Google Search to sidestep app installation for in-app results
Google never ceases to amaze in coming up with neat ways to retrieve information that you care about. Today, Google shared something cool in-work that will expand the reach of Google Search on your mobile device.
There is often valuable information buried within apps that many users miss out on because they don’t know about that app or have installed. Google partially addressed this in the past, by indexing the content of apps so that the web search could provide similar pertinent information. However, if a match to the app’s results could not be found on the web, then the information wouldn’t get to the user.
Google has been trying to patch up that hole and has developed a way for Search to tap into app content and output the in-app results, without the user having the app installed.
“For example, if you need a hotel for your spur-of-the-moment trip to Chicago, search results will now include results from the HotelTonight app. Or if you’re thinking about visiting Arches National Park, you will now find details about the 18-mile scenic drive from the Chimani app.“
This is certainly pretty cool. Everyone has a different set of apps they regularly use. So this method will take away that factor that could inhibit us from getting useful information.
But that’s not it, Google wants to also be able to “stream” apps (allow users to navigate app content without having it installed). Using that HotelTonight app example, Google says you’ll even be able to complete a booking via streaming it, just as if were using the app itself.
You may have a question over app compatibility, which would be rightly so. This project is in the early stages. Google states, “This uses a new cloud-based technology that we’re currently experimenting with.” There are only a small group of partners at the moment – HotelTonight, Chimani, Daily Horoscope, and New York Subway. But look out for expansion of the feature in the future.
Source: Google Blogspot
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Zano mini drone project shuts down following delays
The Zano mini drone project held a lot promise: not only was it supposed to make camera drones affordable, but it was Europe’s most successful Kickstarter campaign to date. Unfortunately, though, all those hopes have just come crashing down. Torquing Group is shutting down the tiny UAV project and liquidating its corporate assets. Simply put, the company didn’t have much choice between delays (Zano was supposed to ship in June) and internal strife — its CEO had resigned a week earlier due to a mix of health problems and “irreconcilable differences.”
Via: BBC
Source: Kickstarter
Apple Pay Launches in Australia for American Express Cardholders
Apple Pay has launched in Australia in partnership with American Express, expanding iPhone-based mobile payments to a fourth country following Canada earlier this week. The service can be used at Coles, Harvey Norman, Kmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Woolworths and other select Australian stores that accept American Express and have NFC-equipped payment terminals.
American Express cardholders can add credit cards in the Wallet app on iOS 9.1 by tapping the “Add Credit or Debit Card” option. This functionality may still be rolling out to all iPhones set to Australia under Settings > General > Language & Region, but should be live for all Australian users by Thursday evening.
American Express is not as popular or widely accepted as MasterCard or Visa in Australia, but the partnership could place pressure on negotiations between Apple and Australian banks like Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac. Bank-issued debit and credit cards do not support Apple Pay in Australia at this time.
#ApplePay day is here in Australia. pic.twitter.com/8C5XfSnpWv
— Mike Boyd (@mike_boyd) November 18, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAustralia, like Canada and many European countries, has been well prepared for Apple Pay, as many retailers and businesses have the required contactless payments infrastructure in place. The country has also adopted Chip-and-PIN cards, and Apple Pay is a natural extension of that functionality.
Apple has slowly rolled out Apple Pay since announcing the service, starting with the U.S. in October 2014 and expanding to the U.K. last July. Beyond Australia and Canada, Apple is also partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year.
Apple Pay recently gained support for Tesco Bank and TSB in the U.K. and over 90 new participating U.S. issuers. Yesterday, Apple confirmed that Apple Pay support is also coming to Domino’s and Cinnabon in the U.S. by yearend and 2016 respectively. Starbucks, KFC and Chili’s locations will adopt Apple Pay next year.
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NY Attorney General targets Yahoo’s daily fantasy sports next
Yahoo is no stranger to fantasy sports, and its foray into daily fantasy games grabbed the attention of regulators in New York. The internet company is being included in the inquiry into daily fantasy sports by the New York Attorney General’s office. Yahoo was subpoenaed alongside DraftKings and FanDuel as Attorney General Eric Schneiderman looks to ban the games in his state. A distant third in the world of daily fantasy, Yahoo launched its version in July and continues to accept payments in the state of New York. However, the company shut down its daily fantasy option in Florida last month after an investigation of the industry began by a federal grand jury. With Schneiderman looking into other operators besides the two top names, it seems his goal is to rid New York of daily fantasy sports entirely and classify the games as gambling. And if he’s successful, it’ll be interesting to see if other states follow suit.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Source: Fortune, New York Times
Garmin’s working on an Android streaming stick for your TV
Although Garmin is mostly known for its GPS navigation systems, the company recently started expanding its scope to other things like wearables. Now, according to FCC documents, Garmin looks to be ready to introduce an Android-powered media stick. As Liliputing reports, Garmin’s Vivohub 2 (pictured below) is described as a device that can turn your dumb TV into a smart one — similar to products such as the Google Chromecast or Roku Streaming Stick. Strangely enough, the leaked user’s manual suggests the Vivohub 2 runs 4.2 Jelly Bean, which is far from being the freshest version of Android. In addition to that, the stick is said to come with a 1GHz Amlogic AML826 dual-core processor, ARM Mali-400 graphics, 1GB of RAM and support for both Bluetooth and WiFi.
