Computer World

Android release as Google has  finally revealed  that Android P will be officially called  Android 9 Pie . Yes, it’s as simple as that. Instead of beating around the bush and picking an awfully long name, Google has picked a dessert that was right in front of our eyes to represent its next major release of Android. This official announcement comes just around  2 weeks after  the release of the previous beta. Pie is a sweet and crisp name and I’m all in favor of it, but the Android 9 release is packed with new features to the brim. Google has been testing most of these features on its Pixel devices, alongside other third-party OEM devices from the likes of Essential,  OnePlus ,  HMD Global’s Nokia , Vivo, Xiaomi, and others. Update Rollout So, while a lot of users got the taste of what’s to come in Android 9 Pie, the official builds have  currently started rolling out as an over-the-air update to Pixel devices . The Pixel 2 at...

Last year marked an important shift for Google’s mobile efforts — gone are the days of developer-focused Nexus hardware. We’re now living in a time where Google makes its own smartphones (with some help from other manufacturers) to compete head-to-head with the other devices dominating the Android space. With a bigger focus on appealing to  all  users (not just developers and the most die-hard Android purists), the  Google Pixel  and  Pixel XL  offered a fantastic camera, stellar performance, a refined software experience, and, at least at the time, the Pixel-exclusive Google Assistant. As great as the Pixels may have been last year, though, there was some obvious room for improvement. Now Google is back with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, perhaps two of the most-anticipated phones of the year. Here’s what you need to know about the company’s new flagship smartphones. Pixel design, refined. You’ve probably noticed by now that the Pixel 2 and Pix...

Pixel 2 to pack Snapdragon 836 Google’s upcoming phone Pixel 2 will be the first to boast Snapdragon 836 processor, according to a   leak   by Fudzilla. The hi-end chip is expected to be slightly faster than its predecessor Snapdragon 835. This will be a repeat of last year’s scenario when Pixel and Pixel XL were the first phones to come up with Snapdragon 821 processor – an updated version of Snapdragon 820. Similar to Snapdragon 821, Snapdragon 836 will have a higher clocked speed than its predecessor. Performance-wise the chip is expected to be about 10 percent faster than Snapdragon 835. The new processor will also be more economical in consuming power. Hence, phones equipped with Snapdragon 836 can be expected to have a better battery life. Earlier it was reported that Samsung’s Note 8 will be the first phone to carry the chip but the South Korean tech giant decided to stay with Snapdragon 835, as per the report. Xiaomi and other mobile phone makers...

Google is jumping headfirst into the smartphone market  with its new Pixel devices , both of which were announced in San Francisco earlier today. On the surface, they don’t look particularly groundbreaking—it’s fair to say they look like nearly every other smartphone on the market. But Google is making a huge bet on AI with Assistant and the Pixel will be the first  phone with the software built in. Is Google’s AI enough of a draw to sell an entire ecosystem over, say, an iPhone 7? That remains to be seen; Google certainly thinks so. At Google’s event, we went hands-on with the Google Pixel, a device that will be the face of the search giant over the next 12 months. As we said, the design doesn’t really  stand out as anything spectacular, although Google made sure to emphasize that the 12.3-megapixel camera is the best on the market—at least according to a DxOMark rating. We’ll put that to the test when we have the opportunity to spend more time with the devi...

Google Assistant Google Assistant is coming to several of Google’s new products. It’s built into the company’s new chat app, Allo, and powers the upcoming Google Home smart speaker. But the Pixel and Pixel XL put Assistant in your pocket and make it available at a moment’s notice. Just hold down the home button or say “OK Google” to launch the AI assistant and start giving commands. Google Assistant can answer questions, check the weather or play a video. Assistant can even understand follow-up questions so you can carry out a more natural conversation, similar to what Siri offers. It also replaces the company’s old “Now on Tap” feature, bringing up relevant information on whatever you’re currently looking at as soon as it’s activated. Powerful Cameras The Pixel and Pixel XL both feature a 12.3-megapixel rear camera that scored an impressive 89 from DxOMark Mobile, making them the top-scoring mobile devices around. Google also included a “Smartburst” mode, wh...