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Google to comply more strictly with EU’s ‘right to be forgotten’ act

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 11 2016 - 4:01 am PT
0 Comments

Following a series of pressures by European regulation and privacy authorities, Google will soon start removing unwanted results from all of its domains. Despite having complied with the EU’s rules regarding the so-called ‘right to be forgotten‘ act, the search giant has so far only removed the results within the specific country’s domain.


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Opinion: Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is shaping up to be a monster, but is that enough?

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 10 2016 - 1:06 pm PT
3 Comments

We are about two weeks away from this year’s Mobile World Congress, which means we are entering the first of the two big periods of the year where all the major OEMs refresh their lineup of high-end devices. On February 21st, just a day before MWC kicks off, Samsung is expected to announce both the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Unlike last year, where the edge variant was simply a curved version of the 5.1-inch screened flat sibling, this year’s model should bump up the panel size to 5.5-inches, making it closer to the Galaxy S6 edge+, which made its way to the store shelves alongside the Note 5 later last September…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) $375, LG Watch Urbane $180, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 10 2016 - 9:48 am 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:

Last Call Updates:

Acer 11.6-inch Chromebook 2.16GHz/ 2GB/ 16GB (Refurb): $85 shipped (Reg. $179)

Moto X Pure Edition 32GB Unlocked Smartphone: $375 shipped (Reg. $400+)

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear Smartwatch: $180 shipped (Reg. $259)

 

Amazon offers rare 25% discount on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions: 6-months $45 (Reg. $60), more

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Newest Version) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Internal 2.5-inch Solid-State Drives: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB $280 (Reg. $300+), PNY 240GB $60 (Reg. $80)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Luminid Touch light-up charging cable is ideal for plugging in at night: $10 (Orig. $20, CA Tax only)

A .edu email can get you the Sharp 32-inch 1080p HDTV for $150 shipped (Reg. $170)

Add 2TB of portable storage to your Mac, PC or Xbox One w/ this WD USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $73 (Reg. $90)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

3Doodler Start reimagines the popular Kickstarter project with a focus on children

BearTek’s new Smart Gloves offer iPhone/Android controls + GoPro support

Latest U.S. smartphone market numbers show Apple in the lead, but Samsung is catching up

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 10 2016 - 8:32 am PT
0 Comments

According to the latest U.S. smartphone market share numbers from Parks Associates, Apple is still well in the lead compared to competing manufacturers, holding a beefy 40% of the smartphone market. But the latest figures also show that Android OEMs are gaining ground on the dominant Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker. Now, Samsung holds around 31% of the market and LG is next in line with 10%…


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U.S. government says that Google’s self-driving car system will be treated like a normal driver

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 9 2016 - 5:57 pm PT
3 Comments
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The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, has announced today that it will recognize Google’s self-driving car system as a legal driver. The announcement comes after Chris Urmson, the head of Google’s self-driving car project, petitioned that the government treat the initiative the same as it does normal driver cars.


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New Google/Alphabet patent describes putting self-driving delivery trucks on the road

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 9 2016 - 2:26 pm PT
0 Comments

A new patent that surfaced on Tuesday (via Qz) suggests that Google/Alphabet could have plans to use its self-driving car technologies for a truck-based delivery service. The patent describes an “autonomous delivery platform” for an autonomous truck with lockers (not unlike an Amazon locker), driving to a customer’s location to deliver a package…
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LlabTooFeR contradicts oft-reliable Evleaks, says HTC One M10 will be 5.2-inch

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 9 2016 - 11:26 am PT
2 Comments

A couple weeks ago, Evan Blass came out to unveil pretty much all of the upcoming HTC One M10’s specs, saying that — among other details — the phone is going to ship with a 5.1-inch display. Now, famed Android leaker LlabTooFeR has come out on Twitter to challenge Evan’s great track record. Apparently, the M10 is going to ship with a display not 5.1-inches in size, but 5.2-inches.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: 32GB LG G3 $210, 40% off Google Nexus 9 from $240, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 9 2016 - 10:32 am 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 G3 D850 32 GB unlocked (new) 32 GB: $210 shipped (Reg. $300+) | eBay

HTC offering 40% off Nexus 9, free Logitech keyboard w/ 32GB LTE variant

Free TV HD Digital Downloads at Google Play & iTunes: Rehab Addict, Cake Boss, Empire, more (Reg. $3)

The best-selling SONOS PLAY:1 Wireless Music System is on sale today in both colors for $161 shipped (Reg. $199)

Get into home automation with TP-LINK’s Smart Plug for $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Newest Version) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

A .edu email can get you the Sharp 32-inch 1080p HDTV for $150 shipped (Reg. $170)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Add 2TB of portable storage to your Mac, PC or Xbox One w/ this WD USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $73 (Reg. $90)

Amazon’s 7-inch Fire tablet is now even more affordable, get it on sale for $40 shipped (Reg. $50)

