Google is apparently holding several concurrent events around the world for its latest “Made by Google” hardware announcements, and the latest event is set for London, United Kingdom according to an email sent to UK press this morning.
The outcome of the UK referendum known as Brexit which saw the country opting for leaving the European Union earlier this summer surely created a bit of turbulence in the economic space, leaving more than a few companies in a state of uncertainty.
In spite of this, however, the country’s capital city still seems to be going strong, and Google appears to be ready to actually double down on its efforts there…
Our own Edoardo Maggio is in London today, attempting to get his hands on the newly-announced OnePlus 3. But surprisingly for him, and us aswell, the line to get a chance to touch the phone — and a limited number of people, buy it — is just ridiculously long. iPhone long…
Mobile contactless payments are progressively becoming more and more mainstream as major manufacturers adopt systems that can be easily used via our smartphones. While LG Pay is yet to be seen in action, Google, Apple and even Samsung all have a technology – Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, respectively – that allows a user to complete transactions thanks to the NFC chips contained in most recent devices.
To this day, however, Apple Pay was the only service active in the United Kingdom, leaving a good number of consumers out of the industry, as more than half of the smartphones sold in the country run Android. According to a Telegraph report, however, sources close to the matter have confirmed that Android Pay should go live across Britain within the end of next month, approximately six months after the original US debut…
Cycling is definitely the fastest and most pleasant way to get around central London, and the large-scale cycle hire scheme – informally known as Boris Bikes, after Mayor Boris Johnson who launched the scheme – finally has an official Android app.
Named after the scheme’s new sponsor, the Santander Cycles App allows users to find the nearest docking station, check availability of bikes and obtain a release code to hire one. Transport for London has long made the data publicly available, allowing developers to create their own apps with limited functionality, but it’s taken five years to create an official app that allows you to hire the bikes.
There are more than 700 Boris Bike docking stations in London, with a total of 11,500 bicycles available. More than 10 million journeys were made by Boris Bike last year. Users pay £2 ($3) for a one-day membership, and can then make unlimited use of the bikes for journeys of up to 30 minutes each (which will pretty much get you anywhere to anywhere in central London).
The app is a free download from Google play, and the full press release can be found below.
London’s newest red icon – Santander Cycles – today launched a revolutionary new App, making the cycle hire scheme easier to use than ever before.
The new Santander Cycles App for Android and iOS smartphones is free to download for both members and casual users. In addition to viewing the nearest docking station and bike availability, the new App is able to send a ‘bike release’ code straight to a user’s phone, which means they can hire a cycle without having to use the docking station terminal.
All customers need to do is register with their bank card, use the App to ‘hire now’ from a nearby docking station, and just tap the code into a docking point to release a bike for use.
Extra features of the Santander Cycles App
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
‘The new Santander Cycles App will make finding and hiring a bike in our great Capital city even more of a doddle. The App is packed full of handy new features and is part and parcel of our plans to take the cycle hire scheme to the next level and encourage more people on to two wheels.’
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, said:
‘This is just one of the exciting new developments we’re bringing to life with our new partnership with Santander. Together we’re working hard to make cycling an integral part of London life, so anyone can jump on a bike to get to work, the shops or discover the Capital. The new official Santander Cycles App will make hiring a bike much easier for both members and casual users by being able to find the nearest docking station and check how many bikes are available, and get an access code so you can just hop on and go without spending time at the terminal.’
Nathan Bostock, CEO, Santander UK, said:
‘We’re absolutely committed to growing and developing Santander Cycles together with TfL by making more bikes available, providing more docking stations and offering extra benefits in future to give Londoners and visitors to the Capital the best possible experience.
‘Since announcing our partnership in February of this year, we’ve already added 3 per cent cashback on cycle hire journeys for customers using their 1|2|3 credit card, and the App further demonstrates our commitment to making the cycle scheme more fun, rewarding and easy.’
The new red-and-white livery of Santander Cycles is already widespread across London and the transition is continuing at pace as docking stations and distribution vans are rebranded.
