Google issues an apology for insulting Maps mess up
Google Maps has been experiencing a ton of issues lately. A couple of weeks ago, a “clever” Google Maps user submitted an image of the Android mascot peeing on an Apple logo, which forced Google to shut down editing in the Map Maker program to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. The Google Maps team apologized for the incident, and we all moved on. Then just a few days ago, users discovered that typing an offensive term into Maps would bring you straight to the White House. Obviously this isn’t okay, and Google knows it.
The company has just released a sincere apology for the most recent mishap, and explains that it’s taking great steps to ensure slip ups like this won’t happen again. Jen Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Engineering & Product Management at Google explains:
At Google, we work hard to bring people the information they are looking for, including information about the physical world through Google Maps. Our ranking systems are designed to return results that match a person’s query. For Maps, this means using content about businesses and other public places from across the web. But this week, we heard about a failure in our system—loud and clear. Certain offensive search terms were triggering unexpected maps results, typically because people had used the offensive term in online discussions of the place. This surfaced inappropriate results that users likely weren’t looking for.
Google says that it’s started to update its ranking system to address the majority of these errors, and that the fixes will roll out to users overtime.
Apple Transit maps could be coming to iOS 9
9to5Mac, citing unnamed sources, reports that Apple is potentially gearing up to release its updated Transit service — the same one it nixed immediately before last year’s WWDC event — with iOS 9. Transit acts as an add-on layer to Apple’s existing Maps program providing accurate navigation instructions for public transportation systems. This functionality hasn’t been available as a part of the official built-in app ever since Apple switched to its own service instead of using Google’s.
Transit will reportedly also offer a host of additional UI tweaks when it’s released, in addition to those bus, train and subway routes. That includes larger icons, a trip-planning feature and “transit view” — an alternative to the existing Standard, Hybrid, and Satellite/Flyover shots. iOS 9 is scheduled to debut at WWDC 2015 so we’ll have to wait until June to see if Transit actually does make the cut this year.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Apple
Source: 9to5 Mac
Hangouts for Chrome updated with much more refined UI
Google has just released an update to its Hangouts for Chrome application which brings an interface that looks much more like the Hangouts Android app. As you can see in the screenshot above, the app now features a two column layout. The leftmost panel shows all of your recent contacts/messages and the rightmost panel shows your current conversation. You can also open up a pop-out window for individual conversations – a feature that was present in the past version, but definitely looks nicer now.
The new interface is available now on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS. For those of you who are using Windows, Linux or Chrome OS and would like to get the new look, head to your settings menu and choose “Disable transparent UI”. If the changes haven’t made their way to your device yet, they should within the next day or so.
Android M may feature native fingerprint authentication
We’ve been seeing more and more Android device manufacturers include fingerprint scanners in their smartphones as of late. Samsung’s most recent Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have them, as well as a few lesser-known handsets like the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 or HTC’s One max. But since Google hasn’t introduced a standard for fingerprint recognition technology into Android quite yet, all of the current scanners found in Android devices today were built by OEMs. But according to a few reports around the web, Google may end up introducing native fingerprint authentication in its next version of Android.
Read more: What will Android M bring?
According to both Buzzfeed and Ars Technica, a standard for fingerprint recognition tech could be introduced in Android M, which will be announced at Google I/O 2015. In fact, we’d be very surprised if it wasn’t announced sometime soon, seeing as how hints of a fingerprint recognition API have been previously found in AOSP. Additionally, ex-CEO of Motorola Dennis Woodside admitted that the little dimple found on the back of the Nexus 6 was supposed to feature a fingerprint scanner, but Motorola ultimately decided to pass because Apple bought the good fingerprint scanning company.
When talking of all ecosystems, the fingerprint scanners found in the iPhone 5S, 6 and 6 Plus have been the ones to beat. Samsung has caught up with Apple’s efforts with this year’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but not many other manufacturers have been able to keep up in terms of reliability. So, if Google ends up announcing the new fingerprint authentication standard in Android M at Google I/O, not only will we start seeing these technologies come to Nexus devices, we’ll begin to see more OEMs adopt these security features as well.
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It’s unlikely that we’ll see any new hardware at the annual developer conference, so we’ll probably need to wait until the next Nexus announcement (or announcements!) to see the new standard in action. Remember, Google I/O takes place May 28th and 29th, so we don’t have too much longer to wait.
Razer’s latest gaming mouse mat is a light-up wonderland
Think your mouse pad is a little lifeless? Razer thinks it can spruce things up. Its new Firefly gaming mat is ringed with customizable lighting that can glow and pulse in 16.8 million colors. It’ll even sync with Razer’s Chroma-badged peripherals, if you’re bent on putting on a coordinated show. The Firefly will undoubtedly be one of the most expensive mouse pads you could buy when it ships in June for $60, but you could easily justify the expense if you already have a flashy PC case sitting under your desk.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Source: Razer
Firefox will look at your history to show Suggested Tile ads
Starting next week, Firefox beta users will start seeing “Suggested” tiles whenever they open a new tab. These are ad tiles clearly marked as such (see bottom left above), which are a separate entity from the Directory tiles Mozilla launched in 2014. See, Directory tiles are randomly selected ads that appear in your new tab if you’ve just installed or reinstalled the Firefox browser. Suggested tiles, on the other hand, are based on your browser history. Yep, the program will look at what you’ve been visiting online to deliver relevant ads — in these codes that TechCrunch found, for instance, you’ll see that visiting Engadget tells Firefox that you’re interested in technology.
