Google enabling you to Tap. Pay. Give. over the holidays
Google is no stranger to giving back to communities that could really use support. Most recently, it partnered with DonorsChoose.org to provide classroom materials to teachers of special needs students to improve their learning environment.
With the holidays approaching, Google is relighting that initiative with the utilization of Android Pay.
“Starting today through December 31st, we’ll donate $1— up to $1 million — to special needs education projects.“
To sweeten the deal, Android Pay purchases made on Black Friday (Nov. 27th) will be doubled. So keep that in mind when you’re fighting your way store-to-store this Friday and look out for retailer support of wireless payments.
Source: Google Blogspot
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New in our buyer’s guide: The iPhone 6s, Surface Book and much more
Sorry we haven’t updated the buyers’s guide in a couple months — we’ve been too busy pumping out reviews of all the new devices. Now that things have finally started to slow down (fingers crossed), let’s take a step back and look at all the awesome stuff we’ve had a chance to test this fall. For starters, there’s a bunch of excellent smartphones that we absolutely need to add to our guide. Namely: the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the Nexus 6P and 5X, and the Moto X Pure. On the tablet side, we’re inducting both the iPad mini 4 and the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft makes another appearance in the laptop section, where we’ve added the Surface Book, along with Dell’s Chromebook 13. Rounding out the list, we threw in a few miscellaneous items, including the new Xbox One Elite Wireless controller, the redesigned Sonos Play:5 wireless speaker and Google’s $35 Chromecast Audio.
Source: Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Google launches new Star Wars themed easter egg
To celebrate the upcoming launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Google has embedded a neat little easter egg over on Search, which transforms all your search results into a text crawl, just like the opening of every Star Wars movie.
In order to make the easter egg appear, you’ll need to head over to Google and type “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away” in the Search bar. The screen will then fade to a dark starry background and all of the search results will slide down the screen in yellow before you.
Check it out in action in the video below:
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Google launches new Star Wars themed easter egg
Google partnering with DonorsChoose.org, will donate $1 million to support US special needs students
Google is partnering with DonorsChoose.org to help support 6.4 million special needs children within the United States education system. As a result of this partnership, Google is planning on giving up to $1 million towards special needs education projects.
However, there’s a small caveat. Each time someone uses Android Pay, Google will donate $1. In other words, consumers need to collectively use Android Pay one million times for Google to donate the $1 million.
Google additionally revealed that it will double its donation for every Android Pay purchase made on Black Friday.
If you want to help Google donate $1 million towards special needs education projects, you can download Android Pay for free. We’ve also put together a handy guide on setting up Android Pay so that you can make your first transaction quickly and easily!
source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google partnering with DonorsChoose.org, will donate $1 million to support US special needs students
Top 10 Android phones at Verizon (November 2015)
With Black Friday breathing down your neck and the holiday shopping season in full swing, now is the time that a lot of people are considering a smartphone upgrade. Buying a new device can be a fun endeavor. But, for some folks, the idea of picking out a new handset may be a little more difficult.
Which is the newest phone? What is the best phone? Which is the one that’s going to give me exactly what I need? We’re here to help you dig through the clutter.
We’ve put together a list of the top 10 Android smartphones you should consider for Verizon this November. Here, in no particular order, are ten Android handsets that you should consider for Verizon if you’re currently shopping around.
Droid Turbo 2
As the first phone to feature a shatterproof display, much can be said about the new Droid Turbo 2. Not only does this one give you peace of mind in knowing that it can fall out of your pocket or desk without shattering, the phone also features some pretty impressive hardware.
Powered by Android 5.1 Lollipop, the Turbo 2 features a 5.4-inch display at 2560×1440 resolution and a 21-megapixel camera. Quick charging ensures that the phone never runs low on juice; moreover, the 3760mAh battery gets you two days of use. In other words it’s built to be used and somewhat abused.
In a first for the Droid series, buyers can head to the Moto Maker tool to design their own unique version of the phone. There are more than 1,000 combinations of colors and materials to choose from.
Motorola Droid Turbo 2 at Verizon
Customized Droid Turbo 2 at Verizon
LG V10
The newest phone of the bunch, this LG features two displays. Indeed, there is the 5.7-inch quad HD screen which looks gorgeous on its own. However, up at the top you will find a small secondary display which offers quick access to favourite contacts, apps, media player buttons , or an at-a-glance view of your schedule.
