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:
According to a new report from Recode, makers of Android gaming console Ouyya are currently in talks to sell the company with several “big players in China, as well as few here in the U.S.”
The report does name a few names including Xiaomi and Tencent in China and Google and Amazon here in the US. However, it also notes there are no current offers from anyone involved in the talks:
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In an interview with Cnet today, Android Engineering Director David Singleton confirmed that upcoming updates for the Android Wear platform will include official support for GPS, Bluetooth headsets and third-party watch faces:
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Sony is about to announce a new product in its QX camera accessory lineup that will make your smartphone compatible with any of its E-Mount lenses usually reserved for its line of NEX camcorders and mirrorless shooters. The report comes from the often reliable SonyAlphaRumors blog, which also shared the image above and below:
These are the first pictures of the ILCE-QX1 E-mount camera. The third QX camera after the QX10 and QX100 (here one Bay). But unlike the other two this hasn’t a fixed lens but is an E-mount module. It has an APS-C sensor (not sure yet but should have the same great A6000 24MP sensor with fast af), built-in flash
When Sony introduced its QX accessory for smartphones last year, there were mixed reviews on whether or not the lens-style camera attachment would catch on with consumers, but many praised the product despite not loving its original $300-$500 price point (which has since come down). More than just a lens attachment for your Android device or iPhone, the lens built in NFC, WiFi, battery, memory and a back-illuminated 18MP 1/2.3” Exmor R® CMOS sensor. This time around Sony is going ditch the fixed lens and let the accessory play nice with any of its E-Mount lenses, which could be a big draw for users that are already invested in the ecosystem.
Sony is expected to unveil the device during its IFA event in Berlin tomorrow on September 3. The new QX accessory will reportedly sell for 300 Euro for the body only and 450 Euro with a 16-50mm lens. The two current models are now selling for around $135 and $335 for the higher end model on Amazon. Update: Current model is now on sale for $84 shipped.
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Samsung has posted yet another teaser for its upcoming next-gen Galaxy Note device set to be unveiled in two days time on September 3. The device leaked several times leading up to this week’s announcement, and Samsung itself has been teasing the new Note in a series of teaser videos released in recent weeks. Today’s teaser cuts to the chase and focuses specifically on the upcoming announcement scheduled to take place during Samsung’s Unpacked event on September 3 during the IFA trade show in Berlin.
We’ll be on hand at the event to bring you coverage of the Note unveiling and other IFA announcements live as they happen.
T-Mobile just sent out invites to press for its big upcoming Uncarrier 7.0 event scheduled for September 10. That’s a day after Apple is set to announce its new iPhones and possibly other products on September 9, so it’s possible T-Mobile will dedicate at least some stage time to iPhone related announcements.
Its tagline on the invite reads, “This time it’s personal,” but what exactly that means will be anyone’s guess until early next month.
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Droid-Life points us to a new FCC filing for a mysterious Motorola device that is likely the rumoured Moto X+1 headed for AT&T.
The report notes that the device supports AT&T connectivity and also shares some details on size that would line up with leaks of a 5.2-inch display expected for the next-gen Moto X: The FCC measurements indicate that this Motorola phone is 140×72.6mm – the Galaxy S5 is 142×72.5mm. The new Moto X is expected to sport a 5.2-inch display, with much less bezel than the GS5, which would certainly put them around the same size, even with a slightly larger display on the new Moto.
We’ve seen several leaks of the next-gen Moto X that many are referring to as the Moto X+1. That latest leak came earlier this month when press renders from Verizon appeared online giving us a clear look at the yet to be announced device.
Patent troll Beneficial Innovations is being ordered to pay up $1.3 million to Google after the company lost its case targeting Google’s DoubleClick customers. ArsTechnica reports that after suing Google and losing— Google proved that its DoubleClick customers were already covered under a license it had from Beneficial Innovations— the company will now have to pay $1.3 million for Google’s troubles:
Gilstrap ordered Google to be paid a total of just more than $1.3 million in fees. That number is down $101,324.50 from what Google had asked for, because Gilstrap found that Google wasn’t entitled to include the costs of its expert witness into the fee total.
“Beneficial went back on the terms of its own license agreement, pursuing our customers for simply using our licensed services,” said a Google spokesperson at that time.
