Skip to main content

Google

5,737 'Google' stories January 2009 - August 2015
See All Stories

Stay up to date on news from Google headquarters. Be the first to learn about plans for Android, Google Plus, Google Apps, and more!

Opinion: I’m a human that uses Google+ every day, and (maybe) you should too

Avatar for Stephen Hall Aug 3 2015 - 10:04 am PT
10 Comments

Google+ has largely been heralded as dead, and that isn’t for no reason. Most recently, Google has decided that it’s time to stop pretending like people want it, and has started decoupling its other services from the infamous social network wannabe. For those that just couldn’t stand the fact that Google was pushing them into something they didn’t want, I guess that’s great. Google is listening to feedback, and they’re acting on it. But for me, Google+ is an invaluable part of my daily routine. There is so much interesting commentary and conversation that happens there that I can’t imagine a day without it. I’ve made friends on Google+. I’ve had some of my most viral social media postings go viral on Google+. I’ve talked with Google employees personally on Google+. I have the ability to write about Google and its products in-depth partly because of Google+. And no, this isn’t satire.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Hangouts now lets you customize who can contact you directly

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 31 2015 - 2:17 pm PT
0 Comments

Hangouts, since the beginning, has separated incoming messages into two categories. Either the app detects that you probably know the person that’s contacting you (by way of you circling them, them having your email address, or otherwise) and lets them send you a message directly, or it puts incoming messages into an “Invitation” that you have to accept. How this works has never been customizable, but now Google is letting you customize these invitations to make them more or less strict.

Here’s the image that Jordanna Chord shared:

In the new options, you can choose to go with Google’s recommended system, or you can opt to customize three different categories of incoming messages yourself. If you’d like, you can require that only invitations can be sent — regardless of if the sender has your email/phone number or not. Or, if you’re more of a free spirit, you can conversely use this opportunity to open up your inbox to any and all messages and allow everyone to contact you directly. Personally, I like the way Google has things set up. But I also like options. Options are good.

These settings will be available across the Hangouts apps, and of course, those who are using the Hangouts app on the desk through Google+ or otherwise will be able to take advantage of them as well.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Anker 16000mAh Power Bank $29, Sony SmartWatch 3 $147, Galaxy Tab 4 $170, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 31 2015 - 12:44 pm PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

anker-astro-e5

Anker Astro E5 16000mAh PowerBank w/ LED Flashlight: $29 Prime Shipped (Reg. $37)

Sony Mobile Sony SmartWatch 3 SWR50: $147 shipped (Reg. $160+) | Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet in White (open box): $170 shipped (Orig. $330)

 

HTC One (M8) w/ 32 GB flash storage, 4G LTE, GSM (unlocked): $210 shipped (Reg. $499) | eBay

LG G Flex 2 silver (unlocked) 4G LTE w/ curved OLED: $300 shipped (Reg. $330) | eBay

Logitech $20 off $49: MX Master Wireless Mouse $80 shipped (Reg. $100), gaming accessories, more

Take a peek at Nerf’s upcoming high octane blaster that shoots foam balls up to 70 mph

LEGO iOS sale: Movie Video Game hits lowest price ever, Lord of the Rings & Harry Potter $1 ea. (Reg. $5), more

Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service is here and Prime members can order today

Amazon’s new Launchpad store offers the latest gadgets from crowdfunding campaigns and startups

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Zelda Wind Waker HD $38, BOGO 50% off 3DS titles, MGS V Phantom Pain game guide $25, freebies, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/627142072085159936 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

disney-pixar-lava-short

Stream Pixar’s animated short Lava in its entirety for free

Free PS Plus Games for August: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Limbo, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for August: Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes, more

New products & more:

Olio announces new Gold and Rose Gold options for its luxury smartwatch

LEGO and Star Wars come together once again in this gorgeous new photography book

PSA: Android M Developer Preview 3 has been delayed a bit

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 31 2015 - 7:54 am PT
0 Comments

According to a post by an Android Developer Advocate on Google+, the Mountain View company has had to delay Android M Developer Preview 3 just a bit to make sure it’s closer to being a “near final’ build. Google never promised a release date, so most probably won’t be too disappointed, but the company says it just needs a “little more time.”

As per Wojtek Kaliciński:

A quick update on M Developer Preview 3.
We want this to be a near final release to test your apps on, but we need a little more time to get it out to you.
Please be patient and refrain from posting speculations about the release date. We will announce the Preview 3 availability in this community and on +Android Developers as soon as it’s ready.

We’ll of course let you know as soon as the new Developer Preview is out, and we’ll quickly be digging through it to find the latest additions and fixes. The first two previews went without any kind of Google Now on Tap support, so that’s likely part of what the company is scrambling to put together right now.

