Hasta La Gadget!

Some users of Google’s web-based products may have already seen the familiar black menu bar disappear from one Google site or another, but the company has now confirmed that was only just the beginning. It’s announced today that a broader rollout is underway that will see most of its sites get a new “app launcher” in its place. That new interface should be familiar to anyone who’s used Android or Chrome OS; it simply consists of a small icon in the top right of each page that expands to reveal a grid of larger icons. According to Google, the change is being done to make getting around various Google services more “seamless,” and eliminate any distractions once you’re inside an app.

Along with the menu bar change, Google has also confirmed that it’s “refined the color palette and letter shapes” of its logo, and that the updated version of it will be making its way across the company’s various offerings along with the new menu bar. You can apparently expect those changes to occur over the next few weeks.

Filed under: Google

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Source: Google Inside Search

Google has slashed the price of Quickoffice for Android, iPhone, and iPad, making the productivity apps free across both platforms, as well as throwing in a 10GB chunk of extra Google Drive storage for eager sign-ups. Formerly $14.99, Quickoffice is now a free download, Google confirmed today, with full Microsoft Office compatibility across Word, Excel, […]

When Google acquired Waze, it said that it would keep the newly purchased company at arm’s length. Well, we now know exactly how separate Waze will be, at least for the foreseeable future. Google has promised the UK’s Office of Fair Trading that it won’t touch Waze’s business operations while the British regulator determines its authority over the deal. The search giant has also offered to warn if there are any substantial changes in staff, business plans or customer numbers for both itself and Waze. The terms may not last forever — if the OFT decides to review the acquisition, it can reject Google’s offer. For now, though, Waze will (mostly) remain a distinct entity.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: Office of Fair Trading (PDF)

The phrase “virtual book club” may not conjure romantic visions of low-lit rooms and vintage wines, but you don’t necessarily need those things to throw fancy words around. Amazon-owned Goodreads hosts user-created online clubs, but a Google patent application that’s surfaced today imagines a different way of bringing bookworms together. It describes a system that automatically prompts the buyer of a new title, presumably acquired through Google Books, to join a club. To make this virtual version a little more like the real thing, it’ll suggest specific groups based on your age, location, interests, preferred club size, reading speed and literary tastes. Furthermore, you’ll only be coupled with those who’ve bought the work recently, so your new-found chums aren’t on page 400 before you’ve even started.

It’ll all be managed through a social network, of course (we hear Google has one of those), and members will be able to fill specific roles within the club hierarchy. They’ll also be able to schedule “activities,” which we assume is patentese for Hangouts and the like to foster discussion. The patent filing also talks of financial rewards to tempt participation, which sounds like the perfect strategy for building millions of inactive G+ pages.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: USPTO

It was just this week when we brought you word that Google Wallet will arrive on non-NFC capable devices which run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, making those as really, really old handsets, relatively speaking of course. Well, are there any other mobile platforms out there that might benefit from Google Wallet? Surprise of the day, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”. Google Wallet for iOS is now available to iPhone users, so that they can take advantage of this payment app.

With Google Wallet for iOS, one is now able to transfer dough to friends, keep track of numerous loyalty cards as well as nearby offers, as well as another PIN number for you to remember so that you can ensure nothing inside your Google Wallet would be spent even if you accidentally lose your tablet or smartphone. One thing you would want to take note of where Google Wallet for iOS is concerned – it will not support NFC connectivity on iOS-powered devices. Basically, as long as your iOS device runs on iOS 6.0 or better, you are good to go. With the many millions expected to pick up the iPhone 5S as well as the iPhone 5C tomorrow stateside, you can be sure that Google Wallet is about to receive a slew of download requests by then, too.

Google Wallet For iOS Now Available original content from Ubergizmo.