Author

Avatar for Zac Hall

Zac Hall

apollozac

Zac covers Apple news for 9to5Mac and hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast.

Connect with Zac Hall

Site default logo image

Google’s Photo Sphere Camera app adds library privacy tabs, improved image capture for iPhone 6/6 Plus, more

Google released its Photo Sphere Camera app for iPhone users a few months back with the ability to capture 360º images right from your device and share them over social media or even Google Maps.

Photo Sphere Camera can also be used without ever publishing images anywhere or sharing photo spheres with anyone, so today Google added tabs to the app’s library separating public and private photos.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google iOS app updated w/ Material Design, Street View integration, more

Site default logo image

Google is rolling out a completely redesigned version of its iPhone and iPad app with its Material Design look and feel right down to the app icon.

The latest version of the search app now presents a bottom navigation bar (which can slide out of view) that presents a persistent Google button for searching for new information. The navigation bar also offers a button for quickly accessing recent search pages, something that feels similar to multitasking between apps on Android.

Also notable as part of the redesign is the optimization searching for photos has received. In the latest version of Google’s iOS app, image results now take on a full-screen, mosaic look for presenting larger results. The update also packs in deep Google Maps integration for location searches including support for Google Street View right in the app for iPhone users. You can read the full change log below:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

PSA: Google is guaranteeing Inbox by Gmail invites for the next 90 minutes

Inbox tweet

If you haven’t already received an invitation to use Inbox, Google’s alternative Gmail experience for handling your email, then you’ll want to jump on this opportunity as soon as possible.

The Inbox team, which is doing a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), says anyone that emails inbox@google.com from their Gmail account between 10 am PST and 12 pm PST today is guaranteed to receive an invitation granting access to the Inbox apps and site.

For more information on Inbox by Gmail, check out our extensive hands-on with the app from when it launched earlier this fall, and grab Inbox for Android from the Play Store or for iOS from the App Store.

Site default logo image

Dropbox for Business API officially announced for corporate IT systems

Dropbox for Business API

Dropbox today officially announced its Dropbox for Business API allowing corporate IT systems to integrate the cloud-syncing platform for businesses into their own solutions. Dropbox says its newly announced Business API (application programming interface) will let developers take advantage of “team-level functionality”  and corporate partners to further integrate Dropbox for Business into their own systems. Specifically, the Dropbox for Business API will provide the following benefits for partners:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Sprint announces ‘Cut Your Bill in Half’ promo for AT&T & Verizon switchers

Site default logo image

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure teasing the new promotion

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure teasing the new promotion

Sprint today announced a new campaign to attract wireless customers from competitors AT&T and Verizon with aggressively priced plans and an offer to help pay switching fees. Under the new promotion, which Sprint’s recently appointed CEO Marcelo Claure previously teased, the wireless carrier will offer to match Verizon and AT&T plans at half the cost for customers switching to Sprint.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Microsoft buys Acompli, an email app for Android

Acompli

Microsoft announced today that it acquired Acompli, an email client for Android and iOS, in an effort to own more productivity apps on each mobile platform:

This acquisition is part of our company-wide effort to help people accomplish more with their mobile devices. This year we brought Office to the iPad and the iPhone, and we recently announced that we’re bringing Office to Android devices. These are significant steps in our work to deliver the best productivity experiences across mobile platforms, and we’re continuing to push forward.

Acompli also wrote about the acquisition news while discussing support for various file services:

Soon after launch we started working with a number of enterprise IT departments who believed, like we do, that great products need to be “Loved by Users, and Trusted by IT.” Right around this time we began conversations with the folks at Microsoft about how we could go farther by integrating the capabilities of their Office 365 platform into our product while continuing to provide amazing support for email and file services from Apple, Dropbox, Google, and Box. Those conversations led to today, where we have decided the opportunity to join forces in pursuit of a better, faster, more powerful email experience is something we can do better as one company.

The acquisition follows Microsoft’s announcement last month that Android tablet users can sign-up to preview the upcoming version of Office. Microsoft also integrated Office support with Dropbox as part of a new partnership between the two companies.

According to Re/code, Microsoft spent more than $200 million to buy up the email app although neither company disclosed that amount.

