Tag: google

Adobe, Intel, Google, and Apple Reach Settlement in Employee Poaching Lawsuit

Silicon Valley’s biggest names got together to a reach a settlement in an employee poaching lawsuit. The case was filed against Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe in 2011 by tech sector workers. It stated that these tech giants limited job mobility for workers and thus limited salary growth too. Now these companies have come together for an agreement to settle the case.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, rejected the settlement amount of $324.5 million, calling it too low. The settlement was rejected after one of the complainant objected to the amount. That complainant has agreed to the new undisclosed settlement amount which was offered by the tech giants. Judge Lucy Koh has said that to match the earlier settlement, the amount must be at least $380 million to address the loss of potential wages to the employees.

The case is mostly based on the emails between Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt along with heads of other rival companies. The emails detailed their plans to resist from poaching each others’ top engineers. This would lead to limited opportunity for the engineers to grow in the market.

The complainants (plaintiffs) will be filing a detailed explanation of the new deal “imminently”. The Judge will then have the option of accepting or rejecting the settlement. Guess the lesson from this case is to be good at your job, but not that good that your employer will try to keep you in forever.

January 14, 2015
Google Brings Out a Fast and Easy Flight Search Tool in India

Google has entered the Indian airline booking industry with its Google Flight Search which it launched yesterday. Internet giant’s new flight search tool allows users to search for flights, their prices, timings, etc directly within the search engine.

The new feature from the search giant, reduces the need for users to check out different online travel aggregators. These aggregators provide flight information and take a cut on the tickets they sell. Google’s presence in this space could reduce traffic to their portals.

Head over to www.google.co.in/flights to check it out now

Along with this, the company has partnered with Goibibo to display results from its own portal along with options thrown in by Google search from airline websites, when a user keys in requirements such as destination and travel date.

The service has been available to other markets since its launch in the US in 2011. In India, Google has been testing the waters for some time now. Previously online travel agents had threatened to lodge a complaint with the Competition Commission of India against the tool.

Despite Google’s strength in web searches, the success of flights and hotel search products is dependent not only integration with key airlines and intermediaries in the country but, most importantly, displaying competitive fares and supporting multiple customization.

Google Launches a Super Easy Tool to Help Search for Flights in India

January 14, 2015
Project Ara MDK 0.2 Details Module Marketplace, An Online Store for Ara Hardware

Fast approaching Google’s second Ara Developers’ Conference seems to have kicked off with great excitement. The Phonebloks community has announced the release of the second Module Developers Kit. This kit takes the modular smartphone closer to reality.

The second instalment of Project Ara developer kit is not just exciting for developers but even has something for users to anticipate. The biggest addition with the MDK 0.2 is a section on the Module Marketplace, which is said to be a lot like a Google Play Store for Ara hardware modules. Unlike the Play Store, however, it seems that this marketplace is going to be strictly curated.

Developers will be able to submit details about their hardware through the Ara Developer Console, while users of Ara phones will be able to use an Ara Configurator app to choose the hardware they’d like. At the most basic level, this can let you customize your phone by choosing modules you’ll need most.

There is also something in store for end-users, of course. Phonebloks has mentioned that an Ara Manager app will be made available in the near future. This app will let users control the functions of different modules and monitor their state and information.

The MDK 0.2 is based on the Spiral 2 prototype that will be revealed at the upcoming developers’ conference. The second Project Ara modular smartphone MDK has been created in collaboration with numerous companies such as NK Labs, LeafLabs, New Deal Design, Metamorph Software, X5 Systems, Toshiba, Mixel, Quanta, Opersys, Linux Solutions, Linaro, BayLibre, NewOldBits, Oxford Systems, Foxconn and IDT Systems.

January 13, 2015
Google Nexus 5 is Back in Stock on Flipkart!

The flagship smartphone by the US-based search giant, Google Nexus 5, was the most desired device of 2013 and 2014 alike. Those who were able to get their hands on the device were on cloud 9 and a few unlucky ones were anticipating for it to go on sale again. Google has come up some really good news for those waiting for the Nexus 5.

The smartphone by Google is back in stock on Flipkart with no comment on its stocks. Both the 16 GB and 32 GB versions of the phone are available on the e-commerce website. You can also choose from the three colour variants – red, black and white. The red, 32 GB variant is priced at Rs. 29,919, while the 32 GB version in black and white colours can be bagged at a price of Rs. 32,999 and 31,350 respectively.

A couple of weeks back, Google confirmed that it will halt the production of the Nexus 5 by the first quarter of 2015, which made the phone lovers rush to the retail stores.

Briefing its specs, then the Nexus 5 sports a Full HD display of 4.95-inch that is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device is powered by Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset. It runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and has 2 GB of RAM. On the camera front, it has an 8MP rear and a 1.3MP secondary snapper.

For the Nexus 5 lovers, it the perfect opportunity to grab this device at the earliest.

December 31, 2014
Google’s Gmail Service Blocked in China

Gmail was banned in Mainland China earlier this year, however, people were able to exchange messages, videos, pictures through the mailing service. Protocols like IMAP, SMTP and POP3 and third-party apps such as Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail aided users to access Gmail but now, even that isn’t possible as the Chinese government closed the loophole. As per a recent revelation, the government has permanently shunned Gmail in the country behind the Great Firewall.

Google has continuously been observing a major traffic dip in Gmail from China and this has been evident through Google’s Transparency Report. A spokesperson from the firm said that there had been no issues from the company’s side, which could have led to this action, “We’ve checked and there’s nothing wrong on our end.”

The China-based freedom of speech advocacy group GreatFire.org argued that this is a step towards completely banishing Google from China,

I think the government is just trying to further eliminate Google’s presence in China and even weaken its market overseas. Imagine if Gmail users might not get through to Chinese clients. Many people outside China might be forced to switch away from Gmail.

The East Asia’s sovereign state has made a firm boundary around itself called Great Firewall of China, which it says is a sophisticated internet censorship mechanism. This wall restricts the Chinese audience to interact with rest of the world. The decision will lead to an awkward situation for companies doing business, as almost all use Gmail to exchange conversation.

However, the Chinese government has regulated the ban, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that she has no clue about the ban. Chunying added to her statement that the government is committed to provide a healthy business environment to foreign investors, “China has consistently had a welcoming and supportive attitude towards foreign investors doing legitimate business here. We will, as always, provide an open, transparent and good environment for foreign companies in China.”

Meanwhile, as the mailing service is blocked, the users out there are left with just one alternative, Virtual Private Networks (VPN). The Gmail ban hasn’t come a surprise decision as the country has a long list of restricted websites. Along with Google Docs, Google Drive, YouTube, Twitter and many more sites blocked earlier, the recent block record includes Instagram, Dropbox, Google Maps, Google and a few more.

December 29, 2014
Second Wave of the Android One Initiative to Include Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Even though Google’s Android One initiative in India did not surpass expectations, the company has announced to take this endeavor to other emerging markets. The internet search giant announced on its official blog that it is expanding its reach, and will be soon launching the initiative in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The initiative was launched in India in September as a test pilot. Google partnered with local manufactures namely Micromax, Karbonn and Spice and released three Android One smartphones in the country.

Recently, Spice launched their second Android One handset called the Dream Uno H which was targeted at the Hindi speaking audience. Karbonn has also confirmed a new Android One handset which will debut during the first quarter of 2015. Additionally, it was also reported that all Android One smartphones will receive a Lollipop update sometime this month.

For the second wave of the Android One units, Google has partnered with a wide range of manufacturers and network partners such as Bangalink to sell Android One smartphones in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Along with India manufactures, Bangladesh’s own Symphony will launch their first Android One smartphone with Symphony Roar A50. The exact timeline for the launch in these countries is not mentioned, Google stated that the smartphones will go on sale ‘in the coming weeks.’

December 22, 2014
Google’s Inbox Update Lets You Email Through Your Wrist

People are still itching to getting their hands on the Google’s new email client Inbox, though the company is all ready to update the new app. The task-oriented email client has been widely appreciated for its de-clustered and powerful algorithms that sought out your emails based on priority.

