Google I/O: Chrome synchronized simple payment system
Google I/O: Hangouts unifies Google communication apps
Google I/O: New Google Maps on Web and Mobile
Send money to your friends with Gmail and Google Wallet [video]
Google I/O 2013 Recap
Android 4.3
Strangely enough, Google didn't specifically announce anything new for the Android operating system during the 2013 keynote. They only referenced the OS when it came to first party apps that they updated. It's actually good that Google didn't announce a new 4.3 update because they spent the entire keynote announcing impressive updates to apps that haven't been updated some time.Google Play Music All Access
News broke yesterday about Google securing deals with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group to support content on YouTube and Google Play. As the company already signed Warner Music Group, Google Play Music now has a large library of musicians to pull tracks from. With a monthly price of $9.99, the ability to curate "radio" playlists by Google and your personal preferences, Google Play Music is getting a massive overhaul not just from a service perspective, but from the user interface with a cleaner and simpler interface. There are still some things to be worked out, but now your library contains your uploaded library and suggested artists based on your library. Google Play Music All Access still has a lack of international artists because radio playlists cannot be created if Google doesn't have enough information. The initial scan of your library will create playlists and you still have the ability to create local playlists. Both the browser and Android version of the app are receiving updates today, featuring the new interface and support for All Access subscriptions. While it's going to take some time to tell if All Access can compete with Spotify, Google's entrance into steaming subscriptions looks solid.Google Maps
The update to Google Maps was revealed right before Google I/O, but the keynote really showed off all the improvements that they're making. While they showed the majority of the updates in Chrome, a new update of Google Maps for Android and iOS will be released this summer. Google Maps also includes Navigation in its mobile apps and Google was smart not to forget them. There will be improvements to directions, navigation, and the most importantly, dynamic rerouting for directions. Google Maps will also show "incidents" when searching for routes to help you minimize commute times. Finally, the app will also be getting a version optimized for tablets and a feature called "Explore," which is used to search for points of interest. Offers is also now integrated into Google Maps. While users could previously use Google Local, it wasn't really built into Maps seamlessly. You can view offers and save them for use later, based on your location and searches. Google is taking a crowd-sourcing approach with Maps as well because you can upload Photospheres into your Maps. Maps will also include detailed transit planning in the browser instead of suggested routes. There were a lot of improvements to Maps, making it simpler and more intuitive, while offering more information.Google Messaging is integrated in Hangouts
Shortly after the keynote, Google released the replacement for Google Talk called Hangouts. It combines Google Talk with Google+ so you can chat with your contacts across multiple devices. It supports photo sharing and if your contact isn't using the mobile app, it uploads the photo to Google+ with a link. Like other third party messaging services, Hangouts now shows how much is read. This means that you are always aware if the person you're talking with has read the entire message or not. There are still some user interface issues like how Hangouts shows all of your contacts within the app across your phone, emails, and Google accounts. Some of your contacts may have multiple user names or accounts and Google Hangouts will show all of them, which makes it annoying to sort. There isn't currently a way to hide contacts by account, which is something that needs to be included.Chrome and Search
Google spent a lot of time with Chrome, focusing on both desktop and mobile. Updates to the Knowledge Graph include expanded language support for Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. There is also support for voice search through Google by using a microphone and the phrase "OK Google" to start a search. The results will be spoken back to you. The improvements to Search are also built into Google Now in the form of new cards. Along with the new cards, Google Now will also have reminders to tell you of important tasks. Search has taken prominence again within Google who spent last year focusing more on devices and Android. Chrome is also working with new standards like VP9 for video, resulting in smaller file sizes and streaming requirements while retaining the same quality. Another format that Google is pushing is WebP for images. The file size is smaller than JPEG format and supports animated gifs. Google also showed off multibrowser support for Chrome on mobile with a demo for a game called Racer. It used two tablets and three phones, all with Chrome for Android loaded. The game spanned across all the devices and five players were able to play simultaneously with one person per device. There were so many announcements to Chrome that it's difficult to gauge which is the most impressive, but it's easy to see that Chrome will continue to be one of the most popular browsers.Google is focusing on apps