Google appeals French ‘Right to be forgotten’ order, says would be ‘race to the bottom’

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 31 2015 - 4:03 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Google has appealed against France’s order that it must implement ‘Right to be forgotten‘ requests globally, rather than just within Europe, reports the WSJ. The company argued in a blog post that to comply would mean the Internet would only be as free as the least free country in the world … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

The new 9to5

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Jul 30 2015 - 5:15 pm PT
17 Comments
Site default logo image

You might notice that 9to5Google has changed. Indeed so has the whole network. Long before the page size/speed and advertising controversies, we knew that we needed to rethink how we presented ourselves.

While we were one of the lightest and fastest sites in our field, our feature creep and advertisers were adding complexity and page load times, which is especially crucial on mobile – an ever expanding percentage of our growing audience.

We decided to start over…
Expand
Expanding
Close

The invite waitlist for OnePlus 2 purchases has surpassed one million people

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 30 2015 - 4:13 pm PT
1 Comment

OnePlus earlier this week finally took the wraps off the much anticipated OnePlus 2, the successor to the company’s first Android smartphone, the OnePlus One. And while the young Chinese company says it significantly increased manufacturing capacity for the 2 over the One, it still seems to believe that demand will initially outstrip supply. As such, once the OnePlus 2 launches on August 11th you’re likely to do some more waiting before you get it.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Glass ‘Enterprise Edition’ reports corroborated: Improved internals, robust build, not for consumers

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 30 2015 - 2:15 pm PT
0 Comments

As I first told you across several exclusive reports, Google’s next move for Google Glass is into the enterprise (via The Wall Street Journal). As I said, the device is expected to have improved internal hardware including an Intel Atom processor, a new physique that makes it more suitable for less-than-ideal working environments, and will be coming exclusively to the workplace through the Glass for Work partner groups.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Play minimum price now Rs. 10 in India, Play Movies goes live in Indonesia and Malaysia (Update: Singapore too)

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 30 2015 - 10:54 am PT
1 Comment

Update: Google posted to Google+ shortly after we published this to announce that Play Movies is actually now available in three new countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Our report below doesn’t mention Singapore as a new supported country.

Google Play and Play Movies are both getting some international love today. Play is Google’s store for apps and games, while Play Movies contains movie and television content.

First up, developers in India can now price their Play Store apps lower than ever before: Rs. 10, which comes out to approximately 10 cents in US dollars. This is major because while India is a rapidly developing country with many starting to rise to the middle class, its per capita GDP is still much smaller than that of the United States. Also, and this is just my opinion, 10 cents is much more of a impulse buy area. This new minimum pricing only applies to India. Google recently began selling Play Store gift cards in the country as well – India is very reliant on cash over plastic (credit, debit cards), so by making gift cards available that can be purchased with cash, the company has ostensibly increased its potential customer base in that country.

Also new today, or at least very recently, is the launching of Play Movies in Indonesia and Malaysia. Several people have reached out to Android Police as of late with tips and screenshots of its availability in the two countries, so it’s pretty assured to be real. Play Movies is, as mentioned, Google’s movie and television entertainment store for Android devices. The company also rents out video content through YouTube, although the availability of both of these varies widely by region and country.

Testing Android apps is now easier with new ‘open beta’ option

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 30 2015 - 9:52 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Up until today, testing out an Android app that’s in beta has required going through a non-intuitive process that includes joining a group on Google+ (or Google Groups) and then clicking a special Play Store link which typically doesn’t even work until a few minutes after you join the associated group (which can lead people to thinking that something isn’t working). It’s weird and inelegant, so Google has just announced two new (easier) ways through which developers can grant users access to their betas.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google adds 40 new companies to the Android for Work program

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 30 2015 - 9:22 am PT
0 Comments

Google’s Android for Work program already has more than 10,000 businesses that are “testing, deploying or using Android for Work” in some capacity, and now the company has announced 40 new partners. Notably, several Android handset OEMs are joining the group, as well as 8 cellular carriers.

The Android for Work program took off with the help of our partners across the Android ecosystem, and today we’re expanding the family to 40 companies to continue the momentum, including new device manufacturers, application makers and management providers.

AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, HTC, Sony, LG, Huawei, Lenovo, Motorola, Dell, and HP are among some of the notable additions. Google makes note of Blackphone as one of the newly-partnered companies that brings the enhanced privacy and security features on top of the Android platform.

Quick Look at Microsoft’s new Arrow Launcher beta for Android [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 29 2015 - 4:16 pm PT
0 Comments

A couple of days ago, Microsoft pushed out a beta version of a new Android launcher out to testers. Arrow Launcher aims to give you all the most important people and apps as efficiently as possible. Apps are on one screen, notes and reminders on another, and contacts on a third.

It’s still in its early beta stages, but Arrow Launcher reminds me a little of Yahoo’s Aviate launcher. It’s not the most customizable launcher ever developed, but it does seem efficient and I can see, with time, it’ll be really productive. I’ve put together a quick video to give you an overview of all the features of Arrow Launcher.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Xbox Music’s ‘Groove’ name-change hits Android in redesigned app

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 29 2015 - 1:37 pm PT
0 Comments

Xbox Music changed its name to Groove at the beginning of this month, and today, the rebranding has made its way to the music app on Android’s Play Store. It’s free to download, and is available right now.

