Google Makes Relevant Changes To Android

Google modifies Android permissions to make signing up easier

Alphabet Inc. has completely transformed the mechanism of the operating system for Android that deals with the permission for gamers with a hope that it becomes easier for the masses to sign up players for transaction purposes.

Alphabet which is the parent company of Google recently claimed that it is tweaking permissions for its app store namely Google Play. This will result in the alteration of the app gaming model programming interface. The company is now coming up with ways to deal with “friction” which is a unanimous issue faced by developers.

Developers complain that there are several steps involved whilst signing players which make it difficult to deal with transactions.

Apple Inc. is certainly better when it comes to this in contrast to GOOG since it has already signed consumers to the iTunes platform since more than a decade.  The users thus have their sign in credentials and credit cards already on file which makes it relatively fast to make in app purchases during games. However, the direct history mechanism of Google Android is comparatively shorter resulting in friction.

As per the new model, the players will be asked to login only once for every account in contrast to one for each game. The players do not need to have their Google+ account upgraded to make use of Play Games service. Once these players have logged in for the very first time, there will not be any need to sign up again whatsoever.  Their details will be saved and they can sign in automatically.

According to Wolff Dobson, the advocate for developers mentioned in a blog, “Once a user signs in for first time, new games will generally be able to sign in without any user interaction.” He further added, “There is no consent screen required for signing in on any particular game. Sign-in will be automatic to each new game. In order to respect user’s privacy and avoid revealing their real name, we also have to change the way player IDs work.”

The users that already exist will thus continue to get their hands on the Google+ ID when they log in. thus, the new players will get a new player ID which will be different than the IDs used previously. Majority of the games will not encounter any massive changes altogether. However, in certain cases, changes will be required for a better and dynamic user experience. The initiative is very sane and might just churn in revenues for Google.

Alphabet Android One Targets Emerging Markets

Alphabet to re-launch Android One targeting the Indian manufacturers.

Alphabet Inc. might not be battling it out anymore since its defeat but it still wishes to win the bigger battle. The company has plans to launch the economically priced Android One smartphone range again in the Indian market. According to the popular website, the Wall Street Journal, the company will reduce the restrictions it had previously implied on the local manufacturers so that they can come up with better functionalities and also be cost efficient. The tech giant has plans to join hands with Lava International which is an Indian mobile handset firm that will launch the products again in compliance with the recent requirements. Initially the Android One smartphones will be priced at $100, however, the prices for the new smartphones hasn’t been specified as of yet. Previously the company has enforced strict prerequisites along with various other technological demands that caused barriers for the local Indian manufacturers. They claimed that the restrictions that were chalked out were not assisting them in differentiating the smartphones from other manufacturers locally that developed Android One. Moreover, they were forced to buy the smartphone components from particular manufacturers. The local smartphones brand in the Indian market such as Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn where the companies that were considers to be producers of Android One in the Indian back in September 2014. The only difference in the phones was in terms of their design and appearance but the specs were similar and complied to the requirements set by Alphabet. So now the company has raised the bar, thus the manufacturers have now the choice of picking their wide array of suppliers for the devices. Back in times the sales of Android One in India did not really comply with the estimates. Only 1.2 million cellular phone units were sold that was only 3.5% market share when taking cheap mobile phones into consideration priced between $50 - $100. During the same tenure company’s like Xiaomi and Micromax had bigger shares of the same domain which were 7.5% and 8.7% respectively. Micromax was not officially listed to be a part of the Android One venture. The company is optimistic now that the change in strategy will lure manufacturers to come up with better smartphones that are budget friendly which will in return bolster sales. Google Android has already succeeding in becoming the widely used operating system but it is now time that they reign over cheap handsets market as well.

Microsoft Adds Video Message Filters To Skype

Microsoft modified Skype by adding cool new video message filters.

