Google adding new features to mobile search in time for the holidays
Every year, Google tries to revamp its mobile search tool to better help holiday shoppers, and this year they’ve added a few new tricks that should help you get through your wish list without stressing out too much.
The first major new addition helps you to narrow down exactly what you’re looking for. Shoppers aren’t always looking for something specific, and usually search for broad terms in Google search. Now the search engine will bring back better results to help you specify exactly what you’re looking for, showing different categories as well as brand, features, and price. After narrowing things down, Google takes over and begins providing info on specific products.
If you search for a specific product up front, you’ll get all of that detailed information right away, including pricing, reviews, and where you can buy the product. Search will now also automatically list whether or not stores have the item in stock, and you can quickly grab driving directions to those locations. There’s nothing worse than driving all the way to that Best Buy on the other side of town only to find out they haven’t had Google’s new Chromecast in stock in two weeks.
Shopping related searches on mobile surpassed desktop searches for the first time ever these past few months, and Google is poised to take advantage of it.
source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google adding new features to mobile search in time for the holidays
HTC’s Jeff Gattis picked up by Google-backed Magic Leap
The name Jeffrey Gattis may not sound familiar to you, but the products overseen by him definitely are. RE Camera? Grip? Vive? All projects that Gattis was involved in as HTC’s Executive Director of Global Marketing for Connected Products. Anything involving imaging, wearables, virtual reality, and home automation at HTC received Gattis’ attention. He joined the company in in July 2014 after spending more than three years at TiVo, but now Gattis has left for another virtual reality-focused company backed by Google.
Magic Leap, a startup developing a virtual reality headset akin to Microsoft’s HoloLens, successfully poached Gattis from HTC.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Gattis sat down with UploadVR to explain why he left HTC:
“I think what struck me so much about Magic Leap was the quality of the technology and seeing how far along it was. I knew there was a great division but I didn’t know how far along the technology was and how close it is to becoming real and commercial. That was the biggest takeaway for me, and how it advanced and how quickly it has gotten to the point.”
Gattis’ LinkedIn profile already reflects his move from HTC to Magic Leap. Early next year, HTC is expected to start selling its Vive headset. The addition of Gattis to Magic Leap could indicate that its own virtual reality headset is incoming in the first half of 2016 as well.
Source: UploadVR
Come comment on this article: HTC’s Jeff Gattis picked up by Google-backed Magic Leap
Nexus 5X now available on Amazon and B&H Photo
After having an exclusive run on the Google Store, the Nexus 5X is now available to purchase at Amazon as well as B&H Photo. Both retailers are selling the devices in 16GB and 32GB storage models at their respective prices.
As a quick reminder, here’s the key specifications in this device:
- 5.2-inch Full HD (1920×1080) LCD display (Gorilla Glass 3 protection)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor
- 2GB RAM
- 12.3MP / 5MP cameras
- 32GB/64GB of internal storage
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 147 x 72.6 x 7.9mm, 136g
- USB Type-C port
- Fingerprint scanner
You can pick the Nexus 5x up from Amazon right now in White, Black, and Mint at $379.99 for the 16GB model and $429.99 for the 32GB model. Price and colour availability are the same at B&H Photo.
Anyone picking one up?
Come comment on this article: Nexus 5X now available on Amazon and B&H Photo
All configurations of Nexus 6p back in stock at Google Store, shipping in 1-2 days
Going back to at least the Nexus 4, inventory shortages have been the name of the game when it comes to the release of new Nexus devices. Often it can take months or more of fighting and struggling before stock reaches a stable point, as was especially true with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.
Keeping with tradition, the Google Store’s inventory for the Huawei-made Nexus 6p hasn’t been without hiccups, with shipping times slipping to a month or even slightly longer. There’s also been at least a few storage and color options that have seen “temporarily out of stock” notices since the phone’s release as well. The good news is that, at least for the moment, the Nexus 6p is now fully in stock with a shipping estimate of just 1-2 days for all colors and storage variants.
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
Considering the fact the Nexus 6p hasn’t been on the market very long just yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if some of these configurations end up seeing more supply constraints in the weeks to come. In other words, if you really want a Nexus 6p without any unnecessary wait, now is the time to buy.
