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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:

LG offering free leather back, battery, charger to LG G4 buyers

USB-C cables $8 Prime shipped (Reg. $11), Anker 16,000mAh + Anker 3,200mAh Power Banks $37 shipped ($20 off)

Google’s Family Friendly Free App of the Week: Thomas’s Musical Day for Percy (Reg. $5)

Asus ZenWatch silver/rose gold/brown: $150 shipped (Reg. $200) | ASUS

Add creative decorations to your 4th of July picnic and save money w/ these easy do-it-yourself projects

The best lawn games to make your 4th of July cookout a success

Look like a real American hero at your 4th of July BBQ with this over-the-top USA garb

LAST CHANCE! Giveaway: Owen & Fred’s Desk Essentials collection ups your work game while looking good, $250+ value

Review: Logitech’s Anywhere 2 Bluetooth mouse shines w/ adaptive scrolling

Review: MPOW’s pocketable iStick is the best Bluetooth selfie stick you can buy today

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Bose Solo TV Sound System $230, Samsung 40″ LED 1080p Smart HDTV $490, more

New! Sony’s three new Bluetooth/AirPlay compatible speakers with price tags to match
New! Striker Spy HD-Camera Drone: $70 Shipped (Orig. $170, CA Tax Only)
New! Support for the Empire with this officially licensed Stormtrooper Bluetooth speaker
New! Games/Apps: Borderlands Handsome $40, Far Cry 4 $20, iOS freebies, more
New! Fathead giant vinyl wall decals 50-60% off w/ top sellers starting at $16 + shipping
New! Readdle launches Scanner Pro 6 for iOS w/ release day pricing: $3 (Reg. $6)

More deals still alive:

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

Natural-Wood Apple Watch Charging Stand: $20 Shipped (Orig. $39, CA Tax Only)
JLab Omni Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
Numark Mac/PC DJ controllers: Mixtrack Pro $139 shipped (Orig. $250), more
Free PS Plus Games for July: Styx Master of Shadows, Rocket League, more
Halo Spartan Strike for iOS gets its very first price drop: $3 (Reg. $6)
Four magazine subs for $16: Wired, Dwell, GQ, ESPN, more
JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones for $110 shipped (Reg. $170)
Casetify custom Apple Watch bands: $70 credit for $50
Google offers 50% off its 2-factor authentication USB thumb drive: $9 (Reg. $18)
GoPro HERO3+ Black (refurb) $262 shipped (Reg. $280), 33-piece accessory kit $15
Quick Charge 2.0 18W USB Wall Charger w/ micro USB $10 (Reg. $16), more
Acer 11″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB (refurb): $110 shipped (Orig. $200)
ATH-M50x over-ears, Focusrite Scarlett interface and mic kit $269 shipped ($410+ value)
Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Turntable: $210 shipped (Orig. $300)
KingTop car chargers w/ Prime shipping: 10A/50W 4-port $10, 6.6A/33W 3-port $10
Media: BOGO Blu-rays from $8, Spirited Away $20 Prime shipped, more
App Store Free App of the Week: Halftone 2 Comic Book Creator ($2 value)
Free Xbox Gold Games for July: Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, more
iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

Garmin’s Varia radar and lights system alert bicyclists of approaching traffic

Samsung’s Level U Bluetooth 4.1 in-ears offer another option for workouts
PIQ uses multiple sensors and a clever design to paint a clearer picture of your golf game
Enthusiasts create incredibly detailed 14-foot Starcraft II map out of LEGO
Five bizarre kitchen gadgets you need to add to your cooking arsenal
Bricasso scans any image and then 3D prints it using LEGO bricks as ink
Frigidaire launches its very first iOS/Android connected smart home air conditioner
Yirego’s Drumi powerless washing machine gives urbanites a unique alternative
Quick Review: Eton Scorpion II is a rugged solar electronic survival kit for $50
Molson and Google team up on voice activated fridge that dispenses free beer
Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets
Firebox’s new WTF section has a $236K Apple Watch and a full-size Delorean
SanDisk’s behemoth 200GB microSD is now in-stock and ready to ship
Silk by Saffron’s smart LED bulbs adjust your lighting based on the sun
Here’s a life-size model of Claptrap from Borderlands made entirely of LEGO
Stream the series debut of HBO’s Ballers in HD for free

New comScore U.S. data shows continuing decline in Android market share

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 3:30 pm PT

comScore today released its report on United States smartphone subscriber market share for the three month period ending in May. The report, released monthly, tracks the rankings of the top smartphone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and operating systems by consumer adoption. Month-to-month fluctuations in market share aren’t typically major, but they can provide a look at how companies’ new flagship smartphones are doing.

