PSA: You can now use Inbox for Desktop to compose emails to mailto: links
Here’s some good news for Inbox users. Starting today, you’ll be able to set the client as your default option for composing emails to addresses clicked on in Google Chrome. Getting set up is simple. Just head on over to inbox.google.com, click on the sharing symbol to the right of the URL and select allow from the dropdown list.
Are you going to be taking advantage of this feature? Be sure to let us know in the comments section.
Come comment on this article: PSA: You can now use Inbox for Desktop to compose emails to mailto: links
Google’s Chromecast Audio beams music to multiple rooms
If you’re been eyeing Google’s Chromecast Audio for your holiday shopping spree, Mountain View just added some new features to sweeten the deal. First, the $35 gadget now supports high-res audio with 6KHz/24 bit lossless playback. This means that if you have the proper audiophile-grade setup, you can expect to hear better than CD quality music coming through your speakers.
Next, and perhaps more importantly, you can use Chromecast Audio to create a multi-room system over WiFi similar to the likes of Sonos and others. As you might expect, you’ll need one of the dongles in each room you plan to beam music to, but once they’re in place, you can use the Chromecast app to group them. Once they’re all connected together, simply cast the audio to your speakers just like you would to a single unit. To take advantage of the new features, update to the latest version of the Chromecast app on iTunes or Google Play.
Source: Google Chrome Blog
Google’s group payments let anyone in your family buy apps
Yesterday, Google launched a Play Music plan that lets up to six family members listen to music for $15 a month. But it also quietly unveiled another interesting feature: Family groups and payments. You first set up a family group by inviting your kin or friends, then add a family payment method that’s separate from your personal payments. From there, any member of the group can buy content without your say-so, though you will get an email confirmation for each purchase.
You have to be 18 to sign up, and purchases are limited to apps, books, movies, games, TV shows and magazines. Family members can’t buy devices from the Google Store or use it with Android Pay. In-app purchases are also disabled by default, so your idiot nephew can’t make you the not-so-proud owner of a lollipop hammer. You have to go through the Play Music signup process to enroll in family payments, but since they also work for apps and other items, that might change. Signup instructions are here, but for now, the feature is only available in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Australia.
Via: Droid Life
Source: Google (1), (2), (3)
Tim Cook is unimpressed by Chromebook’s lead in the classroom
Google’s Chromebooks may have come under fire from student privacy groups recently, but there’s no denying that the push into the education sector has been a success for the company. Apple’s Tim Cook certainly didn’t seem very happy about Google’s lead in the classroom during a recently interview with Buzzfeed.
He avoided mentioning the Chromebook by name, but stated that the low cost computers used in schools were only proving popular because they were the cheapest option around for testing students. He also preferred to simply refer to them as “test machines”.
By this Cook is referring to the transition that many state schools have seen from paper to computerised testing, which is one reason why low cost Chromebooks have seen such speedy adoption. Cook apparently doesn’t think much of standardized testing either, suggesting that Apple’s products instead help kids to “engage on a different level”.
“Assessments don’t create learning … We are interested in helping students learn and teachers teach, but tests, no. We create products that are whole solutions for people — that allow kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level.” – Tim Cook
Although testing may be a part of it, the appeal of Google’s educational platform likely extends beyond lower cost hardware. Google’s Apps for Education software includes Gmail, Calendar and Docs, offering a comprehensive set of tools for educators and students.
I suppose it’s not so surprising that Cook failed to appreciate that schools may have actually weighed up the wider opportunity costs when opting for Chromebooks and Google’s Apps for Education over iPads. He doesn’t seem to offer any alternatives to bring cost effective educational tools to the student masses either, although he does hope to host coding events at Apple stores nationwide to encourage kids to get into programming.
Read more: Report: Chromebooks make up more than half devices found in schools
Apple is going to have its work cut out for it in the education sector if Google’s forecast that there will be more Chromebooks in schools than all other devices combined by the end of 2015 turns out to be correct.
Sundar Pichai expected to announce next phase of Android One next week
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is heading off to India next week to host a press conference in New Delhi, where he will deliver the keynote address about what the company has planned for India, which could include new plans for Android One.