Google Play Store celebrates Cyber Monday with up to 50% off apps, movies, music, more

Site default logo image

Google Play Store Cyber Monday deals

Google is starting out Cyber Monday with up to 50% off “top titles” including apps, games, music, movies, books, and more on the Play Store. Deals include a wide range of content like movies including The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in HD for $9.99 down from the regular $17.99 price and Fight Club for $4.99 down from $9.99.
Expand
Expanding
Close

T-Mobile adds Google Play Music (& other services) to its Music Freedom program

Site default logo image

Google Play Music pink

T-Mobile announced today the addition of 14 music streaming services to its Music Freedom program including Google Play Music. First announced at its Uncarrier 5.0/6.0 event in June, T-Mobile’s Music Freedom program allows customers on the network to stream content from supported music services without it counting against a monthly data cap. T-Mobile promised the addition of Google Play Music by the end of the year in August when Google’s subscription streaming music service was voted most wanted by T-Mobile’s customers.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Twitter for Android rolling out Tweet sharing through Direct Messages

Site default logo image

Last week, Twitter announced a list of improvements coming to the service including enhancements to Direct Messages and video capabilities slated for next year, and today the social network started rolling out its new features as promised. With the latest version of Twitter for Android, you can now share public Tweets privately over Direct Messages with native embedding. You can see the new feature in action below…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Facebook launches dedicated ‘Groups’ app for Android

Site default logo image

Today Facebook has added yet another app to its growing portfolio. Facebook Groups is its latest standalone app with features dedicated to managing and interacting with groups on Android. Unlike its approach to Facebook Messenger, however, the social network says it will not remove existing group features from the primary Facebook app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Microsoft begins inviting users to Skype for Web beta

Site default logo image

Today Microsoft announced that Skype is starting to roll out as a service on the Web. Skype for Web will allow users to chat, video call, and manage contacts from a web browser without having to download the Skype app. Microsoft is currently offering Skype for Web as a beta to select users.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Galaxy Note Edge review roundup: intriguing display w/ some neat tricks, but not worth the premium cost

Site default logo image

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Earlier this year at its Unpacked event, Samsung previewed its Galaxy Note Edge phablet with a special, curved part of the display that wraps around the right side. We’ve already given you our early hands-on and first impressions of the latest Samsung Galaxy Note variant, and today the reviews are starting to surface. So what’s the verdict on this unique take on a phablet? Check out our roundup below:
Expand
Expanding
Close

YouTube launches Music Key streaming service for $10/mo: no ads, offline playback, full albums & Play Music access

Site default logo image

Google today officially announced its highly rumored YouTube music subscription service and its calling it YouTube Music Key. YouTube’s Music Key service with be available for a monthly subscription of $9.99 and unlock ad-free music, offline playback and video viewing, and the ability to play music in the background when using other apps.

The service is rolling out as a beta next week with a promotional price of $7.99/month, and early adopters will be able to request access from YouTube.com/MusicKey. YouTube’s Music Key beta service will be available through the YouTube apps on Android and iOS and through YouTube.com.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Instagram revamps Explore tab, adds caption & location editing

Site default logo image

Instagram is out with a feature update today with some welcome features. Users will likely appreciate the ability to edit photo captions and locations attached to photos in post now. That means if you make a typo on your caption, you no longer have to choose between correcting yourself in the comments, deleting and re-posting the photo with the correction caption, or just ignoring it altogether.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google donating $10 million to fight Ebola, launches donation matching campaign

Site default logo image

Google Ebola Donation

Google CEO Larry Page announced on the company’s blog today that Google has donated $10 million to several nonprofit organizations in an effort to fight the Ebola virus disease. Among the nonprofit organizations Google has donated money, “InSTEDD, International Rescue Committee, Medecins Sans Frontieres, NetHope, Partners in Health, Save the Children and U.S. Fund for UNICEF” are included according to Page.

In addition to donating $10 million to assist nonprofit groups in the fight against Ebola, Google is pledging to donate $2 for ever $1 donated to its public giving campaign. Funds raised through Google’s public giving campaign will go toward the Network for Good and continue until an addition $7.5 million is raised.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Samsung investing up to $3 billion for second smartphone factory in Vietnam

Site default logo image

Trial Begins In Apple-Samsung Patent Battle

According to a new report from Reuters, Samsung plans to invest as much as $3 billion toward opening its second Vietnam-based smartphone factory in an effort to produce hardware at a lower cost. An unnamed government official confirmed that the project is ongoing, and a Samsung spokesperson shared that the company is in talks with the government over the investment.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) has applied for a license to invest $3 billion in building a second smartphone factory in northern Vietnam, a government official said on Monday.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Drive for iOS adds Touch ID unlocking, video saving, iPhone 6/Plus support, more

Site default logo image

In addition to updating its Maps app with an overhauled design, Google has released a new version of its Drive app for iPhone and iPad users adding support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well as some new iOS 8 features.

