Google Photos update 1.3: reorder albums, trim videos, sign in as Google+ page and more
Google Photos has proven to be a great way to keep your images organized and backed up, but there is always room for improvement. The Search Giant has just introduced a significant upgrade to its Photos app. There’s a few upgrades in tow, so let’s give you all the juicy details. This update takes Google Photos to version 1.3 and includes the following alterations.
What’s New:
- Google Photos can recognize collages/animations that Google Camera create
- You are now able to login to Google Photos as a Plus Page
- You can reorder content in albums
- You can now trim videos to be included in movies
- You can see a new timeline user interface for Movie editing
Likely the biggest feature for regular users is the ability to reorder content within a folder, as well as trimming videos. Those who run Google+ pages (businesses, organizations, clubs, etc.) will also love the idea of being able to keep your photos in a separate account.
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This is a pretty good update, as well as a significant one. It’s not every day we get to see large improvements come to Google apps, so enjoy this one. Remember apps don’t roll out all at once, so you may not see the update live just yet. Don’t worry, though, it will come in due time. Just keep it tuned to the Google Play Store.
Project Ara delayed because its phones keep falling apart
Project Ara, the modular mobile phone from Google’s Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) group, has hit some delays, and now we’re getting a hint as to what went wrong. The Projet Ara team announced on Twitter that the the “electropermanent” magnets that held the different Ara modules together are not strong enough to keep the phone from surviving falls in a drop test. Unfortunately, there’s no word on what it will be replaced with, outside of an enigmatic tweet about testing a “signature experience” for attaching and detaching modules.
No more electropermanent magnets. #ProjectAra #FailedTheDropTest
— Project Ara (@ProjectAra) August 19, 2015
This latest bit of news comes after a particularly tough week for Project Ara. First, the Project Ara group announced it was “re-routing” its planned pilot launch in Puerto Rico this fall, and then it announced that hardware was delayed entirely until 2016. Given that “not falling apart” is one of the most important features a smartphone can have, we’re thinking it’s a good thing that the Ara team went back to the drawing board on this one — even if it does mean we’ll have to keep waiting for our modular smartphone dreams to come true.
We are testing a signature experience to attach/detach modules. #ProjectAra #HopeYouLikeIt
— Project Ara (@ProjectAra) August 19, 2015
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via:
Android Police
Source:
Project Ara (Twitter, 1), (2)
Tags: atap, google, mobilepostcross, modular, ModularPhone, projectara
Google News adding seven new languages over the next few days
Google has announced that its Google News app will be receiving an upgrade for support of an additional seven languages. Google News already supports 28 languages over 45 countries, and Google is looking to add more to its arsenal.
The change won’t happen right away. It’ll come over the next few days with Romanian first on Google’s list. Followed is Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Thai.
Google says the languages will roll out in that order, so it shouldn’t be long before you can read Google News in a few more countries as well as languages.
These new language editions should let a little over an additional 260 million people be able to read Google News worldwide. Additionally, Google says more languages are on there way, and to be on the look out for them over the coming months.
Google wants to provide Google News in many languages as possible. How long will it be before Google can provide a service where its News app is available in every tongue?
source: Google
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Android Auto update puts music and directions up front
Given that users are operating heavy machinery, tweaking a car system interface is a delicate act. As such, Google has made some subtle changes to the Android Auto home screen in the latest update to show “ongoing activities like music and navigation at a glance.” You can now access music playback controls directly from the homescreen — before, you could see which song was playing but needed to go to another screen to pause it. Navigation is also expanded on the home screen to show turning directions without forcing users over to the main app.
There’s also a new home screen background, larger playback controls, subtle changes to the color scheme and, as Android Police noted, subtle changes to scrolling. All of this is in the service of making the system easier to read, sans overwhelming drivers with drastic UI changes. Version 1.2 is now available on Play.
Filed under:
Transportation, Google
Via:
Droid Life
Source:
Google Play
Tags: AndroidAuto, Cars, google, Infotainment, Navigation
Deal: get a lifetime subscription to a Hushed private phone number for only $49
It’s not always good to give your main phone number away, especially to those you don’t trust. That is why I personally keep a secondary number I give to companies and strangers. Only my inner circle has my personal digits. Are you looking to do the same? You don’t need to open a new plan or get a second phone. There are services out there that allow you to keep a secondary phone number through an app, and today we are offering you a great deal on one of them.
The AA Deals Store has a discount for a $49 lifetime subscription to Hushed, a service that offers phone numbers, calls and messaging through a smartphone app. This package would get you access to their North America 365 plan, which comes with a combination of 1100 messages or 500 voice minutes per year. But remember, this is a lifetime subscription, so you should get your service renewed every 365 days.
By the way, the bundle is said to be worth $300, but it could be worth much more, depending on your usage. The official site charges $30 per year for the same service, so you get your investment’s worth in less than 2 years. Not bad, right?
In for the ride? Let’s show you how this all works. So there is a Hushed app named “Free Number, Texting and Calls”. Simply download it from the Google Play Store to get started. You can do everything from this app. Just sign up and you will be making calls and sending messages in no time.
