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Honor’s 2nd anniversary festival is in full swing, and we’re in China to check it out [Gallery]

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 12 2015 - 3:22 pm PT
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Honor, Huawei’s sub-brand of lower-tier smartphones popular in developing countries, invited us out to Shenzhen, China to check out the company’s 2nd anniversary festival. It kicked off yesterday morning, filled with tons of carnival games and shows that encompass “bravery,” several sponsored booths from Honor‘s partners in China, huge stuffed Huawei mascots walking around, Chinese pop music from half a dozen artists, and more. It’s been fun to say the least…
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Google expands Project Sunroof, can now check for ideal solar panel locations in more metro areas in New York, California, Arizona, more

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 11 2015 - 4:10 am PT
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Just as the Climate-focussed COP21 conference in Paris is drawing to a close, Google has expanded its Project Sunroof tool to cover more metro areas across the US. If you’re thinking of installing solar panels on your home roof, you can now check Project Sunroof in a number of metro areas in California, Massachusetts, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Connecticut, Colorado and North Carolina. Although no specific cities have been mentioned in the announcement, it’s safe to assume that any major cities in those states should now be covered…


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Chinese search giant Baidu’s self-driving car successfully hits the road

Avatar for Chance Miller Dec 9 2015 - 8:36 pm PT
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Google has said that its goal is to reach widespread distribution of its self-driving car by 2020, but Chinese search giant Baidu might beat the Mountain View company. Today, Baidu, often referred to as the “Chinese Google” announced that its self-driving car successfully completed its first route through Beijing.


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PSA: The Google Store is now selling Bose headphones

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 8 2015 - 4:40 pm PT
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Google’s US and Canadian online retail store is now selling several models of Bose headphones. Items sold on the Google Store are usually more directly related accessories like cases, chargers, and cables, but this launch marks one of the more broad expansions of the store.

There are currently four sets of headphones on sale. The cheapest are the SoundSport In-Ear for $129.95. Followed by the SoundTrue Around-Ear Headphones II at $179.95. The more premium SoundLink Wireless Headphones II cost $279 and Bose’s top of the line QuietComfort 25 cost $299.

These prices are comparable to the prices you would find at other retailers, like Amazon and others. They come with free shipping and all products bought from the Google Store come with an extended return window for the holidays. All purchases made from November 27 to December 25 can be returned through January 22 of next year.


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Google says it has now proven that D-Wave’s quantum computer really works

Avatar for Fred Lambert Dec 8 2015 - 3:04 pm PT
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Last month we reported on Google planning a “watershed” quantum computing announcement, which the company and NASA delivered jointly today. Google’s Quantum AI team announced the results of its latest test in understanding the physics governing quantum annealers, which shows that quantum annealing can outperform simulated annealing by more than 108 times – yes that’s 100,000,000x faster.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Moto E for Straight Talk $20, Nova Launcher Prime $1, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 7 2015 - 3:44 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:

Straight Talk Moto E XT830C Prepaid Smartphone: $20 shipped (Reg. $50) | Walmart

Nova Launcher Prime via the Play Store is on sale for the holidays: $1 (Reg. $5) | Play Store

Amazon launches New Kindle Fire HD 8 ‘Reader’s Edition’ w/ better night time reading, case bundle, Kindle Unlimited subscription

GoPro HERO bundles starting at $140, cases from $10, headgear from $7, more

Giveaway: SanDisk USB flash drives for iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile devices

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

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

This Leviton wall outlet has a pair of powerful USB ports, get it for $17 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)

The latest Omate smartwatch for iOS/Android launches on Indiegogo with instant success

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Bluetooth Headphones: Jabra MOVE On-ears $60 (Reg. $90), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Razor details its new Hovertrax Smart Scooter ahead of release

Anova Culinary updates its sous vide Precision Cooker w/ Wi-Fi  for cooking away from home

Google, Microsoft & Comcast fight Verizon/Qualcomm’s LTE-U plans, saying WiFi will be disrupted

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Dec 7 2015 - 4:35 am PT
3 Comments

With ever more devices trying to squeeze growing volumes of mobile data through a limited number of LTE frequencies, Verizon is leading the push for use of unlicensed frequencies – known as LTE-Unlicensed, or LTE-U. As well as increasing capacity, LTE-U would potentially offer faster speeds.

The problem? These are the same frequencies used by WiFi, Bloomberg reporting that Google, Microsoft, Comcast and other oppose rapid adoption for this reason.

The three companies have been among a group lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to delay LTE-U’s adoption pending further tests [claiming that it] “would substantially degrade consumer Wi-Fi service across the country.”

