei in the UK has noted that the company will most likely build a phablet, and that the Chinese manufacturer is looking at other models to build for Google. If the Huawei-made phablet is successful, the company can finally break through the western front. Huawei is already the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer behind Lenovo, Apple, and Samsung, but westerners don’t yet seem to fully trust the Chinese company.

The new device is rumoured to feature a 5.7-inch display, a Snapdragon 810 processor, and of course, it will come with Android M built-in. Google likes to announce, and launch its Nexus launch in the Fall – at least 3 more months until we see some news from the big G.

What the Huawei-built Nexus might look like

We’re awaiting confirmation from either Google, or Huawei – this will make Huawei the sixth manufacturer that Google has worked with. LG, Samsung, HTC, Asus, and Motorola have worked in the past with big daddy G whether it was for smartphones, or for tablets.

Google’s Nexus product line is always the first to get the company’s newest Android software, and more so, it’s always the most stable one on the market.

Nexus has made its first steps back in 2010, and since then Google has released some really great smartphones, but their last one, which was built in partnership with Motorola, isn’t a device that I would recommend to my friends – nor my enemies.

The 2014 Motorola-build Nexus which is actually more of a phablet than a smartphone, featured 5.96-inch display, at 493 ppi. In the performance department you can notice a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core 2.7GHz processor, and camera-wise it has a 13 megapixel unit. Not bad, you would say. Unfortunately, it’s poorly made, and has stability problems. It could have been one of the best smartphones.

This is Huawei’s chance to make a name for themselves in the western market. They are struggling in US, and Europe, even though they are the fourth largest smartphone manufacturer in the world with 18.1 million units sold. If they botch this release up, they’ll be scrutinized without mercy.

Are you going to buy a Huawei-built Nexus phablet? Or you’re sticking with the LG one? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Google Owned Nest Labs Launches Nest Cam

June 18, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Google-owned Nest Labs, which is their smart-home automation company, has just announced Nest Cam.

Nest Labs has been working hard on improving their already released products to better suite smart-home dwellers, and in addition to that, the company just announced their new home-monitoring camera. It has a microphone, speakers, motion-sensors, and night-vision – to ensure that everything is safe 24/7.

The Nest Cam was built-upon Dropcam’s highly applauded top-quality camera – a company which Nest Labs acquired last Summer for the sum of $555 million.

It shoots 1080p video with the help of a wide-angled lens, and a three megapixel sensor. If you’re having problems with your storage capacity, Nest Labs offers a new cloud service that will be fully integrated with their Nest Cam. It’s called Nest Aware and it will cost you an additional monthly subscription – $15 to $45 depending on what plan you may choose.

Meet The Nest Cam

Considering the fact that the Nest Cam retails at $310, I say that it comes down to the almost expensive kind. Sure, there are a ton of other high-definition cameras available, but how many of them are going to help smart-home owners?

The Google-owned company also announced a new addition to their fire safety product line – a redesigned version of their Protect line includes sensors that can detect fire, smoke, and CO2 emissions.

Also the company has announced that major improvements were made regarding their software. Nest’s 2011 original thermostat software received an upgrade. Nest also notes that the company’s mobile app has been updated to the 5.0 version – improvements have been made, and now a smart-home owner can control and interact with Net’s suite of products more easily.

Nest Thermostat

“At Nest, we always wanted to build more than a thermostat. Our vision was to create a thoughtful home, a home that takes care of itself and the people in it. Five years later, all the pieces are in place.” said Tony Fadell, now the chief executive of Nest, and one of the co-founders, along with Matt Rogers. They launched the company in 2010, and last year it was acquired by Google for $3 billion.

” We have three products today, they work well on their own, they work better together, and they work great with third-party products.” noted Lionel Paillet, Nest’s general manager for Europe.

The Internet of Things has seen a major growth in the past year, and more and more manufacturers are working towards developing internet-connected devices.

Nest Co-Founders

The key players still remain Google, and Apple. Both recently announcing improvements in the area – Google launched Brillo, which is an operating system designed for connected devices, and Apple detailing their HomeKit framework designed for communicating, and controlling connected accessories.

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Google is Set to Launch YouTube Gaming for Streamers

June 15, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Google has just officially announced that they will tackle video game streaming with their new YouTube Gaming. It feels like a direct attack to Twitch and their service.

Google’s new platform will add all of Twitch’s features, while sporting a few new ideas of its own. Gamers will be able to share their original content as easily as they would have on Twitch.

YouTube Gaming is set to launch sometime this Summer, and users can be a part of the new platform by sharing Let’s Play content, and other live streams, in a different hub – separate from YouTube itself.

