Mike Beasley

Google is releasing its Chromecast streaming device in the United Kingdom next week, according to a Gizmodo source. Above is a photo taken by a Currys PC World employee which shows an announcement on the store’s internal portal. That announcement pegs March 19th as the launch date. According to the article, the store already has the device in stock.

The Chromecast launched in the United States last year but hasn’t yet been available outside the country. Germany and France are also said to be included in the international launch next week. No information on the device’s price has been released yet.

Update: We’ve received a clearer shot. Shown above.

Prepaid carrier Republic Wireless has announced that it will carry the Moto G starting in April. The phone will be available in both 8 GB and 16 GB models, available for $149 and $179, respectively.

Republic Wireless plans start at $25 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 3G data. The carrier also offers a $10 plan that allows unlimited calling, texting, and data usage over Wi-Fi paired with unlimited calling and texting over a cellular connection (but no 3G data).

The Moto G, which was deemed “the Google Global game changer” by NewGeekGuide‘s own Seth Weintraub, comes with a 4.5″ display, a 5 MP rear camera, 1.3 MP front camera, 1 GB of RAM, 50 GB of Google Drive space for two years, and Android 4.4 KitKat.

You can sign up for more information about the phone’s release date through the Republic Wireless site.

Even though the phone won’t be released until next month, some of the Galaxy S5’s apps have been leaked online and can be installed on current Samsung devices, according to Android Police. The apps leaked include S Note, S Health, S Translator, the hardware managers for both the Galaxy Gear and the Gear Fit, Samsung Watch ON, and for all you math enthusiasts, the Calculator app.

The apps can be downloaded from the XDA thread where they were leaked, though it seems that some of them (specifically S Health) aren’t actually functional on older devices. Installing some of these packages will require a rooted phone so that old versions of the apps can be removed and replaced by the updated versions.

When Android first hit smartphones, it shipped with the Android Market, a storefront for downloading apps. Two years ago, however, Google decided to replace the Market with the new, revamped Google Play Store. The new store would house all of Google’s offerings, from music and videos to books and Android apps. You can even buy a new phone through the store these days.

Now, to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the launch, Google is giving users discounts and sales on movies, music, apps, and more store-wide. A special page has been setup that will list the various discounts you’ll be able to take advantage of during the sale.

The promotion isn’t yet running in the United States, but should be available soon.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZLvv0q8ltw]

Samsung today published two new YouTube videos detailing its latest products. The first video runs through just about every imaginable feature of the new Galaxy Gear devices, from fitness applications to customizing the interface, to Android smartphone integration and, you know, checking the time.

A second video, embedded below the break, shows off the company’s Galaxy S5 smartphone. This video recounts the various specs and statistics that most smartphone buyers are familiar with before jumping into a breakdown of the phone’s form factor and design (GOLD IS BEST!).

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ABC News reports that RadioShack will close 1,100 stores following a disappointing holiday season and generally unsuccessful attempt to rebrand the chain as the go-to retailer for smartphones and accessories. The number represents about 20% of the electronics shop’s locations. The company previously announced plans to close only 400-700 stores.

That doesn’t mean RadioShack will be disappearing completely, though. Around 4,000 stores are still expected to remain open. While the cell phone business hasn’t been able to keep the entire company afloat, it has apparently provided enough fuel to keep the majority of the stores functional… for now, at least.

If you’re looking to give Google’s ChromeOS a try, the 11.6″ HP LTE-equiped Chromebook may be your best option right now. The non-LTE version of the Chromebook usually sells for $279, but the LTE model is actually available now for only $249. The connectivity isn’t the only difference between the two, either. The LTE model comes with 16 GB of flash storage while the more expensive, less-capable version uses a standard hard drive of the same size.

Both come with 2 GB of RAM, a 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos processor, built-in webcam, support for 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and weigh only 2.3 pounds. Both models are also available in a range of colors. Obviously, the connectivity differs between the two, as the LTE model comes with support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

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Gmail is about to get a new feature that should help users cut down on the spammy mass emails in their inboxes. Coming this week, PC World reports that Google will be automatically adding a big, beautiful “unsubscribe” button to the headers of such emails, allowing you to quickly opt-out of these types of unwanted messages.

Google hopes this will cut down on something we’re all probably guilty of at some point or another: users who sign up for a mailing list or service, then decide they don’t want the messages. Instead of unsubscribing, many users are marking these emails as spam to quickly block them from showing up in the inbox.

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Image via KPIX

Google has confirmed to San Francisco authorities that it plans to move the incomplete Google Barge project to a new location within the next month, reports CNET. It seems the California state government was not so pleased to have Google’s construction project sitting in idle at a pier without the proper permits and offered the company an ultimatum: file the proper papers or move on.

Google chose the latter. Government officials were told last week that Google would be moving the barge to an undisclosed new location at some point within the next thirty days.

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People familiar with Microsoft’s plans have told Bloomberg that the tech giant plans to significantly reduce the cost to PC manufacturers to license the latest version of its operating system. The move is said to come after fierce competition from Google and Apple have hurt Windows-based PC sales.

Previously each Windows 8.1 license for a tablet or PC would cost the manufacturer $50. The upcoming drop will bring that down to only $15. The change won’t affect all computers running the OS, however. Only those that retail for less than $250 will be eligible for the discount, which gives manufacturers an incentive to create low-cost machines.

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Google launched a few tweaks to its YouTube page design, which brings back a design feature long thought to be gone forever: center alignment. With the last major redesign, YouTube started pushing all content to the left side of the screen, a decision that many found so irritating they created browser extensions to revert the change.

The “What to Watch” feature and subscription list have been given more prominent placements on the home page.

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Google has posted a new web page that lists several “do’s” and “don’ts” for Glass users. A lot of the information is common sense (along the lines of “Don’t use Glass when participating in high-impact sports”), but it’s nice to see Google giving new Glass users some quick tips to get the most out of their hardware (and make sure friends and family don’t get snubbed in the process).

Like most of the Glass project, Google has made recently, the new page is directly influenced by Glass users. The advice was compiled by asking long-time Glass owners what advice they would give others. That advice included tips such as “use screen lock” and “explore the world around you,” but also yielded useful ideas of what not to do with Glass:

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As wearable technology comes closer and closer to the mainstream, medical applications are at the forefront of potential use cases being explored by hardware manufacturers and users alike. While still-rumored smartwatches pique our imaginations, existing tech like Google Glass is already being implemented in the medical industry.

The latest story of wearables in medicine comes from Dr. Paul Szotek and Dr. Jeff Browne of Indianapolis, Indiana, who used Glass to help successfully remove a cancerous tumor at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital during a four-hour operation.

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Last year Google took its first step into the wearable smartwatch market with the Galaxy Gear, which was widely panned by reviewers. Unfortunately, the poor reviews were the least of Google’s worries, with Gear sales falling far short of expectations.

Now, TechCrunch reports that Basis, a company that makes health-centric smartwatches, is looking to be acquired—and Google is on the list of companies being courted. The company is said to be in talks with other companies as well, and apparently has not settled on an asking price yet. Basis has so far been unable to secure an additional round of funding needed to stay afloat, and is thus exploring other potential options.

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It seems the Google Play Store has reached peak “flappy.” According to TechCrunch, multiple developers report that Google has started blanket-rejections of apps using the word in the name, and perhaps it’s for the best. The store has been inundated with Flappy Bird clones since the app first topped the charts.

A quick search of the Play Store’s app section reveals just how pervasive the clones have become. The resulting 240+ apps include meme-based gems such as “Flappy Doge” and “Flappy Gangnam,” as well as at least five named “Flappy Turd” or similar.

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