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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Samsung Gear Fit (refurb) $60, Brother Wireless Printer $80, Goat Simulator $1, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 16 2015 - 12:39 pm PT
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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:

Samsung refurbished Gear Fit Fitness watch: $60 shipped (Reg. $150) | eBay

Daily Deals: Brother color inkjet wireless printer $80, D-Link pan/tilt day/night IP camera $60, more

Goat Simulator on sale for just $1 for iOS and Android (Reg. $5)

Refurb HTC One M9 32GB flash 4G LTE (AT&T unlocked): $400 shipped (Reg. $500+) | eBay

Motorola Moto X 2nd generation (unlocked) 16GB: $290 shipped (Reg. $500) | Amazon

Refurb Moto X Verizon 16GB: $100 shipped (Reg. $200+) | eBay

FreedomPop LG Nexus 5 refurb w/ 500 SMS, 200 min, 500MB data: $150 shipped (Reg. $500) | Sam’s Club

SoundPEATS Qy7 Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless In-Ear Headphones: $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

Pay what you want for the 7-course Web Hacker Bundle ($1,043 value, currently $6)

SONOS announces new limited edition solid color PLAY:1 speakers

Review: SanDisk’s new Connect Wireless Stick is one of the easiest ways to expand your iPhone’s storage

Giveaway: Win one of SanDisk’s newly released massive 200GB microSD cards ($250 value)

Small States: A-Lamp Design fashions charming lights for your home from US materials, multiple giveaways

More new gear from today:

Charge a NExus 6 on the road w/ this Anker 25600mAh 3-port Battery: $50 shipped (Reg. $80), more

More deals still alive:

Aukey 40W/8A 5-Port USB Desktop Charger: $14 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

New products & more:

Grado’s new Heritage Series headphones are made from native Brooklyn trees

Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra talks Apple copycat ‘melodrama,’ Android, U.S. expansion plans [Video]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 16 2015 - 12:16 pm PT
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As smartphones grow in popularity in emerging markets, Hugo Barra has very publicly spoken for Xiaomi, the Chinese-based technology company that he left Google to join as Vice President of International in September 2013. Today, he sat down with Bloomberg to talk about many things, including accusations that the Chinese company has stolen Apple’s design, Android as one of the best decisions Google ever made, and Xiaomi’s eventual plan to bring its devices stateside…
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Google’s ‘Safe Browsing’ alerts to become more prominent as deceptive software detection improves

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 16 2015 - 9:25 am PT
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If you’ve ever been browsing the web and seen the above warning, you’ve probably done one of two things. You either quickly click the “Back to safety” button, or you navigate into the “Details” section to tell Chrome that it’s being a helicopter mom — and go about your “dangerous” browsing. Although I haven’t encountered this page too many times, I definitely fall into the latter category when I do.

Today, Google announced that as its detection of unwanted software on the web has improved, these alerts are going to become more common in your web browsing experience. Specifically, in the coming weeks, you’ll see “more warnings than ever before”…
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Google rolling out Classroom notifications to Android and iOS apps

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 16 2015 - 9:21 am PT
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We shared last month that a number of changes were coming to Google’s Classroom service for educators and students, and now Google says that one of those changes is rolling out now: mobile alerts. Google says that the Classroom app for both Android and iOS will gain support for mobile notifications this week.

For instance, students will be alerted immediately when they receive new assignments or grades, notes from teachers, comments from fellow classmates, and more—allowing them to stay on top of their schoolwork even more easily.

To support the new notifications feature, Google released an updated version of its Classroom app for Android on the Play Store and iOS on the App Store this week. Google first announced the new alerts feature for Classroom, which it launched last year to help teachers and students manage classwork, alongside other upcoming changes coming to Classroom including a new developer API, a share button for sending work to other services, and the ability to re-use assignments.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: HTC One M9 (unlocked) $400, 2nd gen Moto X (unlocked), $290, Prime Day deals, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 15 2015 - 12:35 pm PT
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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:

Refurb HTC One M9 32GB flash 4G LTE (AT&T unlocked): $400 shipped (Reg. $500+) | eBay

Motorola Moto X 2nd generation (unlocked) 16GB: $290 shipped (Reg. $500) | Amazon

Amazon Prime Day hub: all of the best deals from Amazon’s huge 20th Birthday sale

 

FreedomPop LG Nexus 5 refurb w/ 500 SMS, 200 min, 500MB data: $150 shipped (Reg. $500) | Sam’s Club

Review: SanDisk’s new Connect Wireless Stick is one of the easiest ways to expand your iPhone’s storage

Small States: A-Lamp Design fashions charming lights for your home from US materials, multiple giveaways

