Google voice search adds car rentals and reminders that work like they should
Car rentals is typically an exercise in utter frustration. Now, even if a little, Google’s latest voice search update might help. “When is my rental car reservation?” are the magic words, pulling together your booking numbers, pick-up and drop-off dates in a card that’s been part of Google Now since last year. More broadly, the voice search can now program reminder alarms, too, completely hands-free. Oddly, the voice-based reminders prior to this update required a button-press to set the alarm, which pretty much defeated the point of the thing.
Source: Google (Twitter), TNW
Recap: 5 Android-related posts you may have missed this week (May 24)
Were at the end of another great week in Android and so let’s take a look at some of the awesome articles written by the staff here at AndroidGuys. This is a mix that includes editorial original pieces as well as product reviews that you may have missed during the week. So relax, kick back, and fire up that Samsung device into reading mode because its time for this weeks recap!
To start this week off Google was busy updating some of their core android apps such as G+ and the Photos app. David Martin posted a quick dive into the newly updated Stories and Movies feature. I would make sure to check this out and then head to your device and see what all the fuss is about as its kind of amazing.
Read more- Google+ introduces Stories and Movies feature
Tony McAfee wrote a great peace this week on why he’s trading his Google Nexus 5 in for the upstart Blu and their Life Pure XL. Its a great article and is a great read for those of you out there who are wondering about Blu’s products or buying your devices outright instead of going for the traditional, here in the US, route of carrier subsidized pricing.
Read more-Life Pure XL By Blu, Why I’m Trading In My Nexus 5
If you own a device that doesn’t have a removable battery, that’s a win for you Galaxy owners, then you may want to check out Jimmy Westenberg’s review on the Tego Power Grid. The battery pack received high marks for design and performance but fell short on value.
Read more-Tego Power Grid Review
If you are a fan of rooting and placing custom ROM’S on your device have a look at David Martin’s ROM of the week post. This weeks ROM was the popular AOKP, one of my favorites. See what David thinks of this ROM and why you should or should not flash this to your device.
Read more- ROM of the Week: AOKP
Speaking of ROM’s and skins, and if you’re like me and not a big fan of Touchwiz or Samsung phones in general, Kristijan wrote a thorough piece on what he would change if he was running the show. Kristijan lays out the good and the bad from his perspective and makes some very valid points.
Read more-Samsung: Good, bad, and what I’d change
The post Recap: 5 Android-related posts you may have missed this week (May 24) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google, Yahoo and others are getting fed up with government gag orders
The EFF may be handing out gold stars to firms that publish their own transparency reports, but earning that recognition isn’t easy. Government data requests are often coupled with gag orders, barring firms from telling users that security agencies are thumbing through their data. Now Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook are arguing that these orders are a violation of the First Amendment.
Naturally, the government disagrees, pointing out that the nondisclosure requirements of its security requests have been applied tens of thousands of times without issues. It further argues that “hypothesizing scenarios in which the NSL [national security letter] statue might conceivably be applied unconstitutionally” doesn’t make it unconstitutional in actuality. It’s a secret investigation, the government says; there’s no First Amendment right to distribute information related to it.
The companies are appealing the case, and say they don’t want to put the security investigations under the public eye — they just want their users to have more detailed statistics about the the volume and type of information the government demands. Both Google and Yahoo have separately promised to continue to push the issue, each arguing that users have a right to know when their data is being examined.
[Shutterstock / Alkestida]
Filed under: Misc
Source: WashingtonPost, US Courts
WSJ: Google has Project Tango tablets in the works ahead of I/O
Don’t be surprised if Google drops a Project Tango-based tablet on developers next month at the annual Google I/O conference. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is readying a tablet version of its latest mobile initiative. Capable of recording 3D maps of indoor locations, these prototype tablets are alleged to number roughly 4,000 and should be handed directly to developers who can begin to harness its features. Sounds like we already know at least one of the tools being passed out at this year’s Google event.
WSJ (Subscription required)
The post WSJ: Google has Project Tango tablets in the works ahead of I/O appeared first on AndroidGuys.
