Google

Google has updated its Play Store app with a more comprehensive Material Design makeover, and a What’s New section that is both clearer and easier to use.

Version 5.0.31 sees a new, flat Play Store logo, together with flatter icons in the sidebar, and the categories now use the bright colors of the Material Design palette … 
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Google has updated its transparency report for the controversial ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling, requiring it to remove links to sensitive information about individuals when it is considered out-dated or irrelevant.

The company revealed that it has now received 144,907 requests to evaluate almost half a million links, and that it has so far removed 41.8% of those. Links to facebook topped the list, with 3,331 URLs removed from search results … 
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The Wall Street Journal has published a new report claiming that Google plans to release the Nexus 6 at some point this month. The article, citing three sources, is incredibly sparse on details, but does corroborate all of what we exclusively reported last month.

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Most likely a nod to Google’s recent investment in Polar, Google+ members can now create interactive polls for their friends and followers on the company’s social network. Polls are limited to five choices and can be decorated with photos to make them unique and appealing. Topics can be just about anything you can dream up, but we’re expecting to see a lot about food, sports, pop culture and of course technology.

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(<a href="http://chrome.blogspot.ca/2014/10/turn-your-tv-screen-into-beautiful.html" target="_blank">via Chrome blog</a>)

Google today updated the Chromecast app for Android users adding a feature announced earlier this year at Google I/O called Backdrop. When the Chromecast HDMI streaming stick isn’t playing content like Netflix or Pandora Radio through your TV, it already displays the current time and featured photos as a screen saver, but now Chromecast users can display additional content like weather conditions and news headlines on Chromecast-connected TVs. Chromecast also now supports using your own photos from Google+ albums as the backdrop.
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No, that’s not where Apple Maps will take you when you ask for directions to Starbucks, but close! It’s the Liwa Desert in the United Arab Emirates, and Google Maps has captured the site in detail for exploring through Street View thanks in part to camels:

To bring this stunning desert to Street View, we fashioned the Trekker to rest on a camel, which gathered imagery as it walked. Using camels for the collection allowed us to collect authentic imagery and minimize our disruption of this fragile environment.

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In a post on Google+ this evening, Google has announced that starting today users in the United States can now pre-oder feature films from Google Play. This means that customers can get their copy of movies before they’re released digitally or on DVD to the rest of the United States.

Pre-order movies have arrived on Google Play! Excited about an awesome big-screen blockbuster? Now you can reserve your copy of box-office hits before they’re released digitally or on DVD!

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AndroidPolice has posted renders that it says are based on a split-screen multitasking mode that Google has been experimenting with for Android. It’s a feature Samsung has implemented into its own version of Android and used as a selling point in marketing over the competition. It’s also something that Apple is experimenting with for iPad.
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Re/code has posted an interview with Google’s ‘new’ head of social at the company, David Besbris, after taking over from Vic Gundotra. The interview ranges in scope, but most notably it opens with a direct question about the future of Google+ with many rumors circulating that Google intends to kill off the ‘failure’.

Unsurprisingly, Besbris denies the claims and says that Google made a long-term bet. It has no intentions to drop Google+ from its offerings.

Is Google+ going away anytime soon?

We’re actually very happy with the progress of Google+, [CEO Larry Page] said this at the time that Vic transitioned that he’s going to continue working on building this stuff, that he’s very happy with it. The company is behind it. I have no idea where these rumors come from to be honest with you.

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Since its inception, one of the biggest pitfalls of Google Voice has been its lack of MMS support. In an era of time when nearly everyone has a smartphone, not being able to share videos and pictures with counterparts was a huge feature gap. This evening, however, Google employee Alex Wiesen announced on Google+ that Voice now supports MMS on more than a 100 North American carriers.

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Google this afternoon, in a blog post on its Open Source Blog, announced the details for two of its upcoming coding challenges. Google Code-In 2014 and Summer of Code 2015 are two ways in which Google hopes to encourage students to design and participate in open source projects, while also attempting to win contests and learn from their peers.

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PhoneArena has some new pics claiming to show off leaked renders of a new Samsung device, the Samsung Galaxy A5. This appears to be part of a new range of phones, based off the Galaxy Alpha. We have seen some prototype pics of the device before.

The ‘A’ lineup appears to symbolise Samsung’s phone with ‘premium’ materials (non plastic body, for instance). The A5 is supposedly made of aluminium, featuring a 5 inch AMOLED screen with a 720P resolution. The phone also appears to include a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. With Samsung’s recent focus on battery life, it’s unsurprising that the A5 will pack a 2,300 mAH battery — according to reports.

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Just this weekend the Nexus 9 walted its way through the FCC and now the HTC-built Nexus tablet is making the leaked image rounds.  Interestingly, the back material looks similar to that of the rubber on the Samsung-built Nexus 10 which is now 2 years old.

Together with the Nexus 6/X, which is also making the rumor rounds including our own exclusives and some new Benchmarks, we’re expecting a launch event in the next week or so. Stay tuned.
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Google Now, according to several users and first noticed by Droid-Life, has today started to remind Pennsylvania residents to register to vote. The voter registration card appears to be showing up for anyone in Pennsylvania, and does not depend on whether you’ve recently searched for political news or information about the state.

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Google today unveiled The Physical Web, a project that will allow anyone to walk up to a smart device and use it without downloading an app. Google UX designer Scott Jenson published details on what he described as “an open web spec to “Walk up and use anything.” Jenson says “The Physical web isn’t about replacing native apps, it’s about allowing interaction for the times when native apps just aren’t practical.”
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Google recently announced a new audience editing tool for Google+ that lets members of its social network set viewing filters based on age and location. Ideal for businesses with questionable content, this feature helps companies using Mountain View’s social network stay in compliance with foreign laws. In addition to helping companies keep their nose clean, this optional account setting helps Google make a case for a kid-friendly internet.

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When the Chromecast originally launched more than a year ago, early buyers were offered three free months of Netflix as a bonus. That offer quickly ran out, but various other deals have popped up since. Now, Google is giving anyone who buys a Chromecast from October 1st through the end of the year two free months of Hulu Plus.

Hulu Plus currently runs $7.99, meaning that you’re getting a $16 value with your Chromecast purchase. While Hulu may not have quite the selection of Netflix, that’s still a great offer when the Chromecast only costs $35 to begin with.

The offer will be redeemable through chromecast.com/offers during the set-up process for new Hulu Plus and Chromecast users beginning October 1st. Keep an eye on 9to5toys.com for the latest Chromecast deals, as well.

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I’d like to introduce you to what some people are calling the best Android smartphone in 2014. Motorola’s 2014 Moto X is a great looking smartphone that also packs a punch in specifications when compared to its predecessor. Though I can’t call it “the best” at the moment, I’ll let you know how it performs overall in our full review coming up in the future.

Until then, we’re getting hands-on with Motorola’s new flagship and giving you a taste of what it’s all about. There’s no doubt that the second generation Moto X will be a step up over the previous version, but there is one big difference that might keep you away from it…

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Google has long been the subject of antitrust complains and investigations in Europe, but now, some of the company’s competitors are starting to take note of its actions and step forward with their own issues. Yelp, TripAdvisor, and several other companies on Monday teamed up to launch a new website, Focus on the User, on which they express concerns regarding Google’s tendency to promote its own services at the expensive of its rivals. Which in turn, the companies argue, make it harder for customers to find Google’s competitors in results.

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