Take notes on your wrist with Google Keep and Android Wear
Keep, Google’s cloud-based note taking app, has always been pretty handy. But having to pull out and unlock your phone, then launch the program, open a new note and finally type in your thought is often enough to make anybody yearn for a pencil and pad of paper. Luckily, Google has a newly updated means of jotting down ideas as easy as talking to the back of your hand — you just need to shell out a couple hundred bucks for an Android Wear watch to use it.
According to the official Google Android Blog, Android users with devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and newer will be able to access the Note app directly from their wristwatch while leaving their phone in their pocket. Users can activate the app with “OK Google, open Keep” or jump directly to dictation with the command “OK Google, take a note.” Existing features like swipe-and-tap navigation and adding reminders to existing notes directly from the watch are still supported.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Internet, Google
Source: Official Android Blog
Google releases two Project Fi videos to help you check your data usage, manage calls and texts
We’re sure you’ve heard the news by now – Google has launched it’s very own wireless service, Project Fi. Constantly alternating between Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks and Wi-Fi hotspots around the nation, Project Fi aims to give you a viable option if you’re not too keen on signing up with one of the Big Four. While the new wireless service offers a few great features, it can be a little difficult to understand exactly how data plans, talking and texting works on the provider. So to help customers make sense of it all, Google has released two new video guides that should provide some useful information.
The first of which is a guide to checking your data usage. The interesting thing about Project Fi is that you won’t get charged for data you don’t use, unlike most other carriers in the U.S. You pay for a certain amount of mobile data at the beginning of the month, and get reimbursed for the data you didn’t use at the end of the month. So to help folks choose the right data budget on the new service provider, they released this video:
Project Fi: Guide to Checking Data Usage
Another neat feature Project Fi brings to the table is the ability to call and text your friends and family through Hangouts without the need to have your Nexus 6 in-hand. To do so, simply install Hangouts on your Nexus 6, sign in with your Google account attached to the Project Fi network, and make sure you’re signed in to Hangouts on any other device from which you’d like to make calls and send texts. This can get a little confusing for users, which is why Google put out this video:
Project Fi: Guide to Talk & Text Across Devices
More information will likely surface over the next few weeks regarding Project Fi, so we’ll be sure to let you know when we learn more. But for now be sure to head over to our announcement post to get the basics on Google’s new wireless service.
Google eyes the bigger picture while missing Wall Street’s expectations
It’s earnings time once more, and Google’s gone and done it again. Despite taking in $17.3 billion in revenue over the past three months (that’s a 12 percent lift over how much it made this time last year), the search giant still managed to whiff slightly when it came to pleasing Wall Street’s persnickety analysts. If you’ve been paying attention the these earnings releases (dry though they may be), none of this will be news to you. Google’s track record over the past few years is filled with more Wall Street misses than hits, and this’ll be the company’s sixth consecutive whiff. But does Google care? Yeah, no.
It’s as much a systematic problem as anything — analysts are sticklers for the short term, while Google’s zeal for dumping cash into research and development mean the company’s clearly trying to work things out on a larger scale. Larry Page and Sergey Brin said as much in the company’s 2004 IPO letter. Meanwhile, outgoing CFO Patrick Pichette was adamant when he said that the core of the company’s ad business is strong. Sure, it might be facing stiff competition from rivals like Facebook, but it still works. Let’s not forget that Google raked in a cool $15.5 billion in advertising revenue in the past quarter, and is currently sitting atop a huge pile of money — think just under $65.5 billion, or about enough to build 5 aircraft carriers. Those numbers might not please prognosticators, but it’s plenty to devote to moonshot and the only slightly kooky concepts that have a real shot at changing the more pedestrian truths of daily life. Project Fi, anyone? Part of that means continuing to dump money into building and maintaining data centers (Google spent $2.9 billion on such capital expenditures over the past three months), not to mention pushing its vision of a mobile computing experience even harder.