According to product manager Alan Joyce, and his statement on the YouTube official blog – ” YouTube Gaming is built to be all about favorite games and gamers, with more videos than anywhere else. From Asteroids to Zelda, more than 25,000 games will each have their own page, a single place for all the best videos and live streams about that titles. You’ll also find channels from a wide array of game publishers and YouTube creators.”

Alan also added that their new platform will be centred around live streaming, but the company doesn’t discourage gamers to upload their original content. As you might have known already, YouTube Gaming will let gamers easily live stream at 60 frames per second, automatically converting their video without problems.

The platform’s in-built search engine will be modified around games, so if you are to search for Lego, you’ll get Lego Worlds, and other Lego related game results, and not videos about the real-life Lego bricks.

YouTube Gaming will be Twitch’s direct challenger, which is now the go-to place for video-game streamers around the world. Twitch is owned by Amazon, and their latest report states that they have a monthly audience of over 100 million viewers at the end of 2014.

Google will be present at this year’s E3 conference, and they will most likely detail their new live streaming platform. What we do know at the moment is that their new service will be launched in the US, and UK. For those of you living in Europe, don’t despair, the platform will come eventually – maybe even at the end of 2015, but rumours have it that it will be released sometime in the early 2016.

PewDiePie is the most known Let’s Play streamer.

It is unknown at the moment if Google will offer this service to Asia, Australia, or other zones.

If you want to be notified about details regarding YouTube Gaming, follow their official channel on Twitter – it’s up and running!

I can’t wait to stream playing The Witcher 3 – I need to let people know how much Roach sucks, and what a bad horsey he is!

Are you going to change venues from Twitch to YouTube? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Self-Driving Cars Never Caused Accidents, Says Google!

June 9, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Google claims that their self-driving cars were never at fault for the accidents caused. Most of them were rear endings, and others were minor scrapes.

At the moment there are about 23 Lexus RX450h SUVs driving around California, and some think that Google is just sugar-coating the accidents that involved their self-driving cars, in order to continue testing them on public roads.

John M. Simpson, who is the Privacy Project Director for US organization Consumer Watchdog, has made repeated calls that Google needs to offer complete transparency, and that the big G needs to release all of the information regarding the minor incidents – ” We now know a few more details of what happened. The problem is that it’s Google’s version and they want us to take their word for it.”

At the moment, the incidents appear to be minor, but nobody knows for sure what Google is hiding. Why not just release all of the information to the public and get rid of these false allegations? Or maybe, they aren’t false at all, and Google is hiding some nasty things under its hood. Pretty shady if you ask me.

Simpson added that – ” Google is dribbling out bits information in the hope to silence legitimate calls for full transparency. They are testing on public roads and the public has a right to know exactly what happened when something goes wrong.”

Google’s on-going self-driving cars project spans over six years, with more than 1.8 million miles driven – at least, that’s what their May 2015 report states. Their vehicles were involved in 12 minor accidents. At first glance, that’s really not bad. Six years, almost 2 million miles, and only 12 minor accidents? Well, it’s like living in a utopia were almost everyone is paying attention to the road.

Consumer Watchdog claims that these minor accidents may in fact be caused by Google’s self-driving cars stopping too sudden – ” […] the vehicles tend to stop more quickly than human drivers expect.” But let’s face it, human drivers stop too sudden all of the time. This only means that the driver that was behind didn’t keep the distance required, and wasn’t paying attention to the road. The person driving behind is almost always at fault for rear-ending.

In a recent article written by one of my collegues, we found out that Google’s self-driving cars have a maximum speed capped at 25 miles per hour. The self-driving cars are also tested near Google’s HQ in California, Mountain View – they are accompanied by safety drivers.

Only time will tell if Google is actually putting all of us in mortal danger, or if these allegations are truly based on paranoia. I’m more inclined to believe the Consumer Watchdog’s claims, rather than the big shady G.

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The Most Important Announcements from Google I/O 2015

May 29, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Google I/O 2015 started yesterday, on the 28th of May, and the big G decided to focus on Android.

We’ll most likely see more news today regarding their self-driving cars, and Project Fi, which wants to be Google’s wireless carrier. We’ll update this article as soon as we get the news, so check on us periodically if you want to stay up to date with Google’s plans.

Google I/O 2015 Android Everywhere!

I’m not that surprised that I/O 2015’s first day focused on Android – it’s a really big project. We discussed some of the Android M rumours in a recent article, and I’m happy to say that we hit it right on its head! Remember, this isn’t an revolutionary piece of software, it’s just the next logical evolutionary step.

You’ll notice how it looks like its previous iteration Lollipop, but with improvements in power optimization, new services, and how apps interact.