The companies argue that while both existing LTE frequencies and WiFi play nicely when it comes to competing demand for use of the same airwaves, LTE-U doesn’t … 
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Dell Venue 8 $100, Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 $300, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 4 2015 - 1:17 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:

Dell Venue 8 tablet 2GB RAM 32GB flash: $100 shipped (Reg. $200) | eBay

Samsung Galaxy Tab S (T800) 32GB 10.5” tablet: $300 shipped (Reg. $400+) | A4C

Amazon is giving away a year of unlimited cloud storage to anyone who downloads a free app4K Smart UHDTVs: Samsung 48-inch 60Hz $500 (Reg. $700+), LG 55-inch 120Hz $698 (Reg. $800+), more

Samsung Android Wear-powered Gear Live: $80 shipped (Reg. $150) | eBay

LG G Watch R Android Wear watch: $180 shipped (Reg. $290) | eBay

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

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Brother compact Laser printer: small enough to hide, ink lasts forever: $40 shipped

GoPro HERO4 Session Action Camera w/ free mount + 32GB microSD card: $200 shipped (~$325 value)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Host a Christmas party that doesn’t suck with these rowdy adult board games

App Store Free App of the Week: Monument Valley goes free (Reg. $4)

TextExpander 5 for Mac, award-winning productivity app now $22 (Orig. $45)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Anova Culinary updates its sous vide Precision Cooker w/ Wi-Fi  for cooking away from home

Google soon pushing a fix for false 1 star App Store ratings in search results

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 4 2015 - 11:57 am PT
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According to a post today on the Google Search Help Forum, Google will soon push a fix for a long standing search bug that falsely shows iTunes App Store listings as having 1 star ratings (via MacRumors). The problem was first reported by several iOS app developers in late October, and it seems Google has finally acknowledged the issue…

Today, a Community Manager on the forum said that a fix is scheduled for the next release:

Hi everyone, thanks for your continued reports here. As Spencer mentioned, he’s been following up thoroughly with us regarding this and I’m happy to share that we’ve been working hard on providing a solution, and a new fix has been scheduled for the next release, which should be rolling out early next week. Appreciate your patience here.


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Google’s Cloud Vision API brings deeper understanding to apps, robots and drones

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 4 2015 - 5:05 am PT
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Google is at the forefront of machine learning, and has already brought some of its AI-powered technology to apps like Gmail and Search. It’s also keen to get its tools in to the hands of developers and recently made Tensorflow machine open source. As part of that focus on giving developers the resources, it’s also launched the Cloud Vision API, giving devs the ability to build apps (and robots) which recognize objects and facial expressions, then respond to them…


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Report(s): Samsung Galaxy Note 5 finally set to get European launch in January

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 4 2015 - 2:33 am PT
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Back when Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Note 5 and its dual-curved partner, the S6 Edge Plus, it disappointed a lot of hopeful customers by announcing the S-Pen-equipped phablet would not be released in Europe. At least, not immediately. According to two separate reports, Samsung has plans to finally bring the Note 5 to mainland Europe and the UK next month.


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Google launches Unity plugin to help developers make Chromecast-compatible games

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 3 2015 - 2:57 pm PT
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Google has today launched the Google Cast Remote Display plugin for Unity, in hopes that developers will now be able to more easily bring their mobile games to the TV. This is the same plugin that many games on the Play Store — including Monopoly Here & Now, Risk, and more — already use…

Today we launched the Google Cast Remote Display plugin for Unity to make it easy to take your Unity games to TVs. The Google Cast Remote Display APIs use the powerful GPUs, CPUs and sensors of your Android or iOS mobile device to render a local display on your mobile device and a remote display on your TV.

Google says that, as of today, developers can download the new Remote Display plugin for Unity from both GitHub and the Unity Asset Store.

Developers with preexisting Unity games simply need to import the Remote Display package to their project, add the CastRemoteDisplayManager prefab, and configure cameras for the local and remote displays. More detailed information can be found at Google’s Developers Blog.

Google brings app streaming to ads, letting users try before they download

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 3 2015 - 10:08 am PT
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Google introduced a really awesome feature called app streaming to search results last month, and now a very similar technology is coming to the company’s AdMob ad platform. A couple new app ad formats are being introduced today, the first of which allowing users to try out an app within an ad itself before downloading…
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Google launches new Cardboard Camera app for shooting VR photos from your phone

Avatar for Zac Hall Dec 3 2015 - 9:39 am PT
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Google is out today with an interesting new app for VR fans called Cardboard Camera for Android. The new camera app lets users shoot their very own virtual reality photos right from a smartphone. Simply launch the app, start shooting a photo and pan in a circular motion like you’re shooting a panorama image, and you’re set.

Then throw your phone in a Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer and you can experience the immersive shot as if you were back in the moment, adding a new dimension to still images.
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9to5Google Gift Guide: Novelty swag presents for the ultimate Android fan in your life

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 3 2015 - 6:34 am PT
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We’re well in to holiday shopping season now. Assuming you’ve picked up some of our recommended Android phones, smartwatches and Chromebooks, there are still some great novelty items out there for the Android fan in your life. Whether you’re looking for collectibles, clothing that shows off your allegiance to all-things Google, or something fun, we’ve got you covered with our list of the best little items to buy for Android fans…


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Google makes its largest ever purchase of renewable energy to power its data centers

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Dec 3 2015 - 4:36 am PT
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Google has announced its largest ever purchase of renewable energy to power data centers across the U.S., Sweden and Chile, reports The Washington Post. The new projects, mostly wind-powered, add a massive 842 megawatts of green energy, which Google claims is the largest investment ever by anyone other than a power company.

