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5,659 'Google' stories January 2009 - January 2016

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Google Cardboard isn’t just a $20 toy, it’s being used in hospitals to save lives

Chance Miller Jan 7 2016 - 8:08 pm PT

0 Comments

Google’s virtual reality offering is doing more than just providing users a new way to watch videos and game. According to a new report from the NY Daily News, surgeons recently used Google Cardboard to help repair the lungs and heart of a four-month-old child. Teegan Lexcenher was born with half a heart and one lungs and her parents were initially told that she couldn’t be operated on, until Cardboard come into the picture..

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Hands-on with the new Huawei stuff: Mate 8, Honor 5X, MediaPad M2, Huawei Watch [Video]

Stephen Hall Jan 6 2016 - 4:20 pm PT

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Huawei announced a lot of stuff yesterday. Press day at CES 2016 started with a huge press conference from Huawei, featuring the Mate 8, MediaPad M2, the Huawei Watch, and a gold Nexus 6P, and the day ended with Huawei’s Honor brand announcing the Honor 5X and the Honor Band Z1. It’s a lot to take in, and we’re only just now starting to dig in so that we can bring you full reviews for these products over the coming weeks. We did get some hands-on time with some of these devices yesterday and today, though, and you can find that video below…

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Samsung’s CES 2016 press conference starts at 2 PM PT, tune in here [Livestream]

Stephen Hall Jan 5 2016 - 1:24 pm PT

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Samsung is up next for CES press day, following a very Android- and Google-heavy Huawei event. This event isn’t expected to be nearly as exciting, however, as Samsung has a wide variety of products spanning many categories to mention. Just like last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard about Samsung services, some connected home products, some televisions, and maybe a new variant of a smartwatch (the Gear S2 this time, likely)…
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[Liveblog] Huawei’s Mate 8 CES event kicks off at 10 AM PT, follow along here as it unfolds

Stephen Hall Jan 5 2016 - 9:08 am PT

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For Google fans, Hauwei’s press conference this morning is likely to be one of the most interesting of CES 2016. The company has boldly entered the United States market this year with the launch of the Huawei Watch and the Nexus 6P, and just about everyone — myself included — is excited to find out what the company has in store for 2017. From what we’ve heard, the company is planning to launch the Mate 8 for the United States, as well as introduce a new smartwatch (and some other things)…

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Ford’s CES presentation with an expected important Google announcement about self-driving cars [Updated]

Fred Lambert Jan 5 2016 - 7:06 am PT

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A recent report suggests that Google and Ford are planning to announce a joint venture to build self-driving cars. The announcement is expected to be made at Ford’s CES presentation, which is set to start at 7:30AM PST.

You can watch a livestream below.
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Facebook intentionally made its Android app crash to test how addicted users are

Chance Miller Jan 4 2016 - 6:02 pm PT

2 Comments

According to a new report out of The Information, Facebook has been putting a variety of contingencies in place behind the scenes to ensure that should it ever feel the need to pull out of the Play Store, it could survive. The report details a variety of practices Facebook has engaged in recently to attempt and reduce its reliance on Google, the Play Store, and built-in Android features.

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Year in Review: These were the 10 most important moves that Google made in 2015

Stephen Hall Jan 1 2016 - 10:09 am PT

2 Comments

2015 saw many announcements and developments within the Mountain View company. It was a big one. While we may not have seen as many of the flashy moonshot projects we’ve seen announced over the last few years, like Google Glass, Project Loon, Project Titan, and others, 2015 came with some big changes, upgrades, products, and services. From Google being completely restructured to be a new huge conglomerate called Alphabet to the recent launch of the company’s Nexus line, 2015 wasn’t a boring one for Google by any stretch of the imagination.

Here’s are some of Google’s most important announcements, in no particular order…

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Galaxy Tab A $150, Sharp 55″ 4K UHDTV $600, Nexus 6 $300, more

Stephen Hall Dec 29 2015 - 1:13 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:

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-Inch Tablet (16 GB): $150 shipped (Reg. $300) | eBay

Daily Deals: Sharp AQUOS 55-inch Smart 4K Ultra HDTV $600, Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse $79, more

New Google Nexus 6 64GB by Motorola: $300 shipped (Reg. $600) | Amazon

Refurbished Samsung Gear Fit Watch: $50 shipped (Reg. $100) | eBay

Samsung 850 EVO 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drives: 250GB $65 (Reg. $90), 500GB $140 (Reg. $150+)

Write-Off Week™: Last chance to write off biz expenses w/ best deals on office equipment, tech, supplies, more

Starbucks $15 gift card for $10: save 30% on your favorite drinks!

