Previously available for only its Nexus line, Google launched a new Sound Search widget for all Android devices that allows users to identify a song playing and purchase it from Google Play. Services like Shazam and SoundHound also serve a similar purpose, but Google bragged its solution syncs across all devices to make purchasing easier from another device. Additionally, users running Android 4.2 can add the widget directly to their lockscreen to catch the song easier. Do you find yourself constantly scouring Google Play for music? This might not be such a bad thing to download from the source link below.
Google has announced an update for its Google Currents for Android app this afternoon, adding a slew of features that will make it easier for users to consume news. Currents will now group similar publications into specific categories, like Sports and Lifestyle, so users can easily view headlines with just a swipe of their finger. The categories will be accessible via the sidebar, and editions (a.k.a. publications) can be organized into each category. Much like specific categories, users can also swipe their finger horizontally through a specific edition, like 9to5Google, to read the latest headlines and find a story of interest. The last update included a new breaking news section that uses Google Search technologies to deliver the hottest, most relevant news that is happening in the world. Grab the update from the source link below.
The Chrome team has announced a new addition to the Chromium (beta version of Chrome) browser this afternoon, changing the way many users will search for content online via Google and other search engines. Google is testing/experimenting with an added search box to the new tab page, a page that has historically just listed recently viewed websites, and the new search box will not only include Google search but will also be accompanied by Yahoo, Bing and others. Google said the reasoning behind the change is: “we’ve found that many people still navigate to their search engine’s home page to initiate a search instead.”
Google is also allowing search engines to display what a user has searched for right in the omnibox, potentially doing away with a second search box on the actual search page. Additionally, Google has made a new Embedded Search API available so other search engines can implement what’s new. The features outlined today are available for testing from the Chrome Developer Channel that includes a select few Chrome OS and Windows users (Mac will be coming soon). Sadly, Mountain View gave no word on when the features will hit an official build.
Google has released version 3 of its in-app billing platform this afternoon, which is behind the service that allows customers to purchase items/services from within an Android app. The new version, highlighted on the Android Developers Blog, features a brand-new design for easier application writing and keeping it maintained, a more robust architecture, local caching for faster API calls, and the ability to consume managed purchases and query for product information. Additionally, Google brags there is less code to deal with now, which is always welcomed. You can hit up the source link below for all the technical details.
HTC looked to make a mark on the world with the arrival of the HTC One X in the spring. The device provided a new look into Android devices that veered away from its previous bulkier and heavier line of otherwise solid products. The One X was arguably one of the best, most designed Android devices we saw out of 2012’s Mobile World Conference, but it didn’t fare well against the Samsung Galaxy S3 line once the two went head-to-head.
Maybe that is why we were a little surprised with the announcement of the HTC One X+ in early October. Everything looked to be the same on the outside, but the internals packed some serious upgrades. The HTC One X+ went on sale at AT&T yesterday for $199 and Amazon for $139. We have spent the better part of a month testing the One X+ to answer the simple question: Is this your next handset? First, let’s get started with the overall design.
Chromebooks may finally be getting voice recognition. Google Plus user François Beaufort discovered (via CNET) references to Google Now in the latest Chromium build yesterday that said “creating a skeleton for Google Now for Chrome implementation.” It’s not clear how long it will take for the new feature to roll out, but the code hints to Google Now’s features appearing in Google Chrome’s notification cards.
Over the past year Google generated around $1 billion from the sale of Google Apps and separate mapping software to businesses and governments, said people familiar with the matter. Google said more than five million businesses use Google Apps, though the vast majority have fewer than 10 users and thus use the free version. In total, Google has said more than 40 million people use the free and paid versions of Google Apps.
We use Google Apps here at 9to5 HQ and love it. Heck, we’d probably pay for it if we had to. Expand Expanding Close
We loved it. You might too. Today, Amazon is offering the HTC DROID DNA for only $149.99—down from the regular price of $199.99. For those who need a spec refresh, the DNA features a 5-inch, 1080p 441PPI display, which seemed a little “too good” to be true, 8-megapixel rear-camera, 2.1-megapixel front-camera, embedded Beats audio, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4. Check out our review for more.
Google updated its web experience for U.S. iPad users who search for local places, such as bars and restaurants, on Google Search. The Mountain View-based company called the new feature a “horizontal carousel” of results that will display at the top of page, while normal search results will display below. Tapping on a business in the carousel, as seen in the image above, will display quick information about the location, including: address, Zagat rating, phone number, location on a Map, and a link to the website—accompanied with pictures. There’s also a new map link in the upper-right hand corner that shows you nearby places on a map.
Google has always shown its support for tablets and smartphones on its mobile Search page, and today’s update is definitely beneficial. When calling a restaurant to place an order or make a reservation, I’ve found Google to be the quickest way to find the needed information (definitely beating apps like Yellow Pages to get the same information).
Google Executive Chairmen Eric Schmidt and Director of Google Ideas Jared Cohen have announced a new book titled, The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business, that aims to take a look at our general future. The book is in partnership with Knopf Publishers, a division of Random House, and is set to be published April 23rd, with 150,000 copies being printed initially.
