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9to5Toys Lunch Break: 64GB Moto X Pure w/ $25 GC $400, Nova Launcher Prime $1, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 2 2016 - 1:15 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:

Moto X Pure Edition 64GB Smartphone (unlocked) w/ $25 GC: $400 shipped (Reg. $525)

Nova Launcher Prime for Android drops to $0.99 (Reg. $4.99)

Aukey USB-C 4-port USB chargers w/Prime: Power Strip $14, USB-C Hub $9, Gig Ethernet $14, more

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

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

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Snag one of these discounted HDTV antennas and finally cut the cord, deals from $13 Prime shipped

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Wired Headphones $150 shipped (Orig. $300)

MFi Apple-Certified Lightning + microUSB Braided Cables: 6-foot $13.50, 3-ft. $12.50, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

DJI’s Phantom 4 drone is coming later this month with a new obstacle avoidance system

Grovemade’s new wooden MacBook Dock offers a Made in America home for your device

Brooklyn’s own Grado Labs introduces its first Made for iPhone earbuds w/ Siri control

Review: Audioengine turns it up to 11 with its newest Bluetooth HD6 powered speakers

Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt chosen to lead Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Advisory Board

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 2 2016 - 10:26 am PT
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Today, United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced plans to establish a Defense Innovation Advisory Board made up of about a dozen technology leaders from Silicon Valley and beyond. Representing “Secretary Carter’s enduring commitment to building lasting partnerships between the public and private sectors,” the board “will provide advice on the best and latest practices in innovation that the department can emulate.”

And who better to lead such a group than Alphabet Chairman and ex-CEO of Google Eric Schmidt?


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Google celebrates female YouTubers with two new programs

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 2 2016 - 9:11 am PT
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Today, Google announced ahead of International Women’s Day two new initiatives the company is using to “champion” female voices on YouTube. The first of which is a partnership with the United Nations that puts some female content creators in place to be “Change Ambassadors” for gender equality in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Action campaign, and the second is a “global production program” that puts women in front of and behind the camera at YouTube Spaces…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 $180, LG Watch Urbane $180, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Mar 1 2016 - 1:05 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:

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 (5.5-inch) is down to $180 (originally $249)

LG Smartwatches: Urbane in gold or silver: $180 shipped (Reg. $230+), more

Daily Deals: LG 55-inch 1080p LED HDTV $450, CYBERPOWER 1000VA / 600W Pure Sine Wave UPS System $100, more

Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Wired Headphones $150 shipped (Orig. $300)

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

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

MicroUSB braided cables for Android and iPhone: 6-foot $13.50, 3-ft. $12.50, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Free PS Plus Games for March: Broforce, Galak-Z, Super Stardust HD, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for March: Borderlands, Lords of the Fallen, more

Grab the best-selling GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera for $299 (Reg. $330+), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Brita’s new Wi-Fi Infinity water pitcher automatically orders new filters from Amazon

Raspberry Pi 3 hits with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth after four long years

Review: Audioengine turns it up to 11 with its newest Bluetooth HD6 powered speakers

Google self-driving car strikes public transit bus in its first at-fault accident

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 29 2016 - 1:23 pm PT
1 Comment

Update: Video of the damage has surfaced on YouTube, see below.

In what is likely to become its first accident to be officially documented as at the fault of Google, one of the Mountain View company’s self-driving cars struck a public transit bus earlier this month while trying to get around a sandbag in the road. According to the accident report filed with the California DMV, the car was “traveling at less than 2 mph”  and struck the bus as it passed on its left side…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Galaxy S7/Edge cases from $5, UE MEGABOOM Bluetooth speaker $208, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 29 2016 - 12:54 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:

Spigen Galaxy S7/Edge Cases in a variety of styles and colors for $5 shipped

UE’s popular MEGABOOM waterproof Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $208 shipped (Reg. $250+)

Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Wired Headphones $150 shipped (Orig. $300)

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

Review: Audioengine turns it up to 11 with its newest Bluetooth HD6 powered speakers

