Vysor allows you to mirror multiple Android devices
Google developer, Koush, announced an update to his popular device mirroring app Vysor on Thursday that will enable users to share multiple android screens to a PC, Linux or Mac simultaneously and then grant remote access to the device farm. The new “Share All” feature works just like the original Vysor Share: you plug the Android into the computer via a USB cable, install the visor app and activate it to mirror the Android screen to the computer. However, Share All takes that process a step further by allowing the user to link multiple handsets to a computer and then use it as a shared server which multiple people can remotely access.
This could prove a boon for developers. You’d be able to centralize all your various test devices to a single computer and share access to the entire array with the rest of the team.
Source: Google+
Google’s new software lets anyone make interactive displays
Google has created an intriguing new piece of open-source software in the form of AnyPixel.js, where anyone can create their own large, interactive displays. “Big and unusual” are the key operators here, and that seems to be exactly what Google has done as its first project.
While brainstorming ideas for something interesting to put in the NYC office, Google came up with an interactive light-up arcade button installation, taking over six thousand buttons and coordinating control via web page, opening up the panel of buttons to developers to create something fun. The result is an awesome-looking set of light-up buttons that you can press on your own for colorful, swirling designs or patterns you can watch over and over.
Google wants to put that kind of power in your hands, so you can create your own similar setups, whether you choose balloons, lightboxes, or a myriad of other components to bring your ideas to life. Before you get started you can take to Google’s browser previewer as well to get some sort of idea of how your project will look when it’s completed, so you don’t have to be in the dark throughout the creative process.
If you’re interested in working with AnyPixel.js, you can grab it from GitHub right here.
Google makes it easy to find lost phones and access My Account
Back in 2015, Google launched a feature that displays a map showing your Android phone’s current location when you search for “find my phone.” Now, the big G is introducing another way to look for missing devices that sounds especially useful for absent-minded users. In the near future, searching for “I lost my phone” will take you straight to a portal called “Find your phone.” If you have an Android device, you can ring and locate it straight from the page. You can still remotely sign out of a Gmail account if you have an iPhone, but the page instructs you to visit iCloud.com to find it.
The tech titan is also rolling out new features that make it quicker to access your account hub. That’s the same page that shows your security settings, personal info and account preferences in one place. If you’ve already updated your Google app, saying “Ok Google, show me my Google account” takes you straight to the hub. In the future, searching for your name while you’re signed in will return a link to that hub at the top of the results list, as well. The company didn’t say when the feature will become available, but you can always access the page by going to myaccount.google.com.
Source: Google
Google Now on Tap now lets you search via image and text
Google Now on Tap has just been updated with a few significant features, especially if you’re someone who lives for Google’s image search capabilities.
The changes will now let you select certain text for specific search terms, conduct real-time image searches using the camera app, and make simple image searches, which vastly improves on what Google Now on Tap was previously capable of.
Now, rather than having to get Now on Tap to assume which search terms you actually want, you can type in the correct terms without too much trouble. For example, if you stand in front of something like a painting or a monument you can take a photo of the item in question and have Now on Tap search for it for you.
If you received the update today, you should be able to find the new feature on the Now on Tap bar, denoted by the finger icon at the bottom.
Google Rolls Out ‘Find Your Phone’ Account Services to iOS Owners
Google has updated its My Account service to include a feature that helps iPad and iPhone owners locate their lost or stolen iOS device (via TechCrunch).
Previously only available to Android owners, the new feature now appears when users sign into their Google “My Account” page under the section “Find your phone”, where options exist to locate a device, lock it remotely, call it, secure an account, leave a callback number on its screen, and more.
The find and lock features don’t actually let Google take control of lost iOS devices, but instead redirect users to the iCloud website, meaning they aren’t a replacement for Apple’s Find My iPhone service.
However, tools for calling a lost phone, remotely signing out of a Google account, and locating a local lost and found should come as welcome additions for Google account holders.
Users can access the My Account page from the iOS Google app, by saying, “OK Google, show me my Google account”. The company is also working to make the features easier to access in other ways, so that users will be able to access their My Account page simply by Googling their own name, for example.
Google’s My Account site launched last year to offer Google users centralized access to privacy and security settings across the company’s services. Other options on the My Account site include Ads Settings, Privacy and Security checkups, and more.