App permissions

Android M won’t annoy you with a wall of permission requests, like previous updates are currently doing – it’s a little bit frustrating to say the least; whenever you install an app, you have to go through its permissions and accept, or deny them. Now, everything is going to change.

You won’t be needed to look at them after you installed an app. Permissions will be prompted when the developers calls them up, and you can look at what a specific app can access, and deny its clearance – I’m a little bit paranoid when it comes to apps taking a look at my photo gallery, or calendar.

Chrome is your new in-app browser overlord

I was expecting this. Now, when you click on a link within an app it moves your view to the browser, or an in-app website – which is poorly made, and suffers from optimization issues. At Google I/O 2015, the company announced that there’s going to be a new feature that will involve custom Chrome tabs in-app – it will load web pages faster by pre-loading certain elements like passwords, and user-names.

Also, Google has decided to make it easier for other apps you use. If you spot a tweet, and click on it, the Twitter app will open, instead of a webpage.

Improvements to battery life and USB-C

This is what I was hoping to hear at Google I/O 2015. Android M will feature Doze. A new feature that will put your smartphone into a deep sleep – it uses motion detection, and if it senses that your device is inactive for a long time it will trigger the feature. It sacrifices app freshness, as Google likes to call it, for better battery life.

I seriously don’t have one problem with this, and I fully applaud their initiative. While Doze is active, the user can still receive messages, and notifications – alarms also have a priority.

When compared with a Nexus 9 running Lollipop, the Android M device lasted twice as longer – this makes me all giddy!

USB Type-C will be fully supported by Android M.

Google Now on Tap

Google Now will become your personal assistant. It’s going to get a ton of new improvements, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping here.

The new addition to the already present feature will be called Google Now on Tap. It’s really simple. Let’s say that you get a message from a friend asking you if you want to go to the new Mad Max movie. Now on Tap displays a couple of cards once you hold the home button – they will prompt you to the trailer of the movie, information about it, reviews, and so on.

Those cards can let you set up a to-do list if you receive texts about dinner, or laundry. Also, it gives you map routes, restaurants near you, and Yelp listings.

Even better. When tested, in the demo, by asking ” What’s his real name?”, Google Now searched on spotify the artist that was currently playing, and brought up Skrillex’s real name – without needing to specify what’s Skrillex’s real name.

Free online storage for Google Photos app

The cloud war started a couple of days ago, and Google seems to be winning battle after battle. They just announced that the Google Photos app will get a revamp, and it will also feature free unlimited online storage – photos up to 16-megapixels, and videos up to 1080p.

And you know what? It’s available right now for Android, iOS, and the web. You can also better organize your memories by pinpointing them on a timeline, or by certain locations – this is me on the beach, this is me near the beach, this is me taking my fifth selfie on the beach.

Offline Google Maps and Chrome

In an attempt to optimize their apps for poor developing countries, Google now let’s you save maps to use in offline modes, and also webpages through Chrome.

In a strategy to let people who have poor connectivity get their desired information, Google has built a new algorithm that will display fewer images on a webpage, or in a search, for those who lag.

In offline mode, Google Maps will be able to give proper turn-by-turn indications, show reviews, and list information.

Android Wear gets a needed polish

Google has reported that since its Android Wear début more than 4,000 apps have been developed for the smartwatch OS. The library of apps is constantly growing, and it has just received a couple of new needed apps like – Uber, Forsquare and Citymapper amongst others.

Google knows that the smartwatch screen is always-on, and apps should be always-on too. Your chosen apps will be feature on the screen in a white, and black low power usage icons.

When navigating Google Maps, directions will be constantly available on your screen, so you can glance at them easily.

Project Brillo to take care of your home

Project Brillo is Google’s attempt to automatize meaningless tasks like setting your thermostat, locking your doors, or lighting up the room.

It’s going to be available for developers sometimes in Q3 of this year. What we do know is that it’s derived from Android, and it only takes its most basic features – like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, so it can offer low energy usage, but still maintain a weave of communications.

This Weave of communications will let Brillo devices talk to each other.

More info will be announced in Q4 of this year!

Android Pay

Let’s see if the next iteration of Google Wallet will actually work – hopefully, it won’t prove to be a failed next step. Android Pay is Google’s counter to Apple’s Pay, and the company promises that more than 700,000 stores will feature Android Pay – Dunkin’ Donuts, and Chipotle to name just a few.

More so, the feature will come pre-installed if you purchase your device from Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T.

Android Pay will only run on KitKat or higher, so those of you who still have a device that features JellyBean should consider moving up.

HBO Now

We were hoping that Google would announce something about their Android TV, but this would have to do. No more Apple exclusivity, HBO Now is coming to Android – the streaming-only service will let you watch your favourite HBO shows like Game of Thrones, and Game of Thrones, and of course Game of Thrones. Let’s not forget True Detective, but especially Game of Thrones.