Google appears to be sunsetting the classic Drive UI

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 1:39 pm PT

Are you a holdout who’s been using the classic Google Drive ever since Google unveiled the new design over a year ago? Unfortunately, it seems that your time to give in has come.

Initially spotted by a tipster talking to the (unofficial) Google Operating System blog, the toggle in Drive’s settings dropdown which allowed switching between the new Drive experience and the classic version appears to be disappearing. I can no longer see it myself. It was possible to switch to the classic version by clicking the settings icon in Drive and then choosing “Leave the new Drive”.

We don’t have our own image of it, but thanks to techinfoweb.com here’s what the toggle did look like:

And from a Google support page on how to switch between the two (it’s still live), here’s a comparison of the design and user interface of the new Drive and the classic Drive:

I know a lot of diehard users were upset when Google unveiled the new Drive, but I’m not quite sure what exactly is believed to be worse about the new experience. Maybe one of you can enlighten me?

Mysterious Google device passes through FCC, could be a new Google Glass model

Chance Miller Jul 2 2015 - 1:07 pm PT

A mysterious Google device appears to have passed through the FCC yesterday. First noticed by Droid-Life, the product was filed under the FCC ID A4R-GG1 and the filing is incredibly vague when it comes to specific features of the device. While it could be the new Chromecast that is reportedly coming later this year, many of the hints throughout the filling lend credibility the potential of it being a new version of Google Glass.

Pushbullet for Android update makes pushing files easier with less taps

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 10:41 am PT

After a major update just last week that saw Pushbullet on Android and several other platforms receive an overhauled design and rethinking of how its messaging works, the company has made a small update to its Android app based on community feedback. It’s available in Google Play or you can get the APK from APKMirror.
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Artem Russakovskii: code tags are ‘no indication’ 2012 Nexus devices will get Android M

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 6:24 am PT

Update: Previous version of this story said the original post was from yesterday, when it was actually from June 11th. The story made its way to the /r/Android subreddit yesterday.

Last night a story bubbled up in the Android community that led many to believe that older Nexus devices – specifically the Nexus 4, 7, and 10 – would be receiving official updates to Android M, Google’s upcoming major release of Android. Artem Russakovskii from Android Police, however, has come out on Google+ to say that the evidence presented shows no indication that these devices will be updated.

Yahoo trialling Google ads in search despite earlier objections by Dept of Justice

Ben Lovejoy Jul 2 2015 - 6:24 am PT

Yahoo is currently including Google ads in some of its search results in what the company described to the NY Times as a “small test.” The ads were first spotted by SEO Book.

Yahoo confirmed on Wednesday that it has begun testing the use of Google search ads for a small portion of its desktop and mobile web search results. “As we work to create the absolute best experiences for Yahoo users, from time to time, we run small tests with a variety of partners including search providers,” the company said.

Google offered Yahoo an ad partnership all the way back in 2008, but pulled out after objections from the Department of Justice on antitrust grounds …
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Pro-tip: Saying “hello” to Google Now voice search brings up command suggestions

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 3:06 pm PT

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Am I taking full advantage of Google Now’s voice search?” The point of Now is to make our lives easier through proactive assistance and easy-to-use voice commands, but there are so many of these commands available that it’s not always easy to remember all of them, especially while you’re out on the go. And how many people are going to read through all of the possible commands when they first get a phone that supports Google Now?

Fortunately, a user posting to the /r/Android community on Reddit noticed that when you activate Google voice search and simply say “hello,” Now will present you with a list of commands you can use to get things done faster. At the bottom is a card that shuffles through lots of smaller, miscellaneous voice actions like, “Post to Google+ I’m feeling lucky.” Nice touch.

