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Google’s Android Device Manager first came our attention in August as a web-only tool to help locate your lost Android device. Now, with the release of the Device Manager app into the Play Store all Android users cane have a dedicated app to help you:
A quick but notable update to Google’s Play Books app as it includes some performance enhancements and a new option to upload files. The newest update, available now via the Play Store includes the ability to “upload EPUB or PDF files to your library from your phone or tablet. From email or Downloads, touch the file to open it and choose Upload to Play Books.”
Google this afternoon released a new folio case for its Nexus 7 tablet. The case is a lot like Apple’s Smart Cover for the iPad, as it does not cover the back of the device. Though, Google’s case does not attach like Apple’s, but rather is fit to the device and covers the sides. It does, however, turn on and off when you open or close the front cover.
The folio can hold the Nexus 7 up at two angles, one of which is better for watching video content, while the other is better for typing.
The case is not cheap by any means, coming in at $49.99. It is available in Bright Red and Black and is available to ship within 1-2 business days.
Play Store: Bright Red – Black
Chalk up another Google Drive update for iOS as Google just announced a new sorting feature for files. Google’s iOS version of Google Drive has received quite a few updates in recent months to bring it in line with its Android counterpart. The new sorting feature should prove useful to just about every Google Drive user as it’s a much-needed and important feature.
The world called for another aspect of our Google lives to be invaded by Google+ and voila…Google+ inside Google Play. Google just announced via…where else…Google+ that a new version of the Play Store is rolling out to “make it easier for you to find and share recommendations with your friends and family.”
In a flood of device announcements this afternoon, Google has just released a white Nexus 7 to go along with the black model this holiday season. Unfortunately, the white color option is only available in the 32GB storage option and with only WiFi connectivity. This means that those looking for LTE are forced to choose the black model.
The white Nexus 7 will run you $269.99, but thanks to a promotion Google is currently running, you will also get a $35 Google Play credit, which is essentially a free Chromecast. Other than the color, the white variant is identical to the Nexus 7 that we’ve come to know and love.
The white Nexus 7 is available on Google Play now, and is listed as shipping within 1-2 business days.
Earlier this week, evleaks reported that a mysterious LG V510 tablet was indeed the next Nexus tablet. At the time, this seemed rather believable, as the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 had already been refreshed for the year, leaving the Nexus 10 as the odd-man out. According to some source code shared by LG, however, the V510 is not in fact a Nexus tablet, but rather a Google Play Edition of its 8.3-inch G Pad (via Droid Life).
To see for yourself, simply download the source code file from LG’s website and unzip it. Within the .zip will be three files, two of which mention the V510 as an LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition.
LG-V510(G-Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition)_Android_KK_V510_10d.Android.tar.gz
LG-V510(G-Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition)_Android_KK_V510_10d_Kernel.tar.gz
V510_README.txt
(via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/apollo_zac" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)
Google announced today a major round of app additions for its media streaming Chromecast HDMI stick including Plex, Vevo, Songza, and more.
Chromecast, which retails for $35 (currently $32.88 on Amazon Prime), can now play local files synced with your Plex media library from iOS, Android, or Chrome. Plex support is highly requested and offers a major advantage for content consumers looking to play content from a device to an HDTV.
Today’s update also brings support for the music video streaming service Vevo as well as the music discovery radio Songza.
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Google’s Barge projects have apparently been put on hold according a new CNET report this morning. The report indicates that Google is definitely planning on completing the project, but at this point it looks to be well into 2014 before it sees the light of day.
Play Store gamers take note as Google plans to introduce a whole slew of new game categories to the Play Store in February of next year. The new categories began appearing for developers yesterday, however changes will not take place until the new categories go live for the public next year.
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Google Street View has taken us to some pretty funky places, including the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Eiffel Tower, a Bond villain’s lair, a trek up to the top of Mount Fuji , animal park tours, a Venice Gondola ride and visits inside Dr Who’s TARDIS, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and a submarine.
But there are still some places Street View doesn’t yet reach, so if you have a favourite hike, cycle ride or rock climb you want to share with others, you can now create your own Street View style tours through Google’s Views community.
Have you ever tried to convey the feeling of walking through your favorite park? Or have you wanted to create a virtual tour of your business to attract customers? Well, starting today, it’s now possible for you to build your own Street View experiences to do just that. Using a new feature in our Views community, you can easily connect your photo spheres to create 360º virtual tours of the places you love, then share them with the world on Google Maps …
Google’s proposed data center (red icon) location in the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon, next to a golf course.