Pichai was at the original launch of the Android One project in India last year and is expected to outline where the initiative is heading next. The company is expected to announce another wave of Android One devices at the event. Previous discussions about the program this year suggests that the company might focus on making the range even more affordable. Google may also be prepared to further loosen the hardware restrictions on manufacturers, to allow them to set themselves apart and to encourage additional competition.
Android One has not had quite the impact on the Indian smartphone market that Google perhaps thought that it would. Local low cost manufacturers and smartphones from China have pushed out most Android One products and Google’s promise of fast and frequency updates didn’t materialise to win over consumers. A push to lower prices even further will be tough for Google to pull off, but might take Android One out of the most competitive segment of the Indian market.
During his trip to India, Pichai is also expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will give a talk at Delhi University’s Sri Ram College of Commerce on December 17th. With millions of new people hopping online, India is set to be a key market for Google over the next few years.
Google Drive update makes searching for files faster and easier
Google’s latest update to Drive, its cloud storage platform, is aimed at making file search faster and easier for end users. The latest version of Drive adds several new ways to allow users to easily search across all their files, regardless of which device was used to upload them in the first place.
As explained on Google Drive’s official blog, these new features are part of an ongoing effort to make Drive the easiest place to find one’s files. All platforms will eventually get access to the new search features as it gets rolled out over the coming weeks. This new update to Google’s cloud storage platform arrives only half a day after the company introduced actionable notifications for file sharing in Drive.
To speed up the search functionality, Google Drive for Android, iOS, and the Web enables users to narrow their search to a specific file type directly from the search box. Several behind-the-scenes improvements will now result in more accurate search results to a user’s search queries. To narrow down the search to get more specific results, users can directly enter a person’s name or email address to search for shared files.
See also: 10 best cloud storage apps for Android
The latest update to Drive also allows Advanced search to be opened directly from the search box, which allows for tighter search parameters such as the date a file was modified, words it contains, or even the people with whom the file was shared with.
Drive also has a feature that take advantage of the latest iPhones. Thanks to the inclusion of 3D touch support, Drive users with compatible 3D touch enabled devices can access recent files or search for a particular file directly from the home screen. Additionally, users can search Drive using the iOS search bar without even opening the app.
What do you think? Are these new Google Drive search features going to simply your file search? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below!
Pixel C team fields Reddit’s questions, fails to answer the important ones
Some of the key members of the Pixel C team took to Reddit for an AMA session. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the answers we were hoping for.
The AMA comes on the heels of the launch of the Pixel C, which became available on the Google Store on Tuesday, for $499.
The first batch of Pixel C reviews praise the excellent construction and design of the device, but note serious software problems (including hard to excuse glitches related to touchscreen responsivity and keyboard connection) and a lack of features and apps that take advantage of the Pixel C’s 10.2-inch display.
See also: Google Pixel C hands-on and first look
Given these issues, redditors understandably wanted to know when they could expect the much needed software improvements. The Pixel C team doing the AMA, which included the head of Android and Chrome OS Hiroshi Lockheimer and the tablet’s product manager, offered a few details, but failed to offer convincing answers to the questions that matter.
Puneet Kumar, Software Director for Pixel C, said that the device will be updated on “on regular cadence lining up with the monthly security updates for Android.” But Kumar didn’t clarify whether these updates would deliver new features or they would be strictly bug-fixing and security patches.
Glen Murphy, Director of UX for Android and Chrome, did appear to hint that an update bringing multiwindow and other features designed for large screens would come sooner, rather than later:
“We’re working hard on a range of enhancements for Android in this form-factor – there are many things, like multiwindow, that we’ve been spending a lot of time on – hopefully we can share more about this soon.”
Andrew Bowers, Director for Consumer Hardware at Google, with the Pixel C
In reply to a question about features that were originally planned to launch with the Pixel C (i.e.: split screen multiwindow), Andrew Bowers, Director for Consumer Hardware said that:
“We’re working on lots of things right now for N that, of course, we wish we had, you know, yesterday. But we’d spoil the surprise of N if we shared all of them. Split screen is in the works!”
Is this a hint that split screen will arrive before Android N? Your guess is our good as ours.
Another hard question that Googlers deflected was “Why was pixel hardware released before the software was ready?” from user connectwithraj. And here’s the (non)answer:
“Android continues to get better and better on tablets – we think the Pixel-C is the best yet; that said – we know there are lots of things left to do, and are looking forward to releasing them when they’re awesome and ready.”
