Latest Google Maps update brings better Android Wear navigation notifications
Google is currently rolling out a pretty hefty update for its official Maps application. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade brings Android Wear users “improved navigation notifications” for when they’re using the service on-the-go, in addition to the usual multitude of stability improvements, speed optimisations and bug fixes.
Hit the break below for the full changelog.
- Hindi now supported, including voice navigation
- Improved navigation notifications on Android Wear devices
- Bug fixes
To install the update, simply open up the Play Store on your device, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on GoToMeeting. Next, hit the update button and the application will instantly start to download and install the upgrade from the Google Play servers. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code below to initiate the procedure.
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Who’d have thought the Power Mac G5 made a good bench?
Like it or loathe it, you have to admit that the design of the Power Mac G5 was a very clever way of getting around the system’s legendary thermal issues. It was no surprise that the ol’ cheesegrater was kept around for the Mac Pro, at least until last year’s solid-state revolution. But what of the numerous G5 chassis that are now lingering in attics, skips and warehouses? If you don’t want to gut one to use for your own high-end PC, then Klaus Geiger is more than happy to turn them into furniture. As part of his Benchma[(R)]c project, two G5 cases and a plank of Walnut is all you need to make a pretty nifty park bench. There’s more images down at the source, but you’ll have to excuse us, as we’re just off to put our collection of Rodrigo Alonso furniture on eBay.
Filed under: Apple
Via: The Verge
Source: Projektgalerie (Translated)
Robotic hand uses the power of static electricity to pick up objects
A cheap robotic hand developed by a company called Grabit offers something most of the other mechanical limbs we’ve seen before don’t: the ability to pick up objects using electrostatic attraction. Even if you’re not familiar with term, you’ve likely encountered the phenomenon at least once. Ever rubbed a balloon on your hair for fun, so you can stick it to the wall? How about getting plastic of bits of styrofoam stuck on your hand while handling a package? Yep, that’s all thanks to attraction caused by static electricity. Grabit’s mechanical hand takes it step further by using powered electrodes to sustain the phenomenon, as the charge naturally disappears over time. It also has the technology to prevent dust from clinging onto the fingers.
This robotic limb wasn’t made to be used by amputees, though — it’s meant for the manufacturing industry as a replacement for robots that use suction cups or other means to pick up objects. In fact, Grabit made its fingers out of flexible materials that have electrostatic properties, so it can manipulate objects of different shapes and sizes. The limb can also distribute weight more evenly than other manufacturing robots, allowing it to handle delicate materials such the components needed to assemble solar cells. Grabit presented its technology last week at the RoboBusiness conference in Boston, but if you weren’t there, you can always watch how the hand works in the videos below.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Technology Review
Amazon has made its Appstore for Android obsolete
Since its creation, the Amazon Appstore stood apart, banned from being offered in the official store for Android apps, Google Play, until now… sort of. When Amazon recently updated its main Android app, it got a new “Apps & Games” department that duplicates the content found in the standalone Appstore app — effectively making it both unnecessary and obsolete. Naturally, because Amazon’s still delivering apps outside the confines of Google Play, you need to change your device’s security settings to accept downloads from unknown sources to install them. The change is a welcome one — reducing app clutter’s a good thing — and the convenience factor afforded by this consolidation should have Amazon selling more apps. Still, we’re pretty sure that’s not enough to make up for the Fire phone’s hit to the company’s bottom line.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Amazon
Source: TechCrunch
Oppo teases another device to be announced alongside the Oppo N3, could be 4mm thick
October 29th is just around the corner, and so is the announcement of the Oppo N3. We’ve already seen our fair share of the device with its motorized, swivel camera and we know there will be two variants, one of which is made of an aluminium-lithium alloy. We’ve only been expecting one device to be announced at the event, however the above image has come out suggesting that the device could be joined by a second device. Of course, the device on the right behind the curtains is the Oppo N3 with the unmistakable swivel camera, however the device on the left is so far unidentified.
The rumour goes on to say that this new device will have the “world’s thinnest appearance” and will measure only 4mm thick. Considering the current record holder, the Gionee Elife S5.1, already comes in at a ridiculous 5.1mm thick, we’re a bit skeptical that Oppo has managed to shave off an entire 1mm somewhere, though we won’t have to wait long to see whether this rumour is true or not. Assuming the image above is to scale, and the Oppo N3 is 5.9-inches as expected, this new mystery device could be no small thing itself.
What do you think about this mystery Oppo device? Let us know your theories below in the comments.
Source: CNBeta via Phone Arena
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Here are 12 Google Calendar wallpapers to give your device that Android Lollipop feeling
With the release of another Android Lollipop developer preview, hard-working folks everywhere have been prying apart the latest operating system to try and get at all the apps that the rest of us can expect to see in the coming months. We’ve seen the new Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Games, and even had Gmail 5.0 teased. One interesting thing that has come out of all this prying, at least for wallpaper enthusiasts, is a set of 12 Google Calendar wallpapers that were found after digging through the new app. The new Calender app is apparently going to change the wallpaper based on what month it is, with each Android Lollipop-inspired wallpaper below representing a month of the year, with appropriate seasonal relevance. Check them out below – be sure to click through to the full image:
Hopefully there will be a bit of re-arrangement of the wallpapers depending on what hemisphere you’re living in. What’s best about these wallpapers is, besides looking great, is that they are all available at 3840×3840 pixels which makes them ideal for any device you decide to use them on, even 2K ones. We shouldn’t have to only see them during the month that they’re relevant in, right?