Microsoft Corporation is all geared up to bolster its voice calling platform Skype. In accordance to this, the company has rolled out various improvements that are aimed to enrich user experience. The company has added video message filters on its mobile application. Thus the Skype application compatible with the Apple iPad and iPhone along with Google Android will make the entire Skype experience extremely vibrant, joyful and energetic. As per the Skype team these messages are basically short clips that can be sent to your Skype contacts. This is not it, the Microsoft users can also customize these video clips to add a personal touch to the messages. Recently Snapchat came up with its video message filters that became extremely popular amongst the masses. Likewise, the Skype video message filters serve a similar purpose. However, the thing that will discriminate the feature by MSFT and Snapchat is that the video message on Skype can be viewed at any time and will not just be a missive. Moreover, you do not need to be online to view these messages. On the bottom left of the screen when the Skype browser is launched, you will see a video message screen. You will have to activate the option to take advantage of this feature. The option will allow you to choose the video filter you like then simply preview it to check if it is as per your liking. Once it is chosen, start recording the video. The filters are a lot of fun and are added according to the season. This encompasses balloons, ghosts that add to the Halloween fever, face changing feature, costumes etc. Moreover, they also have some negative filters that make you look ghastly. The experience is more engaging for Apple iPhone 6s users that since the device boasts of 3D Touch options that breathe in life to these filters. Skype also wants to make the platform better focusing more on customer experience thus they have also made several improvements that are aimed to load the conversations faster. So now users will not have to deal with lag while using Skype. The initiative taken by the company is extremely smart since the competition in the industry is increasing on a rampant pace thus it is important to constantly improvise and intrigue the users. Skype is extremely popular since a fairly long span of time since it is considered to be a pioneer in this domain. They do have their niche audience but now all they need to do is hook them to the platform.

Microsoft Surface Phone To Be A Game Changer

Microsoft's restructuring will help in their smartphone, cloud computing and Internet of Things domain.

The chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, Mr. Satya Nadella has made a big change in the structure of the company where he has bid farewell to almost 7,800 individuals belonging to Microsoft’s mobile phone department. He has also written off $7.6 billion for the acquisition of Nokia which was made under the leadership of Steve Ballmer.

“We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem including our first-party device family,” Stated Mr. Nadella. So now the company will strategize and focus on more targeted markets. This encompasses three types of consumers like the ones who are still loyal to Windows, customers who are cost conscious, along with enterprise consumers.

This way the company is creating their demand in the market where Surface Pro will also play a significant role. Microsoft Windows has to deal with immense competition since Apple Inc.’s iOS and Google Inc.’s Android have a strong share of the market.

At this point, another issue which MSFT is dealing with is that app developers are not interested in developing applications for the ecosystem since iOS and Android are more money making. So it is a relatively sane decision which Microsoft is making since it cannot compete with the likes of iOS and Android.

However, with the launch of Windows 10 scheduled for July 29 will ensure that connectivity for users occurs on various hardware devices allowing Microsoft to have a circuit feasible for smartphones. Microsoft focus at this point is to come up with smartphones, bolster its cloud computing domain and Internet of Things to make its mark in the times to come.

So now their primary focus should be to make these services work smoothly so that they can ensure a connected life. Previously the company did relatively well with the Surface hybrid so now a Surface phone makes sense since they will use their expertise to gain customers/

The company has also revealed that a "Universal Windows Platform Bridges," which will assist developers to port applications present on other operating systems so that they work on Windows.

This is a great step taken by the company to bolster its services and make smartphones that also follow a similar format. Mr. Nadella has insights which are benefiting the company to a great extent. However, now they are required to take bold steps that will help them to sustain and fight back to redemption.

Bidness Tech - Microsoft's App 'Flow' To Be Launched On iOS

Microsoft Flow to be launched on iOS suggests rumors.

Microsoft Corporation is working on launching its Flow chat application on the Apple iPhone. The news has made way through a Twitter user named h0x0d by a screenshot which he has leaked. According to this user, he got access to the description of Flow app through a download page known as “Microsoft Confidential,” that said, “Introducing Flow by Outlook for iPhone”. This screenshot provided details regarding the Flow app and what features will be available on the iPhone. However, no word has been observed from the executives for this Microsoft product.

The tech behemoth is trying its best to make a mark with its smartphones. A part of this initiative is to come up with apps for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platform.

Flow will have features similar to that of an email service and will also act as a Messengers that will allow users have access to message threads and chat that will be available on a relevant email account. This app is likely to transform the way individual’s access text and emails.

As said by Microsoft, the purpose of coming up with such an application is to give users “A great way to have rapid email conversations on your phone with the people who are important to you.” They further stated that users can opt for Outlook and Flow simultaneously to have a similar conversation. So now with one email account, users can engage with a diversified audience. Moreover, the conversations will also be saved at the same time on Outlook.