The Google Drive file storage app can now be secured using Touch ID so users with supported devices (iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone Plus, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3) can unlock the app using the fingerprint scanner. The new version of Drive also includes an extension to “open form and save to Drive in other apps” for iOS 8 users, and videos can now be saved from Drive to the Photos app (instructions below). Google says the new version of Drive for iPhone and iPad also includes full iOS 8 compatibility, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

Google Drive 3.3 for iPhone and iPad is available for free on the App Store. Full change log below.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Microsoft adding Dropbox integration including syncing and sharing to Office for Android

Office Dropbox iPad

Microsoft and Dropbox announced a new partnership between the two companies today and a commitment to bring integration between Dropbox and Office apps on Android and iOS. Currently Office users rely on local storage for saving files or Microsoft’s own OneDrive service for saving and syncing files, but the newly announced partnership will allow Office users to use the popular Dropbox service as an additional storage and syncing option and introduce new features between the productivity apps and syncing service.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google updates its official Analytics app with iPad support

Site default logo image

Earlier this year, Google released an official app for its Google Analytics service on iOS allowing users of the popular service to view data and reports on the go, but the dedicated app has only been available for iPhone and iPod touch users. Today that has changed, however, as Google has updated its official Analytics app for full iPad support.
Expand
Expanding
Close

FTC suing AT&T for throttling unlimited data user speeds, carrier calls claims “baseless”

Site default logo image

[tweet https://twitter.com/ftc/status/527143324269170688]

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it is suing AT&T for “deceptive and unfair data throttling”. The FTC’s announcement seems to target AT&T’s practice of lowering data transfer speeds for customers with unlimited data plans versus customers with tiered data plans now offered. From the FTC’s press release:

“AT&T promised its customers ‘unlimited’ data, and in many instances, it has failed to deliver on that promise,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “The issue here is simple: ‘unlimited’ means unlimited.”

AT&T has called the FTC’s allegations baseless adding that the carrier has been “completely transparent” with its subscribers.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Taco Bell’s new Android app lets you order before you arrive

The popular fine dining restaurant chain Taco Bell has blacked out its Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as its website today to draw full attention to its new Android app. Why? Because you can finally order your Nacho Cheese Doritos® Chips Taco Supreme® right from your Android phone and pay in the app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Algoriddim brings its popular Mac and iOS ‘djay’ app to Android w/ Spotify integration

Site default logo image

djay for Android

Algoriddim, the team behind the popular music mixing app djay, first shipped the commercial version of its flagship app in 2007 on the Mac followed by the iPad version in 2010 and the iPhone version in 2011. Adding to the history of djay, today Algoriddim is launching djay for Android through the Google Play Store and Amazon App Store making the app its first on Google’s platform.

While djay is rooted in digital music mixing on the Mac then iOS, the new Android version is just as desktop class with high quality music playback and real time analyzing and mixing. Better yet, djay for Android packs in deep Spotify integration from day one–the iOS version first added up Spotify integration earlier this year–which means you have access to over 20 million songs for mixing together and playback.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Google Drive and related apps experiencing outage for some users (update)

Google Drive outage

Google Drive and some related services are currently experiencing issues for some users, according to Google.

We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Drive. We will provide more information shortly.
Affected users will notice 500 errors and latency.

The same service issues apply to Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, which each have the same error message from Google. The notice was first posted at 8:20 AM PST.

Update 9:20 AM PST: We are continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 10/27/14 1:30 PM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem.

Update 11:18 AM PST: Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 10/27/14 3:30 PM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience.

Update: Google says the issue has been resolved and has released the following statement on the matter:

The problem with Google Drive should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better.

FBI director continues push against Google & Apple on smartphone encryption (Video)

Site default logo image

James Comey FBI Director

FBI Director James Comey isn’t backing down from his position that Google and Apple are wrong to encrypt customer smartphone data preventing law enforcement agencies the possibility of access if requested. After last month sharing that the FBI was in talks with the two companies to discuss concerns with marketing devices as being inaccessible to third-parties including the government, the FBI Director spoke with CBS News in an interview where he continued to make the case against such encryption…
Expand
Expanding
Close