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

HP Officejet Pro 8610 e-All-in-One Inkjet Printer w/ AirPrint $50 shipped (Reg. $100)

Games/Apps: New Nintendo 3DS XL Hyrule Gold Edition $175, amiibo from $8, more
LG Music Flow P7 Bluetooth Speaker: $60 shipped (Reg. $90+)
$100 iTunes Physical Gift Card for $80 shipped (20% off): save on apps, music, movies, more!
Add 1,800mAh of power to your iPhone USB wall charger $15 Prime shipped (Orig. $40)
Apple iPad Air 2 Smart Cover $18 (Reg. $35), Smart Case $35 (Reg. $70), more
Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display: $1,400 or $1,350 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,599)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Macbook Air 11.6″ Core i5 4GB/128GB w/.edu: $700 shipped ($750 without .edu or less)

TurboTax 2015 for Mac/PC price drops: Deluxe $40, Premier $55, more
Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone/iPad/Mac: $30 (Reg. $40)
No setup or batteries required! Belkin MFi Lightning iPad Keyboard: $34 (Reg. $60)
Media: Burn Notice Complete Series $48 (Reg. $80), more
Google Chromecast v1: $20 shipped (Orig. $35)
CBS All Access: Free two-month trial for Chromecast owners ($12 value)
Fashion: Nike extra 25% off clearance – Vapor Jacket $82 (Orig. $130), more
Save 75% on any movie rental from Amazon, watch Marvel’s Ant-Man for just $1.50
Year-End Android Game Deals: NBA Jam $.10, Goat Simulator $.99, more
1Password for Mac drops to $32 for the holiday season (Reg. $50)
DuckTales: Remastered for iOS goes on sale for the very first time: $1 (Reg. $10)
Grab the entire Infinity Blade Trilogy on iOS for just $1 each ($20 value)
Get 12 months of Adobe’s Creative Cloud plan with Photoshop for $96 (20% savings)
Digits, the calculator for humans on iOS drops to just $1 (Reg. $4)
Xbox Store Digital Sale: Save on games, DLCs, more + free trials for streaming services
Apple-certified Lightning 3600mAh Aukey: $10 shipped
B&H: $70 off Apple Watch Stainless PLUS $100 Gift card (Tax only in NY) starting at $379 effective
iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi: 16GB $250 (Orig. $399), 128GB $425 (Orig. $599)
Best Buy Apple sale: iPad Air 2 $125 off, iPad Air $100 off, much more!
Apple TV 32GB (4th generation) w/ Siri remote + 6-ft HDMI cable: $126 shipped

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Thimble’s DIY robot subscription service launches on Kickstarter to great success

Here are the Holiday Best Sellers from Amazon’s record-breaking year

ShiftWear sneakers use flexible displays to showcase custom artwork on your shoes
The new iOS-connected Hamwells e-Shower recycles your water
Hult blends copper and concrete in a stunning modern take on the Bluetooth speaker
Get Canary’s all-in-one home security system + air quality sensor for $179 (Reg. $200)

This is Google Glass: Enterprise Edition in the flesh [Gallery]

Stephen Hall Dec 28 2015 - 10:31 am PT

4 Comments

Earlier this year, we told you across several exclusive reports that new Google Glass hardware was on the way, namely a device Google has been working on for more than a year aimed at the workplace. Now, several months later (and with many interesting reports about Google’s mysterious Project Aura having surfaced since), we have our first look at the device in the flesh…

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Google search data shows what people in each state searched for most in 2015

Abner Li Dec 28 2015 - 10:28 am PT

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The Google searches people make can reveal a great deal about their interests and concerns. When that data is aggregated, it can reveal general trends in society. For a long time, Google used such trend data to monitor for flu outbreaks for instance. Estately, a real estate blog, mined Google Trends to reveal what terms people in each state search for the most this year.
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WSJ: Google is working on an AI-powered chat service that may or may not be a new Hangouts

Abner Li Dec 22 2015 - 1:57 pm PT

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Hangouts is widely criticized in the Android community for being slow and buggy. According to a rumor last week, SMS support is being stripped out of Hangouts in order to make the app a better chatting service. Perhaps on a related note, The Wall Street Journal is today reporting that Google has grander ambitions for the chat field and plans to infuse their artificial intelligence technology into it.

