As outlined in bits back during the Google I/O 2013 main keynote, this mobile experience will be expanding to work with expanded abilities in the webGL department and more Google Wallet features than you can shake a finger at. For now though, the upgrade begins with autocomplete action.

In addition to the autocompletion of forms run by Chrome’s cross-device abilities to remember what you’ve saved, you’ll now have client-side certificate support. When a site requires you to use a certificate, Chrome for your Android device will now be able to assist you – and install, too.

This upgrade will allow Tab history on tablets – just a long-press on your browser back button will pull it up. You’ll also have a bunch of fixes on the back end you’ll never see – performance and stability updates, for the most part.

Chrome 27 bring with it Fullscreen on phones – this is the first time you’ll have been able to pull up and allow the internet – not your tab bar – taking up your entire display. Unfortunately it does appear that your notifications menu – set by Android itself – will have to stay.

Finally you’ll be working with simpler searching. If you type a term into the box that Google calls its “Omnibox”, also known as the URL bar, you’ll find your search query to remain there as you’re searching. While some platforms require that you type your term over completely each time you want to search, this allows you to make minor corrections in spelling or spacing, if need be.

This update to Chrome is available right this minute through Google Play for Android devices. If you don’t yet have Chrome on your Android device, picking it up at any point is a totally free affair as well.

This game will be bringing with it a storyline that’s 10 years into the future – a future where the world has had a catastrophic event that’s destroyed much of our modern society. Once again you’ll be taking part in a spy warfare situation, working with many environments – from exploding structures to underwater caves to the sides of skyscrapers.

Above you’ll see the first teaser trailer for this game with graphics as they’ll be appearing on the Xbox One. There you’ll see mostly cinematics, but you’ll get a taste of what it’ll be like to play as well. Here the developers behind the game have built on a next-generation gaming engine that allows for environments that are thick and diverse. New animations are being introduced as well: sliding, lean out, lean in, and interactive smoke included.

Users will be able to customize characters in a new collection of ways for multiplayer action. This game will be able to be played both online and offline, with dynamic maps appearing for users to modify in-game while the game is in-play online. Changing the map with actions like exploding bombs is an ability reserved for only the next generation for games like Hawken.

Below you’ll be seeing the folks at Infinity Ward showing off how they made this “emotional reality” of a game exist for the Xbox One.

The team you’re part of is made of the remnants of the USA military. You’ll be working with a dog – and Infinity Ward’s Executive Producer Mark Rubin notes: “we’ve had dogs in Call of Duty before, but never like this. This is someone you care about – this is a squad member.”

This dog is also going to be part of the game with direct control. As Rubin mentioned speaking with Joystiq as they met with him earlier this year, speaking about this game specifically, they found some rather interesting things when researching real tactical dogs.

“The dog you saw in the picture has all that armor on and stuff, it’s not fake. The dog actually is wearing an earpiece, and he’s got a camera on his back that flips up, so the seal actually has a screen and he can see what the dog sees through that camera. So if the dog is moving through tall grass or in a room or a dark area somewhere, he can see it on his screen.

He can actually give voice commands to the dog through the earpiece – go left, go right. And if they need to be silent – this is crazy – the dog’s got little vibrating things on his neck, so you can vibrate right or vibrate left and the dog knows, if I feel right, I go to the right, if I vibrate left I go to the left. So he can drive the dog, in a sense, from his little device on his arm.” – Mark Rubin, Infinity Ward CEO

This game will be released at a time when – we must assume – the Xbox One is already available. As the game has been pegged for release on 11.5.2013, we can assume that Microsoft’s assertion that the Xbox One will be released “later this year” will mean right around the holidays. Have a peek at our Xbox One tag portal for more information on this next-generation console and stay tuned for more information on the Call of Duty series – and more Ghosts!

The new Flickr app for Android takes on what’d been released earlier this year for iOS and retrofits it to the Google-made mobile operating system. Flickr’s main draw this week is the ability to retain the full quality of each photo your device takes in full-sized automatic uploads. Announced this week for Google’s social network was a boost in space as well – but without full-sized saving on lock.

Above: Flickr’s new web-based user interface. Below: out with the old!

As Yahoo gives a base boost of 1TB of space, Google+ Photo uploads sits at 15GB, split between Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ Photos. Yahoo continues to compete against new Google+ photo abilities run by Snapseed as well, working with home-grown instant-fix abilities and retro filters galore.

The Android app works with the endless scrolling abilities that the internet interface also now employs, making full use of the full-sized photo deployment that the Flickr ecosystem will flaunt forevermore. Both the web interface and the Android UI have been updated today alongside an iOS update that adds a few bug fixes coming soon. It would appear that all things follow iOS design, in this case.

[SOURCE: Yahoo on Tumblr]

It’s not a matter of being able to create the device and distribute it fast enough: Google has been clear that they’re perfectly able to create devices en masse and send them to customers at speed. The company now creates and distributes several hardware bits and pieces: the Chromebook Pixel, Nexus 4 smartphone, and Nexus 7 tablet to name a few. Instead, it would seem, the team of creators here only wish it were the future, past the steps they must take between here while the device is still in its developer infancy and the point at which Glass is ready for anyone to buy.

Product Director for Google Glass Steve Lee spoke to this point at length, noting the place where the project was today and where it’ll be going in the very near future.

Steve Lee: With the Explorer Program, where we’re at right now, is were now getting it in to the hands of thousands of other people to see what exciting things they can do with Glass. The first group of people that we’re getting it in the hands of are developers. We know that to fully realize the potential of Glass, we need your help. We need innovators to develop on the platform. 

The next group of people that will become Explorers are those that signed up for #ifihadglass. And there were 8,000 people selected from over 100,000 people who applied. And we will soon be rolling out invites to those folks to pick up Glass. 

What’s exciting about that group of people – they’re not developers – but it’s a nice cross-section of people. We have folks who are educators, teachers, we have athletes. We have DJs, dentists, hair stylists. All kinds of different people. 

And so we’re really excited to see a diverse set of folks – what are they going to do with glass?

Also commenting on the situation with where Glass is today and how long it will be before the product is delivered in a final consumer form was Senior Developer Advocate at Google for Project Glass Timothy Jordan. Also acting as moderator for this fireside chat, Jordan made sure to let the audience know that it’s not that Google wants to hold the device back for no good reason.

Timothy Jordan: We don’t have an updated timeline for Glass release. Where we’re at right now, is… lemme say this: I’ve had a number of people come up to me at Google I/O and be like: ‘I want Google Glass, and I have this amazing idea.’ And my first reaction is: ‘I want you to have Glass!’ 