Santander Cycles is the second-largest cycle hire scheme in Europe, and since it was introduced in 2010, around 40 million journeys have been made using the bikes, making it a popular and affordable way to travel around London for work or leisure.
Usage of the scheme rose by a quarter last year and is at a record high, with more than 10 million journeys made in 2014. Customer satisfaction is also at an all-time high, with over 80 per cent of members intending to renew their membership.
More than a year after a failed attempt at establishing a retail presence, Google has opened the first ever Google Shop, reports the Telegraph.
The store, to be called The Google shop, will sell the company’s range of Android phones and tablets, Chromebook laptops, and Chromecast TV services. The shop will hold tutorials showing consumers how to use the devices and hold demonstrations showing off key Google apps. It is the first time that Google has opened a shop under its own name.
The Google Shop is store-within-a-store in a flagship branch of Currys PC World, a large electronics retail chain on Tottenham Court Road. The road is gadget central in London, almost every other store on the street selling consumer electronics …
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More than six months after handing down its controversial ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling, in which individuals in Europe have the right to have ‘inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant’ links deleted from search engine results, the European Court of Justice has finally published guidelines on how the ruling should be applied.
While the guidelines acknowledge the need to balance the rights of the individual against the public interest, the specifics are best described as vague …
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Today, Google announced that it has opened yet another Google Glass Basecamp, this time in London, UK. And while it may seem that Google has definitely put Glass on the back burner with the flurry of Android Wear announcements, this is a comforting reassurance that the Glass project hasn’t been abandoned. You can schedule a visit to the new Basecamp online, where you’re able to register for a “demo,” “try and buy,” a “fitting,” or “support.”
Much discussion on Internet policy has been prompted since the European Union Court of Justice ruled in May of this year that it is an individual’s right to request Google remove sensitive information from search results. Since the ruling on the Right to be Forgotten, as it is often called, Google has established a web page dedicated to taking such requests and begun removing data from its search results as requested although that hasn’t been without further complaints from EU regulators.
For its part, Google has shared its criteria for information removal and announced an the establishment of an advisory panel of experts for fielding concerns throughout this fall over the policy and its implementation. Today the search giant has shared the dates and cities of when that advisory panel will host in-person public discussion on the right to be forgotten. Check below for the specifics:
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London may be an expensive tourist destination, but Google will soon offer the next best thing to hopping on a plane: complete 3D imagery of the entire city. The London Evening Standard reports that every building in London will soon be included.
A Google Maps spokesman said: “Using 45-degree aerial imagery, we’re able to recreate entire metropolitan areas in 3D. This means every building, not just the famous landmarks, the terrain, and any surrounding landscape of trees are included to provide a much more accurate and realistic experience of the city” …
A surgeon in the U.K. is now the first to live stream video of a surgical operation via Google Glass (via The Telegraph). The landmark surgery, which removed cancer from a 78 year-old patient’s liver and bowel, was viewed in live time by 13,000 medical students from 115 countries, and is clearly yet another example of a situation in which this innovative device doing good for humanity …
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Update: It turns out Samsung isn’t exactly rebranding the terminal. iMore received clarification from Heathrow that Samsung is actually just renting regular advertising space available to anyone and using the slogan”Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5″ in its ad:
“Heathrow Terminal 5’s signage and passenger wayfinding has not changed,” a Heathrow spokesperson told iMore. “Samsung have rented advertising space in Terminal 5 with a tongue-in-cheek campaign using the line: ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5’.”
But only for the next two weeks. The Verge reports that Samsung has bought saturation advertising for the Galaxy S5 in Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport for a fortnight, and is even referring to the terminal as Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5. While the airport says the terminal hasn’t officially been renamed, a Heathrow spokesman said that they are “relaxed” about Samsung pretending it has.
From Samsung’s description of the campaign, it will certainly be impossible to miss:
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There’s no place like home and when you’re Google, this age old expression has an even deeper sentiment. The search giant’s plans to build a new 950, 000 square foot London HQ have been placed on hold. The £650 million build at King’s Cross won’t happen until at least 2017, according to the project’s contractor BAM Construct.