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Searching ‘bubble level’ in Google Search now presents you with an interactive level

Stephen Hall Dec 22 2015 - 12:28 pm PT

1 Comment

One Googler took to Reddit last week to tell the world about a new feature that his team (presumably) added to Google search. Now, if you search for “bubble level” in search from the Google app or Chrome on your mobile device (yes, including the iPhone), you’ll get access to an interactive bubble level mini-app directly from the results page itself.

And that’s about it. This doesn’t need much explaining, does it? Personally, I think this is a pretty nifty little feature to have whenever I need it. That said, I wouldn’t use this for any professional jobs that need exact precision. At least in my experience, this little widget isn’t nearly as accurate as the standalone apps on the Play Store or the iOS Compass app.

Rumor: Samsung’s Gear S2 Classic coming in new platinum and rose gold variants

Stephen Hall Dec 22 2015 - 11:49 am PT

1 Comment

This is definitely in the realm of “unsubstantiated rumors,” but it looks like the popular Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch — which runs a custom build of Tizen and sports a rotating dial on its bezel — is getting a couple new colors. This comes from a WinFuture.de writer on Twitter, suggesting that the two new variants will be in “platinum” and “rose gold” colors for the Gear S2 Classic version of the watch…

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Ceramic and Champagne OnePlus X models are now available in Europe & Hong Kong

Stephen Hall Dec 22 2015 - 8:16 am PT

1 Comment

Forgetting OnePlus’ annoying invite system, the OnePlus X is actually a pretty solid option when it comes to budget smartphones. Our own Dom Esposito went as far as to say that it’s the “best budget phone available.” Now, as expected, OnePlus says that you can buy both Ceramic and Champagne variants via open sale in Europe and Hong Kong for a limited time…

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Google’s latest 360-degree interactive Spotlight Story is a Santa-based thriller by Wallace & Gromit creators

Ben Lovejoy Dec 22 2015 - 4:40 am PT

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It’s a little over two years since Motorola launched Spotlight Player, an app that could be used to view a 360-degree interactive animation. Initially limited to the Moto X before being rolled out to other Android devices, you move your smartphone up, down, left and right to choose which part of the scene to view – and can also view through Google Cardboard.

Google held onto the team when it sold Motorola to Lenovo, and it has now launched Special Delivery, a holiday-themed Spotlight Story from Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace & Gromit. While you have to pay for some stories, this one is free as a holiday gift from Google …

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Report: Google and Ford joining forces to build self-driving cars

Chance Miller Dec 21 2015 - 6:03 pm PT

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Google’s self-driving car initiative has been gaining momentum over the past year, but now it looks like the company has at least one more big piece of news up its sleeve. According to a report from Yahoo Autos, Google and Ford are planning to announce a joint venture to build self-driving cars.

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Android 6.0 Marshmallow now rolling out to the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1

Stephen Hall Dec 21 2015 - 11:25 am PT

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NVIDIA released the refreshed SHIELD Tablet K1 last month, and now it’s getting a huge software update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The biggest additions here are nothing new — they’ve been hitting devices since Marshmallow first started rolling out to the Nexus line earlier this year — but there are a few things unique to the K1…

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The Nexus 5X may not be the hottest phone of 2015, but one unit did spontaneously catch fire

Stephen Hall Dec 21 2015 - 8:47 am PT

2 Comments

The two new Nexus handsets this year have been received completely differently. While Huawei’s Nexus 6P is widely regarded as one of the best — if not the best — Nexus phones ever, LG’s Nexus 5X has been given the title “worse than the Nexus 5” on more than one occasion. I agree with that sentiment to some degree, and I would highly recommend you go with the Nexus 6P regardless of the size of your hands. There are some great advantages to a rebirth of the classic Nexus 5, but right now the phone is crippled by a software and hardware combo that leads to some unacceptable performance issues.

And now it looks like the phone is crippled by another problem in the case of one owner. Not unlike dozens of other phones over the years, it appears that at least one Nexus 5X unit had a faulty battery leading to a firey explosion…

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Nexus 6 32GB is $250 at Amazon, stuff your stockings with Marshmallow phablets

Seth Weintraub Dec 21 2015 - 5:29 am PT

0 Comments

From 9to5Toys:

If you are looking for a last minute deal for Android-loving Christmas recipients, Amazon has matched the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the Marshmallow Nexus 6 phablet at $249.99 shipped in Cloud White or Midnight Blue.

