Tech Industry

Google has announced that it is creating another one of its ‘campuses’ in Spain, following successful launches in London and Tel Aviv. These spaces are targeted at entrepreneurs looking for informal office spaces to kickstart new projects and careers. Campuses include working areas, testing devices as well as teaching from experienced mentors and business leaders.

Essentially, Google makes these areas to help startups get off the ground. It is an ethically driven venture for Google as there is no charge for participation. Google claims that the campus in London created more than 570 jobs last year. It is looking to recreate similar levels of success in Spain.

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Google is in the process of developing a new mobile messaging app that will likely be tested in several emerging markets, according to a report from The Economic Times. Not to be confused with Hangouts, this new platform will be a standalone service and will not require a Google account.

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For the third quarter, HTC has announced that it earned $21 million in profit on revenue of $1.37 billion. Although this is a huge improvement over the hundred million dollar loss they reported in the year-ago quarter, the company remains in a shaky financial situation. Most of the return to profitability is accounted for by a drastic cost-cutting policy rather than increases in device sales.

Sales actually fell 8% in September year-on-year, following a 33% fall in July and a 10% improvement in August. Apple and Samsung remain fierce competition for the Taiwanese company, despite good hardware advancements in the HTC One M8.

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Following Samsung’s display of its ‘Gluteus Maximus’ resilience, the OnePlus team have joined in to show how durable the OnePlus One is. Just like any other test facility, you see tests of drops, bends, sits, impact, tumble and weather. Unsurprisingly, the video shows the phones withstanding all of these conditions, including ten minutes of rain.

At OnePlus we believe that high quality shouldn’t come with a high price tag. Today our team made a special trip to our factory to film and put together this insider’s look at how our smartphones ace their quality control tests.

Open source software developer Cyanogen Inc recently met with Android frontman Sundar Pichai, who expressed interest in acquiring the startup, only to be turned down, according to The Information. Based in Palo Alto and Seattle, the software maker is mostly known for its CyanogenMod platform that’s compatible with multiple Android-based devices. Recently, the company partnered with Chinese manufacturer OnePlus, providing the stock software for its first smartphone.

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A group of ex-Googlers led by former Google Voice product manager Craig Walker have teamed up to create Switch.co, a cloud-based business phone system that stretches across multiple platforms such as desktop, mobile and landlines. Built with Google Apps for Work in mind, users can also view messages from Gmail, access their Calendar, Drive documents and even start a Hangout directly from a phone call.

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Photo: http://www.corporateofficeheadquarters.com

After receiving a lot of pressure from a group German publishers, Google is changing the way its search engine handles news articles. The company is now removing excerpts and image thumbnails from its web search results for sites like bild.de, bunte.de or hoerzu.de and replacing them with headlines and story links.

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After watching its competitors loosen up their data rates, Verizon has decided to get in on the action. Starting tomorrow the carrier will begin offering increased data allowances to customers committed to its More Everything service plans at no additional cost. Subscribers signed up for Big Red’s $110 12GB data plan will be bumped up to 15GB, while the carrier’s $130 16GB monthly setup will jump to 30GB.

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Today, Sprint announced a new promotion that gives its customers “double the data” offered by AT&T and Verizon for the same price. The carrier’s 32GB, 40GB and 60GB Family Share Pack plans will change to 60GB, 80GB and 120GB at no additional charge. Similar to AT&T’s newest promotion, Sprint’s deal also comes to an end on October 31st.

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Google is in hot water in Germany, with the Hamburg Data Protection Authority warning the company that its user profiling practices violate the Telemedia Act and Federal Data Protection Act. A continuation of the search giant’s ongoing problems in Europe, the German regulatory organization is stating that spreading a person’s information across multiple services such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube is unnecessary and a violation of the country’s privacy laws.

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The idea of being able to modify and upgrade your phone’s hardware as you please almost sounds too good to be true, but Project Ara aims to offer just that. But in addition to being able to pick and pull your device’s camera and battery, the director of Google’s modular smartphone program, Paul Eremenko recently revealed that you’ll be able swap even more modules around.

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Basis, a company backed by Intel, has announced a new smart watch compatible with iOS devices that places a focus on health and fitness applications. The device is capable of keeping track of several health-related data points, such as steps, calories, heart rate, prespiration, the temperature of your skin, and in-depth information about your sleep habits.

The Peak doesn’t yet support basic smart watch features like email and text notifications, but Basis says those functions will come in a future software update.

The company says that the device will be available by the holidays. Pricing information hasn’t been revealed yet. You can see photos and the full press release for the Peak below:

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Despite the shaky launch of OnePlus’ first smartphone, the startup is currently working on a follow up device. During a recent Ask Me Anything on Reddit, Carl Pei, Director of OnePlus Global revealed that a OnePlus 2 was in the works and that the company is targeting a release during Q2 or Q3 in 2015. In addition to confirming plans for a new smartphone, Pei said that OnePlus is entertaining requests for a smaller device, but he didn’t get into details.

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LG appears to be working on a new smartwatch, according to a set of recently discovered FCC documents. While it’s unclear if this device will run Google’s Android Wear operating system, the filing revealed that it will feature support for CMDA 3G network connectivity, meaning that it won’t necessarily need to be tethered to a smartphone for a data connection, however 3G isn’t exactly blazing fast.

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Google chairman Eric Schmidt and former product manager Jonathan Rosenberg are currently on tour promoting their new book How Google Works, and as the co-authors continue making their rounds, they’ve been engaging in some rather assertive interviews. This time around the duo stopped by Bloomberg’s Market Makers with hosts Erik Schatzker and Stephanie Ruhle. The group talked about the search giant’s biggest competitors like Apple, Yahoo, Amazon and others. Here are a few highlights from the 15 minute segment.

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Two sisters, Sarah and Elizabeth Turner are currently suing Evan Spiegel, the co-founder of the popular photo messaging app Snapchat. They’re claiming that when you perform a Google search for the term “Snapchat sluts” (definitely not safe for work) their pictures come up in the results. The sisters are also claiming that in 2011 Spiegel approached them in hopes of using their likeness to promote a new mobile application that he was developing called “Picaboo.”

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Despite the Fire Phone’s unfavorable reception from critics and consumers alike, Amazon isn’t scaling back its hardware efforts. The company’s Lab126 division that develops Amazon’s mobile products is reportedly increasing its staff in order to further pursue its interests in home automation and wearables. According to Reuters, Amazon is in the process of testing a WiFi device that can be added to a closet or cupboard, allowing consumers to order relevant products like detergent with the press of a button.

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Samsung is halting its laptop efforts in Europe, which also includes the release of Chromebooks in this specific market as well. Earlier in the year, Sony announced that it was selling off its VAIO business to investment firm Japan Industrial Partners. Unlike Sony’s decision, Samsung’s change in direction appears to only apply to its European business.

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Samsung announced a new accessory today that should compliment its large selection of mobile devices rather nicely. Priced at $20, the Samsung Power Sharing Cable lets owners of select Galaxy devices transfer power to another compatible smartphone, smartwatch or tablet. To manage use of the Power Sharing Cable, Samsung has put together a specialized app that’s now available in Google Play.

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