Google Wallet rolling out to 65 Bay Area Gap Inc. stores

Jordan Kahn

Starting today, Gap Inc. has announced that Google Wallet will be available in over 65 of their Bay Area stores including Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap, Gap Outlet, and Banana Republic Factory Stores. To celebrate the roll out, Gap is offering 15% off your entire purchase when using Google Wallet in any of the participating stores. The promotion will be available via the Google Wallet app’s Offers section.  You can check out a full map of all the included stores here.

Over the last couple months Google has begun rolling the MasterCard-powered service out to new retailers, allowing customers to makes purchases using the Google Wallet app on a supported Android smartphone (as of yet just the Nexus S). In October Google added a bunch of notable new merchants including OfficeMax, Macy’s, Guess, Foot Locker, American Eagle Outfitters, Toys “R” Us, and Jamba Juice. Last month they also updated the app with an overhauled UI and in-app offers. 
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Google now accepting applications for 2012 Roots in Science & Engineering (RISE) Awards

Jordan Kahn

Google’s RISE Awards, a grant program that hands out financial rewards to promote science, engineering, computer science, and mathematics programs in K-12 schools and universities, today started accepting applications for the 2012 awards.

The awards, which will be handed out in January 2012 to students from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, have been significantly increased this year. Awards in the US and Canada have increased will range from $10,000 – $25,000 USD (€500 – €10,000 EUR elsewhere), while two new additions to the Awards, including Canada and Africa, mark the continued success and expansion of the program.

If you’re intersted in learning more, you can visit the recently revamped www.google.com/edu/rise website or submit your application now. Awards will be handed out in January and the submission deadline for applications is November 30th.

One recipient of the RISE Award, Team Captain of engineering group NOHOROBO, explains the group’s experience with the program:
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Google’s Matias Duarte demos ICS, addresses face unlock and roboto controversies, and talks competition

Jordan Kahn

Following a lengthy interview in October where he gave us insight into the future of Android and Google’s view on iOS and Windows, Android’s head of user experience Matias Duarte sat down with The Verge to discuss his work on Android and more specifically, Ice Cream Sandwich. During the interview Duarte elaborated on his competitor’s design choices, where he says iOS looks cartoonish and explains if it were “put on a website or magazine, you’d laugh at it, it would look childish”. Host Joshua Topolsky also calls him out for saying Windows Phone looks like “bathroom signage in an airport”, to which he didn’t comment.

Matias gave a few demos using a Galaxy Nexus, including one of live video chat effects like blurs and warps that alter your face in real-time. He also explained his view on photography features calling traditional features of point and shoot cameras such as white balance “crap”, saying “if it’s not immediately obvious, it’s something the machine should be taking care of for you”.

Duarte also defended Google’s choice to create the new Roboto font for ICS, which he also recently explained in a blog post, as well as addressed the controversy of ICS’s Face Unlock feature (which was recently tricked using a photo).
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Amazon releases Kindle Fire source code, and here’s a “1-click” root method

Jordan Kahn

If the customized Amazon Android experience on your new Kindle Fire just isn’t cutting it, Amazon is now offering up the source code as an 809MB download to external developers here. Of course this means custom ROMS, overclocked CPUs, and endless other hacks will follow, but first you’ll need a root method. Thanks to AndroidForums.com member death2all110 (via Phandroid), we already have a one-click method using SuperOneClick 2.2, which requires you first have the SDK installed. Full instructions after the break.
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Pre-release Galaxy Nexus gets early hands on video as UK launch pushed to Nov.21

Jordan Kahn

Look what we have here, an early pre-release build of the Galaxy Nexus has apparently landed in the hands of AndroidForums.com member drandrew18 who is part of the “Samsung Mob!lers”, which he describes as “an official Samsung group of people who review, blog and share information on the latest Samsung mobile tech”. He also gives us a look at Ice Cream Sandwich running on the device and a demo of the Face Unlock feature in the videos after the break. This is probably your first up close look at the design, at it looks gorgeous, to say the least.

Last we heard the device was set to launch on various UK carriers come November 16th and 17th. However, we’ve received a tip this morning that companies are confirming Samsung UK has postponed the UK release until November 21st. Retailer Phones4U initially had the device listed for a November 16 ship date, but has now bumped it up to the 18th. We’ll have to wait a few more days to find out for sure. Until then, you can learn what you need to know about the Galaxy Nexus here.
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Bejeweled 2 is free on Amazon’s Appstore for Android, today only

9to5 Staff

Amazon’s Free App of the Day has brought us dozens of not-to-be-missed deals on otherwise paid Android apps and games, such as the addictive Peggle puzzler. Today, they’re offering Electronic Arts’ Bejeweled 2, a highly-addictive color matching game available on every conceivable platform. In fact, the Bejeweled series catapulted its maker PopCap Games into stardom, leading to a $1.3 billion acquisition by games publisher Electronic Arts. Bejeweled 2 is free today only (otherwise a $2.99 value) so hop over to the Amazon store and grab yourself a copy.

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