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Google’s Udi Manber

Google this afternoon has announced that Udi Manber, a computer scientist who worked on search and YouTube, is leaving the company. Manber says that he will be joining the National Institutes of Health.

“I had a wonderful nine years at Google and YouTube, but I could not resist the amazing opportunities at NIH,” Manber said in a statement obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “Improving access to medical knowledge can have a big impact. I hope to help.”

Mark your calendars: Google I/O 2015 is happening May 28-29, 2015 at Moscone Center West

Stephen Hall Feb 10 2015 - 12:14 pm PT

Google has today announced the dates for this year’s Google I/O developers’ conference, with the annual event being set for May 28th and 29th, 2015. According to the event’s website (which is notably completely plastered with Material Design), registration begins March 17th, 2015 at 9 AM PDT.

Take 30 seconds to check your Google account security, get 2GB extra on Google Drive

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 6:04 am PT

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Google wants you to check your account security, and its willing to bribe you to do it. In return for taking 30 seconds or so to complete a security checkup by February 17th, Google will add 2GB to your Google Drive storage allowance around the end of the month.

This Safer Internet Day, we’re reminded how important online safety is and hope you’ll use this as an opportunity to take 2 minutes to complete a simple Security Checkup […] As our way of saying thanks for completing the checkup by 17 February 2015, we’ll give you a permanent 2 gigabyte bump in your Google Drive storage plan.

The check makes sure you have up-to-date account recovery information, that recent activity looks legit, and that only the right apps and devices have permission to access your account. You can complete the check here.

Google adding fact-checked health information to Knowledge Graph

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 3:59 am PT

Google’s Knowledge Graph–which highlights fact-checked info at the top of certain types of search results–is being expanded to include health-related searches. So next time you want to check whether you have the common cold or a rare strain of Ebola, Google should provide the necessary reassurance.

Starting in the next few days, when you ask Google about common health conditions, you’ll start getting relevant medical facts right up front from the Knowledge Graph. We’ll show you typical symptoms and treatments, as well as details on how common the condition is—whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more. For some conditions you’ll also see high-quality illustrations from licensed medical illustrators.

Google says that the information is pulled from “high-quality medical sources across the web” and then checked by both its own doctors and others from the Mayo Clinic …
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Google introducing Upgraded URLs to improve tracking through AdWords

Zac Hall Feb 9 2015 - 12:12 pm PT

Google today announced a new feature for AdSense users called Upgraded URLs that aims to make managing and tracking information easier for advertisers. The new URL feature allows advertisers to update tracking info while avoiding having to reset ad stats. Specifically, Google says the new Upgrade URLs offer advertisers these benefits:

less time spent managing URL tracking updates
reduced crawl and load times on your website
new ValueTrack parameters that help you gain additional insights about your ads.

Google says it will begin rolling out its Upgraded URLs feature to advertisers this week while the company is encouraging advertisers that use tracking to upgrade to the new system by July 1, 2015. Google also mentions advertisers that use tracking platforms to manage URLs to work with them to take advantage of the new feature.

Google Talk app for Windows getting the final axe on February 16th

Stephen Hall Feb 9 2015 - 9:40 am PT

If you’re still using the Google Talk app for Windows, it might be a good idea to make your way over to Hangouts. According to a message that some users are receiving when logging in, Google Talk is going to stop working in about a week (via BI India).

Google Talk app for Windows will stop working on 16 Feb. 2015. It is replaced by the new Hangouts Chrome app. Install the Hangouts app from http://goo.gl/yglfk6

Chances are that you stopped using the service, called Gtalk by its loyal users, years ago. But it looks like even those who still do—and, trust me, there’s a loyal fanbase that does exist—will be forced to move over to Hangouts effective February 16th.

This message is very similar to others that we’ve been seeing over the last year. Here’s one from November of 2014 (via Mark’s PC Solution):

We’ve reached out to Google for confirmation.

Google acquires Odysee, team behind photo backup and sharing app joins Google+

Stephen Hall Feb 9 2015 - 6:51 am PT

An app called Odysee has been acquired by Google, and the “Platform Team” behind it will be joining the Google+ team. The app, while definitely not all too well known, let users automatically back up their photos and videos from their smartphones to the cloud as well as a home computer.

