Fleksy keyboard for Android has received an update with a couple of new features and gone on sale for 99 cents through Friday after announcing it has secured $2 million in venture funding from Digital Garage, Eniac Ventures, Middleland Capital, Highland Capital Partners, Militello Capital and other investment partners.
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Re/code reports on Tuesday that senior Google executive Claire Hughes Johnson has been hired by payments company Stripe to lead business operations at the San Francisco-based tech startup. According to the report, Johnson will make the transition from Google to Stripe while taking just one day off as she switches jobs.
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Google has outlined several of the new security enhancements that have been added to Android Lollipop, the latest version of its mobile operating system, such as encryption enabled by default and a new lock screen that is more convenient and powerful to use than ever before. Read ahead for a closer look at some of the new security features.
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Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced the oft-rumored Motorola DROID Turbo at a media event in New York. The single biggest feature of the all-new smartphone is up to 48 hours of battery life based on usage time, meaning that you can actually use the device for two consecutive days before a recharge is needed. A complete rundown of the Motorola DROID Turbo tech specs, pricing and more is ahead.
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McDonald’s announced on Tuesday that it now accepts Softcard for NFC-based mobile payments on Android at its restaurants across the United States. The move comes just over a week after McDonald’s became one of the more high-profile launch partners for Apple Pay, which enables iPhone users to tap and pay with their smartphone.
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Google announced on Tuesday that professional services company PwC is the latest business to adopt the Apps for Work suite and Google Cloud Platform. The news comes less than one day after Google tabbed Squarespace and WordPress as two other new Google for Work partners, greatly expanding its business portfolio as competition increases.
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Motorola has been busy creating a new lineup of smartphones that go beyond the next-generation Moto X and Nexus 6 in partnership with Google. Verizon Wireless is set to host a press event in a few hours in which it unveils its all-new lineup of its iconic DROID devices, including the Motorola DROID Turbo that has been leaked ahead of time.
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While the number of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices that the average consumer owns is expected to rise over the next several years, it remains a rather frustrating and tedious task to pick up a task on one device where you left off on another. Apple has attempted to solve this problem with Handoff for iPhone, iPad and Mac, but Google has yet to deliver the same functionality on Android.
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Google announced on Monday that Squarespace and WordPress.com are the latest businesses to join the Google for Work Partner Program, meaning that both content management systems now provide integration with the Google Apps for Work suite: Gmail, Hangouts, Calendar, Google+, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Sites, Admin and Vault.
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Microsoft on Monday announced that it will be eliminating its top-tier cloud storage plan and offering unlimited cloud storage to Office 365 subscribers at no additional cost. The change will begin rolling out today for Office 365 Home, Personal and University customers and will continue over the coming months.
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Google this afternoon announced Inbox for Gmail, its all-new emailing solution that is intended to coexist with the regular Gmail platform. Inbox for Gmail is available on an invite only basis for Android, iOS and Chrome. I am fortunate enough to have received an invite to Inbox for Gmail, and I have been giving the iPhone app a rundown to see how it works. For the most part, Inbox is everything that you know and love about Gmail in a sleeker package.

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Google announced as part of its acquisition of Songza in July that it would bring some of the music streaming service’s features that users love to Google Play Music. Three months later, the company has followed through with those plans by integrating Songza’s “Concierge” feature with Play Music, enabling users to create contextual expert-curated playlists for an improved listening experience across all platforms.
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An ongoing investigation conducted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that has accused Google — and other major tech companies — of making it too easy for children to make in-app purchases is finally set to come to a close for the Mountain View-based company.

Google has reached a settlement with the FTC that will see it pay out at least $19 million to parents billed for unauthorized in-app purchases by children. The FTC order also requires Google to change its mobile app billing practices to ensure that parental consent is properly obtained before charges are applied.
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Google on Tuesday announced the rebranding of its Enterprise products and services group to a friendlier “Google for Work” name that should resonate better with small businesses and anyone using Google services, such as Maps, Search, Chrome, Android and Cloud Platform, to perform their day-to-day work. Google chairman Eric Schmidt emphasized that the change was made to empower anyone, including a sole developer in his or her basement, to have an impact. 
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Following in the footsteps of LG revealing its circular G Watch R, Samsung just moments ago announced its new Gear S smartwatch with a curved 2-inch Super AMOLED display, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth, enhanced multi-sensors, built-in GPS and more. The smartwatch will be available through retail stores and carriers in October.

Samsung’s Gear S should serve as competition for the all-new circular LG G Watch R and Moto 360. A big difference, however, is that the Gear S is not an Android Wear device. Instead, it runs a version of Samsung’s own open-source, standards-based operating system Tizen. 
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Let’s be clear off the top: there is no Instagram for Android Wear. At least, not yet. But if you are curious what it might look like, interaction designer Aleksandar Nikcevic has created a beautiful mockup of what could be Instagram for Android Wear on a Moto 360 smartwatch. 
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Google announced on Tuesday that it has acquired cloud-based visual effects company Zync, which provided the rendering technology behind the movies Star Trek Into Darkness and Looper. Zync will be joining the Google Cloud Platform team, bolstering the company’s cloud-based offerings for creative professionals.

Zync Render is an in-house tool that provides integrated image rendering for visual effects professionals, offering users flexible solutions and greater creative freedoms with decreased longterm overhead and startup costs. The rendering tool has been used by over a dozen feature films and hundreds of commercials. 
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