Voice recognition in Google Now is getting better and can now handle up to seven languages at once. CNET MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — OK, Google. Why can’t I have chocolate? That’s one question that Google Now’s voice search can’t answer easily, and it’s an often-asked one from kids with access to their parents’ phones, said …
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The Flame, Mozilla’s first Nexus-style reference phone for Firefox OS, is now available for preorder. Mozilla When you’re building a mobile operating system, it can be helpful to have some signposts along the way for developers to follow. Google’s got its Nexus line for just that purpose, and Mozilla’s Firefox OS took a step closer to putting a reference device …
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Google’s Project Ara project coordinator David Fishman and team leader Paul Eremenko Seth Rosenblatt/CNET MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google’s first phone for its ambitious Project Ara modular smartphone project will be a boring gray, Ara leader Paul Eremenko said at the first Ara developer’s conference on Tuesday. And that’s by design. Eremenko told an audience of around 200 people at …
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Come Christmas Eve, CyanogenMod will be the first third-party version of Android to ship on a phone out of the box. Noted CyanogenMod and Android developer Koushik Datta revealed that Google has approved of a CyanogenMod version of the Oppo N1 to ship on December 24. No other details were revealed in the post, although the currently available version of …
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An outcry of disappointment greeted Google when people found out that the hidden App Ops feature was yanked from Android KitKat last week, and it’s going to be a long time before you see it again. Google said at the time that it removed the feature because its experimental nature could break apps, a statement that was greeted with skepticism. …
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Cyanogen and its customized version of the Android operating system just might be onto something, if Silicon Valley investment is your preferred benchmark. The company announced Thursday that it has closed its Series B funding with Andreessen Horowitz and Tencent, to the tune of $23 million. The funds will be used to expand the current team of 25 to hire …
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CyanogenMod began adding secure text messaging to its unstable, nightly version on Monday. When the feature eventually reaches the stable build of the popular third-party Android ROM, it will have around 10 million people on its rolls. To secure their texting app, CyanogenMod incorporated Open WhisperSystems’ TextSecure, a secure texting app for Android and iOS that raises the level of …
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One of Android’s biggest hang-ups could be going the way of the rotary phone, thanks to a new app released on Tuesday by CyanogenMod. The first app published by CyanogenMod since it received $7 million in funding and incorporated in September is the CyanogenMod Installer, which streamlines installing the customized version of Android. Installing custom versions of Android, called custom …
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A screenshot of the LG Fireweb from Mozilla’s promotional video. Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET Two Firefox OS phones went on sale on Tuesday in Brazil, a country on which Mozilla has been pinning many of its Firefox OS hopes. In addition to the Alcatel One Touch Fire, already the de facto flagship device for the nascent operating system since it’s …
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If you’re an Android enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of CyanogenMod. If you’re not, the newly incorporated company’s leaders have big ideas on how to make sure you do. CyanogenMod recently flipped the switch from an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) enthusiast’s dream to become a legitimate company with a team of 17 developers. Under the aegis of Boost co-founder Kirt …
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