Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for NewGeekGuide.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and delivers a weekly roundup of EV and solar news on Electrek.co. Sometimes he makes weird electronic music as one half of Makamachine.
Contact Jordan with news tips and long-winded complaints:
Google today announced a preview of a redesigned Google Contacts experience for the web that it says “makes it easier to keep track of the people you know and get the info you need, fast.”
Some of the new features include the ability to quickly get rid of duplicates, automatically updating contacts, and recent email/event details right in Contacts. Those are in addition to a brand new Material Design-inspired UI.
Expand
Expanding
Close
After unsuccessful attempts to settle a long running EU investigation into Google’s search and ad businesses, Reuters reports Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt met this week with European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
The European Union’s antitrust chief has met Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt as she seeks to resolve a four-year investigation into complaints that the Internet search giant abuses its dominance… European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager met Schmidt on Monday, her spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said in an email.
There’s no word on what exactly the talks involved or if the two groups are any closer to reaching a settlement in the investigation.
The report adds that Vestager also met with those that have filed complaints in the investigation, including executives from Microsoft and other companies.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmZNZ3QMFMA]
Google announced today that it’s opening up its Google Fiber internet service to small businesses in Provo, Utah and more of Kansas City.
Google first launched an early access program for Fiber for small businesses back in November offering $100/month gigabit Internet to select areas in Kansas. It’s now opening that same deal in Provo and new areas in Kansas City North and South.
Provo has already shown us what’s possible when an emerging technology hub has access to gigabit Internet — from the DevMountain coding school, to a growing community at the Startup Dojo, or a geneticist who is using gigabit Internet to download an entire human genome in under an hour. We can’t wait to see the city’s small businesses do with Google Fiber.
Small businesses interested in learning more can stop by Google’s website.
Google announced today that it’s ending Chrome support for users running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next month. Updates for Chrome on Ice Cream Sandwich devices will officially end following the release of Chrome 42.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Sonos is today rolling out version 5.3 of its Sonos Controller app for Android to introduce a few new features and a tweaked user interface.
The feature being highlighted above others in the update is easier access to controlling the app’s Rooms feature: Effortlessly move your music around your home with a more accessible ROOMS menu available by tapping the top of any screen in the Sonos app. Group and ungroup rooms from the ROOMS menu to play music in perfect synchrony throughout your home.
Also new in the update is an updated user experience for tablet users that offers new, separate views for currently playing music and discovery features:
Sonos highlighted a few other new features including more readily available search and a new playback progress slider.
The updated app, version 5.3, is available on Google Play now.
What’s New
SIMPLER ROOM CONTROL AND FASTER ACCESS TO ALL YOUR MUSIC.
Sony announced today that Virgin Atlantic is piloting its SmartWatch 3 and SmartEyeglass wearables to “help streamline communications and speed up technical assistance” among employees.
The SmartEyeglass Developer Edition will be used to stream real-time video between engineers, while the SmartWatch 3 will offer notifications and quick communication:
Expand
Expanding
Close
During an interview at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona today, Google’s Android chief Sundar Pichai made a few interesting announcements, including confirming the company will launch its own wireless service as an MVNO in the coming months.
Expand
Expanding
Close
SanDisk today announced a new thumb drive that is one of the first to include an integrated USB Type C connector, the next-generation USB plug that’s expected to arrive soon on Android devices and an upcoming MacBook laptop.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google just announced its plans to revamp its campus in Mountain View and increase its square footage by constructing what it described as moveable, lightweight block-like structures. We’ve had hints that such as project was in the works, but the company is now sharing official renderings of the planned campus as it officially submits plans to the city. Head below for a full gallery from Google.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google just announced its new Android for Work program that will see it work with partners to bring Android into the enterprise. With Android for Work, users will have access to features like Work Profiles, a new Android for Work app, Google Play for Work, and new productivity tools.
Work profiles will offer users what Google described as a secure and “dedicated work profile that isolates and protects work data,” while the Android for Work app will offer a secure solution for mail, calendar, contacts, documents, web browsing and more. Google Play for Work, as you’d probably expect, will allow developers to deploy business apps and offer a central location for business users to find and download them.
The new platform could be seen as a reaction and competitor to Apple’s announcement last year that it would team up with IBM to bring enterprise services to iOS and push iPhones and iPads to business customers.
Google provided a break down of the features mentioned above, which it said will make up Android for Work’s “four key technology components.”
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google announced some nice updates for educators and students using its Google Classroom platform. In addition to the ability to use a custom image as a theme in Classroom, the company is rolling out an update to the iOS and Android apps to add several new features.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google announced today that a number of enhancements for Google Calendar on Android will be arriving for users over the next few days. Google says the new features and tweaks (listed below) are based on early user feedback from the latest version of the app.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Unlike most of its competitors, Samsung is embracing all of the crazy rumors about its upcoming devices and having a little fun with it on its website.
The images above and below were posted to a webpage on Samsung’s website teasing some absurd renderings of imaginary mobile devices based on rumors floating around online for the company’s upcoming next-gen Galaxy device. This is clearly Samsung having fun with the rumormongers, but we do expect its new flagship Galaxy S6 to make an appearance in the coming weeks…
Expand
Expanding
Close
Following a number of teasers showing off what looks to be a next-gen, curved Galaxy device, Samsung today posted a live stream and countdown for its upcoming Unpacked 2015 event scheduled for March 1st.
The event takes place during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona during early March, a venue Samsung and others use annually to unveil their latest devices.
That curved next-gen Galaxy device the company has been showing off in blurry teaser videos is likely its new flagship Galaxy S6, but we’ll have to wait until March 1st to know for sure.
We’ll be at MWC in Barcelona to bring you live coverage of the event as always, but you can also tune into the live stream here on March 1st to watch the announcements in real-time.
Hit up our Galaxy S6 expectations video to get more of the rumored details ahead of the official unveiling.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/CVk3ZWrhHxc]
LG announced today that it’s beginning the global rollout of its new LG G Flex 2 smartphone that it first unveiled early this year at CES 2015.
Expand
Expanding
Close
IDC just released its latest numbers on the top smartphones by operating system showing Android and iOS continue to collectively dominate the market with both experiencing growth during 2014. Together, iOS and Android grabbed 96.3% of all smartphone shipments, which IDC points out is up from 95.6% in 4Q13 and from 93.8% in calendar year 2013.
The FTC is fining the creators of two different smartphone apps, both of which were previously available as paid apps on Google Play and the App Store, for falsely claiming to detect symptoms of melanoma. Most versions of the apps, MelApp and Mole Detective, have long been removed from sale, although a version of Mole Detective remains on Google Play for $4.99. Apple appears to have cracked down on similar apps somewhat that were available on its store as recently as early 2014, while some apps with similar claims continue to be available on Google Play.
The Federal Trade Commission has challenged marketers for deceptively claiming their mobile apps could detect symptoms of melanoma, even in its early stages. In two separate cases, marketers of MelApp and Mole Detective have agreed to settlements that bar them from continuing to make such unsupported claims. The agency is pursuing charges against two additional marketers of Mole Detective who did not agree to settle.
It’s not the first and it likely won’t be the last time app makers face scrutiny from government officials over health care claims as fitness becomes more of a focus on mobile devices and companion wearables. As recently as November, the FTC was said to be pressing Apple on how it plans to use sensitive health related data collected from its upcoming Apple Watch launching in April.
Just days after Google’s Sundar Pichai announced the company’s new Inbox email app would arrive for Google Apps customers soon, today an invite system is launching to allow for exactly that.
Like the invite system that is currently being used to allow new users to download the Inbox email app, Google is today allowing Google Apps for Work admins to request service access for their users. Google said it will let in only select users that request access as it works to get feedback from early adopters and improve the experience:
Expand
Expanding
Close
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmMAAPX6E8]
Google just announced that its new YouTube Kids app is available for both iOS and Android devices starting today. The new app for kids is the first of its kind for Google, but the launch follows reports that Google was preparing kid-friendly versions of YouTube, Chrome, Search and other apps.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Just one day after T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced the wireless provider surpassed Sprint to become the number three carrier in the country, Sprint today announced a new aggressive shared data plan that it says offers better value compared to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Motorola is inviting press to an “exciting announcement” later this month with a mystery box scheduled to land on the doorstep of select press on Feb. 25. The invite reads:
Expand
Expanding
Close
Google today announced that it’s launching a beta channel or Android WebView, the API many apps use to display webpages. Google noted that with Android 5.0 Lollipop, it now “has the ability to update WebView independently.” It will begin to allow developers to use the new beta channel for testing the latest updates to WebView starting today:
WebView updates bring numerous bug fixes, new web platform APIs and updates from Chromium. If you’re making use of the WebView in your app, becoming a beta channel tester will give you an early start with new APIs as well as the chance to test your app before the WebView rolls out to your users.
Developers interested in becoming beta testers can join the community here in order to sign up for the program and install the WebView beta from Google Play.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/-HYfwSKlc6w]
Earlier today Google and Mattel teamed up to unveil a new product that revives Mattel’s classic View-Master toy using some new Google Cardboard virtual reality tech. We were on the floor at the press event and managed to get some hands-on time with the new toy, which will first arrive with support for Android devices before arriving for other mobile devices.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Currently most of us have to inform our bank by phone when we’re travelling to avoid purchases in other countries appearing as red flags for fraud and being declined. That could soon change as Visa looks to track smartphones with a service called Mobile Location Confirmation in order to help their security systems become smarter and reduce declined purchases by as much as 30%.
Expand
Expanding
Close
