Microsoft to release Windows 8.1 on October 17 ((Complete specs and details about Windows 8.1)

Microsoft has revealed full details about the comprehensive update to Windows 8, now known as Windows 8.1 and formerly known as Windows Blue.

The Windows 8.1 release date is October 17 - it will be available to existing Windows 8 users for free on Windows Update. It will be available to buy in retail from October 18.

Google Glass with more Google Now Cards, Voice Commands and Video Player controls after the update

Restaurants, hotels, events – Be reminded of dinner reservations, hotel bookings and concerts. You’ll see these reminders for places that sent you an email confirmation.

Movies – Find showtimes and movie information for nearby theaters.

Emergency alerts – Change your plans on the fly when severe thunderstorm or flash flood warnings are in effect.

Traffic – Get traffic conditions and alternate routes before you leave for work.

Weather – Know how to dress before stepping out the door.

Sports – See live scores for your favorite teams.

"As you go about your day, Google Now delivers helpful cards with information you need, before you even ask," wrote the Google Glass team in a blog post. "Now, when you swipe backwards on the touchpad, you'll find even more useful information."

Google Glass is getting more cool features in its fourth software update Google's monthly update for its wearable computer, Glass, is giving users more voice commands, along with movie and restaurant information and emergency alerts.

The new features baked into the software update include reminders for dinner reservations, hotel bookings and concerts. If one of these businesses sends the Glass user an email confirmation, he or she will automatically get a reminder.

The update also includes an app to help users find movie show times for local theaters as well as another app that issues emergency alerts for events like severe thunderstorms and flash flood warning. Google also is adding two new voice commands: Take a note, and post an update. Both originally were introduced by third-party developers, but Google is adopting them.Other new apps include real-time traffic alerts, weather and live sports scores for favorite teams.

The Google Glass team noted that the two new voice commands are just the beginning and more will be rolled out soon.

The latest update includes new features for users who watch CNN videos. Now, they can tap to pause and play, and swipe to fast forward or rewind, letting users skip to the parts of video they're most interested in.

Beginning today, the software updates will start rolling out automatically.

At the end of July, Google, looking to expand its Google Glass Explorer program, asked testers of the technology to invite a friend to buy into using a prototype of the wearable computer and try it out.

An Explorer must be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen and available to pick up a system in San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles, according to Google's "Invite a Friend" email.

Those accepting the invitation aren't getting a gift -- each new tester will have to pay the same $1,500 fee paid by the Explorer original group. Developers can find out more about the Mirror API making all of this possible on the Google Developers hub now.

VEVO Airplay video support for iOS

Music video app VEVO was today updated to version 2.8 adding full AirPlay support, which will allow users to stream both audio and video to the Apple TV. 

The addition of complete AirPlay support for the iOS version of VEVO comes just days after news leaked that VEVO would release a 24/7 music video app for the Apple TV. 

VEVO's iOS app includes a catalog of 75,000 music videos from 21,000 different artists, plus a VEVO TV channel that plays continuous non-stop content, which is similar to how a potential Apple TV app will work. Vevo's just pushed an updated version of its iOS app into the wild, and it should delight Apple TV owners who like watching their music videos instead of merely listening to them. The fresh upgrade adds full AirPlay support, which means that both video and audio can be streamed to televisions using Apple's set-top box. Naturally, a grab bag of unspecified bug fixes and optimizations accompany the latest release. Click the source link below to load up your iDevice of choice with the application.

