Android phone lost? Google will help you locate it
(Google on Friday announced…)
Google on Friday announced that it would offer a service to locate or securely wipe a lostAndroid phone by the end of this month. The service will be available to all Android phones running Android 2.2 or newer versions of the OS.
The service will be called Android Device Manager and will be available for free. Apple and Microsoft offer similar services for iPhones and Windows Phones, respectively. Several security apps also offer similar feature for Android phones though the implementation is not as robust as it is on iPhone.
In a post on the official Google blog, Benjamin Poiesz, an Android project manager, wrote: "Android Device Manager can help (you) ... keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure."
Android Device Manager will allow users to make their misplaced phone ring at its loudest volume even if it is in silent mode. Users will be able to do this through Android Device Manager website though Google said that it would also offer an Android app for the service at a later date.
This feature will come handy if you had misplaced your phone under a sofa or bed.
In case you have lost your phone outside your house you will be able to see the device on a map if it is switched on and follow it in real-time. It may help you recover the phone. But in case it can't be recovered, Android Device Manager will allow users to wipe it securely so that the private data doesn't fall in wrong hands.
"While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device," wrote Poiesz.
(Google on Friday announced…)
Google on Friday announced that it would offer a service to locate or securely wipe a lostAndroid phone by the end of this month. The service will be available to all Android phones running Android 2.2 or newer versions of the OS.
The service will be called Android Device Manager and will be available for free. Apple and Microsoft offer similar services for iPhones and Windows Phones, respectively. Several security apps also offer similar feature for Android phones though the implementation is not as robust as it is on iPhone.
In a post on the official Google blog, Benjamin Poiesz, an Android project manager, wrote: "Android Device Manager can help (you) ... keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure."
Android Device Manager will allow users to make their misplaced phone ring at its loudest volume even if it is in silent mode. Users will be able to do this through Android Device Manager website though Google said that it would also offer an Android app for the service at a later date.
This feature will come handy if you had misplaced your phone under a sofa or bed.
In case you have lost your phone outside your house you will be able to see the device on a map if it is switched on and follow it in real-time. It may help you recover the phone. But in case it can't be recovered, Android Device Manager will allow users to wipe it securely so that the private data doesn't fall in wrong hands.
"While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device," wrote Poiesz.
Microsoft Office comes to Android phones
Microsoft is bringing a pared-down version of its Office software to Android phones, but it won't work on Android tablets just as it doesn't on iPads.
The software will be available starting July 31. It requires a $100-a-year subscription to Office and won't be sold separately.
The new offering follows the release of an iPhone version in June and brings an Office app to phones running the most widely used operating system on new smartphones.
Microsoft is trying to make its Office 365 subscription more compelling, without removing an advantage that tablet computers running Microsoft's Windows system now have - the ability to run popular Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
"The release of this app shows that we're committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers,'' the company wrote in a blog post. "Office 365 subscribers will now be able to access, view, and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents with Windows Phone, iPhone and Android phones.''
Microsoft is pushing subscriptions as a way to get customers to keep paying for a product that was historically sold in a single purchase. The company touts such benefits as the ability to run the package on multiple computers and get updates for free on a regular basis. However, a subscription can be more expensive than buying the package outright for just one or two computers.
Microsoft said it designed Office Mobile for Android phones specifically for small-screen devices, even though many people will prefer editing documents on a tablet's larger screen. The company has a version for iPads and Android tablets, called Office Web Apps, but that runs on a Web browser and requires a constant online connection. The new Android software is an app that gets installed on the phone and can work offline.
With a subscription, customers typically get to use Office on up to 10 devices. Five of them can be Windows or Mac computers or Windows tablets. The other five can be iPhones or Android phones. Windows phones come with Office installed and do not count toward the limit.
In keeping the software off the iPad, the top-selling tablet computer, Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder has estimated that Microsoft is potentially ceding $1.4 billion a year in revenue, based on 10 percent of the 140 million iPad owners paying for a $100 subscription. Gownder said failure to provide it on the iPad or Android tablets gives incentives for users to explore competing offerings such as QuickOffice from Google and iWork from Apple.
Like the other mobile versions, the new Android software is designed for lightweight use. For example, you can use it to view and edit an attachment sent by email. But it's not meant to create a complex spreadsheet from scratch.
The new software requires Android 4.0 or later - the Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean flavors of Google's operating system. It's available through Google's online Play store. At first, it's available only in the US, though Microsoft plans to expand to 117 markets with versions in more than 30 languages.
Microsoft did not announce any plans for BlackBerry phones.
Microsoft is bringing a pared-down version of its Office software to Android phones, but it won't work on Android tablets just as it doesn't on iPads.
The software will be available starting July 31. It requires a $100-a-year subscription to Office and won't be sold separately.
The new offering follows the release of an iPhone version in June and brings an Office app to phones running the most widely used operating system on new smartphones.
Microsoft is trying to make its Office 365 subscription more compelling, without removing an advantage that tablet computers running Microsoft's Windows system now have - the ability to run popular Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
"The release of this app shows that we're committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers,'' the company wrote in a blog post. "Office 365 subscribers will now be able to access, view, and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents with Windows Phone, iPhone and Android phones.''
Microsoft is pushing subscriptions as a way to get customers to keep paying for a product that was historically sold in a single purchase. The company touts such benefits as the ability to run the package on multiple computers and get updates for free on a regular basis. However, a subscription can be more expensive than buying the package outright for just one or two computers.
Microsoft said it designed Office Mobile for Android phones specifically for small-screen devices, even though many people will prefer editing documents on a tablet's larger screen. The company has a version for iPads and Android tablets, called Office Web Apps, but that runs on a Web browser and requires a constant online connection. The new Android software is an app that gets installed on the phone and can work offline.
With a subscription, customers typically get to use Office on up to 10 devices. Five of them can be Windows or Mac computers or Windows tablets. The other five can be iPhones or Android phones. Windows phones come with Office installed and do not count toward the limit.
In keeping the software off the iPad, the top-selling tablet computer, Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder has estimated that Microsoft is potentially ceding $1.4 billion a year in revenue, based on 10 percent of the 140 million iPad owners paying for a $100 subscription. Gownder said failure to provide it on the iPad or Android tablets gives incentives for users to explore competing offerings such as QuickOffice from Google and iWork from Apple.
Like the other mobile versions, the new Android software is designed for lightweight use. For example, you can use it to view and edit an attachment sent by email. But it's not meant to create a complex spreadsheet from scratch.
The new software requires Android 4.0 or later - the Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean flavors of Google's operating system. It's available through Google's online Play store. At first, it's available only in the US, though Microsoft plans to expand to 117 markets with versions in more than 30 languages.
Microsoft did not announce any plans for BlackBerry phones.
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