As much as you might want to, you can’t sit around all day in the middle of the week and just watch sports. The beauty of smartphones is that you can follow your favorite events on the sly, because every major competition generally has an app to go along with it. Wimbledon, which kicked off on Monday, is no exception. More »
Here’s a bit of a surprise that slipped under the radar during the Google I/O keynote: Google Earth for Android has been updated to 7.0 to take advantage of the new 3D map technology it unveiled at another special event just a few weeks ago. As a refresher, the visuals are automatically created from 45-degree aerial imagery and can pick up 3D elements as subtle as trees. Before you go racing to your hometown to see how it looks in 3D, be aware that just a handful of cities and regions exploit that dimension. Besides San Francisco Bay, the full coverage extends to Boulder, Boston, Charlotte, Lawrence, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Cruz and Tampa in the US, with Rome being the lone international hotspot. If that’s too few places to visit, there’s always the addition of guided tours. Android users can head over Google Play to get the update today; iOS users shouldn’t fret, as they’ll get the new maps soon.
Update: Google now has video, if you’d rather not (or can’t) install the app to try it yourself.
Google Earth 7.0 for Android brings new, super-detailed 3D maps for some cities (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sick of hearing about Google yet? Perhaps you’re not. The search giant has unleashed one final bit, quietly announcing that Chrome for Android has finally emerged from its beta stage as a stable release. Version 18.0.1025123 has officially arrived in Google Play and is available for download now for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. Updates from the beta appear to be modest, and include some minor user interface tweaks, along with stability and performance fixes — the big news here is the official nod from Mountain View. If you’ve been holding out for a final release, the time has come to hit up Play — get where you need to go by clicking through to our source link below.
Google Chrome for Android comes out of beta, hits Play today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you’re an active Google+ user and you were wishing that Google would create a Google+ app designed for tablets in mind, you’re in luck as Google has announced at Google I/O that Google+ for tablets has been revealed. Claiming to be the best version of Google+ they have ever designed, the app for tablets features more prominent text and pictures, which are apparently “playful” to look at, whatever that means, but we have to admit that it looks pretty good. The Google+ version for tablets will also come with the Hangout feature which the company claims is a more intimate experience, allowing multiple users to hold a video conference together and adding various effects to your friends’ video stream, i.e. adding moustaches, funny hats, etc. The good news is that Google has not forgotten about iOS users and has announced that Google+ for tablets will be making its way onto the iPad as well. The app will support the new iPad’s Retina display, which we can imagine will look pretty good. The app is available for Android today and will be arriving for the iPad in good time (we imagine it is pending iTunes App Store approval), so be sure to check it out at the Google Play store!
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Flipboard to include Google+ streams soon, Google+ for Android updated with new look and features,
Google+ just got a makeover very recently, but it was still very much oriented towards phones — that’s been solved as of today. The social networking app is now optimized for Android tablets and the iPad, with a whole new navigation system and Hangout video chats suited to bigger screens. The layout is landscape-friendly and, if you have a new iPad, will take advantage of every pixel on that Retina display. Android users can get the update today; iPad owners will have to wait for a release coming “soon.” Android phone owners are getting some of the benefits of the supersized interface in their own, more modest screen sizes as well.
Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote at our event hub!
Google+ on Android, iPad goes tablet-sized originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
At the tail end of today’s Google I/O keynote, the company demoed Google+ Events, which, as you might imagine, let’s you invite your virtual buds to an in-person hangout. You’ve probably already guessed that there’s some pretty tight integration with Mountain View’s other virtual properties, including Calendar, which means that sending your friends or coworkers a “save the date” to brunch or brainstorming no longer requires clunky email, or a phone call. That’s not to say that your contacts need to opt-in to the search giant’s social networking site to join the fun — email invites are still available by typing your friend’s address alongside your circles, or individual friends should you wish to plan an awkward inter-group soiree. You can choose from a variety of themes for your e-vite, which integrate motion or static banners. Once the fun begins, you can hop into Party Mode from your mobile, and photos you shoot during the event will appear beside the invite — friends can add pics to the page as well, which you can later download. For now, please accept our invitation to jump past the break, where a Google demo video awaits.
Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote at our event hub!
Gallery: Google+ Events
Continue reading Google wants you to join the party, announces Google+ Events (video)
Google wants you to join the party, announces Google+ Events (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Facebook’s iOS app has some nice features but it’s painfully, neck-stiffening slow. It won’t be for long though. The NY Times reports that next month, Facebook will release an update that’ll completely overhaul the app to make it blazing fast. More »
It’s a pain manually moving apps and widgets on Android screens, ain’t it? Well, at Google I/O 2012, the folks in Mountain View have just given us some Jelly Bean salve to soothe that irritation. The latest Android OS automatically arranges onscreen icons around any new widgets or apps you choose to insert. Not only that, but you can also remove any unwanted apps and widgets with a simple swipe up and off the home screen to delete them. A welcome Android addition, to be sure, but it begs the question, when will us non-Nexus owners get to enjoy it?
Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s opening keynote at our event hub!
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean home screen revealed, automatically accommodates your apps and widgets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While iOS’ new notification system certainly makes it less intrusive compared to the pop up notifications in the past, one of the features it still lacks is a quick reply function. This functionality can be had via a jailbreak tweak known as BiteSMS. Well if you’re familiar with BiteSMS, you’re in luck as the tweak has been updated and now includes a Quick Reply function for WhatsApp users. As pictured above, WhatsApp messages received will now have the option of replying directly from the notification itself, as opposed to having to launch the app, select the message and replying. If you own a jailbroken iOS device, you will be able to download the Quick Reply for WhatsApp via the BigBoss Cydia Repository. Now if only Apple will eventually include such a feature in iOS for the future!
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Lima: web-based app store for jailbreakers, Instagram 2.5 for iOS brings about some UI tweaks,
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