Subscribers can choose a number from either the USA or Canada, and they can also opt for any area code of their liking. Since it uses data/WiFi, there is no need to use up your main plan’s minutes and text messages. It’s because of this very reason that Hushed also works as a great way to call home when you are outside the USA or Canada, as you can avoid roaming and international charges by using WiFi!
Intel works with Google to develop Project Tango developer kit for RealSense devices
Google is not the only company working on environment-aware devices. Though Project Tango is outstanding, Intel’s RealSense technology happens to be very similar, and it has already reached the consumer market via the Dell Venue 8 7000 tablet. The kicker here is that these companies are not really competing in these new ventures, though. In fact, they are partnering up!
Intel’s yearly Developer Forum (IDF) has taken off and the chip manufacturer took the stage to tell us about their recent work with the Search Giant. Intel is releasing a Project Tango developer kit that uses RealSense technology. This includes a 6-inch handset that sports multiple cameras, which will help determine distances and environment data. Engadget managed to get a good look at, you will find some of their images below.
This set of tools goes by the name of ‘Intel RealSense Smartphone developer kit’, and it is looking to be quite an upgrade over what we have seen coming from Intel in the past. Google’s technology will allow RealSense devices to gain more capabilities, such as 3D scanning, virtual reality, area learning and indoor navigation.
Intel continues to keep most details on the quiet side, but we should learn more as the developer kit approaches its release date. Do we have any developers interested? If so, you will be able to get your own Intel RealSense Smartphone developer kit by the end of the year. Price is also unknown, but dev kits are never exactly cheap.
After these bundles reach developers and manufacturers, it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing more RealSense/Project Tango devices hit the market. I can’t wait for this technology to evolve. After having tested the Dell Venue 8 7000, I can honestly say the system needs to take more advantage of all those cameras. Measuring distances and blurring out backgrounds just isn’t worth the investment to me.
Intel® RealSense™ Technology Extends to New Platforms and Devices
‘America’s Greatest Makers’ Reality Competition to Premier in 2016
3D XPoint™ Comes to Storage and Memory Solutions with Intel® Optane™ Technology
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM–In the opening address at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), CEO Brian Krzanich highlighted new products, tools and programs that support the growing personalization of computing and described the trends creating new opportunities for developers across an unprecedented breadth of technologies.
Krzanich said computing has become increasingly personal, enhancing nearly all aspects of life. “Computers are on our desks, in our bags, in our clothes, in our homes and on our bodies. They are not only growing smarter and more connected, but gaining senses and becoming an extension of ourselves.”
An ecosystem is emerging around Intel to address these growing opportunities for computing. Krzanich detailed many of the essential products, technologies and tools from the company that will help developers make the differentiated experiences possible.
He unveiled a number of updates to Intel® RealSense™ technology that will bring depth sensing to more devices and applications, and announced new collaborations for securing the Internet of Things (IoT), in addition to programs and toolkits for developers to help speed industrial IoT solutions to market. And, for the highly personalized world of wearable computing, Krzanich provided updates on the Intel® Curie™ module and previewed a new reality competition program called “America’s Greatest Makers,” produced by United Artists Media Group* CEO Mark Burnett and appearing across leading networks and properties of Turner Broadcasting*.
Each year at IDF, Intel shares its vision for the future of technology innovation with the developers and partners who will create the products, engineer the systems, render the movies, and power the toys and devices that create amazing experiences. Below are key announcements highlighted at this year’s forum.
IDF 2015 News Highlights:
- Intel RealSense technology will be available on a wide-range of platforms, opening up more opportunities for developers to create new depth-sensing hardware and software. In addition to Windows* and Android*, developers will be able to use Intel RealSense technology with Mac OS X*, ROS*, Linux*, Scratch*1, Unity*, XSplit*, OBS*, Structure SDK*, OSVR*, Unreal Engine 4* and Google’s Project Tango*. Also, a number of developers, including Razer*, XSplit and Savioke* announced new platforms, peripherals and other solutions based on the Intel RealSense technology.
- In collaboration with Google*, Intel is driving innovation in mobile depth sensing by combining Google’s Project Tango and Intel RealSense technologies into an Android smartphone developer kit. The Intel RealSense Smartphone developer kit featuring Google’s Project Tango enables new experiences, including indoor navigation and area learning, virtual reality, 3-D scanning, and more. The developer kit is targeted for release to select Android developers by the end of this year.
- Intel is collaborating with Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group and Turner Broadcasting to create a reality competition called “America’s Greatest Makers” that will premiere in the first half of 2016 and showcase makers competing for a $1 million prize by inventing wearable technology and smart connected consumer devices powered by the Intel Curie module.
- Intel introduced Intel® OptaneTM technology, which is based on the revolutionary 3D XPointTM non-volatile memory media and combined with the company’s advanced system memory controller, interface hardware and software IP, to unleash vast performance potential in a range of forthcoming products. Intel Optane technology will first come to market in a new line of high-endurance, high-performance Intel SSDs beginning in 2016. The new class of memory technology will also power a new line of Intel DIMMs designed for Intel’s next-generation data center platforms.