VEVO is an iPhone-only app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link] There's also a free HD version for the iPad. [Direct Link]

SOURCE: Vevo (iTunes)

VIA ENGADGET 

Sony Xperia S, Xperia SL firmware updates coming soon

We always endeavor to keep readers in the loop about new updates for their various smartphones and tablets. Sony was the first major OEM to announce the list of Xperia smartphones to get Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update, within hours of the new OS rolling out. Now we hear that If you have the Sony Xperia S or Xperia SL then today’s news may interest you, as a new firmware update with some fixes is on its way very soon.Recently leaked screenshots reveal Sony is working on a new firmware update for the Xperia S and Xperia SL. The new build is 6.20B.1.96 and is still based on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.If you are hoping for the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update you might be dissappointed 

There is no official details on release or changelog, but the update should fix the 1080p video recording and volume up bugs, and will probably bring other small improvements over performance and stability. The new firmware also allows you to launch Google Now with a tap and hold on the Home key.However, it’s expected to begin rolling out before the end of August, so there really shouldn’t be too much longer to wait.

The new updates are expected to roll out on the Sony Xperia S and Xperia SL by the end of this month.

The previous firmware updates for the Xperia S and Xperia SL that brought the two smartphones onto the Jelly Bean train took Sony forever, but the recent track record of the company shows it is capable of delivering firmware updates on time and we are really happy to see Sony has picked up its game. The Sony Xperia SL was launched last year in September and is the successor to the Xperia S. The high-end smartphone boasts slightly better specs in comparison to the Xperia S. The Sony Xperia SL features a 4.3-inch scratch resistant TFT display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. It runs Android 4.0 (upgradable to Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor hosting 1GB RAM, as against Xperia S's 1.5GHz processor.

The Xperial SL comes with a 12.1-megapixel rear shooter and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The device offers 32GB internal storage (upto 26GB user accessible) and also features NFC capabilities and FM radio. The Xperia SL is a PlayStation certified device and also features the Sony Entertainment Network.

We wonder if the latest firmware update will fix the various difficulties our readers were facing with their devices following the last Jelly Bean update for the Xperia S and SL. With this in mind we’d really appreciate your comments. Let us know when you receive this update please? Also, if you had a previous issue, perhaps you could tell us if the problem has been resolved?

Samsung Galaxy Grand and Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos get their final update, Android 4.2.2

Even as Android 4.3 Jelly Bean starts to make its way into Nexus devices and the latest smartphone models, some slightly older phones are still being updated to Android 4.2.Announced initially for India last January, the Galaxy Grand DUOS is simply a dual SIM variant of the Galaxy Grand which, in turn, was announced in December 2012. Despite the name, the phone’s specs are not so grand but not so terrible either. Running on an unnamed 1.2 GHz dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, the phone’s biggest drawback is it’s 5.0-inch display, which only supports a resolution of 480×800 pixels.Well, the saga of the mid-range devices receiving an official taste of Android 4.2 before the high-end ones continues: Samsung had announced that the upgrade cycle for its Galaxy Grand smartphone would officially end with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The last major update for the device is now seeding in Russia and the South Korean manufacturer is expected to roll out the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean ROM globally in the coming days.This comes after Samsung updated the Galaxy S II Plus, Galaxy Note 8.0, and the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 to the newer Jelly Bean iteration.

The update’s build number is I9105PXXUBMG8, which is newer than the build that earlier leaked for the Grand. 

The latest update for the Samsung Galaxy Grand brings cool features such the lock screen widgets, advanced toggles menu, daydream screensaver, improved task switching and a few minor tweaks to enhance the overall user experience.

As one can expect, the update also brings a few software goodies from the Galaxy S4, the company's flagship smartphone

The firmware update files have been pushed out via Over-The-Air (OTA) and Samsung KIES software. Check your device’s notification panel or connect it with your computer and run KIES to verify the availability of new firmware versions for your device.

