Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and delivers a weekly roundup of EV and solar news on Electrek.co. Sometimes he makes weird electronic music as one half of Makamachine.
Contact Jordan with news tips and long-winded complaints:
Google today released a new Android app called Device Assist that offers live tech support, troubleshooting, tips and more for Nexus, Google Play edition, and Android One devices.
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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced an updated Bluetooth spec, version 4.2, that introduces a number of new features alongside enhancements to speed and privacy. The update also allows for Bluetooth over IPv6, which along with an upcoming update will allow devices to have a direct connection to the Internet and open up new possibilities for Bluetooth sensors and other accessories.
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New York is expanding its free Wi-Fi program through public libraries with the help of a $1 million donation from Google, The Wall Street Journal reports. The donation will fund around 10,000 portable Sprint Wi-Fi hotspots (pictured above) that New Yorkers will be able to checkout at branches of the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Library:
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T-Mobile announced today that it will begin selling Samsung’s latest Galaxy Tab S starting December 10 both online and in stores. The 10.5-inch tablet, which began shipping through other channels in July, will be available on T-Mobile for $649 or $0 down with monthly installments of $27.08 a month for 24 months.
We brought you our hands-on with the Galaxy Tab S earlier this year and were quite impressed with the Android tablet that features some notable high-end specs: an Exynos 5 Octacore processor (1.9 GHz quad-core and 1.3 GHz quad-core), 3GB of RAM, a 7,900mAh battery, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2.1-megapixel front facing camera, 16 or 32GB storage options, and a microSD card slot to expand storage up to 128GB.
As always, T-Mobile reminds customers in its press release that they’ll be able to add the tablet to a Simple Choice plan for $10 a month and receive up to 5GB dedicated tablet data depending on the plan.
Look out for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 in T-Mobile stores and online later this month on December 10.
Like it has done in recent years, Google is today displaying its list of top app picks for the year with around 70 apps total receiving the award.
Google has a section on Google Play displaying the “Best Apps of 2014” and in it includes a number of high-profile apps alongside lesser known entrants. The majority of the apps are free, but there are also a few paid offerings like Over, 7 Minute Workout, djay 2, and others. Some of the bigger names on the list include IFTTT, Shazam, Yahoo News Digest, CNN, Uber, and Mailbox.
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TechCrunch points to a newly published patent filed by Nintendo that shows the company is interested in bringing Game Boy titles to mobile devices through emulation technology. Many emulators exist online to mimic old consoles and allow gamers to play back catalogs of games converted to ROM files on Macs and PCs, and Nintendo could possibly do the same to officially bring titles to mobile devices without much heavy lifting in terms of rewriting the games:
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LG announced today that it’s appointing a new President and CEO of the LG Mobile Communication division as it restructures some of its other businesses and the current head of mobile moves into a newly created role.
The previous head of mobile, Dr. Jong-seok Park, will now be the company’s Chief Technology Advisor as Juno Cho, previously the President of LG Corp., LG Electronics’ holding company, becomes President and CEO of the mobile company. The company notes that Cho served as LG’s mobile business strategy and sales and marketing for North America for 7 years until moving into his current position in 2007.
LG announced further restructuring of executives in addition to the merger of its Home Appliance and Air Conditioning/Energy Solution businesses.
Following an announcement in August that Google was officially releasing Google Chrome for users to download in Cuba, today the company said it’s making more services available to users in the country with the roll out of free Google Play content and Google Analytics.
Up until recently, Chrome and other Google services had not been available to users to in Cuba due to trade restrictions that also block the use of some other Google services in the country. When it released Chrome in the summer, the company said that it’s “been working to figure out how to make more tools available in sanctioned countries” as U.S. export controls and sanctions change. It also made Chrome available in other sanctioned countries in recent years including Syria and Iran.
While Google isn’t sharing many details regarding what’s happening behind the scenes, it did confirm that free apps and games are now available through Google Play in Cuba in addition to a free version of Google Analytics.
Following an announcement earlier this month that Microsoft was adding Dropbox integration for syncing and sharing to the Office mobile apps, Dropbox announced today that the feature is now available in its latest app updates for Android and iOS.
The integration essentially allows users to tap into Dropbox storage directly from within the Office mobile apps, but it will also include the ability to send links to files from Office using Dropbox, open documents from Dropbox in Office, and more. Dropbox has instructions on how to use the new integration with Microsoft’s Office apps on its website.
To get started, make sure your Dropbox app is up to date on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone, then open any Office doc, spreadsheet, or presentation in your Dropbox. Tap the new Edit icon (shown above) to start editing in the latest Office apps. When you’re done, your changes will be saved back to Dropbox automatically.
Earlier this month the Microsoft Office Mobile for Android app was updated with its part of the integration allowing users to “open, edit, and save documents from Dropbox.”