Along with the new look and name, the app has had a couple of new features added. More devices can now download tracks for offline listening thanks to newly added compatibility. Music stored in your OneDrive folders will automatically show as music in the new Groove app. What’s more, you won’t need a paid subscription to make use of the app, although you will need one to access the entire streaming catalogue ad-free.

As per the Play Store listing:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Get ready to see search ads in Google’s Play Store: they’re rolling out now

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 29 2015 - 11:23 am PT
0 Comments

Google at its I/O developer conference back in May took some time to discuss improvements it was making to its Play Store for Android devices. Of those, one area in particular the company touched on was improving the discoverability of apps through better categorization and the ability for developers to A/B test their listings to find which combination of titles and screenshots would lead to the most downloads.

Another way the company has been working to help developers drive awareness of their apps has been through testing Play Store search advertisements, placing a developers’ app at the top of search results against specific keywords. The ability to purchase these placements is starting to roll out today.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Poll: OnePlus 2 and Moto X Pure Edition compared – which is your pick?

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 29 2015 - 7:36 am PT
4 Comments

Both the OnePlus 2 and the Moto X Pure Edition were announced this week, showcasing the best that these two Android OEMs have to offer this year. Both of these devices were horribly-kept secrets in their own ways, so there weren’t many surprises — we already knew almost every detail about both phones before they were announced.

But now that they’re here, which one do you think you’ll be getting? Or if you’re not in line for an upgrade right now, which one would be your pick? Let’s take a look at a few of their differences…
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Translate app instant visual translation adds 20 languages

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 29 2015 - 7:04 am PT
0 Comments

If you travel internationally, you’re well aware that Google Translate’s visual translation features — which originated as the Word Lens app — are invaluable. Today, Google announced that the app has added support for 20 new languages, bringing the total up to 27.

Today, we’re updating the Google Translate app again—expanding instant visual translation to 20 more languages (for a total of 27!), and making real-time voice translations a lot faster and smoother—so even more people can experience the world in their language.

The app originally supported English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

As of today, you can now translate to and from Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian. You can also do one-way translations from English to Hindi and Thai.

Aclima’s air quality sensors are being attached to Google Street View cars in San Francisco

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 28 2015 - 10:55 pm PT
0 Comments

Aclima, a startup which builds an end-to-end hardware and software solution for detecting and analyzing the health and state of varying environmental surroundings (i.e. indoors where carbon dioxide can build in meeting rooms, outdoors where vehicles can release significant carbon monoxide), has announced a new partnership with Google which will see its sensors make their way onto Google Street View cars in the San Francisco Bay Area. Street View cars are the vehicles through which Google collects street-level imagery for its Maps street view product.

The ultimate goal for Aclima with partnerships including this one is to make data on air quality as easily accessible as the weather so that communities can better understand how air pollutants in their area are affecting human health and climate change, and start a dialog on improving local air quality.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Contributor live to US web users, contribute monthly to see fewer ads across the web

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 28 2015 - 12:54 pm PT
1 Comment

The confluence of several different events – the great shift to mobile computing where there’s little screen real-estate, a spurning of display ads, to name just two – is causing content creators and consumers alike to rethink how today’s media gets funded. Sites like Patreon and Kickstarter remove the middle-man from the funding process for projects which require lots of upfront investment and see slow development times by allowing anyone to contribute any amount of money they want to a project’s development.

Google last year threw its own hat into the crowdfunding space with the soft launch of Contributor, a way through which consumers can pay a monthly recurring donation to fund the sites they visit while seeing less ads. Now anyone in the United States can actually use it starting today.
Expand
Expanding
Close

PSA: ‘Moto X Style’ is simply ‘Moto X Pure Edition’ in the US

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 28 2015 - 9:49 am PT
0 Comments

Motorola announced two new Moto X variants this morning, but the company didn’t do a great job of clarifying in its multi-national livestream exactly how the phones would be marketed in the United States. First, as we mentioned, there aren’t any plans to bring the Moto X Play to the US at all at this point. But secondly, and perhaps more confusingly, the Moto X Style isn’t really coming to the US, either. In the United States, the equivalent of the Moto X Style will simply be called “Moto X Pure Edition”.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Google offered more than $200 million to acquire the startup behind a veggie cheeseburger

Avatar for Chance Miller Jul 27 2015 - 4:58 pm PT
1 Comment
Site default logo image

According to a report from The Information, Google has made efforts in recent months to purchase the Impossible Foods startup. For those unfamiliar, Impossible Foods has been developing a cheeseburger made entirely out of plants, but that tastes and looks like one made out of ground beef.


Expand
Expanding
Close