Tag Archives: d112013

Google SVP: We’re working on enhanced privacy features for Android, guest user option

Posted on by

Google working on guest user option for Android, enhanced privacy options

Afer being asked by AllThingsD's Walt Mossberg whether Google SVP Sundar Pichai saw the need for more privacy, Pichai said that he wants to bring several of the security and privacy options that users already see on Chrome across to its mobile platform. "When we did Chrome, we invested in incognito mode. Now you can do that on the phone [through the Chrome app]."

"You're completely not signed-in, and we don't know anything about you... We do want more things like that, though. From a security, child safety, etc. standpoint. Chrome OS lets you be a guest user. We're working on things like that on Android." Unfortunately he didn't elaborate on any timeframe or anything more detailed, but it looks like Google is taking those privacy concerns on board. Who knows, perhaps we'll see something incognito-ready on the next big Android update.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Google Play Music All Access coming to iOS ‘in a few weeks’

Posted on by

Sundar Pichai just dropped some pretty big news onstage at D11: Google's Play Music All Access app will be coming to iOS in the following weeks. When the streaming service debuted at I/O, we found it curious that an Apple-compatible version was missing, especially considering that Mountain View is quite generous in sharing its cloud services with folks on Cupertino's platform. Speaking with Walt Mossberg today, Pichai -- SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps at Google -- said Mountain View's goal is to be "universally accessible," noting that "when there's a mass of users, we invest in more platforms." Of course, that cross-platform love doesn't extend much to Windows Phone, which has tangled horns with Google over the lack of an official YouTube app. That's it for now; we'll be sure to clue you in when the iOS app gets a formal release date.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Google’s Sundar Pichai, SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, live at D11

Posted on by

Google's Sundar Pichai, SVP of Android, Chrome and Apps, live at D11

Sundar Pichai has taken on quite the role expansion since he sat in the famed red chair during last year's D10 conference here in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Back in March, he took over the Android duties from Andy Rubin, and led a significant portion of the keynote during this year's Google I/O conference. Today, he'll sit down with hosts Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg in order to discuss the future of Chrome, Android, apps and perhaps the universe as we know it. Join us after the break as we cover every... last... word.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s Supercharger network will triple its coverage area this month

Posted on by

Elon Musk reveals Supercharger network will triple its coverage area this month

Elon Musk is being interviewed tonight at the D11 conference, and gave an early preview of news coming tomorrow: his company's Supercharger EV stations will be available in more areas soon. The network will triple its coverage area this month, and he predicts Tesla owners will be able to drive from LA to NY using only Superchargers by the end of 2013. As he mentions, the company is adding more density to "well-traveled routes", as well as increasing overall coverage, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to get a map. That's all consistent with promises made at the network's launch, when he said it will allow the Model S to drive across the country for free. Another thing making that easier is an incoming software patch for the cars that will let drivers route directly to the nearest Supercharger -- perhaps Tesla can get John Broder to give it a shot first.

There's going to be a dramatic acceleration of the supercharging network. By the end of next month, we'll triple the supercharger coverage area. There's a map that'll go live tomorrow, obviously.

By the end of this year -- you'll be able to drive from LA to NY just using the supercharger network. We're improving the density of superchargers in well-traveled routes, as well as the overall coverage area.

Follow along with our liveblog right here.

Update: The full video of Musk's interview at D11 is now available after the break. Enjoy!

Filed under:

Comments

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, live at D11

Posted on by

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, live at D11

Elon Musk is a busy man. He's also a man who isn't afraid to speak his mind, as we found out during his SXSW keynote earlier this year. This evening, he's capping off a day of interviews at D11 with one of his own. As CEO of both Tesla Motors and SpaceX, he knows a thing or two about transportation -- both within this atmosphere and beyond. Grab a cup of cocoa and join us after the break as we cover it live, won't you?

Filed under:

Comments

August: the beautiful, Yves Behar-designed $199 smart lock

Posted on by

August smart lock

The home automation market is really starting to take off, and surprisingly, it's door locks that are proving to be one of the biggest areas of interest. Established home security companies like Kwikset and mobile carriers (via unnamed OEMs) are working to combine smartphones and deadbolts, while startups like Smart Knob are using offline technology to simplify vacation rentals. August, the brainchild of Yves Behar and Jason Johnson, combines elements of both approaches and does so with Behar's typical flair for stunning design. The primary way of unlocking an August-equipped door is through an app that pairs with the stylish mechanism via Bluetooth. But it skips out on the direct internet connection, which could leave it more vulnerable to hacks.