The investment brings Google’s total renewable energy capacity to 2 gigawatts, which is equivalent to the total energy output of the Hoover Dam. Google has pledged to power its entire operations from green energy by 2025, and Re/code reports it was 37% of the way there prior to this deal. That suggests this deal ought to take the company to around 60%.

There is a little small-print, however … 
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG G Pad (refurb) $65, LG G Watch $50, LG G Watch R $180, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 2 2015 - 1:24 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:

16GB LG G Pad 7″ LTE unlocked tablet: $65 shipped (Reg. $150) | BuyDig

LG G Watch Android Wear watch: $50 shipped (Reg. $150) | A4C

LG G Watch R Android Wear watch: $180 shipped (Reg. $290) | eBay

9to5Google Gift Guide: 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

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Home Recording: M-Audio 61-Key MIDI Keyboard $85 (Reg. $169), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Anker USB Power Deals: 4-port 36W Wall Charger $14 (Reg. $20), 12W Car Charger w/ Lightning Cable $10 (Reg. $14), more

Free PS Plus Games for December: Far Cry 3, Gaunlet Slayer Edition, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for December: Thief, Adventures of Van Helsing, Sacred 3, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Unboxing and Review: Star Wars Battlefront limited edition PS4 is out of this galaxy [Video]

Google puts two more stock Android apps on the Play Store: Phone & Contacts

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 2 2015 - 11:02 am PT
3 Comments

Update 2: And they’re back!

Update: Uh oh. Looks like they have disappeared from the Play Store.

Google has slowly been moving many of its in-house built stock apps to the Play Store for quite some time now, and today two more apps were added to that list. Starting now, you’ll be able to download and update both the stock Dialer app and the Google Contacts app via their Play Store listings…
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Google is now redirecting some ‘Inbox by Gmail’ users from Gmail by default

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 2 2015 - 8:25 am PT
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I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Gmail is on the way out quite yet, but it seems a new message is appearing for some Inbox by Gmail users notifying them that they will now be redirected from Gmail to Inbox by default. Of course, users still have the option to turn this off if they would like their gmail.com and inbox.google.com inboxes to remain separate…
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Privacy group files FTC complaint that Google “deceptively tracks students’ Internet browsing”

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Dec 2 2015 - 4:48 am PT
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Privacy campaigners the Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed a formal complaint with the FTC, claiming that Google “deceptively tracks students’ Internet browsing.” They say that Google is in breach of the Student Privacy Pledge the search giant signed back in January. Once Google signed, the terms became legally binding on the company.

The EFF says that one issue is with Chrome Sync, a feature designed to enable users to work with the same bookmarks, logins and other data across devices. Chrome Sync is currently switched on by default on Chromebooks sold to schools, and the EFF says that Google collects this data and uses it for other purposes … 
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Google Cultural Institute brings 360-degree tours of famous performing arts venues

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 2 2015 - 4:34 am PT
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Google has recently been on a major push to bring its 360-degree and VR experience to as many people as possible, and in as many services as applicable. Most recently, that was bringing some awesome 360-degree views of areas effected by climate change to Street View. Today, the company has announced that it will be launching 360 tours of popular performing arts locations.

You can browse performances and everything that goes on on- and off-stage at more than 60 institutions—including the world famous Carnegie Hall, to the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Moving east, I’ve selected some highlights from our partners in Asia-Pacific—the Queensland Performing Arts Center in Australia, the Dilli Gharana and Natural Streets For Performing Arts Foundation in India, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri in Japan, and the National Theatre of Korea, National Gugak Center and Kukkiwon in Korea.

It’s an incredible collection of imagery, photos and Street View-like tours of some great cultural locations. There are tons of backstage photos and images of classic performances, costumes and exhibitions in a host of venues across the globe. If you’re in to the performing arts, it seems a fantastic resource to dig in to.

November’s self-driving car report reveals 1 very minor accident, not much else

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 1 2015 - 2:30 pm PT
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Google publishes a report for its self-driving car project once a month, and today — appropriately — the company published the report for November. Today’s report is notably unexciting, but it does mean the end of a two-month streak of the cars being accident-free. That said, the accident that Google details in this report is barely an accident…

Once again, Google wasn’t at fault in yet another fender-bender:

A vehicle approaching from behind came to a stop and then rolled forward and collided with the rear bumper of the Google AV. The approximate speed of the other vehicle at the time of impact was 4 MPH. The speed of the Google AV at the time of impact was below 1 MPH.

Other than this minor accident, which bumps the total number of accidents the cars have been involved in to 17, there’s not much new here. The cars have now driven a total of 1,320,755 autonomous miles, and 955,771 manual miles. The total number of Lexus cars on the road is the same, but there are now 30 prototypes out and about.

You can read the full report for yourself at Google’s website.