Hasta La Gadget!

We all hate it when we’re watching a movie or TV show and we can’t put a name with the face. It’s happened to the best of us, but Google has a solution that looks to take the embarrassment out of trying to guess that actor’s/actress’s name. Hot on the heels of Amazon’s expansion of its X-Ray feature, Google has added “info cards” to the Google Play Movies & TV app.

The feature only works on Android tablets running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher at the moment, but it allows you to pause the movie or TV show and tap on an actor’s/actress’s face, and an info card will pop up toward the side of the screen providing you fun facts and other information about the celebrity.

The info card display information such as age, place of birth, their character in that specific movie or TV show, and their recent work. You can also scroll through the info cards to learn more about the movie itself and even see the soundtrack so that you can know what that song is playing in the background.

The feature is now available for “hundreds of movies” on the Google Play Movies & TV app, and while the feature only works on tablets, Google says they’re working on bringing it to more devices in the future, as well as implementing it in more movies and providing the feature to more users in other countries.

Google Play Movies adds info cards for actors, actresses is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Gmail for iOS has come a long way since it first released on Apple’s platform, but it’s always been missing a few things that would make it the ultimate mobile email app. However, Google is getting a step closer to that with a new update today that introduces swiping between conversations, as well as taking action on multiple emails at once.

Gmailers are now able to swipe left and right to switch between email conversations without having to go back to their inbox to select another email. It only saves maybe a second or two, but that time can add up, and it’s a small convenience that can make a difference. I love how Sparrow is able to do this, and now with Gmail adding the ability, it makes it more tempting to switch over.

Also, Gmail added a new edit mode that allows you to select multiple email messages in your inbox and take action on them all at once. You can then choose to archive, delete, etc. from the actions bar at the top of the screen. Overall, it makes handling your inbox a million times easier, and you’ll be able to go through emails a lot quicker this time around.

Other than that, the app includes the usual bugfixes and performance enhancements. In the end, it’s not a huge update, but the two new big features could prove mighty useful for email power users who are constantly battling with their inbox. Gmail for iOS is a free download, and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.

Gmail for iOS updates with new edit mode, navigation tweaks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Public transportation carries millions upon millions of people to and from their destinations every day, so it makes sense that Google is wanting to bump up its public transit options in Google Maps. Case in point: the company just released live transit information for New York City and Salt Lake City, while adding service alerts in Washington DC.

Public transit users will be able to check live departure times for seven subway lines in New York City, as well as buses and trams in Salt Lake City in the great state of Utah. In Washington DC, Metro riders will now be able to receive service alerts that include delays, construction work, and any other situations that could make you late for work.

Google is making more and more strides with its mass transit features, while Apple’s own map solution doesn’t seem to be wanting to go anywhere when it comes to public transportation. In any case, Google says that mass transit information is available in approximately 800 cities around the world, including more than 25 countries.

Google says their mass transit coverage covers around 100 million miles of public transit trips every day — that’s a lot of subways, busses, and trams to keep track of. With New York City having the busiest subway system in the US, it’s actually about time that Google brought its live transit feature to the Big Apple.

Google brings live transit data to New York and Salt Lake City is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nintendo has heard its Wii U gamers loud and clear: the Wii U’s loading times are pretty slow, but the company has announced that an update for the console will be arriving next month, but they just can’t hold back their excitement for the update, so they have released a video showcasing the speed improvements of its new console.

The video shows off a side-by-comparison of two Wii U Gamepads. The one on the left is a Wii U without the new update, and the one of the right is a Wii U with the update installed. The video shows how quickly the console returns to the home screen after playing New Super Mario Bros. U. It takes about eight seconds with the updated Wii U, while the older Wii U takes over twice as long.

Of course, even with the new update applied, it’s still a bit of a wait time to get back to the home screen, but it’s certainly an improvement, and one that most Wii U gamers will be grateful to have. If you still aren’t satisfied, however, Nintendo is expected to release a second update sometime later this year to decrease loading times when launching software.

The Wii U’s sales have been rather low lately, being the lowest-selling console on the market right now, with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 leading the way with its 26th straight month of being the highest-selling console. However, Nintendo isn’t giving up on the Wii U just yet. The company said that they’re serious about the new console, and have a bunch of plans lined up in the future.

Nintendo Wii U update coming in April is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft has announced that it will roll out updates for People, Calendar, and Mail in the Windows Store tomorrow, promising “big improvements” in terms of both new features and improvements to current features. The updates are touted as making it easier to organize and manage accounts and the apps across both the work and personal life spectrums, and to do so in a way that is seamless and unobtrusive.

Starting with the Mail app, users who download the update will see the ability to filter messages by unread-only, as well as a new feature for creating and tweaking folders directly from within the app, making it easier to sort things and keep them organized. Flagging from within the Mail app has also been aded, appearing in both the “Flagged” folder and the inbox. There’s smart contact suggestions, improvements to inserting hyperlinks in messages, and more.

The Calendar app also enjoys its fair share of features and improvements, including a visual update so that it is easier to take in the sum total of all your items and menu options. A “Work Week” view has been added alongside Day, Week, and Month, and support for Microsoft Exchange users’ business account scheduling assistant has been included.

And finally, there’s the People app update. With this update, Microsoft promises that it’ll be easier to “touch, manage, and connect” with friends and other indiviuals across multiple accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, and the company’s own Outlook.com. App commands can be pulled up via a right-click/top-to-bottom swipe, and navigation has been added for easily toggling between profiles and statuses. Users can now directly post to Facebook walls, and Twitters and other such notifications are now shown under “What’s New”.

[via Windows Blog]

Microsoft to roll out Mail, Calendar and People app updates tomorrow is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.