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Eric Schmidt caught taking pictures with an iPhone, but is that really a big deal?

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 10 2016 - 2:53 pm PT
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Eric Schmidt is in South Korea this week to witness Google’s AlphaGo AI system completely destroy the world Go champion at his own game. Sedol lost the first game yesterday, saying then that he was “very surprised”. Today he lost again. “It was a clear loss on my part,” he said. He had predicted before the matchups began that he would win the five-game series 5-0 or 4-1 “at worst.”

But while the Alphabet Executive Chairman is in South Korea to witness the monumental battle, the Korean press (OSEN, in this case) is clearly focusing on something else. As you can see in the pictures below, Schmidt was caught at a press event this week taking pictures with an iPhone…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Huawei Watch from $270, Pixel C for developers from $375, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 10 2016 - 10:31 am PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS

Gold Box: Huawei Watches $80-$130 off, start at $270 shipped, Black Stainless: $320 shipped

Google offering developers 25% off the Pixel C: 32GB model $375, 64GB model $449google-chromecast-2

Two-pack of Google Chromecast Audio Streamers $55 (Reg. $70), $6 Google Play Credit for every Chromecast you have

Surround Sound 5.1-Ch. Systems: Logitech Z506 $50 (Orig. $100), Harman Kardon refurb $140 (Orig. $600)

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones $100, JBL Charge 2 Bluetooth Speaker $80, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/707975740738953217 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery in iPad form factor: $94 shipped ($35 off)

12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

Apple Mac Pro 12-core Xeon/64GB/1TB: $8,799 (Reg. $9,599), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

popSLATE’s second generation iPhone 6/s/Plus e-ink case drops the bulk for a slender design

Google Store is setting up a crazy huge claw game at SXSW, and we’re going to play it

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 10 2016 - 9:24 am PT
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Google has typically had at least a little bit of presence at SXSW in the past, but we’ve never been there to cover it. That’s changing this week, and it looks like I already have some Google-y fun to look forward to. The Silicon Valley company is heading down to the Silicon Hills to set up a huge game called “I’m Feeling Lucky,” allowing anyone to try their hand at winning some Google Store swag…


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Google+ update makes Circles more prominent, new Create program highlights top creators

Avatar for Abner Li Mar 10 2016 - 8:52 am PT
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When Google+ launched in 2011, one of its marquee features was grouping people into circles. There was a nifty drag-and-drop interface and the ability to limit posts to specific circles. Last year’s Google+ redesign hid the feature, but an update to the Android app now resurfaces it. The social network is also launching Google+ Create to recognize top content creators and give them access to early features.


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Nest’s GPS-enabled Home/Away Assist feature makes your smarthome devices much smarter

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Mar 10 2016 - 7:55 am PT
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Alphabet-owned Nest is best known for its smart thermostat, but the company works on a number of devices which, albeit being generally good at their given task, do not communicate with each other particularly well. And that’s mostly due to the fact that said devices have always had a hard time detecting whether you are actually at home or not.

With the upcoming implementation of GPS support via the Nest app, however, it looks like your house is about to become decidedly more efficient – and smart…


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Google’s AI systems are on a roll as robots learn the best way to pick up objects [Video]

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 10 2016 - 7:01 am PT
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As achievements go, learning how to pick up objects doesn’t sound quite as impressive as twice beating the world Go champion – it is, after all, something the average toddler can do. But it’s the fact that the robots themselves figured out the best way to do it using neural networks that makes this notable.