The phrase “pivot to mobile” basically peppered today’s earnings conference call, and Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani said the company was “laser-focused” on understanding how people interact with information on their phones versus on their computers. That sort of insight is crucial to keeping Google’s cash cow ad business healthy and relevant, and it’s kind of neat to see ad-centric thinking converted into new services like Project Fi and a focus on making mobile better for everyone.
Source: Google Investor Relations
Google Keep adds labels and expanded notes hit Android Wear
Google Keep, the company’s stock note-taking app, now displays entire notes on Android Wear devices. Users of Keep that have an Android Wear device can view their notes by swiping around and compose new ones with the “Ok Google, take a note” voice command. Reminders can also be applied through the Android Wear version of Keep.
Another option that Keep users on Android, Chrome, and the web have is applying labels to notes. It looks the same as labels do on Gmail and helps organize notes among a crowded field.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google Keep adds labels and expanded notes hit Android Wear
A cheat sheet to Project Fi, Google’s mobile phone service
Rumors of Google breaking into the wireless carrier game have been fodder for scoops, breathless reports and thinkpieces for years now, and for the longest time it looked like the search giant just couldn’t make it happen. Yesterday the search giant put all that to rest. Project Fi is finally here (if invite-only and fully compatible with one phone) — here’s what you absolutely need to know about it.
What is Project Fi?
At its most basic, Project Fi is a mobile phone service that promises unlimited domestic talk and text, unlimited international messaging, tethering and 2G-only international service in over 120 countries (thanks to T-Mobile’s rather dope roaming agreements) for as low as $30 a month. You get to decide how much data you want to pay for — more on that later — and you’ll get a tidy refund for whatever data you don’t use when the month is over.
Really though, the best way to look at Fi is as an ambitious experiment in mashing up existing networks. The heart of the service is a mobile mesh that combines Sprint and T-Mobile’s coverage areas with over a million of WiFi hotspots meant to give you the most reliable service wherever you are. Some of those hotspots will pop up exactly where you expect them — like 7,000 US Starbucks stores, for instance — while plans to bolster free public WiFi networks in cities with Google Fiber are well known. And the rest? Well, they’re all open networks (your data will get routed through a Google VPN to keep it secure) that Google’s got in a quality control database. Of course, how well this’ll actually work in practice is another story.
How do I use it?
The beauty of Project Fi is that, despite all the crazy-cool network jumping going on, you just use your phone the way you always would. Once you sign up, you’ll get a new phone number or bring over your existing one, and you can access it from a slew of compatible devices. It’s sort of like what Apple’s done with iMessage and its phone-friendly Continuity features, except across any computer, tablet or smartphone that plays nice with Google Hangouts. Want to check your voicemail or send your mom a cheesy Mother’s Day text? You can do it from your office Chromebook, that iPad chilling on your coffee table, and even that Surface Pro you keep trying to use on airplane tray tables. The name of the game here is seamlessness.
Same goes for your actual phone calls. Let’s say you’re on one of Google’s approved WiFi networks — if you’re on a call and wander too far from the source, the phone will switch you onto Sprint or T-Mobile’s data network depending on which is stronger to keep things flowing sans interruptions. Thing is, Fi’s meatiest part only works with one device right now: The Nexus 6. Motorola’s phablet the only device with a radio certified to shift between Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks without batting a proverbial eyelash and it’ll cost you (but more on that later). It’s possible that Project Fi will also support the older, cheaper Nexus 5 at some point since the same phone could be activated with either Sprint or T-Mobile service, but for now N5 owners are out of luck.
OK, I’ll bite — how do I get it?
You didn’t expect Google to open this up to the masses all willy-nilly, did you? Just like Gmail, Wave and Google+ before it, Project Fi is an invite-only Early Access Program for the time being, so you’ll have to throw your name into the hat by registering here. Google hasn’t said exactly when that first batch of invites will start hitting inboxes, but you should expect a response one way or the other within 30 days of registration. The requirements are pretty straightforward, though: As long as you live an area where Fi has coverage and you own (or are willing to buy) a Nexus 6, you’re eligible to take the service for a spin. Thing is, neither T-Mobile nor Sprint have spectacular rural coverage, so those of you in more remote climes — sorry Montana — might not get your invites for a while.