Right now we’re selling Glass to the Explorers who signed up at Google I/O last year. Next it’s the “If I had Glass” people. Next, it could be you.

SlashGear will be continuing to explore the Google Glass environment with our own up-close look at the Developer Edition of the device at updates, during pointed moments of opportunity, and at moments when brilliance strikes from here until that day when Google decides to move forward with a general edition. Until then: courage.

At the moment it’s unclear what sort of price structure will be in place or how the device will be distributed to the public once the time is ripe. It’s likely they’ll be picked up in bags like the one you see here held by Glass lead industrial designer Isabelle Olsson – this bag contained an original prototype, just so you know.

Google Glass is at such a point in its infancy that the company could be making major changes to every piece of the project – software and hardware included. Software updates will be pushed out to developers from this point forward on a monthly bases with changes coming based on suggestions from the public. Suggestions made by developers and the public are also being taken under advisement by the team for hardware as well as software.

This goes so far as Jordan literally writing down a Pantone color code suggested by a developer for the next wave of Glass hardware during this extended chat. This team appears serious about making a device that’s both by and for its future wearers.

It was in chats like these – and in breakout sessions more like lessons for developer attendees of the conference – that the Glass team used to represent itself in California during I/O 2013. Glass may not have been discussed at length in the opening keynote on day 1, but it certainly had its fair share of attention during the week. Expect this chatter to get extra vibrant once the consumer edition arrives.

There’s also support for the comically-titled “Auto Awesome” feature, which can create GIF animations from a series of shots, or panoramic images by stitching them together. Auto-backup is used to fire off all your new shots to the cloud.

In addition to the web-based features we saw added last week, there are also various filters and processing tweaks possible, thanks to Google’s acquisition of Snapseed last year.

Elsewhere, there’s extra control over location sharing, with a new Locations section in the app that shows where all your nearby friends are. Obviously that only works if they’ve enabled location-sharing with you; the control is in the settings, if you’re not interested in being found.

The last big change is support for hashtags, which pull in real-time streams of themed content, in addition to automatically tagging your articles just as the web-based Google+ has begun to do. Google says there’s also an easier way to access Hangouts with a shortcut straight to the new app, while the notifications menu has been aesthetically tweaked too.

Google+ may have been treated as something of a joke to begin with, with regular comparisons how popular Facebook has been, but it looks like Google isn’t willing to give up on it. In fact, the social network arguably now makes even more sense when seen in context of things like Google Glass, the two making for the beginnings of an ideal life-logging platform.

Google+ 4.0 for Android will land in in the Google Play store later today.

Google’s developer conference is home to more than just developers, of course: press, analysts, students, and Google lovers from all angles are invited, but this year the company had a more focused approach in mind. While the conference retained its three-day allotment of breakout sessions and fireside chats with Google’s own for developers of all types, the company’s initial keynote was limited to one day instead of two.

This single keynote was also toned down – significantly – especially compared to last year’s explosion of content: new devices, a new version of Android, and a skydive drop live with what was then called Project Glass. Larry Page stepped on stage to make an address to the developers and the public, taking part in an extended question-and-answer session as well, showing some extreme boldness answering whatever random queries attendees might have.

Because of these elements in the keynote – the most public and direct bit of the convention from Google, to be sure, the entire set of events was given what we suggested to Hugo Barra had given it all a more “human” vibe to I/O. This, he said was “exactly what we were aiming for.”

Google’s top guns stepped into the fray as well, with Googlers like Barra and Sergey Brin appearing for drinks and a chat with the press late on Day 1. There it was abundantly clear that this event was not simply made for developer training, but for person-to-person connectivity: another pillar the event was originally built on.

Our own Chris Davies lent some insight on this subject, his column “Google I/O and the year of the Context Ecosystem” speaking volumes about Google’s aim here in 2013.

“All of Google’s services are gradually interweaving. Google I/O 2013 is an ecosystem play, and it’s one of the biggest – and arguably ambitious – we’ve ever seen. It’ll drag Google+ with it along the way, and it might even kickstart the “internet of things” when we start to see some legitimate advantages of having every device a web-connected node.

Google didn’t give us a new phone for our pocket or a new tablet for our coffee table; instead, it gave us so much more.” – Chris Davies

What did you think of Google I/O 2013 from a consumer perspective? If you don’t consider yourself a consumer in this case – how did you take it all from whatever position you’re in?

Olsson showed a rather bulky and – according to her – rather heavy piece of hardware that was a mix of geeky massive and hipster odd. Speaking about the experience, walking into the room at Google on the first day that prototypes had been mocked up, Olsson described it as a rather exciting – if not scary – experience. One of the first changes the team had to make, she said, was in the unit’s ability to adjust.

“When I joined the project, we thought we needed 50 different adjustment mechanisms, but that wouldn’t make a good user experience. So we scaled it down to this one adjustment mechanism.” – Isabelle Olsson, Google Glass Lead Industrial Designer

Olsson also showed off Glass’ ability to be taken apart and moved. There’s one piece that acts as the most basic frame and the other – the computer – that can be attached to many different bits and pieces being built today.

“We make Glass modular. In this stage, this means you’re able to remove the board from the main frame. This is pretty cool. This opens up a lot of possibilities. It opens up possibilities for not only functionality but also scalability.” – Isabelle Olsson, Google Glass Lead Industrial Designer

Glass is still at a place where this team cannot tell the public when they will be ready to sell to consumers – the same goes for the future of Glass. Noting that they wouldn’t be able to comment on the future of Glass very much at this point. This was called into question by a boisterous audience member who yelled:

Why not?!

To which the host of this chat, Senior Developer Advocate at Google for Project Glass, Timothy Jordan, replied: “because it’s Google’s policy not to comment on future unannounced products. And because I follow rules.” To which the same audience member replied, pathetically hilariously:

Ok.

This attitude reflected the thoughts and wishes of the entire audience – or at least those without the device on their temples. With more than 30 members of the audience wearing the developer “Explorer Edition” in full effect, we were in rare company without a doubt.

Alain Vongsouvanh is a Developer Programs Engineer on Google Glass and the Google Mirror API. Jenny Murphy is also a Developer Programs Engineer for Glass with Google and both of these folks help developers work with the code that brings Google Glass apps to life.

Timeline and Menu

“The Mirror API is one managed through requests made through connections. The main one is a Timeline text card.” This connection is separate from a Gmail connection and separate from a Map connection – it exists as its own element unique to Glass. The most basic setup here is with text and an image.

Customizing these cards are as simple as writing HTML code, but it’s not as all-inclusive as, say, a Chrome web browser-displayed webpage. Google provides a Playground where tests and development can be done, offering here basic templates for developers and allowing them to start from scratch.

