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Napa area 6.0 earthquake shown on Google Alerts, now with Twitter feed

9to5 Staff Aug 24 2014 - 4:13 am PT

A magnitude 6.0 Earthquake has struck North of San Francisco Bay Area near Napa. We hope everyone is ok.

What’s interesting here is that Google’s alert center now includes tweets. It appears that Google is giving up on its own social network to provide near-real-time information and instead relying on Twitter. There’s also a new Google news widget below the tweet feed.

Posted 20 minutes ago – U.S. Geological Survey

An earthquake with magnitude 6.0 occurred near American Canyon, CA at 10:20:44.10 UTC on Aug 24, 2014. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

Recommended actions

Excerpted from ready.gov

Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.

Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake.

Be aware of possible tsunamis if you live in coastal areas. These are also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called “tidal waves”). When local authorities issue a tsunami warning, assume that a series of dangerous waves is on the way. Stay away from the beach.

Be careful when driving after an earthquake and anticipate traffic light outages.

More:

What to do after an earthquake.

Google Dublin collectively does one of the bigger Ice Bucket Challenges yet

Stephen Hall Aug 23 2014 - 12:09 pm PT

As you surely know, the Ice Bucket Challenge has been making the rounds lately in support of ALS awareness. Recently, Samsung turned the trend into an advertisement of sorts, dumping a bucket of water on the Galaxy S5 and calling out its competitors. Moreover, the Android team took to their Google+ page yesterday with a cute GIF showing the droid mascot being dunked and linking to the ALSA donate page.

But Google isn’t done yet, as it appears the Dublin team decided to attempt what is one of the bigger collaborative ice bucket challenges I’ve seen. Hundreds of people congregated to dunk themselves in a line, and it looks like they even brought in the fire department to shower everyone with water. The team says that they earned €6,105 for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association. Check out the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB6jH99aiTY

Google partnering with Rockchip to make a custom SoC for Project Ara

Stephen Hall Aug 23 2014 - 9:44 am PT

It seems as if Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone project is coming along nicely, despite a few manufacturing setbacks. There was apparently a problem with manufacturing devices for those who won units at Google I/O, but Google yesterday announced some exciting developments: the third iteration of Ara is planned to sport a custom-made system-on-a-chip made in collaboration with Rockchip, which is going to be made with the unique form factor of the device in mind.

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PSA: Google Cardboard is also compatible with iPhone (Video)

Dom Esposito Aug 22 2014 - 6:53 am PT

If you’re not familiar with Google Cardboard, it’s one of the most affordable and portable VR (virtual reality) headsets to date. It’s a very simple creation in terms of design and functionality, but provides a solid look into the future of technology without breaking the bank.

Google unveiled Cardboard at I/O 2014, but it was designed with Android devices in mind. The official Cardboard app is nowhere to be found on Apple’s App Store, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for iOS users. Google may not care about iOS as a platform, but stereoscopic 3D is nothing new. In fact, there is a good handful of apps available for iOS that are also compatible with Google Cardboard…

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Chromecast becomes even more of a no-brainer in the UK as price slashed to just £18

Ben Lovejoy Aug 22 2014 - 6:03 am PT

There was very little reason for any self-respecting gadgeteer not to pick up a Chromecast stick at the full price of £30, but there’s even less excuse now that three online retailers – Amazon, Tesco and Currys – have discounted it to just £18.

Amazon is offering it with free delivery too. There’s no indication that this is a permanent price-cut (it’s still sitting at £30 on the Google Play site), so if you’ve been considering one, now would be the time to buy – especially with three free months of Google Play Music All Access thrown in.

Chromecast recently celebrated its first birthday, Google reporting that it had been used to cast content 400 million times in its first year. The capabilities of the devices have grown steadily, with Google last month adding mirroring from almost any Android device.

Via thenextweb. Image credit: softpedia.com

Citrix announces Receiver app for Chrome OS, allows remote access to other devices from within the browser

Chance Miller Aug 21 2014 - 4:03 pm PT

Google and Citrix today announced a new partnership that will bring a variety of new enterprise features to Chrome OS powered devices. Citrix’s Receiver app is now available for Chromebooks everywhere and allows direct access to the device’s system resources, including settings for things such as printing, audio, and video.

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Latest Google Search app update brings support for multilingual voice search

Stephen Hall Aug 21 2014 - 1:48 pm PT

Google today announced a new feature for its Google Search app for Android, catering to the billions of people in the world who speak more than one language. Previously, you had to manually switch between the language you wanted Google to recognize, but now you’re just a flick of a switch away from being able to speak in multiple languages at once—and Google will be able seamlessly switch with you.
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Google Maps Street View tours the sets of Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, more

Zac Hall Aug 21 2014 - 11:45 am PT

Aside from allowing you to virtually travel down just about any street you can imagine without actually being there, Street View in Google Maps has offered up some interesting features in the past. From virtual recreations of college campuses to steps back in time with dated maps of locations, Google has thus far been able to offer up some novel uses for the product.

The latest use case for Google Maps Street View? Mapping out the sets of various Emmy Award nominees. Depending on the specific show’s set that’s mapped out, the feature offers up a creepy/awesome/eery experience. You can check out the sets of Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, and more here.

