Android Pay will not collect transaction fees
Android Pay has been a popular topic of conversation in the days following its unveiling at Google I/O 2015. Designed to provide a seamless transaction option over credit cards and payments, it plays on the same field as Apple Pay. While the two services have similarities there are also unique selling points for each.
Apple’s deal with banks sees them collecting a small fee for transactions made through Apple Pay. For transactions made through credit card, Apple get 0.15% of the value; for debit cards, Apple gets a better 0.5%. It doesn’t sound like much, but when we consider the number of Apple Pay users, it amounts to really big money over time.
Android Pay, on the other hand is free from such fees thanks to the standardized tokenization security features of Visa and MasterCard. Tokenization is a method that swaps card and transaction data with unique sets of numbers that validate a purchase. In short, it protects your data, as merchants never get access to any sensitive data eliminating any and all chances of data theft.
The dominance of Visa and MasterCard and credit and debit card market may force Apple to renegotiate the terms if they wants to continue to be a competition to Android Pay. At least that is a theoretical way of looking the situation.
In short, Google won’t be earning any money from Android Pay with tokenization in place. Although, it may prove fruitful at a later time in the market when Google expands to other markets pushing for global acceptance of Android Pay. Then again, Google doesn’t directly collect for all that much.
Can mobile payments via Android devices force Apple to adapt or adopt new strategies? How long until average customers are even considering this as a payment option on a regular basis? I would love to hear your thoughts below.
Via PhoneArena
The post Android Pay will not collect transaction fees appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Android Authority this week – June 7, 2015
Hello Android fans, this week brought us new Android devices, hot rumors about Samsung’s upcoming phones, and more. At Computex in Taiwan, Asus introduced new tablets, the ZenWatch 2, and a selfie-focused Zenfone; Google released cool updates to several of its apps; SoundHound took everyone by surprise with the very promising Hound virtual assistant; Huawei launched the P8 Lite and other products in the US; rumors surfaced about the Galaxy S6 Plus, while the Galaxy S6 Active has leaked extensively; and HTC launched the One ME, but announced another quarter of poor financial results.
Inside AA HQ
This week we’ve added more feature focus pieces to our Diving into M series, where you can get a closer look at what’s new in Android M developer preview. We’ve also brought you one of the finest Android Auto reviews on the web, courtesy of the one and only Joshua Vergara.
Our YouTube team is busy preparing the next batch of awesome reviews, with devices like the Xiaomi Note Pro, Nvidia Shield, the just announced Huawei P8 Lite, and the Blu Life 8XL all coming up soon.
You’ve probably noticed that we have a new design for the website. AA now runs on the same platform as sister sites TabTimes and SoundGuys, and that means it will be easier for us to roll out new features, while keeping a cohesive appearance. Over the past week, we’ve been tweaking the design and squashing bugs, but we still have some work to do, as this is just the beginning. So please bear with us and drop us a line with your comments and ideas!
This week, we’re putting the excellent LG G4 up for grabs! Grab your sweepstakes tickets here!
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Ask Us Anything: Nirave answers your top questions about the G4, S6, and P8
- Feature: Which is the best phone for LTE in the UK, between the LG G4,Galaxy S6, and Huawei P8?
- For developers: These are the top announcements for developers from Google I/O 2015
- Review: Android Auto is finally available in production cars. See what it’s like
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
New Asus products
- Asus adds two capable 13MP cameras to the ZenFone recipe: meet the ZenFone Selfie
- Asus announces Quad HD ZenPad S 8.0 and three other tablets at Computex
- ZenWatch 2 unveiled at Computex: now in two sizes, refreshed design, and magnetic charger
- Asus ZenWatch 2 will reportedly offer 3 to 4 day battery life, and beyond
Google apps updates
- Google Maps is gaining real-time transit info in two new countries and four new metro areas
- Chrome OS update brings credit card autofill, physical keyboard autocorrection, and more
- Google Camera version 2.5 update brings a new focusing animation and more
- Updated Google Keyboard syncs your dictionary across devices
- Google Play update for Android TV makes 600+ apps easier to find
- Chrome Beta v44 update brings improvements to Notifications API and promoted add to homescreen
Hound is amazing
- SoundHound aims to take on Google Now with its new personal voice assistant
- Check out this amazing Hound demo
Huawei P8 Lite launch
- Huawei P8 Lite announced, coming to the U.S. today
- Huawei P8 Lite Hands on and First Impressions
- Huawei partners with Jawbone Up for TalkBand B2 launch
- Deal: Buy a Huawei smartphone, get $200 in free goodies for a limited time
Galaxy S6 Active incoming
- Updated: Official Galaxy S6 Active hardware details surface
- AT&T teases imminent Galaxy S6 Active release
Galaxy S6 Plus rumors
HTC’s problems
- HTC can’t stop launching high-end models, introduces One ME in China
- HTC promises hero product in October, significant improvements for M series next year
- HTC’s Product Strategy – time to change?