The non-profit swears it won’t peek at your personal data or third-party info, and that you’ll be able to switch the feature off whenever you want. If the beta testing does well, the program will make its way to stable Firefox browsers later in the summer. Since Directory tiles are also slated for a wider release, you’ll likely see more than one type of tile ad before the year ends.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Mozilla (1), (2)
SFW ‘Playboy Now’ app is only here for the articles
19 million people visit Playboy.com every month, 80 percent of which reportedly coming via mobile devices. In response to that demand, Playboy magazine has released a new mobile-centric app that gives its rabid fanbase exactly what they want: Buzzfeed-style listicles and light reading. Wait, what?
The app makes its way into the Android and iOS stores by dropping its famed nude pics — which never would have passed iTunes muster anyway — and focusing on written content instead. “We have a very engaged audience on mobile and about three-fourths comes after 4 p.m. So we are building this optimized experience for these guys who are coming back every day and there are millions of them,” Phillip Morelock, Playboy senior vice president and chief product officer told USA Today. The unfathomably Safe For Work app features a smattering of easy-to-digest content including clever lists, video clips and offbeat news. But no nudity. Seriously, you’ll see more skin on Game of Thrones than you will on this app.
[Image Credit: Cindy Ord via Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google
Source: Playboy Mobile
Google could bring fingerprint authentication with the next iteration of Android
Right after the Nexus 6 was launched last year, reports suggested that the dimple containing the Motorola logo on the back of the smartphone was originally supposed to house a fingerprint scanner. But unfortunately, Google was believed to have changed its mind at the very last minute.
And now, new reports suggest that Google might go ahead and bake in support for fingerprint authentication with the upcoming Android M release, making it easier for OEMs to implement the feature with their devices.
This feature will apparently allow access to all of Google’s services without requiring a password. We’re guessing that Google will also encourage third party apps to bake in support for fingerprint authentication with their apps.
This also indicates that the next Nexus device will probably showcase the new feature as the Nexus smartphone of the year usually debuts with the latest version of Android. Google will host the annual I/O developer conference next week where the feature will supposedly be discussed in detail.
Do you welcome this news?
Via: Buzzfeed
Come comment on this article: Google could bring fingerprint authentication with the next iteration of Android
Google sold over 5.7 million Chromebooks in 2014: Report
Research firm Gartner has claimed that over 5.728 million units of the Google Chromebooks were sold last year, speaking volumes about the success of the platform. It is said that 72 percent of these units were sold or offered to educational institutions, which is encouraging news for Google.
Chromebooks have always been preferred by users who rely on cloud services, even more so if they’re hooked onto Google’s ecosystem. And with Android integration being cooked in recently, Chromebooks are turning out to be quite an attractive proposition to those who get most of their job done from the cloud.
Of course, Google would want more consumers to get their hands on Chromebooks, but that feat cannot be achieved overnight. One of the crucial factors in the success of the Chromebooks has been the pricing offered by Google, with most of them falling under the $250-300 range.
The research firm predicted Chromebook sales to grow even further in the coming years with 7.288 million expected to be sold this year and 7.953 million units the next year.
“The majority of Chromebook users are tech-savvy individuals who purchase one as a companion device to their primary notebook or desktop PC. Others are buying a Chromebook for the household to use as a second low-cost PC alternative,” said Isabelle Durand, principal analyst at Gartner.
“The major factors that affect the adoption of Chromebooks by consumers remain the connectivity issue in emerging markets, but also the ability for users to understand and get used to cloud-based applications, and keep content in the cloud and ecosystem.”
Source: Gartner
Come comment on this article: Google sold over 5.7 million Chromebooks in 2014: Report
Adobe will discontinue Photoshop Touch on May 28th
When Adobe launched Photoshop Touch in the Google Play Store a few years ago, it was meant to be an all-in-one editing tool that felt similar to Photoshop on the desktop. Although it was a difficult sell at $9.99 for most users, it actually did a pretty good job at mirroring the experience you’d find on the desktop. Fast forward to today, and the company has been focusing much of its efforts on new applications and editing tools for mobile and on the desktop. Because these tools have proven themselves as worthy replacements over the past months, Adobe has just announced that its pulling Photoshop Touch from the Google Play Store on Thursday, May 28th.
The company won’t be shipping out anymore updates to the app, but Photoshop Touch users who don’t want to jump ship will still be able to use the application in its entirety. All hope isn’t lost for Android users, though. Adobe explains:
Photoshop Touch was available across platforms and so I’d like to leave all of you on Android with some good news – we’re actively developing new mobile applications for Android and will share those with you very soon.
The Adobe team also has plans to bring a “serious retouching solution” to mobile, codenamed Project Rigel. Expected to be officially unveiled in late 2015, Project Rigel is shown off in the demo video below having no problem editing a massive 50MP image. Details are a bit scarce on this new project for now, but to tide you over until an official announcement takes place, check out the demo below:
Be sure to download the application from the Google Play Store before it’s gone for good! Any folks out there still using Photoshop Touch?
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