Source: Liliputing
Google search can stream apps to your Android phone
Ever found something on the web that would be better-served by an app, but didn’t relish the thought of downloading the app to give it a shot? Google clearly has: as part of a broader mobile search revamp, it’s introducing app streaming on Android phones. Search results from certain sites (such as Chimani or HotelTonight) will give you streamed versions of their mobile apps that let you do everything you need without a permanent download. Think of it as Nextbit’s cloud-based app management taken to the next level — you only need to ‘install’ that app for that brief moment when you really need it. The feature is still in beta testing with a handful of titles right now, but Google is promising to expand the selection over time.
Source: Google Inside Search
Facebook is testing a new set of tools for nonprofits
Facebook wants to make it easier for nonprofits to collect donations and spread awareness of their causes. The social media giant recently announced that it’s testing a new feature called “fundraisers”, a dedicated channel found on a nonprofit’s Facebook page. It lets charities tell their story, gather supporters, collect donations and track progress all from the one place. People who want to help can give money and share the nonprofit’s information with their friends, with the existing Donate button included in each shared post, meaning folks don’t have to leave their News Feed in order to support a cause. The button is also going to appear at the top of Pages, giving nonprofits more opportunity to raise money. These new features are currently being tested with 37 partner organizations and should expand to others “in the future”.
Source: Facebook
Samsung Pay reportedly set to launch in China, Spain and the UK early next year
Samsung Pay has seen a pretty limited rollout since its launch a few months ago, but the company’s mobile payment service might soon start rolling out to more regions. According to a new report out of SamMobile, the South Korean company is planning to bring Samsung Pay to China, Spain and the U.K. sometime in Q1 2016. An exact rollout date has yet to be confirmed. Currently the service is only available in the United States and South Korea, so the rollout to these new regions will certainly be welcome additions.
See also: Report: Samsung’s budget smartphones to get fingerprint readers and Samsung Pay (NFC)
Samsung Pay originally launched on the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ back in August in Korea, and came to the United States just one month later. The company’s Gear S2 smartwatch recently got an update that brought support for the payment service, though it only supports payments through NFC. And now with the addition of Verizon, all four major U.S. carriers (along with U.S. Cellular) support Samsung Pay.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Samsung Pay uses both NFC and MST to make mobile payments. You’ll need a VISA, MasterCard or American Express card from Bank of America, Citi or U.S. Bank in order to use the service at the moment, but Samsung says support for more banks and cards will be added in the near future.
Devices that support Samsung Pay
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Google will now let you stream apps directly from Google Search
Google has been trying to keep Google Search, one of its biggest money-makers, relevant ever since the adoption of applications became widespread. Now that everyone is spending most of their time inside apps on their mobile devices, there are a diminishing amount of reasons for users to use Google Search as opposed to simply opening up an app. The company began indexing content of applications about two years ago, allowing users of Google Search to find the best results whether they’re inside an app or on the web. And now that Google has over 100 billion deep links into apps in its index (including Facebook, Instagram and others), the company is finally taking the next step to bring users something truly unique.
Google today announced that it will begin showing some “app-first” content inside Google Search. For starters, Google will now not only display results inside Search that has matching web content, but also show info from apps that don’t have matching web content. This means that if you search for a hotel reservation, you’ll not only get information from HotelTonight.com, but also the HotelTonight mobile application.
Additionally, you’ll also start seeing an option to “stream” some apps that you don’t have installed, right from Google Search (as long as you’re on a good Wi-Fi connection). Once you see the “Stream” button next to the HotelTonight app result, you’ll get a streamed version of the app so you can quickly find what you need, just as if you were in the app itself. If you want to go one step further, you can then install the app to your device with one simple click. Google says this streaming method uses a new cloud-based technology with which they’re currently experimenting.
See also: Google is trying to get inside apps – how and why
Google says it’s exploring both of these new ways to search with a small group of partners including HotelTonight, Chimani, Daily Horoscope and New York Subway. More partners will be added to this list in the future.
Apple Seeds Fourth iOS 9.2 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 9.2 to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the third iOS 9.2 beta and a full month after releasing iOS 9.1 to the public. As a .1 upgrade, iOS 9.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 9.
The fourth beta of iOS 9.2, build 13C5075, is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta testers can download the update over the air. Apple has also released Xcode 7.2 beta 4.
Earlier betas of iOS 9.2 included changes to the Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used in third-party apps. In iOS 9.2, Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.
Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function. The second iOS 9.2 improved Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.
Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces Arabic support for Siri, support for AT&T’s NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and it includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.
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