Android Pay will arrive with Android M, handle payments via NFC
Google SVP Sundar Pichai may have tipped the company’s hand on mobile payments back in Barcelona, but he offered little detail on how the system would work. At I/O 2015, though, the folks in Mountain View served up a wealth of details on the matter, including the announcement that Android Pay would be part of the Android M release. Just like Apple Pay, transactions are sorted via NFC and your actual card number isn’t shared with merchants. Instead, it’ll use “a virtual account number” to handle payments. When it arrives, the system will be employed by over 700,000 retailers (sounds familiar) like Macy’s, Whole Foods, Walgreen’s and many more. It’ll also be used for in-app purchases, so if you’re ordering food from Chipotle or paying for an Uber ride, you’ll be able to use Android Pay there as well. And yes, web sellers can leverage the system, too.
In terms of security, the payment tech will employ your phone’s fingerprint scanner — if it has one — to pay for items from a linked MasterCard, Visa, AmEx or Discover card. What’s more, Google says it’s still working on expanding the list of banks that support Android Pay and with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to make sure that when you but a new device, it’ll be ready to work with the system out of the box. There’s no mention what’ll happen to Google Wallet just yet, but reports surfaced yesterday that it would handle sending money between individuals as the folks in Mountain View completely overhaul Android phone-driven payments. That same report mentioned loyalty programs being lumped into Android Pay, but there hasn’t been any talk of that yet either.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Official Android Blog
BBC iPlayer comes to the Wii U with GamePad viewing
These days, it’s pretty hard to find anything electronic that doesn’t have access to BBC iPlayer already. Nintendo’s Wii U is one of the most notable exceptions, but if you’ve been quietly jonesing for an iPlayer client to hit the quirky console, then jones no more. With zero fanfare marking its launch, BBC iPlayer is now available to download in the Nintendo eShop. The Wii U’s GamePad is fully supported, too, so you’re not tied to the TV screen if, you know, your tablet’s run out of battery.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: MCV, Nintendo Life
Google standardizing fingerprint IDs across Android devices
At its I/O conference, Google’s just revealed that it will standardize fingerprint ID security across Android M devices, so that manufacturers like Samsung don’t need to build their own. That means developers will be able to use an open system that lets you unlock your device, buy with Google Pay, pay at Google’s Play store and perform other common functions with your digits. The system will also be bundled in its API to help developers integrate it into third-party apps. In other words, it’ll work much like Apple’s fingerprint system already does.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Google
Project Brillo is Google’s platform for the ‘internet of things’
Google wants to be everywhere in your home, not just hiding inside your thermostats and smoke alarms. That’s why, as rumored, it’s just announced Project Brillo, a super-slim operating system that’s designed specifically for devices collectively known as the internet-of-things. If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, don’t — the company has already dipped a toe or two into this market before, with 2011’s quietly-abandoned Android@Home project. As expected, Project Brillo is based on Android, but pared down enough to operate on a wide variety of day to day (and traditionally dumb) objects — doorbells, baby cameras, ovens and so on that speak to each other via Bluetooth and WiFi.
If you were hoping for juicy, consumer-friendly details about what Project Brillo means for you, then sadly we didn’t get much — this is a developer conference after all. Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President at Google, spent most of the allotted stage time discussing Weave — the way these connected devices will communicate. Weave will allow your smart objects to define events such as unlocking or locking a door and let other devices understand what that event is, or means (door locked? Turn off the oven, etc.). There was one blessing for us regular folks though, Brillo includes tools for understanding voice commands “make me some coffee” could be all you need to do to get a cup of joe, soon(ish). How soon? Well, the developer tools for Project Brillo won’t be available until Q3 this year. Weave (for you developer types) will follow a month or two later.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Google reveals Now on Tap, its new concierge for Android M
Google’s trying to make Now even more subservient to your needs, with its next version for Android M called Now on Tap. The new features are designed to instantly help you with extra info like store hours or movie reviews without leaving an app or web page. For instance if a friend texts you with a dinner invite at a new restaurant, you can ask Now on Tap for help instantly without leaving the conversation. It’ll also create reminders on the fly about your conversations and incorporate detailed Knowledge Graph information into the tool.
In another example, if a pal sends you an email expressing interest in a new movie (Ex Machina, sounds appropriate) you can instantly invoke Now by holding the “home” button to get ratings, purchase tickets or watch a preview. Finally, Google said that developers don’t need to do anything special to get Now on Tap to work with their app, as long its indexed by Google. Now on Tap is married with Android M, so expect to see it as soon as the OS arrives.
Don’t miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Google
Google Photos offers unlimited storage for mobile and web
Google is launching a standalone, unlimited photo- and video-hosting service called Google Photos. This is a “home” and an organizational system for all of your selfies, videos and other pictures, Director of Google Photos Anil Sabharwal announced today at Google I/O. Google Photos is a free — and, again, unlimited — service, and it’s available right now on Android, iOS and the web.