Until very recently, this was Google’s flagship phone and it still has enviable specs and gets the first updates. Whether you use this as your main phone or a burner/development/extra/kids/parents phone, it still holds up very well and includes fast charging Micro-USB, a huge 6-inch display, front stereo speakers and much more.

You can get it with plenty of time for wrapping and putting under the tree. Prime will get it there by the 23rd.

If you want to got full bore, the 64GB is also available for $299.99, also an all time low. If you are after something smaller, grab the Moto X Gen 2 leather for the same price.

Of course, if you are looking for the latest and greatest, You can grab the Nexus 6P for $50 off here.
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Nexus 6P now available at Best Buy for $500, gold model coming to India via Flipkart

Abner Li Dec 20 2015 - 2:12 pm PT

0 Comments

Earlier this week, we reported that Google is going to start selling the Nexus 6P through Best Buy. In the US, the Google Store was the exclusive seller of flagship Nexus devices at launch. Over time more and more retailers started to sell the 5X and Best Buy is now the first to sell the 6P.

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9to5Toys Last Call: FitBit Charge HR $110, Microsoft Band 2 $200, $50 off Nexus 6P, more

Stephen Hall Dec 18 2015 - 3:03 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:

Fitness Trackers: Fitbit Charge HR $110 (Reg. $130+), The Microsoft Band 2 $200 (Reg. $250)

Nexus 6P is $50 off at the Google Store with free overnight shipping

Various Huawei Watch models are $50 off at Amazon and the Google Store

Games/Apps: Bastion for iOS $1 (Reg. $5), 50% off Final Fantasy 1-7, freebies, more

Gift Cards w/ Email Delivery: JCPenney $60 for $50, Toys R Us $100 for $90, more

9to5Google Gift Guides: Stephen, Abner, and Cam’s favorite Chrome and Android-powered products

9to5Google Gift Guide: Great Android phones at Black Friday prices
9to5Google Gift Guide: The best Chromebooks for everyone
9to5Google Gift Guide: These are the best Android wearables
9to5Google Gift Guide: Novelty swag presents for the ultimate Android fan in your life

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Linksys USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter: $14 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

Apple iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi 32GB in two colors: $240 w/ two-day shipping (Reg. $319)
littleBits Electronics Kits up to 35% Off: cloudBit Starter kit $64 shipped (Reg. $99), more
Daily Deals: Black & Decker Drill Kit $63, Seinfeld: The Complete Series Gift Set $50, more
Logitech Harmony Smart Control Universal Remote w/ Hub: $70 shipped (Reg. $110+)
Hundreds of iOS/Mac games & apps are on sale for the holidays, these are the best ones you can’t afford to miss
Get Canary’s all-in-one home security system + air quality sensor for $179 (Reg. $200)
Hult blends copper and concrete in a stunning modern take on the Bluetooth speaker
OtterBox Defender Series iPhone 6 Case for $20 Prime shipped (Orig. $50)
TechMatte Sound Pod Bluetooth Speaker with NFC $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)
Selfie sticks, Headphones, and Star Wars Bike Helmets for Kids from $10 Prime shipped
Home: Hamilton Beach Breakfast Burrito/Crepe Maker $22 (Orig. $40), more
Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB in all colors: $1,000 or $950 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,300)
Shop Apple’s holiday gift guide, save up to $350: great 9to5 deals on every device + accessory
Best Buy offering iPhone 6s for $1 on contract w/ Sprint & Verizon

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Seagate Backup Plus USB 3.0 5TB Desktop External Hard Drive $115 (Orig. $180)

USB Chargers w/ Prime shipping: Imneed 10,000mah Slim power bank $12, Nylon Braided Lightning Cable $8, more

Anker USB Power Deals: Astro E7 26,800mAh Power Bank $40 (Reg. $60), Braided Nylon MFi Lightning Cables from $8, more