But, as if that were not enough, you will also find 64 gigabytes of internal storage with a microSD card that allows for another 200GB of space. The removable 3,000mAh battery is more than enough to get you a day or two of life. The rear offers up a 16-megapixel camera while the front houses a pair of 5-megapixel shooters. One works for close-ups while the other has a wide angle lens for group shots.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/lg-v10/
Motorola Droid Maxx 2
Another relative newbie, this Motorola packs a 5.5-inch 1080p HD display, 21-megapixel rear camera, and 16GB internal storage. Toss in the 3630mAh battery with Turbo Charging and you’ve got a device that should never run low on power. Other specifications include Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, microSD expansion card slot for more storage, and a water-repellent coating.
Motorola Droid Maxx 2 at Verizon
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
The fifth generation of Samsung’s plus-sized smartphone experience boasts a gorgeous metal and glass design. The S Pen digital stylus is smarter than ever and works without even powering on the display. Up from previous models, storage options are now 32GB and 64GB. The battery, which comes in at a commendable 3000mAh capacity, allows for fast charging, wireless charging, and even fast wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at Verizon
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S6
Announced in the spring, it’s hard to beat the annual Samsung flagship smartphone. The 5.1-inch Quad HD screen is a stunner and feels oh-so-right in our hands and the premium design includes glass and metal. It’s the first Galaxy S model we’ve wanted to coddle and protect in a long time. It doesn’t hurt that it runs Android 5.0 Lollipop (with an expected 6.0 update), comes with at least 32GB storage, and has 3GB RAM to boost performance.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
An almost identical sibling to the aforementioned Galaxy Note 5, this one trades out the stylus for the dual curved display. If you don’t need to jot down notes or mark up documents, consider grabbing the more sexy counterpart.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ at Verizon
LG G4
LG continues to impress with a steady stream of flagship models that demand attention. We long ago fell in love with the rear button layout and this year’s version has one of the best camera experiences we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. The specs are top-notch and the screen is a real looker.
Google Nexus 6
Running an untouched version of Android Lollipop, the Nexus 6 is among the first to receive an update to the 6.0 Marshmallow build. The 6-inch screen might be a little bigger than you’re familiar with but the reviews and feedback have been solid. Internal storage is tapped at 32GB with no microSD expansion card slot but it should be enough for those who live in the cloud.
HTC One M9
The lone HTC model here is also one of the oldest flagship models to make this list. Don’t let that concern you, though, it’s still a kick-ass phone with a great build. The 5-inch screen looks great and fits well in the hand while the 20-megapixel camera snaps excellent photos. The microSD card keeps media lovers content with room for up to 200GB of external storage.
Motorola Moto X (2nd Generation)
As an ancestor to the Droid Turbo 2 and Droid Maxx 2, the Moto X (2nd Generation) doesn’t have a ton of Verizon customization. In other words, it’s closer to a stock Android experience than most other phones with only a few added touches. We love what Motorola adds to the user interface: twist to open camera, chop to activate flashlight, and voice actions. Pick yours up in Black, White Bamboo, or Football Leather.
Motorola Moto X (2nd Generation) at Verizon
Motorola Moto X (2nd Generation) at Amazon
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Google Handwriting Input adds Arabic, Urdu, and three other languages
Google Handwriting Input has been the savior of the keyboard-remedial since its inception. It got its own stand-alone app earlier this year, but since then, we haven’t seen much action on the Google Handwriting front.
See also: Google Handwriting Input app comes to Google Play, supports cursive, print and emoji input
If you’re looking for a quicker and easier way to input text in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hebrew, or Burmese, your ticket just arrived. This is a significant addition, because all five of these languages have a history of being somewhat cumbersome to type in using conventional keyboards. Calligraphy enthusiasts in these languages might not find an array of aesthetically pleasing brushes here, but they will be able to finally express themselves in their preferred medium.
Each language comes via an independent language package that you can choose to download from within the app. Google Handwriting Input works just like any other keyboard, so once you’ve enable it and the language of your choice, you’ll be able to scrawl away in that deplorable handwriting of yours across all of your applications. Your third grade teacher Mrs. Haverdasher may have declared your penmanship incomprehensible, but you’d be surprised at how well Google can read your writing.
I wasn’t aware of this prior to writing this article, but you can even use Google Handwriting Input to draw emoji, and Google will unleash its best Pictionary skills in an attempt to figure out what you’re trying to draw. Pretty cool.