- HTC now expects to lose money in Q2, writes off $93 million due to unused production capacity
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
Android’s deviant identities
Google’s Android Open Source Project (AOSP) rolled out in 2007 with the goal of creating a unified framework for mobile operating systems and, in turn, expediting the development of mobile products. The core of the code was open to everyone, but to help guarantee quality products — and promote its own services in the face of Apple’s iOS — Google also organized the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Companies who pledged allegiance to this group effectively committed to certain standards of quality for any resultant Android hardware and software. Membership in the OHA, however, is not a requirement for AOSP and so numerous forked (read: compatible and non-compatible) versions, like Amazon’s Fire OS, have been developed over the years. We’ve pinpointed just a few of these to highlight the vibrant — and often political — undercurrent of Android’s alternate identities.
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have: the forks of Android life.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, Amazon, Acer
‘Final Fantasy Tactics’ hits Android
Final Fantasy players, lovers and haters, come together and rejoice: Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions has finally launched on Android. It hit iOS back in 2013, but now the playing field is leveled. This is a port of the 2007 PSP game War of the Lions, which was in turn based on the 1997 original PlayStation game, Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s $14 on Android, so cancel your weekend plans and enjoy.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Google
Source: Google Play
Amazon drops pricing of the Nexus Player from $99 to $69
Last week, we saw Google slash the pricing of the Nexus Player from the original price of $99 to $79, when purchased through the Google Play Store. There were speculations to whether Google was gearing up to release a new version of the streaming device at Google I/O 2015. Well that rumor never came to fruition, so we were left just assuming that Google was just trying to give a little sales boost.
Today, the Nexus Player has taken another price cut, but not from Google directly. This time the price cut is from $99 down to $69.99 on Amazon. $10 may not be much of a price cut, but this may be the next step on the road map for clearing out stock ahead of an updated product.
With free shipping through Prime, this really is a great deal on a product that was just released last year. Especially with the update to Google Play Store, which makes it easier for users to find Android TV compatible apps, there’s no better time than now to spring for the Nexus Player. Now with over 600 compatible apps, Google is closing the gap between the Nexus Player and the competition to rule your living room.
These last few weeks have been great for those looking to score some deals on great products across the board, and this latest price slashing, is just another notch in the belt. With pricing cuts on the Moto X 2014, Moto 360, and other devices, there are plenty of deals to be had. We would like to take note of the fact that the Nexus Player and Game Pad bundle is currently sold out on Amazon, but you can sign up to be emailed when the bundle becomes available for purchase again.
Have you jumped on any of these deals over the last month or so? Let us know what new devices or toys you have gotten your hands on.
The post Amazon drops pricing of the Nexus Player from $99 to $69 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google publishes the boring details of its self-driving car accidents
While Google prepares to move its driverless car tests from modified hatchbacks and SUVs to the custom prototype shown above, questions keep popping up about any accidents they’ve been in (even though the car itself has not been at fault). Earlier this week Google co-founder Sergey Brin stook questions about those accidents, and today the company issued the first of a series of monthly breakdowns on its autonomous driving tests. USA Today says the reports will include info about any incidents, as well as other anecdotes and examples of how the cars handle every day traffic situations. Of course, if Google wanted to hide any information about its progress then it has found the perfect way — it turns out that reading about a car getting rear-ended at stop lights incredibly boring, even if it’s a self-driving car that was hit.
