Google

Google today is launching a new tool called Password Alert that will allow users to keep track of sign-ins on their account with notifications and change their password if necessary. The new tool comes in the form of a Chrome extension and allows users to easily change their password if a fraudulent sign-in attempt is detected.
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Google Play Services 7.3 brings support for multiple Android Wear devices at once (Video)

Stephen Hall Apr 28 2015 - 1:28 pm PT

Google has—finally—officially announced Google Play Services 7.3 (which first surfaced a couple of weeks ago), bringing several important new features to the company’s Google-powered app support package. Most importantly, the update brings new Android Wear APIs allowing multiple wearables to be connected to a single phone…

Multiple wearable devices can be connected to a user’s handheld device. Each connected device in the network is considered a node. With multiple connected devices, you must consider which nodes receive the messages. For example, In a voice transcription app that receives voice data on the wearable device, you should send the message to a node with the processing power and battery capacity to handle the request, such as a handheld device..

The update also brings the addition of nutrition data to Google Fit, as well as “improvements to retrieving the user’s activity and location, and better support for optional APIs, there’s a lot to explore in this release.” Check out the goofy and entertaining announcement video below, and learn more over at Google’s Android developers blog:

This is Android Wear 5.1.1 running on the LG Watch Urbane (Gallery)

Stephen Hall Apr 27 2015 - 12:44 pm PT

2 Comments

We’ve managed to get our hands on some images of Android Wear 5.1.1 running on the yet-to-be released LG Watch Urbane, and you can find them in gallery below…
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Developer gets Android Wear (partially) running on the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2

Stephen Hall Apr 27 2015 - 8:09 am PT

Samsung made a very bold attempt at entering the now-somewhat-established smartwatch space—long before the current market leaders—with the launch of their Galaxy Gear devices, but none of these wearables ever made very much of an impact. And since these devices came several months before Android Wear even existed, they ran Samsung’s proprietary Tizen operating system, which many users have agreed is notoriously clunky and unintuitive.

Now, a developer on the XDA-Developers forum has started work on porting Android Wear to the Galaxy Gear 2, and it looks like the OS is already partially functional…
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Android Lollipop finally rolling out to Sprint LG G2, T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4

Stephen Hall Apr 27 2015 - 7:03 am PT

3 Comments

It seems as if almost every day another Android device gets updated to Lollipop, and today is no exception. Both the LG G2 from Sprint and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 from T-Mobile should start receiving the Material Design-filled goodness starting today.
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Google says it has seen a ‘decline in Nexus’ during recent months

Chance Miller Apr 23 2015 - 2:49 pm PT

42 Comments

During the company’s earnings call for the first quarter of 2015, Google CFO Patrick Pichette made a comment concerning its “other revenues” stream. The “other revenues” category consists of revenues from the Play Store and now Google Store, and it’s one of the company’s smallest sources of money. But Pichette noted that while revenue from “other revenues” was up 23 percent year-over-year to $1.8 billion, revenue was down 3 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2014.

Google announces Q1 2015 earnings: $17.3 billion revenue, $3.6 billion net income

Chance Miller Apr 23 2015 - 1:11 pm PT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceQKErGALV8

Google today has posted its earnings for Q1 2015. The company reports revenue of $17.3 billion, which is up 12 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. Net income for Q1 2015 was $3.68 billion For the first quarter of 2015, the company also reports earnings per share of $6.57. Google CFO Patrick Pichette cites momentum of its mobile advertising business as a reason for its strong performance.

9to5Toys Last Call: Moto X 2nd gen. $250, Galaxy S6 Edge (unlocked) $800, Galaxy S6 battery case $20, more

Stephen Hall Apr 23 2015 - 11:39 am 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 X 2nd generation 16GB (unlocked): $250 shipped (Reg. $400)

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32GB (factory unlocked): $800 shipped (Reg. $1,000)

ZeroLemon Galaxy S6 2800mAh Battery Case $20 Prime shipped w/ code (Reg. $30)

Enter to win a Huawei Watch for free at 9to5Toys Specials

Dell (CRM3120-1667BLK) 11.6-Inch Chromebook: $190 shipped (Reg. $250)

Refurbished 11.6-inch Chromebook (model CB3-111-C670): $140 shipped (Reg. $200)

Amazon Gold Box – Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones in black $190 shipped (Orig. $300), more

GoPro HERO4 Black 4K Action Camera $400 shipped (Reg. $500)

Review: Moleskine’s new myCloud Smallpack offers plentiful storage in a tidy design, $150 giveaway

More new gear from today:

Motorola SURFboard SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem (refurb): $40 + $5 shipping (Orig. $100)

Hurry! Get two Philips LED Light Bulbs for $4.97 (backordered, but finally avail for order!) http://t.co/QiNSIcu0Fx pic.twitter.com/vmnEQJlyqB

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 23, 2015

New! Games/Apps: Deus Ex Ultimate $5, Map My Run+ $1, iOS freebies, more
New! Samsung Galaxy Tab S (T800) 32GB Tablet (refurb) $320 (Orig. $750)
New! Magazine subs from $4.50/yr: Wired, Paper, Smithsonian, ESPN, Entrepreneur, more

More deals still alive:

Seagate 1.5TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive $50 shipped (Reg. $70)

Toshiba 1TB $50 (Orig. $75), 3-Pack Seagate 1.5TB $150 ($210 value), more
Seagate Expansion 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $120 shipped (Orig. $250)
Add Ethernet and more USB 3.0 ports to your MacBook for $16 Prime shipped, more
iTunes Free App of the Week: Pursuit of Light ($1 value)
Media: Meat Loaf’s Greatest Hits free (~$15 value), Unbroken HD rental $1 (Reg. $5), more
ZeroLemon SolarJuice 10000mAh water resistant Battery Pack w/ flashlight: $26 (Orig. $50)
Season 3 of “Orange is the New Black” are arriving on Netflix, are you ready to stream?
One-yr Sam’s Club Plus Membership w/ a $20 GC & more: $45 ($120+ value)
Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (refurb) w/ 18-55mm Lens Kit $336 shipped (Orig. $599), more
Headphones: Audio-Technica QuietPoint over-ears $100 (Reg. $150+), more
HooToo TripMate Wireless N Travel Router w/ USB port $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)
Huge Innori 22400mAh 3 Port USB Battery Pack $35 Shipped (Orig. $70)
Printers: Brother Wireless laser (refurb) $120
Tailgate-ready Cuisinart Compact Gas Grill for $120 shipped (Reg. $200)
Yamaha RX-V377 5.1-Channel 4K A/V Receiver w/USB: $180 Shipped (Orig. $300)
Apple AirPort Express w/ AirPlay & Wireless Printing refurb $65 (Reg. $99)
Spigen iPhone 6/Plus cases from $4 Prime shipped, multiple colors/styles available
Garmin nüvi 7-Inch GPS w/ Lifetime Maps (Cert Refurbished) $110 (Reg. $130)

New products & more:

Droplet smart buttons remind you to get things done without a barrage of notifications

Two of Philips’ new LED light bulbs can be had for just $5
popSlate’s new case puts an E Ink display on the back of your iPhone 6
Sony’s new 43-75″ 4K UHDTVs bring an incredibly thin design, pre-orders start today
Sony’s new soundbars and A/V receivers include Google Cast and up to ten HDMI inputs
Blizzard’s latest multiplayer brawler Heroes of the Storm heads to beta & gets release date
IKEA details its new wireless charging furniture, add-ons and iPhone cases
Are Verizon’s new FiOS bundle plans the answer to ala carte programming?
OWC put a 480GB SSD in a pocket-size USB 3.0 Flash Drive

What analysts expect from Google’s earnings call later today, and how to listen in

Ben Lovejoy Apr 23 2015 - 5:11 am PT

Re/code has a roundup of what analysts are expecting from Google this afternoon, when the company announces its Q1 earnings and provides at least a little guidance on the future.

Consensus estimates are for net revenue of $14.12 billion, a 16 percent uptick year over year. Currency winds could drag down the numbers.

Google isn’t expected to reveal much information about its future plans, but analysts expect at least some degree of clarity in three areas, says the piece …
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Google pushes mobile web apps forward, launches new ‘Spotlight’ page to feature them

Chance Miller Apr 22 2015 - 6:55 pm PT

Earlier this week, Google began rolling out Chrome 42 with support for website notifications and an improved “add to home screen” function. With those two new features, Google is clearly making a big push towards web apps on both the desktop and mobile. Now, Google has launched a new Spotlight page to highlight some of the best mobile web apps.

Chrome Live stream now archived, here’s what was announced (Video)

Stephen Hall Apr 22 2015 - 1:42 pm PT

Google for Work’s Chrome Live event happened today, and the Mountain View company took this opportunity to announce many new Chrome-related products for the workplace…
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Jonathan Rosenberg temporarily leading Google’s robotics division

Zac Hall Apr 22 2015 - 12:37 pm PT

<a href="http://9to5google.com/tag/how-google-works/" target="_blank">Rosenberg & Schmidt promoting their book “How Google Works”</a>

Jonathan Rosenberg has been tapped to temporarily lead Google’s robotics division replacing James Kuffner, according to The Information.

The report cites sourcing claiming Kuffner’s appointment to replace Andy Rubin last year was never intended to be permanent with Rosenberg being the division’s next boss. CEO Larry Page is expected to continue searching for a permanent head of the robotics division in the meantime.

Android’s co-founder Rubin led the robotics division from late 2013 to late 2014. Rosenberg’s appointment now makes the third head of Google’s robotics team in less than two years. Subscribers can read the full report here.

Google officially announces its mobile network service: Project Fi

Stephen Hall Apr 22 2015 - 10:43 am PT

5 Comments

Google has just announced Project Fi, its much-rumored MVNO and the company’s attempt at bringing a new way for customers to get better cellular service at a better price…

Google Glass 2.0: New patent gives us the most likely depiction we’ve seen yet

Stephen Hall Apr 22 2015 - 8:54 am PT

2 Comments

Google is hard at work designing the next hardware iteration of Glass, but not many details have surfaced regarding what the next generation be capable of nor what it will look like. Patents are definitely not the most reliable source of “leaks,” but sometimes they can give us a good overarching idea of the direction a company might be headed. A new patent published recently gives us yet another peek at what the next Google Glass might look like, and this looks more believable than anything we’ve seen up to this point…
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Google’s Mr. Jingles dresses up to celebrate Earth Day

Stephen Hall Apr 22 2015 - 6:58 am PT

Apple may be making its leaves green, but Google is celebrating Earth Day too. They’ve of course changed the homepage logo into a Google Doodle, but Mr. Jingles—the Google+ notifications mascot—is also dressing up to celebrate.

As we told you yesterday, clicking today’s new Google Doodle will take you to an “Earth Day Quiz” that… tells you which animal you’re most like. It’s a “totally scientific and 1,000% accurate personality quiz,” Google says.

Google shares Earth Day 2015 quiz that asks, “Which animal are you?”

Chance Miller Apr 21 2015 - 8:08 pm PT

3 Comments

To celebrate Earth Day 2015, Google has added a quiz to its search engine for visitors. By clicking the Earth Day themed Google Doodle, users are directed to a search results page with a quiz at the top. The quiz claims to answer the question, “Which animal are you?”

Google writes on its Doodle explanation page:

You can search Google for answers to all kinds of animal questions: What does an aye-aye eat?Where do narwhals live?How long is a toco toucan’s beak? And this Earth Day, you can turn to Google for the answer to something that you’ve always needed to know: which animal are you???

Clicking on this year’s Earth Day logo (or searching for “Earth Day quiz”) presents one of the Internet’s favorite pastimes: a totally scientific and 1,000% accurate personality quiz. Take the time to answer a few questions to determine and share your Earth Day animal. And, of course, you’re only a search away from learning more about nature’s precious pals and interesting inhabitants (fyi: kakapo is the heaviest parrot).

Happy Earth Day to you today and everyday,

The Earth Day Doodle Crew

The quiz consists of 5 questions and allows you to share your results to social media at the end. Take it here and tell us what animal you are when you’re done. Apparently, I am a honey badger….

WSJ: Google to launch wireless network as soon as Wednesday with pay-by usage model

Chance Miller Apr 21 2015 - 5:04 pm PT

Google’s oft-rumored U.S wireless service could be unveiled as early as Wednesday, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The report corroborates earlier rumors that the key selling point of Google’s network will be that users will only pay for the amount of data they actually use each month.

Google Classroom gets multiple teacher support, announcement/assignment drafts, more

Stephen Hall Apr 21 2015 - 1:30 pm PT

Google has today announced several updates to Google Classroom, including the ability to add more than one teacher to a Classroom class, and new automatically-saving drafts for class announcements and assignments…
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9to5Toys Last Call: 11.6-inch Acer & Dell Chromebooks from $140, HooToo travel router $15, more

Stephen Hall Apr 21 2015 - 12:23 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:

Refurbished 11.6-inch Chromebook (model CB3-111-C670): $140 shipped (Reg. $200)

Dell (CRM3120-1667BLK) 11.6-Inch Chromebook: $190 shipped (Reg. $250)

HooToo TripMate Wireless N Travel Router w/ USB port $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drives: Toshiba 1TB $50 (Orig. $75), 3-Pack Seagate 1.5TB $150 ($210 value), more

Seagate Expansion 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $120 shipped (Orig. $250)

Battery-saving Bluetooth 4.0 earbuds starting at $14 shipped for your Android Wear device!

Review: Moleskine’s new myCloud Smallpack offers plentiful storage in a tidy design, $150 giveaway

More new gear from today:

XYZprinting daVinci 1.0 3D Printer $350 shipped (Orig. $500)

New! Games/Apps: PowerA PS4 Controller Charger $17 Prime shipped, iOS freebies, more
New! One-yr Sam’s Club Plus Membership w/ a $20 GC & more: $45 ($120+ value)
New! Multi-magazine subs from $4/yr: Wired, ESPN, Dwell, GQ, many more
New! Daily Deals: RCA 200W 5.1-Ch. DVD Home Theater System $80, BenQ 1080p projector refurb $575, more

More deals still alive:

Headphones: Audio-Technica QuietPoint over-ears $100 (Reg. $150+), Sennheiser HD 202 on-ears $15 (Reg. $24), more

Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (refurb) w/ 18-55mm Lens Kit $336 shipped (Orig. $599), more

