Google Play

Google just updated the Google Drive app for Android and iOS.

The app’s most noteworthy new feature is the ability to edit spreadsheets, just like Google Docs. The Drive Team elaborated on the latest update via the official Google Drive blog:

From the Drive app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device, you can create a new spreadsheet or edit an existing one. You can switch fonts, resize columns, sort data, and more. And just like on your computer, you’ll be able to see other people’s edits in real time as they’re made.

The newest version also boasts improved text formatting when pasting, while Android users can exclusively edit text within tables in documents and add a homescreen shortcut to any file in Drive.

The full changelog (on Google Play):

• Edit Google spreadsheets in new native editor
• Edit contents of tables in Google Docs editor
• Formatting is maintained when copy/pasting within Google Docs
• Single tap to enter edit mode in Google Docs editor
• Add a shortcut to Drive files/folders to your homescreen for quick access
• Send Link now supports copying link to clipboard

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Google is getting rid of anonymous reviews in its Google Play store and informing users that from now on store reviews “will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture.” There doesn’t appear to be an option at this point to not use your Google+ identity, which means we might get a bit of backlash from users. However, it also means more accountability and potentially better reviews. The update was first spotted on the web version of the Google Play store, as pictured above, but it is apparently making its way out to mobile users too.

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According to AndroidCentral, Google confirmed that it would resume selling its new Nexus 4 smartphone today after weeks of unavailability following the Nov. 13 launch. Both the $299 8 GB and $348 16GB models were listed as sold out just shortly after going up for sale in the United States on the Google Play store. Since then, some shipments have reached customers. However, Google earlier this month notified some pre-orders customers that their device would ship in three weeks due to “overwhelming demand.” We’ll keep you posted if the device actually hits Google Play later today.

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First noted by Bloomberg, Google says there are now 700,000 applications available for users to download from the Google Play store. That means Google and Apple are neck-and-neck for how many applications are available on each store. Apple announced at its press event last week that it has “more than 700,000″ — nonetheless the race is still pretty close.

Many have observed that Apple’s App Store has lead to more revenue and sales than Google’s Play. Apple reported $6.5 billion paid to developers since the App Store was first introduced in 2008. Google is yet to release any similar numbers.

Google may be able to increase the number of tablet-specific apps that are available on its store with the introduction of the 10-inch Nexus 10. We’ll be on the look out to see if/when Google passes Apple.

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Carphone Warehouse has had its fair share of troubles keeping the LG Nexus 4—the device Google was supposed to announce Monday— under wraps. Thanks to Android Authority, we got a look this evening at the Nexus 4’s alleged pricing of £389.95 ($504) unlocked at the third-party reseller. The promo banner seen above also rings out specs we heard before, including: 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. So, that looks to be the LG Nexus 4. Now, we just need a release date. [Android Authority via Engadget] 
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HhD5oFYG_1k]

We noted last week that carrier-backed Google Wallet competitor Isis was nearing an official launch when we noticed the T-Mobile ISIS app on Google Play. Today, the app officially launches on all three of its major carrier partners in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas. ISIS issued a press release on its website today to confirm the service would be available to nine “Isis Ready” handsets through Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. It will also land on a total of 20 devices by the end of 2012.

“Today’s launch of the Isis Mobile Wallet is a significant achievement in terms of enabling consumer adoption of mobile payments,” said Suzan Kereere, senior vice president and general manager, American Express, Global Network Business.  “Mobile commerce holds the promise of dramatically enhancing consumers’ shopping experience, and American Express’ first priority as a network is to provide choice and flexibility for all industry participants as we work together to influence the speed and growth of mobile NFC payments in the U.S.”

The service will be made available to compatible devices, which the press release failed to list, and it can be activated with a secure element SIM card at one of the partner carrier’s retail stores in Austin and Salt Lake City. We know on T-Mobile you’ll be able to use at least the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Relay 4G. You can see Verizon’s selection here. Isis also has a full list of participating merchants here.

Like T-Mobile, ISIS apps for both Verizon and AT&T are now available on Google Play.

