Go Time! Episode 2: Love at the Dog Park

Welcome back to our weekly Pokemon Go Podcast!

Our Instinct, Mystic, and Valor team members have returned for another episode of Go Time! to talk about everything happening in the world of Pokemon Go. There are tales of Dog Parks, tips on how to use web apps to give you an edge in the game, and some helpful suggestions on upgrading your phone on the cheap if you’ve discovered your existing hardware isn’t quite enough to get you though a Pokemon Go session.

We’re here to help and have fun, and we hope you subscribe!

• Google Play
• Soundcloud
• iTunes
• Or add us to your podcatcher of choice!

You can also join our Facebook page to keep up on all things Pokémon Go. See you in the world!

Pokémon Go

• Join our Pokémon Go forums!
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• Which team should you choose?
• How to play without killing your battery
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!

Kevin Spacey is investing in a mysterious gaming smartphone startup, Wonder

A new report claims to have some information on a startup called Wonder. The company is apparently working on a gaming-themed smartphone and counts actor Kevin Spacey among its investors.

At the moment, the official Wonder website is pretty bare bones, with an astronaut helmet logo and a “Coming Soon” label, along with an email address signup bar to get more updates as they are revealed. TechCrunch says it has a little more information on Wonder’s plans:

According to sources close to the team, Wonder plans to create a smartphone for gamers. Apparently the goal is to build an object so futuristic, it becomes a style icon, starting conversations wherever users go.

The article adds that some of the other investors in Wonder include Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, former NBA Commissioner David Stern and former Facebook COO Owen Van Natta. Wonder currently has a 30-person team and it just hired Tyler Carper, who worked as VP of Engineering at both HTC and more recently Cyanogen:

Carper says “I love the idea of innovating and disrupting the fast changing environment around mobile technology and entertainment. It’s one of the biggest consumer market opportunities in the world”, implying a gaming-focused phone is indeed Wonder’s product.

What do you think Wonder might be up to? Let us know your speculation in the comments!

CEO of Cyanogen says it will remain an OS company

Kirt McMaster, the CEO of Cyanogen, has denied recent reports that the company is switching its strategy to apps, saying, “We are an OS company and our mission of creating an Open Android stands.”

Late last week, rumors hit the internet that Cyanogen had laid off as many as 20% of its team members. McMaster admitted to some layoffs, without revealing specific numbers, on his Twitter account:

really sad we had to let go of some wonderful folks this week. startups and disruption are brutal.

— Kirt McMaster (@cyanogenone) July 23, 2016

Those same reports suggested Cyanogen was going to work more on apps rather than its alternative smartphone OS as part of a shift in its business. Today, McMaster posted again on Twitter to deny those rumors:

Cyanogen NOT pivoting to apps. We are an OS company and our mission of creating an OPEN ANDROID stands. FALSE reporting was outstanding.

— Kirt McMaster (@cyanogenone) July 25, 2016

The Cyanogen OS has made its way in a few phones, most notably those made by OnePlus, but it has yet to have a huge impact on the market.

Save on Chromebooks, Chromecast, and more in the Google Store’s back to school sale

The back to school shopping season is here, and the Google Store has now marked the occasion with a number of deals on Chromebooks, Chromecasts and more. Of particular interest are the deals on select Chromebooks, which include $30 off on both the Acer Chromebook R11 and the Acer Chromebook 14. For those keeping track, that drops the Chromebook R11 down to just $280, while the Chromebook 14 comes in at $270.

If an Android Wear watch is more your style, Google is also advertising a $50 price cut on both the Huawei Watch and the Huawei Watch Jewel and Elegant, bringing prices down to $350 and $450, respectively.

Lastly, you can pick up a Chromecast or Chromecast Audio for a $5 discount, bringing the price of each down to just $30. Google is also advertising a $100 drop on the price of the Nexus 6P, which is a continuation of a previous deal.

Are you planning to pick anything up from this back to school sale? Be sure to give the sale a look and let us know in the comments what you think!

See at the Google Store

Google brings spam call protection to some Nexus and Android One phones

Google is rolling out an update for the Android phone app that will warn you about spam callers. The update, currently for Nexus or Android One phones on Marshmallow, lets you block and report these numbers.

From Nexus on Google+:

Today, we’re beginning to update your Google Phone app with spam protection on #Nexus and #AndroidOne devices to warn you about potential spam callers and give you the ability to block and report these numbers. If you already have Caller ID turned on, spam protection will be available on your phone once your app updates to the latest version.