It’s not a lot of money for Google, but it’s certainly a nice win against a patent troll that has already gone after a long list of media companies from Amazon to Viacom.
Sprint announced today that it’s rolling out an enhanced visual voicemail feature to select Android devices that introduces avatars for “personalized voice messages that feature talking characters (including animals, aliens, zombies and sock puppets), scenic backgrounds and voice effects.” The feature will also be available to Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA customers.
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Microsoft updated its Xbox One SmartGlass companion app today with new features as the app and some of its flagship features expand into new markets. After first rolling out the features in beta, which include TV streaming and OneGuide features in certain markets, the updates are now available to all through the Android app.
The update brings the ability to stream live TV from Xbox One to the SmartGlass app, but the company originally said the feature would slowly roll out to certain markets with 29 new markets arriving in the weeks to come.
The other big feature included in the app update is gameplay recording via a new Game DVR record button directly in the app. Threaded conversations and other tweaks round out the update rolling out today for iPhone and iPad.
The updated Xbox One SmartGlass app is available now on Google Play. A full list of what’s new is below:
• Share and post activity feed items
• Post status updates to your activity feed
• See your activity feed on your profile
• Display messages in a new conversations view
• Record game clips
• In-app display of release and feature notes
• Expanding to new markets
• TV and OneGuide available in new markets
After first rolling out Street View imagery in Google Maps for Hawaii back in March, Google is today adding more imagery for Oahu’s most popular hiking trails, parks, historical sites and beaches.
See 360-degree views of Oahu’s most amazing locations, including Waikiki Beach, Makapuu Lighthouse Trail, Sunset Beach, Byodo-In Temple, and many more. Whether it’s gauging the terrain of a hike or virtually exploring some of the world’s best beaches, the natural beauty of Hawaii is now at your fingertips.
Google notes that it collected the imagery with help from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau as part of the Street View Trekker Loan Program. It also highlighted a few of the new locations included in today’s roll out: Waikiki Beach, Makapuu Lighthouse Trail, Sunset Beach, and Byodo-In Temple. More highlights of the new Hawaii imagery are available in a Street View collection here.
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Samsung has released a handful of new ads for its Galaxy Note product line over the last week, which isn’t much of a surprise considering its expected to unveil a brand new “Note 4” at IFA early next month. We previously shared two of the ads that focused on handwriting and some of the other unique features of the device, and today Samsung has posted another two spots (above and below) that profile two normal Galaxy Note users and how they use the device on a day-to-day basis.
As always, the Note spots highlight features like the device’s S Pen stylus and the larger, phablet size screen. This time, Samsung also mentions that the Note 4 is coming out soon towards the end of the ads.
We’ll be on hand at IFA in Berlin early next month to bring you all the latest live from Samsung’s event. Head below for the second ad:
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After announcing earlier this summer that its developers conference would return for a second year in November, Samsung announced today that registration for the event is now open.
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A couple notable mobile apps for both Android and iOS are receiving updates today that bring Chromecast support including NPR One and the WatchABC apps.
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Verizon announced today that it plans to roll out support for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) in the coming weeks following the early stages of roll outs from both AT&T and T-Mobile. The news will enable the higher quality voice calling on Android handsets with support chipsets, but the news comes just ahead of Apple’s expected introduction of the feature alongside iOS 8 and iPhone 6. Our sister site 9to5Mac first reported back in April that Apple is targeting voice-over-LTE support for iOS 8 and future iPhone models:
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Google today announced that it’s releasing a version of its Google Drive Slides app for iPhone and iPad alongside updates to its previously released Docs and Sheets apps for iOS devices.
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Burger King is kicking off a new promotion today for its customers that will let them get one of several Android smartphones for free. Free on the typical 2-year contract with a carrier, that is.
The fast food franchise is running the promotion to show its appreciation for customers and also plans to encourage users to download the Burger King mobile app. That, however, isn’t required to take advantage of the deal, but you will need to go through the normal service agreement through one of the major carriers. Most of the selection is made up of previous generation flagship models with values ranging from $50 to $150 on contract for most devices.
