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Android's new emoji arrive next week on Nexus devices
Android head Hiroshi Lockheimer said new emoji were on the way, and now they're right around the corner. The Google exec revealed that next week Nexus devices will be updated with the new taco, unicorn and lion face emoji that are part of the Unicode 8.0 standard. The change will require a "new keyboard, new font, new code" so it means a full system upgrade is on the way (as far as any other changes, Lockheimer is declining to "ruin the surprise"). If you don't have a Nexus phone, you'll have to wait for your manufacturer to push the upgrade... eventually. No matter how long that takes, emoji addicts will be happy to see Android picking up the pace on its Unicode support, following Apple which added the latest standard to iOS 9.1 and OS X El Capitan.
Android and Chrome OS may be combined as early as next year
For years, people have wondered if Google would merge its Android and Chrome operating systems, and the company has steadfastly held to them important but distinct pieces of its strategy. That might be changing: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has been working for two years to merge Chrome OS and Android. The results of that unified operating system is expected to be officially released to the public in 2017, but we may see an early version as soon as next year. Update: While some have reported Google might "kill" ChromeOS, the company seems to still have some kind of dual-strategy in mind and has disputed that interpretation. As the Senior VP of Chrome OS, Chromecast and Android Hiroshi Lockheimer probably knows the the most about each project's potential fate, and he tweeted tonight that "we are very committed to Chrome OS."
Google CEO Sundar Pichai does some exec shuffling
Sundar Pichai must have gotten used to his shiny, new CEO seat, because according to Recode, he's just announced the first exec shuffling under his leadership. By the looks of things, a number of Googlers are celebrating their promotions at the moment, one of the biggest winners being Hiroshi Lockheimer, who used to be the Android division's VP. While he's been overseeing Chrome OS' development and Android's expansion into cars and wearables since last year, he's now officially the Senior Vice President handling Android, Chrome and Chromecast. Android VP Dave Burke, on the other hand, has taken up more leader-level engineering duties.