Getting rear-ended is the most common accident the project has encountered on its 1,011,338 miles driven in autonomous mode. Just last month a Lexus was hit that way:
May: A Google Lexus model AV was travelling southbound on Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View in autonomous mode and was stopped behind traffic at a red light at the intersection of Shoreline Boulevard and El Camino Real. A vehicle approaching from behind collided with the rear bumper and sensor of the Google AV. The approximate speed of the other vehicle at the time of impact was 1 MPH. There were no injuries reported at the scene by either party. The Google AV sustained minor damage to its rear sensor and bumper. There was no visible damage to the other vehicle
See? It’s mostly like that. You can read through the PDF for other similar descriptions, plus exciting notes of cars recognizing and avoiding bicycles, but we’re thinking DARPA’s robot competition might be the more exciting AI example for today.
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Source: Google Self-Driving Car Reports
Chrome on Android finds relevant info for any word you touch
Arguably the biggest announcement to come out of Google I/O last week was the Now on Tap feature that lets you search within apps. Well, a new update for Chrome on Android dubbed “Tap to Search” looks like it could be pretty similar: it lets you search about a term on a web page for information without leaving the page. The example Google gives is that say you’re on The Hollywood Reporter and you do a touch-and-hold on the word “America.” Not only will it scroll up a search window, instead of stuff about the country, it populates a bunch of information about the flick Captain America: Civil War like pictures, news and casting information. Pretty cool, right? It’s in the process of rolling out right now, with Asian language support coming soon and you can see it in action in the GIF after the break.
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Chrome Blog
Google will begin to publicly report driverless car accidents
Google will now publicly report all accidents its self-driving cars are involved in from here on out, on a new website that’s now available to the public. Not only will the new website detail all accidents on a per month basis, it will also include an open forum for community feedback as well as examples of how the cars adapt to everyday traffic situations.
This website is in response to safety concerns following reports that the driverless cars have already been in more than 10 accidents, though the search giant claims that none were actually the car’s fault. The majority of these accidents involved another vehicle rear-ending the Google-made car, along with a few that included minor sideswipes from other cars.
Google explains in its first report:
In the six years of our project, we’ve been involved in 12 minor accidents during more than 1.8 million miles of autonomous and manual driving combined. Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident.
Google’s self-driving cars are slated to hit the road this summer, so it’s certainly a good thing that the company is being transparent about the cars’ safety. Take a look at the video below to get a quick demonstration on how the cars work, and be sure to head to the source link below to see the new website.
So what do you think? Are you excited for Google’s new driverless cars?
Twitch is planning a ton of live video coverage from E3 2015
Twitch wasn’t about to let a competitor have all the fun. Not to be outdone by YouTube’s recently announced coverage plan for E3 2015, Twitch is now following suit. The video-streaming platform has revealed its broadcast agenda ahead of this year’s gaming conference in LA, scheduled to take place between June 16th and 18th — though most of the action starts on June 14th. This includes live streams of the Nintendo World Championships as well as major keynotes from Xbox, Playstation, Bethesda, EA, Square Enix and Ubisoft. Of course, Engadget will be on the ground at the Los Angeles Convention Center, bringing you the latest news as they happen.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: Twitch
Android TV updated with better discovery for its 600+ apps
Android TV now has more than 600 apps available, and Google has updated the Play Store for the service, making app discovery better than ever before.
With the updated Play Store, Android TV can now browse all apps or selections of certain apps combined into over 20 collections. While this does an exemplary job at organizing apps for Android TV, we’re not sure just how useful it is. After all, the average user will only use a few well known apps for Android TV, such as Play Music, Pandora, Netflix, Hulu, and etc.
Read more: Asus’ Nexus Player only $69.99 on Amazon
For those that want to expand outside of well known apps, they now have a full catalog available to them over just a select few highlighted options. But, this does raise a question. How much is too much for Android TV?
Apple offers its users only 70 apps on Apple TV, inviting only a few developers to create content for the service. 600 Android TV apps and growing could quickly get cluttered and out of control.
Apps on TV gets weird quickly. Should Google put limitations on what developers release in order to provide a better quality service?
source: Variety
Come comment on this article: Android TV updated with better discovery for its 600+ apps
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