It’s time to ditch your cable bill! Get the AmazonBasics 35-Mile HDTV Antenna for $20 (Reg. $25)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

BearTek’s new Smart Gloves offer iPhone/Android controls + GoPro support

Review: Incase and surfer Kelly Slater team up for the ultimate GoPro-focused backpack

Deal: HTC offering 40% off Nexus 9, free Logitech keyboard w/ 32GB LTE variant

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 9 2016 - 7:57 am PT
0 Comments

HTC is today offering 40% off all variants of the Nexus 9 tablet, bringing its price down to $239.40 shipped (Reg. $399) for the lowest-end 16GB WiFi model. The Taiwanese company is also offering the highest-end 32GB LTE model for $359.40 shipped (Reg. $599), while also throwing in a free Logitech keyboard for the first 200 buyers…


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Russia wants to force Google & Apple to pay more tax, apply 18% VAT to Play store purchases

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 9 2016 - 5:31 am PT
0 Comments

In what Bloomberg describes as ‘a 90-minute interview peppered with expletives,’ Russia’s new Internet advisor has said that he wants to force Google and Apple to pay more taxes.

German Klimenko is pushing to raise taxes on U.S. companies to help level the playing field for Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru […]

Bloomberg says that he has an interesting ally in this aim …


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Google adds real-time flood alerts to web services in India

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 9 2016 - 3:21 am PT
0 Comments

Google has announced in an official blog post that it’s adding a new flood alert system to its services in India. Thanks to information provided by the Central Water Commission (CWC) users will be able to find flood alerts, including river level info, for more than 170 areas in India where the CWC has active observation stations.

Alerts are available in a number of Google’s apps and services like Google web search, Now cards in the Google app, Google Maps and the Public Alerts homepage on desktop and mobile.


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T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ads feat. Drake and Steve Harvey were hilarious [Video]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 8 2016 - 7:20 am PT
1 Comment

T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ads last night were definitely aimed at millennials. One involved Steve Harvey and referenced Verizon’s “Colorful Balls” ad once again (as well as Harvey’s forgetful stumble on Miss Universe), and the other brought in Drake to show how ridiculous the other carriers could be on the set of “Hotline Bling”…


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FCC documents reveal Alphabet is testing wireless charging for its self-driving cars

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 5 2016 - 10:06 am PT
1 Comment
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According to some FCC documents recently unearthed, Alphabet’s X division (formerly Google[x]) has its sights set on disconnecting the cute fully-electric self-driving car prototypes from their wall chargers. Yes, we’re talking wireless charging, the kind that could beam up energy through the bottom of the car using a technology called resonant magnetic induction…


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Google said to be in negotiations with the NFL for ‘Thursday Night Football’ streaming rights

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 4 2016 - 4:00 pm PT
1 Comment
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According to a new report from Variety, Google is among the tech companies negotiating with the NFL for digital rights to Thursday Night Football. Earlier this month, the National Football League inked deals with CBS and NBC to divide the TV rights for Thursday games over the next two seasons, but streaming to non-subscribers was not included in that deal.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Fire HD 10-inch Tablet $180, Acer 15.6-inch Chromebook (Refurb) $160, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 4 2016 - 11:27 am 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:

Daily Deals: Fire HD10-inch Tablet $180, Acer 15.6-inch Chromebook (Refurb) $160, more

Lenovo ThinkPad 11.6-inch Ultra-portable Business Notebook 1.83GHz/4GB/128GB SSD: $200 shipped (Orig. $669)

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 Wireless Headphones Active Collection: $230 (Reg. $300)

Review: $13 GRDE Explorer Rugged 10,000mAh Solar dual USB Battery w/ 2 USB lamps: worth every penny

Be a hero this Valentine’s Day w/ these best-selling Adult Coloring Books from $6

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Add two full-charges to an Android with this Poweradd 5,200mAh Power Bank: $5 (Reg. $12)

13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB: $1,000 (Reg. $1,199)

11-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB: $930 (Reg. $1,099)

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,250 (Reg. $1,450)

15-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,700 (Reg. $1,999)

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MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Seagate 4TB Portable, Bus-powered USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $120 shipped

Bluetooth Headphones: JayBird BlueBuds X $58 (Orig. $170), MEE Audio Air-Fi $35 (Reg. $50), more

Game pre-orders for Amazon Prime members –Zelda, Far Cry Primal, FFXV: $48 ea (Reg. $60)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Sony and Canon introduce new 4K digital cameras with two very different price tags

Amazon Echo speaker can order your Super Bowl Dominoes Pizza, FireTVs get updates

Top 5 third-party Twitter clients for Android to drastically improve your tweeting experience

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 4 2016 - 11:24 am PT
6 Comments

Android is an operating system better known for its openness, which means users can enjoy a great deal of customizability and overall choice. It goes far beyond picking up a shiny wallpaper: you can choose your own default apps, tweak the notification center with widgets, add those widgets to your homescreen, and switching to a whole different launcher is an app install away.

