Log in to your Google account on the PC using your phone, no password needed
If you’re anything like me, at any given time you probably have close to a dozen or more accounts online (email, memberships to services, bank accounts, etc), all of which require a password. That means you have at least a few different passwords to memorize, as using the same password for everything isn’t exactly the most secure route to take. While a completely password-free life isn’t quite attainable just yet, Google is testing out a method that can free us from one of these passwords at least.
According to a post from Reddit user rp1226, Google is apparently testing a new feature that allows users to log into a Google account on their PC without having to input a password. As an alternative, you simply enter your email and your phone will get a notification telling you someone is trying to sign in from another device. If you let your phone know that this person is you, it’ll automatically authorize the entry – no need to enter a password.
Obviously this feature doesn’t just magically work, it first needs to be set up. For rp1225, he first got an email letting him opt into the program, and then he had to set up the option by authorizing a compatible device. After the one-time setup, he was good to go.
There’s still several unknowns to this new login option. First, it’s unclear if this feature will be rolled out to everyone in short order, or if rp1226 was just lucky enough to be given early access. Second, it’s hard to say what devices are on the compatibility list. This particular user happens to have the Nexus 6p, and it’s certainly possible that this could have been the reason he was chosen as a tester.
Regardless, this is a pretty cool feature. Personally, I don’t mind entering a password and see this as more time-consuming, but for those constantly changing passwords or those that have trouble remembering them, this could certainly come in handy.
What do you think, is this something you could see yourself using? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.
Google launches new promotion, all albums are 50% off from the Play Store in select countries
Google is offering a special treat for Play Store goers, allowing those in select countries to take 50% off any single album, including some recent big hits, such as Adele’s new album, 25.
The deal is fairly straightforward to use: just add any album you’ve been dying to get to your cart, and at checkout, Google will apply the 50% off discount.
Unlike most promotional offers from Google, this one in particular isn’t limited to the US region; consumers in the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, Brazil, France, Japan, Mexico, and Russia can all participate, too.
Google is running the promotion starting today and stated that it will last through January 4.
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Google’s interactive ‘Spotlight Stories’ come to YouTube
Google’s Spotlight Stories started life as a partnership with Motorola. The made-for-mobile 360-degree videos let viewers dive into animated worlds created by engineers and movie makers. The latest film, “Special Delivery,” arrives just in time for the holidays and was created by Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame). Unlike most VR video, Spotlight Stories use the sensors in your phone for a more interactive experience. Look away from the main character and the main story pauses, while you unlock mini stories that only play when you focus on them. Previous shows required a special app to view them, but Special Delivery is launching on directly on YouTube — as the ubiquitous video site bolsters its VR library.
Special Delivery follows a caretaker, who is disturbed by a mysterious stranger on the roof (who could it be at this time of year?). Follow him to find out who the visitor is, or cut your own story as you look elsewhere. The only downside is that the video is only optimized for a handful of Android phones (though a good number of flagships and tablets are covered), on a plus note, you can enjoy in 3D with Cardboard whatever phone you have. Check the YouTube description for the full list. If your phone didn’t make the cut, you can still watch the story — just without any of the clever stuff. Expect more videos from the project to launch on YouTube, making them more accessible, even if you don’t have the right hardware.
Source: Google (Blog), YouTube
Google and Ford rumored to announce partnership at CES; yes, it’s about self-driving cars
Google’s self-driving car systems are said to hit the public relatively soon, but so far the specifics have been vague. Google has said it will partner with other manufacturers, allowing them to use their systems. The Search Giant has also mentioned a taxi-like service that would have you thoughtlessly zipping through the city. What gives? Despite government (and public) concerns, the company has been pushing forward and it seems an important milestone is to be reached at CES 2016, this January.
A trio of anonymous internal sources are claiming Google and Ford have a partnership to announce in Las Vegas, next month. This is said to be a joint venture to work on self-driving cars, and it will come in the form of an independent company.
Google is great at creating smart systems, but people have been worried about the company’s ability to manufacture vehicles. After all, you would be trusting your life to Google every time you hop on one of their automated automobiles. And as cute as their little cars are, we would rather have a renown car maker in the labs.
Related content:
- “Google Auto” is the official name for Google’s self-driving car company
- Google reveals a real build of their self-driving car prototype
- Amazing demonstration of Google’s self-driving car
This gives us a certain level of reassurance. In addition, companies like Google, Mercedes Benz and Volvo have promised to take responsibility for accidents caused by their self-driving systems. Google has also pledged to release information on whatever accidents their driver-less cars get into. It’s important to keep people informed, and Google is certainly not falling behind in this sense.
Also, this deal is said to be non-exclusive, which makes us wonder what the plan really is. Other companies will be able to jump in on the deal? Will they have to go through both Google and Ford to join the fun? We are not quite sure, but you can bet we will find out all the details during CES. In the meantime, hit the comments and let us know if you are ready for the driver-less car revolution.
Get a 50% discount on any one album, courtesy of the Google Play Store
Have you been itching for a hot new (or not-so-new) album? Music can be pricey, but the Google Play Store is feeling very generous this holiday season and is giving you until early January to buy any one album for 50% off.
This offer is available from now until January 4th, 2016 at midnight. All you have to do is click through the link button below and the offer should be automatically applied during checkout. In the instance that it isn’t, simply use coupon code “ALBUM2015” (without the quotation marks, of course). And yes, this will work for any album… even the bad ones!
There are some limitations to keep in mind. For starters, only one album per account can be purchased at this promotional price. You must also be at least 13 years old and one of the select markets included in the promotion. This offer is only valid in “AU, BR, CA, DE, FR, GB, JP, MX, RU and US”.
