Google

Chris Urmson is head of the self-driving car project at Google, and as you may know, the Mountain View company just announced that the latest prototype of its car — the one that’s super adorable — is now on the roads of Mountain View. But one thing that many just can’t wrap their head around is how these cars can manage to navigate the roads themselves, without any human assistance. Urmson does a great job of explaining that in this TED Talk video…
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Here’s what happens when you open 100 tabs in Chrome for Android

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 8:46 pm PT

4 Comments

Google employs a lot of engineers. Most software engineers know that when you have a box which can contain a variable amount of content – say, an input field or the title section of a blog post like the one above – that you need to make a decision as to what happens when more content than can initially fit into the box is inputted. Maybe you take the lazy way out and simply limit what the user can do so that their input doesn’t end up exceeding the character limit of the box, for example. Google has done something even lazier in Chrome for Android.

Let me preface this by saying that what I’m about to show you isn’t new, but I just learned about it so I’m sure it’ll be new to some of you too. Also it’s Friday, so why not see some neat stuff. With that out of the way, here’s what it looks like when you have any amount of tabs open in Chrome for Android under 100 tabs (images courtesy of Reddit user /u/Hamsna):

Normal, right? Right. Here’s what it looks like when you have 100 or more tabs open:

Let me help in the event that you haven’t noticed anything different in that second image:

It seems that someone at Google decided that it’d just be more work than it’s worth to come up with a more pragmatic solution, so it used an emoticon instead to say¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And how many people actually use more than 100 tabs, in a mobile browser no less? Only psychopaths, probably.

Moto G (1st gen) Lollipop soak test begins in US, resumes for Moto E (also 1st gen)

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 3:32 pm PT

The Motorola update train continues rolling on. Today, we’ve got more information on updates to two of the company’s 1st-generation budget phones, the Moto E and Moto G.

Google Apps admins can now see download events in Google Drive audit logs

Stephen Hall Jun 26 2015 - 2:07 pm PT

Google lets the administrators of Google Apps accounts view an auit log of all the activity happening in their company’s Google Drive account. Before today, you could see in these logs all of the events when someone would view, create, update, delete, or share Drive content. Starting today, Google says that admins can now see download events in these logs as well.

To help analyze and monitor the use of Google Drive content in their organizations, Drive for Work and Google Apps for Education admins are able to access audit logs in the ‘Audit’ section of the Admin console Reports area and via the Reports API. The current Drive audit logs include events such as create, view, and delete, among others. With today’s launch, we’re adding download event support to the Drive audit logs.

Google says that these new “download events” will include user file downloads for both Google and non-Google file formats. As if the case with other types of audit events, admins will be able to filer by document name, user name and timestamp. Finally the company says that they’ll add more sources in the future including “Sync Client downloads and exports of documents through the Google Docs editors.”

Google’s new search carousel skims more content from sites like Pinterest and Houzz

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 1:37 pm PT

Google is known for historically having a goal with search to get people to the information they want as quickly as possible. Search engines by design are intended to get you what you’re looking for on the first try, so it makes total sense that Google optimizes ruthlessly in hopes that you don’t have to click the next page link. But ever since the company introduced search cards it’s been evident that it wants to be the host of the information you’re looking for whenever possible. A new small change today adds on that.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto 360 $155-$185, ASUS ZenWatch $150, Monoprice Action Camera $60, more

Stephen Hall Jun 26 2015 - 12:46 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:

Motorola Moto 360 Android Wear watches: $150–$180 + $5 shipping (Reg. $250+) | Woot

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

Monoprice MHD 2.0 1080p Action Camera: $60 shipped (Reg. $90)

Sprint HTC Desire 510 no-contract smartphone: $50 shipped (Reg. $100) | Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy Alpha 32GB unlocked new: $230 shipped (Reg. $300) | eBay

Save $50 on any Dell Outlet Home Chromebook 11 through Sunday, June 28th w/ code “CHROMEBOOK$50“

Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Canon Multifunction Laser Printer $95, Insignia 65-inch LED 1080p HDTV $700, more

More deals still alive:

LG 49-inch 4K 60Hz Smart LED UHDTV: $600 shipped (Reg. $900)

Save $100 on Apple’s iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB: $399 shipped (Reg. $499)
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
3-pack of 3.3-ft Poweradd MFi Lightning cables $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $23)
100 Audible audiobooks for $5 each: The Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, 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
Incase up to 40% off sale + extra 15% + free shipping
WD My Passport Pro 2TB portable storage w/ Thunderbolt cable $200 (Reg. $300)
Headphones: JBL J33A in-ears w/ mic $15 (Reg. $24), more
The best deals to really take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox One free game promotion
ZyXEL AV2 600Mbps Powerline Gigabit adapter kit $44 shipped (Reg. $70)
Pad and Quill 10% off + free shipping: Apple Watch stands from $72, more
HP Officejet Pro Wireless All-in-One Inkjet w/ AirPrint: $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

LEGO unveils the highly detailed new Ferrari F40 Creator series set

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
GameStop launches vintage games store and prices are all over the place
Jabra’s new in-ear Bluetooth headphones track more than 40 exercises
LEGO Minifigures Online is set to arrive with multi-platform play on Mac/PC/iOS
McDonald’s new to-go box for bikes will have you cycling up to the drive-thru
It took more than half-a-decade to knit this detailed replica Super Mario Bros. map
Sony’s new Ultimate Player Edition PlayStation 4 comes with double the storage

E3:

The 5 biggest iOS and Android games announced at this year’s E3 Expo
Super Smash Bros. updates, Star Fox rolls onto Wii U, more
Limited edition PS4 accessories celebrate PlayStation’s 20th Anniversary
New games & hardware announced at E3 make Xbox One deserving of a second look
Sony shows Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII remake, Uncharted 4, Star Wars, more
Microsoft unveils new hardware, 360 compatibility + Forza 6, Halo 5, more
Bethesda’s real life Pip Boy for iPhone/Android, Dishonored 2, Doom, more
Xbox Live Gold Members can enjoy EA Access for free this week

Earn Google Play credit with Google Opinion Rewards, now available in Mexico and Brazil

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 11:30 am PT

Google Opinion Rewards is a neat app through which anyone can earn credit to spend on anything in Google Play – so long as you’re in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, or Japan. At least, until now. According to the changelog for an update released to the app today, now owners of Android phones in Mexico and Brazil can join in on the opportunity.

The survey questions that you may be asked to answer through Opinion Rewards, which can be alerted to you through push notifications, are sourced from market researchers who run the surveys through Google Consumer Surveys. Consumer Surveys gives these marketers some of the same tools and platform reach that those advertising products and services through Google get but to instead use to get answers to questions.

Companies who run these surveys get back anonymous and aggregated response data, so they won’t know who you are, and Google says questions that contain mature content, hateful or intolerant speech, or vulgar language are not allowed.

Samsung breakthrough nearly doubles lithium-ion battery capacity

Stephen Hall Jun 26 2015 - 11:16 am PT

4 Comments

Samsung’s research team has found a way to effectively almost double the capacity of its lithium ion batteries, according to a report from Business Korea. Specifically, the research arm of the company has supposedly developed a technology to make a new “silicon cathode material” for coating the graphene of the battery’s silicon surface, which allows it to support new levels of energy density — up to twice that of currently-available batteries.

You can read the details of the technology at Nature.com:

The graphene layers anchored onto the silicon surface accommodate the volume expansion of silicon via a sliding process between adjacent graphene layers. When paired with a commercial lithium cobalt oxide cathode, the silicon carbide-free graphene coating allows the full cell to reach volumetric energy densities of 972 and 700 Wh l⁻¹ at first and 200th cycle, respectively, 1.8 and 1.5 times higher than those of current commercial lithium-ion batteries.

Google’s new courses help teachers seeking to integrate its services into the classroom

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 9:44 am PT

Google wants schools to take advantage of its Apps for Education suite of productivity tools and services, but it also recognizes that proper professional development is essential to enabling educators and transforming education. The company today announced the release of a free training platform that provides interactive lessons with a focus on how to successfully complete real classroom tasks and objectives using Google products.

The new platform is called Google for Education Training Center and builds upon a recent survey by the American Federation of Teachers which found that 71% of educators and administrators surveyed cited “adoption of new initiatives without proper training or professional development” as a primary source of stress in their work lives. The new tools are supposed to help teachers apply Google’s tools in the classroom and beyond.

The lessons, like how to get students collaborating using Drive and Docs, are organized around the three themes above and range in difficulty from beginner courses to those targeted at teachers who already know their way around Google’s products quite well but might inspiration on how to differently using the products with their students.

As part of the announcement, Google says that it has brought on the Chicago Public Schools, a school district including over 600 schools and 400,000 students, as a launch partner for the Training Center. The district will use Training Center as a part of its technology professional development program, and the course will count towards its teachers’ professional development hours.

“The Training Center reflects what we value most about education, focusing on the process of learning rather than the tools themselves,” the company says. More information about the Training Center and to try the lessons, Apps for Education customers can visit g.co/edutrainingcenter.

Three ways Google is reducing accidental clicks on advertisements

Zac Hall Jun 26 2015 - 7:50 am PT

Google’s AdWords team has highlighted three important changes to how users can interact with mobile ads and in-app interstitial ads. The changes are part of an effort to reduce the chance that a user may accidentally click an ad when browsing the web or trying to dismiss the ad.
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Google Translate will slow down its text-to-speech on second listen

Tom Maxwell Jun 25 2015 - 8:46 pm PT

3 Comments

Noticed by a tipster speaking to the (unofficial) Chrome Operating System blog, Google Translate, the multilingual translation tool, has a neat way of converting text translations to speech.

Translate’s text-to-speech function can be used on both the original text and the translated version of the inputted text, which can be helpful when you’re not quite sure how to pronounce a phrase out loud. But maybe you’re trying to get the pronunciation exactly as its spoken by the text-to-speech and you’re having trouble hearing it clearly. I know I’ve experienced that before. Interestingly, the team behind the product seems to have recognized this frustration and programmed the function to slow down its enunciation when you click “Listen” a second time for the same text. Clicking it a third time consecutively will enunciate at the original speed, however.

This seems like something that would be cool to be able to explicitly toggle on and off, rather than simply alternating like it does now. A nice detail nonetheless, however.

Watch Adam Savage interview Google X’s Astro Teller & discuss cars, smart contact lenses, more (Video)

Chance Miller Jun 25 2015 - 6:48 pm PT

Adam Savage of MythBusters fame gave an interesting interview with Google X’s Astro Teller back in October and you can now view the full video thanks to Tested. In the 25-minute video interview, which can be seen above, the two talk about a variety topics, ranging from Astro Teller’s childhood to Google’s self-driving cars. Another interesting topic discussed are the smart contact lenses the company is developing, as well as its goal to bring internet connectivity to everywhere.

Adam Savage welcomes Astro Teller to The Talking Room! Astro is Google’s ‘Captain of Moonshots’, directing the Google X lab where self-driving cars, smart contact lenses, and other futuristic projects are conceived and made real. Adam sat down with Astro at the Tested Live Show this past October to chat about the benefits of thinking big and failing quickly.

You can view the full video interview above.

Brand new LG G4 w/ 32 GB flash, GSM 4G LTE (factory unlocked): $500 shipped (Reg. $600)

Stephen Hall Jun 25 2015 - 2:08 pm PT

You can now get LG’s most recent flagship, the LG G4, on eBay via seller breed (97.9% positive feedback) for $500 unlocked. That’s $100 less than the nearest low price for the device, and the lowest we’ve seen. The device comes with 32 GB of flash storage, and is factory unlocked for 4G LTE GSM networks.
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Logitech UE MINI BOOM $50, $50 in free Android apps, Bluetooth 4.1 earbuds $20, more

Stephen Hall Jun 25 2015 - 12:54 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:

Logitech UE MINI BOOM Wireless Portable Speaker (multiple colors) $50 shipped (Orig. $100)

Google Play free app of the week: Dr. Panda & Toto’s Treehouse (Reg. $4)

