Google Announces Android 4.3, Netflix, New Nexus 7, and Q Successor Chromecast

At a press conference dubbed "Breakfast With Sundar," Google announced two new pieces of hardware and a minor revision to Android. Complete stories and commentary are still coming in, but in the mean time you can skim a liveblog or two First is the new Nexus 7. The hardware is slightly improved (full HD screen, better graphics, etc.). The specs managed to "leak" hours before the event through Best Buy opening preordering too early. On the software side, they've announced a minor revision to Android, 4.3. It features improved Bluetooth support (including Bluetooth 4.0), OpenGL ES 3.0, enhanced internationalization, enhanced DRM, and multi-user support. The multi-user support looks most exciting: now you can share a tablet with more than one person. One of the features Google focused on was restricted profiles: a device owner can create accounts that e.g. cannot make in-app purchases (Junior won't rack up a $3000 bill again). Bad news: Google is implementing stricter DRM for books and video, locking down the entire video stack. The consolation prize is that Netflix will work on more devices and at 1080p. Also demoed were a new version of Chrome that brings the tablet experience closer to the desktop, improved hangouts, and improved maps. Google also appears to be making a push into gaming, emphasizing tablet-only games that integrate into Google+. In addition to gaming, they have secured deals with five major textbook publishers to sell students presumably DRMed electronic textbooks that can be purchased or rented, enhanced with better search and highlighting (because PDF readers don't support those features already). As usual lately, all of the really nice additions to Android are proprietary and tied to Google services, further eroding the open nature of Android. Finally, they announced a tiny $35 dongle named Chromecast that appears to be the successor of the Nexus Q. Running Chrome OS, it connects to any HDMI port, finds your Wi-Fi network, and Just Works (tm) for online video. The online and mobile Youtube and Netflix interfaces will allow you to hit a single button and forward the video to your television as well. Google Music streaming to the television is also supported. The Chromecast looks like a handy little device, hopefully it is turns out it can be reflashed. Of course, when using your browser as a remote, all of the commands go through The Cloud. An SDK and more details on the software side of things are slated for release later today, although conspiciously absent on their supported platforms list is GNU/Linux, listing only Chrome OS and Android. Update: 07/24 18:01 GMT by U L : The Chromecast SDK is out, but with an awfully restrictive license that requires written permission from Google to distribute any cast enabled applications, which appears to make it completely incompatible with Free/Open Source software.

Comments

Not all new

[AmiMoJo]

Multiple user accounts have been available in Android for ages, this is just some enhancements. Same with sending YouTube and Netflix video from your phone/tablet to your TV - I can do that with my Panasonic Viera and Galaxy S3.

Features being tied to Google services is hardly new either.

Re:Not all new

[alostpacket]

If you like tinkering you might consider rooting and giving CM10 a try. Back when I used to do root & tinker there were ways, (once rooted, depending on the ROM), to block updates. Rooting is not everyone's cup-o-joe though, some prefer stock-like CM, etc., others like TouchWiz.

Also, nothing cheap about being prepaid. :) Once T-Mo get's their LTE house in order I plan to go back to them with whatever their prepaid / month to month BYOD plan is now.

No thanks

[Anonymous Coward]

You can keep all your privacy invading products to yourself Sundar. My next phone is going to be either a Jolla or a FirefoxOS device. I got tired of the whole Google+-ification of every Google product.

Re:No thanks

[Andrio]

I don't understand. You can use android with the Google stuff disabled. You don't even need to use a Google account. All you really lose out on is the Google play store. But here's the best part: you can install other app stores! Like the Amazon one, or F Droid, or one of those porn ones that Steve Jobs griped about.

Hell, you could forego an app store altogether and just download apks from websites if you wanted. That's the beauty of Android. Ulike iPhones or Windows Phones, you're free to install what you want. It's like an actual PC in your pocket.

Re:How do they plan to do that if I own the kernel

[Applekid]

How would that even work?
If you control the kernel you can have it lie and return whatever signature you want. If it tries to hash something, let it hash a copy of the signed kernel you backed up.

It doesn't matter if the encryption is solid or not. It could be a simple XOR if they wanted to. What matters is that the DMCA makes anyone who fiddles with it a criminal.

Re:How do they plan to do that if I own the kernel

[h4rr4r]

Well, I guess I can leave android now. Any word on when firefox OS devices start shipping?
It was nice while it lasted.

The paragraph.

[westlake]

At a press conference dubbed "Breakfast With Sundar,"

Large blocks of text are hard to read.