What do you think about these Google Calendar wallpapers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: AmongTech via Phone Arena
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Online Companies Using Discriminatory Online Pricing
If you enjoy online shopping (and who doesn’t?), you need to hear this news. A study of the most popular e-commerce websites done by computer scientists at Northeastern University found that price steering and discriminatory pricing is more widespread than any of us thought.
Since you might be a little confused about what this all means, let’s define our terms. Price discrimination happens when a company charges consumers more for a product when purchased online or from a certain device. Price steering happens when a consumer is directed towards expensive products when, based on his or her needs, is more fancy than necessary. The study done was adjusted for legitimate discrepancies in pricing, like location. That being said, six out of sixteen popular e-commerce sites engaged in these practices.
Some of the biggest offenders for price discrimination were travel-booking sites like Orbitz or Cheaptickets, where potential customers are routinely charged $12 more per night if they don’t have accounts with the sites. Even worse is Travelocity’s $15 increase for users of mobile operating systems other than iOS. (That’s you, dear reader.) Orbitz is considered a repeat offender, since in 2012 it was caught charging Mac users up to 30% more than PC users for their services.
Other sites like Home Depot, Expedia, and Hotels.com were directing users to products that are pricier than the consumer needs. Home Depot was found to be showing mobile-device users products $100 more than those shown to desktop users.
The issue with these discriminatory pricing and price steering practices is that they are not telling users about these practices, and taking advantage of a customer’s ignorance to earn an extra buck at mobile shoppers’ expense. Hopefully, the work done by the folks at Northeastern University will inspire some change in these business practices, or at least promote some transparency. Now that the public knows a little more about the issue, maybe we can try to convince companies like Orbitz or Travelocity to change the way they work on mobile to create a fairer, more enjoyable online shopping experience.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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TalkAndroid Daily Dose for October 24, 2014
With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!
Guides
How to beam files and photos from one phone to another with the new Android Beam in Android Lollipop
Accessories
Montblanc introduces premium accessories for the Note 4
Apps
Get in the fall spirit with Google Calendar’s new seasonal wallpapers
Google Inbox users can now invite three friends to use the service
Amazon launches App Store in main Android app
Carriers
MetroPCS offering entry-level Alcatel Onetouch Pop 7 tablet
Chrome
Inbox by Gmail shows up in Chrome Web Store
Google reassigns Sundar Pichai to oversee all of its products
Hardware
LG debuts NUCLUN processor in the G3 Screen, a Korean exclusive with a 5.9-inch screen
Home Automation
Nest thermostats add compatability with third-party home automation products
Phones
LG debuts NUCLUN processor in the G3 Screen, a Korean exclusive with a 5.9-inch screen
New OPPO teaser hints at second device
Samsung confirms the Galaxy A7 will ship with a Full HD display and 64-bit processor
Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 now available in India
Galaxy Note 4 destined to be Samsung’s best-selling smartphone yet
Montblanc introduces premium accessories for the Note 4
Samsung Galaxy S 5 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop in December
Tablets
MetroPCS offering entry-level Alcatel Onetouch Pop 7 tablet
Sony reportedly launching 12-inch tablet in 2015
Updates
Samsung Galaxy S 5 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop in December
Miscellaneous
Deezer acquires Stitcher to broaden streaming content
Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Daily Dose for October 24, 2014
Netflix has two more TV shows for 2015: ‘Bloodline’ and ‘F is for Family’
Concerned there’s not enough to watch on Netflix, or that the big studios and networks might hold stuff back for their own streaming services? Rest easy, the video streamer has plans for a slew of exclusive content over the next few years, and this week it revealed details about two more shows to go along with its latest Canadian project). First up is the new show we’d heard about from Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, the creators of Damages. The show has a name now, Bloodline, and a creepy teaser trailer (embedded after the break). Actor Kyle Chandler (probably best known for his role in Friday Night Lights) will star in the 13-episode series focusing on “a family of adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.”
Also in the works is F is for Family, an animated series created by comedian Bill Burr that’s about a different (funnier) kind of family than the one in Bloodline, and is set in the 1970s. The show is executive produced by Burr and Vince Vaughn, and will also feature voices from Laura Dern and Justin Long Before that arrives though, Burr will premiere his new stand-up special I’m Sorry You Feel That Way on Netflix December 5th. Of course, if you need something to watch this weekend, Netflix just launched a comedy special from Wyatt Cenac on Tuesday, and today it premiered E-Team, a documentary about people who investigate allegations of human rights abuses.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Netflix
Google reassigns Sundar Pichai to oversee all of its products
Sundar Pichai is no longer the face of Android, Chrome, and Google Apps. He is now the face of every Google product there is. The company has reorganized its staff and CEO Larry Page gave Pichai expanded leadership over just about everything offered by Google. According to a staff memo released internally on Friday, executives will begin reporting to Pichai rather than Page.
The reassignment of Pichai to oversee all of Google’s products is to push innovation. Having someone new at the helm of everything can inject new life into the company. Pichai is not just some random pick, though. He has been a part of the merging of Android and Chrome, bringing together mobile and web experiences.
One product that Page will not hand over to Pichai is YouTube. The video streaming service will continue to run on its own and CEO Susan Wojcicki, a longtime Google employee, will report back to Google when necessary.
Even though Page is handing over some power, he is not going anywhere. The co-founder of Google will according to Re/code, “continue to directly manage business and operations, including access and energy (a new unit run by Craig Barratt), Nest, Calico, Google X, corporate development, legal, finance and business (including ad sales).” Page will also continue to monitor the grand scheme of things for Google.
For now, Sundar Pichai’s role on paper will not change; however, that is expected considering the new wave of responsibility he is taking.
Source: Re/code
Come comment on this article: Google reassigns Sundar Pichai to oversee all of its products
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