This system offers a variety of basic menu items like back and send, and developers are able to create custom menu items like “Complete!” The theme here is simplicity – this development environment is as simple as writing a bit of Java – not something someone off the street will be able to pick up in no time without any knowledge of creating with code, but certainly something that’s simple for a web developer or creator of apps for smart devices.

Contacts

Contacts is a system that a user will share to – just like they are on an Android smartphone. Developers can create a Contact Resource where they’ll have to set an ID that corresponds to a user, users, or a third party app. By default, a shareable element will trigger a list of apps and elements that are compatible with sharing.

Subscriptions and Locations

With Subscriptions, developers will be bringing forward notifications about changes. Instead of you posting to the API, the API will post to the device – input rather than output, so to speak. The developer will specify elements like Collection, User Token, Token Verification, and a Callback URL where needed.

A developer working with Subscriptions in Glass will be working with Timeline as well as Locations – this means they’ve got to account for both how the element is posted and what’s being posted, where it came from and what it’s doing.

Cat Facts

With an extremely simple Glassware app by the name of Cat Facts, Vongsouvanh showed how each of the five different elements in the Mirror API. Below you’ll see his explanation of how it’s not always necessary to work with all five of these bits and pieces, but how even something so simple as this app will be working with more than one.

“At this point it is iOS and Android, and that’s iOS phones running iOS 6 and higher” Bhardwaj said of the app. “Smartphone is our real focus and again it comes back to what BBM is. If you look BBM and the engagement and the activity, it’s because it is mobile, because people are on the go.”

Expanding BlackBerry Messenger support across rival platforms has been a long-rumored strategy for BlackBerry, though there’s controversy around whether the decision will now be too little, too late. BlackBerry OS has dropped a place in the worldwide smartphone OS market share league, it was announced today, with Windows Phone taking third place instead.

Whether that will mean BBM for iPhone and Android works as a gateway drug of sorts, or merely as a route for BlackBerry owners looking to leave the platform behind and yet still keep in touch with old friends on a new device, remains to be seen.

Even without a dedicated iPad version, that’s not to say iPad and iPad mini owners won’t be able to access the iPhone BBM app. However, they’ll be stuck using screen-doubling until BlackBerry gets around to coding up a tablet-specific interface, and there’s no telling when that will actually happen.

Still, there’s at least a hint that such support is in the pipeline, as well as other form-factors where BBM could roost, beyond mobile. “I think when you look at things like Smart TVs and desktops, those are definitely areas for exploration,” Bhardwaj teased.

IMAGE: BlackBerry Blog

Android OS Updates

As it was last year, so it was expected to be again here in 2013. Google didn’t make an update to Android itself in any grand way, instead issuing updates to services like Google Play for developers on its back end, and updates to Apps for Android, Chrome, and even iOS. While Android 4.3 may still be on the horizon, (coming up quick, you can bet), it’s not been mentioned here on the first day of I/O.

This speaks volumes about Google’s approach with the conference, letting the world know that they’re not about to be pigeon-holed as a company that relies on updates to its operating systems and devices as major announcement fodder while they’ve got perfectly good app releases and service updates to shout about. As Apple’s new operating system update is rumored to be right around the corner, it’s possible that Android is simply fulfilling the suggestions made by Larry Page at the end this one-off keynote:

“Every story I read about Google is about us vs some other company, or something else, and I really don’t find that interesting. We should be building great things that don’t exist. Being negative is not how we make progress.” – Larry Page

Smartphones and Tablets for Developers

In 2012, Google gave away a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone, a Google Nexus 7 tablet, and a Chromebox. The year before, they gave away a mobile hotspot from Verizon as well as a Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet – and a voucher for one of the first model Chromebooks too. This year developers are being given a Chromebook Pixel, the highest-end device on the market running this operating system. Google was expected to give away an LG-made Nexus 4, a Nexus 10 tablet, and other goodies, but they’ve sent one, single, crystal clear message instead.

Google’s message is that the most important services they’ve got to offer are on Android devices so abundant in the market that they’re inevitably already in developers’ hands OR are on Chrome OS. With the finest delivery vehicle for this operating system in the world thus far, Google is encouraging developers – pushing them, basically – to get Chrome on their radar, and to keep it there.

Google Glass Development

There’ve been no shortages of appearances by Google Glass this week at the Moscone Center, each of these happening with devices made available to developers at Google I/O 2012, shipped in the weeks coming up to this 2013 edition of the event user by user. Though there is a massive showing for Glass on one of two levels of developer-aimed presentations here at I/O 2013, there was no mention of development for Glass in the keynote.

Glass was mentioned by Larry Page in his question and answer session at the end of the keynote, but it certainly wasn’t in any way that was planned beforehand. Glass is not, it seems, at a place where it makes sense for Google to make a big deal of it to developers the same way new services announcements are being pushed. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to continue to update the public on Glass at this moment either since final market-ready units are still a far way off.

Results

The re-adjustment of the aim of this developer conference is clear. It’s here that Google re-humanizes the way they approach public relations, at least through the developers that make this ecosystem so healthy. While in years past it may have seemed that Google was aiming over the heads of developers, exciting the public with massive consumer-based keynotes to encourage these creators of software and services by default, Google is returning to a more solid spot here in 2013.

What do you think? Did you expect to see anything that didn’t end up appearing in the first and only keynote session of the week? It’s without a doubt a turning point – however subtle – for the company, and it’s exciting – among other things – to see the company’s ability to keep their aims diverse.

In contrast, only 5-percent of iOS users pirated Towelfight 2, Butterscotch revealed on the DroidGamers forums. On both platforms, the game was priced at $0.99; “these numbers are dwarfed by the size of an audience we could get with a free title” the developers suggest.

“While it’s great that the pirates are playing the game, and we’re happy for the exposure, they are operating “off the grid”. That is, our app rank doesn’t jump up in the app stores when a pirate downloads it, they can’t review it, and they tend not to contact us for support if something goes wrong with the game. They play the game in the shadows” Butterscotch Shenanigans

Although the statistics are from one game developer’s experience, and shouldn’t be extrapolated across the entire Android app industry, it’s not the first time we’ve seen Google’s platform criticized for how relatively straightforward it is to find and install unofficial apps. Last year, another developer made headlines by blaming “unbelievably high” piracy rates for being forced to drop the Android version of its game from $0.99 to the “freemium” model, where a free-to-download app is monetized with adverts.

