Apps,
It seems we’ve moved past the era of fast and furious UI changes to mobile operating systems. Google showed off a little of the upcoming Android O update today at Google I/O, and while it looks very familiar, there are a few cool new features on the way. Right at the top of the list […]
Apps,
It’s been an interesting month for Apple and its nearest competitors. Last week at the Microsoft Build developers conference, we learned that iTunes is coming to the Windows Store as an app, and now this week we’ve got Google with some big Apple-related news. At their I/O developers conference today, the company revealed that Google […]
Apps,
Google’s not out to judge your doodles — well, it kind of is. With their new AutoDraw tool, their machine learning technology can take a look at your doodles, guess what you’re trying to draw, and then replace your, er, work with something more pleasing to the eye. AutoDraw is a web-based canvas, sort of. It’s […]
Apps,
With many of the affluent markets already saturated with tech, greater and greater attention is being paid to lower-income markets. Already this year, we’ve seen an affordable new Nokia phone for emerging markets and Amazon Cash, a service that makes it easier to shop on Amazon without having a debit or credit card. Today, it’s […]
Apps,
April Fool’s Day falls on a weekend this year. Google, worried that they wouldn’t be able to prank office managers around the world, did us all a solid and got things started a day early. Your time-waster for today is Google’s April 1 tradition — Pac-Man on Google Maps. For 2017, they’ve got Ms. Pac-Man chomping […]
We won’t get a full rundown of the changes coming in this year’s Android O update (or the official candy name), until the Google I/O developer conference in May, but Google gave us all a sneak peek with a developer preview. Meant for app developers to begin work implementing the upcoming new toys, the preview […]
There’s usually a big risk in buying into first generation tech. That was true with Android Wear smartwatches — the original operating system wasn’t great, requiring a huge number of taps and swipes to get something done. Fortunately, Android Wear 2.0 brought a lot of refinements, plus new dials that make those digital watch faces a […]
I’ll admit it — I totally forgot about the jean jacket Google and Levi’s have been teasing for ages now. We hadn’t heard much since they detailed the Commuter Trucker Jacket at the Google I/O developers conference last year, but at SXSW over the weekend, Google announced that it’ll be sold starting this fall for $350. […]
TV,
YouTube is becoming ThemTube. The video hosting site that first got big featuring random videos from random people is now getting into pay TV thanks to the cord-cutting trend. Announced today, YouTube TV is a streaming television service that will include over 40 channels for $35 per month, plus unlimited cloud DVR. It looks like […]
Call it a dream deferred. Seven-year-old Chloe Bridgewater of Hereford, England sent off a handwritten letter straight to Google HQ (addressed to “Google Boss”) inquiring about job opportunities (and praising office amenities), and hey, she got a response! In other words, she’s probably already doing better than most applicants to Google. To be fair to […]
Smartwatch news wasn’t good for anyone last year, but it was especially bad for the Android Wear crowd. Lenovo was the only Android Wear device maker in the top five at fourth, alongside Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, and Pebble — and the last one doesn’t even exist anymore. But, Apple reportedly saw good holiday sales following the release […]
Apps,
Since early in the decade, Launchpad Toys‘ Toontastic app has been a great way for kids and adults alike to create fun, animated stories, complete with narration and music. It’s great for art and animation classes as a quick, gentle introduction to storytelling, but for a while, it was only available for iOS. Well, that […]
Apps,
It’s been like this for a while, but the Wild West has been tamed. The world of apps has been whittled down to a few giants, and it’s those giants that dominate the top 10 apps of 2016. Nielsen has been getting into mobile analytics lately, and they’ve put together the list based on average […]
2016 has been a rough year for smartwatches — not only did sales drop over 50 percent from last year, but the entire year has gone by without an update to Google’s Android Wear smartwatch operating system. Android Wear 2.0 is slated to arrive early next year, but it’s already seen considerable delays, and some Android […]
Google Flights has quietly been Google’s answer to sites like Skyscanner and Kayak for a while now, but it’s mostly offered the same services as those other sites — aggregating flight tickets to help find the cheapest or most direct route for trips. This week, Google Flights is hitting cruising altitude by adding some powerful new […]
It’s the end of an era. After seven generations, the Nexus brand is no more. This year, Google gives us Pixel and Pixel XL, the first phones developed by the company in-house, and sold without any kind of co-branding. With prices ranging between $649 and $869, these are expensive devices, and the company is betting […]
Google was in San Francisco this morning to put the Nexus line of phones to bed. The company has long used the Pixel name for high-end hardware with their name on it (debuting on that way-too-expensive Chromebook a few years ago), and now they’re making it ubiquitous. The Google Pixel is their latest smartphone, and […]
Apps,
Yeah, it’s another video calling app. Despite the fact that virtually every messaging app now allows for video calling (including Google’s own Hangouts), Google saw fit to announce another one at their Google I/O developer conference earlier this year. Google Duo, which is launching today, is a simple video calling app, and nothing else — […]
Some pretty interesting rumors surrounding Google are flaring up this week. Several outlets are reporting, based on bits and pieces of evidence from chatlogs and open source development sites, that Google is working on a brand new operating system. Google’s best-known operating system is Android, which we’ve seen on smartphones since 2008. Google acquired Android […]
Apps,
Microsoft is — how do we put this? — excited about Windows 10. They were excited enough to make refusing to upgrade before the one-year free window ended harder and harder, but the operating system itself isn’t the only thing they really want you to start using. They’re also very proud of Microsoft Edge, their new web browser […]
Since CES, details have slowly surfaced about a collaboration between Lenovo and Google on a new smartphone — one that doesn’t involve Motorola. Google’s Project Tango is all about augmented reality, using sensors and algorithms that allow smartphones to recognize complex objects and map out surroundings using just the rear camera array. As promised, it’s debuting […]