Over $50 in paid Android apps for free: Monument Valley, Weather Live, Bard’s Tale, Quell, many more

Headphones: Qy7 Bluetooth 4.1 Earbuds $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $30), Sennheiser HD439 $40 (Reg. $55+), more

Sprint HTC Desire 510 no-contract smartphone: $50 shipped (Reg. $100) | Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy Alpha 32GB unlocked new: $230 shipped (Reg. $300) | eBay

Save $50 on any Dell Outlet Home Chromebook 11 through Sunday, June 28th w/ code “CHROMEBOOK$50“

Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Dragon Age Inquisition $30, Skylanders Trap Team Wii U $30, Jump Out free, more iOS freebies

New! LG 34″ UltraWide LED IPS Monitor w/ Thunderbolt 2: $750 shipped (Reg. $1,000)
New! Daily Deals: Anker Portable Bluetooth Speaker $26, Toshiba 2TB HDD $80, more
New! Speakers: PreSonus 4.5″ Powered Studio Monitors $163 (Reg. $200), more

More deals still alive:

HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers w/ file sharing 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25), more

3-pack of 3.3-ft Poweradd MFi Lightning cables $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $23)
Garmin vívofit Bluetooth Fitness Band (refurb): $42 shipped (Orig. $130)
iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped
Incase up to 40% off sale + extra 15% + free shipping
WD My Passport Pro 2TB portable storage w/ Thunderbolt cable $200 (Reg. $300)
Headphones: JBL J33A in-ears w/ mic $15 (Reg. $24), more
The best deals to really take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox One free game promotion
ZyXEL AV2 600Mbps Powerline Gigabit adapter kit $44 shipped (Reg. $70)
Pad and Quill 10% off + free shipping: Apple Watch stands from $72, more
HP Officejet Pro Wireless All-in-One Inkjet w/ AirPrint: $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)
App Store sale – Amazing Fantasy Games at least 50% off: Badlands $2, more
App Store Free App of the Week: Warhammer Snotling Fling ($4 value)
4-Pack of Lexar 16GB TwistTurn USB Flash Drives $19 shipped (Reg. $24)
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)

New products & more:

Polaroid’s mini 1-inch 1080p action camera refreshed with Wi-Fi integration for iOS

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
GameStop launches vintage games store and prices are all over the place
Jabra’s new in-ear Bluetooth headphones track more than 40 exercises
LEGO Minifigures Online is set to arrive with multi-platform play on Mac/PC/iOS
McDonald’s new to-go box for bikes will have you cycling up to the drive-thru
It took more than half-a-decade to knit this detailed replica Super Mario Bros. map
Sony’s new Ultimate Player Edition PlayStation 4 comes with double the storage

E3:

The 5 biggest iOS and Android games announced at this year’s E3 Expo
Super Smash Bros. updates, Star Fox rolls onto Wii U, more
Limited edition PS4 accessories celebrate PlayStation’s 20th Anniversary
New games & hardware announced at E3 make Xbox One deserving of a second look
Sony shows Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII remake, Uncharted 4, Star Wars, more
Microsoft unveils new hardware, 360 compatibility + Forza 6, Halo 5, more
Bethesda’s real life Pip Boy for iPhone/Android, Dishonored 2, Doom, more
Xbox Live Gold Members can enjoy EA Access for free this week

Google Drive for Android 2.2.23 brings ability to download/send multiple files at once

Tom Maxwell Jun 25 2015 - 12:33 pm PT

Google Drive for Android, the cloud storage service by Google, received an update yesterday that brings a helpful new improvement for those who rely on the service to access files across devices and share them with others.

Version 2.2.23, which hasn’t propagated completely in Google Play but can be pulled from APKMirror (click here), includes the ability to send and/or download multiple files at once. All you need to do to select multiple files is hold down on one file, and then a blue checkmark will appear indicating the file has been selected. After that just tap the checkmark for every file you want to include and the menu at the bottom of the screen will allow you to choose what you want to do with the selected files.

This should be useful for those who may have a lot of photos, music, and other files stored in Drive that they want to download to a new device, upload to a network like Tumblr, or whatever else. For reference, here’s what the previous version of Drive looked like when you selected multiple files:

No option to download or send the files is present when multiple photos are selected (the overflow menu doesn’t include them either). To do so you had to visit the info page of each file individually and send or download from there. A nice little update that avid Drive users will surely appreciate.

Google’s new self-driving cars can now be spotted on Mountain View roads

Stephen Hall Jun 25 2015 - 12:25 pm PT

According to a recent post on Google+, Google’s new cute self-driving car prototypes are now driving the roads of Mountain View. As was mentioned previously, they’re taking some cues from how the company’s previous line of Lexus self-driving vehicles. This first run of a few of the new ‘Koala’ prototype will have a safety driver on board with a “removable” steering wheel, accelerator, and brake — just in case…

These prototype vehicles are designed from the ground up to be fully self-driving. They’re ultimately designed to work without a steering wheel or pedals, but during this phase of our project we’ll have safety drivers aboard with a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal that allow them to take over driving if needed. The prototypes’ speed is capped at a neighborhood-friendly 25mph, and they’ll drive using the same software that our existing Lexus vehicles use—the same fleet that has self-driven over 1 million miles since we started the project.

According to Google, the speed of the cars is currently capped at a pretty conservative 25 miles per hour, and they’re driving around at that “neighborhood-friendly” speed using the same software that powered the Lexus line. Ultimately, the goal is for them to be completely autonomous, but it would make sense that Google wants to take that slow to avoid any more sensationalized stories about their safety…
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Google makes targeting the right customers using Analytics data easier

Tom Maxwell Jun 25 2015 - 11:12 am PT

Google has a new update out to its Remarketing Lists for Search Ads product that will make it easier for marketers to use Analytics to target the right potential customers and in the process get a higher return on their advertising dollar investment. And while these terms might sound like complete gibberish to you, from a high-level it’s actually not too complicated.

Google App Launcher for Apps users getting updated w/ additional row, ability to move apps

Stephen Hall Jun 25 2015 - 10:09 am PT

The familiar Google App Launcher that you may or may not use on a daily basis — found on Google’s many web properties — has four rows of icons and the ability to move them around to organize them the way you’d like. You probably didn’t even notice when these features were added, but they’re nice to have. If you have a Google Apps account too, though, you may know that the App Launcher is stuck in the past for Apps users.
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Samsung ad misses the mark at selling the frustration of charging cables

Tom Maxwell Jun 25 2015 - 8:51 am PT

2 Comments

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge models include two technologies that are supposed to make charging your device less of a hassle – Fast Charging and both the Qi and PMA wireless charging standards. That’s great! But Samsung’s new ad out yesterday that attempts to subtly throws shade at Apple (the phone alarm in one scene is clearly an iOS tone) and other device makers without built-in wireless charging might be a little too much.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: HTC Desire 510 (Sprint) $40, HooToo travel router $15, LG G3 (unlocked) $330, more

Stephen Hall Jun 24 2015 - 12:40 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:

Sprint HTC Desire 510 no-contract smartphone: $40 shipped (Reg. $100) | Best Buy

HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers w/ file sharing 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25), more

LG G3 D850 32 GB unlocked new 32 GB blue: $330 shipped (Reg. $450) | eBay

Samsung Galaxy Alpha 32GB unlocked new: $230 shipped (Reg. $300) | eBay

Save $50 on any Dell Outlet Home Chromebook 11 through Sunday, June 28th w/ code “CHROMEBOOK$50“

Amazon Echo smart speaker now available for purchase for $180 shipped

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Batman Arkham Knight 20% off + free skins & discounted bundle, Watch Dogs $10, iOS freebies, more

New! Daily Deals: Bluetooth Speaker $20, Logitech Z523 Speakers (refurb) $49, more
New! Save 40% at Gap & on Banana Republic sale items

More deals still alive:

Garmin vívofit Bluetooth Fitness Band (refurb): $42 shipped (Orig. $130)

Incase up to 40% off sale + extra 15% + free shipping
GoPro HERO4 Black 4K Action Camera: $399 shipped (Reg. $500)
WD My Passport Pro 2TB portable storage w/ Thunderbolt cable $200 (Reg. $300)
Headphones: JBL J33A in-ears w/ mic $15 (Reg. $24), more
The best deals to really take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox One free game promotion
ZyXEL AV2 600Mbps Powerline Gigabit adapter kit $44 shipped (Reg. $70)
Pad and Quill 10% off + free shipping: Apple Watch stands from $72, more
Clarks boots, dress shoes, sneakers: 2 for $99 + free shipping
HP Officejet Pro Wireless All-in-One Inkjet w/ AirPrint: $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)
App Store sale – Amazing Fantasy Games at least 50% off: Badlands $2, more
App Store Free App of the Week: Warhammer Snotling Fling ($4 value)
4-Pack of Lexar 16GB TwistTurn USB Flash Drives $19 shipped (Reg. $24)
Ondesoft Mac Bundle w/ X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, more: free ($146 value)
Bluetooth headphones: Sol Republic Tracks Air $75 (Reg. $150), more
Amazon Students: get a free $10 Amazon credit with the purchase of a $50 gift card

New products & more:

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

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
GameStop launches vintage games store and prices are all over the place
Jabra’s new in-ear Bluetooth headphones track more than 40 exercises
LEGO Minifigures Online is set to arrive with multi-platform play on Mac/PC/iOS
McDonald’s new to-go box for bikes will have you cycling up to the drive-thru
It took more than half-a-decade to knit this detailed replica Super Mario Bros. map
Sony’s new Ultimate Player Edition PlayStation 4 comes with double the storage
Pebble Time now available to pre-order from Best Buy for $200
Monoprice’s $200 Action Camera matches GoPro on specs & has a slick viewfinder
Quick Review: Kano’s Raspberry Pi 2 computer kit shines as a learning tool
Get ready to take control of the Batmobile in Batman Arkham Knight
Kokoon’s EEG Bluetooth headphones track brain voltage to give you a better night’s sleep

E3:

The 5 biggest iOS and Android games announced at this year’s E3 Expo
Super Smash Bros. updates, Star Fox rolls onto Wii U, more
Limited edition PS4 accessories celebrate PlayStation’s 20th Anniversary
New games & hardware announced at E3 make Xbox One deserving of a second look
Sony shows Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII remake, Uncharted 4, Star Wars, more
Microsoft unveils new hardware, 360 compatibility + Forza 6, Halo 5, more
Bethesda’s real life Pip Boy for iPhone/Android, Dishonored 2, Doom, more
Xbox Live Gold Members can enjoy EA Access for free this week

Google’s 14th data center is opening on the grounds of a closing coal power plant

Stephen Hall Jun 24 2015 - 11:45 am PT

If you send email with Gmail, host your school papers on Google Drive, or watch YouTube videos, you’ve taken advantage of one or more of Google’s many data centers. Today, Google has announced that it’s opening up its 14th site globally, but they’re planning to do something interesting — they’re planning to rework the existing infrastructure of the soon-to-be shut down Widows Creek coal power plant in Alabama…
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You no longer need a Facebook account to use Messenger

Tom Maxwell Jun 24 2015 - 11:02 am PT

Facebook Messenger is a quite well-designed messaging app available on both Android and iOS, and now you don’t even need to a Facebook account to use it.

Google changes heart on splash screens, adding them to its own apps

Tom Maxwell Jun 24 2015 - 9:45 am PT

2 Comments

Well this is an interesting change for Google. The company is one-by-one rolling out updates to its in-house Android apps that include splash screens. These screens (screenshots via a user on Reddit) are displayed during the 2-3 seconds between tapping an apps’ icon and the app actually loading.

Google asks artists to create designs for self-driving cars in new ‘Paint the Town’ campaign

Chance Miller Jun 24 2015 - 8:58 am PT

Google’s self-driving car initiative could hit the market as early as 2020, but until then Google is continuing to test its cars around Mountain View. Today, Google announced a new program that will see its self-driving cars become a little more interesting to look at. The new program, called Paint the Town, is touted by Google as being a “moving art experiment” and transforms the company’s self-driving cars into moving pieces of public art.