The new 1.2 version of Google Inbox will bring Android Wear support, letting you check mail, send replies and mark completed items from the comfort of your wrist. Earlier, when an email through Inbox was sent to your Android Wear device, it only let you dismiss or open the message on your device. This new update now allows you to read the entire message, reply, and mark it as done, without your phone.

Additionally, Inbox is getting an improved tablet layout, which is better optimised for devices with larger screens, especially for Nexus tablets. The new update has brought some useful features in the core app too, including suggestions for reminders and a better tablet interface.

The update is already rolling out to the users worldwide starting from the US. However, if you don’t want to wait and manually install it, you can download the .apk here.

December 18, 2014
Indian Government Files a Legal Case Against Google

It looks like tough times for Google are not going to be over anytime soon. After facing oppressive laws in Spain over the news service of Google, the internet search giant is under scanner in India as well. Of late, The Survey of India (SOI) filed a complaint against Google saying that it has been misleading people. As per the complaint lodged with Dehradun police, the multinational search giant has been disseminating wrong information about the coordinates of the Indian boundaries.

A senior official from the technical wing of the SOI stamped the news saying, “The faulty coordinates were noticed in Jammu & Kashmir and the northern side of India which are not as per our maps. The decision to file a written complaint was taken after consulting the highest level of authority.”

However, the police seems skeptical on this take of SOI. When inquired from the police official Anil Joshi about how far is the news reliable, he conveyed that the police is still on it. He commented that officials are trying to figure out the authenticity of the complaint. Meanwhile, the complaint has been forwarded to the cyber cell team as they will be heading all further investigations. And once they come to a conclusion, the subsequent course of action will be decided then on.

December 15, 2014
Google Confirms it Will Halt Production of Nexus 5, Limited Units Available Till Q1 2015

Google’s latest revelation is making all Nexus 5 lovers rush to retail websites. The multinational corporation has confirmed that it has stopped the production of Google Nexus 5 and only limited stock is left.

When asked about the status of the red and white versions of the Nexus 5, Google’s spokesperson commented:

Once they are gone, they’re gone, so we’d suggest people get them while they can

In a statement to The Verge, the company stated that the Nexus 5 will continue to be available for sale on Google Play and through select retailers in Q1 2015.

As of now, both 16 GB and 32 GB versions of the model are out of stock on Google Play Store. However, you can still buy one from select retailers like eBay and few more. With this move, it seems like the company is pushing people to its latest release, the Nexus 6.

December 12, 2014
#GOSF2014 : The Best Tablet Deals in One Place
The Great Online Shopping Festival started today! The season for mega sales is always the best time to invest in new gadgets. With over 400 participating brands, we help you scour through the deals and highlight the top ones.

Lenovo A7-50 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera and 2MP front facing camera
- 7-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2 Jelly Bean operating system with MTK 8382 Quad core processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and 16GB internal memory
- 3450mAh battery providing standby time of two weeks and usage time of 8 hours
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 3MP primary camera with 720 x 1280 HD video recording, auto focus, geo-tagging and 1.3MP front facing camera
- 7-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution and 16M color support
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system with 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB
- Weighs 304gm with only 9.9mm thick, 4000mAH battery with upto 20 hours of talk time
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Lenovo Yoga 8 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with HD video recording and 2MP front facing camera
- 7-inch IPS LCD multi-touch capacitive touchscreen 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system with 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB and dual SIM (GSM+HSPA+)
- 4100mAh battery providing talk-time of 14 hours and video playback time of 8 hours
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Lenovo S5000 Tablet

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with auto focus rear camera and 1.6MP HD front facing camera
- 7-inch HD capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 800 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2 operating system upgradable to Android v4.4 with 1.2GHz MediaTek 8389 quad core processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and 16GB internal memory
- 3450 mAh Li-Ion Polymer with upto 8+ hours of non-stop WiFi web browsing and upto 6+ hours of HD video
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]
December 11, 2014
Google Translate’s Latest Update Decodes Speech and Text Within Pictures

Google Translate has become an essential feature of the internet. It is one of the primary tools used by folks world over to learn about other corners of the world. The service by Google lets you translate an entire website with just a couple of clicks. With the growth of global interconnectivity, consumer translator mediums have become more and more useful. Google is constantly working towards making its translator better and hence keeps actively updating the features. This time around Google is reportedly giving its translator the ability to decipher speech in addition to the text within pictures.