Want to get Android updates quickly? These are the brands & carriers to buy and avoid …

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2014 - 7:05 am PT

arsTechnica has put together a handy look at which manufacturers & carriers are quickest and slowest to roll out an Android update on their older devices. Using the KitKat launch date of 31st October 2013, arsTechnica measured how long it took for the earliest available OTA update for devices originally sold with an earlier version of Android, starting with the previous-generation flagship devices.

The winner for update times is, of course, the Nexus line. Stock software and a head start from being Google got KitKat out the door in just 14 days.

As for everyone else, how quickly they update seems to depend on how complicated their skin is and how much they take advantage of the update mechanisms Google has created …

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Google’s autonomous car without steering wheel or pedals to get steering wheel & pedals …

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2014 - 6:32 am PT

When Google showed off its built-from-scratch self-driving car with no steering-wheel or pedals, the world’s press weren’t the only people watching: California’s DMV also had its eye on the vehicle.

A new rule taking effect in California from 16th September says that self-driving cars are only legal on public roads if a driver is able to take “immediate physical control,” reports the WSJ. That means that Google is going to have to make a couple of small adjustments to the cars: fitting that missing steering-wheel and pedals.

[Google] said it plans to comply with the California rule by building a small, temporary steering wheel and pedal system that drivers can use during testing.

“With these additions, our safety drivers can test the self-driving features, while having the ability to take control of the vehicle if necessary,” Google spokeswoman Courtney Hohne said.

The company will initially be testing the fleet of 100 prototype vehicles on private roads.

Google had also wanted to test other types of autonomous vehicles, including motorcycles, but the DMV refused permission. California DMV official Bernard Soriano did, however, state that they are drafting rules that allow members of the public to operate driverless cars within a couple of years – and by that time, no steering-wheel or pedals will be required.

Only a handful of US states allow driverless cars on the road at present, but others are likely to follow California’s lead, and other countries likewise.

Upcoming XE 20.1 Google Glass update brings major improvements to contacts and messaging, more

Stephen Hall Aug 20 2014 - 3:23 pm PT

Google is getting ready to push out the latest update for Google Glass—numbered XE 20.1—and with it is coming some pretty major changes to how contacts are handled, notably allowing users to access all contacts by voice via Google Contacts. Also included in this update is the ability to actually choose which method you would like to use when sending a contact a message—Hangouts, email, or SMS.

Your entire phone address book is now available on Glass thanks to Google Contacts. You can access 20 of your most recent and starred contacts by voice and the rest are just a swipe away. Starring a contact is really easy. Just find them in your phone and click the star. If the star is filled in, then the contact has been favorited.

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New Delaware law expands access to Google accounts of the deceased, 10 other states also considering

Chance Miller Aug 20 2014 - 3:15 pm PT

A new law signed into action in Delaware recently deals with how to handle a deceased person’s online data on sites such as Google and Facebook. Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed into law a new bill that gives estate attorneys and other fiduciaries more control over and access to their deceased customers’ data. Executors authorized to take control of a person’s will also are included in the new law and have the ability to transfer email and data to another family member, but is not required by the law to do so.

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MediaFire for Android updated w/ refreshed UI, automatic photo backup, streaming, more

Chance Miller Aug 20 2014 - 1:47 pm PT

Popular file sharing service MediaFire announced a major update to its Android app this afternoon, bumping it to version 2.0. The update adds a variety of new features and enhancements, both visually and feature-wise. Overall, the interface looks much cleaner in version 2.0 than it did in earlier versions. The overall navigation process remains the same for the most part, but icons, menus, text, and other visuals have been modernized quite a bit.

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Google Chrome is now available to download in Cuba

Jordan Kahn Aug 20 2014 - 1:24 pm PT

Google announced today that its Chrome browser is now available for users to download across platforms in Cuba. Up until today, Chrome had not been available to users to in Cuba due to trade restrictions that also block the use of some other Google services in the country.

U.S. export controls and sanctions can sometimes limit the products available in certain countries… We’re happy to say that Internet users in Cuba can now use Chrome too, and browse the web faster and more safely than they could before.

Google said today that it’s “been working to figure out how to make more tools available in sanctioned countries” as U.S. export controls and sanctions change. It also made Chrome available in other sanctioned countries in recent years including Syria and Iran. Google didn’t provide any additional information on what exactly it did to navigate sanctions and make Chrome available in the country.

Users in Cuba can download Chrome for desktop and mobile devices now.

‘Right to be forgotten’ farce continues as BBC posts links to 12 stories removed by Google

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2014 - 6:08 am PT

People who have asked Google to remove links to news stories under the controversial European ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling are once again finding the move counter-productive. The BBC News site has posted links to stories removed from Google’s search, bringing back into the spotlight stories that are in some cases more than a decade old.