RAVPower 5-in-1 SD Card Reader, Battery Pack, Wireless Bridge $30 (Reg. $40)
Aukey Bluetooth Audio: Sport Earbuds from $14 (Reg. $25), more
LifeProof Nüüd iPad Air Waterproof Case in white $20 shipped (Reg. $48), more
Sports/Fitness: SKLZ Mini Basketball Hoop $15 (Reg. $30+), more
Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker $99, QC25 Headphones $269
Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck MercuryBox Aluminum $30, Aukey Rugged $15
MacPhun Photo Editing apps for Mac 40% off: Intensify & Tonality $10 ea, more
Toca Nature is now available for free on the App Store (Reg. $3)
Nexus 6P 32GB Android Factory Unlocked Smartphone: $449 (Reg. $499)
Networking: TP-LINK OnHub 802.11ac Router + Google Chromecast $179
Buy a new Chromecast, receive a $20 Google Play credit plus more offers
Google is offering a free $20 Best Buy Gift Card when you use Android Pay
Media: iTunes HD Movie $10 Sale, Blu-rays from $4, more
Pencil by FiftyThree smart iPad stylus from $30 Prime shipped (Orig. $50)
Get half off a replacement Apple MagSafe 2 Power Adapter: $40 (Orig. $79)
The Room for iOS goes free for the first time in two years (Reg. $1), more
Download Josh Groban’s latest album Stages for free ($11 value)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz free Kindle download and audiobook (Reg. $9+)
Mophie iPhone 6/s Juice Pack Air: $75 (Reg. $100)
Buy select movies from Google Play and get a second copy to gift to a friend for free
1-month free Marvel Unlimited comic subscription
iPhone 6/s/Plus Accessories: Sport Armbands from $6, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Tiny Arcade puts those 80’s gaming cabinets in the palm of your hand

Justin’s Holiday Gift Guide: speakers, Lightning mics, pocket synths & more to up your home recording set-up

Trevor’s Holiday Gift Guide: The perfect accessories for travel – backpacks, cord management, more

Dan’s Holiday Gift Guide: rare Apple collectibles & swag for the techie who has everything

Skip the holiday blues with these practical stocking stuffers

Top 10 holiday movies you can stream right now on Netflix

The FLUXO Smart Lamp lets iOS and Android users paint their walls with light
YoCam tops GoPro’s tiny action camera in features, but does it matter?
This limited edition Rolls Royce cocktail kit is a must see for car and James Bond fans alike
LEGO Architecture teases upcoming Skyline series featuring the world’s most famous cities
De’Longhi launches new PrimaDonna Elite coffeemaker w/ iOS connectivity
Pine64 aims to knock off Raspberry Pi with its low-price 4K-capable microcomputer
Amazon names the best-selling books of 2015, snag one as a surefire holiday gift

Get Canary’s all-in-one home security system + air quality/temperature sensor for $179 (Reg. $200)

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Nexus 6P from $450, refurb Nexus 6 $250, Moto X Pure Edition $350, more

Stephen Hall Dec 17 2015 - 10:43 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:

Nexus 6P is $50 off at the Google Store with free overnight shipping

Refurbished Google Nexus 6 by Motorola: $250 shipped (Reg. $300+) | eBay

Moto X (2015) 32GB Pure edition: $350 shipped ($50 off), more

Various Huawei Watch models are $50 off at Amazon and the Google Store

Amazon Gold Box – Logitech Accessories up to 60% off: Wireless Keyboards $19+, Mice $14+, Desktop speakers $8+, much more

Bowers & Wilkins recert: P3-P5 headsets $90-$140, AirPlay A5-A7 Speakers: $300-$500 shipped

Gift Cards w/ Email Delivery: Sears $100 for $85, Cabela’s $50 for $40, Spotify $60 for $50, more

9to5Google Gift Guides: Stephen, Abner, and Cam’s favorite Chrome and Android-powered products

9to5Google Gift Guide: Great Android phones at Black Friday prices
9to5Google Gift Guide: The best Chromebooks for everyone
9to5Google Gift Guide: These are the best Android wearables
9to5Google Gift Guide: Novelty swag presents for the ultimate Android fan in your life

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Games/Apps: Yoshi’s Woolly World $35, Xbox One bundles from $291, Wii U bundles from $250, freebies, more

Fashion: Amazon Gold Box – up to 75% off last minute gifts, Calvin Klein Fleece $41 (Reg. $90) + J.Crew Factory 70% off

SONOS PLAY:1 Wireless Music System: $170 shipped (Reg. $199)
RAVPower 5-in-1 SD Card Reader, Battery Pack, Wireless Bridge $30 (Reg. $40)
Daily Deals: Garmin vívofit 2 Fitness Band $59, SONY 32GB Handycam $300, more
Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: $1,700 or $1,650 w/ .edu (Reg. $1,999)
Grab the entire Infinity Blade Trilogy on iOS for just $1 each ($20 value)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