The purpose of this application is to provide “Fast, fluid, natural conversations,” in real time. so now users do not have to worry about subjects, salutations or signatures while conversing resulting in less distraction. So the application is an actual replica of the name where everything is in a “flow”

One of the attractive features of this app is that the conversations are less saturated. So the application will only display those conversations that use this app so that clutter can be avoided and data remains clean. So the app will have a relatively clean interface and will also avoid glitches. Hence, the load on the processor is likely to be lesser since it will not manage an entire inbox. As said, Flow will cater to one to one conversation without the noise as stated.

Hence, Microsoft is likely to boost outlook from this endeavor. The company is trying its best to boost its Windows operating system and apps on smartphones which now seem to be possible in the times to come.

Bidness Tech - Microsoft Needs To Explore New Initiatives

Microsoft needs to come out of Windows and explore new segments like computing on web and desktop.

Previously many questioned whether the CEO of Microsoft Corporation’s Mr. Satya Nadella could cope up for the losses the company has experienced. However, things have changed to a great extent for them and they are actually on the verge of redemption. At this point, Mr. Nadella’s strategy is working out for the firm but still there are certain loopholes in the company’s strategy and vision that will halt the company’s growth in the times to come.

Tiernan Ray of Barron’s Asia believes that for a company to be successful it needs to have the aspects of Android and Apple. Despite the fact that Mr. Nadella’s efforts have boosted Microsoft (MSFT) stocks to a price of $48.30. The company’s effort to streamline its service for its Windows operating system have acted as barriers for them since they are now focused on one particular domain rather than exploring other potential platforms. Computing in mobile and web has immense potential for growth, Mr. Ray suggests MSFT to come out of Windows and explore new horizons.

September will be a game changer for the firm where it expects to launch Windows 10 which is expected to be the next eye candy for developers and users. The company is focused and believes that the upcoming operating system will have such advancements that have never been seen in Windows OS. Many consider that it will be on par Max OS X. However those have been associated with the company for long do not see it as a major advancement.

Mr. Sherlund, while speaking to Barron’s Asia stated: “It used to be they would ship a new version, and the market took it as an inducement to buy new PCs. But the PC market is just too mature at this point for consumers to have a lot of interest in a new operating system.”

The company is now on the right track considering they have something big in store that is likely to become a major disruption. Moreover, the company now has several futuristic plans which if implemented in the right direction can cause further disruption.

MSFT is only struggling when it comes to their smartphones where the operating system on this platform is not very well received by the masses. Moreover, developer’s preferences for iOS and Android over Windows has also resulted in defame which the company needs to worry about.

Microsoft products and services are increase and getting better with time if this continues then the future is extremely stable for them.

Bidness Tech - Microsoft Windows 10 Might Not Revive The Company's Smarthphone domain

Microsoft cannot really compete with iOS and Android ecosystem.

Microsoft Corporation has been a major game player in the world of laptops, personal computers, and tablets to some extent, but the company has been stumbling when it comes to smartphones since a long while now. Microsoft products have established their niche market, but smartphones have never been their thing.

The two operating system which have become a major game player in the mobile interface domain is Apple Inc's iOS and Google Inc's Android. They have been present in the market for a fairly long time and have made their strong market presence. During this time, Microsoft was only stumbling when both these operating systems were establishing its market. However, many skeptics believe that Windows 10 will not be a game changer for them as well since the mess has already been made.

There are several problems associated with Windows operating system. Firstly, developers have sidelined this operating primarily to the limited stream of revenues along with the lack of opportunity when comparing Android or iOS. Developers tend to spend a great amount of time in building these two operating system that apps on Windows are hardly updated. Most of the time, the Window users complain that they do not get a similar experience like the two operating system. Moreover, few Microsoft products that are highly demanded are also rolled out on other OS without understanding that they need to work on their platform at this point of time.

However, Microsoft at this point is trying to enforce the fact that this new operating system will be a breakthrough for them. The new browser known as Project Spartan is expected to be a game changer for the firm which will redefine the browsing experience. They will now also have an Action Center that will allow users to receive notifications and sync data on various platforms. They are reportedly working on an on- screen keyboard that will be floating. Moreover, A Siri-like feature known as Cortana will act like a personal assistant of the user keeping him well equipped with everything he needs to know.

Irrespective of the fact that new features have been launched, we do not see that any damage can be caused to the market share of Apple and Google. However, Microsoft efforts need to be commended since now they are at least trying to pave their way to redemption.

Hence, in a nutshell, Microsoft will gradually pave its way to redemption and meanwhile these steps will act as a catalyst to embrace the change on a broader canvas.