Without further ado – go claim your album for 50% off the original price!
Rumor: Google and Ford will announce self-driving car hookup at CES
While Google’s doing well developing driverless cars on its own, it’s still teaming up with Ford for a new self-driving vehicle venture, according to Yahoo Autos. Since neither corporation has confirmed the information yet, we still don’t know the exact details of the partnership. Yahoo, however, says the two are building cars using Google’s technology and describes the collab as “a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing.” If you recall, Bloomberg reported a few days ago that Google wants to spin off its self-driving car division and turn it into an Uber-like business (without the driver) under Alphabet.
This might not be the only Google driverless car partnership in the works, as well: Yahoo says Mountain View is negotiating with more automakers and convincing them to use its self-driving car system. While this info hasn’t been verified yet, we don’t have to wait too long to know for sure. The two companies are reportedly planning to announce the joint venture at CES 2016 a couple of weeks from now.
Source: Yahoo
Matías Duarte is anxious for the future
Google’s vice president of design, Matias Duarte, recently sat down with Beautiful Pixels and talked about what he thinks of the current state of mobile computing and what he sees happening in the future.
Duarte told Beautiful Pixels he’s happy mobile experiences are “no longer second class computing citizens” and said the “aesthetic sophistication we’ve seen also across software design in general is also really inspiring.”
But not everything about the current state of mobile computing makes Duarte happy.
“I’m really antsy and frustrated waiting for the future,” he said, adding that he feels mobile computing has plateaued in terms of innovation. “I can’t wait for the messiness and awesomeness of the next paradigm shift.”
Duarte also said he believes mobile and desktop computing have begun to merge, citing the fact that Microsoft makes tablets that run Windows and Apple makes iPads that can be used with keyboards as evidence. But what form that “mobile/tablet/laptop/desktop convergence thing” will eventually take is unknown, he added.
“We know it’s going to happen. We know most of its attributes, but we don’t have consensus yet on the exact right solution,” he said.
Duarte had kind words for his competitors, as well, when he talked about the state of mobile design across platforms.
“I’m impressed and excited that we are in a world where so much great digital design is happening — and not just in terms of the platforms, but also the apps and web pages on those platforms,” he said.
Source: Beautiful Pixels
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Ford will build Google self-driving cars
Ford and Google are teaming up to build self-driving cars. Google plans to use their technology combined with Ford’s auto manufacturing skills to build cars for a self-driving ride sharing service. Nothing official has been said yet, but Ford will announce the partnership at CES 2016 this January.
This could not of been any better for Ford. They don’t have any self-driving cars, and only plan to start testing some on the roads this month. However, Google has been leading the way in this area with 53 test vehicles in California and Texas, and over 1.3 million miles with them. This obviously benefits Google as well since they no longer have to set up factories, order parts, or anything to do with making the cars themselves.
Also, the partnership technically is between Google and Ford, however, Ford will list it under a different name. This will be used as a legal separation from Ford in case something goes wrong, AKA, can’t sue Ford if one crashes in to you.
As I mentioned earlier, Google plans to use the cars for a ride-sharing program similar to Uber. This won’t happen right away, but that is the end goal. I also find it funny that Google invested around 250 million into Uber and will now be using their profits to destroy Uber with their own service.
Source: Yahoo
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Solitaire app removed from Google Play after Lookout discovers malware
A solitaire app in the Play Store has been flagged by Lookout as being member of the FruitSMS malware family.
Let’s allow Lookout to explain FruitSMS:
FruitSMS is a simple piece of malware that Lookout has been following for over two years. It trojanizes legitimate applications, but then charges people for otherwise free services via premium SMS. Premium SMS fraud involves tricking a person into texting a premium-rate number. The victim’s carrier then bills them for texting the number, which is then paid out to the criminal.
Google’s own measures missed picking up on the app; however, the company moved quickly to remove the app — based out of Russia — from the Play Store after Lookout made the discovery.
The number of people affected by the still-unnamed app is pretty low considering 50-100 installations were counted by the time Lookout alerted Google. Lookout is using this as another reminder to know about the developer you’re getting an app from and use a security app as backup so you don’t unknowingly harm your device and compromise personal data.
Source: Lookout
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VP9 codec coming to WebRTC courtesy of Google and Vidyo
Vidyo and Google have been working together for several years now with the majority of their work concentrating on the improvement of Google Hangouts’ video streaming capabilities. Now Google has announced that the release of Chrome version 48 will see WebRTC graduating from VP8 to VP9.
VP9 is a codec that was developed by both companies in tandem, and Google says that it will enable video calls to maintain the same high video quality at a 40% lower bitrate. The tradeoff is that it will cost about 15% extra CPU. All things considered, this seems like a pretty reasonable trade.
See also: Report: Hangouts to lose SMS integration, gain notable new features in next big update
This update will see a number of improvements to the way Chrome handles video communication. Vidyo credits the scalable coding they used to create new server architecture. This architecture “excels in environments that require large scale and/or are housed in a cloud.” It is “codec-agnostic,” meaning that the choice of codec doesn’t matter so long as the infrastructure has the scalability it needs to function.
Since Google Hangouts is becoming an increasingly popular tool for both business communications and casual interactions, it’s no surprise that Google is putting forth a serious effort to make sure that their Chrome operating system is constantly getting better and better at managing live video services. Google says they plan to continue working with Vidyo, and they foresee the cooperative relationship yielding better and better versions of Chrome going forward.
Are you a Google Hangouts user? How has your Hangouts video quality been in your opinion? What do you think of the changes to Chrome that Google and Vidyo are developing? Let us know in the comments!
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