Instead, it passes all necessary online communications through the paired phone or tablet. In fact, it's capable of operating without an internet connection at all, since it relies on algorithmically generated keys, similar to a secure ID token. Those "keys" are assigned to specific devices, that also have the app installed, which are identified via Bluetooth LE. Each lock is synced up with Augusts' servers and attached to a unique account that you manage through the companion app. And, even if the batteries die, you can still use the old standby: an actual key.

Gallery: August door lock

August smart lock

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: August

Motorola’s next flagship phone is called Moto X, will be built in former Nokia plant in Texas

Posted on by

Motorola's next flagship phone is called Moto X, will be built in former Nokia plant in Texas

Outside of possible FCC filings, Motorola has largely been coy about just what its next major smartphone will be -- until now. The firm's Dennis Woodside just revealed at D11 that the new flagship will be called Moto X (previously rumored as the X Phone), and that it will be built in a Fort Worth, Texas factory that was once used to make Nokia phones. Woodside isn't giving away many details at this stage, although he teases that the smartphone will "know what you want to do before you do." Oh, and he has a Moto X in his pocket... not that he's about to show us anything just yet, of course. If you're curious about Woodside's actual quote, it's below:

"It'll be the first Motorola smartphone built in the United States. It'll be built in Texas -- we'll employ around 2,000 people. It's right outside of Fort Worth in a 500,000 square foot facility that was previously used to build Nokia phones."

Update: Woodside had two extra nuggets while on stage -- he mentioned that the Moto X will be "broadly distributed" across numerous carriers, a rarity for Motorola smartphones in recent years. Specifically, he noted: "The Moto X is going to be broadly distributed -- that's a first for Motorola in a number of years. The support of the carriers has been fantastic." In other words, this won't be a Nexus device, and you can count on some amount of skinning and bloatware to muddle things up. On the issue of battery life, Woodside said: "I'll save the details for later, but [the industry issue of] battery life is a huge problem. Motorola has some of the world's best engineers and systems designers who spend their lives on that problem. There are two processors in the device that creates a system that allows you to do such a thing." Two processors, you say? Fascinating!

Update 2: The Moto X should arrive in late summer. Also, a reminder: Motorola mentioned a shift toward stock Android coming later this year. While there isn't any guarantee that the Moto X will embrace that philosophy, it would be a fitting poster child.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Motorola’s Dennis Woodside and Regina Dugan: live from D11

Posted on by

Motorola's Dennis Woodside and Regina Dugan live from D11

Google I/O came and went with nary a word of that rumored X Phone, but according to Eric Schmidt's recent comments at D: Dive Into Mobile, there are clearly some big, big plans for Moto that have yet to be fully realized. Dennis Woodside, CEO of Motorola Mobility will be joined by Dr. Regina E. Dugan, senior vice president of the same company, here on the D11 stage. We're expecting plenty of questions surrounding market share, the interaction with the Android team and a vision for generating RAZR-type buzz once more. Join us after the break for the liveblog!

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann: consumers will soon expect every service on every platform, mobile included

Posted on by

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann consumers will soon expect every service on every platform, mobile included

Ben Silbermann has found himself in a pretty swell spot. He's the CEO of Pinterest -- a company that was recently valued at $2.5 billion, despite not making a single cent to date. He took the stage today at D11 in Southern California, answering questions shot from Kara Swisher. One of the key points he made was on the topic of mobile. Swisher was asking about Pinterest's mobile efforts, and Silbermann suggested that in the very near future, asking such a thing would be borderline silly. "It'd be like asking a business today if they're a dot-com business," he said, suggesting that every business created in 2013 should absolutely have some sort of presence on the web.

It's perhaps due to the shocking uptake of Pinterest's apps. Said Silbermann: "A growing number [of users] use Pinterest exclusively on their phone or tablet. When we released our mobile apps, we were taking bets on how long it'd take for those to surpass our web traffic. I figured it'd take a few weeks. It was literally the day it was released [that the traffic was passed]. I think it's because phones and tablets are largely always around you, whereas you're not always around a [traditional] computer."

It's perhaps the token example of how consumers at large are moving away from needing a full-fledged machine at their fingertips, and the redefining of what a "computer" is for the newest generations.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, live at D11

Posted on by

Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, live at D11

The man worth at least a few billion tweets is about to take the stage here at D11, and we'll be covering Dick Costolo's every utterance as he's interviewed in one of these famed red chairs. The sit-down comes just hours after Facebook's own Sheryl Sandberg took the stage, and we're expecting quite the wide range of questions. Twitter has evolved into a global communications platform, not just for individuals looking to rise up against an oppressive regime, but for brands looking to better address their audiences. How to balance all of that? Join us after the break as we find out in real time.

Filed under: ,

Comments