The full press release from Isis is below:
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In May, Google opened up the ability for developers to include subscriptions in their apps. It is a feature that has been available on Apple’s App Store for quite sometime.

According to a new posting on the Android Developers’ website, a new feature is landing today for the in-app subscription service Google offers. The team in Mountain View has rolled out the ability for developers to set a free trial period, allowing users to try a subscription before buying. A user will be required to give payment information when signing up for the free trial, but it will not be charged. Like most free trial services, a user will be charged after the trial period is over. As for the changes that developers need to make….
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Google TV is all grown up: Adult video-subscription service FyreTV announced the launch of its first porn app for Google TV today.

As first reported by GigaOm, the app is not available through Google Play. Google does not permit adult content on its store, but it is allowed as a native third-party app. FyreTV’s website has a direct download for Google TV devices.

A Fryer representative told GigaOm:

“We saw how Android went from last to first in terms of mobile market share and we are expecting a similar result here. Plus with their international rollout it allows our users from a wider range of countries to experience FyreTV the way it was meant to be experienced, on the TV.”

FyreTV’s app offers subscription packages of adult content. It is not the first porn company to launch on Google’s TV platform, though, as adult studio Vivid released an HTML 5-optimized website just last year. FyreTV is working on an HTML 5 version, too.

“We do see HTML5 as an important factor in providing FyreTV access to a wider user base, particularly on TV devices that would never allow us to go native,” the representative confirmed to GigaOm.

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We told you last week that Google was readying physical gift cards for Google Play content, and the company made things official today by announcing the cards will roll out to Target, GameStop, and RadioShack retail outlets in the coming weeks. The cards will be available in $10, $25, and $50, and they will initially only be available in the United States at the retailers mentioned above and through Walmart.com later this month.

-Explore millions of songs from top artists, thousands of your favorite movies and TV shows, the world’s largest selection of eBooks, and much more. Play your purchases instantly on the web or on the go — no need for wires or syncing.

-Shop for all the Android apps and games you love with your Google Play gift card. You can even use it to purchase extra levels, add-on packs, and virtual currency.

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Google — Left: Mobile map with all modes of public transit shown; Right: Transit Lines layer in Subway mode

Google Maps now offers schedules for over 1 million public transportation stops in nearly 500 cities worldwide, while its Android counterpart updated today to make the abundance of new transit data more convenient.

Christopher Van Der Westhuizen, a Google Maps software engineer, announced version 6.10 of the Google Maps for Android app on the Official Google Blog:

We’ve made some changes to the Transit Lines layer, so that you can select a specific mode of public transportation (train, bus, tram or subway) to display on the mobile map, hiding the other modes. This is helpful in areas where there is a tight concentration of several types of public transit.

Google offers a list of supported cities at its Transit page.

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Google updated its Google Translate Android app today to version 2.5, and it added a number of notable features including the ability to translate text from images. When snapping an image of a street sign or anything else containing text and highlighting the text within the image using your finger, Google Translate will instantly provide a translation for devices running Android 2.3 and above (as shown in the screenshot to the right).

Other features added in the update for all users include instant translation results while typing, the ability to select a dialect preference for speech input, and support for multiple characters at once for Japanese handwriting. Google also noted it added “access network state permission to check network availability when sending requests.”

As always, the updated Google Translate app is available on Google Play now.

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Google just sent an email to customers who pre-ordered the Nexus Q to announce it will postpone the consumer launch of its media-streaming device.

The Nexus Q originally received a mid-July shipping time, but Google apparently decided to go back to the drawing board over “initial feedback from users.”

Google is apologizing to those who pre-ordered the $299 Nexus Q by sending them a free one. The U.S.-made device is akin to an Android- and Google services-compatible Apple TV, but it does not run apps.

Google’s email is below.

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We knew the U.S.-made streaming device would ship sometime in July to those who preordered, but today Nexus Q is officially in stock on the Google Play store. It is shipping in “3-5 business days” to U.S. customers. Nexus 7 certainly had a good start. It sold out at several retailers, but many are skeptical the $299 media streamer will do as well.

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