Working at Google, both Schmidt and Cohen have strong opinions about how/will technology is shaping our culture in almost all aspects. The book will tackle not only changing technology like smartphones and computers, but also government, technology’s effect on terrorism, privacy, business and more. “This is a book about the importance of a guiding human hand in the new digital age,” according to The New Digital Age’s authors. “For all the possibilities that communication technologies represent, their use for good or ill depends solely on people. Forget all the talk about machines taking over. What happens in the future is up to us.”
Serving as Google’s CEO from 2001 – 2011, Schmidt is more well known than Cohen. However, Cohen has a diverse/successful background, being an adviser in government to both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton and has been a successful author. The group he heads at Google founded in 2010 after his government work, Ideas, aims to being technology to the developing world. He has also written a slew of books addressing poverty. Schmidt has always been known to be a talker, so his ideas combined with Cohen’s bank of knowledge should make for one interesting read.
Virgin Mobile is offering the LG Optimus Slider for $49.99, down from $129.99. That’s without a plan so theoretically, you could just walk – but why would you with Virgin’s unlimited Data/Text $30/month plans?
ASUS has played a somewhat important role in the Android ecosystem that includes its Nexus 7 endeavor with none other than Google. The Taiwan-based company looks to go further, as Engadget spotted a Federal Communications Commission filing this weekend that exposed its plan to release a Google TV device. The FCC approved ASUS’ new adapter, dubbed the “Qube”, which is not really like any other Google TV device we’ve seen before. The Qube is more Roku-like, acting as a USB dongle that could pair with an Android-based smartphone and separate keyboard or touchpad.
After announcing the ATRIX HD Developer Edition earlier this month, the folks at Motorola have made it available on their website for $459.99 off-contract this evening. This edition of the Atrix HD is sure to appease the tinkerers in the crowd, as it lets you get past the locked bootloader to take advantage of the possibilities an unlocked bootloader makes available. The Developer Edition released today offers the same specifications as the Atrix HD available through carriers for $99 on two-year contract. Motorola warns that this device is “not for the faint of heart” and that “warranties will be voided” The device ships the week of 12/16.
Earlier this month, we learned that if Google does not agree to settle with the FTC over alleged abuses, it would be forced to face a formal complaint from the organization.
Bloomberg reported this afternoon that Google CEO Larry Page met with FTC officials today to discuss the investigation and to persuade them that the folks in Mountain View haven’t broken any antitrust laws. The report also added that settlement talks have been ongoing for roughly a week.
The FTC has looked into Google for alleged abuses regarding its large reach over the Internet for roughly two years. FTC Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz is requesting Google make an offer and “won’t accept a resolution short of a consent decree.”
Along with the Android 4.2.1 OTA update released for the LG Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 this morning, Google also released the software update for its Nexus 7 tablet. The update, labeled build “JOP40D”, fixes the December bug that wouldn’t allow users of the People app to select a date in December for a birthday, anniversary, or similar event. As always, the update can be obtained through system update, and it will roll out to users gradually. Thankfully, the folks in Mountain View aren’t leaving behind the Nexus 7.
Facebook’s philosophy was once to give its employees iPhones for day-to-day use; however, the company wants to use Android handsets instead now. TechCrunch gave more information on previous reports this weekend, reporting that Facebook’s big Android push is due to the company wanting to reform its mobile apps on the world’s most popular mobile operating system. “We’ve created more awareness that Android devices are available,” Facebook told TechCrunch. “There’s plenty of people here carrying around both devices, and not just engineers and not just mobile people.”
TechCrunch got their hands on several posters hanging throughout the hallways of Facebook that encourage employees to make the switch. To make the switch, employees are told to email their phone number, model, and carrier to Facebook help desk. Facebook calls it “Droidfooding.”
Once on Android, employees are forced to have the most current version of apps. Additionally, if they run into a bug on internal test apps, they can report it by violently shaking their device—known internally as “Rage Shake”.
After reducing prices for the big shopping event known as “Black Friday,” Amazon said this morning that its Kindle Fire saw a record amount of sales of up to three times the previous record set. Amazon offered the base Kindle Fire at only £99, creating for an “incredible reaction” on Amazon.co.uk. The United States store surely saw similar numbers.
“In response to strong customer demand we included Kindle Fire in Black Friday deals week, dropping the price to just £99, and the reaction has been incredible. Customers purchased more than three times as many Kindle devices on Black Friday than on any other day in its history on Amazon.co.uk, and our previous record was impressive,” said Jorrit Van der Meulen, Vice President, Kindle EU. “This fantastic Kindle Fire offer runs until midnight, Monday 26th November, so customers still have time to snap up a Kindle Fire in time for Christmas.”
