Google+ introduces Stories and Movies feature
Not only has Gmail received a very welcome update today, but now Google+ is also receiving some love with several updated features. The two most notable are Stories and Movies.
Stories (Auto Awesome Stories) combines all your photos, videos and the places you visited into a really cool travelogues. The sample provided by Google is really awesome, just make sure you take some quality pics and vids. Click on the Google+ Story below to see what its all about.
Movies (Auto Awesome Movies) is also available for Android, iOS, and the web. Google+ Movies can produce a highlight reel of your photos and videos automatically—including effects, transitions and a soundtrack. It is a really neat feature and the video below shows an example of how it is used!
To get started with Stories and Movies, simply back up your photos and videos to Google+. And that’s it. Auto Awesome will get to work in the background, and you’ll get notified when a story or movie is ready. If you’ve already got photos backed up, you probably have a few stories waiting on you!
Source: Google
The post Google+ introduces Stories and Movies feature appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Stories automatically creates digital journals from your photos and videos
Google has steadily been improving its Auto Awesome personal storytelling features inside G+, and today it launched a new tool that is simply called “Stories.” The idea is that no one really has a huge amount of time to dedicate to creating albums for personal events, so Stories can do that for you — automatically weaving together photos, videos and location data into a ready-made travelogue. The new feature will be available to try on the web and on Android devices sometime later this week, with an appearance on the iOS version of G+ also promised in the future.
Source: Google
Google Buys Divide, An Enterprise Android Company
Divide, an enterprise Android company which is known for its work in in putting your work-life onto your smartphone, has recently been acquired by Google. This comes just after the Twitch acquire.
After Divide announced they were bought by Google they also stated, “Divide will work as it always has.” They also reminded fans of Divide that, “Divide was founded with a simple mission: Give people the best mobile experience at work. As part of the Android team, we’re excited to continue developing solutions that our users love,”
The enterprise Android company is known for it’s apps in the Play Store and App Store, along with it’s version of the Android OS. Divide’s products were designed to easily read work email, get better use from your calendar, easy access and use for contacts.
Bring your own device (BYOD) has been trending in the workplace throughout the world, and this must be Google’s way of getting a piece of the trend. BYOD has been fatal to a couple of smartphone companies, especially BlackBerry. BlackBerry was the standard phone that companies had given their employees due to it’s security and work-friendliness but nobody wants a BlackBerry anymore and because of BYOD companies aren’t buying them for their employees anymore.
This leaves the question, who will be the heir to the workplace smartphone company throne? With Google buying Divide, it is a huge signal that Google is making its attempt for the throne.
The post Google Buys Divide, An Enterprise Android Company appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google’s new Chrome experiment lets you remix the Rubik’s Cube
Sure, you could spend a while trying to solve the Rubik’s Cube in Google’s new Doodle, but that may get a little dry. Google was clearly prepared for that eventuality, though: it has just launched the Cube Lab, a Chrome experiment that lets you build your own internet-based puzzle. So long as you’re good with modern web code, you can produce a unique Rubik’s Cube with its own artwork, effects and even logic. The 808 Cube is all about music-making, for instance. Even if you’re not a programmer, it’s worth checking out the ready-made Lab examples to have some fun. We just wish we’d had this when we were kids — it would have kept us playing with Rubik’s Cubes long after the original got buried in the closet.
Via: Chrome (Google+)
Source: Chrome Cube Lab
Gmail for Android can save attachments directly to Google Drive
Just because you want to save an email attachment on your phone doesn’t mean you always want a local copy. What if you’re running out of space? That won’t be an issue if you’re using the latest version of Gmail for Android; the newly updated app lets you save files to Google Drive, making it easy to fetch them later on most any Drive-friendly device. The upgrade also gets you to the navigation menu through a simple swipe gesture, and there’s both improved right-to-left language support (think Arabic or Hebrew) as well as explanations for why messages land in the spam folder. It may take a few days for the new app to hit your phone or tablet, but it should be worth your patience if you prefer to fetch important documents from the cloud.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Gmail (Google+), Google Play
Android 4.4.3 could be out soon after internal build existence is leaked Out
We’ve been expecting the release of software build Android 4.4.3 for some time now, but the rumours have died down greatly. Today, however, is our lucky day as it appears a screenshot of Android 4.4.3 being released internally at Google has been leaked out (despite the obvious irony of the screenshot). The device being updated appears to be a Nexus 5, and we have heard that one of the fixes rumoured to be in the new software update is supposed to specifically address a bug only found on the Nexus 5 camera.
