Author

Jordan Kahn

Senior Editor

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co

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:

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Android

Google Play event scheduled for Oct. 24 likely won’t include hardware announcements

Jordan Kahn Oct 18 2013 - 11:28 am PT

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google-invite

Earlier today several reports popped up after Google started sending out invitations to a Google Play event scheduled for October 24 in New York City. Geek.com first posted the invitation, which not surprisingly lead to speculation of hardware announcements for the much rumored Nexus 5. While the event will include “music, movies, games and a special performance by Capital Cities”, several new reports are claiming that the event will not be to announce new hardware. Geek posted an update following its original report, as did AndroidPolice, both claiming that reliable sources say the event won’t feature product announcements. So Oct. 24th might not be the day, but with listings for the device prematurely appearing on Google Play, it won’t be long before Google makes things official.

Google announces Q3 2013 earnings: $14.9 billion revenue, $3.64 billion in net income

Jordan Kahn Oct 17 2013 - 1:04 pm PT

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Google-Q3-earnings

Google just released its earnings report for Q3 2013, announcing $10.74 per share on consolidated revenue of $14.9 billion. That’s compared to the 19% year-over-year growth with $14.11 billion in revenue it reported last quarter, and up around 12% from the $14.10 billion in revenue it reported in the year ago quarter. It’s also slightly higher than the average of around $14.80 billion in revenue and $10.35 per share Wall Street predicted.

Google also reported $3.64 billion in net income (up from $2.96 billion last year), $56.52 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and operating income of $4.34 billion (29% of revenues), up from $3.76 billion in the same quarter last year.

Google had another strong quarter with $14.9 billion in revenue and great product progress,” said Larry Page, CEO of Google. “We are closing in on our goal of a beautiful, simple, and intuitive experience regardless of your device.”

Of the $14.9 billion in revenue it reported for Q3, Google’s sites and other services accounted for 92% of consolidated revenues, or $13.77 billion, while Motorola accounted for the remaining 8%, or $1.18 billion. Goog also reported a $248 million operating loss for Motorola, which is around 21% of the unit’s revenues and up from a loss of $192 million last year.

Larry Page also announced during the earnings call today that YouTube revenue is now at 40% on mobile up from just 25% last year.

Google’s headcount is also down again this quarter to 46,421 full-time employees (42,162 in Google and 4,259 in Motorola Mobile) from the 44,777 full-time employees it had in June.

GOOG closed the day hovering around 888, down approximately 1%, but shot up over 50 points in after hours trading to over 940 and rising.

Screen Shot 2013-10-17 at 4.19.19 PM

The full report is below:
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Google Play Music adds ‘I’m Feeling Lucky Radio’ feature to automatically create stations based on listening history

Jordan Kahn Oct 17 2013 - 12:13 pm PT

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Google is rolling out a nice little update to Google Play Music today on both Android and the web. On top of some slight UI tweaks and new “pin” icons added to cards, you’ll now find a “I’m feeling lucky radio” button at the top of Radio and Listen Now sections that provide users with a radio station based on their previous listening habits. You’ll also be able to save and share the station and save songs to another playlist.

The updated Google Play Music app should be hitting Google Play for your device shortly.

Google Fiber users can now access WatchESPN on Android, iOS, Xbox, & Apple TV, live Disney content online

Jordan Kahn Oct 16 2013 - 10:10 am PT

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Watch-ESPN-Apple-TV-apps Google announced today on its Google Fiber blog that Fiber customers will now be able to access content through the WatchESPN and Watch Disney apps at no additional cost. For ESPN, that means users can now login into the apps on Android, iOS, Apple TV, and Xbox 360 using their Google Fiber account:

WatchESPN provides live access to eight networks, including live events and all of ESPN’s sports and studio shows (including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Goal Line and ESPN Buzzer Beater). You can watch at no additional cost by logging in with your Google Fiber account — visit WatchESPN.com or download the WatchESPN app from Google Play or the App Store on your Xbox 360, or on Apple TV.

The Disney content, including live and on-demand content from Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD, is available by logging into WatchDisneyChannels.com online:

You can watch at no additional cost by logging in with your Google Fiber account — visit WatchESPN.com or download the WatchESPN app from Google Play or the App Store on your Xbox 360, or on Apple TV… WATCH Disney gives you live access to Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD networks. Just go to WatchDisneyChannels.com and log in using your Google Fiber username and password.