Is it really such a good deal?
Erm, maybe. It all comes down to what you need, and let’s be real — Fi isn’t perfect for everyone. First off, there are no family plans here, making Fi a better choice for individual enthusiasts itching for something a little different. If that’s you, you’re going to pay $20 a month for the so-called “Fi basic” noted above. Each gigabyte of data service will cost you $10 after that, and that’s where things can get a little iffy. T-Mobile’s most basic plan with unlimited talk and text plus 1GB of high-speed data will run you $50 a month, while the same amount nets you 3GB of data across Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks on Fi. If you’re on a cushy, older T-Mobile plan though, you might be better staying put. CEO John Legere announced earlier this month that all of those juicy promo plans aren’t going anywhere (unless you’re still clinging to one with unlimited data).
Meanwhile, Sprint offers a flat $60 rate that promises unlimited talk, texting and data access each month, along with even slower international roaming in a handful of countries. It’s important to note that some of Project Fi’s broad strokes aren’t exactly new — we’ve seen upstarts like Republic Wireless and FreedomPop push the vision of a WiFi-centric mobile service for years now, so you could get a kinda-sorta similar experience for quite a bit less. Republic, for example, offers unlimited talk, text and 4G data for $40, though you’ll lose out on Fi’s network span and international chops.
All of this presumes you’re OK toting around a whopper like the Nexus 6 as your daily driver. Since Project Fi has ditched the contract model completely, there aren’t any hardware subsidies either – that means you’ll have to pay $649 for a 32GB model or $699 for the 64GB version if you haven’t already. Thankfully, you can pay for the phone in monthly installments… if you pass a credit check, anyway.
Why does this matter?
For the vast majority of people, Project Fi will just be another cool, mildly kooky thing Google cooked up, and chances are they’ll never think about it again. When Sundar Pichai said Fi was like the company’s Nexus device program, he wasn’t kidding – it’s not a mainstream service, but one geared toward people who really care about new, ambitious, arguably half-formed products. Early adopters. People who clamor for the bleeding edge, the newest of the new.
What Fi represents, though, is another story entirely. At this point it’s not clear how visible the network switches will actually be, but considering how seamless Google wants to make the process, we wouldn’t be surprised if you the user never actually know whether you’re cruising on Sprint or T-Mobile’s spectrum. If that really is the case, Google’s basically turned both carriers — carriers that hate each other, no less — into dumb pipes that deliver your texts and Japanese game show videos without you ever having to deal with a pushy salesperson. Google is very respectfully telling these companies that they’re commodities, parts of a thoughtful mobile experience the carriers themselves can’t create. More importantly, it’s showing us how the wireless landscape, the one with carriers at each others throats, sort of sucks. Whether or not Fi succeeds financially is one thing. The bigger question (and the one we can’t answer just yet) is whether the industry shifts to respond to Google’s work. Pipe dream? Wishful thinking? We’ll soon find out.
Filed under: Mobile
Yahoo working on a new personal search/mobile assistant called ‘Index’
Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer has reportedly green lighted the launch of a new service to take on Google, Apple and others in the personal assistant/search segment. It is said that this service will be called ‘Index‘ and will take on Google Now, Apple’s Siri and even Cortana from Microsoft.
It is to be seen if Yahoo is touting this to be a mobile only offering or will try to take on Google’s web search as well. Yahoo supposedly wants to have a pilot of this ready by the end of second quarter, so we could be looking at a launch over the next couple of months.
It is said that Yahoo is banking on its “older” relationship with the customers to pip Google, Apple and other offerings in the market. Would you be interested in a new third party personal assistant app for your smartphone? Sound off below.
