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:
Alongside the unveiling of its new Google Drive cloud storage service that essentially replaces Google Docs, the company confirmed today it would increase Gmail’s free storage allotment to 10GB. Before today, Google offered users roughly 7.5GB. Google said the change would take place over the next 24 hours, so you should get your extra space any time now.
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As of the latest research from Nielsen, we know the United States smartphone market has quickly become an iOS/Android duopoly with 90 percent of devices on either one of those platforms. While smartphone usage in Japan is still at 1-in-5 mobile phone owners, new numbers from comScore today show Japan’s smartphone market is also quickly becoming dominated by Apple and Google. To be specific, 95.6-percent of smartphones in the country are Android or iPhone, and Apple has outgrown Google in the last three months while Android’s share remains steady.
In addition to the announcement of an unlocked Galaxy Nexus being made available to purchase directly from Google Play, the company confirmed on the official Google Commerce Blog today that Google Wallet is now available through three devices on Sprint: Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper 4G LTE, and LG Optimus Elite. It also confirmed that Wallet would come to the LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile. Google is continuing to offer all new users a $10 credit for their Google Prepaid Card when accessing the service for the first time.
Google pleasantly surprised us this morning with a new offer to pick up an unlocked Galaxy Nexus for $399 through Google Play (previously available via third parties for $430). The device is for use on any GSM network, including T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S., and it currently ships within one to two business days. The page noted there is a limit of five per customer, which could sell quickly given the $399 price tag is just $100 more than the phone offered through Verizon as of last week and only $200 more than what Verizon and Sprint currently offer on contract.
We started shipping Nexus phones more than two years ago to give you a pure Google experience and access to the latest Android updates. Today, we’ve started selling Galaxy Nexus (HSPA+) from a new Devices section in the Google Play web store, so you can quickly and easily purchase an unlocked version of the phone. We want to give you a place to purchase Nexus devices that work really well with your digital entertainment.
Google originally sold the first pure Google smartphone, the original Nexus One, through its website before cancelling those plans and partnering with others for more traditional distribution. Offering the Galaxy Nexus through the Google Play store marks Google’s return to offering its flagship Android devices direct to customers. With reports in recent months that Google is prepping an online store to sell Google-branded tablets, today’s announcement is a hint that a store will likely be integrated with Google Play.
Examining the $399 offer further, we know T-Mobile provides its $30 monthly prepaid plan with unlimited data (2GB uncapped), so those who pick up a Nexus through Google could quickly recoup their costs within months.
You can get your Galaxy Nexus directly from Google here.
As part of the Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen App Challenge, the company handed out $200,000 in cash prizes to mobile developers in the United States. The awards went to apps that made particular good use of the Galaxy Note’s S Pen stylus. The best overall app and grand prize of $100,000 went to “Monkey Write * Learn Chinese” by Chiu-ki Chan (Square Island LLC).
Other winners include second place best overall app “Maze Racer” with developer SmartyPantsGaming taking home $50,000, and third place best overall app “Drawing Pad” grabbing $25,000.
Popular Choice app went to SignDoc Mobile. It received $2,000 along with the rest of the honorable mention winners below:
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With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London set to kick off in the coming months, official sponsor of the games Coca-Cola teamed with producer Mark Ronson to create an Android app called “Coca-Cola Olympic Games My Beat Maker.” As you might imagine, the app allows you to create your own beats, but it does so by letting you chop up the official Coca-Cola anthem for the London 2012 Olympic Games—”Anywhere in the World” by Ronson featuring Katy B.
My Beat Maker uses amazing technology to detect the movements of your phone and transform them into music so you can make your own beats!… Bust out your own loops and beats based on the official Coca-Cola® anthem for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mark Ronson featuring Katy B’s Anywhere in the World, just from the motion of your phone.
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Google has its self-driving car technology, but today Cadillac is showing off its own “Super Cruise” self-driving tech. Engadget has the full press release.