Here are the update details:

• Model Name: Galaxy Grand Duos
• Model Version: GT-I9082
• OS Version: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• Build Date: 29.07.2013
• PDA: I9082XXUBMGA
• If you didn’t get the OTA Update on your device, then you shouldn’t panic as we will post a ‘how-to’ guide that you can use to update your Galaxy Grand Duos to Android 4.2.2. For this you will need the Odin app and then simply flash it over your current firmware. The new XXUBMGA Android 4.2.2 build is unbranded which means that you can flash it for any Galaxy Grand Duos device that is factory unlocked. The file has been uploaded and released on SamMobile‘s web site. Note that if you flash this file on any Grand Duos device that is not from Russia, then you might lose all data from your device.
  Also, the Android 4.2.2 XXUBMGA firmware update will be released only for devices that are 100% stock, as you won’t get the OTA Update notification in case your device is rooted or running any custom ROMs. Do you own a Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos? If you do, then did you receive the update? Users who managed to update their devices with the new firmware build should start testing all of its new features and see if there are any big improvements from the previous firmware build. Post your thoughts in our comments section below.

New Instagram 4.1 brings video import feature and support for Android 4.0 ICS

Facebook's Instagram, which had recently added short video sharing support to its mobile application, has now issued a new update for its mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms . The biggest update is the ability to import video from your library, meaning you can share video you've previously recorded with another app. There's also a straightening tool for iOS users, which fixes your photos that are slightly crooked.

Mind you, this may not work for your several minutes long videos(Once the video is uploaded, providing it's shorter than 15 seconds, users can choose to record more video after the pre-recorded footage.). Using the new Instagram app 4.1 , users can import videos and then trim the best parts they wish to be portrayed in the short video. The square-crop will let the user place the action scenes in the center. After trimming, user can apply the filter and choose a frame as the cover.The great thing about the update, which might not so good news for Vine, is that users can add two or more shorter pre-recorded videos into one Instagram post until the 15-second limit is reached.This gives a way for those Vine users who fancy transferring their social video skills to Instagram to upload two of their saved six-second Vine video files from their camera roll into one Instagram post, giving them a reason to leave the Twitter app for good.Those who aren't Vine users wanting to convert to Instagram can now spend time in the app editing together old video clips into one post. However, it does pave the way for the posting of many more nonsense posts, such as ads, spam and pornography.

"We've also made it so that you can choose how you square-crop your clip so you can keep the action front and centre," Instagram wrote in a blog post."There are few things more distracting than a crooked horizon in a photo," Instagram explained. "We're happy to announce that we've developed a brand new technology that brings you straight photos instantly."

The new app also brings automatic straightening of the photos instantly on the iOS mobile platform. The new Straighten icon will appear after the user has clicked an image using the Instagram's in-app camera.Straightening for iOS is a very basic addition, allowing users to straighten their photographs before posting. Unfortunately there's no straightening for Instagram videos.

Instagram has also extended the support of the app to the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update running significant number of devices out there. Previously, video was only available to Android users running 4.1 and up.

The Instagram app 4.1 is already available in the Google Play store for Android devices and Apple App store for the iOS devices.

Android v5.0 Key Lime Pie starts to be visible on Nexus range of devices

Though often rumored and even mentioned by Google, Key Lime Pie hadmissed its speculated Google I/O debut a few months ago and has not appeared publicly on a device to date. However, it looks like that may soon change as two of Google’s popular Nexus devices are appearing on a Chromium bug tracker log, according to CNET, showing what may be early Key Lime Pie builds.

Key Lime Pie was at one point rumored to be Android 5.0, suggesting that it will offer a significant update to the Android experience that we have today.

Both the Nexus 4 smartphone and the Nexus 7 tablet were shown to have the KRS36B build of Android. With Google build numbers for Android, the first letter usually stands for the operating system version it is running. In this case, “K” would refer to Key Lime Pie if Google continues its Android build numbering style.

Both the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 were recently updated to a newer version of the Android Jelly Bean build. The two devices are now on build JSS15J and JWR66V.

Unfortunately, other than the build number, no other information was revealed about Android Key Lime Pie in the bug tracker. At this time, it’s still unclear what Google will number the build as, though Android 5.0 seems to be a popular speculation. Google could potentially give the build a version number of 4.5, for example, though this would suggest a more incremental update than a significant revision to the OS. To be clear, Google has yet to formally introduce Key Lime Pie or indicate its arrival on a device. It's also too early to say that Key Lime Pie will tie in to Android 5.0 or, say, Android 4.5.