News that Google was building new data centers in Hong Kong have circulated since the beginning of the year. Google has, however, now decided to cancel the project in Hong Kong. The company blames real estate acquisition issues as the reason for the decision. It isn’t immediately apparent if Google’s contentious relationship with the Chinese Government is to blame or if Honk Kong’s operation costs were at issue. It was reported in September 2011 that Google had already acquired 2.7 hectares of land n the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate in Kowloon which was expected to employ 25 full-time Googlers by this year…
Google this morning rolled out a minor update to the Hangouts app on Android. The update bumps the app to version 2.0.2 and includes a handful of bug fixes and enhancements. The only new feature is the ability to toggle off group messaging by MMS and switch to sending an SMS to multiple people. This means that replies will not be seen by everyone, like with MMS group messaging.
MMS sending and receiving has been improved all around, with many bugs being squashed.
The update is a staged rollout so it may take awhile for it to hit your device. If you don’t feel like waiting, head over to Droid Life, where they’ve snagged the APK.
Hold the phone! As Android 4.4.1 approaches a week in age, Google has already started a rollout of Android 4.4.2 for Nexus devices. As of now, the update is already confirmed to be appearing on Nexus 5, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices. According to a change-log provided by Sprint of all places, the update includes fixes for:
Google Product manager Eran Arkin just made a quiet but perhaps major announcement in how Google+ will handle brands and social ads moving forward. Google will begin testing a new type of monetization for Google+ called +Post ads. In simple terms, Google will let brands turn their Google+ content into display ads across the web.
There’s little question a new Nexus 10 device is on the horizon, in fact we’re already passed a set of rumored release dates. In fact, we’ve already seen the LG-V510 surface thanks to a leaked image via Reddit that showed off a Nexus homescreen. In other words, there’s no “surprise” with this @evleaks tip, but one more confirmation is one step closer to believing this is the real deal.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has joined Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, Yahoo!, Facebook, and other giants in the tech industry in calling for a reform of the NSA’s surveillance tactics. Earlier this year it was revealed that the National Security Agency was using information from these companies and more to monitor citizens across the nation without warrants.
The companies allegedly involved in the “PRISM” program denied turning over any user data to the government, but a leaked NSA slidedeck (seen above) seemed to imply the opposite.
The new collaborative campaign, called Reform Government Surveillance, cites five driving principles in its drive to curb excessive government spying:
For the past few months, rumors have been swirling that another living room device will soon be released by Google. In July, the Wall Street Journal reported on a device with a motion sensor and video camera, while GigaOM reported in October that Google was planning to drop the Google TV branding in favor of “Android TV.” This time around, The Information’s Amir Efrati reports that Google is planning to release a “Nexus TV” set-top box that will run Android.
While Google has yet to release a dedicated app for both Android and iOS for its news platform, the company just announced a revamped mobile experience. This news comes on the heels of Google revealing the end of its alternative news application, Currents which is being rolled in with Newsstand.
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Imagine my shock and surprise as yet another anti-Chromebook advertisement hits the YouTubes courtesy of Microsoft. The latest in the company’s anti-everything-Google campaign attacks the notion that a Chromebook has “everything you need” as a laptop.
Much like it has in recent years by offering employees their choice from a selection of devices as a Christmas/holiday gift, we’ve learned from several sources that this year Google will continue the tradition. Rather than the choice of Chromebook, a Motorola phone or the Nexus 7 tablet like it offered last year, this year the company will offer an option between the Nexus 5 and new Nexus 7.
Backing up our info is the screenshot below showing a family member of a Google employee mentioning the gift:
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Following a year of mixed messaging and confusion regarding government access to personal data and how companies are handling the issue, Google is putting it’s support behind a petition demanding the United States government require a warrant before accessing email of private citizens.
[tweet https://twitter.com/ericschmidt/status/408987436945907712]
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt tweeted a link to the company’s post on Google+:
Doesn’t the stuff you keep online deserve the same protection as the stuff you keep offline? Under a law called ECPA, government agencies in the U.S. can see what you’ve written and stored online without a warrant. Sign this petition to the White House and tell the government to get a warrant!
The petition originated on November 12, 2013, and requires just over 42,000 signatures by December 12, 2013, to mean the threshold for a response from the White House. At the time of this writing, just over 57,000 signatures have been collected on the online petition.
The full petition reads as follows:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vT0AWDq3DE]
PhoneBuff has put together an interesting video showcasing fifty things Google Voice Command can do, and we think there’s a pretty high chance you won’t be aware of all of them. It’s getting on for eight minutes long, but well worth a look if you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of Google’s virtual assistant.
The video includes examples of linked queries, where Google knows who or what you are referring to based on your previous question.
PhoneBuff did a similar thing with Apple’s Siri, and although they don’t use the same questions – each video designed to illustrate their respective capabilities rather than a head-to-head challenge – it does make for an interesting comparison. Siri video below.
On the heels of our editorial yesterday asking what is your favorite app of 2013, Google is adding their own selection of the “Best Apps of 2013.” The selection itself is filled with some usual suspects like Wunderlist, theScore or Photo Editor by Aviary. Thankfully, the best apps list also includes my own favorites with Circa and Duolingo.