That freemium switch is the approach Butterscotch will be taking with its newest title, the developer team says, with monetization “solely based” on in-app purchases. Progress within the game will be achievable both by beating goals and by paying for access, with cut to the price if partial-progress has already been made.

Attempts have been made to curtail Android piracy – last year, the US Department of Justice and FBI seized and shut down three app pirate sites for instance – but the more open nature of the Google Play store versus Apple’s App Store has meant circuitous routes to find and load titles without paying for them remains a key issue for the OS. Last month, one developer attempted to use irony to highlight the issues of stolen content, lacing a specially-leaked version of their dev-studio simulator game with inescapable failure through piracy, though many players didn’t appear to understand the message.

For Butterscotch, the initial piracy numbers were a tough lesson in how to monetize in different ways on different platforms. “We made a free game” the developers concluded, “we just didn’t know it at the time.”

The free update will bring Nokia’s new photography suite to the rest of the Lumia range. Among the improvements are Motion Focus, which can separate out a moving subject from the background, and automatically blur the latter so as to emphasize the feeling of movement, and Action Shot, which allows movement from up to ten burst-frames to be combined in a single image, complete with optional blurring.

The Amber Update won’t be limited to camera tech, however. Nokia says it will confirm the full list of changes – many of which have apparently been prompted by user-requests from existing Lumia owners – closer to the point of release, but it did tell us that the new firmware will also enable dormant FM radio hardware across nearly all of its Windows Phone 8 models.

As you might expect, given the differences in processing power (and other hardware), the Amber Update experience will differ somewhat across the range of devices. The Lumia 620, for instance, lacks the FM radio chip, and so will be the only model not to get that functionality. As for the Lumia 520, that will get a reduced subset of Smart Camera features, in deference to its less capable processor.

Nokia committed to rolling back retroactive updates to its older phones back at Mobile World Congress, with smart devices chief Jo Harlow telling us in February that the company saw the average lifespan of software upgrades to be at least the 24-months of the average phone contract. That notably stands in contrast to Microsoft’s own commitments to Windows Phone 8′s longevity, which the firm has said runs for less than 18-months.

What this demonstration of the game presents is the world promised by early previews, one in which the gamer lives in a sea of information. As citizens of this connected Chicago walk by, the user has the option of hacking their electronic connection to everything. Name, occupation, cash, and all.

Watch as a woman named Chandra Prince walks by the hacker hero of this game and, with a tap of the display of his smartphone, he finds her age, occupation, income, hobbies – and has the option to steal from her bank account digitally. Every citizen of this city has a machine in their pocket or in their hand, and through that machine they’re open to attack.

It’s in this world that Watch Dogs is shown to be not just the silent killer’s playground of games like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, but one where a villain can – at first – walk around in broad daylight. Of course once the user finds himself on the wrong end of the law, the police make cameras and sound detection tools an all-encompassing web for our hero.

As you’ll remember from SlashGear’s previous investigation into the world of Watch Dogs, this city has Batman-like sound detection capabilities. It’s not safe to speak without a muffler – not if you want to remain anonymous. Fire a gun and you’ll be triangulated – break a window and it’ll be heard by the cops.

Just as it is with any caped crusader-type situation, the player of this game will soon find themselves addicted to making full use of their ability to see and hear all. As “potential criminals” roam the streets with Crime Probability meters attached to them, following them like a Pre-Crime unit will be the gamer’s prerogative.

This video game will be able to be played in an open-world fashion if the user wishes, this the same sort of deal made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series on the original PlayStation. They’ll also be able to follow plotlines that lead them into heavy trouble with both digital crime syndicates and the police, both of which have access to the big brother cover that intertwines the city.

Watch Dogs will be coming to a gaming machine near you on November 19th. It’ll be released to your high-powered gaming PC, WiiU, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and more – those four bases being the first wave only. This game will eventually also have mobile components so the user can continue playing while on-the-go on smartphone and tablet machines, making the game as real as its story – watch yourself! And don’t forget your stealth skill!

According to a “trusted source” speaking with BGR, the HTC First has already been scheduled for an “end of life” date. This means that the device will no longer be sold in stores, its support date will be shorter than expected, and the carrier will no longer be advertising for it (of course).

This news comes soon after the device started its pricing at $199 several weeks ago and just last week started a sale for less than a dollar. This pricing indicates that either Facebook, HTC, and AT&T decided they’d sell as many phones as possible to get the word out about how great it was, or they simply haven’t had as many sales as they’d liked – so few that they’re getting rid of what they’ve got before they axe the program.

If such a tip were true, this would be a bad sign for Facebook. That’s needless to say, but it should be said nonetheless. With suggestions out in the wild this week that the crew creating Facebook Home were actually a bunch of landlubbers – or iPhone users working on Android software, that is – it should come as no surprise that pitting the HTC First up against the iPhone would have had little chance at success.

“Factor in things like the complete lack of support for widgets and the inability to tailor who gets included in Cover Feed, and Facebook Home stumbles out of the gate. As a result, it’s difficult to recommend it to anybody other than those solely committed to Facebook (and even those most fervent users of the site were mixed when we showed them Facebook Home and explained what it offered), and if you’re also a Twitter user, or a Google+ user, or rely on other messaging apps like WhatsApp, LINE, or others, for every advantage Facebook Home provides, there’s a compromise to be made elsewhere.” – Vincent Nguyen, Facebook Home Review

Of course because of this perfect storm scenario, SlashGear encourages you to take it all with a spoon full of salt – and make sure you wait until AT&T and Facebook release more official numbers to their investors before you break out the torches and tinfoil hats!

What you’re seeing below is Google Analytics look at not one, but two new operating systems that may be getting a bit of a test here in the week before Google’s push to the public. Though we’ve heard just a tiny bit of information on Android 4.3, and trust that Google will release it with a continuation on the code-name Jelly Bean, the other appearance isn’t especially trustworthy as a solid reading.

Android 5.3.8 comes from a provider by the name of Pardaz GoStar Ertebatat Berelian Limited Liability Company and comes from Iran. Because it’s essentially impossible for a new operating system from Google to have emanated from the source this one does here, it’ll be best to discount it as either a hacked system – pushing that number falsely – or as a non-Android OS posing as one for the giggles.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, on the other hand, appeared from an unknown source and hit SlashGear 17 times on the 5th of May. This appearance is one that we’ve got no doubt about: Android 4.3 will be appearing very soon, you can bet on it. Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (Google’s newest upgrade to Jelly Bean from Android 4.2.2, that is), and stick around for Google I/O 2013 starting Monday of next week!