Unfortunately, there's nothing in the Chromium bug post that sheds any additional light on Key Lime Pie. It is noteworthy, however, in that there are versions of Android out there that are more current than 4.3 Jelly Bean.

Perhaps the next Nexus smartphone will be announced later this fall with an Android Key Lime Pie build that comes with the cool, new features Android fans eat up like candy.

It’s speculated that Android Key Lime Pie will debut this fall alongside a new Nexus 5 smartphone.

Google Play Store updated for the second time in 2weeks brings minor but many changes (PlayStore 4.3.10)

Google is rolling out an update to the Android Play Store with version 4.3.10. The new update follows version 4.2.9 which was discovered on July 25th, only a week and a half ago, and brought several very minor changes. Unlike the previous update, 4.3.10 is more significant in user-facing features

Recently updated section 

The most significant and immediately obvious addition to the new Play Store is the Recently updated section. If you have a lot of apps installed like I do (218 and counting), you probably have some trouble navigating the mile-long list, especially when hunting down that one app that just updated and is now somewhere midway down the list. Or here's another scenario: several apps just got updated, but since you've cleared your notifications, you now have no idea which ones. This new temporary sticky area is perfect 

Combined update notifications

Because the new section above will conveniently let you know what has been updated recently, it only makes sense that the new Play Store 4.3.10 combines all the update notifications into one instead of displaying a list that could potentially get out of control, especially if you haven't updated in a while. Fantastic.

Book sales now show full list prices

Now can we finally have the same for apps? Amazon 

does it, why can't the Play Store?   Left: 4.3.10; Right: 4.2.9

The Buy and Rent buttons have swapped positions

- now the Buy button is on top and Rent is on the bottom:   Left: 4.3.10; Right: 4.2.9

The Wallet logo is gone next to Rent/Buy buttons. Innnneresting. Is Google distancing Play from Wallet or just uncluttering the UI?   Left: 4.3.10; Right: 4.2.9

The update notification now starts with "Touch to update." Unfortunately, there is no other change in functionality - the notification isn't expandable, doesn't have action buttons, and doesn't save any taps as it still simply drops you into My Apps.

The Play Store may now offer to install Google Play Games if you're installing a Play Games-enabled game. I haven't been able to get this UI, internally called PlayGamesInstallView, to pop up - does anyone else have better luck?

The Settings screen now lists the active account and lets you tap it to bring up the account switcher:

In My wishlist, the context Remove from wishlist button has moved from the top to the bottom of the menu (thanks, jazzruby!). All Reviews now behaves like a button rather than a section header, meaning the whole row is no longer tappable compared to something like Users Also Viewed with the See More button 

VIA ANDROID POLICE

Micromax testing Android's latest 4.3 JellyBean for its Canvas series of smartphones. CanvasHD to get the first update

