Send directions to your Android phone with a Google search
Sending Google Maps directions to an Android phone hasn’t been that hard for a while, but it’s now downright easy. Google has introduced a web feature that delivers instructions through a simple search. As long as your phone is properly linked to your Google account, you only have to search for “send directions” to get the ball rolling — choose the route, hit send and your device will be ready to navigate. Only some people appear to have access to this option as of this writing, but there’s a good chance that you’ll get to check it out before too long.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Google (G+)
Google sends a Glass-like mystery device through the FCC
Google might have just hinted at the future of its Glass headsets. The company has sent a mystery “smart BLE” (Bluetooth Low Energy) device to the FCC for approval, the A4R-CAP1, and there are a few telltale signs that it’s one of Mountain View’s wearables. Most notably, the product’s digital FCC label (shown below) not only looks a lot like a Glass interface card, but requires that you swipe to see it — that suggests a touchstrip, as you’d use on Google’s eyepiece. Mentions of an Android-like firmware revision and a battery help, too. There’s the possibility that this is another gadget that simply happens to use Glass-style navigation, but that seems less than likely. Don’t be surprised if you’re eventually plunking CAP1 on your head.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wearables, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: FCC
Google sends a Glass-like mystery device through the FCC
Google might have just hinted at the future of its Glass headsets. The company has sent a mystery “smart BLE” (Bluetooth Low Energy) device to the FCC for approval, the A4R-CAP1, and there are a few telltale signs that it’s one of Mountain View’s wearables. Most notably, the product’s digital FCC label (shown below) not only looks a lot like a Glass interface card, but requires that you swipe to see it — that suggests a touchstrip, as you’d use on Google’s eyepiece. Mentions of an Android-like firmware revision and a battery help, too. There’s the possibility that this is another gadget that simply happens to use Glass-style navigation, but that seems less than likely. Don’t be surprised if you’re eventually plunking CAP1 on your head.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wearables, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: FCC
From garage to campus: a look at the digs of tech’s Big Five
Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon: These juggernauts are at the forefront of the tech industry. And with that success comes an ever-expanding workforce, and the need for a place to put them. To keep pace with growth, these companies have been making the requisite real-estate deals in order to build physical spaces to match their forward-thinking business approach. Fortunately, their designs are also more environmentally conscious than ever before. With the eyes of the world upon them, they’ve taken the well-being of the Earth, as well as their employees, into account, building innovative work spaces in an attempt to harmonize with the world around them. Below, we take a look at some of the steps these giants of industry have made over the years as they’ve moved from garage operations to vast campuses.
[Image: NBBJ]
Filed under: Misc, HD, Mobile, Alt, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook
Nexus devices aren’t selling well, Nexus 6 mostly to blame
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Google has just announced their quarterly financial results for Q1 2015, and while the overall picture is good, there’s a bit of bad new for Nexus devices. Google refers to the money it earns from the Play Store and Google Store as “other revenues”, and while overall “other revenues” has increased to $1.8 billion, up 23% year-on-year, when compared with last quarter, this revenue stream has actually fallen by 3%. In the earnings call, Google CFO Patrick Pichette attributed this decline to the fact that Nexus devices aren’t selling well anymore, in particular the Nexus 6, which hasn’t been the financial success that the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 were.
You can kind of understand why this is the case – the Nexus 5 ($349) and Nexus 7 ($249) were significantly cheaper than their successors, the Nexus 6 ($649) and Nexus 9 ($399), and it’s obvious that the almost double-the-cost Nexus 6 is a bit of a tough ask for what is essentially an enthusiast’s device. Having said that, it’s unlikely that Google will bat an eyelid as the Nexus line, as we all know, is less about being a commercial success but getting quality devices into the hands of developers and enthusiasts – though I doubt they’d complain if it actually made money too. We’ll have to see if Google changes their strategy with the next Nexus smartphone and goes back to a cheaper device.
What do you think about Nexus devices not doing too well? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: 9to5 Google via TalkAndroid
The post Nexus devices aren’t selling well, Nexus 6 mostly to blame appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google pulls the Nexus 7 tablet from its online store
In case you were on the fence about grabbing one of Google’s affordable Nexus tablets, you’d better jump off it pretty soon. The Nexus 7’s been pulled from the Google Store, as spotted by TalkAndroid, and it almost assuredly isn’t coming back — especially since the Nexus 9 exists. That means if you still want one of the consistently updated 7-inch slates you’ll have to hit places like Amazon while supplies last or wallow in regret for all that could’ve been. Namely, owning a tablet that (to me at least) is more comfortable to hold than the IPad Mini 2 and is essentially just as capable.
Unless you go for the most expensive configuration — 32GB with LTE — most models will run you less than half what one of Google’s newer, bigger tablets will, too. That sound you hear? It’s opportunity knocking. We’ve reached out to Google for additional info and will update this post should we hear back.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Google
Via: TalkAndroid
Source: Google Store
Say goodbye to the Nexus 7 as Google pulls listing from store page
The Nexus 7 was Google’s initiative to kick start affordable, well-performing 7-inch Android tablets. The first N7 was a fantastic device, and its 2013 successor was every bit as good at an affordable price point.