A recent Google report spotted by TNW explains how the company let robot arms pick up a variety of different objects, using neural networks to learn by trial-and-error the best way to handle each. Some 800,000 goes later, the robots seemed to have it figured out pretty well …


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Alphabet’s life sciences wing is developing a hub for collecting and analyzing health data

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 9 2016 - 7:27 pm PT
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According to a recent FCC filling, Alphabet’s Life Sciences wing Verily has recently developed a new “Connectivity Bridge” for use in clinical studies. The device is capable of collecting and syncing medical information of people participating in clinical studies, allowing Google to continue to improve its efforts in healthcare.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Spigen Galaxy S7 cases $5, Aukey 10000mAh Power Bank $17, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 9 2016 - 1:27 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS

Outfit your new Galaxy S7/edge with these Spigen cases in a variety of styles/colors for $5 shipped

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 10000mAh QC 2.0 Power Bank $17 (Reg. $25), Aluminum Stand $5 (Reg. $10), more

NETGEAR routers, modems & storage up to 60% off from $30: 2-bay NAS + 4TB storage $320 (Reg. $400), more

Buy 2 Chromecast Audio devices from Best Buy and save $15

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Canon All-in-One Printers w/ AirPrint: Laser $140 (Reg. $174+), InkJet $119 (Reg. $149)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Solartab: Powerful Solar Panel/13,000mAh dual USB battery in iPad form factor: $94 shipped ($35 off)

12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

Apple Mac Pro 12-core Xeon/64GB/1TB: $8,799 (Reg. $9,599), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

LittleBits’ latest creation focuses on robotic kits and STEAM education

Google launches the Android Beta Program, gives you easy OTA access to Android N

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 9 2016 - 1:04 pm PT
3 Comments

Update: While it wasn’t appearing at first, it seems that the Nexus Player is now being listed as a compatible device with the program. Additionally, the General Mobile 4G (Android One) device is now compatible as well.

Google has now — as promised — just launched the Android Beta Program. With this program (much like similar programs from Apple), you can enroll your device to receive the latest beta builds of Android and receive them over-the-air without the need to do any manual flashing. Head over to the Android Beta Program website to sign up…


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Google Docs adds ‘outline tool’ for easier document navigation on Android & web

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Mar 9 2016 - 12:05 pm PT
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Google is rolling out a new feature for Google Docs on Android and the web today that will make navigating through long documents much easier. The new “outline tool” adds a new pane on the left of the page adds quickly links to the document’s headers so you can quickly jump to that section without having to scroll through the whole document to get there.

Displayed in a pane to the left of the page, the outline features headers for each section of your document, making it simple to quickly jump from section to section. If you haven’t manually applied headers, no worries—we’ll do it for you, intelligently detecting the logical divisions within your work. You can then edit or remove these headers as necessary.

And there’s also a second component to it that lets users scroll through documents easier with a new “navigation handle” that will appear once you start to scroll. “Touching that handle will display the entire document’s structure, allowing you quickly skip from section to section, instead of slowly swiping up and down.”

Here’s a look at the feature in action:

Look out for the feature in Google Docs on Android and the web starting today.

Here’s everything that’s new in the first Android N developer preview [Gallery]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 9 2016 - 11:01 am PT
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Today marked the release of the first Android N developer preview, and factory images are now available if you want to install the update on your device. If you’re anything like me, though, you would rather not completely wipe your daily driver (Nexus 6P, in my case), just to get some hands-on time with some buggy software. That’s why we’ve compiled this huge list of new features and a gallery of Android N screenshots for your perusal…


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Sketchy report says HTC could be Google’s Nexus partner for three years

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Mar 9 2016 - 7:06 am PT
2 Comments
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While we do know that LG will likely not be joining Google to build the very next Nexus, which is expected to come towards the end of the year, a sketchy rumor coming from Chinese website MyDrivers suggests that HTC might have been given the green light for a three-year long partnership with Mountain View. Directed towards bringing Nexus devices to the market, the deeply troubled Taiwanese phone maker could be part of Google’s plan to take more control over its hardware offerings…


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AlphaGo, Google’s AI machine beats 18-time Go world champion Lee Sedol in first game

Avatar for Cam Bunton Mar 9 2016 - 3:26 am PT
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As was previously announced, Google’s DeepMind project, AlphaGo took on the world’s best Go player, Lee Sedol in the first of five matches yesterday. And it won. While its first victory against a different player was important, beating the 18-time world champion is another matter entirely. This is a momentous victory for AlphaGo, and for the machine learning industry as a whole.


