Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘Google’

20
May

Download and Install the Android 5.1.1 OTA update for the Nexus 4


Nexus_4_TA_Back_Top_Crystalized_Pattern-630x354

The Android 5.1.1 update is now rolling to Nexus 4 devices, but who the hell wants to wait 2 to 3 weeks for it? You can manually download the actual and official over-the-air (OTA) update from Google and flash if yourself.

I know what you’re thinking. You think you need to be a rocket scientist or you need a rooted device. Well you don’t. If I can do it, you can do it. Just hit up our very extensive guide that will walk you through each and every step. If you happen to be a seasoned pro and don’t need the guide, just grab the OTA update from the link below.

Nexus 4 (ossam) From LMY47O to LMY47V (5.1.1)

Come comment on this article: Download and Install the Android 5.1.1 OTA update for the Nexus 4

20
May

Google to unveil standalone photo app at I/O 2015


With Google I/O 2015 eight days away it’s time we get the rumor bus started, on the track, and up to full speed. For some time now, the general consensus has been that Google+ will be split into different products; namely Hangouts, Photos, and Streams. It looks like that Photos will be the first shoe to drop this year at this year’s annual developer conference. The re-branding of Google+ is something that the Mother-ship could be doing to compete more with social media firms like Facebook or Twitter. Twitter acquired Twitpic (more or less) in 2014, and Facebook swallowed up Instagram in 2012. Instagram has been given relative autonomy within their parent company, and in that time the photo sharing app has seen growth of its user base climb to over 300 million. Splitting up Google+ will not only give the team in Mountain View a chance to alter the Google+ brand; it will allow some of their core apps to be more agile through autonomy. This is a good thing.

The other issue is sharing. Right now Google+ Photos for web only allows you to share on Google+. This resonates with the old cliche:  “If a tree falls in the woods and nobody’s there, does it make a sound?” Google seems to realize this and rumors are that the soon-to-be-independent version of Photos will allow sharing to other outlets like the aforementioned Facebook and Twitter. Right now this something you can do with the mobile app. It makes sense then that this kind of functionality would be it extended to the web. Google doesn’t usually comment on rumors. If this is true, we could see some major shifts this year at I/O.

The post Google to unveil standalone photo app at I/O 2015 appeared first on AndroidGuys.

20
May

Adblock Plus gets its own Android browser


Adblock Browser

Whatever your views are on online advertising, it’s here to stay. But that doesn’t mean that companies aren’t doing all they can to strip the web of ads on your behalf. Perhaps the most notable is Adblock Plus, which has made a name for itself by delivering browser extensions so efficient that Google and Microsoft have paid to be whitelisted. After briefly enjoying a period on the Play Store before it was pulled by the search giant in 2013, Adblock Plus today makes a return to Google’s marketplace in the form of a browser.

Google originally removed Adblock Plus because it interfered with other apps. So by implementing the same technology into Adblock Browser for Android, it could silo the experience and immediately nullify the issue. The app itself runs on a version of Mozilla’s open-source Firefox Android browser, which offers stability and a sense of familiarity but can also block ads and speed up browsing. However, support for third-party extensions and Firefox’s synchronization features are lost as a result.

The launch comes just as European mobile carriers are said to be toying with the idea of blocking ads on customer phones to get a cut of Google’s ad revenue. The search giant won’t be happy with the return of Adblock Plus, but seeing as it already allows Chrome users to download the extension via the browser’s Web Store, we imagine it will begrudgingly remain neutral. The app has yet to reach the Play Store, so users are encouraged become testers by signing up to Adblock Plus’ Google+ community and download it once it becomes available.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google

Comments

Via: Adblock Plus

Source: Adblock Browser (Google+)

20
May

Google suffers from another Google Maps hack


White-House-Image

A few weeks ago, Google Maps was hacked through the Map Maker function which resulted in an image of an Android peeing on the Apple logo near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Google immediately apologized and removed the image. They supposedly suspended Map Maker as well.

Now they have suffered something similar. Don’t bother trying this because it has already been taken down, but yesterday if you searched for “N***** king” (yes that is the N word), you were directed to the White House. It even worked with the search term “n****a house.”

Here’s a GIF courtesy of the Washtington Post with the search term blurred out…..

Google_Maps_Hack_White_House

A Google spokesperson immediately apologized, “Some inappropriate results are surfacing in Google Maps that should not be, and we apologize for any offense this may have caused.”

