Jordan Kahn

Back in May, Google announced during its I/O keynote even that it would be opening a new service called Google Play for Education that allows schools to easier find and distribute Google Play content to Android devices in an education environment. The new education only Google Play store is coming this fall, but today Google announced that developers can now submit their apps for inclusion in the store:

Starting today, you can use the Google Play Developer Console to mark your apps for inclusion in Google Play for Education, which is actively being piloted in schools across the country. Marking your app identifies it as targeted for the US K-12 educational market and queues it for evaluation by a third-party network of educators. These educators perform a first-pass qualification of apps, assigning the appropriate subject, grade, and common core standards metadata, while evaluating whether they meet the Google Play for Education criteria for classroom use.

Developers that do so now will have the opportunity to get in the store during the pilot program already taking place with select schools in the US:
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We told you previously that Google’s acquisition of mapping company Waze could be in trouble due to some questionable filing tactics and today Google confirmed that the purchase will indeed face an antirust review by the FTC (via The Wall Street Journal):

Google on Saturday confirmed that it has been contacted by lawyers from the Federal Trade Commission over the company’s $1.1 billion acquisition of the mobile navigation company Waze, which closed in mid-June.

The FTC would have to determine whether Waze would have become a head-to-head competitor with Google, whose Google Maps software is the dominant digital mapping and navigation service around the world, or whether there is any evidence, such as emails, that showed Google wanted to acquire the company only to keep it from rivals.

As noted by the WSJ, “Waze’s revenue was too low to trigger an automatic review by the agency,” but it is able to review the purchase after it’s closed.

When Google announced the acquisition earlier this month, it said Waze would continue to operate in Israel separate from the Google Maps team, but that Google would integrate its search technology into Waze products and possibly Waze’s timely road corrections and updates in Google Maps. The short term result of the review for Google, according to the report, is the “the FTC may have asked Google not to integrate with Waze” until the review is complete. 
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Samsung just announced live on stage during its Premiere 2013 event in London the much rumored Galaxy NX Android camera. We already heard reports about the device leading up to the event, but the company has finally made things official on stage today. Samsung says its the “World’s first interchangeable lens Android camera with 4G LTE.”

Some specs it shared for the device: Android 4.2.2, a 4.8″ HD TFT LCD display, a 1.6GHz quad core processor with separate image signalling processor, hybrid autofocus, and a 20.3mp sensor. There will also be 13 interchangeable lenses initially (those from the NX series), including a brand new 10mm fish eye lens. Samsung showed off its UX running on top of Android on the device, which includes 30 smart modes similar to those included in Galaxy Camera and its other NX cameras.

The device will also include an interchangeable 4000mAh battery, microSD, HDMI out, MicroUSB, and HDMI out, an external microphone port.

The company didn’t share any information on pricing or availability for the device, but below is one of the first hands-on reviews popping up:
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Samsung just officially unveiled its new lineup of Galaxy devices at its London Premiere 2013 event in London. As you can see from the image above, Samsung finally announced three much rumored devices including the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, and the Galaxy S4 Zoom, three devices that we expected to see during tonight’s event. Samsung also announced a number of new colors for the Galaxy S4 as pictured above.

Specs announced for the S4 Mini: Dual-core 1.7GHz processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, 1900mAh battery,1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8mp main camera.

As for the Galaxy S4 Active, Samsung talked mostly about its water and dust resistant features. While noting that it’s IP67 certified, it showed off an Aqua Mode that allows users to capture images under water for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter. Hardware specs include a 5-inch display, 1.9GHz processor, 2,600Mhz battery, and 8mp and 2mp cameras. Samsung also noted that the display will work with gloves.

Hardware specs announced for the S4 Zoom: 10x optical zoom, optical image stabilizer, 16 M BSI CMOS sensor, and Xenon flash. Also announced was the rumored Galaxy NX camera. 
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http://vimeo.com/68765934

Today, live from Facebook’s press event, the company just announced that its bringing video to Instagram with a brand new set of features. In what appears to be direct competition for Twitter’s rapidly growing Vine video sharing app, Instagram will soon allow users to share similar video clips. On stage, Instagram demoed an updated iOS app that now includes a button for video capture that will allow users to create 3-15 second long videos using multiple clips.

It also announced that it has partnered with an artist to create 13 brand new custom filters specifically for video and a handful of leading experts to integrate “mind blowing” cinematic video stabilization features (something that isn’t too great in a lot of other apps).

So what does this mean for your content? Nothing’s different from photos. We’re still committed to making sure you have control over all of your content. Only the people who you let see your photos will be able to see your videos. And as with photos, you own your videos. You can learn more about Video on Instagram—including our new Cinema feature—by visiting the Instagram Help Center.

As for where videos will appear, like photos, Instagram says “your video will appear on your profile and in feed. If your visibility is set to private, only your approved followers can see videos or photos you share.”

The video feature will also be available on the web, allowing users to view Instagram videos in any browser without having to use the apps.
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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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Back in February, we reported that Google was preparing to open its own retail stores by the end of the year in order to allow consumers to try Nexus, Chrome and even potentially more experimental products like Google Glass. According to a report today from The Economic Times, Google is in the process of opening new “Android Nation” retail stores in attempt to increase its exposure in India:

The US company will partner BK Modi’s Spice Global to set up the stores in various Indian cities, starting with New Delhi later this year. Like other such stores in Indonesia, each Android Nation store will promote and sell Android smartphones and tablets across multiple brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and Asus, to name a few. The first Indian store will open in New Delhi’s Select Citywalk, a person with direct knowledge of the situation informed ET. Google has been scouting for a 1,200-1,500 sq ft location for this store.

It actually won’t be the first time Google has opened up an Android Nation retail store. As noted in the report, Google also operates two locations in Jakarta, Indonesia through a partnership with Indonesian electronics retailer Erafone.

Google’s new efforts won’t just hit India, there are also apparently plans to expand into the Middle East, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Africa with the help of partner Spice Global. The company will also turn 50 of its 900 Spice Hotspots into Android Nation locations to expedite the expansion.
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You probably haven’t yet heard of Black Pearl: a new startup run by former Apple hardware guru Tim Bucher and a number of former execs from Netflix, YouTube, Intel, Amazon, and others. GigaOM gives us some details on the new company, which it thinks is currently working on an Android tablet and TV cloud solution of sorts.

According to the report, the team is currently working on a tablet that is likely Android-based in addition to a companion device that will act connect TVs to the cloud and allow users to stream content. The report adds that the company is also developing apps for iOS, Android, PCs, and Macs. Add in that the company has registered for trademarks such as “home data center”, “Data Mesh”, and “Lyve”, and GigaOM thinks Black Pearl could be working on a home entertainment platform that works alongside a dedicated tablet:
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Following Google’s announcement that its RSS Reader product would be retired on July 1st, apps like Feedly that relied on the Google Reader backend announced big plans to help itself and other apps through the transition. Feedly has been preparing its move to its own “feedly cloud” back end since the announcement, and earlier this month transitioned its own iOS client to the platform. Today, Feedly is officially launching the new back end and API, as well as a brand new web interface and the first apps to integrate the feedly cloud platform:

As of today, feedly cloud is now live, providing a fast and scalable infrastructure that serves as the backbone to feedly, as well as a number of connected applications. Feedly cloud is open today to all users visiting http://feedly.com, providing a simple one-click migration path from Google Reader.  And thanks to the great developer community that has gathered around it, providing multiple safe and sound alternatives to Google Reader.  With the release of feedly cloud, feedly today transitions from a product to a platform. We are also today delivering a new, completely stand-alone Web version of feedly.

On top of the new API and feedly cloud back end, the company is also delivering on one of the most requested features for the service: a standalone new web interface that doesn’t require any plugins or browser extensions.
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Google announced today that it is rolling out a new interactive carousel for restaurants and other local places directly in search results on the desktop. Users will be able to click on thumbnails in the carousel to quickly get more info on a specific place, including: “overall review-based score, address and photos.” The feature was previously available to some Nexus tablet and iPad users since rolling out back in December, but today it’s rolling out to everyone through Google search on the desktop:
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Google announced today on Google+ that a new partnership with Starbucks will provide free WiFi and the ability for customers at Starbucks locations to stream unlimited songs, radio and more from Google’s recently launched AllAccess music service. Apple has of course offered similar promotions and continues to offer free iTunes content and more through Starbucks locations. Back in 2007 it announced a partnership with Starbucks in the US to offer a free iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, and it continues to offer its free app and song of the week picks through physical cards in store and through mobile apps.

Google’s new streaming music service is still limited to the US, so we’re assuming the new promotion is also limited to Starbucks locations within the country. Last we heard an iOS app for the service would be arriving sometime this month.  
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Google announced today on its blog that it will begin selling Chromebooks through a number of new retail outlets that will bring the total up to around 6,600 stores worldwide. That’s around “3 times more stores than before” with the most notable additions including Walmart and Staples:

In addition to Best Buy and Amazon.com, we’re excited to welcome several new retailers to the family. Starting today, Walmart will be making the newest Acer Chromebook, which has a 16GB Solid State Drive (SSD), available in approximately 2,800 stores across the U.S., for just $199

Staples will begin selling Chromebooks from Acer, HP and Samsung in its more than 1,500 stores in the US and also through its online stores. Google also announced it will be adding a few other retail locations in the months to come, including: Office Depot, Office Max, and regional chains Fry’s and TigerDirect.

As for plans to expand international availability:
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Google announced today that it is rolling out some big enhancements for Google+ notifications on the web and mobile devices. The biggest of which is notification sync, meaning when you clear a Google+ notification on one device it will automatically be marked as read on all your other devices:

– When you read a notification on one device, we’ll mark it as read on your other devices
– Likewise: dismissing a notification (with a swipe or a click) does so everywhere, so you can say goodbye to annoying repeats

Other enhancements to notifications on both desktop and mobile include a new bell icon to see unread notifications and “An updated notifications tray that separates unread from previously-read items.”

Google is also updating its Google+ Android app today with the above improvements to notifications and a few other new features:
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Following Google’s denial of being involved in the PRISM surveillance claims in which the National Security Agency was accused of tapping into servers of 9 tech companies for details of user activity, Google today published a letter it just sent to the U.S. government requesting the release of more national security request data.

Google this morning sent a letter to the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking that it be allowed to publish “aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope.”

Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue. However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation.

Google continued by noting that the numbers “would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.”

The full letter is below:
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The rumors were true: Google just officially confirmed in a blog post that it has acquired mapping company Waze with some big plans to integrate the Israel-based company’s traffic related features into Google Maps.

Google confirmed in the announcement that it has acquired the company but didn’t provide any financial details related to the deal. Waze for now will continue to operate in Israel separate from the Google Maps team, but Google also has plans to integrate its search technology into Waze products.

We’ll also work closely with the vibrant Waze community, who are the DNA of this app, to ensure they have what’s needed to grow and prosper.

As for what specific traffic features you might see come to Google Maps, Google’s Vice President of Geo Brian McClendon notes “The Waze community and its dedicated team have created a great source of timely road corrections and updates.”

Google had been rumored several times in recent weeks to be acquiring the company with the latest reports claiming the deal would be somewhere in the $1B range.
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