The team also explained that the “C” in Pixel C stands for “convertible,” that the Pixel program emerged from a desire to promote hardware advancements like better touchpads and USB Type-C, and that “Ok, Google” support and DisplayPort support over Type-C are coming in a future update.
It’s not really fair to blame the people who did the AMA for Google’s failure to coordinate its hardware and software releases, and worse, the failure to offer a plausible answer to the question “why should I buy a Pixel C.” Like other Google products before it, the Pixel C appears to be a beta device that has been purposely released in incomplete form, in the hope that users will pick it up anyway.
See also: Best Android tablets (November 2015)
The problem is the Pixel C is $500, and that’s a lot to pay for a tablet that delivers in only one of the three big components of user experience: hardware, software, and ecosystem. Sure, Android N may make the Pixel C great, but 10 months is a very long time to wait.
Wal-Mart enters mobile payment war with Walmart Pay
Fret not if you forget your credit card at home the next time you visit Walmart, as you can simply pull out your smartphone and pay for groceries. Yes, the retail company is set to make your life easier with launch of ‘Walmart Pay,’ which will accept payments from Android as well as Apple devices.
The service will be launched in select Walmart stores on Thursday, while it will be available throughout the nation by the first half of 2016.
In order to use Walmart Pay during checkout, you are first required to set up the Walmart app on your phone by entering your credit, debit or Walmart gift card details. Walmart Pay is a free app and it comes integrated with the retailer’s mobile app.
During the checkout, you would be required to select Walmart Pay as the payment option. The app will then use your phone’s camera to scan the code displayed at the register, and then send you an e-receipt.
The company is also working on the integration of other payment options such as mobile wallets in the future.
Source: Reuters
The post Wal-Mart enters mobile payment war with Walmart Pay appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Drive adds actionable notifications for file sharing
Google Drive is trying to make it easier than ever to share files by cutting out the email step. Moreover, they’ve improved access-granting functionality and made files previewable on Android even without a Google account.
Remember USB drives? Remember emailing files to yourself so you could access them on another computer? Remember when a hard drive failure meant you lost all of your work? Cloud storage has revolutionized the way we save and exchange data, but as Group Project Manager Alex Vogenthaler points out in his blog post regarding this most recent update, it’s absolutely essential that cloud storage be secure as well as shareable.
See also: No more unlimited storage for Office 365, OneDrive free storage cut to 5GB
It can be a tricky tightrope to walk, and granting and requesting access in Drive has always been a little bit awkward. The sharing system works, no doubt, but you could sometimes run into irritating little roadblocks in which someone sent you a link to a shared file, but forgot to adjust the file’s permissions to let you access or edit it.
This update adds an option to request access if you’re unable to edit a file. One tap, and Drive pushes the file owner a notification on their Android or iOS device. From there, the file owner can grant you access in a single tap.
The notification function also makes collaboration easier by cutting email out of the process. Previously, when someone shared a file with you, Drive would send you an email with a link to the file. You had to open your email, then follow the link. Now Google Drive pushes you a notification as well, so you can hop directly to the file you’re looking for.
As icing on the cake, Android users can now preview shared documents even if they aren’t logged into a Google account. You’ve long been able to do this when using a web browser, but now this functionality has been brought to mobile users.
What are your thoughts on Drive’s new notification-happy update? Let us know in the comments!
YouTube’s 2015 Rewind brings you cage dancing and gamers
YouTube may not be the first internet giant to serve up a year-end retrospective this week, but it’s making up for that in style. The video service has posted the 2015 edition of its annual Rewind video recapping the year’s trends, and this one pays an ode to more than just the usual internet celebrities and viral clips. On top of mainstays like iJustine and Rhett & Link, the look-back also includes gaming stars like Markiplier (on the left) — a plug for YouTube Gaming, to be sure, but also a tribute to the rise of Let’s Play videos. You’ll get your fair share of dancing, too, whether it’s in a cage or in retro clothing.
Oh, and one more thing: YouTube has made it easier to follow trends in the future. There’s a new Trending tab on the web and mobile apps that shows fast-rising clips, so you won’t miss out on a viral sensation while it’s still relatively hot. If it works as promised, you may know exactly what will show up in next year’s Rewind video.
Source: YouTube Official Blog
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