Hasta La Gadget!

We’re hearing from tipsters and a number of other sources, including Google’s own Product Forums, that a bug is causing some Google Hangouts and Google Talk messages to be sent to the wrong recipients. A few awkward situations have already ensued, according to TechCrunch, such as internal company communications being sent to ex-employees. The privacy bug seems to crop up when users of the old Google Talk platform try to connect with those who have migrated to the newer Hangouts service, so it sounds like it could be a transitional thing — it’s also reminiscent of a similar bug that hit Skype last year. Meanwhile, some of us here at Engadget are currently experiencing the more fundamental (though thankfully less embarrassing) problem of not being able to log onto Hangouts in the first place.

Update: Google’ status page reports that the issue has been resolved and that services are “gradually returning to normal.” It says it will update users again when the full service is restored.

[Thanks, Boris]

Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google

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Source: Google Product Forums, TechCrunch

Google Play Books did arrive in India recently, and it did seem as though that particular occasion was a precursor to what is to come – a love affair of Google Books with the rest of Asia. Other than India, there are another eight more new locations in the region that will allow folks to enjoy the wonders of Google Play Books on their compatible Android-powered devices, and these would be Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Of course, Google is as Google does, and the Internet search giant does not look as though they are about to stop there, but rather, they will also head further south by making itself available to those who happen to reside in Hobbitland, er, New Zealand. Now that Google Play Books has expanded its repertoire of countries it is available in, will the all reading masses start to knock on Google’s door so that the internet search giant will be able to bring Google Music to those territories that are outside of the USA? Hopefully we will be able to check out some good news from the folks over at Google in the near future, but right now, it is time to pull out a pair of reading glasses and start crackin’!

Google Play Books Hit Other Countries In Asia original content from Ubergizmo.

If you’ve been paying much attention to Google+, you already know that the social network is doing its damnedest to become the go-to destination for photographers. Accordingly, it’s attracted a number of RAW format enthusiasts — thanks to the ability to store full-size photos — and to make their lives a little better, Google+ is introducing a new RAW-to-JPEG conversion method that offers noticeably better results. Over 70 cameras from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony are supported as of today, and Google says that it’ll add additional models over time. Since Google+ automatically converts RAW photos to JPEG for viewing purposes (while retaining the original), the new conversion method should be readily apparent. You can view the complete list of supported cameras after the break, and as for the improved quality of conversions, go ahead and have a look for yourself. Hopefully your eyes agree with Google’s claim.

Filed under: Cameras, Internet, Mobile, Google

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Source: Ronald Wotzlaw (Google+), Nik Photography (Google+)

An update to Google Voice today brings a useful, if not earth-shattering, new feature: support for SMS short codes. If your primary phone number is the one associated with your Google Voice account, this means you’ll finally be able to use these codes for online banking and other services without your message showing up as sent from your carrier number. Today’s update also adds a warning message whenever you type the 911 short code — a handy safeguard, if you ask us. Nab the Android app update via the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google Play

The problem: The camera flash on your mobile device, while good enough for lighting up quick candids, is mounted on the device itself, right next to the shutter. This inevitably washes out your photos and renders skin tones leprotic and wan. There’s no way around it — unless you move the flash off-camera. But this […]