Head over to the Google Play Store by clicking the button below and download Google Handwriting Input.
Download Google Handwriting Input from the Google Play Store
Square releases NFC & chip reader; all vendors can now accept Android Pay, Samsung Pay and more
Accepting all forms of payment is important. At this point, credit/debit cards are everywhere, and many of us use them exclusively (I don’t ever carry cash anymore). Obviously, a business which doesn’t accept card will lose my business. Now it’s time for NFC mobile payments and EMV chip cards to enter the business.
Square has been a go-to solution for vendors who can’t afford expensive credit card readers… or maybe just need more portability, and you can use Square on-the-go, wherever your smartphone is. Now they are releasing a nifty new reader that can handle both NFC and the recently adopted chip in newer payment cards, so they will be current with the times.
This is unlike the card reader we are used to seeing, though. That little dongle that connected to your 3.5 mm headset jack is still included, but seems archaic next to the newest, baddest payment system.
The Square contactless and chip reader is a little block that connects to your smartphone wirelessly (iOS or Android). Once in order it can start receiving payments. Just have the customer tap his phone with Android Pay, Samsung Pay and others (yes, Apple Pay too). Alternatively, you can grab any chip card and slide it in.
These technologies are both the future, but they are used for different reasons. NFC payments are secure, but they are more about convenience. Paying with a phone is a breeze! On the other hand, EMV chip cards tout a level of security regular stripe cards and NFC can only dream of. This chip offers multiple stages of complex processing and cryptographic authentication that is claimed to be nearly unhackable.
So, how do you sign up for it? All you can do right now is reserve it, but it will cost $49 once it hits the streets. And as mentioned above, it does come with a stripe reader, so you can continue using that little tool afterwards.
Google’s made several ‘Star Wars’ VR experiences for Cardboard
Turns out there’s more to Google’s collaboration with Disney for the upcoming Star Wars flick. In addition to dressing up your Google services to represent the side you choose (Light Side or Dark Side, obviously), the two companies (along with Verizon) have developed a serialized virtual reality experience for the Cardboard viewer. The episodes, which were created by ILMxLAB (Lucasfilm’s, Industrial Light & Magic’s and Skywalker Sound’s immersive entertainment laboratory), are directly connected to The Force Awakens. They can be accessed through the Star Wars app for Android and iOS, though you’ll have to wait until December 2nd to be able to watch them. If you don’t have a Cardboard yet, you can get one right now straight from the Big G. But in case you want to collect anything Episode VII, Google will also start selling four Star Wars-themed viewers on December 2nd in Verizon stores.
Source: Star Wars
Google’s made several ‘Star Wars’ VR experiences for Cardboard
Turns out there’s more to Google’s collaboration with Disney for the upcoming Star Wars flick. In addition to dressing up your Google services to represent the side you choose (Light Side or Dark Side, obviously), the two companies (along with Verizon) have developed a serialized virtual reality experience for the Cardboard viewer. The episodes, which were created by ILMxLAB (Lucasfilm’s, Industrial Light & Magic’s and Skywalker Sound’s immersive entertainment laboratory), are directly connected to The Force Awakens. They can be accessed through the Star Wars app for Android and iOS, though you’ll have to wait until December 2nd to be able to watch them. If you don’t have a Cardboard yet, you can get one right now straight from the Big G. But in case you want to collect anything Episode VII, Google will also start selling four Star Wars-themed viewers on December 2nd in Verizon stores.
Source: Star Wars
Reuters: Google is planning release of Chinese Google Play Store in 2016
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This isn’t a particularly new rumour, but the fact that it is being reported more and more is definitely giving it more credence. Word on the street is that Google is planning a release of a Chinese Google Play Store in China sometime in 2016. While many of you will be reminded of Google’s famous falling out with the Chinese government over their censorship policies, the dominance of Android in China has made Google think twice about not having a presence there.
The only problem of course is that Google has already lost ground to the companies that stepped up in Google’s absence and clawing back entrenched users in areas like maps and video isn’t likely to be an easy task. That’s exactly why Google is likely easing its way back into the Chinese market with the Google Play Store first before pushing the rest of its core apps in as well. Many commenting on the rumours are already applauding the move as the Play Store is a large enough component to make people feel like Google really cares about China – only time will tell if everyone feels that way too.
What do you think about a Chinese Google Play Store being launched in the new year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Reuters via Android Police
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