More new gear from today:

Aukey 40W/8A 5-Port USB Desktop Charger $14 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

More deals still alive:

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD $90 shipped (Orig. $140)

New products & more:

The Lumos Helmet provides the technology needed to bike safely

This transforming Optimus Prime LEGO build might be one of the most impressive yet

 

Google’s default Clock app gets new ‘more neutral’ color scheme

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 15 2015 - 11:17 am PT
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It wasn’t that long ago that Google opened up its Clock app to be downloaded on just about any Android device, and now a very minor update released today has refreshed the app’s color scheme. While the previous version sported a pink-and-blue look that was reminiscent of cotton candy, the app now looks a lot more like a patriotic red, white, and blue.

Those who weren’t avid users of the previous version might not notice the difference, because in the grand scheme of things it’s definitely not a huge change. But if you were a fan of the light-hearted and unique colors of the app, you might be disappointed that Google has now gone with something more “neutral” in version 4.0.2. The update also packs a few bug fixes.

You can get the latest version of the Clock app over at APKMirror right now, or you should see it rolling out via the Play Store any minute now.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: 2nd generation Moto X (unlocked) $290, Fitbit Flex $75, Nexus 5 refurb $150, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 14 2015 - 12:44 pm PT
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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:

Motorola Moto X 2nd generation (unlocked) 16GB: $290 shipped (Reg. $500) | Amazon

Daily Deals: Fitbit Flex activity tracker $75, Sony Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System $89, more

FreedomPop LG Nexus 5 refurb w/ 500 SMS, 200 min, 500MB data: $150 shipped (Reg. $500) | Sam’s Club

Amazon Gold Box – SanDisk Flash Storage up to 50% off: 128GB microSD $60, 32GB Ultra Fit Flash Drive $11, more

Amazon Prime Day Hub, monster sales announced: Fire Stick $24, 32-inch TV $75, and 40-inch TV $115, more

Walmart CEO blasts Amazon’s Prime Day, promises a week-long sales event with “some special atomic deals”

Review: SanDisk’s new Connect Wireless Stick is one of the easiest ways to expand your iPhone’s storage

Giveaway: Win one of SanDisk’s newly released massive 200GB microSD cards ($250 value)

Small States: A-Lamp Design fashions charming lights for your home from US materials, multiple giveaways

More new gear from today:

Beats by Dre 1-Day Sale: Powerbeats2 Bluetooth Headphones, Pill 2.0 Portable Speaker $130 ea (Reg. $200)

RAVPower Portable 3,200mAh External Battery Pack w/ Flashlight: $7 Prime shipped (Reg. $13)

More deals still alive:

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD $90 shipped (Orig. $140)

New products & more:

The Lemunati CS1 coverts your iPhone 6 into a Super 8 style camcorder for an “upgraded” filming experience

This TIE Fighter look-alike music machine plays your favorite action theme songs

 

Nat & Lo are using their 20% time to take us behind the scenes at Google (Video)

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 14 2015 - 12:24 pm PT
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Googlers use their 20% in many different ways, and usually that means building a product or service they hope will someday see some amount of wider adoption. Gmail and AdSense were both built in 20% time, and now they’re two of Google’s biggest services.

Nat & Lo are going to do something a bit different. Since most people don’t ever get a chance to really see how Google ticks behind the scenes, Nat & Lo thought they would use their 20% time to show us — and they’re doing so via a newly-launched YouTube channel.
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Google Cloud Platform expands to General Availability on Windows

Avatar for Chance Miller Jul 14 2015 - 7:54 am PT
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Google today has announced that its Compute Engine on Windows is expanding to General Availability. Google’s Cloud Platform allows users to deploy and operate a wide variety of technologies and today’s expansion to Windows will allow for more users to take advantage of the platform.

Compute Engine offers Windows 2012 R2 and Windows 2008 R2 customers benefits of rapid deployments, increased uptime due to transparent maintenance, cheap and predictable block storage, and best in class Google Cloud Storage Nearline backup. Sharepoint, SQL and Exchange Server, and other Microsoft applications are also available to Compute Engine customers via the Microsoft License Mobility program.

Google shared more details about the graduation to General Availability for Compute Engine on Windows in a blog post on its Cloud Platform blog. Details include that Windows instances are now covered by the Compute Engine SLA, the ability for users to deploy a server running Active Directory or ASP.NET using the Cloud Launcher, and users can securely extend their existing infrastructure into Google Cloud Platform using VPN.