You can get the new features through the latest Dropbox app for Android starting today and the latest version of Microsoft’s Office Mobile for Android app. The integration is also expected to arrive for web users early next year.
YouTube will now let creators get a hold of a custom channel URL that matches their channel name. The company noted in a blog post that many YouTubers have a channel name, which is often the user-facing brand of their channel, that doesn’t match the original URL they received when first signing up for YouTube. Users that want to change their URL to match their channel name will soon have the ability to do so:
When Tati joined YouTube, her username was GlamLifeGuru, which made her channel’s URL youtube.com/GlamLifeGuru. But as her channel grew, her fans embraced “Tati” as her brand. So her channel web address — often the quickest way back for her fans to watch more of her content — didn’t match her channel name and branding… To make sure creators like Tati and all of you have a consistent place for new and existing fans to find you, we’re introducing an easier way to pick custom URLs that match your channel names and branding.
YouTube is reaching out to creators with more than 500 subscribers starting this week allowing them to claim a custom URL. The company says it will offer several URL choices that are “based on your channel’s description, Google identity and associated websites.”
It doesn’t look like users can initiate the process manually yet, but instead will have to keep an eye out for the “Get a new custom URL” notification in YouTube’s Creator Studio.
YouTube has full instructions and more info in a support document here.
Following its ritual teardown of the Google’s new HTC-made Nexus 9 tablet earlier this month, today our friends over at iFixit have torn apart Google’s new Nexus 6 smartphone made by Motorola. While the Nexus 6 scores a decent repairability score— 7 out of 10, which is on par w/ the new iPhone 6 Plus— it does have some shortcomings that you’ll want to be aware of before cracking into your phone for repairs.
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United Airlines announced today it’s bringing its latest in flight entertainment service, previously available in beta mode for laptops and iOS devices, to Android users with an update to its United app for Android smartphones and tablets. The app will allow users to view hundreds of TV shows and movies on Wi-Fi enabled flights:
Content, stored on on-board servers, is available on nearly 200 United aircraft, including the carrier’s entire Airbus A319, Airbus A320 and Boeing 747 fleets and its Boeing 777 aircraft that operate primarily between the continental United States and Hawaii… In the coming year, United will further expand personal device entertainment availability to hundreds of additional aircraft, including two-cabin regional jets and domestic and international aircraft that do not currently offer customers an on-demand entertainment option. By late 2015, most United and United Express aircraft will offer customers personal device entertainment, personal on-demand entertainment via seatback monitors, or live television.
Android users can access the service through the updated United Airlines app available on Google Play. They’ll also be able to check whether or not a flight offers Wi-Fi (and the entertainment service server) through united.com.
What’s New
Entertainment, personalized
o United’s personal device entertainment service, now available on select aircraft on your Android device.
o United app version 2.0.18 adds software to browse and watch select movies and TV shows on your mobile device when connected to the “United_Wi-Fi” network.
o To see if your flight offers personal device entertainment check the Amenities in the United app within 24 hours of your flight departure. (Amenities subject to change until departure.)
Pebble is today releasing a firmware update (version 2.8) bringing multi-language notifications and other features alongside a completely rebuilt Android app.
Firmware 2.8 adds full character support for the broadest set of languages to date. For Pebblers who receive notifications in the newly supported languages, special characters like “ß” and “Ż” will appear correctly, as opposed to showing up as “unknown character” boxes. Over 98% of Pebblers in the world can now fully receive messages and alerts in their native language. Today’s update paves the way for more languages to come in the future, as Pebble steadily lands in more countries around the world.
As for the updated Android app (version 2.1.0), the standout new feature is full notification support for devices running Android 4.3 and up: “now send notifications to Pebble from any app, via the new Notifications » All Apps menu. From there, you can Select All, Select None, or toggle apps individually. Pebble says a future update will bring the feature to devices running Android 4.0+.
Pebble’s blog post notes that you’ll have to grant the app permission for the notifications and that notifications for some popular apps like Facebook and Hangouts are on by default (pictured below).
The update also includes a number of new features not to mention the fact it has been completely rewritten to, according to Pebble, provide “improvements to reliability, performance, and user experience.” Full release notes for the new Pebble firmware and Android app below.
Pebble said its slowly rolling out the updated Android app to Google Play with around 10% of users getting access today and the rest over the coming weeks.
To update to the latest firmware: Pebble Android App 2.1.0 Release NotesPebble Firmware 2.8 Release Notes
Billboard is about to add data from music streaming services to its weekly Billboard 200 charts for the first time as services like Google Play, Spotify and Apple’s Beats Music become increasingly popular. The New York Times reports that Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan plan to start incorporating both streams and downloads from music streaming services, in addition to the music sales the chart already covered, in order to more accurately reflect popular albums based on what users are listening to. The first chart including streaming services will include data for next week and arrive online Dec. 4:
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RelativeWave, the company behind the mobile app prototyping software Form, today announced it’s joining Google. The company made an announcement on its website noting that it will continue working on the Form app and as of today make it available for free through the Mac App Store. The app previously sold for $79.