- Fossil Group* previewed three Intel technology-based products2 resulting from its wearables collaboration with Intel first announced in September 2014, including a connected watch running Android Wear. The products will be available in the fourth-quarter of this year.
- Intel announced a new software platform created specifically for the Intel Curie module2, which includes all of the hardware, firmware, software and application SDK needed to enable a variety of device experiences. Intel IQ Software Kits will support future versions of this platform.
- Intel’s Enhanced Privacy Identification (EPID) technology will be implemented by leading IoT sensor and microcontroller vendors including Atmel* and Microchip* to help secure an increasingly smart and connected world.
XYZ CEO says he won’t be selling the company to Google or any other company
After Google’s massive Alphabet restructuring, the company registered the domain abc.xyz instead of using a traditional .com domain. As you’d expect, this drove a ton of extra traffic for XYZ as a company, and they saw a large increase in domain registration the week following the news.
Not only have registrations spiked, but according to CEO Daniel Negari, XYZ has also received tons of offers for strategic investments and even buyouts from bigger tech companies. It makes sense; most start-ups seem like they exist solely to find funding from a bigger backer or to be bought up and merged into an existing company, which usually happens to be Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.
Despite all of these offers, Negari has clarified that he’s not interested in selling the company. He says there’s still a lot of work to be done with XYZ to get it to where he wants to be, and he won’t be selling until he’s done.
An IPO may be in XYZ’s future, although there aren’t any plans for that to happen just yet.
Moral of the story? The best way to get your start-up on the front page of tech news sites is to get Google to use your product. Simple, right?
source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: XYZ CEO says he won’t be selling the company to Google or any other company
Android Auto version 1.2 introduces improved home screen shortcuts
How many of you are rocking Android Auto already? If you are one of the lucky ones, you may notice a new update has reached the Android Auto app, upgrading it to version 1.2. Aside from the usual “bug fixes and improvements”, this update offers some functionality upgrades, mainly to the home screen.
The new improvements make the music and navigation cards slightly larger. This is not only for aesthetic purposes, though. The larger size allows Google to fit a little something extra. The Navigation card now features an arrow button, while the music card displays a play/pause toggle.
These new functions will allow you to interact with content without having to launch specific apps. It’s all accessible straight from the home screen! This is likely only the beginning of this feature. Don’t be surprised if more apps and developers start adopting similar home screen shortcuts soon. After all, the idea of Android Auto is to interact with the interface as little as possible, so as to keep your driving safe.
Just head over to the Google Play Store and download the new Android Auto update if you have a compatible in-car system. And don’t forget to hit the comments to tell us what you think of these new features. If you don’t use Android Auto yet, you may want to start considering it for your next car purchase! Read our Android Auto review on the Hyundai Sonata to get more educated on the new platform.
Download Android Auto from the Google Play Store
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Intel announced it’s partnering with Google to create Project Tango dev kits with RealSense camera sensors
Today Intel held its developers forum and announced a partnership between itself and Google. Intel will combine its RealSense 3D camera sensors with help from Google to design a new Project Tango developer kit for smartphones.
Google first introduced Project Tango a few years ago and is looking to make the next step. Google’s 3D mapping initiative will be joined by Intel’s new RealSense camera module to create a kit for developers. You may recall Intel’s RealSense camera which has been used in many laptop computers up until this point.
The new device is expected to include a near 6-inch display and will be available for developers to get more hands on with the mapping technology. No further details about the upcoming kit were mentioned at the conference thus indicating the project may still be in its beginning stages. Intel and Google are hoping to send out the kits exclusively for developers by the end of 2015.
Source: Engadget
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Google and TP-LINK introduces new Wi-Fi router OnHub
Google, in partnership with TP-LINK, has introduced a new Wi-Fi router called OnHub. Say goodbye to the tiresome days of slow and insecure routers, as this is a “new way to Wi-Fi,” Google says.
Normally routers are hidden in a corner, usually due to the unpleasant design. Unfortunately, they function best when they’re out in the open, free of obstructions.
OnHub was designed to be an elegant looking router so that it blends in with your home. The search giant got rid of unruly cables, instead favoring subtle and useful lighting and control through an Android and iOS app called Google On.
OnHub aims to search airwaves for the best possible connection to eliminate frequent disconnects and interruptions. You want your home network running at top notch quality, and OnHub aims to accomplish just that.
Click here to view the embedded video.
There’re also options to prioritize a device on your network with OnHub, allowing you to get the fastest speeds for the most important tasks in your home, whether that be work related or streaming movies in the evening.
OnHub is currently available on a variety of online retailers for $199.99. However, many of these retailers list the router as out of stock. It should come to brick-and-mortar retailers in the coming weeks.
OnHub is certainly an interesting device from Google, and certainly not expected. It’ll no doubt function best on Google’s Fiber networks, too.
Anyone plan on picking up OnHub?
source: Google
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