Tag: google tv

Google Announces Unified Quick Share, Fast Pair for TVs, Other Android Updates at CES 2024

Google, like all other major tech companies, is making its presence felt at CES 2024. The search engine giant announced a bunch of updates at the event Tuesday, including a new way to share images, files, and text between devices. Google is partnering with Samsung to introduce Quick Share, a unified cross-Android file sharing solution that brings Google’s Nearby Share and Samsung’s Quick Share under a single branding. The company said it had integrated the services to bring a default peer-to-peer content sharing option for Android and Chromebook devices. Additionally, Google is also working with manufacturers to bring Quick Share as a pre-installed app on Windows PCs.

With Quick Share, users can see a list of nearby available devices with a single tap of an icon. Of course, just like Apple’s AirDrop feature, Quick Share will allow users to tweak privacy settings to choose who can discover their Android device and send files. According to Google’s blog post detailing its CES announcements, the Quick Share feature will start rolling to current Nearby Share enabled devices in February.

Google is collaborating with Samsung to bring Quick Share on Android phones
Photo Credit: Google

Google also announced that it is extending Fast Pair support for Bluetooth accessories to Chromecast with Google TV next month and more Google TV devices later this year. Fast Pair allows users to seamlessly pair Bluetooth devices like headphones to Android phones and Chromebook laptops with a single tap in pairing mode. With the new update, TV audio can be quickly channelled to a pair of headphones or Bluetooth speakers.

There are more updates on the Chromecast front. While users can easily cast content from YouTube and other apps on their TV, Google is expanding the casting ability to more apps. Users can now cast TikTok content from their phones to Chromecast built-in devices. The ability to cast live videos from the social media app to the TV is also coming soon, the company said. Google is also rolling out a new casting feature that lets users cast music and podcasts from Spotify and YouTube Music apps on compatible Pixel phones to a nearby Pixel Tablet in docked mode.

Google is also bringing increased interoperability across devices with Matter, its standard for smart home platforms, apps and devices. “In the future, LG TVs and select Google TV and other Android TV OS devices will act as hubs for Google Home. So if you have a Nest Hub, Nest Mini or compatible TV, it’s easy to add Matter devices to your home network and locally control them with the Google Home app,” the blog said.

LG TVs and select Google TV and other Android TV OS devices will act as hubs for Google Home
Photo Credit: Google

And finally, upgrades are coming to Android Auto as well. In the coming months, EVs compatible with Android Auto will be able to share real-time battery information with Google Maps, according to the company. This feature will provide battery estimates upon arriving to your destination, suggest stops on the route, and estimate charging times.

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Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2024 hub.

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Google’s June Update Brings New Features, Three Widgets to Android: All Details

Google has unveiled a slew of features for Android smartphones, tablets, and Wear OS smartwatches on Thursday. The latest improvements include three new widgets for Google Finance, Google TV, and Google New for customising the Android phone or tablet home screen. On top of that, Google’s June feature update brings “Reading practice” mode on Google Play Books to improve the vocabulary and comprehension skills of users. The Emoji Kitchen now lets users remix their favourite emoji into stickers. Further, the tech giant is offering Dark Web Reports available to Google One account holders in the US.

Google on June 1, announced the addition of new features coming soon to Android smartphones, tablets, and Wear OS smartwatches via a blog post. Google Play Books is getting a “Reading practice” functionality. This new mode will help readers improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills using their Android phones or tablets. With this, readers can hear the pronunciation of unknown words, practice mispronounced words, and receive feedback in real time. This is supported by e-books marked with a “Practice” badge in Google Play Books.

Further, Google is bringing three new widgets — Google Finance, Google TV, and Google News — for phones and tablets. This would allow users to customise the home screen of their devices with shortcuts and find personalised movie and stock suggestions, and important headlines right at their fingertips.

Emoji Kitchen is getting upgrades as part of the June feature drop. Now, users can remix emojis into stickers to send as messages via Gboard.

Additionally, the Dark Web report, which was previously available to Google One account holders in the US, is getting a wider rollout. First announced at I/O 2023, the feature allows users to check if their details have been exposed on the Dark Web and receive guidance on the actions they can take to protect themselves online. Google One members in the US can scan for additional personal information, such as their social security number through the website and App. The Dark Web report will be launched in 20 countries in the coming months.

Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Google Reportedly Working on New Chromecast With Google TV: All Details

A new Chromecast with Google TV model is in development, according to a report. The reports suggest that according to the latest preview update to the Google Home app, the firm seems to be making preparations to launch a new Chromecast with a Google TV dongle, codenamed “YTC.” The code also suggests that it is a “Chromecast with Google TV” device and it is reportedly mentioned alongside previous Chromecast models. This new information therefore strongly suggests the development of a new Chromecast with Google TV.