Spam call protection will be turned on in the phone app by default. In addition to new incoming calls, you will also be able to mark old calls as spam in your Recent calls section in the app.

Google Maps rolls out a cleaner look and adds areas of interest

Google Maps is getting a makeover in an update that’s currently rolling out to its mobile apps as well as on the desktop. It will offer a cleaner look to the maps themselves while also adding new “areas of interest”.

In a blog post, Google stated:

The world is full of information, which means highlighting necessary info on the map without overcrowding it is a balancing act. So as part of this update, we’ve removed elements that aren’t absolutely required (like road outlines). The result is a cleaner look that makes it easier to see helpful and actionable information like traffic and transit. And we’ve improved the typography of street names, points of interest, transit stations, and more to make them more distinguishable from other things on the map, helping you navigate the world with fewer distractions.

The update also includes new orange spots that represent large concentrations of places like restaurants, bars and shops:

To find an “area of interest” just open Google Maps and look around you. When you’ve found an orange-shaded area, zoom in to see more details about each venue and tap one for more info. Whether you’re looking for a hotel in a hot spot or just trying to determine which way to go after exiting the subway in a new place, “areas of interest” will help you find what you’re looking for with just a couple swipes and a zoom.

Finally, the update includes some changes to the maps’ colors so that users can quickly identify man-made and natural features, along with a better way to find important locations like schools, hospitals and more.

Apple brought back a longtime executive to oversee its car project

One of the highly-regarded executives that helped make Apple what it is today has returned to the company to head up a secretive car project.

Bob Mansfield, who join Apple in 1999, has been appointed to oversee Project Titan, according to The Wall Street Journal, and all senior managers working on Apple’s rumoured electric vehicle will report to him. The executive technically retired from his full-time post at Apple in 2012, but he stayed on in a minimal capacity and has made regular appearances on campus as an adviser.

He previously served as senior vice president of Technologies and worked on Apple’s “Special Projects” team. He’s also one of the few executives to frequently appear – with Jony Ive, Apple’s design chief – in Apple’s product videos, as he was instrumental in the development of Apple’s most flagship products, including the MacBook Air, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Employees at Apple have apparently noticed in the company directory that all the senior managers on the car project have begun reporting to Mansfield, whereas Dan Riccio, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, was thought to be overseeing Project Titan. Steve Zadesky also had a senior role on the project, leading one of multiple teams, but he left for personal reasons in 2014.

Project Titan is kind of a mix bag right now in terms of talent. Apple has reportedly recruited tonnes of people to work on Apple Car, the rumoured name for its vehicle, including engineers from Tesla, Ford, GM, and others. The electric vehicle should be ready to roll by 2021 and is currently being developed at an R&D facility in Sunnyvale, California, according to several reports.

Apart from being electric, the car is presumed to have a unique design and autonomous capabilities. You can read more speculation about the upcoming vehicle from Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up.

• Tim Cook on Apple Car: ‘It’s going to be Christmas Eve for a while’
• Apple Car has 2019 ship date but likely won’t be fully autonomous
• Apple Car should have Tesla very worried indeed

There’s now a Tinder-like dating app for Pokemon Go players

Now is your chance to catch the Pokemon Go player of your dreams.

PokeMatch is a new Android and iOS app that lets you match with other people who play Pokemon Go. It’s Tinder-like in that it has a swipe-left or swipe-right function when browsing for people, which is something that has become pretty standard in dating apps. You can also define your age and whether you’re looking for men, women, both, or just a friend. You can also choose to meet someone from team Valor, Mystic, etc.

When you find a match, PokeMatch lets you designate a PokeStop so that you and your perfect someone can meet up. The app has only been live for a few days and has supposedly already created more than 10,000 matches. Pim de Witte, co-creator of the app, said PokeMatch is seeing insane growth: “Something I’ve never seen before is happening to us, and it is feeling kind of surreal.”

“People are using our app all over the world. With the launch of our new iOS app, we hope to connect every single Pokemon Go player,” he added. “It’s not just a hook-up app, PokeMatch and Pokemon GO create actual connections between people, completely for free.”

If you’ve never used Tinder, PokeMatch works like this: when two users swipe right on each other, they match, which then opens up a chat stream, where the two users can talk and set up a (hopefully safe) place and time to meet. It uses Facebook’s login API, so you’re profile photo will appear as your default photo to start with, but from there, you can customise your pics and preferences.PokeMatch is free to download and use. Now go catch ’em all.  

• Programmer uses software to like every woman on Tinder
• Tinder Moments adds Snapchat-like feature for 24-hour picture fun
• Tinder dating app to soon verify celebrity users