Source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Yahoo working on a new personal search/mobile assistant called ‘Index’
How to check Project Fi coverage in your area
By now you’ve probably heard an awful lot about Google’s announcement about providing a new network called Project Fi. The network piggybacks off of Sprint’s and T-Mobile‘s networks and supports making calls and texts over a WiFi connection when an LTE signal isn’t detected. If you’re considering your options as to whether to ditch your current provider and join Project Fi, you might want to check the signal coverage map first to see if you’re covered.
All you have to do is visit the Project Fi web page, type in your zip code and the map will show what sort of network coverage you can expect. Besides the mobile network coverage, Project Fi subscribers will also be able to use Google’s estimated 1 million WiFi hotspots situated around the country.
Source: Project Fi
Come comment on this article: How to check Project Fi coverage in your area
John Legere praises Project Fi for contributing “fresh blood and fresh thinking”
There are existing two wireless networks that Google’s Project Fi operates on in addition to more than one million WiFi hotspots. They belong to Sprint and T-Mobile. So those two carriers are bound to receive their fair share of attention in the coming weeks and months as people in the United States explore what Google has to offer with Project Fi. John Legere, the CEO of T-Mobile, is really excited about Project Fi because of its ability to deliver a new, alternative approach. That is something that Legere feels the wireless industry lacks.
In a company blog post, Legere reflects on the history T-Mobile and Google share. The two worked on launching the G1, the world’s first Android smartphone. Soon, the Nexus 6 on T-Mobile will have WiFi calling activated and become the first Nexus device to have that feature. Allowing Project Fi to use its network is just another step taken together by T-Mobile and Google.
Here is where Legere draws a connection between T-Mobile and Google’s take on utilizing a WiFi connection:
“One of the coolest things about Project Fi − IMHO − is Google’s new technology that allows them to move customers between Wi-Fi and cellular partner networks based on the network that’s the fastest at any given time.
Last fall, T-Mobile led the industry in un-leashing Wi-Fi, basically turning every Wi-Fi connection in the world into a T-Mobile tower. Now, Project Fi lets customers easily access public Wi-Fi and cellular networks − there’s no doubt that we share a vision that is great for customers.
Since the cellular connection will be made based on network speed, we expect to capture the largest share of traffic coming from Project Fi customers – and chances are good that these customers are going to be riding on America’s fastest nationwide 4G LTE network. The T-Mobile Data Strong™ network! If Project Fi customers are anything like our own, we expect they’ll be data-hungry!”
The T-Mobile CEO, in addition to being ecstatic about exposing T-Mobile’s network to more people, applauds Google’s work for doing something “that could directly benefit tomorrow’s American wireless customers.” Legere wants the industry to shift away from old practices and into an area of “fresh blood and fresh thinking.”
Source: T-Mobile
Come comment on this article: John Legere praises Project Fi for contributing “fresh blood and fresh thinking”
Things to know about Project Fi
Today Google announced a new project to help simplify your carrier plan: Project Fi. Google is looking to challenge the current mobile carriers such as Verizon and AT&T by revolutionizing how a plan is done, much like they’re doing with Google Fiber. So, how does someone get Project Fi? Well, there are some things you should know before you go looking to be a part of it.
Invite Only
At the moment, Project Fi is still in the development stages with an Early Access Program, and Google wants to slowly roll it out to test it before allowing public access. At the moment, you cannot simply sign up for the service and give them your credit card. As in the past with previous Google projects, you have to sign up for an invitation at first. Once you have an invite, there are some other things to consider.
Nexus 6 Only
Once approved for service via an invite, you must purchase, or already have a Nexus 6 smartphone. If you have previously purchased one, it will work. Google will send you a special SIM card.
If you do not have a Nexus 6, you can purchase one through Project Fi, and either buy it outright, or pay for it over 24 months. Paying for it over 24 months will be very similar to T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plans, where you can pay for as much of the phone at any time as you’d like.
$10 per Gigabyte
Tired of paying for overages with your current carrier? Or, are you tired of paying for data that you don’t completely use and goes to waste? Google will only charge you at a rate of $10 per gigabyte, regardless of how much of it you use. If you don’t use all of it, you’ll get credited for it. So if you pay $30 for 3 GB, and only use 1.5 GB, you’ll get a $15 credit to use on your next bill.
