Tag: google

Google maps to go 3D

Google Maps: The next dimension

Google maps are set to add a new dimension! The announcement was made by Google from their San Francisco office where a press conference was held, keeping in mind Apple’s press event, the WWDC, which is set to take place next week. It is deploying a fleet of small, camera-equipped airplanes, via contractors, above several cities, the Internet search company’s latest step in its ambitious and sometimes controversial plan to create a digital map of the world. The images would be recorded at a 45-degree angle and would be integrated with Google Earth.

[quote]We’re trying to create the illusion that you’re just flying over the city, almost as if you were in your own personal helicopter, said Peter Birch, a product manager for Google Earth. [/quote]

The imagery would be done at a 45-degree angle.

Brian McClendon, Google’s head of engineering for its maps product, said that privacy issues were the same as that accompany aerial imagery. Privacy has been an issue for various countries, especially when Google’s Street View cars had been inadvertently collecting emails, passwords and other personal data from people’s home wireless networks.

A demo of a San Francisco map in 3d was showcased and it was nothing short of spectacular.

It also announced that Google maps for Android would soon get an offline caching feature, allowing users to download a part of a map on their devices and use them later.

Google doesn’t want to say when these features will become available, making it pretty obvious that today’s announcement is meant to preempt Apple’s rumored announcements next week.

June 7, 2012
Google Maps for Android adds Zagat-based Restaurant Reviews

When Google completed a $151 million acquisition ofrestaurant rating firm Zagat in September it was seen as an attempt to compete with Yelp’s popular online rating service and it was only a matter of time before they integrated the service into their products. On Wednesday, Google Maps for Android was updated to prominently feature Zagat-based reviews on many restaurants around the world. The changes announced on Wednesday, a video on youtube by googlemaps, eliminates an annual $25 subscription fee that Zagat had been charging for online access to its surveys of diners. Those diners have rated about 35,000 restaurants in more than 100 cities around the world.

This integration is part of a larger rollout called Google+ Local, on which you can get personalized recommendations from people in your Google+ Circles. According to Google’s Lat-Long Blog,[quote] Each place you see in Google+ Local will now be scored using Zagat’s 30 point scale, which tells you all about the various aspects of a place so you can make the best decisions. For example, a restaurant that has great food but not great decor might be 4 stars, but with Zagat you’d see a 26 in Food and an 8 in Decor, and know that it might not be the best place for date night.[/quote]

Zagat uses a 30 point rating system which includes everything, from food to the ambiance.

Google’s check-in services have never really taken off, so Local’s renewed focus on personalized recommendations goes a long way to making Places relevant again.

The update for Google maps was made available in the play store on Wednesday.

June 4, 2012
Google Doodle to mark Robert Moog’s 78th birthday!

Google has an amazing new doodle to mark the 78th birthday of Robert Moog,the inventor of the electronic synthesizer. The reason why techno is techno and house music now exists can be all thanks to this dear invention which is todays Google Doodle.

The Google doodle is intrinsically designed, with a synthesizer that has knobs for oscillators, mixers, filter and envelope and allows the user to make virtual music. It also encompasses you the minute you look at it , as we spent the most of our morning playing with it.

Check out our composition (total nonsense) : http://g.co/doodle/ujb6xa

May 23, 2012
Google Chrome becomes worlds most popular browser, IE left in the dust

Google Chrome has now become the world’s most popular internet browser as it leaves the long running champion the “Internet Explorer” in its dust. According to new numbers from StatCounter, last week Google’s Web browser garnered a 32.76% share, ahead of Microsoft’s 31.94% and Mozilla Firefox’s 25.47% share. At the start of this week, however, Chrome’s share began to slide, falling to 31.88%, just ahead of Internet Explorer’s 31.47% share.

May 22, 2012
Google Maps adds Work and Home Locations bookmarks for the daily navigators

Do you use Google Maps to navigate to your destinations on a daily basis ? Google just made it a tad bit easy for you to go about your daily business, by adding the option of permanently tagging important places by their familiar names.An update to the web version of Maps now lets you define specific home and work locations that will stay attached to your Google account, and its all computer independent and all you need is a login into your Google Account.

The update is already live, so check it out.

[Google Lat Long Blog]

May 16, 2012
Google working on several Nexus devices for Android 5.0, Tablet in tow

Looks like Google is planning to release a series of Nexus devices this year, including some tablets, on Google Android 5.0. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is planning to partner with a variety of OEMs (in order to have up to five Pure Google Nexus devices available at once. All of these devices will ship with Android 5.0 Jelly bean

This move is likely to be announced at the next Google I/O conference.