Few days ago Google Announced a new android OS version 4.3 JellyBean while some of us were expecting 5.0 Key Lime Pie but atleast the OS got updated The News is : India-based Micromax is currently testing Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The first handset that might get the latest version of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is none other than Canvas HD. The reveal was made by Twitter sensation @MMXNewscaster. It's not a silly prank played by @MMXNewscaster because the alleged image showing off Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is clearly visible. If it's true, Micromax would be the first Indian smartphone manufacturer to provide Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in India. What else? The tweet reads "Micromax testing Android Jelly Bean 4.3. #Canvas HD #ComingSoon." This could mean that the Canvas 4 hit maker is almost ready to release Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for Canvas HD. This news came as a surprise for many, as Micromax could have opted to release the latest Jelly Bean update for Canvas 4 rather than Canvas HD. Hence, GizBot contacted Micromax to confirm the news, where the officials responded to us by saying that, "at this point of time, we would not be able to provide any confirmation on the same." However, concluded that, "Wait and watch out for new updates.  Your Mobile But, if the update comes out on Canvas HD, it would also makes sense to push Android 4.3 Jelly Bean on a more popular handset in terms of broad base. Meanwhile. the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update brings new updates; however, the look and feel remains the same.If this is to be believed, then it would please and make all Micromax customers anxious when the other Canvas series will be receiving Android 4.3 Jelly Bean The new version of Android supports multi-users at a same time. It not only stop alleged purchases of apps , but also give an option to developers in designing apps in much manner that each app behave differently to a child and parents. Another notable feature is the coming of revamped dialer with the introduction of Autocomplete feature. The update will bring native Hindi support for the first time.  we can confirm that Micromax Canvas HD users soon will be getting Android 4.3 Jelly Bean officially OTA (over-the-air) by this month or even earlier in just few days (the wait is unpredictable). As You all know Micromax has started providing the updates via OTA where users can manually update their phone OS . For this you need to Follow this process – Menu–>Settings–>About Phone–>System Updates –>Check Now! Else Take your phone to the Micromax Service Center and ask them to update your Phone’s Android OS . Before doing this make sure you backup all your personal data . The update is expected to come in canvas series in the fourth quarter of 2013 .
Expected Handsets to get this update : Canvas 4 , Canvas Doodle , Canvas HD , Canvas 2 Plus , Canvas 3D, etc . NOT SURE for other handsets whether they are going to receive this update or not . Micromax Canvas HD is one of the most popular mid-range smartphones available in the Indian market. The device packs a 5 inch HD IPS display having resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 294 ppi. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad core Cortex A7 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory (expandable up to 32GB via microSD card). As of now, the phone supports Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. There's an 8MP rear camera at the back with Auto Focus and LED flash. Also add a 2MP front facing camera on the front panel. The makers have added a 2000mAh Li Ion battery. Other essential connectivity options include: 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS , and FM Radio

.

HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S IV Google Play editions get Android 4.3 update

The Google Play editions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are receiving an OTA update that will upgrade them to Android 4.3.

The update arrives merely a week after it was officially announced and started rolling out for the Nexus devices. In fact, many of the Nexus devices are still to receive the update, so you can say the Google Play editions are more or less on par with the Nexus devices in terms of receiving updates.After Samsung and HTC shared their respective Android 4.3 source code for their Google Play edition phones, the OTA update for both devices started rolling out. Samsung build for the Galaxy S4 weighs in at 150.7MB while the HTC One’s is a but heftier at 185.5MB. The Android 4.3 update for both phones delivers Bluetooth Smart, OpenGL ES 3.0 for better 3D graphics, dial pad auto-completion and a few more technical changes like security and network enhancements. Other tweaks include larger app icons, a functional IR blaster on the HTC One and Bluetooth tethering on the Samsung Galaxy S4.

When Google announced the Google Play edition of the S4, they promised quick updated along with a stock Android experience. These are two of the main reasons to get these devices over their standard versions that come with OEM customizations and are bound to receive the 4.3 update much, much later.

The Android 4.3 update was announced last week at an event, alongside the new Nexus 7 tablet and the Chromecast media streaming device. Although not a major update, it brings features such as restricted user profiles (only on tablets), Bluetooth Low Energy profile, virtual surround sound, autocomplete for dialpad, improved keyboard, OpenGL ES 3.0 support and a handful of other things. You can find a list of Android 4.3 features here.

Over and above these features, the Android 4.3 update enables Bluetooth tethering on the Galaxy S4 and the IR port on the One.

HTC One – HTC Dev Center

• Kernel source
• Framework files
• Rehosted OTA courtesy of XDA Senior Member LOCKDOC_UA

Samsung Galaxy S 4

• Open Source Release Center - MH1 Release
• Captured OTA Link courtesy of XDA Senior Member tublah

Sony Xperia Tablet Z gets official Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Sony has decided not to waste any time and push the freshly announced Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as part of its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for the Xperia Tablet Z.