Tag: Google
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Google will add special touches to Nexus phone software
For years, Google’s Nexus devices have been synonymous with stock Android. While they may be showcases for new features, they still represent the baseline for what the platform can do. That might not last for much longer, though. CEO Sundar Pichai told guests at the Code Conference that Google will “thoughtfully add more features” to Android on Nexus phones going forward. The company will also be more “opinionated” about the design, the exec said. Third-party companies will still make the hardware, but it’s evident that rumors of Google taking greater control of the Nexus program were well-founded.
You can see the Nexus-related remarks below, starting at the 20:24 mark.
The chat also saw Pichai tackle concerns about privacy, especially for Google Home. No, you won’t have to share your voice command history with Google — there will be an “off the record” mode that doesn’t send your data. The CEO also mentioned hopes for tighter control over privacy as a whole. He imagined telling Google to forget the last 4 hours of search activity, as an example.
On top of this, Pichai was adamant that Google “want[s] to be in China” and is taking a “thoughtful” approach to making it happen. Just what that means isn’t immediately apparent, although there has been talk of Google Play and a handful of Android services coming to China. The big challenge is balancing the company’s desire for profit with its historical aversion to censorship. As much as the company hates that its services aren’t available on Android phones sold in China, it also doesn’t like having to remove apps or search terms in the name of silencing political dissent.
Via: Business Insider
Source: The Verge, Recode, YouTube
Google Keep can autocomplete your grocery list entries
In the years since Google launched Keep, its note taking app/service has continued to slowly add new features, and today it’s rolling out a couple of new tricks. The Keep website has a lightly refreshed design that looks similar to the new Google+ web layout, while across platforms (Chrome extension, Android and iOS) it’s now able to show previews for links to websites with a picture, the page title and domain. It has a new autocomplete feature that only works on lists so far, and it can also detect duplicates as soon as they’re entered. They’re not huge changes, but they should make staying organized a little easier, or at least prettier.
Source: Google Docs (Twitter)
Google’s new tools let anyone create art using AI
Google doesn’t just want to dabble in using AI to create art — it wants you to make that art yourself. As promised, the search giant has launched its Magenta project to give artists tools for bringing machine learning to their creations. The initial effort focuses around an open source infrastructure for producing audio and video that, ideally, heads off in unexpected directions while maintaining the better traits of human-made art.
Ultimately, Google doesn’t just want the technology to produce ‘optimal’ art based on what it learns from samples. It’s hoping for the same imbalance (that is, focusing on one element over others), surprise and long-term narratives that you see in people-powered projects. It should feel like there’s a distinct personality to a song or video.
You can look at Google’s early Magenta code right now, and the company is vowing to accept both code and blog posts from outsiders who have something to add. If enough people rally around the idea, you could see a budding community of artists who add AI flourishes to their productions.
Source: Magenta, GitHub
Google Play will suggest neglected apps for you to uninstall
When you add an app from Google Play and space on your phone is tight, you’re often stuck wondering which of your darlings programs you should kill delete. According to Android Police, Google Play is going to help your decision-making process by offering up suggestions as to what you no longer need. When you’ve run out of on-board storage, you’ll be given a list of your least-used apps, ranked in order of weight. So, in the example, the store suggests that you wipe Google Translate or Facebook Messenger and free up some much-needed space. It’s not clear if the feature is rolling out to users worldwide or if this is a limited trial, but we’ve asked Google to let us know.
App size is increasing at a time when many mainstream phones are losing their microSD card slots, and that’s causing a headache for plenty of users. Devices from companies as diverse as OnePlus and Samsung have moved away from providing expandable storage, and last year Hugo Barra told Engadget that “SD cards will disappear.” It doesn’t hurt, of course, that manufacturers can charge a premium for built-in storage that it can’t for third-party cards. Then there’s the fact that the threat of an app being nominated for deletion might just inspire developers to start trimming the fat from their products.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Android Police
Google bakes Cast capabilities into its Fiber boxes
If you’re a Google Fiber subscriber, you no longer need to use a Chromecast to stream content from your mobile device to your tv. Google announced today that it has integrated Cast technology (what makes your Chromecast work) directly into their Fiber set-top boxes. It cuts out the Chromecast middle man, is what I’m saying. You can just chuck that dongle since it’s now superfluous. The casting process is exactly the same, it just runs straight through the set-top box now.
Source: Google Fiber Blog
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