Google Announces Full Offline Maps Coming Soon to iOS
Google has announced that the latest version of Google Maps for Android has an improved offline mode, providing access to turn-by-turn directions and several other features in areas without a reliable cellular data or internet connection. It also confirmed these features will be coming soon to iOS, but did not provide a specific release timeframe.
Google Maps was previously limited to viewing maps while offline, but this update will enable iPhone users to navigate with turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations and look up information about places, including hours of operation, contact information and ratings, while offline.
Now you can download an area of the world to your phone, and the next time you find there’s no connectivity—whether it’s a country road or an underground parking garage—Google Maps will continue to work seamlessly. Whereas before you could simply view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find useful information about places, like hours of operation, contact information or ratings.
Google previewed Offline Maps at Google I/O in May, and will be gradually rolling out the new features to Android and iOS users.
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Google Maps gets offline search and navigation
Google Maps is a ridiculously useful app but that’s assuming you’ve got a stable internet connection. As soon as your signal gets a little wonky, however, you might as well still be printing them out like you did in the dark ages of MapQuest. Sure, you’ve been able to download small maps for offline access for some time now, but the experience has never been that great. That’s all about to change because Google announced Tuesday that its briefly teased major revamp for offline Maps is ready for primetime.
Source: Google
The USB Type-C cable is now back in stock on the Google Store
For the first time since the release of both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, Google’s USB Type-C cable is now back in stock on the Google Store. For $13 with free shipping, the wire is great value and is a must-have for anyone who’s looking to connect their shiny new Nexus device to a computer seeing as the cable that comes at standard in the box isn’t compatible.
If you’re interested in picking one up, hit the source link below. Hurry, though, as we don’t expect it to be around for too much longer.
Source: Google Store
Come comment on this article: The USB Type-C cable is now back in stock on the Google Store
10 best reminder apps for Android
No matter what age you are, there’s a chance you occasionally need to be reminded to do things. We live in a world filled with distraction and various shiny things that often lead us off course of whatever it is we’re trying to do. Thus, setting reminders can not only be productive, but a savior in some situations. On Android, there are a ton of ways to create reminders and we took a look at the best reminder apps for Android.
aCalendar
[Price: Free / $4.49]
One of the most popular ways to set reminders is using your calendar app. If you’re not using Google Calendar, then we’d like to recommend you try out aCalendar. This is a simple calendar app that seems to the basics much better than most. Included is the ability to theme your calendars, various account syncing, QR and NFC support, and more. Of course, you can add an event to the calendar and ask it to remind you of that event. If you fork out for the full version, you’ll also unlock tasks which can give you more powerful reminders.
Get it now on Google Play!
Any.do To-do List
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Any.do To-do List is, as you can imagine, a to-do list app that lets you create tasks and set reminders on when to complete them. To-do list apps are more useful for things like remembering to grab milk from the grocery store than a calendar app would be and they’re also faster to use. Any.do is an exceptionally done to-do list app that comes with various task customizations, cloud syncing between devices, reminders based on both time and location, and it has support for its sister app, Cal Calendar.
Get it now on Google Play!
BZ Reminder
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
BZ Reminder is a very simple to-do list application that focuses on simplicity. You can set a reminder for virtually anything and it’ll go off when it’s supposed to. You can adorn reminders with notes if needed and the app also includes cloud syncing, Android Wear support, recurring tasks, and there is even a simple calendar built-in. It may not have all the power and features of a full-fledged to-do list, but it’s great if you need something quick and simple.
Get it now on Google Play!
Evernote
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Evernote is already a powerful and functional note-taking application. It’s also one of the most popular and highly-rated apps on Google Play. Along with its powerful note taking capabilities, Evernote also allows you to create reminders for notes based on time and location. That means you can make a grocery list, set the reminder for when you’re at the grocery store, and Evernote will remind you that you have a grocery list. It works well and it’s worth a shot.
Get it now on Google Play!
Google App (Google Now)
[Price: Free]
Far and away the best way to do reminders on Android is through Google Now which you can get by installing the Google App. Google Now is a personal assistant-style service that tries to give you information as you need it. Among its many features is the ability to create reminders through voice actions which are then saved and shown to you again later. It’s a powerful service and it’s also easy to use.
Get it now on Google Play!
Google Keep
[Price: Free]
Let’s face facts folks, Google Keep is another three or four feature additions away from being a full-fledged to-do list application. For now, it’s a simple, but powerful note taking application with quite a few features. You can share notes with others and take all kinds of notes that sync to your Google Drive. One of the features is the ability to add reminders (location and/or time based) to your notes so you can get a notification about them when the time comes. It’s a great app to use, especially if you already use a lot of Google’s other services.
Get it now on Google Play!
Inbox by Gmail
[Price: Free]
Inbox by Gmail is a unique spin on Gmail by Google. The idea is to view your email inbox as though it were a news feed like you’d see on a social media app. One of its other features is the ability to add reminders. We’re not talking reminders just for email, but reminders in general. In fact, these are the same reminders that you can set with Google Now which makes using both apps extremely efficient if you’re a reminders type of person.
Get it now on Google Play!
Just Reminder
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
So far, we’ve only talked about apps that do reminders along with other things and it came to a point where we thought that maybe were thinking about it too hard. Just Reminder is an application that just does reminders and nothing else. That means you’ll likely find a more feature-filled reminder here than just about anywhere else. You can configure reminders to be recurring if needed and you can create them for pretty much whatever you want. About the only negative is the design of the app is a bit rough on the eyes, but otherwise it’s worth a shot.