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Amsterdam judge asks Google to hand over IP addresses & more of people behind fake reviews

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 8 2016 - 4:43 pm PT
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In the Netherlands, Google has been battling it out in court over fake reviews on several of its sites. TechCrunch today reports that a nursery in Amsterdam has recently won the lawsuit against Google, not only forcing the company to take down the fake reviews, but also forcing it to hand over the details of those who initially posted the reviews.


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Google’s March security OTA update also has Nexus 5X performance and stability fixes

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 8 2016 - 11:47 am PT
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Update: It looks like the update also has a new “Cool color temperature” toggle for using cooler display colors.

I wrote my thoughts on the Nexus 5X all the way back in November, and the gist of it was this: the Nexus 5X is great, but its performance just leaves a lot to be desired — especially for a phone with such better-than-average specs. People familiar with its development told me that there was a lot of internal strife regarding the Nexus 5X and its performance issues, but it seems that drama has finally resulted in some good. The March security update that was issued yesterday packs some extra goodies for Nexus 5X owners…


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Chromecast made up 35% of the digital media streaming market last year

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 8 2016 - 9:11 am PT
3 Comments
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According to the latest data from Strategy Analytics, Google’s acclaimed Chromecast streaming dongle made up as much as 35% of the streaming device market in 2015, besting competing devices from Roku, Apple, Amazon, and other manufacturers. Compared to 2014, Chromecast is showing a growing dominance in the market, likely thanks in part to the launch of the 2nd-gen model…


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Latest Google app beta adds OCR image recognition to Now on Tap

Avatar for Abner Li Mar 8 2016 - 9:03 am PT
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For all the features the Google app has added, it still does not have any image recognition capabilities. Google Goggles from 2010 could recognize book covers, landmarks, and even solve Sudoku, but was ultimately discontinued due to a lack of use. However, Now on Tap has gained some of those features in a recent update.


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Report: Larry Page, other tech execs attended secret meeting to discuss how to stop Donald Trump

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 7 2016 - 6:15 pm PT
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Update: Elon Musk said in a tweet today that the American Enterprise Institute meeting was not secretive and that he was not there to talk about Trump.

According to a report from the Huffington Post, Google co-founder Larry Page was among a handful of tech CEOs and Republican establishment members who recently met at the American Enterprise Institute’s World Forum to discuss how to best stop Donald Trump.


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Yahoo Mail update introduces new colored themes among other features

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Mar 7 2016 - 12:16 pm PT
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One of the reasons so many users love Android is the virtually endless customization it allows. From core modifications down to the smallest of aesthetic changes, Google‘s OS truly makes it possible for anyone to have something tailored to their needs. Among the things that are most frequently changed are the default apps for services like messaging, social media platforms and emails, among others, as well as third party clients for numerous other apps.

Yahoo’s Mail app, with well over 100 million downloads on the Play Store, can certainly be included on a list of fan-favorite email clients for Android. Today’s update will certainly make at least a few people happy, thanks to the introduction of 11 new themes for a more personalized and colorful experience, in addition to a slew of smaller but certainly welcomed features…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Samsung Galaxy S6 $400, Aukey 20000mAh Power Bank $25, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 4 2016 - 12:35 pm PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone 32GB (unlocked): $400 shipped (Reg. $600+) | eBay

Aukey 20000mAh USB Power Bank and flashlight w/Lightning and MicroUSB inputs: $25

Anker SoundCore Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker w/ 24-hour battery life: $30 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

This emergency flashlight can charge your phone, start your car, or help you break out of it: $80 shipped

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Free wireless charger with new Samsung Pay activation (up to $50 value)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

HDTVs: Toshiba 49″ 1080P: $280 shipped, Changhong 49-inch 4K: $299, Roku 50″: $350

How-to: Save up to $10/month on your cable bill by buying this $40 DOCSIS 3.0 Modem

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Amazon launches more affordable Echo Dot and Amazon Tap Bluetooth speaker

New Normal blends style and PowerBeats-like design for a new take on wireless earbuds

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