Like clockwork, Google lifted the veil on Android M at its I/O developer conference today, an event that’s traditionally served as the company’s launchpad for its mobile OS updates. No, we don’t yet know what the “M” stands for (we’d love to see Android Marzipan), but as usual that’s not stopping Google from divulging details. After the bold redesign that was Android Lollipop , M is more focused on refining the entire Android experience. “For [Android] M we’ve gone back to the basics, ” said Google SVP Sundar Pichai. “We’ve really focused on polish and quality, we’ve literally solved thousands of bugs.” Those improvements start with more granular app permissions. Android M breaks down permissions into categories like location, camera and contacts. And rather than dealing with permissions before you install an app, you’ll be prompted as the apps require specific features (yes, a lot like iOS). David Burke, VP of engineering at Google, showed off the new permissions on stage by having WhatsApp request microphone access. The new permissions should make it a lot clearer what exactly apps are doing on your phone — they’re certainly a lot more informative than the dump of security information we’ve seen on Android up until now. Android M will also let developers improve the web experience inside of their apps by using Chrome Custom Tabs. Pinterest, for example, now pops up speedy little web windows whenever you tap on a link. Basically, developers will be able to make their in-app web experiences feel just like the apps themselves. Google’s also making deep linking between apps a core feature of Android M, which allows apps to point to specific screens in other apps. (Think of it like being linked to a specific web page, rather than just a home page.) Developing… Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page . Filed under: Mobile , Google Comments

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Google debuts Android M, which is all about ‘polish and quality’

Virtual reality’s notion of strapping a display to your head is already a bit weird by itself, but Adult Swim just took that strangeness to a new level. The network’s Virtual Brainload app for Android invites you to grab a Google Cardboard viewer and experience the “backside of reality” — in short, it’s going to be a kaleidoscopic mind trip. Whether or not you’re up for the audiovisual assault, you can expect more VR content from Adult Swim’s parent, Turner, in the future. The broadcaster says that it’s working on “deeper, custom-created” virtual content that will arrive as soon as this year, so you can expect these VR side projects to become increasingly important in the near future. Filed under: Cellphones , Wearables , Mobile , Google Comments Via: Boing Boing Source: Adult Swim , Google Play

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Adult Swim makes virtual reality even weirder

The US Air Force has an interesting dilemma: how do you convey the thrill of flying a fighter jet to potential recruits without taking them on a very expensive trip? Virtual reality, apparently. The military branch is teaming up with Reel FX on Air Force Performance Lab, a recruiting “experience” whose centerpiece is an Oculus Rift -based VR game that has you flying an F-35 through an obstacle course. It’s more of an arcade game than a simulator, but the use of real throttle-and-stick controls and a rumbling seat could make it feel convincing enough. There’s more tech in the lab beyond this, including a Kinect-based pull-up challenge, a cognitive test on a 42-inch touchscreen and an iPad-based career room. You’ll have to attend one of the Air Force’s recruiting stops (typically at air shows) to see any of this for yourself. Whether or not you can make it, it’s clear that the days of enlisting soldiers through brochures and videos are coming to an end. Filed under: Gaming , Wearables Comments

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The US Air Force hopes to recruit you with a virtual reality game

At CES the long-brewing alliance to push Hollywood movies you can legally download, store and play across different devices finally surfaced , and now its system has a brand name: Vidity . As we learned in January, this is the doing of the Secure Content Storage Association — a team up behind movie studios (Fox, Warner Bros.) and storage manufacturers (Western Digital, Sandisk) to create a system where users can download movies in the highest possible quality like 4K Ultra HD and HDR. Samsung was the first to announce its Ultra HD TVs with the M-Go app will use the spec, but other big names like Vudu, Kaleidescape, LG, Universal, Comcast and Sprint are on board too. So far 4K movies have generally been all about streaming, but now between Ultra HD Blu-ray and Vidity there are a couple of new options coming. With the spec and brand name locked down, Vidity GM David Huerta tells us compatible products and services should roll out later this year. Other than just top-quality audio and video, the main feature of Vidity is that it’s intended to work across devices, from TVs to PCs to phones and tablets. The concept of it works a lot like the digital distribution schemes we’ve seen for videogames, with the ability to copy or move the files and still play them elsewhere. Of course, it seems doubtful that anything Hollywood is behind will be quite as easy as piracy, and we’re still waiting to see if all of the studios will be involved. If viewers can experience more control and convenience plus high quality playback and access to hit movies, Vidity will be a major step forward and fit in nicely next to discs and streaming. Currently, simple things like downloading a purchase pre-release or just keeping a copy to play anywhere aren’t possible or easy to move across different device, but this could change that. We could even see movie distribution on items like USB sticks or hard drives, but it will probably just be downloads to start. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Vidity

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‘Vidity’ 4K movies you can download are coming later this year