After releasing the Nexus 9 and not even mentioning the possibility of a refreshed 7-inch tablet, though, most of us could see the writing on the wall about the Nexus 7’s fate. Today, it’s finally happened, as Google no longer offers the Nexus 7 on their online store. Finding a listing for the Nexus 7 specifically says that it’s no longer for sale.
Google’s Nexus program has changed over the past couple of years, moving away from extremely affordable devices to more high-end devices that offer a flagship caliber experience without sacrificing development options and quick updates. Unfortunately, that move comes with flagship caliber price tags, too, which is evident in the Nexus 9’s doubled price tag over the Nexus 7.
It’s a sad day, but there are no shortage of excellent 7-inch tablets on the market right now. They may not be Nexus tablets, but plenty of them are still excellent, affordable options, so in that sense the Nexus 7 did exactly what it set to do before slowly fading away.
source: Google Store
Come comment on this article: Say goodbye to the Nexus 7 as Google pulls listing from store page
Google continues pushing for mobile friendly webpages
Google recently announced on their blog a plan to change how you see search results. They made a reference to an issue that all smartphone users know all too well. The webpage that does not support mobile views and becomes a burden to navigate.
Usually, I quickly leave these pages because I feel that if they can’t manage to operate a mobile site, it probably isn’t a good organization/group for me to be looking into. Apparently I am not the only one as people are less likely to return to a webpage that doesn’t support a mobile view than those that do according to Google.
As part of Google campaign to increase mobile friendly sites, Google has released multiple tools to help webmasters create websites that are considered mobile friendly by Google so that they viewers can enjoy the website’s content on their mobile devices in addition to a traditional laptop.
“Webmasters can check if their site is mobile-friendly by examining individual pages with the Mobile-Friendly Test or checking the status of the entire site through the Mobile Usability report in Webmaster Tools. Once a site becomes mobile-friendly, we will automatically re-process those pages (and webmasters can expedite the process by using Fetch as Google with Submit to Index). “
Links to those tools and more information can be found on Google’s blog post.
The post Google continues pushing for mobile friendly webpages appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google posts Q1 2015 earnings, revenue up 12% year over year
Just yesterday, Google posted its financial reports for Q1 2015. While overall revenue and net income increased year over year, those numbers would have been much higher had the company’s Nexus program not seen a decline. But before we get into the bad news, let’s talk about the profits Google earned from January through March of this year.
Google earned $17.3 billion this quarter, up 12% from what the company earned Q1 of last year. Net income for Q1 has also risen to $3.58 billion, up from $3.45 billion the year prior. Sites owned by Google generated $11.9 billion, an increase of 14% year over year, making up roughly 68% of the company’s overall revenue.
The always vague ‘other revenues’ portion totaled $1.7 billion in Q1, up 23% year over year, making up roughly 9.8% of its overall earnings. This section includes highly-profitable products on the consumer end, like Google Play and the Nexus program. Oddly enough, the company’s ‘other revenues’ section is down 3% compared to Q4 of 2014, and we have a pretty good idea as to why. As Google CFO Patrick Pichette explained in the Q1 2015 earnings call yesterday, the ‘other revenues’ section declined due to the Nexus program. Pichette explains:
Other revenues grew 23 percent year over year to $1.8 billion, and was down 2 percent quarter over quarter, driven really by year over year growth in the Play Store, offset by decline in Nexus. Year over year it hasn’t been as strong given the strength of the Nexus 7 last year.
As you probably recall, Google released the Nexus 6 ($649) and Nexus 9 ($399) at higher price points than it did with the Nexus 5 ($349) back in 2013. Taking into account that the Nexus 6 launched at a higher price point and is definitely a device meant for a niche market, we’re not surprised that the Nexus program has been losing its steam over the past few months.
Read more: Google reveals Nexus program has “seen a decline” – post by Andrew Grush
Moving right along, Google’s operating costs totaled a massive $6.45 billion, up $5.34 billion year over year. It should be noted that Google hired just about 9,000 new employees this quarter alone, which contributes a lot to that total.
If you’re interested, feel free to check out Google’s full financial report at the source link below.
Luxottica prepping upcoming version of Google Glass: Report
Popular eyewear manufacturer Luxottica which owns brands like Ray-Ban, Oakley and several other major sunglasses brands is now looking to partner with Google for the upcoming version of Glass. The information was given out by the CEO of Luxottica, Massimo Vian during the company’s general meeting in Milan, Italy.
Vian said – “In Google, there are some second thoughts on how to interpret version 3 [of the eyewear]. What you saw was version 1. We’re now working on version 2, which is in preparation.” Google however has been tight lipped about this project so far.
By pairing with a major eyewear maker like Luxottica, Google can hope to appeal to a large segment of audience with the new Glass. So this seems to be a logical move for the company. The arrival of the finished product is still some distance away though, so don’t expect it to hit the shelves anytime soon.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Come comment on this article: Luxottica prepping upcoming version of Google Glass: Report
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