It’s easy to see how self-driving cars would benefit society. Traffic jams gone. Accidents reduced. Leisure time increased! These are all good things. But there are a number of bad things that are keeping self-driving cars from taking over. What’s the hold up? https://gizmodo.com/why-you-shouldnt-be-too-quick-to-cheer-self-driving-car-5974608 Before diving into the details of the challenges facing self-driving cars,…
So BBM for Android and iOS finally made it out after some delays. And how is it? “Really great user friendly and smooth” apparently. At least, according the legion of bots that’s leaving positive reviews on Google Play. https://gizmodo.com/bbm-for-ios-and-android-hands-on-the-best-blackberry-t-1352052992 Max Baxter-Reynolds spotted the abnormality, and so far as fake reviews go, these are baaaaad. If…
Aereo is now available for Android! At least, it is if you’re running 4.2 and live in New York City, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or Salt Lake City.
Samsung’s new Android 4.3 update will bring Galaxy Gear compatibility to the S3, S4 and Note 2, instead of just the Note 3. Good news if you enjoy looking like Inspector Gadget.
Google is adding handwriting input to Gmail and Docs. Starting today, you can use your trackpad or mouse to hand-draw characters in a variety of languages. [Gmail Blog via 9to5Google]
Yesterday, Google announced Project Shield, a suite of free tools to help small websites stay online during DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks. To accompany it, Google has also made available a live map of DDoS attacks which shows when and where they’re happening. https://gizmodo.com/google-now-offers-free-ddos-protection-1449416865 Put together in conjunction with Arbor Networks, the Digital Attack…
Smartwatch rumors seem to a dime-a-dozen these days, and now here’s another: Bloomberg is reporting that HTC has been working on an Android-based smartwatch, According to “people familiar with the matter“, the watch is pegged for release in the second half of 2014. There’s no mention of prices or specs, though the source does mention…
Google’s waving its pro-internet freedom flag again, launching a suite of anti-hacker software intended to help human rights and elections-related websites in vulnerable regions. It’s a nice thought, even if there’s a catch. The new program is called Project Shield (yes, like the TV show and the game controller) and aims to protect websites from…
When Google first announced Project Loon, its plan to cover the world in a blanket of Wi-Fi using internet balloons, it was sort of hard to believe. It still is, but now Google’s taking us inside the antenna. https://gizmodo.com/google-wants-to-use-balloons-to-cover-the-world-in-wi-f-513537918 We know how they’ll Google’s Loon balloons will flock together like cyborg birds, but the challenge…
Google’s Chromebook line is often maligned as inexpensive but underpowered or, in the case of the Pixel, a really nice screen in front of limited functionality and an exorbitant price tag. But by pairing a solid build with a $280 price tag, HP seems to have finally found the right balance of affordability and performance…
Google Hangouts for iOS now lets you make free phone calls to the US and Canada. If you use Google Voice, you can receive phone calls through the app too. [App Store]
Now that the slow, languid summer months are far behind us, we’re finally starting to see some major advancement in the app world. Whether it’s a brand new payment system from the ubiquitous Square or something beautiful simply for beauty’s sake, there’s a whole lot of goodness just up ahead. And it starts right here.…
Android 4.4 Kit Kat and the new Nexus 5 are just around the corner. We’ve got all the leaks in the world to prove it. But we don’t know when, and so of course, people have been speculating. Like lunatics. https://gizmodo.com/nexus-5-rumor-roundup-everything-we-think-we-know-1429423506 There’s speculation all over the place, but the best—read: craziest—theories come from Kit Kat’s…
Google recently announced an update to its Terms of Service, focused on displaying your profile name and photo next to advertisements and reviews. The new feature, which goes into effect on November 11, is called Shared Endorsements and will allow you to share your recommendations (whether a +1 on Google Play or a restaurant rating…
Google’s worst kept secret and possibly best upcoming Android phone has just unofficially revealed itself in the most official way possible… inside the actual Google Play Store. https://gizmodo.com/did-google-accidentally-leak-the-next-nexus-phone-1247836161 That’s right, the Nexus 5 is listed as “starting at $349” for the 16GB version and looks exactly like how we expected it to look like. One…
Another day, another Nexus 5 leak. The latest is the first set of what appear to be press images, that come to us by way of Mobile Syrup. https://gizmodo.com/nexus-5-rumor-roundup-everything-we-think-we-know-1429423506 The pictures look like they come from Teleus, a Canadian carrier, and they’re consistent with the images we’ve already seen of the Nexus 5. They show…
Google Glass — it’s Robocop, it’s The Terminator, it’s every sci-fi dream we’ve ever had, right? At least it should be: Glass may be causing nerdgasms all over Google Campus, but to the guy on the street it’s the dorkiest looking gadget ever. Thankfully, Google is working on it. With the first-generation still only available…
App launchers typify the Android phone experience: don’t like the way your home screen looks? Tinker around with it! But while plenty of launchers offer deep visual customization, in the end they’re all basically elaborate paint jobs. Aviate, launching in beta today, doesn’t give you as many tweaks for your home screen, but it makes…
If you’re a Galaxy S4 user desperate for an update, then you might want to grab SamMobile’s latest leaked build of Android 4.3. If you don’t mind the faff of installing it, that is.
HTC’s zapped its flagship One design with its embiggening rays, and scaled the One Max up to gigantic proportions. At 5.9-inches, it’s in that scary land where it’s either a really large phone, or a phablet. We’re not quite sure HTC knows what it is either. On sale by the end of this week, the…