WSJ: Google will give developers tablets that can see in 3D
Remember Google’s Project Tango, a smartphone with depth-sensing cameras capable of capturing precise 3D images of both objects and people? According to the WSJ’s homies people familiar with the matter, the company is about to produce a limited run of 4,000 tablets carrying the same technology. Given Facebook’s newly-discovered enthusiasm for 3D, it appears as if Google is stepping up its efforts to keep pace with its rival. The WSJ’s sources believe the devices will be handed out to developers who can find a purpose for the tech, and we’re hoping that at least one falls into the hands of an Engadget reader who doesn’t mind giving us a go.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: WSJ
Drone equipped with Google’s 3D-sensing phone won’t be deterred
Google wants to put its Project Tango handsets in orbit, but researchers from the GRASP Lab at UPenn are keeping things on the down-low with one of their already-clever quadrotors. If you’ll recall, Tango has a depth sensor, motion tracking camera and two Movidius vision processors to create an internal 3D map of its surroundings. That should, in theory, keep the drone aligned with pinpoint accuracy and no GPS signal. Judging by the video below, it worked perfectly — the quadrotor stuck to a fixed point and pre-programmed flight path despite some healthy shoves. That should help future autonomous drones react better to their environment if we decide to send them out for, say, delivery duty.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Alt, Google
Via: IEEE Spectrum
Source: Vijay Kumar (YouTube)
Google Fiber won’t charge content providers for quicker access
Irked that your internet provider is strong-arming media services into connection deals just to guarantee the quality you were expecting all along? You won’t have to worry about that happening with Google Fiber. The gigabit-grade ISP has declared that it isn’t charging companies for peering agreements, fast lanes or anything else that gives content hosts and delivery networks better performance than they would otherwise get. In fact, companies like Netflix already colocate in Google’s spaces — there won’t be any hitches in that 4K House of Cards stream if you’re using Fiber.
The search firm argues that there’s simply no incentive for it to extract cash from other sites. Video doesn’t slow down the network, and a better connection ultimately helps everyone; data traffic gets cheaper and customers are happier. We doubt that this stance will have companies like Comcast or Verizon rethinking their pay-to-play strategies any time soon. However, it does mean that you can turn to Google Fiber if you believe that paid prioritization violates the spirit of net neutrality… assuming you can get Fiber in the first place, that is.
[Image credit: Barta IV, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, Google
Via: GigaOM
Source: Google Fiber Blog
Chrome’s ‘OK Google’ voice search rolls out to all
If you wanted to enjoy hands-free Google searching from your desktop, your only option was to install an extension or become an early tester. The downside was that you’d have to accept some additional bugs might come your way. No more — Google has rolled out a Chrome update that integrates the company’s now iconic “OK Google” command directly into the latest version of its browser and in Chrome OS. As long as you’re based in the US or have Chrome set to US English, any time you visit the Google homepage or open a new tab, you can quickly say (or loudly shout, the choice is yours) “OK Google” to perform a search, ask a question or schedule a reminder. As long as you fulfil the geographic requirements (or are happy to tinker with Chrome’s language settings), you should be able to test those voice commands seconds after you update.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Google Chrome (Google+)
Google+ Gets a UI Overhaul! Gmail Updates to 4.8! – App Updates
Happy hump day to you all. Time to see what important apps got an update this past week. Google+ sees a major update that changes the UI for the better. Gmail got a nice little update as weel, so if you don’t have those updates yet, get them on your device by clicking the links below.
Gmail Update
Box update
Google+ update
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
Engadget Daily: Ads on your thermostat, eBay’s password breach and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours – all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google ads could be coming to thermostats, refrigerators and car dashboards
A Google filing with the SEC hinted that it’s considered displaying ads on a variety of devices that include “refrigerators, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses, and watches.” The company has since commented on the issue, saying that, “Nest, which we acquired after this filing was made, does not have an ads-based model and has never had any such plans.”
eBay asks all users to change their passwords following cyberattack
eBay looks like it’s the latest company to suffer a security breach after it alerted users that an attack had “compromised a database containing encrypted passwords and other non-financial data.” Change those passwords, stat!
Oculus VR and Palmer Luckey being sued by CTO’s former employer
Zenimax Media, owner of id Software, is suing Oculus VR co-founder Palmer Luckey, alleging that Luckey and Oculus VR stole and misappropriated trade secrets related to virtual reality technology. Oculus VR responded and said this lawsuit has no merit.
Old console, new tricks: Getting the most out of your Xbox 360
If you’re still holding on to your Xbox 360 but feel like it’s getting a bit long in the tooth, don’t fear! Engadget’s own Richard Lawler has a few tips that will ensure you’re getting the most out of your favorite game console.
AIVAnet 
