Happy Birthday Android! Android OS Turns 9

The Android OS is among the most popular mobile based Operating Systems. 23rd of September, 2017 marks 9 years since the popular Operating System first showed up. It was September 23, 2008 when HTC Dream (also known as T-Mobile G1) first came out.

This was the first Android OS powered smartphone – also the reason why HTC and Google share such as special bond even today. Here’s a look at the first ever Android smartphone – the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1).

HTC Dream was the first smartphone to be powered by the Android OS

Development on the Android OS began as early as 2003 when Andy Rubin and other co-founders started off Android Inc. However the development picked pace once Google acquired Android Inc in 2005. The OS was showed off in 2007 and it finally hit the markets next year after one year of testing.

The HTC Dream came out into the markets with a 3.2 inched display, which could be slid out to reveal a physical keyboard below. Back then the design was revolutionary and even fully-touch enabled phones were rare. The Android OS powered HTC Dream sparked off a revolution which, almost a decade later, has become a global phenomenon.

The old Android Logo (Top) vs the new Android Logo (Bottom)

Android OS: Then and Now

Back in 2008 when the first smartphones came out, the market trends were very different compared to what they today are. There was no concept of phablets, which are the fastest growing segment today. Devices that came out at 4.2 to 4.5 inches were considered standard and a 5 inch display was rare. Today, it’s rare to find a phone with a display smaller than 5 inches.

The first Android phone came out with 192 MB of RAM. Today, the flagship devices feature 8GB of RAM. Storage space too, has multiplied from being just a few MBs to now coming out at as much as 512GB of space. A front camera was only for the rich, some of the latest phones are now coming out with dual front cameras.

The form factor has witnessed a major change as well. Android smartphones back then were bulky, used to slide out, or flip. Today, however, the physical keyboard has been ditched – and so has the home button which came after that. Android smartphones now are slimmer than ever before, kicking out even the age-old classic 3.5mm headphone jack.

Which Android smartphones have you used over the years? Which phone are you using today? How has the journey been? Comment below and let us know!

Happy Birthday, Android.

The post Happy Birthday Android! Android OS Turns 9 appeared first on Google Tricks Blog.

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Fix Gmail’s Biggest Annoyance with Drag & Drop

It’s no secret that I’m not big on Gmail or email in general. However, because the medium itself has evolved so much over the decades, it’s still extremely useful for private communication and remains germane part of our everyday lives.

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Drag & Drop Images as Attachment Instead of Insertion to Email Body

I use email mostly for customer support and the occasional back and forth with friends and relatives. The feature I use the most in the desktop site is the drag and drop functionality to attach files. It’s a great use of HTML5 and works well for the most part with the exception being images. When you drag and drop a PDF file it attaches itself as a Drive attachment but if the same was done with an image file, it directly inserts it into the body of the email instead of any attachment.

Problem

The Gmail drag & drop issue at hand

In spite of this decision being sensible, I still find it cumbersome at times when all I want to do in the first place is to attach an image file. So here’s a simple solution to keep drag and drop and yet attach the image as a file.

Solution

The solution is to drag and drop onto the attach file icon

Instead of dragging the image to the body, drag and drop onto the Attach file icon. It’s that simple!  The attach icon will show a small icon change and the images will be attached as files immediately. Although it’s a small adjustment to your workflow it has a huge impact as it fixes one of Gmail’s biggest annoyances.

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K-Lite Codec Pack 13.55 (Full)

http://ift.tt/1Och3ZD The K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of DirectShow filters, VFW/ACM codecs and tools. Codecs and DirectShow filters are needed for encoding and decoding audio and video formats. The K-Lite Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your audio and movie files. The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared ...

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K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 13.55

http://ift.tt/1QNTskb The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack is a collection of DirectShow filters, VFW/ACM codecs and tools. Codecs and DirectShow filters are needed for encoding and decoding audio and video formats. The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your audio and movie files. The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack has a couple of major advan...