The promotion is offering a number of different devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One M7, and Motorola’s Moto X through AT&T, Sprint, and or Verizon. Users can browse the selection Burger King’s site and complete the checkout process on Amazon using coupon code FREEPHONE.
According to a new report from the often reliable SamMobile blog, Samsung is about to follow up its recently introduced Galaxy Alpha smartphone with more high-end devices under the “A series” family. The report points to evidence that the Galaxy Alpha, which received much attention for its metal body and high-end specs, is just the first device with three more on the way soon:
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LG posted two new spots today for its G Pad series of tablets that might be the first hint the company plans to unveil the latest generation of the device early next month at IFA.
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T-Mobile announced today that it’s adding a new data option to its Simple Starter plans that will let users quadruple their data for much less than the competition.
Currently the company’s Simple Starter plans start at $40 for unlimited talk, text, and 500MB of LTE data. Starting early next month, the carrier will let customers on the plan bump up to a total of 2GB of data for just an extra $5 per month. T-Mobile is promoting the option as a better alternative to overage fees charged by other carriers.
CEO John Legere compared the option to his competitors noting that if you “get Verizon’s $50 plan and use just one gig more data, and the price jumps to $65. It’s crazy.”
“People who use loads of data use T-Mobile,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “And it’s no wonder. The old guard telecoms punish people for using more data on their networks with crazy overage charges and fees. Get Verizon’s $50 plan and use just one gig more data, and the price jumps to $65. It’s crazy. At T-Mobile, we designed our network data-strong so our customers could use the hell out of it. And that’s just what they’re doing.”
T-Mobile notes that the deal is a limited time offer and subject to change, so you’ll want to add the data to your plan before the promotion ends to take advantage. The promo officially kicks in on September 3.
Google has announced that its Google Maps StreetView feature is now available for users in Cambodia and Indonesia.
Full support for StreetView across Cambodia comes following the launch of a StreetView tour for the thousand-year-old temples at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia in April. Google has put together a collection of imagery from Cambodia you can check out on its Views website.
Another Maps improvement rolling out today is support for navigation in Panama, as noted by AndroidPolice. Google also confirmed the roll out by adding Panama to the list of supported countries for navigation on its website.
The new features are available in the latest version of Google Maps for Android on Google Play.
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With just about everyone in the tech industry getting in on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS (including Apple’s own Tim Cook and Dr. Dre), Samsung decided it would also be an appropriate time to mock the iPhone and others in the process.
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Google announced today that its Chrome browser is now available for users to download across platforms in Cuba. Up until today, Chrome 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.
U.S. export controls and sanctions can sometimes limit the products available in certain countries… We’re happy to say that Internet users in Cuba can now use Chrome too, and browse the web faster and more safely than they could before.
Google said today 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. Google didn’t provide any additional information on what exactly it did to navigate sanctions and make Chrome available in the country.
Users in Cuba can download Chrome for desktop and mobile devices now.
Intel and Unity announced a new partnership today that will allow developers building games on the Unity platform to offer a better native app experience on Intel-based Android devices.
The collaboration will mean Unity will make sure its platform works seamlessly with future updates from Intel including graphics and CPU performance enhancements. It will also hopefully result in a smoother app experience for Unity games running on Intel-based Android devices:
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Google today announced that the app promotion ads it first announced back in April are now available globally for search and YouTube. The search option will allow app developers to easily advertise with click-to-install ads in search that appear on both iOS and Android devices. Developers can even start deep linking to a specific pages within apps for users that already have an app installed:
Starting today, you can deep link users directly from Google Search into specific pages of apps they’ve already installed by signing up for the beta here. Customers like LINE, Zoopla and Booking.com are already testing deep-linking with their apps. Here’s how it works: let’s say someone has the Booking.com app installed on their phone and searches for “San Francisco Hotels” on Google.com; now they can go directly to the specific page in the Booking.com app that shows listings for hotels in San Francisco.
Google is also rolling out app promotion ads on YouTube globally starting today: Starting today, you can showcase your app when people are watching their favorite videos using a new enhancement to TrueView ads. With TrueView, advertisers can reach potential customers based on their interests, previously-watched videos and demographics. Start promoting your app on YouTube by simply linking your app’s ID to your TrueView campaigns.
Google has links to resources for the new features and more info here.