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Report: Google slowing down hiring, applying stricter rules to company spending

Avatar for Chance Miller Jul 13 2015 - 5:05 pm PT
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The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is tightening the reigns when it comes to hiring and spending as a company. The report, citing venture capitalists and others familiar with the matter, claims that new Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat is spearheading the streamlining of the company. Portat is allegedly involved in an internal audit of the company, examining costs, revenue, and accounting systems.


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AdWords Express for Android updated w/ Material Design makeover, other tweaks

Avatar for Chance Miller Jul 13 2015 - 3:07 pm PT
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Google today has released version 2.0 of AdWords Express for Android. For those unfamiliar with the app, AdWords Express allows users to quickly create ads via their smartphone. Google says ads can be created in less than 15 minutes, and advertisers only pay when potential customers click the ad. Today, AdWords Express has been updated with a new, Material Design interface to fall more in line with Google’s other applications for Android.


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Google Map Maker to be reopened for editing in early August, outsourcing much review

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 13 2015 - 3:03 pm PT
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You may remember the fiasco back in May wherein defacements were being discovered in Google Maps due to bad edits making their way through the approval process. Google subsequently shut down Map Maker, the tool the company used to crowdsource the improvement of its mapping products (and the same one through which these defacement edits were submitted), on May 12th to “take a pause” until “we have our moderation system back in action.” It looks like that pause on submissions will soon come to an end.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Refurb Nexus 5 $150, Ooma VoIP $99, SanDisk 200GB microSD giveaway more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 13 2015 - 12:47 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:

FreedomPop LG Nexus 5 refurb w/ 500 SMS, 200 min, 500MB data: $150 shipped (Reg. $500) | Sam’s Club

Daily Deals: Ooma VoIP home phone system $99, Toshiba Canvio Connect 2TB Portable USB 3.0 HDD $75, more

Giveaway: Win one of SanDisk’s newly released massive 200GB microSD cards ($250 value)

Walmart CEO blasts Amazon’s Prime Day, promises a week-long sales event with “some special atomic deals”

Amazon is throwing itself a birthday party so big it’ll make you forget about Black Friday

Amazon is now treating its Prime members to extra savings on new/upcoming video game

It’s now possible to 3D print customized video game characters right from Amazon

Small States: A-Lamp Design fashions charming lights for your home from US materials, multiple giveaways

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Mac Game Store Indie Sale up to 85% off, Mortal Kombat X $40 (Reg. $60), iOS freebies, more

More deals still alive:

American Express rolls out PayPal competitor, offers $10 statement credit for trying it out

Newegg 10% off sitewide w/ .edu email: VIZIO 43-inch 4K 120Hz Smart UHDTV $538 (Reg. $598), more

New products & more:

The Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Juggernog Edition comes with a mini fridge to keep you frosty

Google planning to distribute Glass ‘Enterprise Edition’ exclusively through Glass for Work partners

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 13 2015 - 8:45 am PT
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We told you earlier this month that Google is internally referring to the next iteration of its Glass hardware as “Enterprise Edition,” and rightfully so — the Explorer Edition is long gone, and people close to Google have said that the company is planning to go full-force with its wearable computer in the workplace. But how are they going to do that? People familiar with the company’s plans have told 9to5Google that Google is currently planning to distribute the device exclusively through its certified set of Glass for Work partners…
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No, Google’s Photos app isn’t uploading photos without you knowing it

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 13 2015 - 8:22 am PT
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Over the past day or so we’ve seen a number of reports across the web claiming that Google’s Photos app is uploading photos even after it’s been uninstalled. Of course the worry is that customers could be racking up huge cellular data overages from having it “switched on without them knowing it”. The truth is, having the Photos app installed or uninstalled makes no difference to whether or not your snaps are being uploaded to Google’s drive in the sky.


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PSA: Camp Google kicks off today, starting with a live dive in the Atlantic Ocean

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 13 2015 - 7:45 am PT
4 Comments

Google’s summer “camp” program focused on online project-based science lessons has officially launched today, as we told you would happen last week. The first week of the program is called Ocean Week, and it’s getting started later today with National Geographic diver Erika Bergman taking kids on a live dive in the Atlantic Ocean at 12 p.m. PT. You can tune in at the Camp Google website.

Today at 12 p.m. PT, National Geographic diver Erika Bergman and I will take kids on the first adventure—a live dive in the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll head to the northernmost part of Florida Reef Tract, the most extensive living coral reef system in North America. Whether it be the Hammerhead Reef or shipwrecks like the Jay Scutti, it will be exciting to see what we’ll find down there!

There are already a bunch of activities to do on Google’s site, including one about buoyancy and how things float in the ocean, one about building a sonar system, and more. Kids will complete these projects, and as they go, they’ll “earn camp badges to celebrate the new skills they learned.” Next week, Google is kicking off “Space Week” in collaboration with a NASA astronaut and VSauce.