Sony Community manager Marcus Hansson says that Sony developers began work only after Google made its Android announcement at the event yesterday just to get the latest Jelly Bean version running on the Tablet Z. As a result, not all of the Android 4.3 functionality works just yet.

However, while the official post says it’s pretty unstable, the build seems to run just fine on the tablet. The enhanced multi-profile support works just fine, so does Wi-Fi, as you can see from the video below. With time, more of the cool Android 4.3 Jelly Bean features will be made available through the AOSP program, so stay tuned.

If you’re an advanced Sony Xperia Tablet Z user, head up to the company’s GitHub repository from the source link below to get your hands on the beta Android 4.3 Jelly Bean ROM.

Sony announces list of smartphones and tablets getting the Android 4.3 JellyBean update

Sony has just published the list of devices that will be getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update that was announced yesterday. On the smartphone side, the company will be bringing the latest Jelly Bean version to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia SP and Xperia Z Ultra. The only tablet that is confirmed to get treated to the latest Android release at this point is the Xperia Tablet Z.

Sony is currently seeding the Jelly Bean 4.2 update for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. Starting from early August, the Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z will get Android 4.2 as well.

Some older Xperia phones running Android 4.1 are still under examination. There's a possibility that at least some of them will be updated straight to Android 4.3, but no names have been confirmed yet.

Additionally, Sony acknowledges that its updates haven't been "as succinct or as timely as you might’ve expected." The company's developers have now changed their workflow to assure that future updates arrive faster. The whole procedure is detailed in a lengthy and educational blog post, in case you are interested.

Sony isn’t the only manufacturer that could skip Android 4.2, either. Samsung is expected to do the same with the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II, updating them from Android 4.1 straight to Android 4.3.

A brief of Breakfast with Google's Sundar Pichai

Google released Android 4.3, the next major version of its Android operating system and made a series of software and hardware announcements at a press event in San Francisco yesterday.

Here is a quick lowdown of all the announcements that Google made yesterday -

Tablet Activations: Google has clocked 70 million tablet activations to date and Sundar Pichai, Google’s Senior Vice President of Android, Chrome & Apps claimed that one in every two tablets sold in the first half of 2013 was an Android based tablet. He also claimed that Nexus 7 accounted for 10% of all Android tablets sold until now.

Google Play Store Stats: Google claims to have more than one million apps in Play Store at present, making it possibly the first mobile operating system to cross the milestone publicly. In comparison, Apple had reported 900,000 iOS apps last month. Google also reiterated that it has generated more than 50 billion app installs on Google Play to date, a number it had mentioned during the quarterly earnings report last week.

Google also introduced a new tablet-specific section to the Play Store in a bid to promote its tablet apps. However, I am curious on how many tablet apps does the Play Store really have? From what I have noticed, it has been a very negligible amount and Google itself has never provided any official breakdown between its phone specific and tablet specific apps until now. In comparison, Apple has375,000 iPad specific apps and 525,000 phone specific apps, as of last month.

Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean”: Google unveiled Android 4.3 ‘Jelly Bean’, the next major version of Android operating system, although it seems like a minor update over Android 4.2 ‘Jelly Bean’ in terms of features.

Android 4.3 brings in features like restricted profiles, support for OpenGL ES 3.0 and Bluetooth Smart, New DRM APIs for streaming 1080p videos, Dial pad autocomplete and a new Wi-Fi scan only mode for better location accuracy while conserving battery.

Restricted profiles which adds on to the existing multi user capabilities for tablets introduced in Android 4.2, allows device owners to create limited profiles through which they can restrict access to specific apps and content on the device. These limited profiles will not have access to Gmail, Calendar, Play Store or in-app purchases and owners will also have granular controls to restrict which apps can be accessed and how these apps behave based on the user profile.