Google also stated that they are temporarily suspending Maps Maker, but I thought they had already done that? It’s possible they did and thought everything was rectified and turned it back on. Now they are saying that an update is planned for May 27, which will hopefully put an end to this insanity.

source: Washington Post

Come comment on this article: Google suffers from another Google Maps hack

20
May

Chrome adds MIDI support for browser-based music composition


Chrome lapel pin

Let’s say you went all out for Rock Band 3 and bought a MIDI drum kit and the game’s keyboard peripheral, haven’t used them since, but hate to put that stuff on Craigslist. With the new Chrome update you can use ’em to make beautiful music in your web browser with the Web MIDI API. As VentureBeat notes, this means that websites can access digital instruments and you’ll be able to compose tunes without needing any special software. Most (possibly all) of the musical browser experiments we’ve seen thus far rely on your computer’s keyboard to create audio — like Typedrummer, for instance — so this should make things pretty easy for folks more accustomed to traditional instruments. Oh, and as previously reported, support to bring legacy websites into the HTTPS fold are in place as well.

[Image credit: stshank/Flickr]

Filed under: Internet, Google

Comments

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Chromium

20
May

Samsung’s cross-device sharing app arrives on Google Play


Last November, Samsung introduced Flow, which lets users seamlessly share activities between devices. (Yes, much like Apple does with Continuity.) And while the software still isn’t fully baked, the South Korean company is now letting people give it a try — so long as they have compatible Android hardware. The beta application, available on Google Play, offers a taste of what Flow can do, like allowing you to start reading an article on your smartphone, pause it and pick up where you left off on, say, a tablet. Flow Beta is only available to some Galaxy devices at the moment, and Samsung’s encouraging developers to make their apps compatible with its new feature as soon as possible.

Here’s what you need to have:

  • Galaxy S5, S6 and S6 Edge
  • Galaxy Alpha
  • Note 4 and Note Edge
  • Galaxy Tab S

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Samsung, Google

Comments

Via: 9to5Google

Source: Google Play

20
May

Google Search on mobile picks up real-time Tweet searching from Twitter




<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Earlier today Twitter made an announcement that they have teamed up with Google to help make your Twitter searching a bit easier. The search giant and the 140 character social network now brings you real-time tweets to Google search results on mobile devices, both iOS and Android, made through the Google App and mobile web. Like most cool news that involves Google, the new feature is only landing in the U.S. for now and only if you are searching in English. Pretty specific really.

For example, if you’re interested in hearing more from Taylor Swift, a quick search on Google will pull up her most recent Tweets. Or, if you’re a TV buff, a search for #MadMen will bring up the most relevant news and Tweets about Sunday’s series finale.


Once you catch the Tweet you are interested in you can tap on it and head straight into twitter to do the usual twittery things like retweet and favorite.

The news announcement post does say that a desktop web version is coming shortly and that they have plans to bring it to more countries in the coming months.

Source: Twitter Via 9to5Google

The post Google Search on mobile picks up real-time Tweet searching from Twitter appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

20
May

Android Wear update brings WiFi to select smartwatches


The latest version of Android Wear that Google promised back in April is finally starting to make its way to devices today. It comes with quite a list of updates, starting with the activation of dormant WiFi chips in the LG Watch Urbane, Moto 360, Sony Smartwatch 3 and the Samsung Gear Live. In addition, apps can now stay visible until you dismiss them, which is the ideal scenario for sports or shopping apps. You can swipe left to access apps and contacts, get notifications even when you’re looking at something else on the watch, change your font size and lock your watch screen, as well.

The new OS is also making smartwatch enthusiasts happy by letting them pair their phones with more than one of their wearables. Finally, folks with large fingers can just draw emojis instead of trying to tap a tiny smiley on a tiny screen — the app they’re using will automatically identify the graphic they want to use. If you still haven’t gotten the update, don’t worry: the OS is being rolled out gradually in the coming days and weeks. Once it has arrived on your device (and it’s one of the models listed above), simply switch on Cloud sync to take advantage of the newly activated WiFi support.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: Droid Life

Source: Android Wear Help Forum

20
May

Google’s new photo sharing and storage service to come next week


Nexus_5_Back_Carmera_Lens_TA

Next week, the split between Google+ and features involving photographs is expected to be complete. Bloomberg reports that Google will likely use I/O 2015 as a launch pad for a photo sharing and storage service. Users will be able to share photos to other services while storing them underneath Google’s name.

The move could be in response to competition, such as Facebook owning Instagram, moving ahead in the mobile photography space.

Are you interested in what Google has coming with photos? Let us know in the comments if you are already locked in with another service for sharing and storing photos.

Source: Bloomberg

Come comment on this article: Google’s new photo sharing and storage service to come next week

20
May

Chrome add-on shares your web links through sound bursts


Google Tone

If Google has its way, the days of sharing web links through copying text (or bumping devices) will soon be over. The internet giant has released Google Tone, an “experimental” Chrome extension that shares your browser’s current web address to other computers through specially crafted sound bursts. So long as the recipients are within microphone range and use Tone, they don’t have to lift a finger — their machines will pick up the audio cue and start surfing. There are a lot of variables that could sour your experience (don’t try this in a noisy room, folks), but this could still be ideal if you just have to send cat videos to everyone within earshot.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

Comments

Source: Google Research Blog, Chrome Web Store

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »