Mark Hearn

Despite having its hand in things like wearables and robotics, web search is arguably still Google’s mainstay and it looks like the company is working on a new tool that will help people point and click their way through historical events. Discovered by code tinkerer Florian Kiersch, Mountain View appears to be working on a new Knowledge Graph tool that pulls data from Wikipedia to create interactive timelines based on the item being searched.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Today, Google announced the launch of Translate Community, a site that will focus on improving translation quality for the 80 languages that the company’s software supports. In addition to making translation results better, the search giant hopes that its new group of dialect aficionados will help it develop support for more languages.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google is working on a new feature for its voice search that will allow the software to understand multiple languages at a time. Currently, the company’s voice search only listens to your default language settings for your Google profile. This can be changed within your account’s settings, but Mountain View is trying to make things easier for multilingual individuals.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Not all Android games are created equally. Some file downloads are massive and well over a gigabyte in size, while others only require a few megabytes to get you up and running. The most perplexing thing about mobile games is that some titles require a connection to the internet, even after you’ve installed the game to your device.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Another day, another set of leaked Moto X+1 images. Today’s pictures are of a “near-final prototype” build of the device and they manage to reveal some new information about the unannounced handset. For starters, the X+1 is said to have a 5.1-inch display, so it’s a little larger than its predecessor. The device doesn’t have any capacitive buttons and has a loudspeaker below its display, similar to the design of the budget-friendly Moto E.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Although Google Glass is available to the public, it’s understandable that the wearable tech isn’t welcomed everywhere, however being barred from a convention full of nerds has a special kind of sting. Comic-Con is currently underway and while the San Diego Convention Center is packed to the gills with cosplayers, anyone dressed up as Google co-founders Sergey Brin or Larry Page better not be wearing Glass — at least not during the show’s video screening panels.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Summer is fading fast and as a way of saying farewell, Motorola Mobility is having a back to school sale on its off-contract Moto X. The entry-level 16GB version of the company’s customizable handset is down to just $300 ($100 savings) and the 32GB model has been reduced to $325 ($125 savings). However, if your app arsenal is heavy and you’re looking for a lot of storage space, you can pick up the 64GB Moto X for $375 ($125 savings).

Expand
Expanding
Close

Today, Google announced the availability of its new Showcase app for Hangouts on Air that lets hosts promote content related to their conversation like websites, YouTube videos, Google+ profiles and content from Google Play via an onscreen panel displayed on the right-hand side of the video feed. For example, the cast of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes recently held a Hangout and used the Showcase app to share links to trailers and movie tickets.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google has exhausted a lot of resources patching up OpenSSL, so much in fact, the company has elected to create its own fork aptly named BoringSSL. Preparing to move the platform to Chrome, Mountain View recently worked this new implementation into its latest Chromium build. As indicated by its name, OpenSSL is an open source software used for secure connections. Several security holes in OpenSSL recently led to the now infamous Heartbleed scare that worked a large portion of the world into a frenzy.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Rumor has it that Samsung is preparing to announce a metal smartphone referred to as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and thanks to a set of photos obtained by SamMobile, we now have an idea of what this mystery device might look like. Perhaps not a premium version of the Galaxy S5, the Alpha is rumored to be made out of metal and will launch with a smaller 4.7-inch display, 32GB of storage (no microSD card slot) and a fingerprint scanner.

Expand
Expanding
Close

After a quick bout with software pirates, Gameloft’s Modern Combat 5: Blackout is officially available to download from Google Play. Priced at $7, unlike most mobile games, the military style first person shooter is completely free of in-app purchases. In the vein of series like Call of Duty and Battlefield, MC5 lets you play as four customizable character classes (Assault, Heavy, Recon, or Sniper) that can be leveled up across single and multiplayer gameplay.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Skype for Android received an update today that makes it easier to import your phone’s contact list. Although this new software is currently available to download, Microsoft says that its contact tracking feature will be available in the “coming months.” When ready, the app will prompt you to verify your phone number and after that Skype will start matching its contacts with people saved to your device’s address book.

Expand
Expanding
Close

The HTC One mini 2 is coming to America, but it will be carrying a different moniker. After weeks of rumors and leaks, Verizon confirmed today that it will start selling the HTC One Remix on July 24th for $100 with a two year service agreement. If you’re not familiar with the mini 2 Remix, it’s pretty much a watered-down version of the HTC One M8.

Expand
Expanding
Close

YouTubers believed to be in violation of copyright laws typically get a takedown notice advising them to remove whatever content their video is using without permission. But in the case of YouTube star Michelle Phan who has over 6 million subscribers following her online make-up tutorial channel, things have taken an aggressive turn. Ultra Records has filed a lawsuit against Phan claiming that she used 50 of their songs in her YouTube videos without proper permission.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Samsung’s advertisements are often inflated, but every now and then the company manages to get things right. Today, the outfit released a new marketing piece promoting its partnership with the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and guess what? The ad is pretty darn good. Unlike previous efforts, there’s no mention of the competition and product placement is very subtle.

Expand
Expanding
Close