Shortly after Google switched the name of its content distribution hub from the Android Market to Google Play, the company filed a complaint over the domain name GooglePlay.com. Today, Fusible reported the Whois information for the domain now lists Google:
Despite a ruling not yet being published, part of the Whois information for the name was updated this week and now reflects Google Inc. as the registrant… Google registered several googleplay domain namesin late February through the brand protection company MarkMonitor, but wasn’t able to get its hands on GooglePlay.com at the time since it was already registered… At the time of this story, GooglePlay.com still doesn’t direct users to the official Google Play website.
Google released an update to the “TV & Movies” app for Google TV bringing with it a few new features including enhancements to animations and scrolling, the ability to remove channels from live TV shelves, and additional Dish Network content. The update will also now hide empty shelves by default.
Google also walked through a number of new features and improvements to the updated TV & Movies app on The Official Google TV Blog. Among the improvements is expanded information below content, and a new menu for getting additional details, star ratings, and favorites. The star ratings will provide suggestions based on your feedback, and Google outlined the streamlined channel layout.
When you add them to Favorite Channels you’ll instantly see what show is currently playing on each. Add all your favorite channels and you’ll have a one-stop personalized guide of just the channels you care about. You can also add favorite TV shows and movies to your queue so you can come back later and watch them on Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO and more.
A full list of what’s new in the update is below:
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A recent interview with Google’s cofounder Sergey Brin received a lot of attention due to his view that Apple and Facebook are the biggest threats to the open Internet. While Brin still recommends reading the full article here, he posted a note on his Google+ account today to clarify some thoughts that he felt were “particularly distorted in the secondary coverage” of the interview.
In the post, Brin clarifies that on the issue of app ecosystems, which are not as open as the rest of the Web, he does not think the “issue is on a par with government based censorship.” He also took time to clarify his view of Apple and Facebook, noting he has “always admired Apple’s products,” especially while using an iMac to type his post. He also called Facebook “a key tool for political expression.” Brin’s full post is below:
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Following the launch of its new Alter Ego ad campaign yesterday, T-Mobile just made its new “Test Drive” tool available for comparing the speed of “American’s Largest 4G Network” to other guys— Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. Unfortunately, as pointed out by TMONews, the carrier is comparing 4G LTE Android handsets, such as the Galaxy S II, to the 3G speeds of the iPhone 4S. This is obviously not a fair comparison of LTE network speeds…
T-Mobile’s TestDrive website is now live and I will say at first glance, I’m disappointed. I’ll just get right to it — T-Mobile, I’m really puzzled by this. The idea that you claim “America’s largest 4G network” and design a new commercial campaign around speed and then compare your “4G” network against “3G” smartphones is a questionable act. Speed should no longer be the focus of T-Mobile’s marketing campaign, Value and Technology should. Speed should be a secondary thought. If you can’t win on speed, highlight where you can, Value, Value, Value.
According to a report from Foss Patents (and confirmed by Reuters), Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Samsung Chief Executive Officer Gee-Sung Choi will meet within the next 90 days for settlement talks over ongoing patent disputes. Judge Lucy Koh, who is presiding over the two cases in California, initiated the meeting after ordering the companies to submit their CEOs and legal counsels to an Alternative Dispute Resolution.
“As directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate in a Magistrate Judge Settlement Conference with Judge Spero as mediator. At Apple, the chief executive officer and general counsel are the appropriate decision-makers, and they will represent Apple during the upcoming settlement discussions. At Samsung, the chief executive officer and general counsel are also the appropriate decision-makers, and they will represent Samsung during these settlement discussions.”
The report called the talks “semi-voluntary,” because the companies did not have to submit to the Alternative Dispute Resolution. However, as pointed out by Foss Patents, “if only one of them had made the CEO available, the other one would have appeared to be less than constructive.” Apple and Samsung executives will meet in San Francisco with U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero sometime over the next three months:
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[tweet https://twitter.com/benjrubenstein/status/192310507179483137]
Google announced on the Google Chrome Blog today an updated version of the “Chrome for Android Beta” app that includes support for 31 additional languages and a few new features highly requested by users. The beta is now available to users in all countries with access to Google Play.
Among the new features is the ability to view the desktop version of a website, add bookmarks to your home screen as shortcuts, select default apps for opening links, and use Chrome with the system proxy for Wi-Fi.
As always, “Chrome for Android Beta” is available free through the Google Play store for Android 4.0 devices. Google also released a change log of fixes, changes, and known issues:
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After yesterday’s teaser advertisement, T-Mobile unveiled its brand new “Alter Ego” ad campaign today that reveals “another side of our popular brand ambassador, Carly.” The video does away with the magenta outfit that Carly is known for–in exchange for black leather and a 1000 cc Ducati motorcycle.
Entitled “Alter Ego,” the ad is a metaphor for what T-Mobile is all about – challenging the status quo and taking bold steps in the marketplace as a challenger brand. The makeover from the girl-next-door to an edgier, more tech-savvy and spirited Carly is synonymous with the evolution of the T-Mobile brand as we continue to push the envelope with device and service innovation to deliver amazing 4G experiences at an affordable price.
Verizon put out dozens of press releases today announcing expansions and additions to its 4G LTE network. The majority of the additions and expansions will kick-in April 19.
Additions:
LaGrange, Georgia, Macon, Georgia, Brunswick, Georgia, Cattaraugus-Allegany Counties (New York), Dodge City, Kansas, Great Bend, Kansas, Garden City, Kansas, Hays, Kansas, Pierre, South Dakota, Ocala, Florida, Provo-Orem, Utah.
Expansions:
Southern Illinois, East and Southeast of Des Moines, Iowa, Wichita, Kansas, St. Louis, Missouri, Southwest Missouri, Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Boise-Nampa, Idaho, Ft. Collins-Loveland, Colorado, Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah.
Cross-posted on 9to5Mac.com
While Greenpeace’s “How Clean is Your Cloud” report had not so great things to say about Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft’s use of coal energy in their data centers, Google was praised for its “comprehensive energy reduction plan”. The organization is urging consumers to contact the companies to convince them to change their approach to powering the cloud and read the 50-page report to learn more.
“Google has been the most open in the industry about the importance of increasing not only energy efficiency within the sector, but also the need to move our energy sources to renewable energy… Google has a comprehensive energy reduction plan that has resulted in its data centers using half the energy of the industry standard… Google’s commitment to using renewable energy as much as possible has set the bar for the industry.”
It is unclear exactly what issue this fix is for, but Google just updated its “Maps” for Android app to version 6.5.1 with the only addition being a “critical bug fix.” As always, you can grab it from the Google Play Store.
In February, the story broke that Google and other advertising companies were bypassing iOS Safari’s privacy settings and continuing to track users without their consent. Google quickly disabled its code responsible for the tracking after a story from The Wall Street Journal published, and Apple then claimed it was “working to put a stop” to the issue.
Now, a new report from Mercury News claimed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is considering whether to fine Google over the incident. The decision is expected in the next 30 days:
The Federal Trade Commission is deep into an investigation of Google’s actions in bypassing the default privacy settings of Apple’s (AAPL) Safari browser for Google users, according to sources familiar with ongoing negotiations between the company and the government… Within the next 30 days, the FTC could order the Mountain View search giant to pay an even larger fine in the Safari case than the penalty the Federal Communications Commission hit Google with Friday, say the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The report is referring to Google being recently fined $25,000 by the FCC after it allegedly “deliberately impeded and delayed” an investigation related to Street View cars. The heart of the Safari bypassing investigation is whether the company is violating a previous privacy agreement made with the FTC following controversy over the failed “Buzz” service. The report claimed Google could face up to $16,000 per violation per day for violating the agreement. Google said to Mercury News today it would “cooperate with any officials who have questions” and explained making its +1 compatible on mobile Safari created the issue:
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Earlier this month, Google announced an agreement with Paramount Pictures to bring over 500 new movies for rent to YouTube and Google Play. Today, Google is once again continuing its promise to beef up Hollywood content with the announcement that Metro Goldwyn Mayer signed an agreement to bring 600 titles for rent to both Google Play and YouTube for users in North America. With MGM, Google has now signed up five of the six major studios with only 20th Century Fox holding out, and the rental service on YouTube continues to roll out internationally in the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and elsewhere.
If there’s one consistent opening image moviegoers around the world know and equate with great cinema, it’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Roaring Lion (a clip that has over 1 million views on YouTube). For nearly 90 years, MGM has brought some of the best and most memorable films to the silver screen. Today, through a new partnership with MGM, we’ve started adding more than 600 titles for rent to YouTube and Google Play users in the U.S. and Canada. MGM joins five of the six major studios and over ten independent movie studios, currently offering movies for rent on YouTube and Google Play.
Earlier today, Walmart published a press release on its corporate website announcing that Google’s Vice President of Local, Maps and Location services Marissa A. Mayer has been nominated for the company’s Board of Directors. In addition to an announcement claiming she’s “very excited” about the nomination on her Google+ page, Mayer made a full statement in the press release:
“I am very excited to be nominated for the Walmart board… I have long been a customer and admirer of the company. Walmart is an amazing story of entrepreneurship and, as one of the world’s most powerful brands, touches millions of lives every day. I look forward to contributing to Walmart’s continued growth, success, and innovation in the years to come.”
Walmart will vote to elect Mayer at its Annual Shareholders’ meeting June 1. The company’s full press release is below:
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Google is no stranger to providing resources for political events. It recently held live Google+ Hangouts with President Obama and launched the United States edition of its “Politics & Elections” website in anticipation of the 2012 elections. Today, on the Politics & Elections blog, Google announced it would “serve as the official social platform and livestream provider” for the 2012 Republican National Convention.
The blog post confirmed Google will livestream key events through YouTube from Tampa where the presidential nominating convention is set to take place. It will also host live Google+ Hangouts with Republican leaders. The convention will kick off August 27, and we will bring you links to the live streams and hangouts then.
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Up until now, only some of the most popular videos on YouTube reaching millions of viewers had the opportunity to become a member of the partner program. The privilege provided content creators the ability to monetize their videos through advertising and access to features exclusive to partners. Starting today, YouTube is allowing anyone in 20 supported countries to instantly join the partner program by opting-in here. The only requirement is one piece of qualifying content that can be monetized.
While this is definitely a huge development for content creators looking to earn money from their YouTube videos, initially new partners will not have access to all features of current partners. For example, new partners will not have access to the custom thumbnails and banners, which are among the most popular features exclusive to partners. YouTube confirmed it is working on making these features available in the near future.
As of today, the Partner Program will roll out to everyone in the following 20 countries:
Stemming from reports earlier this week from National Defense Magazine, a Boeing spokesperson confirmed to Geekwire this morning that the aerospace and defense company is developing an Android device for the United States government security and defense markets:
“We are developing a trusted mobile device that will serve the US Government Defense and Security market, which require a higher level of security than is currently available in the commercial marketplace.”
According to the earlier reports from National Defense, Boeing Network and Space Systems President Roger Krone expects the device to launch later this year. He claimed the device would début at a lower price than similar encrypted and secure devices sold to government for upwards of “$15,000 to $20,000 per device.” The Boeing phone will not hit the mass market, but Android was selected and not proprietary software to meet demand from users wanting access to the apps and features they are familiar with in smartphones. It is dubbed “The Boeing Phone,” but no decisions have been made whether the device will ultimately carry the Boeing brand.
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Google already announced some big new enterprise partners adopting Google Apps this year, despite Microsoft launching its “Googlighting” smear campaign to promote its Office 365 alternative. In January, it signed its biggest deal with a single company by transitioning roughly 110,000 employees across 26 countries from Spanish bank BBVA to Google Apps. For governments, Colorado recently adopted the Google Apps for Government platform, and today Google announced on the Official Enterprise Blog that Edmonton has become the first major Canadian city to make the switch:
