Google

Google announced today on the Google Drive blog that it is updating Google spreadsheets with some new editing options and enhanced charts. The first update is the ability to click directly on any aspect of a chart to edit its colors, labels, legend, etc., without having to open the chart editor. The new quick edit mode (pictured above) will definitely make the app quicker and easier to use by providing the ability to edit the chart title, horizontal or vertical axis, legend, or any data series in just a few or less clicks.

Many chart types allow you to make formatting changes by clicking directly into the chart itself. Clicking anywhere in a line, area, bar, column, pie or candlestick chart, for example, will activate Quick Edit mode. You can then hover and click into specific areas of your chart that you’d like to modify… When you use Quick Edit, two buttons will appear in the top-left corner of your chart: View mode and Quick Edit mode. When you click into a chart, you’ll initially find yourself in Quick Edit mode. When you’re done making changes, click View mode.

You will also now be able to enter a Move and Resize mode that Google explained would allow you to “drag the edges of the chart and move it around to allow things like the legend labels to all fit on one line.” You can access the new resizing option (pictured below) by clicking the background of a chart and a selecting “Move and Resize”.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Are you ready for the latest breakdown of Android’s performance ahead of Apple’s iPhone 5 event tomorrow afternoon? Android boss Andy Rubin just announced this evening that 500 million Android devices have been activated to date, which follows Eric Schmidt’s announcement of 480,000 devices last week. Rubin reiterated Schmidt’s announcement, claiming 1.3 million Android devices are being activated daily (70,000 of which are tablets). Last week, we calculated Google could hit a whopping 1 billion devices activated in a year’s time at its current growth. Tonight’s announcement was definitely interesting timing.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Arubin/status/245663570812100608]

Expand
Expanding
Close

The Wall Street Journal published a report with some new information on the interface for the Google Glasses:

In all, the glasses are like a wearable smartphone, allowing the user to take pictures, send messages and perform other functions via voice-activated commands. For instance, say “OK, Glass” into one of the glasses’ two microphones and a menu pops off to the side of your vision showing icons that will let you take a picture, record a video, use Google Maps or make a phone call.

After 10 minutes of playing with the glasses—which the company prefers to call Google Glass, since they don’t have lenses—I could see their long-term potential. The device fit well. It was easy to snap a picture or video without taking my smartphone out of my pocket. It was cool to see the information there in front of my right eye, though a little disorienting. I kept closing my left eye, which was uncomfortable.

Mr. Brin said his favorite feature is the time-lapse capability that lets him snap photos of his kids every 10 seconds when he is playing with them. “I never think about taking out my phone,” he said. “That would really be disruptive to my play time.”

“I have always disliked the feeling that with technology I am spending a lot of my time and attention managing it,” added Mr. Brin, dressed casually in a white T-shirt and jeans. “The notion of seamlessly having access to your digital world without disrupting the real world is very important.”

The reporter used the glasses at the DVF Fashion show in New York City this week (Gallery). It sounds like the interface options are progressing since I wore the headset briefly at Google I/O in June. However, we are still a long way from a usable product.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google’s map offerings build in the human intelligence on the front end, and that’s what allows its computers to tell you the best route from San Francisco to Boston.

In an exclusive story by the Senior Editor at The Atlantic, Alexis C. Madrigal, Google for the first time gives us a look at “Ground Truth”. It is a project described by Madrigal as a secretive, complex internal map that contains data, such as “no-left-turns and freeway on-ramps, speed limits and traffic conditions,” necessary to help users navigate through Google Maps:

I was slated to meet with Gupta and the engineering ringleader on his team, former NASA engineer Michael Weiss-Malik, who’d spent his 20 percent time working on Google Mars, and Nick Volmar, an “operator” who actually massages map data. 

“So you want to make a map,” Weiss-Malik tells me as we sit down in front of a massive monitor. “There are a couple of steps. You acquire data through partners. You do a bunch of engineering on that data to get it into the right format and conflate it with other sources of data, and then you do a bunch of operations, which is what this tool is about, to hand massage the data. And out the other end pops something that is higher quality than the sum of its parts.”

Describing Ground Truth to be an elaborate internal Map Maker of sorts, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is just how much human input goes into making the Google Maps experience accurate. In the story, Madrigal noted the Ground Truth Geo team aims to address most of the fixable problems reported by users (thousands daily) within minutes:
Expand
Expanding
Close

In partnership with CIT, Google announced on its Official Enterprise Blog today that it would roll out a new Chromebook rental program as a trial. The month-to-month rentals, starting at $30 for a Chromebook and $25 for a Chromebox, will be available to organizations and come with full 24/7 support and a three-year limited warranty. Google noted there is no commitment required and the costs decrease each year depending on the terms of the rental. The company also announced it would make volume purchases for up to 10 ChromeBooks available to Google Apps customers:

Imagine you’re setting up shop for a local political campaign and will have an influx of new, temporary workers. You can rent a Chromebook for each worker for the next few months, and return them when the campaign is over. Chromebooks meet the needs of most workers, making this rental program a great option for companies with seasonal workers, larger organizations who want to pilot Chromebooks, fast-growing startups and any company looking to preserve cash.

The full details on the rental solutions being offered through CIT are below. 
Expand
Expanding
Close

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrS9AVPUMFQ&feature=youtu.be]

Today on the Official Google Blog, VP of Google Maps and Earth Brian McClendon announced Google is expanding Google Maps to new locations across the globe with the addition of new turn-by-turn navigation with traffic condition data, biking directions, as well as StreetView and Map Maker imagery. The first big addition goes to a number of towns across indian cities such as Bangalore and Delhi:

First, we’re expanding Google Maps Navigation (Beta) with voice guided, turn-by-turn directions in thousands of towns across India. Navigation is one of the most frequently requested features in this region and can be especially helpful when driving in densely populated cities like Delhi or Bangalore. We’re also adding live traffic conditions for major roads with estimated travel times to help you save time and to reduce stress on the road.

New Zealanders are also getting new access within Google Maps with the roll out of both Map Maker and Biking directions in the region. However, perhaps the biggest update today comes with new Street View imagery being released this afternoon for over 150 new university campuses around the world. Google noted a few of the more recognizable additions including UCLA and Royce Hall at the University of California in the U.S, Sophia University in Japan, Pembroke College in the U.K, and McGill University in Quebec.

Expand
Expanding
Close

. –

Google is serious about its Nexus 7. So serious that it is advertising the product on its front page—something that it rarely does for anything. The short animation appears below the search bar and tells searchers that” The Playground is open – The new $199 tablet from Google”.

The $199 7-inch tablet was announced at Google I/O in June, and it went on sale last month. While Google has not published sales numbers, many reports claim it is a rare hit for the problematic Android tablet platform. Yesterday, Google expanded Nexus 7 sales footprint to France, Germany and Spain.

It will be interesting to see how hard Google pushes the Nexus 7 in the face of an almost-certain iPad Mini that Apple is expected to launch in time for the holidays. So far, consumers like the ads anyway.

Expand
Expanding
Close

During a Q&A session hosted on YouTube this afternoon, Robin Dua, head of project management for Google Wallet, rattled off some new features that the platform may soon feature, as MobileBurn first noted. Going beyond just paying for an item, Dua said he hopes Google Wallet gains the ability to store gift cards, travel itinerary, receipts, tickets and more—replacing the need for a physical wallet. Google Wallet currently allows you to pay for items, with the help of all major credit cards and store loyalty cards. The features Dua rattled off this afternoon certainly remind me of something in particular.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1pxkQ1mFjNA]

At its World Wide Developers Conference in June, Apple unveiled its card management app called “Passbook“. Passbook allows customers to store boarding passes, movie tickets, store cards, and other passes containing QR codes, barcodes or visual, scannable codes. Apple went further by adding Passbook integration into iOS 6. For example, when you walk into a movie theater, a card or ticket could automatically be displayed. Google also displayed a similar interest in the geo-features. While the Passbook app is present in the iOS 6 beta available to developers, it is not full-fledged. It is missing the ability to actually pay for an item. We are sure to hear more in the coming when NFC debuts on the sixth-generation iPhone.

Google Wallet has been the only mobile payment solution to take off thus far. A slew of carriers are said to be working on their own mobile payment solution called “ISIS“, which could add some competition to Google’s dominance. However, even with Google’s stronghold, the adoption of the payment service looks to be slow. With Apple’s upcoming entrance into the mobile payment market, Google may be looking to step up its game. Apple’s solution is said to be a “game changer.”

According to a report earlier this summer, Google is looking to give Google Wallet a revamp. The features named today could be what the revamp is all about. You can check out Dua’s full talk below for some more perspective: [MobileBurn]

Expand
Expanding
Close

Something funny just hit me. Samsung’s “pure Google” Nexus S phone was hit with a number of software infringements in the Apple trial. This is not Samsung…this is core Google Android. However, according to patent attorney Nilay Patel who now works at The Verge, these software infringements are only for older versions of Google’s Android OS.

[tweet https://twitter.com/reckless/status/240117223828619264]

So, phones with Android 2.x are infringing on Apple’s IP. Therefore, if they are upgraded to Android 4.1, they do not infringe? By that logic, carriers and manufacturers will be forced to upgrade their handsets or else face IP infringement charges. How are they doing at upgrading so far? Google’s own market share numbers from earlier this month show a small sliver of Android 4.1 devices out there.

.

Perhaps this verdict is a huge win for Android-device holders. If the verdict in this Apple case forces Android manufacturers (and carriers) to update their devices or face stiff infringement penalties, clearly the Android customer comes out ahead.

Expand
Expanding
Close

We told you earlier this month that a judge in the Google/Oracle case ordered the companies to disclose any payments it made to journalists, bloggers, and other members of media who made commentary or reported on the lawsuit. It was no secret at the time, but even paid blogger Florian Mueller of Foss Patents admitting previously that Oracle, in addition to other companies such as Microsoft, funded some of the posts on his blog.

Oracle later disclosed to the courts that Mueller was indeed a paid “consultant.” Today, we get an update on Google’s follow up to the judge’s request in a recent court filing (via The Verge).

While the majority of the people listed by Google include former interns, copyright lawyers, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Verge noted Mark Lemley, a Stanford professor who is often quoted by Google with no mention of the relationship, appears on the list as Google’s “outside counsel” for unrelated cases. Another name mentioned in the document is Google employee Tim Bray. The document cited tweets made by Bray from his personal Twitter account related to the case:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Following the verdict in the Apple vs. Samsung trial today, where Samsung was found guilty of infringing various Apple patents related to the case, Apple is also coming out a winner, at least temporarily, in Google/Motorola’s attempt to block imports of iPhones and iPads to the United States.

In late June, we told you about Google’s attempt to block U.S. imports of iPhones and iPads based on a previous ruling that Apple infringed on one standard-essential Motorola patent. The initial ruling was under review by the ITC, which has power to block U.S. imports of Apple devices from Asia, with a decision expected at a hearing scheduled for today.

The ITC has now concluded its review (via paid blogger FossPatents), finding no violations for three of the four patents in the initial suit (including the one mentioned above), but remanded an investigation on a fourth, non-standard essential patent to Judge Thomas Pender. The result? According to FossPatents, there might be a violation and import ban related to the patent, but a remand and ITC review could take up to a year:

Expand
Expanding
Close