Google’s Gigabit internet and TV service has only rolled out in Kansas City, Provo, UT, and surrounding areas since launching last year, but Google earlier this year announced it will be rolling out the service in Austin, Texas by mid-2014.

Samsung offering free replacements to Galaxy S4 users with battery problems

Jordan Kahn Oct 16 2013 - 9:00 am PT

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iFixit-Galaxy-S4-Samsung-teardown

Following a number of complaints from Samsung Galaxy S4 users experiencing battery issues that saw noticeably less battery life and in some cases “swollen batteries.” The majority of the complaints seem to be coming out of Germany, but Samsung confirmed to TrustedReviews that it is aware of the issue and will offer free battery replacements for customers:

In a statement provided to TrustedReviews, Samsung has stated: “We are aware of this issue, which has affected a limited number of customers.”

An official spokesperson for the company added: “We ask all affected customers to please visit their nearest Samsung Electronics service centre, where they can receive a replacement battery for free of charge. We remain committed to providing the best possible user experience for our customers.”

Google extends Chrome support for Windows XP users until April 2015

Jordan Kahn Oct 16 2013 - 7:34 am PT

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256px-google_chrome_2011_computer_icon-svg Microsoft might be officially ending support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014, but Google announced today that it plans to support the operating system for much longer than Microsoft for its Chrome users. While Google notes that the majority of desktop applications will no longer be supported for XP, it will continue to issue regular updates and security patches for Chrome on XP “until at least April 20, 2015”:

We recognize that hundreds of millions of users, including a good chunk of current Chrome users, still rely on XP. Moreover, many organizations still run dozens or even hundreds of applications on XP and may have trouble migrating. Our goal is to support Chrome for XP users during this transition process. Most importantly, Chrome on XP will still be automatically updated with the latest security fixes to protect against malware and phishing attacks.

Android

Redesigned Netflix for Android app rolling out on Google Play

Jordan Kahn Oct 16 2013 - 6:25 am PT

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Netflix-Android-v3.0-01

A redesigned Netflix app for Android is currently rolling out slowly to users through Google Play. Version 3.0 of the app brings a revamped UI with a slide-out navigation panel on the left, and the entire app has been given a fresh coat of paint that instantly feels easier to navigate than the previous experience.

The updated app also includes streamlined lock screen controls when streaming to Chromecast, and a number of performance enhancements are noticeable throughout. The app is still in the process of rolling out, but version 3.0 should be hitting Google Play for you any minute. More screenshots below:
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Google posts new Nexus 7 ads focusing on textbook rentals & students

Jordan Kahn Oct 15 2013 - 6:49 am PT

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-KTCKvn1cs

Google just posted a couple of its latest ads for its new Nexus 7. This time around the company is focusing on students with one of the new advertisements posted to YouTube showing a student multitasking on the tablet and another highlighting the new textbook rentals feature that Google started rolling out back in August.
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Sony Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra, & SmartWatch 2 now available in the U.S.

Jordan Kahn Oct 15 2013 - 6:34 am PT

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Sony originally only announced availability for Europe when it first unveiled its new flagship Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra, and SmartWatch 2 during IFA last month, but today the company has officially put all three devices up for sale in the US. Available through Sony’s website now, the Xperia devices are selling unlocked in black, white, and purple and start at a hefty $649, while the SmartWatch 2 is now available from Sony’s website for $199.

The Xperia Z1, which packs in a 5-inch display, 20.7MP camera, and quad core processor, will start at $649.99, but that model, however, will only offer HSPA+ support and not LTE connectivity. That same price will get you the bigger 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra with HSPA+, but for LTE connectivity you’ll have to hand over $679. The new Xperia devices have a lot to offer– superior camera systems, beautiful large displays, and premium hardware– but the off-contract price means Sony is certainly a little higher than we were hoping for. There’s no word yet on carrier partners, but the latest rumors hint that T-Mobile might be the first.
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Foursquare opens up local ads to all small businesses

Jordan Kahn Oct 14 2013 - 6:50 am PT

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8JqUlQj43M

Foursquare is squarely moving into Google’s territory with the announcement today that it is officially opening up its local ad platform to all of the 1.5 million claimed businesses in the app. That means that no longer will only a select group of partners be able to offer “Promoted” listings within the app– something Foursquare has been testing in recent months– but now all small businesses will have the opportunity to place local ads.