The team will continue to work on “building amazing products” at Google, but it’s not exactly clear yet what the team is going to be doing—or what parts of Odysee may or may not be making it into Google+. Auto-upload of photos to Google+ has been pushed in the company’s official app for quite some time now, so maybe the team is coming on board to flesh out and expand that functionality of the service…
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Verizon Nexus 6 purportedly launching on February 26, will sport carrier branding on its backside

Stephen Hall Feb 6 2015 - 10:46 am PT

It’s been a long time coming for the Nexus 6 on Verizon. Earlier this week, it was discovered that the carrier had updated one of the pages on their website with a banner saying that the device would be “coming soon,” and now we have a bit of confirmation that “soon” might mean “before the end of February.” A new image that has surfaced this morning (via Android Police) shows purported release dates for both the Nexus 6 and the Galaxy Core Prime.

Deal Alert: HTC One (M8) w/ 32 GB flash storage, 4G LTE, GSM (factory unlocked) $300 shipped (Reg. $499)

Stephen Hall Feb 6 2015 - 9:16 am PT

HTC’s current flagship One M8 smartphone is currently available from qualitycellz via eBay Daily Deals at a new low, shipped for $299. These usually retail around $500 ($499 at Newegg) or more (around $700 for the Developer Edition on Amazon), so this deal is going to knock at least $200 off the standard price. The HTC One M8, as you may know, comes packed with a Snapdragon 800 processor, 4G LTE connectivity, 32 GB of flash storage, 2 GB of RAM, and a 5-inch Full HD display.

Google Maps for Android updated to version 9.4 w/ support for Local Guides

Chance Miller Feb 5 2015 - 6:05 pm PT

Google today has started rolling out an update to its Maps app on Android that bumps it to version 9.4. Most notably, the update adds integration with Google’s new Local Guides service, which it originally introduced back in January. Previously called City Experts, Local Guides is the company’s efforts to get users to review local businesses and share them with others.

Mattel and Google send out invites to ‘view what’s possible’ at event on February 13

Stephen Hall Feb 5 2015 - 11:42 am PT

Mattel and Google have sent out press invites for an event they’re holding together on February 13th in New York City. The invitation, sporting the tagline “view what’s possible,” includes reference to what looks to be a reel from the old View-Master toy from the mid-1900s.
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Google reportedly won’t release the next version of Glass until it’s ‘perfect’

Stephen Hall Feb 5 2015 - 8:01 am PT

Google has said repeatedly since the company graduated the project out of Google[x] that new iterations of Glass will indeed be coming at some point in the future, and that the team behind the wearable display device is still “committed to Glass.” But how is Google going to approach the product going forward?

According to an adviser to Tony Fadell (the previous Apple product executive who now oversees the project), the device is not going to get the same public experimentation treatment that the first version did, and Fadell won’t be releasing the next version of Glass until it’s “perfect.”

Google partners with Disney on new series aiming to get kids interested in tech

Mike Beasley Feb 4 2015 - 6:49 pm PT

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnQ5gE4Rbxo&ab_channel=disneyjunior]

Google and Disney teamed up to create a new kids show with a focus on getting young viewers interested in computer science, the LA Times noted in a report today. The show, Miles from Tomorrowland, was created by Disney Junior with Google engineers sitting in as consultants.

The two companies are especially focused on getting girls interested in technology by featuring female characters designed to change kids’ perception of the industry. From the Times report:

In “Miles From Tomorrowland,” Loretta is a super cool older sister/computer whiz sidekick who records data from the adventures and discoveries and can find the answer to almost anything with the assistance of a special wrist device known as “the bracelex.”

One episode has Loretta writing code that helps her find another planet.

The show’s creator says that his cooperation with Google has shown him that “you can do anything with coding”—a message Disney hopes to instill in its audience. Miles from Tomorrowland premieres on February 6th.

Twitter reaches new deal w/ Google to have tweets appear instantly in search results

Chance Miller Feb 4 2015 - 5:45 pm PT

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Google and Twitter have allegedly come to an agreement for tweets to appear in search results, according to a report out of Bloomberg. During the first half of this year, tweets will begin to be visible in Google search results as soon as they are posted. As part of this deal, Bloomberg reports that Twitter is giving Google access to the entire stream of data posted and shared by its 284 million users. Previously, Google had to crawl Twitter’s site for information.

Google acquires Launchpad Toys, makes popular Toontastic kids app free

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 1:57 pm PT

It appears that Google is about ready to jump into the kid-friendly mobile app space, as Launchpad toys has today announced that they’ve been acquired by the Mountain View company. Known for its Toontastic storytelling app for kids, the company is joining Google to “create even more amazing creativity tools for kids.”