For instance, users can control the maturity level of the profile and manage access to games and user generated content for the profile among others. Developers can also provide custom restrictions within their apps using the Restricted Profile API. We feel this feature will be quite handy for parents to avoid accidental in-app purchases by their kids when they share their tablets. It will also allow them to control their kids’ activities on the tablet.

Besides this, Android 4.3 will feature system wide support for Hindi and other languages like Africaans, Amharic, Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili and Zulu. Note that Google already offers Hindi as an inbuilt input language for all Android devices running on Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” or later and the company had alsolaunched a Hindi input & transliteration app for all Android devices running Android 2.2 or later in March 2013.  However, Robosoft beat Google to launching Indic versions of Android, by rolling out Indic enabled Android phone in April 2012.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will start rolling as an over the air (OTA) update to the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, first-gen Nexus 7, and the Galaxy Nexus, with Google Play edition devices receiving it ‘soon’. Developers can either download Android Studio to start developing apps for Android 4.3 or download the Android 4.3 package which includes SDK tools, Platform Tools, and Support Library through the Android SDK Manager.

Google Play Games: Following the launch of Google Play Game services in May 2013, Google has now launched a dedicated gaming app called Google Play Games, which works quite similar to Apple’s social gaming app Game Center.

The app acts as a gaming hub which allows users to track their game achievements and scores, view what games their friends are playing to aid game discovery, join multiplayer games and access the social and public leaderboards for any specific game. It also offers game suggestions in form of featured games and allows users to send friend requests to their Google+ contacts.

Textbooks Section in Google Play Books: Google unveiled a new dedicated textbooks category in Google Play Books, which will allows students to purchase textbooks outright or rent them for a six months period. While the company didn’t disclosed much details on this development, it informed that this section is expected to debut in early August and will apparently offer a “comprehensive” selection from five major publishing houses. Google has apparently partnered with Pearson, Wiley, Macmillian Higher Education, McGraw-Hill and Cengage Learning as per a TechCrunch report.

Google said that these textbooks will be available over the web, iOS and Android at a discounted rates of up to 80%, although it didn’t provide any specific details on the pricing.

Remember that Google had also recently announced a dedicated Android app store called Google Play For Education last May, which was expected to focus only on educational apps for grades K-12. The app store had started accepting app submissions last month and it is expected to debut in the United States in the Fall. We wonder if there will be any integration between this Android app store and the textbook section of the Google Play Books in the future.

Google Translate Website Gets Handwriting Input:  While this was not announced at the event, Google has introduced handwriting input to the Google Translate homepage. This feature will allow users to translate a written expression, even if you don’t know how to type the characters on the keyboard. Users can switch to this option by clicking on the input tools icon at the bottom of the text box. (It didn’t work for English language for us but worked in Spanish and French languages, although it seems to be designed keeping touch screens in mind). Google currently provides handwriting support for 45 languages, although it doesn’t seem to support any Indian language yet.

New Calendar API: Google has also released an updated Calendar API, bringing in push notifications to the API, thereby removing the need for periodic polling by the apps.

The Amber update will bring Glance to all WP8 Lumia phones except the 520

The Amber update for Nokia Lumia phones will bring a number of нев features to current phones, including the Glance feature. What is Glance? It allows you to wake the phone with a double tap (a la MeeGo) and it displays the time and missed notifications.The Glance mode gives users a clock screensaver on their screen that saves you having to turn on the phone simply to check the time.

Nokia has previously told Pocket-lint that internal research shows that turning on and off the phone, merely to check the time is one of the biggest battery drainers on a day-to day-basis.