The benefit over, say, Google’s ads platform for local businesses, is the ability for merchants to actually see if their ad leads to a real customer walking into their store:

Today, we’re opening Foursquare Ads to all small businesses around the world. We’re moving past the days when business owners have to figure out if a “like” or a “click” has any meaning in the real world; now they can tell if someone who saw their ad actually walks into their store. We built this to be simple and flexible, learning from our four years of data and relationships with over 1.5 million claimed businesses. Any merchant can monitor how many people have viewed their ad, how many have tapped on it, and how many actually came into their store. Merchants know what they’re paying for – real actions and real customers.

Business owners interested in creating ads on Foursquare can do so at foursquare.com/ads.
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Android

Google increasing visibility of apps “Designed for tablets” on Google Play starting Nov. 21

Jordan Kahn Oct 11 2013 - 10:25 am PT

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Designed-for-tablets

Update: As previously announced, Google confirmed today that its new Designed for Tablets UI is now rolling out.

Google announced today on its Android Developers Blog that it will be making some changes to how it highlights tablet apps on Google Play starting next month. While noting that it recently introduced a “Designed for tablets” section on Google Play for discovering apps made specifically for the larger screen, Google announced today that it will soon make that section the default view for tablet users browsing the store. It will also be labeling non-tablet apps as “Designed for phones” when browsing on a tablet:

First, “Designed for tablets” will now be the default view for users browsing Google Play top lists on their tablets (Top Paid, Top Free, Top Grossing, Top New Paid, Top New Free, and Trending). Tablet users will still be able to switch the view so they can see all apps or games if they choose. Second, apps and games that do not meet the “Designed for tablets” criteria will be marked as “Designed for phones” for users who browse the Play Store on tablets.

You can check out Google’s full blog post here if you’re interested in making sure your app is listed in the Designed for tablets section.

Android

More leaked images claim to show Android 4.4 KitKat & Nexus 5

Jordan Kahn Oct 11 2013 - 8:37 am PT

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More images that allegedly show Android 4.4 Kit Kat running on a Nexus 5 have leaked today via Italian Android blog TuttoAndroid. First the site posted images of KitKat’s Settings app, which shows a new “Tap & Pay” feature alongside new Location mode settings that include options for High accuracy, Battery saving, and Device sensors modes. The high accuracy mode uses a combination of GPS, WiFi and mobile networks, while the other two offer just WiFi or GPS. The location modes are new, and we’ve seen hints at the NFC payments feature in previous leaks that listed the option as simply “Payments”.

Moving onto the shots of KitKat, many line up with several other leaks we’ve seen in the past including the transparent status bar on the lockscreen. The images also show a camera icon on the lock screen that can be dragged to launch the camera app in addition to the ability to swipe left to launch the camera like in previous versions of Android. These shots seem to have slightly redesigned icons, and the phone icon looks a little suspect to say the least. The report also goes through a number of other improvements its noticed in Google Now, search and elsewhere throughout Android 4.4, but we’ll have to wait for official details before we know if we are really looking at the next version of Android.
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Android TV

Report: Google TV getting rebranded as “Android TV” for next-generation of devices

Jordan Kahn Oct 10 2013 - 3:18 pm PT

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Google-TV

A new report claims that Google’s next generation of Google TV products are being rebranded to “Android TV” to better communicate the company’s vision of bringing the full Android experience into the living room. GigaOM reports that OEMs producing new Google TV products have informed them that Google is officially changing the branding to Android TV for the next round of products hitting the market. While the company has not yet made the branding change official, it has already started using “Android TV” in some instances, while partners are not including “GoogleTV” branding on recently announced products:

Some of Google’s hardware partners have already made the switch. Sony introduced a new smart TV adapter dubbed the Bravia TV stick last month. The device is based on the most recent version of Google TV, but Sony’s announcement didn’t mention that fact once… Even members of the original Google TV team have started to drop that name when talking about their work. A recently-scheduled developer event in Seoul was officially called “Android TV Developer Day,” and some developers have started to change affiliations in their online biographies from “Google TV” to “Android TV.”

Back in July when Google officially unveiled its new $35 HDMI streaming device called Chromecast, the company’s Android & Chrome chief Sundar Pichai made things clear that Google TV wasn’t going anywhere. At the time, Pichai noted that the company would continue to release Google TV products through its partners and hinted that the product would focus on bringing a full Android experience into the living room, something that Google TV has fallen short of thus far. There are third-party companies producing set-top box products that run a full version of Android in comparison to the scaled back feature set of official Google TV products currently on the market, but these products have failed to gain much traction among set-top box competitors.