Google My Maps getting greater exposure with new Drive quick-access button

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 1:07 pm PT

Google’s My Maps product was launched all the way back in 2007 and still isn’t very well known, but it’s a really cool service for Apps customers and it’s receiving even more attention now with a quick-access button inside Google Drive.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: $100 Google Play w/ VZW HTC One M9, Moto 360 $150, Bluetooth selfie stick $14, more

Stephen Hall Jul 1 2015 - 12:25 pm PT

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:

Verizon HTC One M9 buyers can get $100 in Google Play credit for a limited time

Motorola’s Moto 360 Android Wear smartwatch now starts at $150

Review: At $14, MPOW’s pocketable iStick is the best Bluetooth selfie stick you can buy today

OnePlus giving away Cardboard headsets to 1,000 lucky individuals

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

Daily Deals: Anker Car Jump Starter & USB Power Bank $60, Samsung 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop HDD $120, more

Review: Logitech’s Anywhere 2 Bluetooth mouse shines w/ adaptive scrolling

Add creative decorations to your 4th of July picnic and save money w/ these easy do-it-yourself projects

The best lawn games to make your 4th of July cookout a success

Look like a real American hero at your 4th of July BBQ with this over-the-top USA garb

Giveaway: Owen & Fred’s Desk Essentials collection ups your work game while looking good, $250+ value

More new gear from today:

Samsung’s new Level U Bluetooth 4.1 in-ear headphones offer athletes another option for workouts

New! Games/Apps: Batman Arkham Knight $47, COD Black Ops III pre-order $50
New! Halo Spartan Strike for iOS gets its very first price drop: $3 (Reg. $6)
New! Four magazine subs for $16: Wired, Dwell, GQ, ESPN, more
New! VIZIO 50″ 240Hz Smart LED 4K UHDTV (refurb): $565 shipped (Orig. $1,000)

More deals still alive:

JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones for $110 shipped (Reg. $170)

Casetify custom Apple Watch bands: $70 credit for $50
Google offers 50% off its 2-factor authentication USB thumb drive: $9 (Reg. $18)
GoPro HERO3+ Black (refurb) $262 shipped (Reg. $280), 33-piece accessory kit $15
Quick Charge 2.0 18W USB Wall Charger w/ micro USB $10 (Reg. $16), more
Acer 11″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB (refurb): $110 shipped (Orig. $200)
ATH-M50x over-ears, Focusrite Scarlett interface and mic kit $269 shipped ($410+ value)
Add seven USB 3.0 ports to your Mac w/ this 30W Mpow Aluminum Hub: $19 (Reg. $39)
Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Turntable: $210 shipped (Orig. $300)
KingTop car chargers w/ Prime shipping: 10A/50W 4-port $10, 6.6A/33W 3-port $10
Media: BOGO Blu-rays from $8, Spirited Away $20 Prime shipped, more
App Store Free App of the Week: Halftone 2 Comic Book Creator ($2 value)
Free Xbox Gold Games for July: Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, more
iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

Enthusiasts create incredibly detailed 14-foot Starcraft II map out of LEGO

Five bizarre kitchen gadgets you need to add to your cooking arsenal
Bricasso scans any image and then 3D prints it using LEGO bricks as ink
Frigidaire launches its very first iOS/Android connected smart home air conditioner
Yirego’s Drumi powerless washing machine gives urbanites a unique alternative
Quick Review: Eton Scorpion II is a rugged solar electronic survival kit for $50
Molson and Google team up on voice activated fridge that dispenses free beer
Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets
Firebox’s new WTF section has a $236K Apple Watch and a full-size Delorean
SanDisk’s behemoth 200GB microSD is now in-stock and ready to ship
Silk by Saffron’s smart LED bulbs adjust your lighting based on the sun
Here’s a life-size model of Claptrap from Borderlands made entirely of LEGO
Stream the series debut of HBO’s Ballers in HD for free

Player FM integrates Subscribe on Android for easily subscribing to podcasts

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 11:51 am PT

Player FM released version 2.6.4 of its podcast player to Google Play today, bringing with it integration of the Subscribe on Android protocol. The protocol was created to “give Android listeners the same One Click subscription experience that iOS and iTunes users have.” Basically, once you have Player FM installed, any raw XML podcast feed URLs you click will launch to Player FM where you can then subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes automatically downloaded as they’re published. It’s basically like deeplinking but works with far more URLs than deeplinking traditionally can, and is less convenient than Android app intents.

