Google Wallet’s new ‘Orders’ feature lets you track online shipments
Nice to see Google is keeping the regular Google Wallet updates coming. A few weeks after introducing loyalty card scans, the company is adding a feature called “Orders,” which lets you track your online shipments using Google Wallet’s iOS or Android app. In particular, you can view receipts for purchases you made online, as well as check the shipping status (Google says it’s made arrangements with “primary package carriers in the US”). The roll-out appears to have already begun, though it could take a while for the update to reach some devices — yours truly, for instance, is still waiting.
Source: Google (Twitter), (Blogspot)
Google has acquired Green Throttle; will we see a gaming-centric Google TV?
You may remember almost a year about we reviewed an Android gaming system made by a company called Green Throttle Games; the system was simple enough, combining Bluetooth controllers with Green Throttle’s own app to create a console gaming experience with any Android device you possessed (you can check out our full review here). Green Throttle has actually since then removed their app from the Play Store which makes their entire system worthless despite still being sold on Amazong. Even so, their work has caught somebody’s eye as Google has acquired Green Throttle Games in what’s reported as their endeavour to recreate a Google TV set top box.
We’ve known for some time known that Google has aspirations to recreate Google TV into something that can legitimately challenge the Apple TV, and something that has some Green Throttle-inspired gaming capabilities would definitely give it an edge in the media streaming space. The report says that Google will be making use of Green Throttle’s parts and labour to help create the set top box.
What do you think about Google acquiring the gaming-centric technology of Green Throttle? Would you be more likely to get a Google TV if it had gaming capabilities? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: 9to5Google via TalkAndroid
Google buys an Android gaming platform, possibly with a set-top box in mind
Green Throttle Games was late to the Android gaming platform party, and paid the price for it — the company effectively wound down at the end of 2013. However, its efforts may not have been in vain. Google has confirmed to PandoDaily that it has acquired key parts of Green Throttle’s business, including its parts, labor and two co-founders. The crew in Mountain View hasn’t said what it will do with its new resources, but PandoDaily sources claim that Google wants to refine the Bluetooth controller for its long-fabled (and possibly gaming-focused) TV set-top box. Whether or not that’s true, the move suggests that Google’s interest in games is extending beyond software.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD, Google
Source: PandoDaily
Share content on multiple social networks at once with Polarbear Beta [App of the Day]
If you’re like most people who use social networking, odds are you would like to post to multiple sites and accounts at once. The process of copy and pasting your text and posting it on different sites can get monotonous very quickly. Polarbear Beta for Android is here to help with that problem.
This app is very simple. Connect your accounts, type out what you’d like to post, and select which social networks you’d like to post to. The complete list of supported services are: Twitter, Facebook profiles, Google+ profiles, LinkedIn profiles, Facebook pages, Tumblr, Blogger, and App.net. The best thing about it is the new UI update that was just released today, making the app is now more functional than ever before.
Other rival apps (specifically Buffer) are nice, but they don’t allow posting to Google+ profiles, which we would like to see eventually.
Not so fast! This app is special. Since the app is still in beta, there is no direct Play Store link. Here are the instructions on how to get it on your phone:
- Click here to become a tester through your Google+ profile +https://play.google.com/apps/testing/air.com.polarbearbeta.android
- Click the download link at the bottom to install the app from the Play Store
- Install it from Google Play
If you don’t want to take these steps, you could download the apk directly from the Google+ page. If you’d like more information on Polarbear, visit the Google+ page, here.