That’s why Android users are accustomed to using products and services that go beyond the stock options offered out of the box, and know that the Play Store is quite the well to draw from. Twitter clients are no exception, so keep reading for our roundup of what we think are the best alternatives to Twitter’s default offering…


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Google seemingly kicking standalone ad-blockers from the Play Store

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 4 2016 - 3:17 am PT
2 Comments

Update: VentureBeat received information from a source, shedding a little more light on the situation.

A source close to the situation indicates that Google considers this a “unique case” because two apps are required to invoke the ad blocking. Furthermore, the source adds that Google has no problem with browsers which can block ads within themselves via built-in functionality (like Adblock Browser) or via plugins.

Earlier in the week, Samsung’s new browser API meant developers, if they wanted to, could build ad-blocking apps to work alongside the browser. It’s similar to the ad-blocking feature Apple introduced in iOS 9 with Safari, which lead to a number of ad and tracker-blocking apps become popular within the first few weeks of iOS 9’s arrival.

With this feature added, more developers could develop standalone ad-blockers for Android which work with Samsung‘s mobile browser. It turns out however, that Google has pulled some apps, and rejected updates for others. It seems the company isn’t keen on having standalone apps — designed to work alongside browsers to block ads — on the Play Store…


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Longtime Search SVP Amit Singhal leaving Google after 15 years, head of AI taking over

Avatar for Abner Li Feb 3 2016 - 9:41 am PT
3 Comments

Google’s longtime Senior Vice President of Search Amit Singhal is leaving the company after 15 years. In a Google+ post, he said that February 26th would be the last day and that he would be looking into philanthropy in the future. Re/Code is reporting that the Search will be merged with the company’s other artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts.


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‘Cardboard++’ might be Google’s internal name for a Cardboard & Project Tango smashup

Avatar for Stephen Hall Feb 3 2016 - 9:10 am PT
0 Comments

Update 2: People familiar with the matter have said that this isn’t an internal codename for a future project, but rather just referencing the concept of iterative “++” in programming.

Update: Taylor’s LinkedIn profile has been updated to redact mentions of Cardboard++: “In January I began working with the Cardboard team.” Previous version can be seen in a screenshot below.

We know that VR has become much more central to Google’s ambitions lately, but what exactly might the company be working on? According to some evidence scattered across the web, one project in the works might be called “Cardboard++,” a collaboration between the Project Tango augmented reality team and the Cardboard virtual reality team…


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Google engineer’s testing of USB-C cables ends as bad cable fries his Chromebook & test kit

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 3 2016 - 7:19 am PT
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Update: Leung has resumed testing with a repaired test device, but for now can only weed out bad cables for now as he still doesn’t have a working Chromebook.

Google engineer Benson Leung was doing a great job at distinguishing the good, the bad and the ugly where USB Type-C cables are concerned, exposing ones that failed to meet the proper specs as well as others that were just plain dangerous.

Unfortunately his testing has now come to an abrupt end as one particularly bad cable resulted in significant damage to both his Chromebook Pixel and the USB PD sniffer devices he was using …


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Ultra-secure Turing Phone inexplicably ditches Android for Sailfish OS

Avatar for Cam Bunton Feb 2 2016 - 1:17 pm PT
2 Comments

Tech companies make baffling decisions all the time, it’s not a rare occurrence. In most cases, while we’re scratching our heads, we can normally sort-of see a reason or some kind of logic behind those moves. Whether it’s OnePlus’ unusual marketing strategies, Google launching the Pixel C without multi-window multitasking or HTC’s decision to launch an iPhone clone. In the case of Turing Robotics, I’m stumped…


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Opinion: Three months later, is the Nexus 6P still the best Android phone?

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Feb 2 2016 - 1:05 pm PT
9 Comments
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One of Google’s latest slogans created to showcase the essence of Android in a nutshell spells: “Be together, not the same.” It is both a testament to the company’s general embracement of diversity and arguably one of the most precise ways to describe the OS as a whole. Fans, however, have long had trouble trying to identify the ‘ultimate’ Android device, despite the sea of devices whose supposed heterogeneity should guarantee a perfect match for everyone.

In an endless fight among the various OEMs to come out at the top of the critics’ — as well as the fans’ — rankings, one trend has notoriously stood out. People love Android devices because of the software (specifically its flexibility), and in spite of the countless efforts made by manufacturers to tweak and enhance the OS in order to make it better, the pure, unadulterated experience offered by Google has long been preferred by virtually every enthusiast.

Be it because of its simplicity and cleanliness, dedication to Google’s brand, or the sheer fact that updates are not hampered by carriers and other third parties, stock Android has always had the upper hand over UXs such as Samsung’s TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense — at least to those who even know what “TouchWiz” is. To this day, the problem with Google’s vanilla OS still resides almost solely in the hardware it runs on.


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