Android Wear getting watch-to-watch communication and easier gestures in future?

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 13 2015 - 5:47 am PT
1 Comment

Google is working on some tantalizing new features for upcoming versions of the Android Wear software, according to a new report published by Phandroid. Citing anonymous sources, it claims that the next update to Google’s wearable OS will include direct watch-to-watch communication along with some new interactive watch faces. Purportedly, these features were due to arrive on July 28th, but are now not likely to appear until August.


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Google Maps tip: Send directions to your Android phone from your desktop (Video)

Avatar for Cam Bunton Jul 13 2015 - 4:22 am PT
2 Comments

Late last week, Google updated its Maps Android app to version 9.11.0. Although its user interface remains the same, it has one new, awesome feature: you can now send locations, navigation instructions and directions straight to your Android phone.

We put together a short video to guide you through the very quick and painless method. This feature competes directly with that built in to the Mac Maps app included in OS X Mavericks which allows iPhone users to send directions direct from Mac to their phones.


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Google displaying product review snippets in product knowledge cards

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 10 2015 - 3:09 pm PT
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Search for a product on Google and you might see a Knowledge Graph card to the right of the result links containing details on the product as well as links to sites selling it and the full Google Shopping reviews page. You may now also see snippets of what people are saying regarding certain aspects of a product.

First spotted by Search Engine Land, Google seems to be pulling quotes from the product reviews that it aggregates from other websites and placing them inside Search product cards. The company gets most of these reviews from the product pages of websites selling the item – Rakuten.com Shopping and B&H Photo are two places the reviews for the above speakers come from, for example.

As Search Engine Land notes, you can click through to see all the reviews for a product, but on the full reviews page the only link provided against each review simply goes to the product page hosting the review – it doesn’t take you to that exact review on the host site.

Google is constantly adjusting its Knowledge Graph cards, most recently removing Google+ posts from the cards for popular businesses.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG G4 (unlocked) $500, Galaxy Tab 4 7-inch $100, 32GB Wi-Fi Flash Drive $30, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 10 2015 - 12:40 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:

LG G4 brand new smartphone 32GB (unlocked): $500 shipped (Reg. $800) | eBay

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 SM-T230 7″ White 8 GB: $100 shipped (Reg. $200) | GameStop

SanDisk Connect 32GB Wireless iOS/Android Flash Drive $30 shipped (Orig. $60)

SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive: 32GB $40 (Reg. $80), 64GB $55 (Reg. $120)

Asus ZenWatch Android Wear (Silver / Rose Gold / Brown): $150 shipped (Reg. $200) | Newegg

Champagne Motorola Moto 360 18mm Android Wear: $230 shipped (Reg. $330) | Best Buy

ravpower-car-jump-starter

RAVPower Portable Car Jump Starter w/ Dual USB Charging Ports: $60 shipped (Reg. $75)

Newegg 10% off sitewide w/ .edu email: VIZIO 43-inch 4K 120Hz Smart UHDTV $538 (Reg. $598), more

 

American Express rolls out PayPal competitor, offers $10 statement credit for trying it out

Amazon is throwing itself a birthday party so big it’ll make you forget about Black Friday

Amazon is now treating its Prime members to extra savings on new/upcoming video game

It’s now possible to 3D print customized video game characters right from Amazon

More new gear from today:

Logitech Z506 75W 5.1-channel Surround Sound System: $40 shipped (refurb) (Orig. $100)

The Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Juggernog Edition comes with a mini fridge to keep you frosty

More deals still alive:

WD Elements 2TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive $70 shipped (Orig. $100)

Beats Headphones: Solo HD Drenched on-ears $100 (Reg. $139+), Studio wireless $250 (Reg. $300), more

Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless Headphones (multiple colors): $140 shipped (Reg. $200)

New products & more:

Become the Knight Rider with the K.I.T.T. USB Car Charger

Microsoft HoloLens partners with Case Western to make medical school like a video game

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Google releases ‘Ivy’ app for iOS, an experimental big number calculator

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2015 - 12:21 pm PT
2 Comments

Google has quietly launched a new iOS app today called Ivy that it describes as an experimental big number calculator.
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YouTube creating ‘Trusted Tester’ preview program for Creator Studio app

Avatar for Tom Maxwell Jul 10 2015 - 11:35 am PT
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YouTube Creator Studio is YouTube’s app through which creators can manage their accounts on the go. Now the company is creating a “Trusted Tester” program through which passionate Creator Studio users will be able to receive new updates to the app prior to their public release, and in return provide feedback and insights that will help YouTube improve the app.


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