Deeplinking is a way through which constellations of apps can become more interconnected by quickly and seamlessly moving users between one another when specific links are pressed. And while Android M is bringing with it improved app linking so links from anywhere, not just from within a developer’s own apps, can launch to an app without needing to open the intents menu, this won’t work for URLs that aren’t owned by the developer. Feed URLs for podcasts found from around the web won’t just seamlessly open to your favorite podcast app, but with an app that uses Subscribe on Android like Player FM, they can. Mostly, at least, as Feedburner podcast feeds don’t seem to work.

You can get Player FM on the Play Store for free.

Local advertisers can now display places ratings in their AdWords ads

Tom Maxwell Jul 1 2015 - 10:52 am PT

In a world where we’re increasingly reliant on our phones to navigate the world, online reviews can make or break local businesses. Lawsuits regarding negative reviews show up in the news at least a couple times every year, and these review pages are increasingly becoming the battleground where individuals protest against businesses partaking in practices they disagree with. On the other hand, however, a good rating online can entrench and create a moat around a business for years to come. That’s why Google now allows advertisers to include their Google reviews in their AdWords ads.
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Acer 11-inch Chromebook $110, GoPro HERO3+ Black $262, RAVPower battery $6, more

Stephen Hall Jun 30 2015 - 12:44 pm PT

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:

Acer 11-inch Chromebook (refurb): $110 shipped (Orig. $200)

GoPro HERO3+ Black 4K Action Camera (refurb) $262 shipped (Reg. $280), 33-piece accessory kit $15

RAVPower Portable 3,000mAh Battery: $6 Prime shipped, Lightning cables under $6

The best lawn games to make your 4th of July cookout a success

Look like a real American hero at your 4th of July BBQ with this over-the-top USA garb

Giveaway: Owen & Fred’s Desk Essentials collection ups your work game while looking good, $250+ value

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer $350, HP x3000 Wireless Optical Mouse $8, more

Home recording bundle: ATH-M50x over-ears, Focusrite Scarlett interface and mic kit $269 shipped ($410+ value)

New! Games/Apps: FX Photo Studio for Mac $2 (Reg. $10), I Gladiator goes free (Reg. $3)
New! Acer 11″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB (refurb): $110 shipped (Orig. $200)
New! Quick Charge 2.0 18W USB Wall Charger w/ micro USB $10 (Reg. $16), more
New! Headphones: Monster iSport in-ears $50 (Reg. $150), Beyerdynamic Tesla on-ears $200 (Reg. $300), more

More deals still alive:

JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones for $110 shipped (Reg. $170)

RAVPower FileHub Travel Router w/ 6000mAh Power bank $35 Prime shipped (Reg. $60)

Add seven USB 3.0 ports to your Mac w/ this 30W Mpow Aluminum Hub: $19 (Reg. $39)
11″ MacBook Air (previous gen) 1.7GHZ/8GB/512GB + freebies: $1,000 (Reg. $1,200+)
Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Turntable: $210 shipped (Orig. $300)
KingTop car chargers w/ Prime shipping: 10A/50W 4-port $10, 6.6A/33W 3-port $10
Media: BOGO Blu-rays from $8, Spirited Away $20 Prime shipped, more
Toshiba 13″ Chromebook 2 Intel 2.16GHz/4GB/16GB SSD $250 shipped (Reg. $300)
App Store Free App of the Week: Halftone 2 Comic Book Creator ($2 value)
Free Xbox Gold Games for July: Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, more
HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
Speakers: PreSonus 4.5″ Powered Studio Monitors $163 (Reg. $200), more
LG 34″ UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt 2: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)
iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

Bricasso scans any image and then 3D prints it using LEGO bricks as ink

Five bizarre kitchen gadgets you need to add to your cooking arsenal

Frigidaire launches its very first iOS/Android connected smart home air conditioner
Yirego’s Drumi powerless washing machine gives urbanites a unique alternative
Quick Review: Eton Scorpion II is a rugged solar electronic survival kit for $50
Molson and Google team up on voice activated fridge that dispenses free beer
Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets
Firebox’s new WTF section has a $236K Apple Watch and a full-size Delorean
SanDisk’s behemoth 200GB microSD is now in-stock and ready to ship
Silk by Saffron’s smart LED bulbs adjust your lighting based on the sun
Here’s a life-size model of Claptrap from Borderlands made entirely of LEGO
Stream the series debut of HBO’s Ballers in HD for free
LEGO unveils the highly detailed new Ferrari F40 Creator series set
The Luzi Smart Lamp has Siri-like powers with charging options for Apple Watch

Chrome for Android soon may show you alt-text when you long-press images

Tom Maxwell Jun 30 2015 - 12:38 pm PT

The Android version of Google’s Chrome browser has a neat new feature in it, if you’re willing to use a beta build of the mobile browser.