According to a 9to5Google report, the recent preview update to the Google Home app provides hints at early planning for a new Chromecast with Google TV codenamed “YTC.” The report further states that throughout the code, it’s explicitly stated that this is a “Chromecast with Google TV,” and it mentioned along with earlier versions “YTV” (Chromecast with Google TV) and “YTB” (Chromecast HD).

The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) was launched in India in September 2022. The device features popular streaming platforms and can play 4K HDR video at 60 frames per second. It also supports Dolby Vision. The Chromecast with Google TV includes a voice remote with a specialised Google Assistant button. It was first released in the US in 2020.

Google made a major upgrade to the Chromecast lineup in 2020, abandoning the long-used Cast OS in favour of Android TV — or, more particularly, the newly transformed Google TV. Last year, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) model was released, offering the experience at a more reasonable cost.

With Google attempting to keep costs low by using limited features, neither dongle was satisfactory. One of the most frequent criticisms about the Chromecast with Google TV is the dongle’s limited storage space, which makes it challenging to keep various media apps set up and updated. Aside from that, the Chromecast with Google TV could benefit from an improvement in performance, as the dongle is starting to show its age.

Google’s previous launch of a lower-end Chromecast model hints that the company is intending to introduce a new version with higher specifications to replace the existing flagship model. However, the configurations, specifications, and the possibility of a next Chromecast altogether have yet to be officially revealed by Google.

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Chromecast With Google TV Affordable Variant With Full-HD Streaming Support Could Launch Soon: Report

A new, more affordable version of Chromecast with Google TV is expected to launch soon, as per a new report. It is being suggested that the new Chromecast with Google TV will be a standalone streaming device like the current version, but will have reduced streaming capabilities and support streaming at up to full-HD (1920×1080-pixel) resolution only, with no support for HDR streaming. The report also suggests that the device could be priced considerably lower at around EUR 40 (approximately Rs. 3,200).

The report comes via German website WinFuture, which states that the new device has already been delivered to some dealers in Europe. This suggests that the launch could take place very soon, perhaps even before the October 6 event for the Pixel 7 series and Pixel Watch.

The report also states that it will be a full-HD streaming device with a maximum supported resolution of full-HD (1920×1080 pixels), and no support for HDR. Such a device could see some appeal in markets such as India, where most still use full-HD or lower resolution televisions.

The key appeal of the device will be the excellent Google TV user interface on top of Android TV, just like on the current Chromecast with Google TV.

Google only recently launched the Chromecast with Google TV in India for Rs. 6,399, despite the product originally having been announced and put on sale in 2020 in select markets. The device supports Ultra-HD streaming, with support for HDR up to the Dolby Vision format, and sound format support up to Dolby Atmos. Although well equipped, the device is a bit expensive and may not appeal to much of the market which still uses Full-HD or lower resolution televisions.

The new affordable Chromecast with Google TV will better cater to those with smaller, lower-resolution televisions, while offering the benefits of the Google TV UI.

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Google I/O 2022: Improved Picture-in-Picture Mode, New Features Coming to Android TV as Users Cross 110 Million

Android TV now has over 110 million monthly active users (MAU), Google revealed at its annual developer conference on Thursday. The company has announced several new features and tools coming to the next versions of Google TV and Android TV that are aimed at improving performance and quality, while improving accessibility and enabling multitasking. While Google is yet to reveal the release date for Android TV 13, the company recently provided access to the second Android 13 beta for Android TV ahead of Google I/O 2022.

According to a post on the Android Developers blog, Android TV and Google TV are currently available on devices of more than 300 partners globally — accounting for 7 out of 10 smart TV OEMs and over 170 ‘pay TV’ (or subscription television) operators. Android TV OS now has over 110 million MAU and offers over 10,000 apps, according to the company. Google is also encouraging developers to integrate platform features like the WatchNext API (application programming interface) into their apps.

A new expanded picture-in-picture mode is coming with the Android 13 update for Android TV
Photo Credit: Google Developers Blog

 

As part of the Android 13 update for Android TV, developers can use the AudioManager to ‘anticipate’ audio routes to better understand which playback modes are available. The company is also bringing improvements to multitasking in the form of an updated picture-in-picture (PiP) API, which uses the same API as Android smartphones. Google first introduced official support for PiP mode with Android 8. With the new, updated PiP mode, users will be able to access an expanded mode that shows more videos from a group call.

Android TV will also gain support for a docked mode to prevent PiP windows covering content in other apps by seating them separately on the edge of the display. Meanwhile, a ‘keep-clear’ API will let developers specify important parts of full-screen apps that should not be covered by PiP windows. On the accessibility front, the OS will add support for different keyboard layouts including QWERTZ and AZERTY, and users will be able to enable audio descriptions across apps.

With the upcoming Android 13 update, users can expect to see user and children profiles, allowing for personalised recommendations for each viewer. The update is also expected to bring support for using a smartphone as a Google TV remote to move around and control volume, type using the phone’s keyboard or activate the Google Assistant. Users will also be able to seamlessly cast content to Google TV, a feature that has been supported on Android TV via Chromecast.

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