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Samsung today announced that it’s launching a “Milk Video” service that accompanies the Milk Music streaming service it launched earlier this year. Like the music service, Milk Video is only available to Galaxy device users in the US and provides a mix of web content and originals:
The beautiful, simple design makes browsing effortless — searching is a thing of the past. Personalized at its core, Milk Video will learn and refine its content recommendations with every use. By understanding what consumers watch, who they choose to follow, who they like or repost as well as which videos are dismissed, Milk Video will deliver the content that is relevant for each user. In addition, users can follow friends, brands and other users within the app. Sharing with friends outside of the app via Facebook®, Twitter® or email offers another option for others to see what you’re enjoying on Milk Video whether or not they have Milk Video.
Samsung mentioned some contributors brining exclusive content to the service including Condé Nast, Funny Or Die, Red Bull, Vevo and VICE, among others.
Milk Video is available through Google Play now for users in the US with one of the following Samsung devices: Galaxy Note® II, Galaxy Note® 3, Galaxy Note® 4, Galaxy Note® Edge, Galaxy Mega™, Galaxy S® III, Galaxy S® 4, Galaxy S® 4 mini, Galaxy S® III mini and Galaxy S® 5 devices.
T-Mobile confirmed today that it’s now selling the new Nexus 6 with the device available for $0 down on the carrier’s usual monthly instalment plans starting today. It has the 32GB model for $27.08/month for 24 months (a total of $650), but unlike some of the other carriers and retailers, it also has the 64GB model in limited quantities available for $29.16/month for 24 months (a total of $700).
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It’s not the first LTE Chromebook, but it’s the first from Asus to offer cellular connectivity with sales of the device quietly kicking off at Best Buy and other retailers late last week. Asus doesn’t appear to have made an official announcement, but an LTE version of the C300 Chromebook variant is now selling through Best Buy according to an announcement sent over from Altair Semiconductor, the company providing the LTE chip for the Chromebook:
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Bloomberg reports that groups representing Apple, Google, Facebook and other high profile tech companies are lobbying to pass a new bill that attempts to limit NSA spying of email and communications of their users. The report says the groups are “pushing the Senate to pass legislation limiting National Security Agency spying before the Republican majority takes control of the chamber.” The news comes ahead of the Senate vote on the new bill scheduled for Nov. 18 and an upcoming Republican controlled Congress taking over in January:
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When it showed off its shiny new Google Calendar app earlier this month alongside the first wave of Android 5.0 Lollipop devices, the company said it would arrive in the “coming weeks.” Today Google confirmed the app is now available through Google Play for all Android 4.1+ devices.
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[youtube=http://youtu.be/StEn_UGGeMs]
Samsung has today posted its latest series of online ads this time focusing on how its new rugged Galaxy Tab Active is ideal for professionals.
Samsung first announced the new Galaxy Tab Active, which is a ruggedized version of its Galaxy Tab line, in September. The device is both water and dust resistant, and protected against 1.2 metre drops, according to Samsung, making it perfect for those that want a tablet for job sites where the tablet might take a beating. That’s why Samsung’s latest ads show the device being used by professionals in four work environments: Logistics, Healthcare, Construction, and Law Enforcement.
Other specs include a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1280×800 LCD display, 3.1MP rear camera, 1.5GB RAM and 16GB storage. Pre-orders for the device officially kicked off earlier last month with shipments hitting customers later in October.
Head below for the other new Galaxy Tab Active ads:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/WYymVMky9TM]
[youtube=http://youtu.be/H5SdchtvbXY]
[youtube=http://youtu.be/USeOiVtpvWw]
Fortune has officially named Google CEO Larry Page its 2014 Business person of the Year beating out rival Apple CEO Tim Cook who earns the number 2 spot on Fortune’s list of 50 executives.
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pRCAsb-isM]
Samsung’s latest sustainability report published earlier this year was a bit of a snooze. It’s full of fascinating diversity stats like the number of female employees and info on how the company has failed to correct violations at its manufacturing facilities. In case you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Samsung has decided to cherry-pick some of the positive stats and make a rap video out of it.
The video really speaks for itself: “Here we go once again, Samsung to the rescue… Put wings to your dreams.”
While Samsung’s report included mostly positive stats related to its workforce, the report also showed a number of violations from independent inspections at supplier and manufacturing partners that ranged from lack of necessary safety equipment to workers exceeding legally allowed overtime hours.
Enjoy.
According to a report from The Financial Times, YouTube has made a deal to license music from a long list of independent record labels for its much rumored upcoming music streaming service.
Reports that Google has been working on a new YouTube music streaming service have been popping up for over a year, but FT says the company is finally ready to launch it as it makes a deal with the rights agency representing thousands of independent labels:
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