400 million casts later Google’s Chromecast turns one
As hard as it is to believe, Google’s Chromecast is turning one year old today. And, to celebrate the occasion, Google is tossing in 90 days of Google Play Music All access for anyone (in the U.S.) who owns a Chromecast and is not already subscribed to the music service. Available in starting today, July 24,… Read more »
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Google banks on its own tech to protect Chrome users from another Heartbleed
Last month Google said that it was tired of mashed-together bug fixes for OpenSSL and decided to create its own fork called BoringSSL. It has now implemented that variant in the latest Chromium build, the open-source software that eventually arrives in Chrome. OpenSSL is software used for secure connections — created largely by volunteers — and an overlooked code problem recently caused the infamous Heartbleed bug. When BoringSSL was first announced, there was some grumbling from the security community about yet another flavor of SSL. But Google said that with over 70 patches now in OpenSSL, it was becoming much too unwieldy to implement in Chrome. It added that it wasn’t trying to replace OpenSSL and would continue to send any of its own bug fixes to that group. It’ll likely be implemented in the next version of Chrome, but you’ll be able try the beta soon here, if you’re feeling lucky.
[Image credit: AP/Mark Lennihan]
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Google
Google Play Store Update Gives Us Material Design! Fleksy adds Languages and Themes! – App Updates
Wednesday is often a good day. Not only is half of your work week over with, but Google likes to update their core apps, so why not make sure you have them on your device? The big update happened yesterday though. The Google Play Store got updated adding some of that beautiful Material Design we are all digging, so if you don’t have it on your devices yet, you go ahead and click that link below and try it out. Fleksy Keyboard also got a nice update. It is my keyboard thus far, so give it whirl if you haven’t already.
App Updates
Google Play Store gets Material Design
Fleksy Keyboard updates to 3.0
HTC Sense Keyboard hits the Play Store
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Google Voice offers web-based calls through Hangouts, no G+ profile needed
The rumor is that eventually we’re going to see Google Voice merged completely into Hangouts, and that’s getting even closer to becoming reality. You can now make phone calls via Hangouts directly from the Google Voice website, no Google+ necessary. As Mountain View’s Alex Wiesen notes on G+, the new feature is listed as an option in the “phone to call with” drop-down box. It seems a bit minor, sure, especially when you consider that Hangouts is already how you make phone calls from within Gmail — but any updates for the oft-neglected service are welcome, right?
Source: Alex Wiesen (Google+)
Google Maps’ new, context-savvy local guide reaches Android
Google quietly slipped out a big upgrade to Maps’ local discovery features on iOS a couple of weeks ago, and today it’s Android’s turn. Once your device gets the refresh, you should see a new Explore guide that offers suggestions for things to do based on both context and your tastes; it knows not to point you to a nearby park when it’s raining, and can suggest breakfast spots the night before you need them. In that sense, Google Maps could become a solid alternative to familiar location-based recommendation apps like Yelp and Foursquare. Don’t be surprised if it takes some time for Explore to arrive, though. It’s just starting to reach Android this week, so you may have to rely on other tools for a little while longer.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Maps Blog
‘Father of the internet’ Vint Cerf explains how web addresses work
For most of us, browsing the web is pretty easy: type in a domain name, mash the enter key, and well, here you are. Behind the scenes, however, it’s a mess of IP addresses, numbers and international stake holders. Part of ICANN’s job is sorting all that out and making your web experience simple — and recently its players have been trying to reduce the US government’s influence on the organization. A little unsure how this power shift will effect you? Then read on: Google and internet progenitor Vint Cerf have teamed up to explain what ICANN is, how it’s managed and why its global changes are good for the future of the internet. You can see the full video (complete with meme references and funny pictures) after the break.
Source: YouTube
The top 12 tablets you can buy right now
Whether you’re looking to replace your laptop or just find something to keep you entertained, there’s a tablet out there to suit you. But with an ever-increasing array of slates crowding the market, narrowing down the list can be a chore. So we’ve sorted through the pile and picked out some of our favorites for both power users and media consumers. Our complete buyer’s guide is always just a few clicks away, but feel free to cruise through the gallery below for a quick rundown of the best tablets you can buy today.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, ASUS, Google, Amazon, Acer
YouTube star sued for copyright to the tune of $150,000 per song
Most YouTubers just get a takedown notice if someone reports them using copyrighted tunes with their videos. But when that user is a huge star on the video portal like make-up guru Michelle Phan, who has almost 7 million subscribers and was even featured on YouTube’s TV ad campaign, then things get a bit more intense. Electronic dance record label Ultra Music (home to Deadmau5 and other popular artists of the genre) just slapped Phan with a copyright infringement lawsuit, which accuses her of using 50 tracks released under the company without permission. Ultra wants Phan to pay $150,000 for each instance, claiming she profited from its artists’ music, most likely because 1.) she’s a YouTube partner, and 2.) the fame she gained on the website eventually led to lucrative deals with cosmetics companies Lancôme and L’Oreal.
Phan’s adamant that she didn’t do anything wrong, though, and her spokesperson told the BBC that Ultra gave her permission to use the company’s tracks as background music for her make-up tutorials. While we’ve yet to find out which side is telling the truth, one of the label’s own artists, American DJ Kaskade, defended her and lambasted existing copyright laws on Twitter at the same time:
Summary: I’m not suing @MichellePhan + @ultrarecords isn’t my lapdog. I can’t do much about the lawsuit except voice support for her.
– Kaskade (@kaskade) July 19, 2014
I wrote that all of one month ago. Copyright law is a dinosaur, ill-suited for the landscape of today’s media.
– Kaskade (@kaskade) July 19, 2014
If you’re wondering what Phan typically uses music for, you can watch the video below which features Kaskade’s track called 4AM.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: BBC
Google Now and Siri Battle for Voice Assistant Mortality
Voice recognition has been around in Android since almost the beginning, but it wasn’t until Jelly Bean came around where Google introduced us to Google Now that it was taken to the next level. Sure, iOS has Siri, a voice assistant that would actually have full-on conversations with you, but us Androidians didn’t want to talk to our devices. We just wanted them to find the information we were asking it to find. The battle between which voice assistant still wages on, and will wage on for the rest of eternity, or at least until the robot apocalypse happens. Apple fanboys will swear by Siri. Androidians will laugh at those fanboys. Each voice assistant has their own unique qualities, but Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wanted to put both programs to the test, in and epic battle of voice assistant mortality.
Munster carried out this test out in the public in environments with background noise, and anything you would expect when you are out and about. Noise levels never exceeded 80 decibels, so it wasn’t like he was out at a rock concert. As you can see: Google Now rocks. Siri did however win when it comes to command, which makes sense given the program is will have conversations with you.
The debate on which voice assistant will still go in favor of whatever the consumer has in their pocket, but it is nice to see Google Now come out on top in this test. Let us know what you think about the results of Munster’s test.
Source: Cult of Android
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Google Maps now gives you detailed ads for local stores
Google Maps already shows a wealth of info about nearby stores when you’re searching for them, but ads haven’t received that first-class treatment. Like it or not, that’s changing; Maps on mobile and the web now shows you a whole raft of details for relevant store ads, including links to call those shops. The move is likely to prove a mixed blessing. While it will help you learn more about interesting ads and might just lead to discovering a nice restaurant, it could also downplay the importance of the actual search results — not good if you’re just trying to reach an eatery before it shuts down for the night. The odds are that the richer promotions won’t hamper your day-to-day navigation in a significant way, but you’ll want to keep an eye out for that yellow “ad” icon the next time you’re tracking down some sushi.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Ads (G+)
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