The report adds that an official update to Android 4.2 for Google TV devices currently on the market could arrive as soon as this month:
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Instagram for Android updated w/ automatic photo straightening & new sound & data usage controls for video

Jordan Kahn Oct 10 2013 - 3:01 pm PT

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Today's Android update includes photo straightening and new sound and data usage controls for Instagram videos: http://t.co/nH3gArR2Fy

— Instagram (@instagram) October 10, 2013

Instagram for Android is receiving a nice update today. The company announced on its Twitter account that a new update for Android users is arriving today that brings some of the features that it previously rolled out to iOS users.

Back in August, Instagram added the ability to automatically straighten photos on iOS, and today Android users are finally getting access to the feature:

There are few things more distracting than a crooked horizon in a photo. We’re happy to announce that we’ve developed a brand new technology that brings you straight photos instantly. When you take a photo with the in-app camera, you can now tap the new Straighten icon and your photo will correct to be level—it’s that simple. The straightening tool also includes a slider so you can rotate and adjust any photo—including ones imported from your photo library—as much or as little as you’d like.

The update also includes “new sound and data usage controls” for videos, but the update has yet to hit our devices so we’re not entirely sure what those consist of.

The updated Android app should be hitting Google Play any minute.

Android

LG officially announces the 5.5-inch ‘LG G Pro Lite’ w/ Dual SIM & stylus

Jordan Kahn Oct 10 2013 - 6:37 am PT

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LG-G-Pro-Lite

Some details about a new mid-level smartphone from LG have been leaking in recent weeks, and today the company has officially announced the new “LG G Pro Lite”. Based off the company’s last generation flagship, the LG Optimus G, the company is including similar specs in the LG G Pro Lite including a large 5.5-inch display and 3,140mAh battery, but is also scaling back on some specs presumably to offer the device for much less than its flagships. It also offers Dual SIM functionality with a dedicated hotkey and a stylus:

In addition to its large IPS display, LG G Pro Lite features an equally large 3,140mAh battery, embedded Stylus Pen, stereo speakers and Dual SIM with a dedicated Hot Key. The phone is also designed with an ultra-narrow bezel for an incredible edge-to-edge viewing experience, slim design for optimal one-hand grip and convenient UX features shared with LG’s other premium G Series smartphones.

Specs for the device include a 1.0 GHz Dual Core processor, a 5.5-inch 960 x 540 display, 1GB of RAM, 3G, an 8 megapixel main camera and 1.2 megapixel front-facing cam, Bluetooth 3.0, and Android 4.1.2.

LG is also bundling all the software features that became available with its new flagship LG G2 including KnockON for waking the display with a double tap, Quick Memo, QTranslator and more:
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T-Mobile unveils global data coverage in 100 countries at no extra charge

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 2:12 pm PT

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T-Mobile unveiled a new offering that will provide global data coverage allowing users to access their data plan in over 100 countries at no extra charge (via Engadget). CEO John Legere has been hinting at the announcement on his Twitter account in recent days: “Today is the day! The day we change the way the world uses their phones!”

Today is the day! The day we change the way the world uses their phones! You ready? #unleash

— John Legere (@JohnLegere) October 9, 2013

This new plan will allow Simple Choice customers to get unlimited 2G data and texting in supported Simple Global countries. Voice calls on the plan cost $.20 per minute for in-country calls. There are no extra fees for this service, as it is included in all Simple Choice plans automatically.

The “un-carrier” also announced a few other changes to its plans, including a new international talk and text option from the US to all other Simple Global countries. That will cost an additional $10/month and include $.20/minute voice calls and unlimited texting. Adding this option to your plan will also enable unlimited calling to landlines in over 70 Simple Global countries for free.

Finally, T-Mobile announced that its 4G LTE network is available nationwide and reaches over 200 million potential customers.