The BBC posted links to all 12 of the stories removed from Google’s search results. They range from the serious – three men accused of possessing bomb-making equipment in Ireland – to the ridiculous, a dispute over a lost dog …
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New patent granted to Google depicts a sleeker future for Google Glass

Stephen Hall Aug 19 2014 - 12:51 pm PT

A new patent granted to Google last week (via Glass Almanac) depicts a hardware revision that may become part of future iterations of Google Glass, and it looks like the Mountain View company is attempting to tackle the social stigma that comes with wearing a pair of glasses fitted with an external prism and projector. The patent, labeled as D710,928 on the patent and trademark office website, is described as simply a “wearable display device” and features a set of images showing what looks like a normal pair of glasses with a transparent display on the inside.

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ASUS confirms smartwatch, unveiling at IFA on 3rd September

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2014 - 8:52 am PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/ASUS/status/501668895074181120/]

ASUS has officially confirmed that it will be unveiling its Android Wear smartwatch at the IFA next month, with a teaser tweet showing a smartwatch face displaying the quote “Time has been transformed and we have changed” …
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Report: YouTube Music Key is Google’s upcoming subscription service w/ concerts, remixes, free Play Music Key

Chance Miller Aug 18 2014 - 3:01 pm PT

We’ve been hearing rumors of a YouTube streaming music service for quite a while, but now Android Police has published a report detailing Google’s streaming music plans. The report claims that Google will soon launch a new service called YouTube Music Key, as well as rebrand Google Play Music All Access to Google Play Music Key.

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Firefox for Android nightly builds gain Chromecast support

Chance Miller Aug 18 2014 - 2:04 pm PT

A few months ago, reports started circulating that Mozilla was developing its own streaming stick to compete with the Chromecast. The device was reportedly going to be marketed as a more open alternative to Google’s offering, but despite these reports, Mozilla today added Chromcast support to its Firefox browser on Android. For the time being, you must be running the nightly build of Firefox to use it, however.

You can download the nightly build of Firefox for Android from this page. Once you get the APK installed, Mozilla offers a test video casting page for users to visit. If a Chromecast icon appears on that page and your device offers the ability to cast the video, then you’re good to go.

Download the Firefox nightly APK here to get going.

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Google working to navigate Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act w/ new kid-focused features

Jordan Kahn Aug 18 2014 - 8:49 am PT

According to a report from The Information, Google is working on new features that would help it better cater to children by legally allowing them to use its services. The report notes that Google currently requires users to share their age when signing up for its services on desktop, but that it’s considering also bringing that requirement to Android in addition to other kid-focused features.
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Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin latest high-profile tech players in ice bucket challenge

Ben Lovejoy Aug 15 2014 - 4:05 pm PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9QYepYfGxo]

Whoever came up with the idea of the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness of the fatal disease ALS is a genius. Since former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates raised its profile, we’ve seen a succession of public figures accept the challenge to have a bucket of ice-cold water poured over them – many of them in the tech sector.

When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella challenged Larry Page, it seems Page thought Brin should join in too – thanks to David F Watson for the video. Page appears not to have noticed a large piece of ice lodged in the collar of his t-shirt afterwards, adding weight to our theory that he’s actually a robot from the future.

With Apple CEO Tim Cook also having participated, that’s the head honchos at all three main smartphone platforms united in the awareness campaign.

ALS is short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that results in loss of muscle control and which is fatal in two to five years. The ALS Association is raising money to try to find a cure, and so far the ice bucket challenge seems to be helping, donations so far more than six times what the charity raised in the same period last year. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

The Verge has collected together a whole bunch of ice bucket challenge videos and photos on one page.

Google acquires Jetpac city guide software, will discontinue service in September

Mike Beasley Aug 15 2014 - 3:43 pm PT

Google has acquired Jetpac, a city guide application for iPhone, the app’s developers announced today (via The Next Web). The free app (and others by the Jetpac team) will be removed from the App Store in the coming days, and the service that powers it will be shut down on September 15th.

Google hasn’t said exactly what it plans to do with the company’s technology, which automatically scans users’ photos to detect local points of interest like coffee shops or “hipster hangouts.” The service featuerd data for over 6,000 cities, according to the App Store description. It seems logical, however, that Google would attempt to integrate these features with Google Maps or a location-based Google Now feature.

You can grab the Jetpac app for free on the iTunes Store, though it won’t be very useful beyond its mid-September shutdown.

Google shows off useful Android Wear features in four new ads

Stephen Hall Aug 15 2014 - 8:27 am PT

Android Wear is definitely getting a lot of attention over in Mountain View, and the company behind what has easily become the current top-dog smartwatch platform is now trying to make it even more clear why you need Android on your wrist. The LG G Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Gear are already out and making waves in the industry, and with the Moto 360 not far off—and presumably the competition as well–it seems as if Google is now ready to make sure you’re aware of all the great things Wear can do for you.

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Barnes & Noble teases new Samsung Nook e-reader a few days before official launch

Ben Lovejoy Aug 15 2014 - 7:31 am PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0c6djpd8E]

We’ve known since June that Barnes & Noble’s next Nook ebook reader would be a co-branded Galaxy Tab 4, set to be launched on Wednesday. Digital Reader notes that the company has now emailed out a 30-second teaser video, showing reactions to the device – including one from Grumpy Cat …
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