UPDATE: The Jelly Beans continue to pop up! As you’ll find here, Android 4.3 appearances have now spread out over the course of a few days. Odd, though it is, we still have no reason to believe that this is anything but a legitimate set of appearances by the upcoming upgrade to Android that’ll more than likely be appearing next week.

Both Android and iOS devices working with Amazon Cloud Player are ready for action with Ford SYNC AppLink-equipped vehicles. The iOS version has been outlined this week with dashboard controls as well as voice recognition abilities. Users will also be hearing their tunes with high-quality 256kbps audio straight from their vehicle’s speaker system.

With Amazon’s system, users will have the ability to play music wirelessly from their iOS device or through their Cloud Player. With Cloud Player, music is accessed through Amazon’s online archive, this allowing the user’s vehicle and iOS device to free up local storage space for alternate media.

This push is affecting the 2013 Ford Fiesta, Mustang, Focus, C-MAX Hybrid, E-Series, F-150, Expedition, Fusion, and Super Duty models, and will quite likely be appearing on future vehicles with Ford SYNC AppLink embedded as well. This connectivity should be appearing on and with your vehicle and iOS device starting today. Android users should, by all means, have had this connectivity working nicely since February – if you’re still waiting, make a move!

According to the change log posted by the folks at Phandroid, the update brings with it some new features that users will be happy to see, perhaps with the exception of a policy change that requires a wifi connection and the device to be charging for background uploads. That aside, those who have received the update will see a variety of Google+ notifications, such as mentions and comments, as well as the new ability to +1 things and leave comments.

The battery charge should now be more accurate, so if you’ve been having some issues with charging sooner than you anticipated, that could change with the XE5 update. Users will also find they can initiate a search wherever they’d like in the interface via long press rather than the confining limitations previously in place, which is a much welcomed change we’re happy to see.

There’s now the ability to message and dial an international number, as well. The update brings with it a snazzy animation that happens when you try to do a swipe that isn’t allowed, and you can pull up the device’s serial number on the Device Info card. The recipient mosaic is new, and transcription of messages and such seems to be faster. Do you have Glass? Let us know if you find any other changes!

[via Vincent Nguyen(G+)]

Instead, after the first alert is made across all devices logged into the same account, Viber will only then notify the user on the device they initially check. So, if you’re at your desktop, and you use Viber on your PC or Mac, you won’t also have your phone vibrating gleefully to itself by the keyboard every time somebody IMs you.

The per-device awareness also allows Viber to do call-transferring, handing over ongoing VoIP calls to different devices as with a multi-extension system. There’s also contact and message sync, meaning all devices have the same call records.

Viber for Mac:

Both HD-voice quality audio calls and video calling is supported, and there’s text and photo messaging too; Viber also supports group conversations of up to 40 people. As for the mobile apps, there’s now support for stickers and emoticons in messages, the ability to send locations as messages, and the ability to use your phone’s sounds rather than the default Viber alerts.

With this change-over, each service will be clad with a “CC” moniker, so Photoshop CC will be first while the suite is called Adobe CC. The big-shot system known as Photoshop Extended, up until now purchased separate from any regular Photoshop build, is now folded in to the one single Photoshop application: Photoshop CC. Photoshop Extended’s abilities folding in to Photoshop CC include 3D editing as well as higher, more sophisticated image analysis from all directions.

Photoshop CC adds a RAW editing engine as well as some rather odd action with a camera shake reduction engine that, from what the company has shown thus far, really does appear to work miracles for users prone to snapping images without a tripod. Photoshop CC’s camera shake reduction works to push your photo together, so to speak, as your camera tore them apart while your lens moved across an image.

With Photoshop CC’s RAW editing engine, Adobe’s newest version of Lightroom will be taking full effect. Here you’ll be able to make continuous non-destructive RAW edits or work with non-RAW images with extended tools. This release also makes a move with an updated smart sharpen, path selection integration, and a collection of new features adopted cross-service from Illustrator and Lightroom.

At the moment it’s unclear if Photoshop CC will be available to users not wanting to work with the Adobe Creative Cloud and its subscription service fees. It will be interesting to see Adobe attempt to work in the online space where their offline presence has been so full of impact.

Below you’ll find a set of demonstration videos from Adobe detailing some of the features included in this new Photoshop CC setup. First you’ll see Asobe Camera Raw 8 and Layer Support.

Next is Photoshop CC’s demonstration of Camera Shake Reduction. You’ll notice again that this works with the effects of a photo taken with a camera shake, not necessarily one blurred due to an out-of-focus lens.

Finally you’ll see Smart Sharpen, an update to Photoshop’s system that allows you to minimize the noise that would normally appear when you sharpen a photo too much. This system allows for fine-tuning of images for crispness all around.

While working with an extended internet connection from your Samsung GALAXY S 4 may not be working straight from your normal menu right this minute, you do have options outside the regular fold. The widget set Extended Controls is one which allows quick-access to your mobile hotspot, Bluetooth, music, and a few other bits and pieces. There’s also the Koush-made USB tether app which makes tethering undetectable by your carrier of choice.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 has appeared earlier today in the newest CyanogenMod 10.1 release for T-Mobile and has appeared earlier this month for AT&T. This setup allows you internet tethering and mobile hotspot abilities that we’ve not yet gotten the chance to test with this particular bug – but chances are there are good things to be said about the build. If you’re using the AT&T version of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and CyanogenMod 10.1, be sure to let us know if you’re up and running!

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is headed out to – or is already on – each of the major mobile device carriers in the United States right now and is spreading abroad as we speak. Have a peek at our full review of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and let us know if you’re planning on checking one out in the near future!

CyanogenMod 10.1 is the version being pushed to the newest Android devices on the block, this bringing a variant of Google’s Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean along with its software features such as Google Now. The CyanogenMod team of developers works to bring a customized system to devices that are rooted, this meaning they’re hacked and able to be modified by 3rd party systems. Android has been notoriously “hackable” since inception, this part of Google’s open source intentions with the mobile software.

The software included in the CyanogenMod build has been influential to many software builds since it first arrived on the scene several years ago, including Google’s own source build. CyanogenMod developers have also been incepted into hardware and software companies across the board in the past several years, their influence seen on devices of all types. Head CyanogenMod man Steve Kondik recently left a job at Samsung, continuing to pursue 3rd party work and the development of the ROM.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is either available at or is headed to each of the major mobile retailers in the United States and is making its spread abroad here in the Spring of 2013. This device joins the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the rest of the Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets family as the brand continues to strengthen with a common “nature” theme in both hardware and software – curved edges have served Samsung well enough that the wave will move forward through the year to the next release as well, without a doubt. Expect the Samsung Galaxy Note III sooner than later!

