Hasta La Gadget!

It’s time to get physical with Google Play, the online media store where Google sells apps, music, and movies, because the big G has just revealed gift cards for retail. Just like Apple’s mega-popular iTunes Gift Card initiative, Google is bringing on at least two cards to the show, prepping them for the likes of Target, Best Buy, Fry’s, and retail locations across the United States. Google has not yet officially let it be known that these cards exist, but there they are, plain as day.

The photo you see above comes from a source who would not say where they worked, of course, but they were likely behind the scenes this week, with images sent to Android Central. By the look of the floor below the cards, our money is on Target. Also included in this lovely rain of gift card madness is a bit of software revealed by the Android Police – inside the Google Play store app on an Android smartphone, they discovered a Google Play balance interface. With “Gift card code” plain to see here, there’s little doubt that the cards will be coming soon.

Now what we wonder about is how this will work with the few physical objects in the store. Will we be able to purchase the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 7, and accessories with these cards? Or will we be limited to purchasing music, movies, and apps? Another question we’d like to ask is how your Google Play balance will work with your greater Google Wallet. As the two are connected – somewhat – here as the NFC craze continues to explode, will these gift cards be able to be translated in to non-Google Play cash?

Perhaps we’d like to use our Google Play gift cards at Starbucks? It might not be so difficult as all that – Google Play gift cards will likely be popping up right here at the start of the school season with plenty of time for troubleshooting and gaining a foothold before winter. Once the holiday season begins near the end of this year, Google will be well recognized as an alternative for those that would normally just buy a relative or friend an iTunes card. Watch out, Apple!

Google Play gift cards readied for iTunes attack is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft is experiencing major problems with its Windows Phone Store as it updates from the backend system which used to power Windows Phone Marketplace. The result: major problems downloading software, and a block on new apps. More »

Google has been offering the ability to search the web with your voice using its iOS app for some time. But, it always just spit out a pile of links. While the next version wont be getting quite as creepy as Google Now, it’ll be bringing with it the vocalized responses that debuted as part of Jelly Bean’s revamped search offerings. The UI is also getting an overhaul to bring it inline with Now and Mountain View’s recent aesthetic tendencies towards sharp lines and limited color schemes. Obviously, the new app also taps the Knowledge Graph, allowing you to make natural language queries like, “what’s the weather like in San Francisco,” and get a detailed vocalized response. According to Google the update should be hitting the App Store in “the next few days,” but don’t expect it to keep tabs on your favorite sports team for you.

Continue reading Google’s revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Google’s revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve known it was coming, and today the doors to Microsoft’s Office Store were flung wide open. In short, it’s a newfangled portal that enables avid Office and SharePoint users to search for, discover and install apps. Users will need a Microsoft account and the preview version of Office, SharePoint or Exchange in order to start diving in. Naturally, Microsoft has built a pretty stout control system for administrators, and it has also crafted an internal distribution mechanism in SharePoint called the App Catalog — a tool that “allows enterprises to build in-house apps or source them from partners and distribute them to employees within the organization.” Looking to see what it’s all around? Head over to the Store and click entirely too many of those “Try It” buttons.

Filed under: Software

Microsoft’s Office Store now open for business, productivity-boosting apps just a click away originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week Google has released a set of updated policies for developers to follow for apps hoping to be part of their official Google Play app store. There’s a relatively short list of changes, but the rules have some far-reaching abilities to put it lightly. Developers are required to meet the listed policy changes as soon as possible, and any apps seen disobeying the rules will have 30 days to change or face the axe.

Developers can have a peek at the full rule set from Google if you’re a developer or head to the shortened list here, starting with Payment Policies and running all the way down to the dreaded Spam. Advertising and Personal Information / Privacy are also covered, as is a new set of rules on Naming and Icons for your apps. You’ve gotta be careful, everyone, but for the most part these rules are set in place to cut down on developers looking to get an easy buck off of unsuspecting newbies.

Icons / Naming

For those developers looking to confuse users who are new to the market, this is really going to bust some skulls. Google is making an effort here to cut down on similar-looking icons and similar-sounding names in the market. If you’ve got an app called Angry Birdz, you’re not going to be around for long. Similarly if you’ve got an icon that’s the same set of colors, font, and arrangement as eBay but have named your app oBay, you might be in trouble again.

Payment Policies

All transactions related to Google Play apps, that being either downloads or in-app purchases, must used Google’s own payment system. This does not include purchases of goods or content outside of the app, with physical goods also not being included. This part of the rules includes a bit that developers “must not mislead users” – rather general, but fairly clear at the same time.

Spam

The most evil name in web-based interaction, Spam, has once again been refined and defined as follows, per Google:

• Do not post repetitive content.
• Product descriptions should not be misleading or loaded with keywords in an attempt to manipulate ranking or relevancy in the Store’s search results.
• Developers also should not attempt to change the placement of any Product in the Store by rating an application multiple times, or by offering incentives to users to rate an application with higher or lower ratings.
• Apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service must not be submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons.
• Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to:
– Drive affiliate traffic to a website or
– Provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)
• Do not send SMS, email, or other messages on behalf of the user without providing the user with the ability to confirm content and intended recipient.

Personal Information / Privacy

Google has once again made it clear that they don’t want any “dangerous products” such as “viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, malware, or any other items that may introduce security vulnerabilities to or harm user devices, applications, or personal data.” Google does not under any circumstances want you to transmit such evil across their network. Of course that includes making sure you’re not pushing information out of the users phone when they’ve not allowed you to, and it should go without saying that Google doesn’t want you to make any phones physically explode.

Advertising

Here Google gets really specific with how the advertising world is to be integrated with the application universe. Just as much as you’re responsible as a developer for the content of the app, so too are you responsible for the content of the advertisements that run through your app. If your app does something evil, it wont just be the advertising network that gets in trouble for it – you will too (you meaning the developer of the application we’re talking about here.) Good news for everyone, yes?

Have a peek at our Android portal for more information on how the Google Play universe is expanding day by day and of course head over to Android Community to take on the greater galaxy by storm!

Google Play App Policy tightens up is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.