Location

Google Maps adds directions for multiple destinations, upcoming events, & flight, hotel & restaurant reservations

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 12:48 pm PT

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Google announced today on its Google Maps blog that it’s rolling out a few new features for the new Google Maps preview based on feedback from users. Perhaps the most notable of the new features is the ability to get directions for routes with multiple destinations:

Whether you’re running weekend errands or planning a cross-country tour, you can plot multiple destinations for your trip with ease – now available for driving, walking and biking directions. Once you’ve chosen a starting point, click ‘+’ and add stops to your route by typing in the search box or clicking on the map… When you’re exploring a new city, find the best way to museums, historic squares, and other attractions by dragging and dropping your destinations in the order that works for you. And if you’re curious before you go, the Views carousel, located in the bottom right corner, is a great way to preview Street View, Photo Tours, and other imagery.

The update also brings flight, hotel and restaurant reservation data right into search within Maps much the same way that Google Search displays similar results from Gmail, Google Calendar and elsewhere. In addition, Maps will now being showing upcoming events:
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Google Slides updated w/ widescreen presentations & editable themes

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 9:39 am PT

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Google-Slides

Google today announced that it’s rolling out a few new features to Slides, the company’s presentations app built into Google Drive. Among the new features is support for widescreen presentations, which will now be enabled by default:

Since the majority of monitors and displays are now widescreen, new presentations will be widescreen by default. You can change the size of your slides using the pull down menu in the theme chooser, or by visiting Page setup in the File menu.

Google is also including another highly requested feature that brings the ability to customize the preset fonts, colors backgrounds and more for themes:

One of your top requests has been to customize these presets throughout your presentation. With editable master slides, you can now easily tailor how content appears on every slide by selecting “Edit master” from the Slide menu. For example, you can set all of your header fonts to Alconica, make all of your first level bullets bold, and add a logo in the bottom right corner.

Google has a support doc available here that will walk you through everything you need to know about editing master slides and layouts for themes.

Google adds TV Show episode listings to search results

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 9:05 am PT

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Google announced today on its Google+ page that it will now be including new information for search queries related to the TV Shows. Specifically, in addition to the Knowledge Graph info like ratings, cast, and characters that previously appeared next to search results for TV shows, you’ll now be able to see specific TV listings for episodes:

Now when searching for your favorite TV shows, you can get more information about specific episodes. For example, say that you’re wondering when the next season of The Walking Dead starts. Try searching for [the walking dead tv show] and you’ll see all episodes listed along with their air dates. The first season kicks off with an episode called “30 Days Without An Accident” on October 13, which means you only have a few days to refresh your memory by watching last season’s final episode, “Welcome to the Tombs.”

You’ll also be able to click on the title for listings to see relevant search results for that specific episode, but you will have to add “TV show” to the end of your search term like in Google’s example above in order to get the new listings to appear.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 3 & Gear ad is a musical short film starring footballer Lionel Messi

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 8:08 am PT

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwuk90Gc2A

Samsung has aired some interesting new ads for its Galaxy Gear and Note 3 since the launch of the two devices, and today it’s posted perhaps its most creative yet with a new musical short film starring footballer Lionel Messi. The ad, titled “The Developer”, is “a dramatic retelling of actual projects completed by the Messi Foundation” and stars Messi using his Note 3 and Galaxy Gear to mastermind the construction of a new football field for neighbourhood kids:

Told from a child’s perspective, “The Developer” is a musical short film by Samsung featuring Lionel Messi and the hit single “Royals” by Lorde.

A mysterious stranger arrives in a low income neighborhood and captures the imaginations of the children who live there. He is “The Developer” and the children view him with a deep suspicion.

Together with his Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and GALAXY Gear, the Developer effortlessly masterminds a secret construction project. Using the latest in Samsung technology including Action Memo, Pen Window, Scrapbook and hands-free call capability on the Gear, the Developer orchestrates and executes his mysterious mission.

The children watch in awe. They reflect on their current situation by singing Lorde’s breakout hit “Royals,” a song about overcoming her own humble beginnings.

The spot concludes with a beautiful new pitch that has been constructed in the toughest part of town. The Developer is revealed to be the world’s reigning football star, Lionel Messi, fulfilling his personal mission to help under privileged children.

Google Apps

Google Cloud Platform simplifies server-side development for iOS w/ ‘Mobile Backend Starter’

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2013 - 6:53 am PT

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Google announced today on its Cloud Platform blog that it is rolling out its Google App Engine application called Mobile Backend Starter that first debuted for Android developers back in June. Google says the application helps to simplify the server-side development process for developers adding cloud services through Google Cloud Platform and it does so by providing Mobile Backend and Objective-C client libraries for everything from storing data in the cloud to sending device-to-device push notifications and authenticating Google accounts. In other words, it’s a ready-to-deploy, general purpose cloud backend along with Android and iOS clients with client-side framework classes. This allows devs to implement a number of cloud services into their apps without ever having to worry about coding those features themselves.