Google’s Play store relies upon a retroactive checking system where malware is weeded out rather than blocked from ever being distributed. In that way, it has proved relatively straightforward for damaging titles to be released and downloaded, especially given the absence of official paid apps support from Google itself means many Android users look to cracked versions in order to use them.

In contrast, Amazon checks each title for safety before it offers it for download, meaning malware can’t get through. The downside is fewer apps compared to the official store, however, though Amazon says it is working with local developers to boost those numbers; membership in the developer program is currently free.

Whether the retailer can indeed persuade Chinese users to pay for titles that are broadly available free – if illegally hacked – elsewhere remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Google has declined to comment on when it might launch paid app support in China.

[via Reuters]

Launchy is a project “in the pipeline” by Mike DiGiovanni, who developed Bulletproof and Winky, two sideloaded apps that have garnered a fair bit of attention. The first, Bulletproof, gives the user’s Glass a lock screen not unlike the one you use on your smartphone. And the second, Winky, does what its name suggests – enables winking as a way to inconspicuously take a photograph.

On his Google+ account today, DiGiovanni announced a new sideloaded app he is working on, this one that aims to make all other sideloaded apps easier to use – Launchy, an app launcher. This would be Google Glass’s first app launcher, and will bring a much-needed ability to the device, simplifying the use of sideloaded apps and, perhaps, taking the non-supported software side of Glass to the next level.

Says DiGiovanni about his project: “The big problem for most Native app development with Glass, is that once you install an app, there is no way for you to launch that app easily. Launchy is going to fix that. I figured out a way to get Launchy running from GlassHome without affecting general usability too much.” He goes on to state that the launcher is Glassy-looking.

[via Self Screens]

The way a user accesses the Google Play digital content store from their NOOK HD or NOOK HD+ device is through a notification which will be appearing on their device starting this week. This notification will have an opt-in option which downloads the Google Play store. With this download comes the full collection of Google services such as Gmail, YouTube, Google+, Google Search, Chrome browser, and Google Maps.

These apps come instantly when you download Google Play, each of them a requirement if you’d like to work with Google Play. Other than these additions, the NOOK experience remains entirely the same. Once you’ve downloaded Google Play and these apps all at once, the first time you tap any of them you’ll be asked to either create or log in to your Google account.

The NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ are the first two devices to be working with Google Play and will likely not be the last. This is the start of a relationship between Barnes & Noble and Google that we’re expecting will send ripples through the ereader industry – or at least send a shock over to Amazon. Have a peek at the NOOK timeline below to see events leading up to this release and let us know if this addition will be pushing you into the NOOK universe.

Though this update is a minor one, you’ll want to initiate it as soon as possible. It’s not unheard of that Apple will include minor security updates inside a software update directed at a single model device. Though we’ve got no official suggestion from Apple noting security specifically in this update, fixes for minor bugs have always been a part of software update pushes such as this.

The iPhone 5 has been tipped to be seeing iOS 7 before the end of the year, with the developer conference WWDC 2013 coming up quick. This developer conference, taking place at the Moscone Center in California as in years’ past, will play host to not only a new iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system, but will introduce a new edition of the desktop user interface as well.

With Jony Ive behind the wheel of the UI for Apple’s future here in 2013, users will see what’s been tipped to be a much more flattened-out set of graphics and an overall smoother experience. Have a peek at our Apple hub to follow the company into their developer conference WWDC 2013 June 10th through the 14th – we’ll be there!

With the Windows 8 version of Skype you’ll now be able to both record and send as well as receive and view video messages. This means you’re recording a video of yourself with Skype, sending it to a person who isn’t actively on Skype at the moment, and allowing them to see the video independent of yourself. This differs from Skype’s normal functionality which is text chatting or real-time video chat.

This release allows for the latest release version of the app called Skype for Windows 8 to catch up to the versions on Mac, iOS, and Android. You’ll notice that Windows Phone 8 is not on this list – we’re expecting this and other current-release functions to appear on the platform sooner than later. For now though: courage.

The release being populated in your direction today is Skype 1.7, mind you – make sure you’re up to that version in Windows 8 for full functionality. This version also has a set of languages coming in at the same time as the original English version thanks to a series of what Microsoft says are volunteers – well done!

Bulgarian: Nikolina Filipova & Nikolay Filipov
Czech: Petr Silon
Dutch: Kees Koenders
German: Claudius Henrichs & Dick Schiferli
Lithuanian: Viktoras Kriukovas
Norwegian: Stig Auestad
Polish: Karol Szastok
Portuguese: Francisco Ferreira
Romanian: Péter & Mónika Henning

[via Skype]

Chatter of just how much of a challenge the mobile overhaul was turning out to be peaked earlier this week, with unofficial reports from inside Apple suggesting that the extent of the company’s plans may force a staggered release of sorts. As well as aiming to change the aesthetics of iOS, chief designer Jony Ive is also believed to be looking to rework certain core apps, including email and calendar.

Whether those refreshes would be ready in time for the main iOS 7 release was unclear, the insiders pointed out, with some concerns that their arrival might be pushed back into 2014.

So as to avoid any delay – though, to be fair, Apple hasn’t yet pegged a public release date on iOS 7 – the company has been “borrowing” engineers from the Mac team to work on the iOS project. It’s a move that has some history; Apple did the same back in 2007, shifting OS X coders to the iOS 5 team so as to meet its deadlines for that release, too.

The end result may well be worth waiting for, though. Though iPhone and iPad sales have remained impressive, there has been a growing call for the company to look at the cleaner, less fussy examples set by rival platforms and reconsider its wood- and leather-effect designs, which attempt to mimic real-world materials or devices, in most cases unnecessarily.

iOS 7, therefore, will be “de-glitzed” according to one unnamed source, with elements like the green-felt finish in Game Center to be removed in favor of a more authentic finish. That’s also been described as “a much-needed ‘de-Forstallization” by another source, referring to former interface chief Scott Forstall who left the company in 2012, and who was known as a strong supporter of skeuomorphic design.

Exactly what parts of iOS 7 will be ready for WWDC in June 2013 remain to be seen. If the preview takes the same form as in previous years, however, Apple will likely pick ten key features to highlight and save the rest until closer to release.

Instead, the insiders claim, Apple might debut its aesthetic alterations first, and then follow up in future iterations with new features to the core iOS apps. Most noticeable is a shift away from so-called skeuomorphic design, which attempts to replicate real-world objects such as day-planners and file cards using on-screen graphics that resemble them.