Detailing the new feature in a FAQ on the company's website, Nokia states that customers wanting the new feature will have to wait for the Nokia Lumia Amber update:

"You need to wait for a Nokia Lumia Amber update, it will become available to the existing Nokia Lumia range on Windows Phone 8 as an over-the-air update. Once you have Lumia Amber update, you will receive a notification in Store about Display+touch app update and then you need accept it. You can control the Nokia Glance screen from a pane in the Display+touch section of the Settings menu."

The Amber update is expected in the coming weeks.

It’s not an AMOLED-only feature, LCD-packing Lumias will get it too. They can leverage the Timed option, which switches off the display completely after a preset period of time.

Anyway, all Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia Lumia phones will get the Amber update over the air, except for the Lumia 520 and 521 (which lack the hardware support) and the Lumia 925 and 1020 (which come with Amber out of the box).

Once the update is installed, the Windows Phone Store will prompt you that there’s a new Display+touch app update, which will enable Glance. Don’t try looking for the app before you get the update, it won’t work.

By the way, the high-end (9xx) Lumia phones will also get the Pro Camera app with Amber.

Samsung Galaxy S III Spotted Running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

According to leaked information from Samsung R&D in India, Samsung is simultaneously developing Jelly Bean 4.2.2 and 4.3.0 updates, and the former could be dropped altogether if Jelly Bean 4.3 is officially announced this week by Google.

These rumors from last week garnered a whole lot more credibility thanks to the provided leaked image which allegedly shows a Galaxy S III running on a 4.3.0 Jelly Bean test build.

The more interesting bit is that the leak allegedly comes from Samsung R&D India, if a report by Temefy.com is to be believed. According to the website, the company is working on an Android 4.3 build for the Galaxy SIII and the Galaxy Note II. The site has also posted an image of a Galaxy S III (GT-I9300) phone running Android 4.3 with Build number JDQ47.I9300XXUFMGQ and Baseband version I9300XXUFMGQ. We'd like to point out that there's no way to verify this information, and it should be taken with a grain of salt. Device manufacturers do work on experimental software internally, and a device spotted running a build of the OS does not imply that an update is imminent. Having said that, we'd expect Samsung to release a software update for the Galaxy S III bringing some features of the Galaxy S4 to it. Android 4.2 also offers additional features like lock screen widgets and daydream picture mode, so it's likely that the company would be planning to release an update, soon. 

However, the Android 4.3 update is an incremental update bringing more changes under the hood, so it's hard to say if the company would altogether abandon development on Android 4.2 just because Google is expected to release the Android 4.3 update. It's worth pointing out that integrating Samsung's UI and UX (user experience) features with Android takes time due to development and testing, but Samsung's score is improving when it comes to OS updates.

In June, a near finished Android 4.2.2 firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S III had leaked online. The update included a number of new software enhancements including a new Galaxy S4-like lock-screen with support for multiple widgets, an additional 'Light' unlock effect and an improved ripple effect compared to the current version, the ability to change clock size and set a personal message. It was reported that Samsung intended to release the update in July or August.

The new firmware also reportedly includes the Adapt Display screen mode that optimises display settings depending on ambient light conditions automatically and offers more natural colours.

It also brings the Daydream lock screen mode, a driving mode, actionable notifications, a new notification tray with additional toggles and a Galaxy S4-like tabbed interface for the phone settings menu. The update also offers a new version of S-Voice, Samsung's voice assistant and adds voice controls for operating the phone using voice commands. It also includes full-screen Samsung apps, a new smart switch widget and a white background in the 3D view mode for the Gallery app.

It's still not known if the final version of the update will also bring the camera features of the Galaxy S4.

Word is that development of the 4.3.0 update is also underway for the Galaxy S4 flagship, as well as another yet unannounced device, possibly the Galaxy Note 3.

It's still unknown what kind of features the 4.3 Jelly Bean update will to bring - or when, for that matter - but if the above leak is any indication, the announcement is imminent!

Seeing as how the kernel version and build date in the image are the same as those found on Android 4.1, then either the software is not finalized, or the build.prop has been tweaked to show a different Android version.