Now when you long-press on an image in the browser, a new menu will appear which includes the alt-text of the image in question. Alt-text, or alternative text, is a way to describe what an image is of in the HTML of the webpage. This is particularly helpful for those with vision impairments, as screen readers which can read webpages out loud are able to tell them what images on the pages they visit are depicting when alt-text is attached.

This new feature, shared on Google+ by none other than Chrome evangelist François Beaufort, could be useful, for example, when viewing any images with writing on them that have been scanned and posted online, where the text on them may be hard to read. Including what they say in the alt-text would make reading old texts easier. Chrome Beta for Android can be downloaded from Google Play.

Google brings new emoji, hundreds of new customizable themes to Gmail

Jordan Kahn Jun 30 2015 - 11:48 am PT

Google announced today that it’s rolling out a ton of new themes for Gmail — the built-in feature that allows customization of your inbox with color palette options and background images — as well as new emoji.
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You can now publish Google Sheets documents to the web in 5 new formats

Stephen Hall Jun 30 2015 - 11:32 am PT

After making a spreadsheet in Google Sheets, you can make your content publicly visible through the app’s “Publish to the web” tool. As Google announced on the Google Apps updates blog today, this feature now supports publishing to five new formats. On top of being able to choose Web page, you can now publish in Comma-separated values (.csv), Tab-separate values (.tsv), PDF document (.pdf), Microsoft Excel (.xlsx), and OpenDocument spreadsheet (.ods).

Today’s launch allows people to publish spreadsheets in five additional formats—as comma-separated values (.csv), tab-separated values (.tsv), a PDF document (.pdf), a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet (.xlsx), or an OpenDocument spreadsheet (.ods). The URL generated, when opened in a browser, will automatically download the spreadsheet in the chosen format (spreadsheets in these additional formats cannot be embedded).

To see the new options, head over to a Google Sheets document and click “File,” and then “Publish to the web…” The feature should be available over at the Google Sheets website right now.

WordPress 4.2 introduces revamped PIN lock, insights screen, and website search

Tom Maxwell Jun 30 2015 - 11:09 am PT

WordPress, the popular content management system which powers approximately 19% of all websites on the Internet (including this one), has released version 4.2 of its Android app with some nice new changes.

YouTube introducing new channel cards, improved notifications, creator forum, more

Tom Maxwell Jun 29 2015 - 2:22 pm PT

Amongst those who regularly publish content to YouTube, the video site is known for picking favorites and being a black box in terms of the communication it holds with the community when it comes to anyone other than the site’s biggest stars. The company has as of late been trying to change that perception, though, by using the YouTube Creators channel as an outlet to recognize and acknowledge the feedback and concerns of its users. Today it published a new video outlining changes and new features coming soon to the video platform.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Toshiba 13-inch Chromebook $250, Gear Fit $70, Samsung 128GB microSD $73, more

Stephen Hall Jun 29 2015 - 12:36 pm PT

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:

Toshiba 13.3-inch Chromebook 2 Intel 16GB SSD: $250 shipped (Reg. $300)

Samsung refurbished Gear Fit Fitness watch: $70 shipped (Reg. $150)

Samsung 128GB MicroSDXC EVO+ Flash Card: $73 shipped (Orig. $130)

M-Audio Studiophile 4-inch Powered Monitor Speakers $80 shipped (Reg. $149)

Quick Review: Eton Scorpion II is a rugged solar electronic survival kit for $50

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Sony Cyber-shot 20MP Camera $600 w/ Free $50 Gift Card, iPhone 6 sweat-proof armband $7, more