That style of design, though making iOS one of the more easily-grasped platforms in the smartphone and tablet space, has also left the software looking comparatively dated, with the core interface little modified since the first generation on the original iPhone. Changing it is the responsibility of designer Jonathan Ive, who has reportedly been shaking up Apple’s internal processes with the project, just as much as he has been threatening the existing UI.

For instance, insiders say, Ive is now encouraging more communication between hardware and software teams, which previously – such as under former CEO Steve Jobs – would have been kept in isolation. That interaction also apparently includes bringing some members of the Mac team on to help the mobile software redesign, a temporary measure which has some history given Apple did the same thing in the run up to the original iOS release.

In the center of the endeavors is Ive himself, who is supposedly “methodically reviewing” all fo the new designs. That’s meant to be a preventative measure to avoid the Apple Maps saga of 2012, but also keeps him centrally updated in the process as a whole. The design chief also regularly attends meetings held by the software teams, it’s said, taking a more passive role while getting up to speed with the challenges of interface coding.

Chatter of a “flatter” iOS 7 broke earlier this week, with reports that the aesthetic was being tamed so as to leave it looking less dated and more akin to the “pure technology” ethos Microsoft chased with its Metro interface on Windows Phone. Other leaks indicated a new notification center which would gather together at-a-glance updates, along with a fresh batch of app icons.

Apple is expected to give a preview of iOS 7 at WWDC 2013, to be held in early June.

While Google Now exists as a cohort of Google Search in Android, and indeed is allowed to be summoned by a long-press of a button here or a swipe-up of a home button there, the iOS integration released today pushes this functionality down. When a user opens Google Search – the home of Google Now on iOS – “cards” as they’re called are stacked in a neat pile below the main Google Search interface.

“It’s kind of a new paradigm, and one which I think does speak to the future of this very helpful type of computer interface, as opposed to the current start screens where you have to make all the choices, it’s almost like a computer control panel in a rocket ship where there’s lots of icons you have to punch-punch-punch.” – Matias Duarte

Swiping up from the bottom of the iOS Google Search app shows the selection of cards available to an Android user as the app is opened. This is due in a large way to the necessity of a set of buttons between the search bar and the cards. Where Google Now can exist as a set of cards directly below a decorated Google Search bar in Android, iOS’s Google Search app also includes quick links to other Google services.

From a user’s Google Search app in iOS, one is able to reach Google Calendar, Gmail, and a collection of other Google Services. These Google connections are made at the base of an Android operating system build with a series of apps that appear in a user’s app drawer. Apple’s version of this is the set of apps that come built-in to an iPhone or iPad when one opens their device up for the first time.

Above you’ll see the launch build of Android’s Google Now experience as it existed approximately one year ago when it was launched at Google I/O 2012. You can see how this app evolved in our Google Now tag portal. Below you’ll see our hands-on with the iPad and iPhone version of Google Search with Google Now integration, released just today. Equal experiences, but certainly different.

Android users have had Google Now for several months, this system having been launched originally approximately a year ago at Google’s developer conference. At Google I/O 2012 we had our first hands-on look at Google Now with the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus handset which you’ll be able to have a retro look at below this paragraph. The update for iPad and iPhone will be available in the iTunes app store immediately if not soon.

Google Now 1.0 at launch with Android – see our iOS hands-on soon!

Google Now for iPhone and iPad will not be offered as a separate app, but integrated into the original Google Search app experience. Because of this, many users will find the Google Now environment appearing in an update they’d be running automatically. This system will be working on a voluntary opt-in basis, this allowing users to decide if they want to use the personalized system or not.

Note: this version of Google Now is NOT able to access your iOS calendar, it seems – stay tuned for more hands-on revelations.

Google Now uses search results and terms typed in by the user as tuned by their Google account. If the user has a Gmail address, they have a Google account – and if the user wants to use Google Now, they’ll need to have an account to make it all work. Have a peek at the launch video here and get ready for SlashGear’s full hands-on experience as well, coming up soon!

Check out SlashGear’s Google Now tag portal for more information on this system and have a chat with us in today’s Google Now post up on Google+, the search giant’s social network.

With the update being offered this week, NVIDIA has delivered new support for a series of games most recent to the market. Support of what NVIDIA says is “up to 20% faster performance” is included for games like Dead Island: Riptide, Neverwinter, and the Star Trek title associated with the film Star Trek Into Darkness. Dead Island: Riptide is also included in the GeForce Experience instant optimization collection.

NVIDIA continues to make pushes in the gaming market both in the desktop and mobile gaming arenas. Earlier this year at CES, NVIDIA announced several cross-over projects that would have traditionally mobile platforms such as Android working with high-powered gaming PC graphics processing over wireless local networks. Have a peek at our coverage of NVIDIA’s Project Shield to see NVIDIA’s mobile gaming device hero that’ll be released later this year.

Have a peek at other recent updates to NVIDIA’s gaming environment and see for yourself how they’re aiming to keep their name in gamers minds through 2013. Let us know if you use NVIDIA’s GeForce GPUs and how you find the upgrade process as well, and if you’re a gamer who uses something other than a GeForce GPU, too!

Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but IBM says that employees of Cleveland-based UrbanCode will all remain, and will simply transition to being IBM employees. IBM noted that updating enterprise software across multiple operating systems and mobile devices is quite a huge task, but IBM is looking to take advantage of UrbanCode’s tools to automate the process.

IBM has been trying for a while now to discover new ways to make the software development process quicker and more efficient in order to compete with startups, and it seems today’s acquisition of UrbanCode looks to reinforce that idea. IBM is an old company, and it’s looking to keep up with modern times by modernizing its development processes.

Specifically, IBM wants the UrbanCode tools to be applied mostly to the legacy company’s mobile and cloud software offerings, which is a field of technology that companies absolutely have to be one step ahead in, if they want to compete and turn heads. IBM notes that current UrbanCode clients will remain on board, and will be used in a broader sense in the future.

[via Newsday]

This program is entirely separate from BlackBerry’s own Android initiative – you’ll find that previous reports have put the number of “repackaged Android apps” in the BlackBerry 10 library at 40 percent. That’s no small number for a platform that’s competing with both Android and the iPhone for market share in the mobile industry. Be it BlackBerry’s own Android toolset or Unity’s new offering, it would appear that BlackBerry 10 is seeking developers from widely successful environments left and right.

The offering Unity has here is a toolset which allows an app developer to create apps for multiple platforms at once. Developers will be able to create with what would at first appear to be the same tools and workflow they normally employ for iOS or Android, but here the end result will be a BlackBerry 10 app. These apps will work on the BlackBerry Z10, the BlackBerry Q10, and eventually whatever other BlackBerry 10 devices arrive on the market.

