Google Play encryption bug is blocking paid apps from using Android Wear
If you ordered one of the Android Wear devices Google showed off last month, you’ll want to keep an eye out for updates: the wearables aren’t playing well with paid apps. Normally, Wear apps are downloaded from Google Play alongside an app’s handset component, installing automatically over Bluetooth to a paired Wear device — but the wearable component of paid apps just aren’t transferring. According to Android Police the problem lies in Google’s app encryption measures, a sort of copy-protection system enacted to keep pirates at bay. For whatever reason, Android Wear devices simply aren’t able to find Wear apps in encrypted packages. It’s a small bug but it’s also a major issue, effectively blocking all paid apps from taking advantages of Google’s new platform. Hopefully Mountain View will issue a fix before too long.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source: Android Police
Google Project Tango smartphones heading to space this week
Google is no stranger to having some of its devices up in space, what with the Nexus S and One each taking on different missions in years past. Up next: Project Tango. The search giant’s smartphone, which packs 3D sensors that allow it to track and map just about anything around it, has been playing a role in NASA’s Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellite program, otherwise known as SPHERES. As Reuters notes, these spherical satellites could one day “take over daily chores for astronauts or even handle risky duties outside of the vessel.” Accordingly, on July 11th, NASA and Google are doing good on the promise to launch Project Tango smartphones into orbit, where they be will be used as “the brains and eyes” of the bowling ball-sized, hovering robots at the International Space Station.
SPHERES Project manager, Chris Provencher, told Reuters they had been looking to add better processing power, cameras as well as a slew of sensors to the robots, and smartphones were the way to go. “This type of capability is exactly what we need for a robot that’s going to do tasks anywhere inside the space station,” he said about Tango possessing the right attributes to meet the program’s needs. “We wanted to add communication, a camera, increase the processing capability, accelerometers and other sensors. As we were scratching our heads thinking about what to do, we realized the answer was in our hands [smartphones].”
[SPHERES image credit: NASA]
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Robots, Alt, Google
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Reuters
Target Offering Gift Cards Up to $100 With Purchase of iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch [iOS Blog]
As part of a new July promotion, Target is offering Target gift cards with the purchase of any iOS device, including the iPad Air, the Retina iPad mini, the 32 GB iPod touch, and the iPhone 5s/5c.
Customers who purchase a $499 iPad Air or a $399 Retina iPad mini in any storage capacity (WiFi and WiFi + Cellular) will receive a $100 gift card, while those who buy a $249 32 GB iPod touch will receive a $30 gift card.
Target has discounted its 16 GB iPhone 5c to $30 and its 16 GB iPhone 5s to $100, and is also offering a $20 Target gift card on top of the discount.
Target customers can also get an additional five percent off of their purchases when using the Target REDCard. Target’s gift card with purchase deal will last through July 12.
This post contains affiliate links.
LG G Pad 10.1 begins global roll-out this month
LG’s G-Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition tablet from LG was a pretty kick-butt tablet. Too bad it is no longer available on the Play Store for purchase. LG continues to bring more G-Pads to market though. They announced a trio of tablets would become available and the talk was surrounding similar specs in all three sizes with the screensize being the variable. LG’s next big tablet adventure has been formally announced by LG with the release of the LG G Pad 10.1. The latest G Pad in the LG line of tablets is the largest to date and brings some of the LG G3 features and functions to the larger tablet side of things.
Spec wise you are looking at a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display that is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm snapdragon processor and 1GB or RAM. It packs in 16GB of on-board storage with a removable miscro SD card slot for added storage. The rear camera is 5MP and the front facer pulls off 1.3MP. The tablet launches with Android 4.4.2 KitKat and is powered by a 8,000 mAh battery. While the over all specs aren’t high-end, top grade, need a credit card and a mortgage to purchase, the LG G Pad 10.1 has some interesting things about it. It will use the newer LG UX overlay, supports the Knockcode security options as well as QPair 2.0, which is probably one of the cooler features in my book. QPair is an app that pairs your phone to your tablet so you answer calls and texts from your tablet.
“Consumers use tablets differently from smartphones and we wanted to highlight the important role of entertainment in the new LG G Pad 10.1,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Tablets are increasingly being used as companion devices, which is why we made connecting the LG G Pad 10.1 to other devices so easy and convenient and why LG G Pad 10.1 offers the best core technologies of our G series smartphones.”
LG states the G Pad 10.1 will be available in the United States first, followed by other markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America this month. No price is mentioned as each retailer will be announcing pricing and specific dates on their own.
Via LG News Room
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Google adds thirteen new languages to Gmail
Google has just announced thirteen new accessible languages for Gmail on the web. before today Gmail was available in 58 languages, with today’s addition the total is now sitting comfortably at 71. Google states this jump covers 94% of worlds internet population and puts them one step closer to making sure that no language is left out. Here are the thirteen new additions:
- Afrikaans
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani (Azeri)
- Chinese (Hong Kong)
- French (Canada)
- Galician
- Georgian
- Khmer
- Lao
- Mongolian
- Nepali
- Sinhala
- Zulu
Google also took the time to work with linguists that speak these, and all the languages available, to ensure that they are not only translated correctly, but that they use the right characters and proper translation. They offer up an example of how Hong Kong and Taiwan both use traditional Chinese, but that inbox in Hing Kong and Taiwan are slightly different, 收件箱 vs 收件匣. That final character makes a difference to various regions, even if the base language is the same.