The post Share content on multiple social networks at once with Polarbear Beta [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Flappy Bird creator ‘considering’ bringing the game back
Admit it, you played Flappy Bird. And for a brief period of time, you may have even liked the incredibly addictive game. After millions of people downloaded the viral hit, however, creator Dong Nguyen decided enough was enough — it was time to pull the plug, making it unavailable in the iOS and Android app markets. But never say never again: Nguyen revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that there is still at least a sliver of a chance that the extremely simple game will return in a blaze of avian glory. “I’m considering it,” said Nguyen when asked if it would ever be offered again, so take that with a grain of salt; we’ll believe it when we see it. In the meantime, we bet Android users can still download an APK somewhere, and iPhone fans can always check eBay to see if somebody’s selling their phone with the game on it. As for why Nguyen pulled the app, he mentioned that the game’s massive success was crushing and weighing him down, and it threatened his simple life: “I’m a master of my own fate,” he said, “[an] independent thinker.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Rolling Stone
Move over Chrome, Google Docs has add-ons now too
Power users have been tricking out Google’s Chrome browser with extensions for years, and now they can do the same with… Google Docs? Today the search giant launched an add-on store for its word processing and spreadsheet web apps so that productivity buffs can get more work done with less hassle. So far the store comes stocked with about 60 tools, ranging from the seemingly arcane (Supermetrics somehow turns Docs into a web analytics tool) to the incredibly useful (EasyBib takes the sting out of crafting those awful works cited pages). If you’re feeling particularly creative, you can start crafting a Google Docs add-on of your own too — just make sure you’ve got a nifty use-case in mind or Google will shoot it down. Neat as it is, though, the move is no surprise. Microsoft rejiggered its own web-based Office suite just last month, and courting developers could help the folks in Mountain View keep their edge in a battle that’s only going to heat up.
);
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google
Chrome developers can now charge for themes and extensions
Google made a few changes to the Chrome Web Store today to benefit developers and make it easier for them to publish to the platform. The biggest change has to do with what’s actually sold in the store. Now, instead of just paying for apps, you might also pay for extensions or themes. If commitment isn’t your thing, subscriptions or free trials will be offered for some extensions, and the test-drive option is also available for packaged apps (read: Chrome apps that can run offline). All this is good news for developers, who starting May 1st will no longer be able to publish extensions outside of the Chrome Web Store for Windows users. It could also be great news for users. Now that developers have the opportunity to make a little cash for their work, hopefully we’ll see some even better themes and extensions headed to the store in the future.
Source: Google Developers
Google Apps for Business Referral Program pays you for every user that opts in
Who doesn’t like easy money? Well, now you can cash in on those word of mouth recommendations to your colleagues about Google Apps for Business. Through a new Referral Program, every time a person you know signs up for the corporate-minded services, you’ll get a $15 kickback via direct deposit. There’s no limit to the number of customers you can refer, however there’s a 100 user max per customer account. When you consider that the program pays per user, this makes sense. After submitting name, email and a tax ID number, users receive a unique referral link to share. Once that link is used… boom, money in the bank.
Via: Electronista
Source: Google
Shaquille O’Neal talks Fitbit, Google Glass and smartphones at SXSW
This is Shaquille O’Neal’s second SXSW, and this year he stopped by Austin to talk about wearables. In a panel with Rick Valencia of Qualcomm yesterday, Shaq touched on the importance of activity trackers in keeping us fit. He’s personally a fan of Fitbit, which he uses to help meet the goal of 10,000 steps per day, though he told us he’s all for any device that keeps users active and motivated. We had a chance to pick his brain about wearable tech in general — he’s all for Google Glass — and asked him about the other gadgets he relies on when he’s on the road. (Spoiler: he carries both an Android handset and an iPhone.) See what else caught his eye at SXSW 2014 in our video interview.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Wearables
Google to Release Android SDK for Wearable Devices in Two Weeks
Speaking at this year’s South by Southwest conference, Google executive Sundar Pichai announced today that the company will be releasing an Android software development kit (SDK) for wearable devices in two weeks, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The news comes ahead of Google’s I/O developer’s conference in June, where the company is likely to unveil its own smart watch developed in collaboration with electronics manufacturer LG.
Google executive Sundar Pichai told the South by Southwest conference Sunday that the company plans to release in two weeks a software development kit based on Android for makers of wearable devices, such as smartwatches.
Pichai stated that Google is releasing its Android SDK for wearables ahead of actual devices in order to gather “plenty of feedback,” as the company’s smartwatch will likely be the first device to run its new software. The Wall Street Journal also reported in February that the new mobile operating system will integrate the company’s Google Now voice assistant and search feature.
Apple is widely rumored to be working on its own “iWatch” smart watch that could be revealed in the fall, which is said to carry a “full” version of iOS that emphasizes biometrics and integration with other iOS devices. According to the most recent reports, the device will include advanced sensors to track a variety of health metrics such as a user’s blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and more. Other rumors have suggested that Apple is developing “Healthbook“, an iOS 8 app that would help the iWatch monitor and track health statistics like weight, heart rate, calories and step counts in conjunction with the iPhone.
     |
AIVAnet 