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Grammarly for Chrome 14.802.1183

http://ift.tt/2uyeH0E Grammarly will make sure your messages, documents, and social media posts are clear, mistake-free, and impactful. Adding Grammarly to Chrome means that your spelling and grammar will be vetted on Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Tumblr, and nearly everywhere else you write on the web. Key Features include: Contextual spelling checker:Gr...

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Get a Discount Up To $388 on a Pixel Smartphone with Google Store Trade-In Program

Over the past couple of years, Google is paying major attention to their hardware division. With the recent acquisition of HTC’s Pixel team, the company is now looking forward to come out with even better devices in the future. The company has today introduced a Google Store trade-in program where you could trade your old smartphone and get a discount on the Pixel phones.

This Google Store Trade-In program is introduced just in time for the Android flagship Pixel 2. However, the offer is already live for Pixel smartphones too.

How The Google Store Trade-In Program Works

Making use of this Google Store Trad-In program is quite easy. Here’s how it works:

• Log on to the Google Store by going to http://ift.tt/2wde3ae
• Select the Google Pixel or Pixel XL that you want to purchase and click on ‘Buy’.
• You would then see an option of ‘Trade Your Phone’.
• Select your manufacturer
• Select your device
• You would then be asked a few questions on the condition of your phone to evaluate the trade-in price of your phone.

You will have to fill up some details about the condition of your phone.

• You would then have to ship your phone to Google and once they receive it, the amount would be credited to your card.

List of Supported manufacturers and Devices: 

The Google Store Trade-In program supports only six manufacturers for now:

• Samsung
• LG
• Google
• Apple
• Huawei
• Motorola

Only 6 manufacturers are supported as of now.

Here’s a list of smartphones that you can trade in and the discount that you can get:

• Galaxy Note5: $61-150
• Galaxy S8+: $66-$345
• Galaxy S8: $59.60-$305
• Galaxy S7 edge: $40.40-$175
• Galaxy S7: $52-$150
• iPhone 6: $35-$143
• iPhone 7 Plus: $68-$388
• iPhone SE: $30-$143
• LG G6: $35.20-230
• Nexus 6P: $113-165
• Nexus 5X: $82.50-$115
• Nexus 6: $35-$80

The trade-in value for the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL will be revealed once the company makes the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL official. The discounts are rather disappointing for now. However, it is expected that the trade-in value for the Google Pixel would be much higher. For now you’d need to give a fully functioning iPhone 7 Plus in order to get a $388 discount, which is the highest at offer so far.

 

The post Get a Discount Up To $388 on a Pixel Smartphone with Google Store Trade-In Program appeared first on Google Tricks Blog.

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Google Asking For Movie Reviews from Users

Google has been improving the way search results function for quite some time. The company has been coming out with a number of innovative ways to gather user feedback about things. In a latest such effort, Google is now gathering movie reviews from users.

Up until now users were able to rate and review places. However starting today, it has been observed that some users are being asked for movie reviews on Google Search. This is a part of Google’s continued effort to improve movie ratings. Last year Google introduced an option like or dislike a video. Now you can review movies too.

Google now allows users to review movies.

Movie reviews on Google are being asked over search. Most movies appear on a card in Google Search. Certain users are able to find a new option in these cards, ‘Audience Reviews’. You can now type in your full review here and then like or dislike the movie. Your review will be public and it will appear on the card of the movie.

The audience reviews appear right below critic reviews – which is the section where major media houses and movie critics tend to give their views on the movie. This is a cool update from Google which makes the users feel a part of the larger picture.

Audience Reviews appear below the Critics Movie Reviews.

Movie reviews play a critical role in the success of a movie. Not everyone visits a movie on the premier day or on the first weekend as they prefer to wait for reviews. Movie reviews help users decide if going to a particular movie is worth spending their hard-earned money.

With audience reviews on Google Search cards for movies, it makes the users feel more involved and allow them to express their opinion. This is a server side update and is rolling out to only a few users for now. Stay tuned with us for more updates on Google Search!

Source: Android Police

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