USB Chargers w/ Prime shipping: Imneed 10,000mah Slim power bank $12, Nylon Braided Lightning Cable $8, more

Anker USB Power Deals: Astro E7 26,800mAh Power Bank $40 (Reg. $60), Braided Nylon MFi Lightning Cables from $8, more

Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker $99, QC25 Headphones $269
Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck MercuryBox Aluminum $30, Aukey Rugged $15
MacPhun Photo Editing apps for Mac 40% off: Intensify & Tonality $10 ea, more
Toca Nature is now available for free on the App Store (Reg. $3)
Nexus 6P 32GB Android Factory Unlocked Smartphone: $449 (Reg. $499)
Sprint will give you a free HDTV when you open a new account/upgrade
Networking: TP-LINK OnHub 802.11ac Router + Google Chromecast $179
Buy a new Chromecast, receive a $20 Google Play credit plus more offers
Google is offering a free $20 Best Buy Gift Card when you use Android Pay
LG Optimus Exceed 2 (Verizon Prepaid) Android Smartphone $12 (Reg. $50+)
Media: iTunes HD Movie $10 Sale, Blu-rays from $4, more
Pencil by FiftyThree smart iPad stylus from $30 Prime shipped (Orig. $50)
Get half off a replacement Apple MagSafe 2 Power Adapter: $40 (Orig. $79)
Capture the action this Christmas with GoPro’s HERO+ LCD camera for $240 (Reg. $300)
The Room for iOS goes free for the first time in two years (Reg. $1), more
Download Josh Groban’s latest album Stages for free ($11 value)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz free Kindle download and audiobook (Reg. $9+)
Mophie iPhone 6/s Juice Pack Air: $75 (Reg. $100)
Buy select movies from Google Play and get a second copy to gift to a friend for free
1-month free Marvel Unlimited comic subscription
iPhone 6/s/Plus Accessories: Sport Armbands from $6, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The FLUXO Smart Lamp lets iOS and Android users paint their walls with light

Justin’s Holiday Gift Guide: speakers, Lightning mics, pocket synths & more to up your home recording set-up

Trevor’s Holiday Gift Guide: The perfect accessories for travel – backpacks, cord management, more

Dan’s Holiday Gift Guide: rare Apple collectibles & swag for the techie who has everything

Skip the holiday blues with these practical stocking stuffers

Top 10 holiday movies you can stream right now on Netflix

YoCam tops GoPro’s tiny action camera in features, but does it matter?
This limited edition Rolls Royce cocktail kit is a must see for car and James Bond fans alike
LEGO Architecture teases upcoming Skyline series featuring the world’s most famous cities
De’Longhi launches new PrimaDonna Elite coffeemaker w/ iOS connectivity
Pine64 aims to knock off Raspberry Pi with its low-price 4K-capable microcomputer
Amazon names the best-selling books of 2015, snag one as a surefire holiday gift

Google’s Project Blackrock sought to bring autonomy to drones w/ computer vision [Video]

Stephen Hall Dec 17 2015 - 9:05 am PT

0 Comments

Many of Google’s internal projects go unannounced for a variety of reasons, but now we’ve uncovered one of them thanks to a year-old video hidden deep in the archive of a Silicon Valley filmmaker’s Vimeo account. Called Project Blackrock, this initiative from Google sought to make quadcopters autonomous with the help of a pair of cameras and a computer…

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Google’s latest awesome interactive Doodle celebrates Beethoven’s 245th year

Cam Bunton Dec 17 2015 - 6:36 am PT

0 Comments

Google’s Search Doodles can often be fun, especially when they’re interactive. Today’s is one of my own personal favorites. In remembrance of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 245th year, the Google Doodle team created an interactive game in which you help Beethoven rescue sheet music so that he can make it to the concert venue. If you’re not into classical music, or don’t know how to read sheet music, this may not be your ‘cup of tea’.

There are four ‘levels’ in the game, each of which involves arranging sections of a famous piece of music in the correct order. Even if you’re not a Beethoven nut, you should recognize all four of them. The game takes apart the most well-known phrases from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Für Elise, Moonlight Sonata and Ode To Joy. Chances are, even if you didn’t know they were Beethoven’s music, you’ll have at least heard them before.

If you’ve never read sheet music, don’t worry, each section has a little sound icon which you can press to preview the phrase, before you decide where it needs to go.

To help poor old Beethoven retrieve and rescue his precious music, head on over to the Google homepage and enjoy (make sure you have your speakers turned up too).