Your Galaxy Phone

At last, a version of Google's own Phone app is available for the masses. Not just Nexus devices. Not just the Moto X from Motorola. Anyone who has a phone that runs Marshmallow or better - or higher, that is to say - will be able to use this app as it exists in APK form today. When activated properly, this app will allow you to see Google's own vision for what a basic phone app should be on your Android device.

For those of you installing this app and having trouble with getting calls on it rather than your manufacturer app, you'll have to head to Settings. Start at Settings, go to Apps, go to Configure Apps, go to Default Apps, and tap Phone. From there, select Google Phone. If you do not have Google Phone installed, it won't show up - once it is, it should.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow Wallpaper Gallery

The main reason you might want this phone app is built-in Caller ID. Especially if all of the people calling you have Android devices - or even if they just have a Google account with Gmail, Photos, or anything Google makes, they'll show up real easy like.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow is required for this update.

Why?

Because Android 6.0 Marshmallow adds a "Default Apps" section, first of all - you were able to choose your default apps before, but there was no such section separated out. For reasons we do not fully understand, this version of Google's Phone app requires Android 6.0 Marshmallow to function.

Your ability to choose which dialer you're using as your default has been enabled before, incoming calls at least - for a few versions into the past. You WILL need to have Marshmallow to run this one.

You can access this app by heading over to [APK Mirror] to download. Thats Min: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow, API 23), Version: 2.05.07_rc4 (20507), Package: com.google.android.dialer. This comes VIA Reddit and, as always, we must remind you that any downloading and loading you do here is on your own terms - at your own risk!

Chrome is here, too, of course, but we're jumping in on the Android bit with Google I/O 2016's scheduler this afternoon first. A selection of sessions have been revealed for the developer conference over the course of three days, the majority of which are consequential mostly for the developers themselves. However, we've already found a few tidbits you'll be interested in, including a cryptic message/description in the section called "Google's Vision for VR."

Google's Vision for VR will be a Live Streamed session - meaning you'll be able to watch at home as it happens. It'll be taking place May 19, 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) and it'll include the following: "Google's vision for VR: what we have built, what we have learned, and where we are headed."

Hows that for very little information? Perhaps we'll learn a bit more before that session arrives as we begin the event series with Google's main keynote.*

Also on May 19th there's a session called "VR & Cinema.: This session is run by Jessica Brillhart, who is "principal filmmaker for virtual reality at Google."

"Filmmakers breaking into virtual reality face an entirely new set of challenges; creating for a new medium requires a new perspective. Join Google’s Principal Filmmaker for VR, Jessica Brillhart, as she explores the emerging landscape and language of cinematic VR – providing some of her own insights from being a creator in this field while highlighting experiences produced by the world's most prolific VR content creators."

There's also a session called "Live coding: Make a virtual reality game." This session is described as follows:

"Let’s make a virtual reality game! Join Shanee Nishry for a live coding session using the Unity Cardboard SDK to create a virtual reality game. By the end of the session we will have a small yet fun "defend the castle" game with a terrifyingly cute enemy army and a player controlled cannon to fend off the attack. We'll explore stereoscopic rendering, user controls using input and the Cardboard Reticle and even add 3D real-time binaural audio!" - Nistry's description suggests she's been "working on virtual reality experiences as part of the Google VR team.

Notably absent from any session is the word "Cardboard."

Is it finally time to just call it Google VR?

*The main keynote will also be live streamed, so you'll be able to catch it at home. It'll take place on the 18th of May starting at 10AM Pacific Time. Google describes the keynote as follows: "Join us to learn about product and platform innovation at Google, starting with a live kickoff from Google CEO Sundar Pichai."

You can follow along with SlashGear in our Google tag portal throughout the event series - we'll be there live and in person!

You can see your own full schedule and plan with Google's Google I/O 2016 Schedule, available this afternoon. Rack em up!

Google is the new Microsoft. At least as far as collecting antitrust lawsuits are concerned. In Europe, the tech giant is once again facing serious charges, this time surrounding the Android mobile operating system. According to the European Commission, Google is using unlawful monopolistic practices that unfairly puts its search and apps, and there its ads, as the dominant, if not only, choice on Android devices, to the detriment of competition and potentially stifling innovation. Naturally denies this and hints that the EC might not exactly understand how Android works.

This isn't Google's first tango with antitrust lawsuits centering on search and Android. In a lawsuit brought by rival Yandex in Russia, it was already ruled to be guilty of such. In fact, just last year Google was also charged by the EU for antitrust practices as well, but more on the comparison shopping results on its Search page. This time, the risks for Google are higher, given the large sum it might have to pay if it loses this case.

For the European Union, Google is basically strong-arming its way into manufacturer's devices, either by giving them monetary incentives for bundling and makings its Google Search and apps the default or by making it near impossible, or at least extremely disadvantageous, not to do so. There is a tinge of truth to these charges, as Google does have a certification process in place that sets the requirements that OEMs need to meet if they want to include, at least officially, things like Google Play Store, things that users have grown to expect on most Android smartphones. And by making its Search and apps the default, Google gets first dibs on ads and the revenue streaming from those, much to the chagrin of its competitors.

That said, the dreary picture that the EU's Statement of Objections paint might be a tad too extreme. There are quite a number of Android devices that do ship with Google's apps but don't always make them the default. On Samsung's devices, for example, its own Internet browser is the default, not Chrome. It has also started to ship Microsoft's mobile Office suite instead of Google's. Other OEMs also ship with a Google-less Android, like the few that go with custom ROMs like Cyanogen OS, or the Chinese OEMs that integrate their own app ecosystems. Google doesn't deny how valuable its own apps and services have become, to the point that it becomes almost essential to an Android experience. It also doesn't deny that it gets revenue from providing these to OEMs. It is, however, saying that OEMs are far from having no choice in the matter. It just so happens that it has become the status quo.

The case is reminiscent of one that Microsoft faced years ago over the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows. It isn't yet clear if Google will be forced to do a similar unbundling if things reach the tipping point. But even worse for Google, it could face fines amounting to 10% of its revenue, almost $7 billion, should it be found guilty. The company is given weeks to formally respond to the charges.

SOURCE: European Commission, Google