New! Games/Apps: Xenoblade Chronicles $30, Borderlands Pre-Sequel (Mac) $24, freebies
New! Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Turntable: $210 shipped (Orig. $300)
New! Toshiba 13″ Chromebook 2 Intel 2.16GHz/4GB/16GB SSD $250 shipped (Reg. $300)
New! Samsung 128GB MicroSDXC EVO+ Flash Card $73 shipped (Orig. $130)

More deals still alive:

Free Xbox Gold Games for July: Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, more

HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
Speakers: PreSonus 4.5″ Powered Studio Monitors $163 (Reg. $200), more
LG 34″ UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt 2: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)
Garmin vívofit Bluetooth Fitness Band (refurb): $42 shipped (Orig. $130)
iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

Molson and Google team up on voice activated fridge that dispenses free beer

Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets

Firebox’s new WTF section has a $236K Apple Watch and a full-size Delorean
SanDisk’s behemoth 200GB microSD is now in-stock and ready to ship
Silk by Saffron’s smart LED bulbs adjust your lighting based on the sun
Here’s a life-size model of Claptrap from Borderlands made entirely of LEGO
Stream the series debut of HBO’s Ballers in HD for free
LEGO unveils the highly detailed new Ferrari F40 Creator series set
The Luzi Smart Lamp has Siri-like powers with charging options for Apple Watch
There’s a slim chance you’ll get the YEEZY BOOST 350 sneakers
Polaroid’s mini 1-inch 1080p action camera refreshed with Wi-Fi integration for iOS
The Roost smart battery adds iOS notifications to your old smoke detectors for $35
The affordable Micro Drone 3.0 has a motorized camera mount and streams HD video
The Camp Champ delivers an all-in-one luxurious kitchen experience to your tent
Here’s our first real look at Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 for Xbox One and PS4
Lexus just teased a new hoverboard and it looks awesome
Ily puts video calls front and center with compatibility for iOS and Android devices
Hulu secures its subscribers a 20% discount on the new Showtime streaming service
Amazon Echo smart speaker now available for purchase for $180 shipped
Watch this speedrunner clear Super Mario World in 23 minutes while blindfolded
The new Forza 6 Limited Edition Xbox One console has a Ford GT inspired controller

Pro-tip: Use Android Wear Theater mode to avoid accidental unlocks & watch face screen

Tom Maxwell Jun 29 2015 - 12:02 pm PT

Owners of Android Wear watches: Does your device, without your intention, regularly go to menu for choosing a watch face? Maybe you’re crossing your arms and you feel a buzz thinking it might be alerting you to a new text message only to see your watch on that darned menu again? I don’t have a real fix for you, but there’s something you might want to try that may alleviate your frustration.

Google Chrome’s reading mode is making another appearance in mobile browser

Tom Maxwell Jun 29 2015 - 9:02 am PT

While other competing browsers have long had special modes that strip all extraneous content from the pages of articles so as to reduce distraction, Chrome has thus far only seen this option, commonly referred to as “Reader Mode,” appear as an experimental version. That’s even though the base Chromium browser has had an implementation of it available built-in for over a year now, and the Google Chrome team having had added an experimental toolbar icon for it to its mobile browser more than a year ago. It looks like the Chrome team might be close to a wide rollout, however.

Four years on, Chief Architect of Google+ says ‘this is going really well’

Stephen Hall Jun 29 2015 - 7:24 am PT

7 Comments

Most pretty much universally agree at this point that Google+ didn’t work out the way the Mountain View company hoped it might. I would definitely agree with this narrative to some extent, but I — unlike most — wouldn’t go as far as to say that Google+ is dead. While it definitely doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of Twitter or Facebook by any stretch of the imagination, Google+ most often appeals to a very specific breed: those who are devout users of Google’s products…
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Evidence of offline ‘OK, Google,’ other features found in Google app version 4.8

Stephen Hall Jun 29 2015 - 5:52 am PT

The Google app — previously known as “Search” — was updated to version 4.8 last week, and now a new teardown has revealed some interesting new details about some features that might be coming in future versions. Most notably, it looks like offline support for “OK, Google” is likely to be on the way, letting you give your device some voice commands without having a connection to the Internet…
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Harvard/Columbia study for Yelp may influence level of European antitrust fines for Google

Ben Lovejoy Jun 29 2015 - 5:17 am PT