Is the Nexus 6p worth picking up? The answer to that question depends on what you’re personally looking for, though you’ll want to check out our full review to get a better idea of what to expect from the handset. As a quick refresher, the Nexus 6P is powered by a Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM. Other specs include a 5.7-inch QHD display, a 12.3MP rear camera, and special extras like a fingerprint scanner. The Nexus 6p also has the distinction of being the very first all-metal Nexus handset.
Anyone planning on picking this up now that it is back in stock? For those that already own a Nexus 6p, would you still recommend it to others?
HTC prepares to push Google’s November security update to the One A9
When the One A9 was announced last month, HTC received a lot of attention for committing to timely software updates. The company stated that the One A9, its current flagship, would receive software updates within fifteen days of Google’s Nexus devices. Being that fifteen days is an extremely short amount of time, many are concerned that HTC will not be able to execute. HTC previously committed to ninety days in the past and even that was troublesome for the company. But HTC is set to push out the November security patch as soon as possible.
An HTC stated the following:
“We expect the software update with Google’s November security patches to receive TA (Technical Acceptance) later toady and roll out to customers immediately thereafter.”
The November security update did reach Nexus devices more than fifteen days ago; therefore, HTC already missed its self-imposed deadline. Still, HTC deserves praise because no other company is pushing software updates with comparable speed. Devices from Samsung and LG won’t see Marshmallow until 2016 and even Motorola’s flagship Moto X Pure Edition is currently lacking the latest version of Android.
Via: Android Central
Come comment on this article: HTC prepares to push Google’s November security update to the One A9
Nexus 5x now available through Amazon and B&H
While the Nexus 5x has been available in the United States for over a month now through the Google Store, those who prefer to buy from other retailers now have two new options in Amazon and B&H.
Both retailers carry the three different color variants – mint, black, white – and have 16 and 32GB storage variants priced at $379 and $429 respectively, with free shipping options included. B&H does offer a small freebie however, with the inclusion of a free tempered glass screen protector that is said to be valued at $20.
See also: Nitpicking the Nexus 5X: Gosh the grievances!
For those that haven’t already bitten the bullet, you may be wondering if the Nexus 5x is buying? We recommend checking out our full Nexus 5X review to help you better answer that question. We can tell you that, while the Nexus 5x is certainly an impressive handset, the Android market is more competitive than ever right now. For those looking to spend under $400, there are tons of good options, many of which have at least somewhat better specs as well. That said, if you have your heart set on a Nexus and want something a bit smaller screened than the Nexus 6p or the older (but now much cheaper) Nexus 6, you really can’t go wrong here.
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
A a refresher, the Nexus 5x is powered by a Snapdragon 808 with 2GB RAM. Other specs include a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 16/32 GB of internal storage, a 12.3 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front shooter and a 2700 mAh battery. On the software end you’ll find Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.
What do you think, anyone planning on picking up the Nexus 5X? For those that already own one, would you recommend it to others?
Buy it on Amazon!
Buy it on B&H!
‘Zooshi’ from Fun Propulsion Labs showcases open source game development
Within the Google organization, there is a group of employees working to build sample games that demonstrate how available technologies can be used by game developers to create easy-to-build, performant, cross-platform games. This group comprises the Fun Propulsion Labs and their most recent creation, which supports Google Cardboard, has been released to the Play Store as Zooshi.
Although it is available in the Play Store for Android mobile devices, Google Cardboard, and Android TV, Zooshi also runs on Windows, OSX and Linux. The code is open source and available from the Fun Propulsion Labs’ GitHub page if developers want to dig in to the code to see how Google technologies can be used. Some of the tools used in this latest title include some new or recently updated open source game technologies like:
- Motive which drives the Animation system, giving life and movement to the characters and environment.
- CORGI, the Component Oriented Reusable Game Interface, which is an Entity-Component system designed to allow users to define complicated game objects as collections of modular, custom-defined behaviors.
- FlatUI which is a straightforward immediate mode GUI system with a light footprint that makes building up user interfaces a breeze.
- Scene Lab, a tool that allows designers to design levels and edit entities from right in the game without needing to use an external editor.
- Breadboard which provides an easy to use node based scripting system for editing entity behaviors that’s accessible to designers without deep knowledge of programming.
- FPLBase which is a cross-platform API layer, for abstracting low-level tasks like reading input and creation of graphical contexts.
