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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

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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

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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

Google announced this morning that the company will soon have a new person filling the CFO role. Ruth Porat, who currently serves as chief financial officer at the finance firm Morgan Stanley, will take over for Patrick Pichette starting May 26th. “I look forward to learning from Ruth as we continue to innovate in our core–from search and ads, to Android, Chrome and YouTube–as well as invest in a thoughtful, disciplined way in our next generation of big bets,” Google CEO Larry Page said in the announcement.
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PSA: Google has started sending out I/O 2015 ticket invites

Chance Miller Mar 23 2015 - 4:00 pm PT

Google this evening appears to have started sending out Google I/O 2015 ticket invites. The company last year started a new random registration process, allowing the pubic to sign-up for a chance to purchase tickets. The same process was used this year and the lucky winners are quickly being notified…
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Talking Schmidt: Google Glass is a long-term project, too important to scrap

Stephen Hall Mar 23 2015 - 6:53 am PT

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If you’ve been following the facts behind the situation with Glass, you know that the project is not seen as even close to being dead within the Mountain View company. Despite the Explorer Program being shut down earlier this year, Google clearly sees potential in the platform. And according to comments recently made by Google’s Eric Schmidt, Glass is just far too important to scrap…
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Google adds female figures from history to Field Trip app, promises more Doodles honoring women

Ben Lovejoy Mar 23 2015 - 5:45 am PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXxfhBbt3eY]

Google has worked with a gender equality campaign group to raise the profile of achievements by women in both its Field Trip app and future Google Doodles, reports TNW.

The campaign group SPARK (Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance and Knowledge) pointed out to Google that its doodles featured women only 17% of the time, prompting the company to promise to do better in future and to add notable women from history to its Field Trip app.

Field Trip was first launched by Google back in 2012, as a background app that alerts you to interesting things around you as you travel. The original vintage UI was replaced by a Material Design refresh earlier this year. The app is also available on Google Glass.

If you want to take advantage of the new alerts, you need to check the Spark: Women on the Map option in the app. Field Trip so far features only 100 women, but anyone can nominate someone they feel should be included, suggesting that it may quickly grow.

Google rolling out new on-body detection security feature to Android 5.0+ devices

Chance Miller Mar 21 2015 - 10:10 am PT

Google appears to have started rolling out a new device security feature called on-body detection. Basically, this feature uses your device’s accelerometer to figure out if your phone is in your hand or in your pocket. If the feature detects that your phone is not in one of those two locations, it will automatically lock. Ideally, this means that if you forget your phone or leave it sitting on a table somewhere, it will lock and prevent nefarious thieves from gaining access (via Android Police).

Google testing new Fiber TV ad-targeting method based on viewing history

Chance Miller Mar 21 2015 - 9:51 am PT

Google has revealed that it is rolling out a new ad delivery process to its Fiber TV service in Kansas City. The company says the new ad-targeting process is similar to what it already does on mobile devices. Normally, television ads are sold based on entire markets, not the individual user. With this new ad-targeting method, however, local Kansas City advertisers will be able to target specific users with their advertisements.

9to5Toys Last Call: HTC RE camera $100, Moto G (unlocked) $160, Chromecast freebies, more

Stephen Hall Mar 20 2015 - 11:11 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:

HTC RE 16-megapixel waterproof digital camera: $99.99 shipped (Reg. $199)

Moto G 4G LTE unlocked 8GB (black or white): $159.99 shipped (Reg. $219.99)

Latest Chromecast freebie mix worth $80: Play gift cards, Qello HD concerts, more

Jawbone UP24 Fitness Tracker: $55 shipped (Reg. $129)

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32 GB factory unlocked: $295 shipped (Reg. $500)

Samsung Galaxy ALPHA SM-G850A 32GB 4G LTE: $279 shipped (Reg. $400)

HDTVs: LG 50″ WebOS 4K UHDTV $1,299 (Reg. $1,499), Haier 58″ 1080p 120Hz $629 (Reg. $749), more