[WSJ]

May 16, 2012
Apple will remove Google maps for own maps app in iOS 6

After its acquisition of a number of Map making companies, Apple may be working on a Google Map rival app for iOS. According to 9to5Mac the new maps will be based on technologies from Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9. Including an amazing 3D maps mode acquired from C3. The app is set to be released next mont at the WWDC when apple will also announce the next iOS 6.

[9to5Mac]

May 12, 2012
Samsung Galaxy Note/ S2 Get Android 4.0.3 ICS with Touchwiz in India

Samsung has been smart to include India in the list of countries getting the ICS update for their Galaxy Note smartphone. Owners received a surprise notification alert yesterday and were able to download the 318.89MB software update over wifi to enjoy the new Touchwiz on Android 4.0.3.

So if you have a Galaxy S2 or a Galaxy Note hit the updates section to enjoy the new official update.

May 10, 2012
Motorola Mobility result out, loses $86 million in Q1

Motorola has posted yet another disappointing quarter, while revenues were up to $3.1 billion, Moto lost $86 million in Q1 of 2012. That is 6 more million lost compared to their previous quarter. In terms of shipments only 8.9 million devices were shipped in the quarter which is down from the 10.5 million shipped last quarter. The company’s home gateways and broadcast goods, managed to generate $68 million, up from $53 million a year ago.

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Motorola Mobility Announces First Quarter Financial Results

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ —

First Quarter Financial Highlights

Net revenues of $3.1 billion

Non-GAAP net loss of $0.03 per share compared to net loss of $0.08 per share in first quarter 2011; GAAP net loss of $0.28 per share compared to net loss of $0.27 per share in first quarter 2011

Mobile Devices net revenues of $2.2 billion; Non-GAAP operating loss of $85 million; GAAP operating loss of $121 million

Shipped 8.9 million mobile devices, including 5.1 million smartphones

Home net revenues of $884 million; Non-GAAP operating earnings of $91 million; GAAP operating earnings of $68 million

Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today reported net revenues of $3.1 billion in the first quarter of 2012, up 2 percent compared to the first quarter of 2011. The GAAP net loss in the first quarter of 2012 was $86 million, or $0.28 per share, compared to a net loss of $81 million, or $0.27 per share, in the first quarter of 2011. On a non-GAAP basis, the net loss in the first quarter 2012 was $10 million, or $0.03 per share, compared to a net loss of $25 million, or $0.08 per share, in the first quarter of 2011.

The Company had operating cash outflow of $98 million in the first quarter. Total cash at the end of the quarter was $3.5 billion and includes cash, cash equivalents, and cash deposits.
Details on non-GAAP adjustments and the use of non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release and in the financial tables.

“The introduction of RAZR™ MAXX marked another successful addition to the Motorola product family and contributed to our growth in smartphones. Our Home business delivered another solid quarter highlighted by improvement in year-over-year profitability,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer, Motorola Mobility. “We continue to work closely with Google to complete the proposed merger during the first half of the year.”

Operating Results

Mobile Devices net revenues in the first quarter were $2.2 billion, up 3 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The GAAP operating loss was $121 million compared to an operating loss of $89 million in the year-ago quarter. The non-GAAP operating loss was $85 million compared to an operating loss of $61 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company shipped a total of 8.9 million mobile devices in the first quarter, including 5.1 million smartphones.
Mobile Devices highlights:

Launched RAZR™ MAXX, the longest-lasting 4G LTE smartphone, allowing customers to talk for over 21 hours on a single charge, and DROID 4 by Motorola, the thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone.

Expanded budget-friendly smartphone portfolio in China, Europe, and Latin America with the introduction of MOTOLUXE™, a slim touchscreen device and Motorola DEFY™ MINI, the ideal “life proof” device for the active consumer.

Teamed up with Bubba Watson, four time PGA Tour winner, including the 2012 Masters to introduce MOTOACTV™ Golf Edition, a cutting-edge GPS golf tracker, virtual caddy and online clubhouse.

Home segment net revenues in the first quarter were $884 million, down 2 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings improved to $68 million, compared to $53 million in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings were $91 million compared to $81 million in the year-ago quarter.

Home highlights:

Introduced Connected Home Gateway, the industry’s first plug-and-play solution for home monitoring and control services.

Provided equipment and services to Asian Broadcasting Network for launch of Malaysia’s most advanced digital cable TV network.

Industry recognition of our Medios multi-screen software portfolio including SecureMedia® named “Best Rights and Asset Management Solution” at 2012 IPTV World Forum.