Facebook Messenger now available through Google Glass w/ new Fessenger app

Stephen Hall Feb 4 2015 - 10:48 am PT

It may be the perfect example of “a day late and a dollar short,” but a new app called Fessenger is now available for Google Glass, allowing users to send and receive messages through Facebook’s chat protocol (via Glass Almanac). The app’s release comes after Google graduated the Glass project out of Google [x] and into its own division under Tony Fadell…

10 reasons why Google should buy the remains of Radio Shack

Seth Weintraub Feb 3 2015 - 8:54 am PT

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[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/557914466818719745 align=’center’]

Everyone has known for years that RadioShack was dying. Heck, in 2007, the mainstream satirical Onion ran a story, Even CEO Can’t Figure Out How RadioShack Still In Business. That story hit between the time the iPhone was announced and when it was launched, to put it into perspective.

But modern smartphones actually helped keep RadioShack alive while, at the same time, undercutting its product business. RadioShack lived and died by smartphones.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that RadioShack was pursuing a bankruptcy plan, which would see it sell half its stores to Sprint, a few others possibly to Amazon and boarded windows for the rest. The WSJ previously reported that the price tag was in the $50M range.

I think Google needs to step in and take over RadioShack. Here’s why:
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Uber investor Google reportedly developing competitive ride-sharing app as Uber gets into driverless cars

Jordan Kahn Feb 2 2015 - 2:28 pm PT

Update: When reached for comment, Google pointed us to its Twitter account’s response (below), which it said is accurate. While it doesn’t directly address the reports, it does seem to hint Google is working on a Lyft-style ride-sharing app and that it doesn’t view it as a direct competitor to Uber. Following the original reports, Uber made its announcement official on its website.

[tweet https://twitter.com/google/status/562392039459807232 align=’center’]

Update 2: Google has reportedly told the Wall Street Journal that the app in question is a carpooling app created by one of its engineers for Google employees. It is said to be unrelated to Google’s self-driving car.

Uber, the app-based car service in which Google is an investor, is about to announce a new investment into building its own fleet of driverless vehicles, according to a report from TechCrunch. Although the specific details are unclear at this point, the report comes just as news breaks that Google is developing its own ride-sharing app that could be a possible competitor to Uber.
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Nest shows how much money its learning thermostat potentially saves (Infographic)

Chance Miller Feb 2 2015 - 1:09 pm PT

Google-owned programmable thermostat company Nest today published a blog post in which it breaks down exactly how much money using a learning thermostat can save. The post, and the included infographic cite “two independent studies” and claim that using a Nest saves customers approximately 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills. In total, that’s an average of $131 to $145 a year.

Nexus 5 reappears on Google Play for $349/$399, ships in 1-2 days

Chance Miller Feb 2 2015 - 12:45 pm PT

Last week during its earnings call, Google acknowledged that it had been having issues keeping the Nexus 6 flagship in stock, and in a totally unexpected move today, the company has put the Nexus 5 back up on the Play Store. The device is listed at its original price of $349 for 16GB at $399 for 32GB.

Lollipop finally makes a blip on the radar, makes up a measly 1.6% of Android install base

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 11:02 am PT

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Android Lollipop is definitely taking its time rolling out to the myriad of Android devices on the market, and until today it wasn’t even included on Google’s developer dashboards page. Today, though, reflecting the week preceding February 2nd, 2015, the page has been updated to show that Android 5.0 Lollipop now accounts for a tiny 1.6% share of the current Android install base.

Android Lollipop rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S5 on Verizon

Stephen Hall Feb 2 2015 - 10:34 am PT

Verizon has always been one of the slower carriers to update their devices to the latest and greatest firmware, but today it seems that the company is breaking that tradition. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Samsung Galaxy S5 started rolling out in some small international countries in December, but this is the first we’ve heard of an American carrier pushing the update.

Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce an operating system update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. This version brings Android beyond smartphones and tablets, allowing access to apps and Android services on other connected screens like TV’s, cars and wearables. The new material design offers complex animations, 3-D views and improved runtime.

You can find the announcement PDF for the update on Verizon’s website. In-mid-January, it was reported that Samsung was rolling out the update to the Galaxy S5 in the United Kingdom, following its tiered rollout in Poland, Spain, Russia, and Malaysia. This update, notably, is Android 5.0, not Google’s latest official build, which is 5.0.2.

(via Android Police)

Google along with Amazon & Microsoft reportedly paying AdBlock to unblock ads

Jordan Kahn Feb 2 2015 - 10:11 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVYtzF5SemU]

Google along with other tech companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and Taboola, have reportedly reached a deal with AdBlock Plus to prevent the service from blocking ads on their websites. Financial Times reports:
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Google Earth Pro features now free to all

Jordan Kahn Jan 30 2015 - 10:47 am PT