According to a report by Android Police, the updated Google Translate will use Google’s Word Lens to do the same. This will aid users in translating directions, menus, signs in foreign language into an understandable expression. Meanwhile, the conversation mode of Google Translate lets people of different languages hold discussion, but with the new feature, chatting would be much more instant.

With the new update, users don’t have to chose the language as the app will do it for you. It will automatically detect the speech and decode it. As for now, it recognises seven languages in total – English, Italian, French, German, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish. However, we can expect the inclusion of other languages later. The new feature can only translate the above listed languages to English and vice versa e.g. Russian message cannot be converted to Spanish or to any other language else than English.

December 10, 2014
#GOSF2014 : The Best Smartphone Deals in One Place
The Great Online Shopping Festival started today! The season for mega sales is always the best time to invest in new gadgets. This particular festival lacks good offers on smartphones, however we rounded up a few that you should definitely have a look at:

Apple iPhone 5c

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 8MP primary camera with LED flash, auto focus, geo tagging, face detection, 1.2MP front facing camera with HD video recording and backside illumination sensor
- 4-inch multi-touch retina display with 1136 x 640 pixels resolution
- iOS 7 operating system with 8GB internal memory
- Rechargable battery providing talk-time up to 10 hours on 3G network and standby time up to 250 hours
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Micromax Canvas Knight A350 (Black-Gold)

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 16MP primary camera with full HD video recording, flash, auto focus and 8MP front facing camera
- 5-inch IPS Capacitive Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and 16.7M color support
- Android v4.4.2 KitKat operating system with 1.7GHz octa core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory and dual SIM (GSM+GSM)
- 2350mAH battery providing talk-time of 7 hours and standby time of 175 hours on 2G networks
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

Nokia Lumia 625

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with LED flash, full HD video recording, 4x digital zoom and 0.3MP front facing camera
- 4.7-inch WVGA Capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixels resolution and 16M color support
- Windows 8 (Windows 8.1) with 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor, 512MB RAM and 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB
- 2000mAH battery providing talk-time of 23 hours on 2G and 15 hours on 3G networks and standby time of 552 hours on 2G network
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[/row]

Lenovo A526

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[col size=”2″]

<br />

[/col]

[col size=”10″]
- 5MP primary camera with fixed focus and 0.3MP front facing camera
- 4.5-inch FWVGA multi-touch capacitive touchscreen with 854 x 480 pixels resolution
- Android v4.2 Jelly Bean operating system with 1.3GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB and dual SIM (3G+3G) (GSM+GSM)
- 2000mAH battery providing talk-time of 5 hours on 2G, 3 hours on 3G networks, standby time of 396 hours on 2G and 300 hours on 3G networks
- 1 year manufacturer warranty for device and 6 months manufacturer warranty for in-box accessories including batteries from the date of purchase
[/col]

[/row]

[row cols_nr=”2″]

[/row]
December 10, 2014
Google Nexus 6 Out in India Today at Midnight via Flipkart

Earlier we announced that Google Chromecast is landing in India today and now it seems that Google’s flagship device Nexus 6 will be joining in. The device will be exclusively launched at Google’s Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) starting midnight. The 32 GB variant comes for Rs. 44,000, while the 64 GB model will cost you Rs. 49,000.

The Nexus 6 boasts a 5.96-inch QHD (2560×1440p) AMOLED display. It is powered by 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. The screen of the device is protected by Corning Glass 3, which means users need not have to worry about scratches.

On the camera front, it sports a 13MP rear and 2MP front snapper. The device gets its juice from a 3,220mAh battery, which the company claims to last for six hours on a 15-minute charge as it comes along with Motorola’s Turbo Charger. Nexus 6 offers wireless charging. It comes in two colour options in the country – midnight blue and cloud white.