Otherwise, the service starts at $20/month, and that includes unlimited talk, text, Wi-Fi tethering, and international coverage. So, $30/month will get you all of that and 1 GB of data, $40/month gets you 2 GB a month, $50/month gets you 3 GB a month, and so on.
You can port your number
Google will let you bring your existing phone number to Project Fi. No need to worry about changing numbers and making sure all your contacts get your new information.
Access your plan from any device
Another cool feature of Project Fi is the ability to access your plan from any device. Whether it be your phone, your tablet, or your computer! You can make calls and text, even if you don’t have your phone. So no need to worry about losing your phone and not being able to make and receive calls.
No Contract
Project Fi not suiting you the way you imagined? No worries. You can drop your plan and walk away anytime you’d like. The only thing you’d need to worry about is if you are paying for a Nexus 6 over the course of 24 months, you’ll need to pay that off in full before canceling your service.
Google won’t pay Early Termination Fees
Speaking of canceling service, assuming you break your contract with another carrier, you can port your number into Project Fi. However, Project Fi won’t pay off your cancellation fees like T-Mobile and Sprint have been advertising. You’ll still be stuck with those. So make sure you look into what it takes to leave your carrier before you try to go to Project Fi.
Network coverage
Unlike with other carriers, you will have a secure network coverage in more places than just Project Fi’s reach. Project Fi will mostly look for Wi-Fi hotspots that Google has opened up for your phone to connect to, but if that’s not available, then Project Fi will connect you to either T-Mobile or Sprint, depending on who has the best available service at the time. This makes Project Fi have an amazing outreach in service, since it depends on Wi-Fi hotspots, and two carriers.
The post Things to know about Project Fi appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google’s wireless service is official, dubbed Project Fi
Just as the Wall Street Journal predicted, Google has now launched its new wireless service, Project Fi. We’ve been hearing rumors about the new service and what features it might bring for a while now and, as it turns out, the rumor mill was pretty spot on about a lot of things.
Project Fi is the first wireless service to seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi and LTE, always choosing the connection that’s currently the strongest. Two different LTE networks are supported at the moment, T-Mobile and Sprint. The catch here is that only one phone has been designed to work with the special SIM required for Project Fi, the Google Nexus 6. The good news is that Google hints this is just the first of many devices, and so hopefully it’s only a matter of time before other popular Android devices gain support.
While you need a Nexus 6 for the service, those with Project Fi will be able to use their number even when not near their phone, utilizing any device with Google Hangouts installed.
While you need a Nexus 6 for the service, those with Project Fi will be able to use their number even when not near their phone, utilizing any device with Google Hangouts installed for calls, texts, and checking voicemail. That means laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, and so forth.
Pricing is pretty straightforward with Project Fi. You pay $20 a month for unlimited talk, text, and Wi-Fi tethering. Data is separate, and billed at a reasonable $10 for every 1GB of data you use. While this is prepaid and you pay for data in advance, any unused data will be credited back to you. It won’t be rounded up either, if you use 1.9 GB of data, you’ll get refunded for the .1GB you didn’t use. For those that travel, you’ll be happy to know that the service extends to 120+ countries while traveling abroad at no extra cost for data or texts. The only restriction is that speeds are limited down to just 256kbps while abroad. International calls are a separate charge at 20 cents a minute.
Interested in signing up for Project Fi? Not so fast. Similar to Inbox for Gmail, this is an invite only program, though you can request an invite. The only requirement is a Gmail account and a Nexus 6. The service isn’t quite up and ready, but Google says that invitees should be able to jump in with service sometime next week. Google will be sending out batches of invites each week, but don’t be shocked if it takes a while to get an invitation.
To see if you’re in an area that Project Fi currently covers, be sure to check our Google’s official coverage map. We’ll be sure to update you with even more details as they hit. What do you think, excited or not?
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