If you want to check out Zooshi yourself, hit the link below to get it from the Play Store. If you are a developer or are interested in checking out the code and how to build games using open source tools, hit the source link for more details from Google.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Google
Come comment on this article: ‘Zooshi’ from Fun Propulsion Labs showcases open source game development
Google is combining all cloud divisions into one business unit
In August Google made the surprise announcement that it was restructuring its organization, with a new company called Alphabet set to act as the head, with Google and several other new companies under it. As the changes continue, yesterday afternoon Google announced it plans to combine all of its cloud-based divisions into one business unit.
The new cloud business has yet to be named, but we do know it will include elements like Google Apps and Google for Work. In a formal blog post, Sundar revealed that newcomer Diane Greene will be at the head of this business unit. While she’s new to Google, Greene is the co-founder and former CEO of VMWare, so she is well equipped for the job.
See also: Google founder believes Alphabet will kickstart innovation
Additionally, Greene brings with her a new startup called Bebop, which is a “new development platform that makes it easy to build and maintain enterprise applications”.
So why make these changes? As Sundar Pichai puts it, “This new business will bring together product, engineering, marketing and sales and allow us to operate in a much more integrated, coordinated fashion.” With the cloud continuing to play an increasingly vital role, it really makes sense that Google would want to unify its efforts under one roof.
From the sounds of it, this business unit will actually reside under Google’s umbrella, as a sub-company of sorts, though not all the specifics are known just yet. Even the name of this new organization is unclear at this time, though we’ll be sure to update our readers with more details as we learn more.
Google launching the Play Store in China after the Chinese New Year, report says
There’s been some hints that Google will be facing some stiff competition if it ever brings its Play Store to China. And now, Google is reported to launch its Play Store in China during early 2016, according to a new report from Reuters.
Google pulled the Play Store from China years ago after facing running into some tough censorship laws that the search giant refused to comply with. Now, Reuters’ sources are saying that Google will comply with censoring content that “might be viewed as sensitive by the ruling Communist Party.” Not only that, but Google has reportedly agreed to store Play Store data within the country as well.
The search giant hasn’t responded to requests for comment on the matter, but Reuters says that the Play Store could launch in the Chinese region after the Chinese New Year in February, but before summer. It’s a vague launch date, but we’ll no doubt hear something more official in 2016.
After pulling out of the market years ago, Google will no doubt face some tougher competition with trying to reenter the region. However, Google would like to use a successful Play Store as a “launch pad” for bringing other Google products into the market.
Google has been pretty public with its hopes for getting back into the Chinese market, so this isn’t necessarily a surprise. However, it’ll be an interesting business move to watch over the next few months.
source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Google launching the Play Store in China after the Chinese New Year, report says
Nexus 5X users reporting issues with touch response during charging
Having issues with the touch responsivity of your Nexus 5X while charging it? You’re not alone. Many users on various forums are reporting similar problems.
According to Nexus 5X user Simon Mellins, who posted about the issue on Reddit and Google’s Nexus product support forums, the problem appears when charging the phone with the charger that ships in the box. This 3A/5V/15W charger uses the USB 3.1 Type C standard for fast charging (not to be confused with Qualcomm’s Quick Charging tech).
When charging, users report decreased touchscreen responsivity, which is especially visible when typing. The touchscreen effectively lags, which can really ruin the experience of using the device. It may sound like a small issue, as users can just unplug the device for the time they need to use it. But it appears to be a real issue, nevertheless.
Reportedly, using other wall chargers (with a USB Type C to Type A cable) has no negative effects on the touchscreens. There’s some speculation that the issue is due to insufficient shielding that causes electromagnetic interference in the touchscreen.
Dozens of users on XDA-Developers, Reddit, and Google forums are confirming the problems. A survey on XDA shows that 27 users report having the issue, compared to 22 who said they encountered no problems.
At least one user is reporting a more serious issue, where the device becomes “completely unresponsive” when plugged in for charging and a few minutes after.
The problem may have already been fixed by Google and LG. There’s speculation that the devices manufactured in November (device serial number starting with 511) don’t have the issue.
We’ll keep you updated on this issue. Meanwhile, have you run into similar problems? Let us know.
AIVAnet 