The smartphone went up for pre-orders on 18th November and we saw an exciting offer by Flipkart where the e-commerce giant was tempting buyers to ditch their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. However, the smartphone comes with a ‘Coming Soon’ tag as of now, we suppose the e-commerce website is planning to change the sign at midnight. Meanwhile, Flipkart kept its promise and started shipping the device last night for those who ordered the smartphone in the second week of December itself.

December 9, 2014
Exclusive: Google Chromecast Arrives in India Tomorrow Exclusively via Snapdeal

A source close to iGyaan has revealed that Google Chromecast is now going to be available for purchase in India. The unique device that helps mirror everything from your tablet and smartphone to your TV is arriving on 9th December i.e. tomorrow. Google Chromecast is the perfect device for those who enjoy the luxuries of big screen viewing.

Sources also revealed that the news will be announced at the Google Online Shopping Festival and the device will be available exclusively on Snapdeal. The company is also building a development platform for Chromecast users for easy viewing on smartphones. Google has partnered with telecommunication giant Airtel to provide customers cost-effective data packs for the same.

A Little About Chromecast

Chromecast is a thumb-sized medium through which you can easily transfer viewing from your laptop, Android phone and tablet to TV. For this, your mobile becomes your personalised remote control. You can browse your favourite movies, videos and more and cast it on your TV. You can pause, play, rewind, make playlists and can even control the volume. Just plug in, connect and enjoy. In short, it’s a whole new way to enjoy video viewing.

December 8, 2014
8 Recent Google Updates You Might Have Missed

Google is on an update spree. Lately, the company has been rolling out new updates across its Android apps and services frequently, however, it is hard to keep track of all the updates. So, we are rounding up recent Google updates that you might have missed.

1. Google Lollipop 5.0.1

After the roll out of Android Lollipop, Google has begun the process of getting Lollipop 5.0.1 out the door. The company quietly updated its Factory Images page to reveal a 5.0.1 built for the Nexus 9, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. Installing images from this page does require the flashing of devices in order to update them, and does not carry user data across in the process, unless backed up and restored by the user.

2. Gmail

With the new update, Gmail inbox allows users to edit Microsoft Office documents sent as email attachments. The new feature adds a Google Drive edit icon to Gmail attachments that says ‘Edit with Google Docs’. By clicking on this, the Office files get automatically converted into Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

3. reCAPTCHA

Google has announced that it is dropping Captcha, its anti-bot system that asks users to identify a deconstructed word or two in order to avoid spamming. The company has admitted that 98 percent of bots can now correctly answer a Captcha and so they are switching to a simple ‘tick the box if you’re not a robot’ system, with all the clever stuff behind the scenes rooting out impostors instead.

4. News & Weather app

Google has released an updated version of its News & Weather app on Google Play, which brings brand new dark themes and other changes. The company will roll out the update globally soon. In addition to the dark themes, which can be activated from overflow menu, the updated News & Weather app includes search option, new UI tweaks and bug fixes.

5. Device Assist

Google has rolled a new troubleshooting app called Device Assist that offers specific tips and access to support Nexus, Google Play edition, and Android One running on Lollipop. Device Assist will alert you about any settings that could give you trouble, such as battery drain from cranking up the brightness too high. The app also includes a list of common tasks and how to perform them, such as taking screenshots and customising notifications. There is also an option of contacting to the Google Play support via call. Apart from requesting a call, you can also submit your smartphone statistics for more elaborate troubleshooting.

6. Chrome Beta

Chrome Beta for Android has been updated by the company with minor design changes. The address bar has been redesigned for Lollipop users with Merge Tabs and Apps option enabled to go all the way across the display. Google has also added several new flags to the app, allowing users to enable a new bookmark manager and password generator.

7. Google +

Google+ has also received an update, debuting the app version 4.8. This update makes a few minor design enhancements too, like Chrome Beta. The ‘new post’ page has been slightly reworked with the publish button moving from bottom to the top and swapping places with the menu button.

8. Google Play Games (version 2.2)

This update adds a new interface for picking an account to use. The interface also now appears for all users, even those that have added only one account, with a new prompt to easily add another email. Finally, the game detail page has been enhanced with new ‘View in Play Store’ and ‘Share’ options.

December 6, 2014