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Amazon Gold Box – Monitors, Wi-Fi routers, Storage & more up to 60% off: Dell 23-inch monitor $120 (Orig. $200), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Grab the best-selling GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera for $299 (Reg. $330+), more

Aukey USB Accessories w/ Prime shipping: Bluetooth car audio receiver and charger $17, Dual USB solar charger $39

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Victronix teases its new Cyber Tool fitness tracker for the popular INOX watch

Pokémon Sun and Moon on Nintendo 3DS confirmed, pre-orders now live

Check out these screenshots of super-clean TouchWiz on the Galaxy S7 [Gallery]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 29 2016 - 10:52 am PT
7 Comments

TouchWiz was once a complete mess, believe it or not, but the Android skin got much better with the release of the Galaxy S6 and Samsung’s move to using Android Lollipop. Now, most agree that the skin has gotten even better with the Galaxy S7. Thanks to some screenshots (via XDA) shared by one Daniel Marchena (who was lucky enough to already have his S7 delivered), we now have a detailed look at the modified version of the OS we saw running on the Galaxy S7 last week…


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Android Pay set to arrive in the UK by the end of next month

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 29 2016 - 7:08 am PT
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Mobile contactless payments are progressively becoming more and more mainstream as major manufacturers adopt systems that can be easily used via our smartphones. While LG Pay is yet to be seen in action, Google, Apple and even Samsung all have a technology – Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, respectively – that allows a user to complete transactions thanks to the NFC chips contained in most recent devices.

To this day, however, Apple Pay was the only service active in the United Kingdom, leaving a good number of consumers out of the industry, as more than half of the smartphones sold in the country run Android. According to a Telegraph report, however, sources close to the matter have confirmed that Android Pay should go live across Britain within the end of next month, approximately six months after the original US debut…


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Google could effectively recoup all the tax it paid last year if Intel wins test case

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 29 2016 - 5:01 am PT
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A tax dispute between Intel and the IRS currently headed to the appeals court could set a precedent that would see Google’s parent company Alphabet reclaiming $3.5B in tax benefits – more than all the tax the company paid last year. The WSJ reports that Google is one of a number of tech giants following the case closely.

The case, which the IRS appealed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week, is being closely watched in the tech industry and elsewhere. At least 20 companies, including Microsoft and eBay, have disclosed they’re monitoring the outcome of the case involving share-based compensation.

In essence, the case hinges on share compensation packages paid by overseas subsidiaries. The IRS says that the cost of these should be offset against the expenses of the overseas companies; Intel says no, the cost should be deducted by the U.S. parent company – reducing its tax liabilities in its home country.

The IRS introduced the rule in 2003. Companies like Google have abided by the rule but reserved the right to reallocate costs if a court ruling went against the IRS, giving them a huge potential windfall.

Google has recently come under fire for its tax arrangements in Europe, a $185M back-tax deal in the UK being described as “disproportionately small” and possibly illegal. France is currently seeking to claim $1.76B from the company in back taxes.

Photo: Reuters

9to5Toys Last Call: LG Nexus 5X 16GB $270, GoPro HERO4 Silver $299, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 26 2016 - 2:09 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:

LG Nexus 5X H790 16GB (Factory GSM Unlocked for $270 shipped (Orig. $379)

GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera for $299 shipped (Reg. $330+), more

Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity & Sleep Wristband in multiple colors: $60 shipped (Reg. $100)

Hit the gym in style w/ Sol Republic’s Shadow Bluetooth Earbuds: $70 shipped (Reg. $100)

Review: Audioengine turns it up to 11 with its newest Bluetooth HD6 powered speakers

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Amazon Gold Box: Save 30% on Kindle Accessories – Premium Magnetic Earbuds $12.50, cases, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

DJI Phantom 3 Standard Drone w/ 2.7K HD Camera: $439 shipped (Reg. $500+), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Marshall’s first Bluetooth headphones tout impressive battery life alongside a retro design

Microsoft’s Android-to-Windows porting tool ‘Project Astoria’ cancelled for good

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 26 2016 - 10:52 am PT
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A notorious problem given by Android and iOS‘ dominance in the mobile space is the lack of interest developers have in putting their effort into less successful and widely adopted platforms such as Windows Phone. However, in its grand plan, Microsoft announced compatibility of apps between the desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10 under the “Universal Windows Platform” umbrella.

