Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been one of the more conspicuous omissions in the media hub space: despite Google Play being the cornerstone of Google’s content strategy, you couldn’t truly use the company’s music or movie services through Google TV without depending on content you’d already paid for elsewhere. As of a new upgrade, the ecosystem has come full circle. Viewers with Google TV boxes can at last buy or rent directly from Google Play Movies and Google Play Music, and the content will be indexed in the TV & Movies section alongside third-party video services and traditional TV. The upgrade also helps Google’s TV front end play catch-up with its mobile counterpart by adding automatic app updates and subscriptions. While device owners may have to wait a few weeks as the upgrade rolls out, the addition signals a big step forward for a platform that has normally leaned heavily on others for help.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Google

Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TomTom just released it’s Android navigation app on Google Play to the robot-toting hordes, some three years after its iOS version debuted. Unfortunately, quite a number of newer smartphones, like the Galaxy S III, aren’t yet compatible, due to a current resolution limitation of 800 or 854 x 480 (WVGA or FWVGA). That didn’t deter us from wanting to take it for a spin anyway, so we took our old Galaxy S out of mothballs — and there’s no place better to sample a GPS maker’s wares than rural France, which has endless tiny tracks criss-crossing the countryside. To see how we made out, head past the break for the rest of the story.

Continue reading TomTom Navigator hits (some) Android devices, we go hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

TomTom Navigator hits (some) Android devices, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shortly before the expected arrival of the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, Barnes and Noble has updated its free NOOK reader apps for iOS and Android. Both updates are now live on their respective app stores, and each brings a significant amount of new functionality – comic fans reading on Android will probably love this update, for instance.

That’s because with this update, Barnes and Noble has given Android users the ability to zoom in on a single frame when reading a comic or a graphic novel. This new feature, dubbed “Zoom View,” is only available on phones with a HVGA+ screen that are running Android 2.2 or later. Other new features in this update include the addition of a full dictionary, improved font and margin sizes, and a few enhancements to the way Barnes and Noble delivers pre-ordered content. Other than all of that, we’ve got the expected general bug fixes, with Barnes and Noble instructing users to sync their library before updating to version 3.2.

Looking at the iOS side of things, we again have the addition of a full dictionary, and those using an iPhone or an iPad can now use the app to view PDF files and PagePerfect NOOK Book content. Users can also access sideloaded PDF and EPUB files after installing update 3.2, and Barnes and Noble says that it has made a number of “other quality enhancements,” though doesn’t really delve into specifics.

There you have it, folks – just like that, your reading experience should be at least a little bit better if you’re using the NOOK reader app on your mobile device. As stated above, the updates are now live on the Google Play Store [download link] and the iOS App Store [download link]. Go and get ‘em, and be sure to check out our story timeline below for more posts on NOOK!

NOOK apps for iOS and Android get updated is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While Apple struggles to figure out how to help its users find their way, the mapping experts at Google have just launched a way to get folks to diverge a bit from their given path. Field Trip, released for Android by Google-owned Niantic Labs, runs in the background on your Android handset, eagerly waiting for you to get near a point of interest. Once that happens, it leaps into action, showing you a card for one of thousands of cool locations — historic spots, museums, restaurants and the like. Google’s partnered with a bunch of taste makers for the project, including Flavorpill, Cool Hunting and its own Zagat, to get things done. You can vote choices up and down, change the frequency of pop ups and post your findings to Twitter, Facebook and that one Plus social network. There’s also a driving mode serves as an auditory tour guide when you’re behind the wheel. The app’s available now as a free download in Play. The iOS version, on the other hand, is coming soon.

Psst… yes, it appears to be US-only for now. Bah, humbug.

Continue reading Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google recently announced to developers the availability of a new “Services” platform, to allow better integration of its core products in 3rd party apps. The update comes in the form of an APK that will automatically find its way to handsets with Android 2.2 and above. But, for the impatient amongst you, it’s available for download directly from the Play store now. This first release centers around better integration for Google+ (for account sign-in / Plus buttons etc) and providing OAuth 2.0 functionality, but it’s expected that deeper functionality with the Google universe will take root soon. Most handily, as Mountain View decided to deliver this in the form of an app / APK, there’s no pesky waiting around for networks to get it to you. Read up on the benefits via the more coverage links, or head to the source to make sure you’re on-board.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google Play services arrives for Android 2.2 and above, the eager can download directly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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