Google I/O 2015 Virtual Reality

Yup, Google is going to massively tackle virtual reality now – it’s already a big trend, and every day I hear new companies announcing their plans regarding virtual reality development, whether they are cameras, and lenses, software, and apps, or just simply VR gear!

Google Cardboard gets remodelled!

Last year Google released their Cardboard, and now, the remodelled version will be able to sport six inch devices – it’s also iPhone compatible!

In order to garner fans from the enemy, Google will be releasing its SDK for Android, and iOS – a dedicated app was just launched on Apple’s App store.

Expeditions is Google’s new virtual reality education tool. It will permit teachers, and students to perform trips using the VR Cardboard – teachers will be able to control the experience with a tablet.

VR camera rig for everyone

GoPro just announced at the Re/Code conference that they are planning on building a new spherical camera rig for virtual reality. Now, Google has announced that they are teaming with them in order to build a vr camera rig that will be available for wide usage.

It’s going to be a circular 16-camera rig, that will be like a kick-start to the VR era, and it will offer everyone the possibility of filming VR-compatible video.

For more info regarding today’s schedule check out Google’s I/O 2015 official website.

We’ll be updating this list as soon as more info is announced.

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Google’s 3D-scanning Tablet is Now Available for Purchase

May 28, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Just on-time with Google’s I/O developer conference, the 3D-scanning tablet has been released for sale – it goes for $512, and everyone can buy it. Just head down to their official store, and order one for yourself.

Named Project Tango, the tablet is designed to map the room, and offer a new 3D experience to its owner – but there’s really no aww factor to it yet.

Be warned that if you buy the 3D-scanning tablet you’ll not get a device that is designed for public consumers, and most certainly it won’t please you. It has no determined functionality, and this model is focused on developers – devs that are tasked to bring order to chaos.

No wonder that Google announced the 3D-scanning tablet is going on sale on the day that their developer conference has started, and has subsequently removed any doubt that a wider retail release is in the works. It will come as no surprise if Project Tango 2 will make it’s début in the next few days.

Even though it has moved further down the line from being a conceptual toy, its main focus still is to please developers. This isn’t to say that you won’t have anything to do with it if you indeed buy the device. It runs Kitkat 4.4, and you can use it as your average tablet, but is it really worth it?

If you look under the hood, the 3D-scanning tablet is more than just a prototype on sale:

NVIDIA quad-core Tegra K1 chip

4GB of RAM

128 GB of internal storage

That’s the oomph! effect that you’re experiencing right now. Those specs wowed us last year too – yeah, in the storage department it doesn’t shine; more so, when you find out that you can’t add a microSD card to expand your storage, but 128 gigs of space is more than enough for the average Joe.

Google’s 3D-scanning tablet sports a beautiful 1080p display – it’s sharp, and offers crisp colours, and textures. Now, being focused for developers, Google didn’t built the device with appeasing the masses in mind, so don’t expect a shockingly awesome design. It features a minimalistic style, that quite suits Project Tango, and it gives it a more futuristic feel to it.

It features one USB 3.0, a micro-HDMI slot, Bluetooth LE, and LTE – availability may depend on which carrier you’re using, so if I were you, I would call them and ask what options I have.

The seven-inch 3D-scanning tablet was built to last, that’s way it packs quite a punch in the performance department. But what about pictures? Can you use it to take photos?

Sure you can, and you’ll amazed at what kind of quality it can output. It has two cameras, and a depth sensor on the back. One of the camera sports a 4-megapixel unit, and is paired with huge two-micron pixels – something on the line of what the UltraPixel sensor in HTC’s one is. It offers high light sensitivity, and faster speeds than your normal camera. Most of you will consider the 4-megapixel unit a deal breaker, and sadly, they won’t read further.

The second unit tracks motion, and offers a 170-degree wide-angle – a fish-eye lens to be more exact.

All of these goodies are encompassed is a slightly chunky looking device, but this may come as a feature to some of us known for being butterfingers. You can easily grip it with one hand, but I highly recommend you do it the right way, and use both of them. Here’s why.

Remember that Project Tango is a 3D-scanning tablet, this means that you can have some fun with its playable demo. If the settings are right, you can turn your room into a dungeon. Explore your hidden cave, as you see fit.

Most likely Google will announce a new iteration soon – more high-tech specs, and probably even a better camera. We’ll keep you updated as soon as any new info leaks from the I/O developer conference. Until then, I leave you with Project Tango’s promo clip.

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Google I/O 2015 Android Everywhere!

Google I/O 2015 Virtual Reality

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