At the moment this setup is being pushed to only the most advanced developers, while the final workflow will be released in a form that Unity Technologies will aim at a more broad developer user base. This release will be followed soon after by a set of tools for those developers hoping to create apps for Windows Phone 8, as well.

According to Amazon, those developers with apps already in the Appstore will automatically have their titles included in the new locations; if they want, they can opt out. The company is also putting out a call for new submissions, teasing would-be developers with case studies of huge increases in in-app payments and engagement.

In fact, Amazon claims, a study of over 500 games using Appstore in-app purchasing found those using the GameCircle social gaming system made 83-percent more revenue per use than those omitting GameCircle. Launched in November 2012, GameCircle is Amazon’s equivalent of Apple’s Game Center, designed for Kindle Fire tablets.

Whether that Kindle Fire hardware will also see broader expansion internationally remains to be seen. Amazon’s Appstore has mainly been a way for the retailer to better flesh out its relatively closed ecosystem – heavily reskinned Android, divorced from the official Play market – with the Kindle Fire hardware itself a path to encouraging users to spend more money on content.

What you’ll be doing to grab Facebook Home is heading to the Google Play app store and searching just that: “Facebook Home.” If you have one of the compatible phones listed above, you’ll see the app immediately and will be able to download and install with ease. When you first head back to your home screen after installing, you’ll be met by a pop-up that asks which launcher you’d like to use.

UPDATE: Facebook Home appears to be temporarily (hopefully) unavailable in the Google Play app store once again – check back soon!

UPDATE 2: Facebook Home is once again up and ready for action – you’ll be able to download it and make it work for some smartphones, but not all! Have a peek at our guide: Why doesn’t Facebook Home work on my phone?

If you choose Facebook Home, you’ll be brought into a brand new Facebook-centric universe, yours for the tapping. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve updated Facebook Messenger and your normal Facebook for Android app too – they all exist together in harmony. Have a peek at today’s “Chat Heads” update for more information on what Messenger brings to the table.

You’ll also want to head back to SlashGear’s full Facebook Home review as well as our review of the HTC First – the first smartphone to hit the market with Facebook Home installed right out of the box. Let us know if you plan on partaking in this lovely Facebook software experience on your Android device today!

Or if you plan on skipping the Facebook Home environment entirely!

With Facebook Messenger’s newest update you’ve got a row of “Heads” above your display that you can easily flip through to speak with different Facebook users. While before you’d have had to tap a couple of times before switching to a new person to chat with, now you’ve got but a swipe. Perhaps most important of all is Facebook Messenger’s new ability to appear on top of any screen – if it’s on, it’s everywhere.

This means that if someone sends you a Facebook Message and you’re watching a YouTube video, you’ll see their head pop up in a circle above the video. If you’re on a home screen and someone sends a message, their head will appear there – click in and you’re back to chatting. You can also hold down on their head and pull it down to the “X” that appears – this will dismiss their message.

Facebook for Android (the basic app) appears to have fewer changes that we can see at the moment – we’re expecting things to light up a bit more when the full Facebook Home app appears later today. The HTC First (see our full review here) smartphone with Facebook Home built-in is available in stores today as well – go grab it!

In a short-and-sweet blog post from the three founders of GitHub, they note that 6,000 users were signed up with the website when it first launched five years ago, and it was home to just 2,500 repositories at the time. That number has since grown tremendously, obviously, but it shows how far the service has come in just five short years.

GitHub reached the one-million-user mark back in September of 2011, and three million users were gained in January of this year, meaning that 500,000 new users signed up for GitHub in just a matter of months. The site was co-founded by Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, and PJ Hyett back in 2008, and now Github employs over 150 people.

Not only is GitHub a great place to share your open source creations and to collaborate with other programmers, but you can also use GitHub to receive feedback on your products. Users can ask for reviews, comment on lines of code, report issues, and even ask other users about ideas that they have and attempt to turn them into a reality.

[via The Next Web]

All you’ve got to do inside your HTC first is head to the separate app called Facebook Settings first. From there it’s the very first option on the list – the very first! The option there is to “Turn Off Facebook Home” – click it and bam! You’ve got an entirely Vanilla experience on your smartphone. Wasn’t that easy?

This means you’ll be rolling out with a Facebook Phone if you like – or a completely clean Android smartphone with Jelly Bean with a single click. Isn’t it strange that you’re able to get to a completely non-Facebook experience so easily inside this smartphone marketed as a completely Facebook Home experience? It’s as if HTC wanted you to be able to roll with no Facebook right out of the box – how about that?

Have a peek at our timeline of HTC first posts and be sure to stick to the Facebook Home tag portal for more information on this monstrous push by Facebook to take over your smartphone. Be sure especially to see the HTC first vs HTC M4 guide we’ve whipped up earlier this week – more HTC on the horizon for us all!

[via Android Community]

With the reveal of Facebook Home, we’re seeing an experience existing within Android, on top of it – not taking it over entirely. Even when you put your hands on the HTC first, the very first Facebook Home device right out of the box, you’ll be able to turn Facebook Home off if you like. But what of advertisements? And what of the idea that Facebook Home commands the entire user interface you’re working with on your phone?

See our full Facebook Home and HTC first hands-on experience now!

Such things seem to not have struck investors as concerns as the stock hasn’t dropped since before the event began. Now we’ll see if this first smartphone to run the device does well – at $99 USD from AT&T with a 2-year contract, it just might. And we’ll see if Facebook Home is a software experience that people will want to try – or maybe even use regularly.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see the many angles at which Facebook Home has been covered by SlashGear today, and don’t forget to stick to the Android Hub for more on the insides. Also let us know if you’re all about the Facebook Home smartphone experience, if you’ll wait for the tablet edition, or if you’ll be skipping it altogether!

This app will be available to you through the Google Play app store and will be linked from the Facebook App right out of the box once it’s available. All you’ll need to go to get this app is to download it and load it. It’s just that simple.

1A. Go to your Facebook app and connect to the Google Play store with the link that pops up on the app starting April 12th.
1B. Go to Google Play and look up “Facebook Home” to grab the app (also starting April 12th.)
2. Download the app.
3. Hit your home button.
4. You’ll be asked if you want to use your regular launcher or Home – use Home!
5. You’ve got Facebook’s Home!

Facebook also has a http://www.facebook.com/home page set up that we’ll be watching like a hawk for any changes – cool beans!

Have a peek at the software through our collection of updates from today and get pumped up about our hands-on look in just a bit. Make sure you’re ready to see the Facebook Home Program as well – a set of guidelines made for those that want to work with Facebook Home right out of the box.

Have a peek at our Android Hub and the timeline below for more information as well!