Rumors of Google’s separate photo service hit the ‘net earlier in May and we got a peek at a new, non-Google+ Android Photos app just last week.
Developing …
Google officially announces Android M, preview coming today!
It was only a year ago now that Android Lollipop, then known as Android L, was first shown off to the world. Bringing Material Design and tons of under the hood improvements, Android L was the biggest change Android had seen in years, but the tech world doesn’t hold still. Today at Google I/O, Android M was officially unveiled!
Just like with Android Lollipop’s I/O announcement last year, the final candy-flavored naming convention and release version number have yet to be outed, though we can expect these details to be divulged with the final release later this year.
Android Lollipop’s biggest call to fame was Material Design, which offered a new look and feel for Android. Beyond this, there were also a ton of under the hood changes such as the adoption of 64-bit support and the movement to ART as the default runtime. Android M keeps Material Design at the front and center, and at first glance feels like a much more humble upgrade than its predecessor. But don’t let this fool you, there are still plenty of improvements and additions with M with Google aiming to squash tons of bugs and simplify certain features to make our lives easier.
One of the biggest changes is granular permissions support with Android M. In short, you now can approve permissions as you first encounter them, instead of merely granting all permissions when you first install an app. You’ll also be able to go into settings and add and revoke certain permissions whenever you see fit. The only downside to this new system is that it requires to Android M SDK, and therefore legacy apps won’t allow these granular control until they are further updated.
That’s just the beginning of Android M, with M also introducing improved battery life through a new feature calling dozing, simplified volume control that improves the somewhat wonky controls from Lollipop support for Type C USB, and so much more. Google is also improving the payment process with Android Pay, which will play nicely with Android M’s integrated fingerprint reading abilities — making it even easier to make safe, secure transactions from the phone.
With the announcement unfolding only moments ago (at the time of this writing), we are still digging in deep — so stay tuned to this page as we’ll be adding more over the next few hours.
We can tell you that a developer preview is heading our way later today for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Player with Q3 release expected for the final software.
….. Developing …
Chrome Custom Tabs lets you use Chrome as your app browser
Google’s I/O 2015 keynote is happening right now and the company’s VP of Engineering, Dave Burke, has just announced a new feature for Android M: Chrome Custom Tabs.
A lot of apps use their own in-app internet browser to display content – or present a popup that lets you choose which browser to use – but Google wants to consolidate everything through its Chrome browser. On its new G4 flagship, LG’s close relationship with Google resulted in Chrome being the only browser and the Mountain View-based company wants to make Chrome the default browser for everyone.
Using the example of pinterest, Chrome Custom Tabs will allow you to load the Chrome browser on top of your app in a custom tab that has the same color as your app. The seamless experience doesn’t stop there as you can add buttons and also specify other content to go into Chrome’s overflow button. There are also options to prefetch content and you can also use Chrome’s existing passwords, autofill data and security to ensure a completely integrated experience.
Chrome Custom Tabs is available now on the dev channel and will be launching to consumers in Q3 later this year.
Google is bringing granular app permissions control to Android M
Earlier this morning we reported on the news that Google would be announcing granular permission controls at Google I/O 2015, and that’s exactly what happened during this morning’s keynote. Google has just announced Android M, and a big part of the new version of the OS is more user control over individual app permissions.
Up until now, when installing an app, you granted permission for everything with no control over exactly what you were approving. With the new system, you’ll be asked to approve each category of permissions the first time the app tries to access that feature of your phone, instead of approving all of them upon installation of the app. Users will be able to allow or deny app access to six different permissions – contacts, phone, camera, location, microphone and SMS.
You’ll also be able to modify app permissions on the fly. Simply head to the app’s settings menu, and you’ll be able to edit what permissions that app has access to.
This news was just announced a few moments ago, so stay tuned to this post over the next few hours as we compile more details on Android M’s new app permission controls.
…Developing…
HBO Now coming to the Google Play Store – from Google I/O 2015
One of the most popular television stations that have made it hard for would-be cord cutters to let go of their big cable bill is HBO. This may all change soon, with HBO Now coming to the Google Play Store, allowing you to enjoy your favorite HBO shows on your Android device or Chromecast.
We are fans of Game of Thrones around here, particularly with the ongoing seasons of the TellTale Games Game of Thrones series. Recently, Season 4 was released of the game, and we are now looking forward to catching season 5 and more of the television show on our Android tablets.
For more info, make sure you hit up the HBO Now website, or stay tuned for more access through the Google Play Store.
We have ongoing coverage of Google I/O 2015, hang out and see what is new from Google this year.
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