Kensington ClickSafe Keyed Laptop Lock $17 Prime shipped (orig. $40+)

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

More new gear from today:

Headphones: ATH-M50X Professional Over-Ears $129 (Reg. $169), Philips Over-Ears $63 (Reg. $75+)

New! Daily Deals: Motorola Moto G $160, Seagate Expansion 5TB External HDD $130, more
New! Games/Apps: The Order 1886 $40, Battlefield Hardline $54, Xbox One bundle $349, iOS freebies, more

More deals still alive:

WD Elements 1TB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $50 shipped (orig. $70)

Nomad launches two Apple Watch power accessories, save 22% on your preorder
Seagate Diskless 2-Bay Network Attached Storage $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
Belkin Fusive Portable Bluetooth Speaker $34 Prime shipped (Reg. up to $85)
GoPro HERO4 Black 4K edition: $400 (Reg. $500)
Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive $180 (Reg. $270)
OtterBox Commuter Series iPhone 6 Case $17 shipped (orig. $35)
Mophie Juice Pack Helium 1500mAh iPhone 5/5s battery case $27 shipped (orig. $80)
Modern Combat 5: Blackout for iOS goes free for the first time (Reg. $4+)
Media: dozens of Blu-rays for $4 ea, Red Hot Chili Peppers free live album, more
Thinking Apple Watch? Pebble’s original timepiece might be a better buy for iOS users
Harman Audio recertified sale: JBL Pebbles Speakers $25 (orig. $72), more
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M30x $55, Sennheiser HD 650 $290, more
RAVPower 10400mAh Power Bank w/ dual USB ports: $17 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
TRENDnet 200 AV Nano Powerline Adapter Kit $20 shipped (orig. $50)
Magazine subs from $4/yr: Wired, GQ, ESPN, Maxim, Men’s Fitness, Dwell, more
uNu DX-6 iPhone 6 3000mAh MFi Battery Case $43 w/ in-store pickup (Reg. $80)
Car mount iPhone 6: $10 (Reg. $23), MFi Lightning cable: $7 Prime shipped (Reg. $14)
1Password 5 for Mac is on sale for $35 (Reg. $50) – stop using weak passwords right now
Klipsch Image X5 Noise-Isolating in-ear headphones $70 shipped (Reg. $90+), more
Get started with Tile Bluetooth iOS/Android item trackers for $20 Prime shipped (20% off)
Position iPad as a 2nd monitor w/ Twelve South HoverBar 3: $75 shipped (Reg. $100)
Big USB battery/flashlights: Omaker 15,600mAh: $25, Power Vault 18000mAh: $30 shipped
Apple Watch leather bands hit Amazon for $10

New products & more:

Bosch’s new REAXX table saw uses advanced sensors to protect your hands and its blade

Atari’s new Fit app for iOS and Android rewards users w/ classic arcade games
Sony’s PlayStation Vue is now available, but how does it compare to Sling?
IK’s new iRig 2 guitar/instrument audio interface for iOS and Mac is now available
Sling TV hits Xbox One w/ free 1-month trial for Live users, more channels announced
Netflix April Preview: Daredevil season one, The Babadook, more
This iPhone 6 case uses old fashioned power to keep your device alive
Incase moves to manufacturing iPhone accessories in the United States, save 15%
With summer approaching, SABER introduces the iPhone connected EDGE smart grill
Sony announces free multiplayer weekend for all PS4 owners
The Atlas Wristband can discern between different fitness activities

Magic Leap shows off augmented reality concept including futuristic Gmail experience (Video)

Stephen Hall Mar 20 2015 - 9:19 am PT

Google invested $542 million in virtual reality startup Magic Leap last year, and the group is reportedly working on putting together an augmented reality headset capable of displaying extremely realistic images directly onto the user’s retina. Now, Magic Leap has shared a video (which they were planning on sharing during a TED talk, but were unable to), and it gives us a little glimpse of what the group has been working on…
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Google really wants you to buy a Chromecast, latest freebie mix worth $80

Ben Lovejoy Mar 20 2015 - 4:47 am PT