Apart from fixing the Nexus 5 camera bug, Android 4.4.3 is supposed to address quite a few more issues such as data connection and Wi-Fi dropout issues, Bluetooth fixes and many more (see a partial list of the changes here). While we do see the internal rollout of the software update here, there’s no telling when the public build will be made available, but here’s to hoping it will be sooner rather than later.
Are you excited to hear that Android 4.4.3 may almost be here? Are you affected by any of the issues that required the update to fix? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Google+ via Android Ice Cream Sandwich
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
Report: YouTube and Google have purchased Twitch for $1 billion, turned down bid from Microsoft
What a day for the video streaming industry. Earlier today, we heard tentative rumours that YouTube (and by extension, it’s parent company, Google) were looking to acquire live streaming platform, Twitch, for $1 billion. Perhaps ironically, it was Google who purchased YouTube in 2006 for the sum of $1.65 billion, with YouTube now hoping to expand its audience and platform. Well, The Verge is reporting that those rumours are true and that YouTube and Google have purchased Twitch, and its sources also say that Twitch turned down several other suitors, including Microsoft.
One of the sources is quoted as saying there were several other bidders, including Microsoft, however Twitch could not see themselves being put on Xbox in any deal with Microsoft as the streaming platform is already on the Sony PlayStation 4. It is also said that Twitch would have turned down a $1 billion bid from anyone other than YouTube and Google as it sees Google as the backer who will help them become the absolute go-to live streaming platform. For those who haven’t heard of Twitch (or Twitch.tv as it’s also known as), it’s one of the fastest growing live streaming platforms on the internet in recent times, helped along by its almost religious adoption by e-sports and video gamers everywhere.
What do you think about Twitch’s sale to YouTube and Google? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
Source: The Verge via gameindustry
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
Celebrate the 40th birthday of Rubik’s Cube with today’s Google Doodle
It must be hard being Ernő Rubik. Back in the 1980s, the architect and toy inventor had the rare fortune of becoming one of very few self-made millionaires from communist Europe. But in the process he was horribly pigeon-holed. His patented Rubik’s Cube sold 350 million units, while his other creations — Rubik’s Snake, Rubik’s Magic, and presumably a few blocky buildings somewhere in Hungary — barely got a mention. Today, you can contribute to the injustice of it all by celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first Cube prototype, courtesy of a playable Google Doodle. Meanwhile, the inventor is currently touring the world with an exhibition that is pointedly titled “Beyond Rubik’s Cube.” Ernő, you have our sympathies.
Filed under: Misc, Science, Internet, Google
Source: Google homepage
Variety: Google is near buying game video service Twitch
AT&T may not be the only one landing a big acquisition this weekend. Variety claims that Google’s YouTube division has struck a deal to buy Twitch, the game-focused video streaming service, for more than $1 billion. Neither side is commenting on the rumor, but it’s easy to see why YouTube would splurge — Twitch has more online viewers than some big sports networks, and a takeover would immediately secure a larger presence in the gaming world. Google is reportedly expecting a battle with regulators, which might argue that the deal stifles competition with other internet video providers. If the scoop is accurate, though, the company clearly believes that the expanded audience is worth the hassle.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, Google
Source: Variety
Google’s new Outlook plugin lets you start video Hangouts with coworkers
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft, Google
Via: Android Central
Source: Google Enterprise (G+), Google Support
AIVAnet 