Image: vosizneias.com
Google today lost its attempt to have a British court dismiss a claim for breach of privacy in respect of dropping cookies in Safari even when the option was switched off.
Google has argued that the appropriate jurisdiction was the US legal system, where a similar case had already been rejected. Mr Justice Tugendhat at London’s High Court today rejected that argument, stating that he was satisfied there was a case to answer and that it should be heard in the UK.
I am satisfied that there is a serious issue to be tried in each of the claimant’s claims for misuse of private information.
The claimants have clearly established that this jurisdiction is the appropriate one in which to try each of the above claims.
Although Google was denied the right to appeal the ruling, it has said that it intends to attempt an appeal regardless.
We still don’t think that this case meets the standards required in the UK for it to go to trial, and we’ll be appealing today’s ruling.
In the U.S., the company was fined $22.5M by the FTC last July over the infringement of privacy.
Shortly after a Street View tour of London’s Gatwick Airport, Google has expanded its transit program to encompass 15 other airports, more than 50 train & metro stations – and even allows your virtual trips to take you right onto an airliner at Dubhai.
Google’s blog shows off a small selection of the new locations, including check-in at Madrid airport, arrivals at Tokyo airport, a walk though London’s Waterloo train station and locating your seat on board an Emirates A380 airliner.
The split view, showing both terminal map and Street View walk-thru, is particularly helpful for familiarising yourself with a transit airport in advance of a tight connection …
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Not sure I’ve ever seen it quite this empty …
Finding your way around large airport terminals can be one of life’s more frustrating experiences, especially when you’re in a hurry and for no reason any human being can understand, gates 22-24 are not between gates 21 and 25.
Google is helping lost travellers find their way around London’s second-largest airport, with full Street View imagery of both North and South terminals.
Take your virtual visit here.
Other Street View tours created with Google’s Trekker backpack includes the River Thames, the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Eiffel Tower, a Bond villain’s lair, a trek up to the top of Mount Fuji , animal park tours, a look around the inside of Dr Who’s TARDIS, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and a submarine.
Building Design Online reports that the opening of Google’s new London headquarters will be delayed by a year after the company asked the architects to come up with new designs – after the development had already been granted planning approval.
It has asked the architect to draw up a new design within the original floor plan that will push the boundaries of office design and better fit the needs of the local community […]
A decision to overhaul the project is thought to have been made within the last week. As a result of the change in plans, the building’s completion date is thought to have been moved back from 2016 to 2017 …
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In 2016, Google plans to open a brand-new one-million-square-foot office in London. We’ve already seen some images of the planned headquarters, but yesterday some fantastic new images were published that detail even more of what Google is planning to do with the massive campus.
The office will house a 20,000-square-foot bike shed, a public promenade, swimming pools, a rock-climbing wall, and more. There’s probably some work space in there, too, but details on that aren’t as plentiful. Quartz describes Google’s goal with the new office as an attempt to “make an office so you never want to leave.” It certainly sounds like Google is well on its way to accomplishing that goal.
You can find more images of the campus plans below.
Google’s ever-expanding set of virtual tours now include a boat trip down the River Thames in London, allowing many of London’s most famous sights to be seen from a new perspective, reports the Telegraph.
Ed Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google UK, said: “The river also offers some of the most scenic and iconic views of London from arguably the best vantage points the city has to offer, and we are thrilled to be able to work with the PLA so that users from around the world can experience the Thames through Street View.”
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If you’re hoping to get your first glimpse at new Galaxy and ATIV devices that Samsung plans on unveiling tonight in London, the company will be live streaming its entire ‘Premiere 2013″ event on its Youtube.com/SamsungMobile channel. The event is scheduled to kick off at 7pm local time (2pm EST), but in case you miss the live stream, our own Ben Lovejoy will be live on the scene bringing you the latest updates here on 9to5Google.
A few possible products that come to mind for tonight’s event: the much rumored Galaxy S4 Zoom camera/smartphone hybrid, the S4 Active, a waterproof, dustproof device specifically geared towards government and corporate customers, and the Galaxy S4 Mini, which earlier reports said would make an appearance at the event.
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Yesterday we told you that Samsung had scheduled an event for June 20th next month in London to unveil new Galaxy and Windows ATIV products. While we speculated that we could very well see the launch of the Galaxy S4 Mini (as well as possibly a few other rumored devices), The Wall Street Journal reports today that the S4 Mini will indeed likely make an appearance:
A person with knowledge of the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the S4 Mini is likely to be one of the several new products the company plans to launch at the event next month at London’s Earl’s Court exhibition center. At the event, Samsung is expected to unveil new devices that run on Google Inc.’s Android and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating systems.
We’ll have to wait until next month to find out for sure, but we’ll be in London on the 20th to bring you the play by play live from the ‘Premiere 2013’ event.
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There are a few products that we might get a look at during an upcoming event that Samsung just announced for June 20th in London. While we don’t get much information from the invite itself, we do see that Samsung will have both Galaxy and Ativ related product announcements. That of course leads us to believe we might get our first official look at one of the rumored Galaxy devices that have yet to launch. A few that come to mind include the Galaxy S4 Mini, the much rumored Galaxy S4 Zoom camera/smartphone hybrid, and the S4 Active, a device that is said to be waterproof, dustproof, and specifically geared towards government and corporate customers. There is also no shortage of Galaxy tabs rumored to be landing sometime this year, but we’ll have to wait until next month to find out for sure.
Samsung announced today in a press release that it will release a new Galaxy S III variant at the end of the month that packs in NFC capabilities. Customers in the United Kingdom will be able to purchase the device through all major U.K. carriers and select retailers beginning at the end of January. The full press release (via AndroidCentral) is below:
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF GALAXY S III MINI WITH NFC
New NFC variant set to hit shops at end of January
21st January 2013, London, UK – Samsung Mobile UK today announced that an NFC-enabled version of the Galaxy S III Mini smartphone will be available to buy in the UK from the end of January.
Owners of the new Galaxy S III Mini will be able to share content, such as photos, videos and music, much faster and more easily. Its S Beam feature allows a 10MB music file to be shared in just two seconds by simply tapping on another S Beam-enabled device, such as the Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. By combining NFC and Wi-Fi Direct, S Beam is capable of sending larger files between phones, such as images, videos and music tracks.
The Galaxy S III Mini is powered by Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and packed with many of the same features available on the Galaxy S III, including S Voice which people can use to tell the phone to wake up, answer an incoming call, or even take a photo, and Direct Call which allows customers to automatically call someone they’ve just received a text by simply lifting the phone to their ear.
Simon Stanford, Vice President, Telecommunications & Networks, Samsung UK and Ireland said:
“NFC technology and the digital wallet started to gain significant traction in 2012, particularly in the run up to the Olympics. It’s an exciting time in the mobile market watching the next phase of its evolution take shape, so we’re happy to announce that we are bringing these new experiences to our customers through our growing number of NFC-enabled devices.”
The Galaxy S III Mini will be available to buy in the UK across all major networks, key high street and out of town electrical retailers and online retailers from the end of January.
Reuters reported yesterday that Google purchased a 2.4-acre lot at London’s King Cross Central development with plans to build its new United Kingdom headquarters. Reuters has since updated its story with confirmation from Google Vice President for Northern and Central Europe Matt Brittin. According to the report, citing several unnamed sources, Google is spending 650 million to 1 billion pounds and expects to finish development of the site by 2016. It will also move its current U.K. offices to the new site when construction—slated to begin in late 2013—is complete.
“This is a big investment by Google, we’re committing further to the UK – where computing and the web were invented. It’s good news for Google, for London and for the UK,” Google’s Vice President for Northern and Central Europe, Matt Brittin, said in a statement.
Google will move from its current offices in the UK capital’s Victoria and Holborn districts in 2016 when the building completes. Construction on the site will start in late 2013 and the building will range in height from 7 to 11 storeys.