Yesterday, Google announced that they will be retiring their Google Checkout service in late November in favor of their Google Wallet product.  Google Checkout was Google’s go to product for payment processing and payment, not just for in apps, but websites as well.

While  website merchants have been given a few options to transition to a new payment processing option,  app developers who use Google Wallet for in app purchases will be able to use the new Google Wallet Merchant Center.

The opening event of the annual developer conference, Google I/O included quite a few interesting announcements and services. Here are few of Google’s announcements from the first day of the conference:

Is Google tired of the design of its Maps interface? According to blogger Alex Chitu from the Google Operating System blog, a blog covering Google’s unofficial news claims that Google is expected to launch a new design for the Google Maps service soon.

According to the blog, Google Maps development team is expected to release an updated version of the maps which will remove the side toolbars and navigation buttons, and will have larger and more interactive maps instead.

New design for the maps interface

The anticipated update of Google Maps is not a rare occasion at all. Just recently, in October, the company updated its maps service and added a few visual enhancements. In addition, the search giant makes sure to update information on different countries from time to time. The updates can be found in visual details, information on public transport, and high resolution images.

Apparently, what is currently displayed in the Google Maps sidebar will soon be displayed at the top of the map in a full screen mode in addition to new colors and icons that may be incorporated for use with the presentation of the new interface.  Another update, according to the source, is that users will be given the option to filter search results according to the recommendations of other users in their Google+ circle.

In February, a phone leaker revealed the technical specifications of two new handsets from HTC. A reliable source exposed several images of the next device from HTC which will be launched under the model name M4. The HTC M4 will be very visually similar to the HTC One.  The rumors of the new model are now receiving additional support.

The MyGlass app that was launched last weekend on the Google Play Store provides us with a lot more than a puppy that wears pajamas.  Ron Amadeo from the Android Police blog has decided to investigate the app’s APK to find out more about the specs of The Google Glass project. During his inspection he found a large amount of files which related to a completely different direction. This indicates the proximity of the service launch dedicated to Android games.

To better understand the source of the leak, here’s a brief explanation:

GMS (Google Mobile Services)is a set of components operated by Google, and are required by a large number of Android apps, among other things. It handles acquisitions and integration With Google Plus, Google Maps as well as a wide variety of additional Google services interfaces.

Components that are not related in any way to the application itself were found inside the MyGlass GMS. It appears to have been added by “mistake” with the release of the app to the Google Play Store. Whether it is in error or deliberate, someone in Google has provided us with a first glimpse of what we can expect from Google’s upcoming game service.

It’s been a busy week for Google’s Project Glass. The search giant from California only recently released the full technical specifications of their smart glasses and the first models are already started shipping for Explorers and developers!

Google’s incredible tech specifications gave us a glimpse of just how high the potential is for this headset, estimated to sell for between 750 and 1500 dollars.

Analysts and technology bloggers have been wondering for a while now, what Facebook‘s next move in the mobile field will be, especially given that most smartphones users spend a third of their “mobile time” using Facebook and playing games. Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly denied any intentions by Facebook to change its focus from the social network and develop a device or even a mobile operating system. But apparently he had no intention of letting the mobile market develop without taking a yummy piece of cake’s profits for himself.

On a press conference held last Thursday, Facebook introduced its new innovations in mobile including an app called Facebook Home for Android devices.

You have finally finished coding your application and uploaded it to the Google Play store.  You cannot wait to experience the rush of downloads (and the big rush of money too) that comes with a new application.  But every time you refresh your app store dashboard, the big rush looks more like a slow trickle.  Where are all the downloads?  Where did you go wrong?  What did you forget?  Here are the top 3 marketing aspects that you might be forgetting about when developing an application

According  to the data released  by Google on the Android developer blog , Jelly Bean OS is now on 1 out of 4 Android devices (25%) which makes it the third most popular Android operating system out there. This is quite a jump for the 4.1.x OS since just last month it stood only at 16.5%.
Ginger Bread  is still number one with a distribution of 39.8%. Second place belongs to Ice Cream Sandwich with a distribution of 29.3% of all Android devices.

Earlier versions (Froyo, Éclair and Donut) are slowly disappearing from the market, same goes for Honeycomb – a version that never managed to gain popularity.

Google has also released a chart of the resolutions and pixel densities most used in Android devices. The data shows that Hdpi normal displays are the most common with 37% of all Android devices, followed by xhdpi “normal” displays with 25% of Android devices. Tablets still have only a small portion of the market with 10.6% (large and Xlarge displays).

Which Android version do you run on your device?

Don’t like your console case? No problem! Just print yourself a new one!
MakerBot and OUYA announced a partnership today that will allow gamers to print their own OUYA Android game console cases at home. The partnership will see OUYA create 3D design files for Thingiverse.com, MakerBot’s 3D printing design repository, which is designed to be used with the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer.