Google

April Fools’ Day is often one of the more eventual days of the year for Google and other tech companies. This year appears to be no different as a variety of pranks have already appeared around the web. We’ve been analyzing them all, right as they come in, and have listed some of our favorites below. We’ll keep this list updated as more April Fools’ Day gags continue to roll in. We have feeling there will be no shortage of them either…

Google’s April Fools’ gag encourages you to take reaction selfies while browsing the web

Chance Miller Mar 31 2015 - 7:03 pm PT

After adding an April Fools’ Easter egg to Maps this morning, Google has since added another gem to its mobile version of Chrome. First noticed by the Google Operating System blog, there’s now a menu in Chrome mobile that lets you “share a reaction” from any webpage you visit.

Google releases Player Analytics to give developers better in-app performance data

Chance Miller Mar 31 2015 - 1:29 pm PT

Google today has officially released Play Games Player Analytics to developers. In a post on the Android Developers Blog, Google announced that these new tools will allow for game developers to better track in-game player behavior and improve in-app business tactics and performance.

Inbox by Gmail gets custom morning, afternoon, and evening snooze times in latest update

Stephen Hall Mar 31 2015 - 12:38 pm PT

Google has announced today that a useful new feature is coming to Inbox by Gmail, namely the ability to customize morning, afternoon and evening “Snooze” times. Once you have the update, all you have to do is open the app, slide left on an email, tap “Pick date & time,” and select the time you’d like to snooze to. You should see a prompt at the bottom of the app asking you if you want to make this your morning, afternoon, or evening time.

9to5Toys Last Call: LG G3 (unlocked) $320, QNAP 2-Bay NAS $149, Galaxy Note 3 (unlocked) $294, more

Stephen Hall Mar 31 2015 - 12:03 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:

LG G3 16GB unlocked GSM 4G LTE: $320 shipped (Reg. $450)

Amazon Gold Box – up to 50% off Hard Drives & Networking: 2-Bay NAS $149, 1TB Wi-Fi HDD $120, more

Samsung N9000 Galaxy Note 3 32 GB unlocked: $294 shipped (Reg. $500)

Samsung Galaxy ALPHA 32GB 4G LTE: $260 shipped (Reg. $400)

Amazon free app of the day: Riptide GP2 (Reg. $1)

Crucial M500 960GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive $293 shipped (Reg. $360)

Gold Box: OontZ Angle Bluetooth speaker by Cambridge SoundWorks: $20 Prime shipped (Orig. $80), waterproof: $35 (orig: $130)

Outsource your house chores to Amazon and get a free $20 gift card

Small States Review: TM1985’s Weekend Duffel is the perfect companion for any excursion, $371 giveaway

More new gear from today:

This Limited Edition Batman: Arkham Knight PlayStation 4 is one of the best looking consoles ever, pre-order today

New! Games/Apps: Nintendo 2DS w/ Mario Kart 7 $100 (Reg. $130), iOS freebies, more
New! Daily Deals: Dell 4K 24″ monitor $465, Insignia indoor/outdoor speakers $40, more
New! Headphones: Beats Tour 2.0 in-ears $102 (orig. $150), many more
New! Home theater upgrade: Bose Acoustimass 6 speaker set $369 shipped (Reg. $400+)
New! Fisher-Price or V-Tech Toys Buy One Get One Free at Toys R Us

More deals still alive:

Media: Hobbit – Battle of the Five Armies BR/DVD/Digital $13, much more

Replace your car’s busted radio w/ this Pioneer CD/USB receiver on sale for $50 (Reg. $100)
Clean up your diet w/ free Kindle downloads of these healthy cookbooks
Three-year sub to Bloomberg Businessweek magazine: $20 shipped (Reg. $150)
This PlayStation 4 Bloodborne bundle includes 2 games, a gift card and is $400
Nintendo deals: amiibo figures 25% off, 3DS games $25, eShop 10% off
Storage: Samsung 250GB SSD $100, Toshiba 500GB Portable HD $35
Mackie speakers + ATH-M40x Pro Headphones $130 shipped ($200 value)
Canon imageCLASS Monochrome Laser Printer $65 shipped (Reg. $100)
iTunes Free App of the Week: Tangent, make pictures into unique works of art ($2 value)
This Netgear Wi-Fi extender will help cover your home’s dead zones for $29 (Reg. $37)
USB Chargers: Vinsic dual-port $7, Photive 6-port $27, Omaker 3-port $9
PreSonus Powered Speakers + Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones $209 (Reg. $430)
Save 20% off Patagonia, The North Face and much more at the REI dividends sale
WD Elements 750GB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive: $40 shipped (orig. $100)
Headphones: Sol Republic Tracks Air Bluetooth $75, more
Call of Duty Strike Team for iOS/Android drops to its lowest price yet: $2 (Reg. $7
Apple adds 12 different iMac w/ Retina 5K models to its refurb store, up to $660 off

New products & more:

Neo smartpen N2 instantaneously sends handwritten words and doodles to its iOS/Android app

This case lets you deck out your MacBook with LEGO bricks
Spotify finds an exclusive gaming console home w/ Sony’s new PlayStation Music service
Amazon announces unlimited Cloud Drive storage for all of your photos and files
The software used by Pixar to create visual effects for movies like Toy Story is now free
Former Apple Designer launches new iOS and Android connected timepiece
Relive the most epic battles from the Final Fantasy series in Record Keeper for iOS/Android
Here’s how to install Kano OS on your Raspberry Pi 2 for free
The iDrink iPhone case includes a built-in breathalyzer, bottle opener and driving game
InfiniteUSB cables offer an endless supply of USB ports for your laptop

Google Drive for Work and Apps for Education getting plethora of new security features

Stephen Hall Mar 31 2015 - 10:46 am PT

Google has today announced that it’s bringing new sharing controls, alerts and “audit events” to both Google Drive for Work and Google for Education over the coming weeks. Security is one of the biggest concerns that companies have about moving their data to the cloud, and Google hopes these new features will help make the transition just a little bit easier…

Google Maps makes the world a playable game of Pac-Man

Jordan Kahn Mar 31 2015 - 8:25 am PT

Google has started the April Fools Day fun a bit early with a new Pac-Man easter egg allowing users to play the classic arcade game on the streets of Google Maps. Here’s how to do it:
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Chair of Senate antitrust panel looking into conversations between Google and FTC

Ben Lovejoy Mar 31 2015 - 6:50 am PT

Senator Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate’s antitrust panel, will conduct a “preliminary inquiry” into whether conversations Google had with FTC investigators influenced the commission’s decision to clear the company of anti-competitive behavior, reports the WSJ.

The senator could later expand his inquiry to include conversations people in the White House had with the FTC and Google, people in his office said.

The FTC last week denied that its decision had been “a close call” following leaked documents suggesting that it had been. The documents also provided some fascinating insights into Google’s business model.

Google declined to comment on this latest development, but has previously said that its meetings in the White House were not related to the FTC investigation.

Android 5.0 Lollipop to begin rolling out to HTC One M7 on AT&T starting March 31

Chance Miller Mar 30 2015 - 6:01 pm PT

HTC’s VP of Product Management Mo Versi announced on Twitter this evening that the AT&T HTC One M7 will finally receive Android 5.0 Lollipop beginning tomorrow, March 31st. Versi, in his tweet, confirmed that HTC has received approval from both AT&T and Google for the update after delays early on.

AT&T HTC One (M7) Owners! Great news, we've received technical approval on Lollipop OS. OTA will start tomorrow. Thank you for your patience

— Mo Versi (@moversi) March 30, 2015

Google Drive now gives access to your photos as Google+ dismantling begins

Stephen Hall Mar 30 2015 - 12:33 pm PT

Sundar Pichai recently said in a Forbes interview that Google was going to start focusing on the core parts of Google+ (namely, Hangouts, photos, and the Google+ stream) as being three independent areas of interest. One of the first big steps towards this goal, positioning “Photos” as being its own standalone product accessible across Google services, has finally started happening today: You can now view your Google+ photos under a new “Google Photos” section in Google Drive…
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Want to work for Google in the US? Here are the five main jobs for which foreigners are hired

Ben Lovejoy Mar 30 2015 - 5:19 am PT

If Google’s recent job listings for Google Glass has tempted you to consider a move to the US, data from the Office of Foreign Labor Certification may provide a guide to your chances. Applications for H-1B visas–those allowing overseas workers to accept job offers in the US–reveal that top tech companies like Google mostly sponsor the visas for five main roles, reports TechCrunch.

By examining the most common professions among H-1B applicants for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, five consistent career paths emerged across each company. Software engineers, systems software engineers, financial analysts, computer systems analysts and marketing managers make up a large part of H-1B visa applications.

The salary data shows that the average salary paid to foreign workers employed in the USA by the five tech companies is highest at Facebook, at $135k, with Google second-placed at around $127k.

Google slams News Corp, The Wall Street Journal for ‘inaccuracies’

Jordan Kahn Mar 27 2015 - 2:24 pm PT

Google is no stranger to publicly responding to News Corp after the media company issued a letter last year claiming Google was engaged in unfair business practices, and today Google is once again slamming News Corp for what it’s calling inaccuracies in a recent article about the company.

In a blog post on its Public Policy blog, Google’s SVP Communications and Policy Rachel Whetstone takes apart a recent article in The Wall Street Journal profiling Google’s antitrust probe by the FTC and provides counterpoints to what she says are inaccuracies in the report:
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YouTube experimenting with 4K at 60 FPS, and you can watch a few demo videos now

Stephen Hall Mar 27 2015 - 8:54 am PT

YouTube has been beefing up the capabilities of its video player for quite some time now, and it first introduced 60 FPS support in June of last year. Now, some videos on the site seem to be able to play back not just at 60 FPS, but at 60 FPS in super high-def 4K resolution. It looks to be an experiment that Google is slowly introducing, as only a handful of hand picked videos are capable of this at the moment…

Millions of British Apple users able to sue Google over secretly-dropped cookies

Ben Lovejoy Mar 27 2015 - 6:38 am PT

Update: A class action suit has now been funded by a major US law firm, allowing any qualifying UK user to join the action at no cost. You can complete a qualifying questionnaire here.

A not-for-profit company, Google Action Group Ltd, has been set up to manage the case which is seeking to win between £400 and £4000 in compensation for each claimant who used a . It has appointed Hausfeld, Europe’s leading claimant firm, to challenge Google on behalf of all those Apple users in England and Wales who used the Safari browser on Apple computers, iPod Touches, iPads, and iPhones during the infringing period of Summer 2011 to about 17th February 2012.

The Google Action Group is seeking more members of the public to sign up for the legal action. The public can join the action for free, because the costs will be met by a £2.5m pot of money being put up by a major US litigation funding firm.

UK Apple users have been given the go-ahead to sue Google for continuing to drop cookies on their devices even after they had refused permission through their Safari browser settings.

It was revealed in 2012 that Google bypassed the setting in Safari which instructed sites not to drop cookies, enabling it to deliver personalized ads. The FTC in the US fined the company $22.5M for the practice, with millions more in additional fines levied by 38 US states. There was no government action in the UK, but a group of British iPhone users took Google to court, seeking compensation for breaching their privacy.

Google had attempted to have the case dismissed, claiming that there was no case to answer as the plaintiffs had not suffered any financial harm, but the UK’s Court of Appeal has rejected this argument, allowing the case to proceed …

FTC denies that decision to clear Google of antitrust charges was “a close call”

Ben Lovejoy Mar 26 2015 - 6:06 am PT

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a statement denying the WSJ‘s suggestion that the decision to clear Google of anti-competitive behavior was “a close call.”

The WSJ yesterday obtained part of one of the investigative reports, which included a sentence reading “Although it is a close call, we do not recommend that the Commission issue a complaint against Google for this conduct.”

As we stated when the investigation was closed, the Commission concluded that Google’s search practices were not, “on balance, demonstrably anticompetitive.”

Contrary to recent press reports, the Commission’s decision on the search allegations was in accord with the recommendations of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Economics, and Office of General Counsel.

The FTC describes the WSJ story as “misleading” …
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Google Keep on Android & web updated w/ recurring reminders and labels

Chance Miller Mar 25 2015 - 2:33 pm PT

2 Comments

Google today has reveled an update to its notes/lists app Keep. The update adds two notable features and is rolling out now to the Keep web client and Android app. With the update, the Android app is bumped to version 3.1. With it, the update brings recurring reminders and labels to both the web and mobile.

Google releases new ‘Cloud Console’ app for mobile Google Cloud Platform management

Stephen Hall Mar 25 2015 - 9:16 am PT

Google has today released a new app called “Cloud Console” in beta, and it brings a convenient mobile management console to those who have solutions running on Google’s Cloud Platform.

Among the app’s highlighted features, you’ll find the ability to check the status of Google App Engine and Compute Engine resources, create custom dashboards to get a “glanceable overview” of your solutions, take action from your mobile handset like stopping virtual machines, and view and manage incidents in Google Cloud monitoring.

Here’s the official description:

The Cloud Console enables you to manage your solution running on the Google Cloud Platform directly from your Android phone or tablet:

* Check the state of your Google App Engine or Compute Engine resources
* Create your own custom dashboard to get a glanceable overview of your solution
* Take quick actions directly from your device such as stopping a virtual machine
* View and manage Incidents tracked in Google Cloud monitoring

We plan on shipping new features regularly. Please give us your feedback in the app by swiping from the left and tapping “Send feedback”.

You can get the app for free on the Play Store.

Update: The app has now been officially announced:

Imagine being away from your desk and receiving automatic alerts when an issue occurs in your Google App Engine app. Or waiting at the airport and stopping your test VMs before leaving for vacation. With the beta launch of Cloud Console for Android, managing Google Cloud Platform from your phone or tablet is possible (and yes, an iOS version is in the works).

Leaked FTC report on Google’s business practices provides fascinating look behind the scenes

Ben Lovejoy Mar 25 2015 - 5:27 am PT

Half of a 2012 FTC report on Google’s business practices has been “inadvertently disclosed” in an open records request by the WSJ. Bizarrely, what was leaked was every other page of the report. MarketingLand’s Danny Sullivan has been busy reading the report and tweeting some of the things revealed by it.

The FTC eventually concluded that Google had not violated antitrust laws by favoring its own services over that of rivals, but found it was “a close call.”

[tweet https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/580634396618698752/]

Google did, for example, promote its own services in search results …
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Google may be planning to equip driverless cars with external airbags, protecting pedestrians

Ben Lovejoy Mar 25 2015 - 4:50 am PT

While Google’s driverless cars have notched-up over 700,000 miles without causing a single crash (one car was rear-ended and another crashed while being driven manually), it seems Google plans to cover all the bases. It has today been granted a patent on external cushioning to protect pedestrians in a collision.

External airbags are not a new invention–as Quartz notes, Volvo already has these on some vehicles. Google’s patent takes the idea a stage further, combining bumper-mounted airbags with foam bumpers behind them. The idea is to ensure that after the airbag has deployed, pedestrians aren’t then bounced off the car body.

A system for protecting a pedestrian during impact with a vehicle, the system having a bumper adapted for attachment to an end of the vehicle, wherein the bumper is comprised of a plurality of air sacs, wherein the bumper has a horizontal thickness extends from the end of the vehicle, wherein at least some of the plurality of air sacs stretch and then burst during impact between the bumper and a pedestrian causing deceleration along the horizontal width of the bumper during the impact, wherein the bumper undergoes plastic deformation during impact with the pedestrian as the at least some of the air sacs burst during impact, and wherein the bursting of some of the plurality of air sacs reduces spring back of the bumper on the pedestrian.

Given likely nervousness about the idea of driverless cars, Google may also be thinking about ways to reassure both the public and regulatory authorities.

Google isn’t the only tech giant exploring autonomous cars: Apple is believed to be working on its own version too.

Via Engadget

WSJ: Google spent $16.8 million on lobbying in 2014, has almost weekly meetings at the White House

Chance Miller Mar 24 2015 - 8:07 pm PT

2 Comments

The Wall Street Journal has published a new report highlighting the reach that Google has in the United States government. According to the report, Google employees have visited the White House 230 times since President Obama took office. That comes out to an average of roughly once a week. For comparison’s sake, Comcast employees have met at the White House just 20 times since Obama’s inauguration.

Google reportedly working on new service that lets users receive & pay bills directly in Gmail

Chance Miller Mar 24 2015 - 12:47 pm PT

According to a new report from Re/code, Google is soon planning to launch a service that will allow Gmail users to manage, pay, and receive all their bills directly within Gmail. The service is dubbed Pony Express right now, although it’s unclear if that’s a codename or what Google actually plans to call the service.

9to5Toys Last Call: Nexus 6 (used) $445+, ASUS Chromebook $180, LG G2 (unlocked) $190, more

Stephen Hall Mar 24 2015 - 11:50 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:

Nexus 6, Midnight Blue 32GB (used) from Amazon Warehouse: $445+ shipped (Reg. $649)

ASUS 13.3″ Google Chromebook with 4GB RAM: $180 shipped w/ code (Reg. $329)

LG G2 w/ 32GB flash storage, factory unlocked for GSM carriers: $190 shipped (Reg. $300)

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 32GB (unlocked): $479.99 shipped (Reg. $700)

Daily Deals: Samsung 3TB External HDD $83, Logitech UE BOOM Bluetooth Speaker $129, more

ASUS Google Nexus 7 (2013) 16GB 7-inch tablet: $135 shipped w/ code (Reg. $200)

LG G3 w/ free $100 Amazon gift card for $0.01 w/ 2-yr contract or $479 w/o

The software used by Pixar to create visual effects for movies like Toy Story, Up, and WALL-E is now free

JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones $119 shipped (Reg. $170)

Small States Review: Grado’s GR10e in-ear headphones hit every note, $299 giveaway

More new gear from today:

Free money! Save up to 20% on gift cards from Staples, Lowe’s, Applebee’s, Facebook, more

New! Microsoft PC & tablet accessories up to 60% off
New! GoPro HERO4 Black 4K Action Cam $399 shipped ($100 off)
New! Save 25% on all refurbished Olympus Digital Cameras
New! JBL Spark Bluetooth Speaker $35 shipped (Reg. $130)
New! Games/Apps: Evolve $40, GTA V (PS4/Xbox One) $40, iOS freebies, more
New! Adobe Photoshop Elements + Canon Printer bundle for $50 (~$110 value)
New! Incase ICON Sleeve for iPad mini $36 shipped (Reg. $60)

More deals still alive:

LG Electronics 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED for $500 shipped (Reg. $800)

Samsung 850 EVO 2.5-inch Internal SSDs: 250GB $100 (Reg. $135), more
Incase 13-inch MacBook Air Hardshell Cases for $25 shipped (50% off)
Groupon 10% off sitewide: iPhone 6 battery cases from $36, more
Anker Astro 16000mAh External Battery w/ free Astro Mini 3200mAh $35 ($20 savings)
Stop paying cable modem rental fees: Motorola SB6141 $58 shipped (Reg. $90)
iPad Shoulder Bag by STM $13 Prime shipped (orig. $55)
Seagate 5TB Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $129 Prime shipped
$10 off a $30 purchase of classic and new board games
iTunes Free App of the Week: Dark Echo ($2 value)
Modern Combat 5: Blackout for iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $4+)
OtterBox Commuter Series iPhone 6 Case $17 shipped (orig. $35)
Belkin Fusive Portable Bluetooth Speaker $34 Prime shipped (Reg. up to $85)
Seagate Diskless 2-Bay Network Attached Storage $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
Mophie Juice Pack Helium 1500mAh iPhone 5/5s battery case $27 shipped (orig. $80)

Toshiba Canvio 1TB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $50 shipped (orig. $99) http://t.co/k9A8cmxqnE pic.twitter.com/SocS9TgT8v

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 23, 2015

New products & more:

Turn your selfies into dronies with this new iOS/Android controlled mini hexacopter

This Minecraft Toolbox brings Steve’s tools to life thanks to Raspberry Pi
Japanese accessory maker teases follow-up to the wildly popular R2-D2 virtual keyboard
DJiT’s upcoming Mixfader might be the most portable iOS/Android DJ controller yet
Atari’s new Fit app for iOS and Android rewards users w/ classic arcade games
Bosch’s new REAXX table saw uses advanced sensors to protect your hands and its blade

Lasting impact: 5 groups that are still doing important things with Google Glass

Stephen Hall Mar 24 2015 - 11:08 am PT

The Google Glass Explorer program ended somewhat abruptly in January, and this didn’t come as much surprise to the Glass-bashing media nor those who tried the device for their own consumer use. In these situations, where Glass was a privacy nightmare and an underpowered gadget, the head-mounted wearable display would appear to be a failed piece of consumer technology (and Google’s Astro Teller believes that allowing this mindset to spread was one of the project’s biggest failures).

And it’s true. The first-generation of Google Glass might not really bring much value to the daily lives of most people, and it’s definitely not close to being socially acceptable quite yet. But many companies and organizations that adopted the experimental $1,500 spectacles for specific use cases weren’t so quick to dismiss the device. In fact, there are many groups—even now, after the Explorer program has ended—who are still doing some exciting things with it.

Google hires Morgan Stanley’s Ruth Porat as new CFO

Zac Hall Mar 24 2015 - 6:18 am PT