Chance currently writes for both NewGeekGuide and 9to5Mac, in addition to 9to5Toys. He has previously written for several other online publications. He uses a Nexus 5, iPhone 5s, iPad Air, Hackintosh, and Macbook Air.
Google announced today in a blog post that it is renaming its popular Google Webmaster Tools service to Google Search Console after nearly 10 years of existence. Aside from the different name, no other changes are being made to Google Search Console. Google, of course, updates the service with new features on a regular basis, though.
Mitsubishi today announced its new lineup of FLEXConnect In-Vehicle Infotainment systems. The in-car system is built on Android, but is not Google’s Android Auto platform. Instead, it’s a custom version of Android designed by Mitsubishi specifically for cars.
Earlier today, Google revealed that Android Wear 5.1.1 would begin rolling out to more devices starting soon and now it looks like the process has begun. Users of the LG G G Watch and G Watch R are reporting that their respective wearables have started receiving over-the-air-updates to Android Wear 5.1.1. The update was originally announced back in April, but until today had only made its way to the Watch Urbane and ASUS ZenWatch.
LG this evening took the wraps off of two new variants of its G4 flagship. First is the LG G4 Stylus that features a Rubberdium Stylus, which allows for note taking and drawing on the device. The G4 Stylus features a 5.7-inch display (vs 5.5-inch on the G4) and a 13MP rear-facing camera. LG didn’t offer up specific details regarding the features of the stylus.
As announced would happen earlier today, the Asus ZenFone 2 is now available on Amazon in unlocked and contract-free fashion. The device is available in a 16GB variant for $200 and a 64GB variant for $300.
via <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/05/18/google-app-v4-6-enables-translucent-status-and-navigation-bars-for-google-now-screen-on-custom-launchers-apk-download/">Android Police</a>
With Google I/O right around the corner, the company is prepping its apps with minor updates ahead of the expected larger changes to come later this month. This evening, the Google App on Android received a minor update with a few visual changes. For users of custom launchers, the update enables full screen mode for Google Now.
The Wall Street Journal today reported that Google plans to launch a new “buy now” button this week. The button will be incorporated directly into its shopping search results. The report echoes a similar report from The Wall Street Journal earlier this year, in which it was reported that Google wanted to enter the online commerce and more seriously battle Amazon and eBay.
Google this evening released the latest version of its Transparency Report in which it offers up more information regarding emergency disclosure requests and preservation requests. Regarding emergency disclosure requests, Google says it is now reporting requests from governments in every country. Previously, Google only reported requests from the United States.
Update: We now have Android 5.1.1 OTA download links for the ZenWatch.
ASUS this evening has started rolling out an update to its ZenWatch that bumps it to the latest build of Android Wear, version 5.1.1. The version first shipped on the LG Watch Urbane but is now making its way to more users. It’s unclear how extensive the rollout is at this point, but at least one user on Reddit has received the update.
If you head over to the web version of Google Play Music, you’ll notice that it has received a major interface refresh to be more in line with Google’s Material Design efforts. The interface is very similar to the Play Music Android app, just with some optimization for the desktop.
According to several users on XDA, Motorola this evening has started rolling out Android 5.1 to the second generation Moto E. The update, since the Moto E is sold off-contract, should hit all users of the phone, on all carriers, at the same time.
It’s no secret that people love to put smartphones through a plethora of harsh drop, bend, and waterproof tests. A new trend, however, is to shoot smartphones with a pistol and see how they compare. Popular YouTuber Lewis from Unbox Therapy today shared a new video in which Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge with a dbrand skin is shot with a Desert Eagle pistol.
Nestle announced in a press release today that it is partnering with YouTube for a limited edition version of KitKat. No, that’s not Android 4.4 KitKat, but rather the popular candy bar. As part of the partnership, Nestle will produce over 600,000 limited edition KitKat wrappers with the branding “YouTube Break.” Nestle says this is the biggest change in package design for KitKat since its inception 80 years ago.
In a post on Google+, Motorola this evening announced that the long-awaited Lollipop update for the 2013 Moto X will begin testing this week in both the United States and Latin America. Motorola’s Senior Director of Software Product Management, David Schuster, made the announcement and noted that the after testing via TestDrive is concluded, the update will start full deployment. Schuster anticipates that the full rollout will commence in a “few weeks.”
Sega announced in a post on its blog this evening that it is going to remove a number of games from its catalog of apps on the Play Store. Sega says that a number of its games on the Play Store no longer meet its “high-quality” standards. Sega will also remove the games from the Apple App Store, the Samsung App Store and the Amazon App Store.
Several Google executives held a question and answer session on Reddit today to address (and avoid) a variety of different topics. Perhaps most notably, the Google executives voiced their support for the federal appeals court ruling on Thursday that said bulk collection of telephone records by the NSA is not lawful.
In a post on Google+ this evening, Google has announced that it is adding a new feature to its search engine that will make it incredibly easy to quickly order food on the go. Google says that starting today, if you search for a restaurant that is integrated with Seamless, Eat24, GrubHub, Delivery.com, MyPizza.com, or BeyondMenu, you will be able to order a meal directly from the search results.
Google this morning officially shared the schedule for Google I/O 2015, and as you would expect, the schedule offers a handful of hints as to what we can expect to see at the event. We already told you about a few of the things Google has up its sleeve for this year’s I/O, but now we’re going to breakdown 10 things at which today’s schedule release has hinted…
According to a recent report from Architects Journal, Google is looking to use a robot-crane hybrids to assist in building its new Mountain View headquarters. The report includes several mock-ups of the machines, which will be used to lift and shift the “pre-fabricated” components inside the structure.
As you probably could have expected would happen eventually, Google this evening has revealed that more searches are now performed on mobile devices than on desktops. In a post on the Inside AdWords blog, Google wrote, “more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan.”
Google appears to have started sending out the first invites to its Project Fi initiative, at least according to one user on Reddit. The user has shared screenshots of the entire setup process from start to finish. The process appears to be relatively simple and self-explanatory, with a step-by-step set-up process…
Google is looking to continue its push to make its workforce and the tech industry as a whole more diverse, the company wrote in a blog post today. Google is looking to spend $150 million on a campaign to increase diversity. In 2014, the company spent $115 million on diversity initiatives.
Update: Motorola has announced that Android 5.1 is officially now rolling out to the second generation Moto X.
It looks as if Motorola is preparing to rollout a wave of Android 5.1 updates. The company has just shared Android 5.1 Lollipop release notes on its website for a handful of its devices. Motorola has posted the changelogs for Android 5.1 on the 2nd gen AT&T Moto X, 2nd gen T-Mobile Moto X, and the U.S. model of the 1st gen Moto X.
Google has updated its Android distribution data this evening to reflect numbers collected during a 7-day period ending on May 4th, 2015. Android Lollipop, which has been struggling to gain adoption since its official release, grew to 9.7 percent this time around, up from just over 5 percent at this time last month. More specifically, Android 5.0 is running on 9 percent of devices, while Android 5.1 is on just .7 percent of devices.