To encourage devs, the Redmond giant also worked on some porting tools, the so called Windows ‘bridges’, namely “Project Islandwood” and “Project Astoria” – for porting from iOS and Android respectively – which after a troubled beginning are seeing their roads separating, with the former going forward and Astoria officially shutting down as of today, after a period of apparent hiatus.


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Moto 360 Sport review: The best Android Wear fitness solution so far [Video]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 25 2016 - 2:45 pm PT
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Compared to the dozens of other Android Wear watches we’ve seen over the last couple of years, the Moto 360 Sport is both different and the same. It’s different because, unlike the more popular classy offerings in the form of the Huawei Watch, the Fossil Q, the Moto 360 (2nd gen.), and others, the Moto 360 was made from the ground up with an active lifestyle in mind. It’s the same, however, in pretty much every other way imaginable…
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Screenshots show first look at Android N as Settings app might adopt a hamburger menu

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 25 2016 - 10:57 am PT
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One of the arguably biggest efforts pulled off by Google in recent times is its massive visual facelift that goes by the name of ‘Material Design‘.  Among the most prominent concrete examples of its practical application, Android certainly stands out, and in Google’s commitment towards bringing a more unified and consistent looking OS, the company may be taking things a step further by the time Android N lands.

In a report from Android Police, the publication independently confirmed that screenshots found on the Android Developers blog post about Android Support Library v23.2 are coming from a yet-unreleased version of the OS, which seems to be implementing the famous hamburger menu inside the Settings app…


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After criticism of UK’s $185M back-tax deal with Google, France demands a whopping $1.76B

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 25 2016 - 4:38 am PT
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Just one day after the UK’s public spending watchdog described the £130M ($185M) back-tax paid by Google in the country as “disproportionately small,” France is demanding a rather larger sum. Reuters reports that the country’s finance ministry believes Google owes €1.6B ($1.76B).

“As far as our country is concerned, back taxes concerning this company amount to 1.6 billion euros,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said […]

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Michel Sapin ruled out striking a deal with the U.S. search engine company as the British government recently did, saying the sums at stake in France were “far greater” than those in Britain … 


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Google’s £130M deal with UK taxman was “disproportionately small,” says public spending watchdog

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 24 2016 - 6:56 am PT
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The Public Accounts Committee, the British Parliament’s public spending watchdog, has criticized the £130M ($185M) tax deal Google struck with the UK government as “disproportionately small.” The committee also criticized the secrecy around how the sum was calculated, reports the Guardian.

Google’s controversial tax deal cannot be properly assessed by MPs because of secrecy surrounding the negotiations, according to a report by parliament’s public spending watchdog. But the deal to pay £130m in back taxes for a 10-year period seems “disproportionately small when compared with the size of Google’s business in the UK”, the public accounts committee has found.

A report published today calls for more to be done to prevent “aggressive [tax] avoidance” by multinational companies, with Google accused of hypocrisy …


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Google-owned Boston Dynamics shows off the ‘next generation’ of its Atlas robot

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 23 2016 - 6:24 pm PT
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Google’s Boston Dynamics company, the people behind previous terrifying yet amazing robot videos, has today shared a glimpse at what it is calling the “next generation” of its Atlas robot. The new generation of Atlas is designed to operate both indoors and outdoors, the company says, and weighs a solid 180 pounds.


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Google updates iOS YouTube app with native resolution support for iPad Pro

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Feb 23 2016 - 12:29 pm PT
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Today Google pushed an update to its iOS YouTube app, which adds support for the iPad Pro. As you might imagine, the additional resolution makes the app look much more suitable for the iPad Pro’s extra large screen. Sadly, outside of a few additional bug fixes, no other notable features made the cut for today’s update. In other words, support for key items like Split View, which allows for true side-by-side multitasking, and Picture and Picture mode have still yet to be added.


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