Hasta La Gadget!

Google has been rolling out new functionality to quite a few of its services lately, including full-size photo support for Google+, improved auto-complete predictions in Gmail, and data autosync for Chrome for Android, to name a few. Now we’re seeing another update, this time for Google Now. With this update, Android users will find additional Google Now settings in Google Search, including real-time package tracking.

Google Now is the handy service from Google that offers you everything you need right before you need it automatically, available to those running Android Jelly Bean handsets and the Google Search app. It does this via cards, which provide things such as airport and gate information as your flight nears, for example. If you’re not familiar with the service, you can check out our hands-on review of it here.

With today’s Google Search for Android update, which is available from the Play Store now, a couple new features have been added to Now, with perhaps the best update being to the package tracking feature. Once updated, users will be able to track packages in real time from supported carriers if they have a tracking number for the shipment. The card has been updated, as well.

Results are said to be faster with this update, but you’ll have to check that one out for yourself (let us know if you’ve noticed a speed increase in the comments!), and in addition, settings and information can be accessed about cards directly from the card via a small “i” icon, which allows users to, for example, mark the card as something they aren’t interested in to help generate better results in the future.

[via Droid Life]

Google Now gets new features in latest Search update is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There is nothing quite like a new firmware update to breathe new life into a particular device, and it also helps you skip out on a product upgrade cycle, too, helping you save more money along the way. It seems that the BIG JAMBOX is shaping up to be like fine wine, as it gets better with age, although do not expect it to physically add on new components to sound better in time, as it can only fall back on a firmware update to get the job done. The latest firmware update will see the Jawbone BIG JAMBOX receive superior battery life compared to before – and we are talking about an additional 2 hours, in addition to improved audio streaming and additional controls.

This particular firmware update for the BIG JAMBOX 2.0 from Jawbone will be free, so you need not fret about staring down at an empty wallet. Not only that, this update will also boast of new AAC support for iOS 6.1, letting your ears enjoy improved audio streaming with fewer dropouts and interruptions at greater distances, among others. It is highly recommended to make an upgrade to iOS 6.1 before proceeding with your BIG JAMBOX’s update.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: BBM Music Calls It A Day, LG Jukeblox Hits The FCC, We Wonder What It Is,

Remember when Google announced that they’d be shutting down their Reader service? Of course, who can forget? Many users were upset by the news, and while Google Reader isn’t shutting down for another three months, users are already finding alternatives, Feedly being one of the most popular, with over three million users switching over to Feedly from Google Reader.

In response to the massive spike in users, Feedly has updated its mobile app for both iOS and Android. The user interface received a slight update, making swiping and navigating through stories much more easier this time around. The app also has a new discovery algorithm that takes popular stories for the day and moves them to the top of the list.

They’ve also made searching and sharing a lot quicker and easier, as well. Searching for a website to add to your feed is amazingly fast, and I was extremely shocked at how quick it can be to search for a website. Sharing an article is also dead easy, thanks to a new drop-down menu that lets you share something to your favorite social network.

Feedly was one of our suggestions in our post about five alternatives to Google Reader, and while it certainly doesn’t have the simplicity of Google Reader, the design and execution of Feedly is rather good. It’s said that Digg will be building its own alternative and releasing it at some point, which means that Feedly could have some serious competition sooner or later.

[via Android Community]

Feedly updates mobile app, reports 3 million Google Reader refugees is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those of you using Skype in Windows 8 will be happy to know that Microsoft’s just bumped the app to version 1.6. It’s been a few months since the last update, and this revision brings more features to the table, including contact blocking and a slew of performance tweaks. You’re now able to block users, with an option to remove or report the offending party. Speed and reliability have been improved, especially when loading contacts, and a number of bugs have been fixed, including one where the outgoing video was not always displayed after switching cameras. The update’s available in Windows Store, so what are you waiting for?

Filed under: Microsoft

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Source: Skype Blogs

If you’ve ever had an earworm you just can’t put a name to, the SoundHound music recognition app — that even translates your humming — can be just the sorcery you need. There’s now an Android version with a more tablet-centric design and tighter Google integration that brings “streamlined sharing to Facebook, Twitter and more,” according to the company. It also trumpeted a stronger relationship with digital music service Rdio, which added interactive music mapping to its SoundHounded track-linking abilities, letting you see others across the globe with the same musical tastes and bad memory. You can grab it at Google Play or Amazon’s Appstore for Kindle, but if you’re as tone deaf as some of us, don’t forget the auto-tune.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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