Announced global distributor and integrator agreement with Edgecast’s Content Delivery Network platform, enabling advanced multi-screen service delivery to consumers.

Merger Update

As previously announced on August 15, 2011, Motorola Mobility and Google Inc. (“Google”) (NASDAQ: GOOG) entered into a definitive agreement for Google to acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $12.5 billion.

Motorola Mobility and Google continue to work closely with the authorities in China for approval on the acquisition. The transaction has been investigated and cleared without conditions in all other jurisdictions with pre-closing clearance requirements. We continue to expect the transaction to close during the first half of 2012.

For more information on the proposed merger, please visit http://investors.motorola.com.
Conference Call and Webcast

In light of the pending acquisition of the Company by Google, the Company does not conduct a financial analyst conference call or webcast following the release of its earnings information nor provide financial guidance. To access the first quarter results and other financial information, please visit http://investors.motorola.com.

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May 3, 2012
Dropbox adds automatic photo uploads for Windows and Mac : free 500 MB for using it each time

While Google launched Drive Cloud with free 5 GB Data storage, Dropbox does not want to feel left out at the party. Adding new features for existing users, the company today announced a new app to allow automatic photo uploads from your Windows or Mac computer.

Thats not all, Dropbox will also offer upto 3GB free store for using the service, actually 500MB each time you use it to a maximum of 3 GB free.

[Dropbox]

April 28, 2012
Google Launches Drive 5 GB Cloud on the Go

After many a rumors Google has now finally launched Google Drive cloud service. Still in Beta stage with limited access to users the cloud service offers up quite a unique mix to fend off the competition. Google Docs is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. You can install Drive on your Mac or PC and can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet (iOS coming soon). Search by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Drive can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.

When you sign up You can get started with 5GB of storage for free, an choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB.

You can attach photos from Drive to posts in Google+, and soon you’ll be able to attach stuff from Drive directly to emails in Gmail. Drive is also an open platform, and Google is working with many third-party developers so you can do things like send faxes, edit videos andcreate website mockups directly from Drive.

Google has also launched the Drive SDK to enable developers to work closely with Google on taking this forward.

April 25, 2012
Google Co Founder : Sergey Brin : Internet is under attack by governments, Apple and Facebook

In an interview with the Guardian, Google’s Sergey Brin said he was worried about the state of the internet and that Google could not have flourished in an online ecosystem like today’s.

The threat to the freedom of the internet comes, he claims, from a combination of governments increasingly trying to control access and communication by their citizens, the entertainment industry’s attempts to crack down on piracy, and the rise of “restrictive” walled gardens such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms.

He said he was most concerned by the efforts of countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Iran to censor and restrict use of the internet, but warned that the rise of Facebook and Apple, which have their own proprietary platforms and control access to their users, risked stifling innovation and balkanising the web.

“There’s a lot to be lost,” he said. “For example, all the information in apps – that data is not crawlable by web crawlers. You can’t search it.”

Bold move Mr. Brin!

April 17, 2012
Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin spotted wearing Google Glass prototype

Were you wondering if the Google Glass prototype was actually real or just a pro type in the testing? Well, here is the answer, apparently Google is really serious about the project. How serious you ask? Google C0-Founder Sergey Bring was spotted wearing a prototype at a recent charity event for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Robert Scoble posted the images on his Google+ account for the world to see in amazement. According to the comments in his post other people, including Google exec Vic Gundotra also have the prototype glasses.

Wowie?

[Robert Scoble]

April 9, 2012
Update for Instagram adds support for tablets, WiFi handsets and SD card installation

The new 1.0.3 update for photo popular app Instagram is out. This new update allows users to move the installation of the Instagram app to the SD Card allowing for a much lower space requirement and larger handset compatibility. The new update also adds support for Tablet installation and and wifi only devices that seemed to have been left out earlier.

If you hesitated in downloading the previous version due to the above issues, go ahead and hit the link below to get your Instagram fix.

[Google Play]

April 8, 2012
Is this the Google Nexus Tablet?

Most of the world is speculating that the internet search giant will enter the Tablet market this year with its own brand of Tablets, despite most tablets running their proprietary Android OS. It is believed that the above is an image of the upcoming Google Nexus Tablet, which will be a a 7 inch tablet holding the Google logo. Look closely and you will see a full sized SD slot, a microUSB connector and a micro HDMI port.

However this appears to be an old image, or an image of some other product all together, because its still carrying the Google Market icons vs the already available upgraded Google Play store.

Google is expected to launch their new tablet at the annual I/O conference on 27th June 2012. Another tablet that could enter the budget segment making it difficult for existing survivors.

April 4, 2012