Via Google Official Gmail blog
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Android 4.4.4 begins roll out in India for the Moto X, G and E
Motorola has certainly been knocking things out of the park this last year and half or so. Especially when it comes to updates. While the difference between Android 4.4.3 and Android 4.4.4 is small, just some security changes, it is still an update that device owners should have as soon as possible. The Motorola India Twitter account pushed out the news on Friday that their Moto X, Moto G and Moto E will all start to see an update to Android 4.4.4 this week in India.
We’ve begun rolling out Android, KitKat, 4.4.4 for Moto E, Moto G & Moto X this week in India! Expect an update on your #Moto soon!
— Motorola India (@MotorolaIndia) July 5, 2014
They followed up with a couple of other tweets that went out this morning re-confirming that it is rolling out in stages and that the update offers up and extra layer of security while browsing the web.
Any of our readers in India with one of the mentioned Moto devices see the update yet?
Source: Motorola India Twitter via Androidguys
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Account-stealing bank machine skimmers are now virtually invisible
Bank machine skimmers, which swipe your account as you insert your card, have been getting increasingly harder to spot as the years go by; now, it looks like they’re just about undetectable. Researchers at the European ATM Security Team have found skimmers that not only fit neatly into a card slot, but do a good job of hiding any other equipment they need to steal your info. One example (shown below) combined a virtually invisible skimmer with a cleverly hidden spy camera that recorded PIN code entries. Another disguised a system that captured card info through audio, and there are now translucent mini-scanners that even a keen eye might miss.
These surreptitious gadgets may not go away for a while, either. While a number of major countries have moved on to chip-based card verification, Americans will still be relying on old-fashioned magnetic stripes for a long time. Until then, there’s no guarantee that the ATM you visit will be entirely safe, no matter how good you are at noticing discrepancies. However, you can thwart many camera-equipped skimmers simply by covering the keypad when you enter your PIN — thieves can’t take what they can’t see.
[Top image credit: AP Photo/Peter Dejong]
Source: Krebs on Security
Want to work for Engadget? We’re hiring!
We’ve been really busy here at Engadget this year, putting our hearts into delivering the best consumer technology news and features possible. We’ve also realized to keep on top of things, we could use a little bit of help — and that’s where you (or someone you know) might come in.
Are you a recent college graduate who deeply understands social media? (If you define that as “taking really good selfies,” please move along). Engadget’s Social Media Fellowship is a four-month program that will build your #skills and give you the chance to make a big impact, such as expanding our presence on Pinterest, Tumblr and Orkut. (Well, maybe not that last one). If you’re game, check out the job description and apply here.
Meanwhile, as we get ready for Engadget Expand later this year, we’re also going to need a lot of help managing the volume of applications for our Insert Coin competition. The Promotional Coordinator will be responsible for the outreach, organization and management of our Insert Coin and Indie Corner programs. This contract position will require five hours of your time per week through November. If this sounds like a fit, introduce yourself right here.
Keep in mind that due to the volume of submissions, we might not be able to respond to everyone individually. Good luck!
Isis mobile payment platform to change its name to avoid association with militant group
Near the end of 2010, a group of telecommunications and commerce businesses joined forces to form a mobile payment venture called Isis. It was a solid brand name: Short, simple and easy to remember. Unfortunately, ISIS is now associated with a militant group based in the Middle East, so the wireless company believes a branding tweak makes sense. In a blog post, CEO Michael Abbott explained: “However coincidental, we have no interest in sharing a name with a group whose name has become synonymous with violence and our hearts go out to those who are suffering. As a company, we have made the decision to rebrand.” Abbott didn’t announce what the new brand would be — we imagine that he’s working on that as we speak — but mentioned that he’d have more information to share in the coming months.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile
Source: Isis
Tim Cook’s Impact on Apple Detailed in New Profile Along With Plans for New Board Members
The Wall Street Journal has released a new profile of Apple under Tim Cook, highlighting the changes the CEO has made to the company following the long and famous reign of Steve Jobs. While most of this information was previously known, it is a solid overview of the changes Cook has introduced to Apple and it does give a few new details on Cook’s plans.
Described as a “kinder, gentler” workplace, Apple under Tim Cook has a new focus on deep collaboration between employees. Cook is said to be less involved in product development and more willing to delegate tasks to employees, expanding the roles of several executives and giving design chief Jonathan Ive more control over product development. He’s also made major moves like acquiring Beats and hiring high-profile executives like Angela Ahrendts, and he’s also said to be working on adding new board members.
According to people familiar with the company, Mr. Cook is actively seeking new directors to add to Apple’s eight-person board, known for its loyalty to Mr. Jobs. Six of the seven outside directors are aged 63 or older. Four of them have served for more than a decade, including two who have been on the board since the late 1990s: former Intuit Corp. Chief Executive Bill Campbell and J. Crew Group Inc. Chief Executive Millard S. “Mickey” Drexler.
Cook is labeled as more of a manager and less of a visionary, causing current and former Apple employees to worry that without Steve Jobs, Apple is losing its “frenetic pace and focus” on new products. Employees also worry that the company may be working on too many projects at once.
Under Mr. Cook, current and former employees say Apple may be spreading itself too thin, pursuing too many ideas and compromising the “laser focus” that Mr. Jobs used to create the iMac, iPhone and iPad.
“It was Steve’s job to say no,” one of these people said. “Tim is not as comfortable doing that.”
The Wall Street Journal‘s full report has a much more detailed comparison of Cook and Jobs and it offers insight on other changes Cook has brought to the company, including lessening its impact on the environment and pledging to match employee charity donations.
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