Optional server-side coding: Control your cloud service using Android and iOS client libraries.
Cloud Datastore: Store millions of objects in the cloud and manage them from your app.
Push Notifications: Send and broadcast objects as messages via Apple Push Notifications and Google Cloud Messaging.
Event Driven Programming: Create real-time interactive user experiences using Continuous Queries.
User authentication Authenticate users using Google Accounts.
Per-object access: Prevent users from accessing private data using our authentication model.
Built to scale: Mobile backend runs on App Engine infrastructure to scale to millions of users within hours (App Engine pricing applies).

Google is making the source code for the app available on Github for developers to freely play with, and that will include the source code for both the backend and iOS and Android clients. Google walked through the process of getting Mobile Backend Starter setup on an iPhone or iPad:

Getting Started

You can try out the Mobile Backend Starter on an iPhone or iPad in just a few steps (further details here):

1. Provision your backend on App Engine

2. Download the iOS client zip file (or clone from GitHub repository)

3. Run the sample on a physical device (note: the sample does not run on the iOS simulator)

You can learn more about Mobile Backend Starter for iOS here.

Android

Google Play Games adds key player stats, increased Cloud Save storage & more for developers

Jordan Kahn Oct 8 2013 - 12:36 pm PT

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Google announced today on its Android Developers blog that it’s rolling out a few new features for developers through Google Play Games Services. On top of the ability to view key player stats and Game Services alerts directly in the Developer Console, Google is also increasing the amount of available Cloud Save storage to double the previous limit:

Cloud Save is one of our most popular features for game developers, providing up to 512KB of data per user, per game, since it was introduced. You asked for more storage, and we are delivering on that request. Starting October 14th, 2013, you’ll be able to store up to 256KB per slot, for a total of 1MB per user. Game saves have never been happier!

The new player stats will let devs view statistics for how many players have signed-in through Google, as well as percentages for unlocked achievements, leaderboards, and more. As for Game Services alerts:

Did you mangle the ID for an achievement or leaderboard? Forget to hit the publish button? Do you know if your game is getting throttled because you accidentally called a method in a tight loop? Fear not! New alerts will now show up in the Developer Console to warn you when these mistakes happen, and guide you quickly to the answers on how to fix them.

You can learn more about the new updates on Google’s Android Developers blog here.

Report claims Nexus 5 will land for $299/$399 with larger battery in 32GB model

Jordan Kahn Oct 8 2013 - 10:08 am PT

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nexus-5

There have been tons of rumors and leaks about Google’s upcoming Nexus 5 smartphone in recent weeks, and today we get claims of official details on pricing and new battery size options for the device. According to a report from Phonearena citing a tipster, the next-gen Nexus will come in 16GB and 32GB models for $299 and $399.

That compares to the $299 and $349 that the two models of the Nexus 4 debuted for, but Phonearena also claims that this time around Google will include a larger battery in the 32GB model:
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Android

Samsung fails to obtain Presidential veto from Obama for Apple/ITC import ban case

Jordan Kahn Oct 8 2013 - 8:10 am PT

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Samsung-Gavel

With a U.S. import ban previously issued by the ITC set to lock out certain Samsung devices at midnight last night, Bloomberg reports that the company has failed to obtain a veto from President Barack Obama:

The Korean company had argued that the ban should be overturned on public policy grounds, especially since a similar order it won against Apple was vetoed by the administration in August. Samsung can now seek a delay in the ban from a U.S. appeals court that will consider the entire case on legal grounds.

“After carefully weighing policy considerations, including the impact on consumers and competition, advice from agencies, and information from interested parties, I have decided to allow” the import ban to proceed, Obama’s designee, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, said in a statement today.

In August, the US International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Apple and issued a sales ban on certain infringing Samsung devices in a long-running case that stemmed from a countersuit originally filed by Apple back in 2011. The news came shortly after the Obama administration’s decision to veto an ITC import ban on certain iPhone and iPad models that Samsung won in a separate case. Like Apple, Samsung was going to attempt to get a veto on the decision by the US President, the only person with the power to overturn ITC import bans.
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