Get it now on Google Play!
Life Reminders
[Price: Free]
Life Reminders is another application that really focuses on the simple act of reminding you of stuff when you tell it to. This one is kind of nifty because it can actually perform certain tasks for you. For instance, if you have to call someone at 11:00AM, the app will remind you and you can tap on the notification to place the call right then. It has a good set of features and recent updates have only appeared to make the app better.
Get it now on Google Play!
Today Calendar
[Price: Free / $2.59]
Today Calendar is another great calendar option for those who need to do reminders. Thanks to its simple and quick interface, you can make events and add reminders to do them without wasting a whole lot of your time. Like aCalendar, this probably isn’t so great for small things like remembering to grab milk at the store but stuff like mowing the lawn, various work and life events, and others still fit very well in a calendar.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great reminder apps for Android or we didn’t mention your favorite one, tell us about them in the comments! If you want to stay up to date on the latest Android apps and games news, you can subscribe to our newsletter using the form below!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
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Google Hangouts for web is getting a nifty update
If you currently use Hangouts on the web, you’ll be happy to know that Google is pushing out a new update.
A Google representative posted about a new Hangouts version for web on the Google+ social network. The update is guided at improving the overall experience for users. A few tweaks have been made in order to simplify the experience. Fernandez’s exact words were, “to focus less on where to click and more on what to say.”
With the soon to be released version of Hangouts for web, videos will process more quickly and quality will be much sharper. It will also bring a more immersive full-screen experience for video calling and easier navigation. Google has also made it easier than ever to invite friends and/or family to your calls. And just in case your don’t like the new update, Google has made it possible to go back to the old version by clicking on “original version” in the settings menu. The update will be hitting countries all over the world in the coming week. Let us know when you get it in the comments below.
Source: Eduardo Fernandez (Google+)
Come comment on this article: Google Hangouts for web is getting a nifty update
Google just released new AI software that can learn faster
Google is ignoring everything the Terminator franchise taught us and is releasing “TensorFlow”, open-source software that helps computers learn quicker than ever before. The software is a branch of artificial intelligence called “machine learning,” tech that has already found a home in Google Search, Google Photos and Gmail. Tech-giants, like Google, Facebook and Amazon are all working with machine learning to better the services that they offer like smart search, ad targeting and product recommendations. Machine learning is now shifting into a complex realm where researchers are creating computer models that can see and even understand what it’s looking at.
Via: The New York Times
Source: Google
Hangouts video calls are getting a quality boost
Google isn’t giving up in its bid to improve Hangouts’ call quality any time soon. It just introduced a redesigned web calling experience that, on top of a simpler interface, improves quality across the board. Video chats should not only look better overall, but start faster and stay sharper. Only a handful of Hangouts users get to try this right now, but it should expand worldwide in the near future. Just be aware that you may lose some features you like — as one early adopter notes, app support within Hangouts is currently missing. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the support is gone for good, but you shouldn’t count on it coming back.
Via: Android Central
Source: Eduardo Fernandez (Google+)
Google’s VR for students comes to more cities and countries
Google’s virtual reality education efforts may have only just begun this fall, but they’re about to grow in a big, big way. The search giant is expanding its Expeditions Pioneer Program to schools in 12 US cities (including Las Vegas, New Orleans and Portland) as well as three in Canada, Denmark and Singapore. Each school will get a kit with everything it needs to take students on VR field trips, including ASUS smartphones as well as either Google Cardboard or View-Master’s device. The project is still far from ubiquitous, but it’s big enough to make us a little jealous — where were these kinds of virtual adventures when we were kids?
Source: Google for Education
Google’s Expeditions Pioneer Program expands in the U.S. and worldwide
Today, Google announced that its Expeditions Pioneer Program is expanding around the world. This is the program that allows children to explore the world without ever leaving the classroom. Google’s Expedition teams travel to schools with kits to get teachers prepped on taking their students on virtual trips.
The new cities in the United States joining the Expeditions Pioneer Program are Alexandria, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianappolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake city, and the nation’s capital. Canada, Denmark, and Singapore are the new countries participating in the program.
Michelle Guzman, a special education teacher at San Jose’s Dartmouth Middle School, said this about using virtual reality in the classroom:
“Teachers were amazed at the things they could do and the places they could see with their students. Sever are continuing lessons that developed from the field trip they experienced. I know that it will change the way I help my students.”
Google has partnered with Subaru to ensure that each location gets an Expeditions kit that includes a tablet for the teacher, ASUS phones and Cardboard viewers for students, and a router. While the model of the Cardboard viewer is not the same for all locations, select kits will include Mattel’s View-Master. Teachers are then able to take students on virtual trips to more than 120 places, like Antartica or the Borneo Rainforest.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google’s Expeditions Pioneer Program expands in the U.S. and worldwide
Google Search and Maps gain holiday hours
It’s now the second week of November, so you should probably start your holiday shopping very soon if you haven’t already. Helping you navigate from store-to-store this month and next is Google with a small (but very useful) update to two of its core services.
Both Google Search and Google Maps are currently able to display a business’ stores hours to keep you from being greeted with locked doors. Most stores extend hours during the holiday season, but sometimes timing is odd and not all stores are open on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. Google Search and Google Maps are letting you forgo calling stores and visiting their sites by just placing a special label on profiles. If holidays hours aren’t listed, Google has a warning at the ready.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google Search and Maps gain holiday hours
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