Huge Innori 22400mAh 3 Port USB Battery Pack $35 Shipped (Orig. $70)
Printers: Brother Wireless laser (refurb) $120, Canon imageCLASS w/ AirPrint $130, more
USB power: 50W 5-Port Charger $12, 3200mAh battery pack w/ dual-port car charger $13
Lumsing wallet design magnetic leather cover for iPad 2/3/4 bundle $7 shipped (Orig. $25)
Tailgate-ready Cuisinart Compact Gas Grill for $120 shipped (Reg. $200)
Yamaha RX-V377 5.1-Channel 4K A/V Receiver w/USB: $180 Shipped (Orig. $300)
Apple AirPort Express w/ AirPlay & Wireless Printing $79 or refurb $65 (Reg. $99)
Spigen iPhone 6/Plus cases from $4 Prime shipped, multiple colors/styles available
Refurbished Apple laptops: MacBooks from $259, Pros starting at $459
Headphones: Sony over-ears (refurb) $50, 2 pairs Able Planet $20, more
Garmin nüvi 7-Inch GPS w/ Lifetime Maps (Cert Refurbished) $110 (Reg. $130)
Intocircuit Power Castle 11200mAh Dual-USB Power Bank: $18 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)
Free 1-month unlimited access to over 15,000 digital Marvel comics
Satechi’s Premium Aluminum 4-Port USB Clamp Hub: $20 Shipped
Lowe’s coupon: save $10 on purchases of $50 or more in-store or online
Two free months of Audible audiobooks for new accounts
Toys: UDI Quadcopter RC Drone $53, Star Wars figure play sets bundle $29, more
Dr. Seuss The Lorax interactive book app $2 (Reg. $5) + Free giveaway codes
Asus (C300MA-DH02) 13.3-inch HD 16GB Storage $229 (Orig. $249)
Toshiba (CB35-B3340) 13.3-inch Chromebook 2 $299 (Orig. $329.99)

New products & more:

Sony’s new 43-75″ 4K UHDTVs bring an incredibly thin design, pre-orders start today

Sony’s new soundbars and A/V receivers include Google Cast and up to ten HDMI inputs
Blizzard’s latest multiplayer brawler Heroes of the Storm heads to beta & gets release date
IKEA details its new wireless charging furniture, add-ons and iPhone cases
Are Verizon’s new FiOS bundle plans the answer to ala carte programming?
OWC put a 480GB SSD in a pocket-size USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Carbonate your booze from an iPhone app with SodaStream Mix
Design your own pair of headphones with AiAiAi’s new TMA-2 modulars

Sony unveils new ultra-thin 4k TVs w/ Google Cast & Android TV support, new sound bars & receivers w/ Cast

Chance Miller Apr 20 2015 - 7:47 pm PT

Sony today has taken the wraps off of a handful of new products that will play nicely with Android devices. First off, the company has announced that its 4k Ultra HD televisions with support for Android TV and Google Cast will begin shipping in May. The TVs feature Sony’s X1 processor which lends itself to improved color, brightness, and upscaling. The TVs also feature the X-Reality PRO Picture Engine, which also contributes to improving those factors.

Google now lets you download your search history, not just view it

Ben Lovejoy Apr 20 2015 - 5:33 am PT

As part of its commitment to being transparent about the data Google holds on you, the company has long allowed you to view your search history. It’s now gone one better, letting you download that history.

You can download all of your saved search history to see a list of the terms you’ve searched for. This gives you access to your data when and where you want.

I’m not quite sure why anyone would want to do this, but given the company’s numerous run-ins with various governments over data privacy, it probably wants to play safe.

Via Google Operating System and TNW

Report: Funds stored in Google Wallet are now FDIC insured

Stephen Hall Apr 18 2015 - 8:08 am PT

Most of the money transfer services that have popped up in Silicon Valley over the last several years don’t directly offer any federal-level insurance, and Google Wallet—until today—was a pretty good example. But now, according to a report from Yahoo Finance, Google is adding FDIC insurance to the money you keep in your Wallet Balance by storing your funds in various FDIC-insured banking institutions…
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Google acquired Athena Wireless in February, likely to bolster Fiber and MVNO ambitions

Stephen Hall Apr 17 2015 - 1:51 pm PT

Google finalized a deal to acquire Surprise, Arizona startup Athena Wireless Communications in February of this year, according to reports. The company has been around for several years and has spent much of that time building wireless LTE and small cell technologies that can move data at gigabit Fiber-like speeds. The acquisition is an obvious one for a company such as Google that is continuing to build out its Google Fiber infrastructure and has plans to announce its own MVNO…
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9to5Toys Last Call: Ooma VoIP Phone w/ Bluetooth $90, Galaxy Tab 3 $90, Moto X Dev. Edition $150, more

Stephen Hall Apr 17 2015 - 11:48 am PT