Samsung announced today that it sold a total of 5 million Galaxy Note II units worldwide, following its announcement earlier this month that 3 million were sold. That means the South Korean-manufacturer moved 2 million 5.5-inch phablets in just under a month —surely thanks to its availability in the United States on AT&T. Sales aren’t as high as the Samsung Galaxy S III that competes side-by-side with Apple’s iPhone 5; however, it is interesting that a large chunk of customers want a larger handheld experience. Being available in various parts of Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa, the 5.5-inch device will likely have a strong holiday quarter adding to this month’s strong sales. [Samsung]
According to reports out of Asia, Mountain View-based Google will unveil its own-branded 12.85-inch touch laptop powered by its Chrome OS at the end of 2012. Details are scant this morning on what embodies the device; however, a report from Commercial Times said 20 million units are on tap. A Taiwanese-based company, named Compal Electronics, will be responsible for the overall production, while Wintek will supply the touch panels for the laptop.
Traditionally, Google’s approach to Chrome OS —or any of its software—has been to distribute it to various OEMs for production. Google has never manufactured its own product on a large scale, as the Nexus Q was the only one, and it wasn’t even shipped to the mass-market, but that won’t be the case with its latest Chrome OS device.
Samsung and Acer have released past iterations of Chrome OS. While the overall success of the platform is not really known, Chrome OS products are sold in larger stores like Best Buy. Google pitches Chrome OS as the solution “for everyone.” Just maybe a touch-enabled laptop could strike the fancy of some users looking to ditch their traditional devices.
Currently available in Kansas City, Kan., Google Fiber has proved to be a disruptive new service from the folks out of Mountain View. The service not only offers groundbreaking Internet speeds “100 times faster than broadband,” but also a radical new television service that offers content from a slew of sources: broadcast TV, cable, Netflix, and other Internet services. Google offers three plans: free Internet with a $300 construction fee, $70 per month for Gigabit Internet, and Gigabit + TV for $120 per month that includes a Nexus 7 to use as a remote control.
While we’ve seen brief encounters with the service, BTIG Research (via AllThingsD) has now given us a solid hands-on of the Google’s Fiber TV offering. The research group uses still shots to explain the features; but nonetheless, by the end of it, you’ll probably wish Google Fiber was available in your area. You can check out the video below to see the 905.28mbps down and 794.59mbps up speeds and how the Nexus 7 and TV interfaces work off each other.
We loved it. You might too. Today, the HTC DROID DNA is officially available from Verizon Wireless for $199 on a two-year contract. For those who need a spec refresh, the DNA features a 5-inch, 1080p 441PPI display, which seemed a little “too good” to be true, 8-megapixel rear-camera, 2.1-megapixel front-camera, embedded Beats audio, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 4. Check out our review for more. [Amazon] Expand Expanding Close
As the television race heats up, Google said it is working on an open alternative to Apple’s AirPlay—a technology first introduced in iOS 4.2 that allowed users to share photo, audio, and video to the Apple TV.
Google had a similar streaming product to the Apple TV this summer—the Nexus Q— that allowed for sharing of content via an Android device to the TV. However, the product flopped and didn’t see the light of day for many customers. Additionally, in Google’s move to try to compliment streaming to the TV, the folks at YouTube launched an AirPlay-like feature last week that allows users to beam YouTube videos from their Android device straight to the television.
Speaking to GigaOm, Google Product Manager Timbo Drayson made it clear that Google has big plans in the space and wants to move forward. “We really want to move the whole industry forward,” Drayson told the publication.
How will Google move the industry forward? It may just partner with as many partners as possible. It worked with Android, so why wouldn’t it work here? Drayson said Google is “actively working with other companies” to implement a new AirPlay-like standard. Remember, Google also has its Google TV platform that this could play nicely off.
Furthermore, GigaOm examined how Google plans to move past just beaming video:
And it’s not just about remote control functionality and beaming a video from your mobile phone to the TV we are talking about. The new protocol makes it possible for data to flow in both directions, Drayson explained, which would enable developers to build second-screen experiences that correspond to what’s happening on live TV as well. Also on the roadmap: beaming content from your laptop to your TV screen.
Some customers who ordered Google’s official $20 Nexus 4 bumper from the Google Play store have begun receiving their shipments today. User “mb3030” on the XDA Developers forum posted a gallery of the bumper case. While there is certainly nothing too surprising, it does give us a look at what Google believes is an added bit of protection to its beloved Nexus device. It fits perfectly around the device and has buttons for the volume rocker and power button. We’ll wait to get our hands on one before giving our official opinion of the accessory.
As noted by Android Central, some customers who ordered the bumper are not so lucky when it comes to the shipping date, and it seems to boil down to when an order was placed. If the bumper was bundled in with a customer’s initial Nexus 4 order, it appears that is making shipping times for the added protection a little longer, while if ordered separately, a faster arrival seems to be the case. Google offered no official confirmation, however did say, “We are working to ship all items in your order as quickly as possible within the 3 week timeframe.”
The good folks at iFixit have just posted their teardown of the newly released Nexus 4 and have found its repairability level to be 7/10—which is nice. But past the news of how easy the device will be to fix when you drop it, iFixit has better news: a 4G LTE chip is on board, which a feature Google made clear wasn’t included on the device. The chip found is a Qualcomm WTR1605L. It is a chip that supports every LTE network worldwide. However, as Android Police noted, we may be stuck with HSPA+, because no 4G LTE antenna or amplifier was found. It could just be a dead chip stolen from the LG Optimus G—a phone that supports LTE. Expand Expanding Close
