Google to Launch Android TV, Report Says

Just a few days after Amazon unveiled the Fire TV, Google will reportedly launch its own set-top box.

The Mountain View, Calif. company is close to debuting Android TV, an Android-powered platform that will compete directly with the Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. Google will still sell its Chromecast device, a $35 dongle that plugs into any HDTV to let you watch online videos from your tablet, smartphone or computer, according to The Verge.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Fire TV Is a Great Living-Room Companion

Video app providers are currently working hard to build for Android TV. The device will also be compatible with gaming, and come with an optional gaming controller, much like the Fire TV.

Documents obtained by The Verge outline a simpler approach than Google TV, which launched in 2010, and aimed to turn TV sets into larger versions of smartphones.

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Ahead of Android 4.5 Release Date, Android 4.4.3 Update Allegedly Rolling Out to Nexus 5, Nexus 7, HTC One

The potentially Lollipop-shaped Android 4.5 is yet to get an official confirmation, let alone a release date. While Google prepares Android users for the next big update, the search giant is allegedly rolling out Android 4.4.3 KitKat update imminently.

Several recent leaks have revealed that Android 4.4.3 update is closer to its public release, coming at least to Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and HTC One Google Play Edition. This is speculated as the last fix before the much-anticipated Android 4.5 release date.

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Microsoft targets Android, makes Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 free on all sub-9-inch devices

Microsoft has been spinning its wheels for years as it tries to get traction in the smartphone and tablet market. At the annual Build conference, the software giant announced a strategy it believes will finally get its mobile ambitions out of this rut — it’s making the software free. Not free to you personally (though that might come later), but free of any OEM licensing fees on devices with screens smaller than 9 inches — i.e. every smartphone, and smaller-screen tablets. That means Windows Phone 8.1 and regular Windows 8.1 won’t cost OEMs a dime on those devices going forward.

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FireChat’s anonymous, off-grid messaging app arrives on Android

FireChat is debuting today in Google Play, after a successful launch on iOS. Android users can now engage in FireChat’s hyperlocal messaging sessions, but they won’t be able to chat with iOS devices.

FireChat has been on a rollercoaster ride since developer Open Garden released it for iOS last month, peaking at well over 100,000 iTunes downloads a day last Tuesday. Open Garden is now hoping for a repeat performance, this time on Android.

On Thursday, Open Garden released FireChat on Google Play. FireChat has set itself apart from other messaging apps in several ways. Not only is it anonymous and ephemeral — conversation streams disappear as soon as the app is closed — it’s designed to create proximity-based hyperlocal networks. It uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth links to connect to nearby devices without using the internet as an intermediary.

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Google's alleged Silver program would showcase the best of Android at carrier stores

Google could have big plans in store for the way that it and other smartphone makers sell and advertise their best Android phones. According to a series of slides allegedly shown inside of Google and leaked to Android Police, Google is developing a program called Android Silver, which would find carriers dedicating a section of their store to some of the top Android phones, each of which would come with some significant advantages over phones that weren't offered as part of the Silver program.

Phones in the alleged Silver program would run the latest version of Android and feature limited software customization, if any. They would also include a support program similar to Amazon's Mayday service, allowing people to begin a video chat with a support representative who could help them solve problems and learn about their phone or tablet at any time of the day. Staff at carrier stores would also help customers set up their new devices and transfer data over from their old ones, much like Apple Stores current do.

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Samsung: Apple's case 'is an attack on Android'

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Samsung on Tuesday said Apple's patent infringement suit "is an attack on Android."

John Quinn, a Samsung attorney, said during opening arguments that the software features Apple has accused it of infringing were developed by Google for its mobile operating system. He held a Nexus device and said that "not a single software feature in this Nexus phone...was conceived by Samsung, was developed by Samsung, or was coded by Samsung."

"Not one of the accused features on this phone, which brings us all here today, was designed, much less copied by anyone at Samsung," Quinn said. "The accused features on this phone were developed independently by some of the most sophisticated and creative minds in the industry, the software engineers at Google."

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Android 4.5 (Lollipop): Release Date, Features, Nexus 6 - Everything You Need to Know

Google's annual developer conference is set to take place on 25 and 26 June and along with updates on Google Glass, much more about smartwatches and Android Wear, along with a possible Nexus 8 tablet, we expect to see the latest version of the company's Android software unveiled.

The current version of Google's operating system is Android 4.4, known as KitKat thanks to acommercial tie-up with Nestle, which was launched in September of last year.

Until now, Google has been relatively happy with manufacturers like Samsung, Sony and HTC to do what they liked with Android, skinning it with their own proprietary software - but things have changed in the last six months.

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