Google I/O 2013's keynote showed off a lot of impressive improvements and updates. Rather than focus on Android, Google focused on the core apps that users utilize on both desktop and mobile. This year felt like a transition year where developers improve usability of popular Google services before presenting an update to Android. The core Google experience is becoming much more refined with apps having better cross-platform interaction. It will interesting to see how Google accounts function when all the updates are rolled out. Many of the improvements in Chrome can be imported into Chrome OS and this is probably the reason why Android and Chrome OS will not unify any time soon. Google released many updates to services and apps like Google Play Music and Hangouts, which users will be happy to use now. The updates to Maps and Chrome will be nice to have when they're released this summer.Google Chat history can no longer be turned off by default
EA discontinues the unpopular Online Pass system
Yahoo! updates homepage news feed with Twitter integration
Twitter releases app for Google Glass
iTunes 11.0.3 update brings new miniplayer album art
Hands on with Google Hangouts
Chrome and Hangouts Extension
Hangouts is available for use inside the Google+ and Gmail sites. It works just like Google Talk and Google+ Messenger except it's one service instead of two. If you ever used Google Talk or G+ Messenger inside a browser, you will get the update to Hangouts automatically. Google also released a Chrome extension for Hangouts, allowing you to chat with friends without having to have an open up Google+ or Gmail. Hangouts connects to the service and contains persistent chat windows. The chat windows will sit on top of other windows, but you can change this in the options. You can see who you're talking to in your taskbar, but when friends send messages, the chat window will pop up with a notification and sound by default to notify you. The extension also works in Chrome OS, but it works more like a standalone chat app than extension. Notifications for chats come from the Notifications tray in Chrome OS and they contain the user photo and the message. The Hangouts extension on Chrome OS are different from web and Windows, but they are equally simple to interact with.Android and iOS
After Google released Hangouts in the Google Play Store, I looked at how Hangouts would replace the Google Talk app. Looking in the app manager, I saw that Hangouts was integrating to replace the Talk services on my Android phone. It took a couple minutes, but Hangouts replaced all the services previously associated with Talk. Using Hangouts on Android is very streamlined and features two main screens: one for current Hangout chats and the other showing a photo selection of contacts and frequent contacts. It integrates Gmail and Google+ contacts together and also pulls other contact information from my phone. The problem with importing my phone info is that it doesn't show a single contact with multiple accounts as one contact, but displays each individual separately, resulting in a messy and cluttered contacts list. Google Hangouts on iOS has a similar interface, but doesn't support emoji like on Android. It's still supports the core actions for messaging and photo sharing, but feels behind the Android version in terms of usability. It's also a universal app with iPad support, but the results of messaging on iPad aren't as successful on the larger screen. As you can see, there's a lot of wasted space.Good start but room for improvement
Hangouts is Google's first step in trying solve fragmentation of its messaging platforms. It doesn't support Google Voice or SMS, though those are expected to come in future updates. Google is late to messaging. They need to spend time to quickly improve the service It's already easier to communicate with friends who use Google services and cross platform support is excellent with intelligent notifications. It's superior on the web and Android right now, but iOS should get the same attention for bigger updates unless Apple doesn't want Hangouts to compete with iMessage. Android and web users don't have much of a choice with Hangouts replacing Talk, but it's a great replacement with lots of potential. It just isn't there yet.Facebook debuts on Google Glass
Hands on with Google Play Music All Access
Updated look
The updated interface simplifies the sidebar while also focusing on All Access' suggested releases and radio. There are still some issues to fix like the expanding album art. The function is supposed to expand the art, but usually magnifies it beyond the original image size and scrolls the image in the browser window. Generally the overhaul of the interface is positive; it's much more visual like Google+'s recent update and scrolling through the "Listen Now" section shows recently played music, suggested radio playlists, and new suggested releases.Listen Now
The main section of Google Play Music is Listen Now. Listen Now is the main hub for All Access since it contains recently played, recommended radio playlists, recently added, and suggested new releases. The cards at the top are recently played tracks, but it's also contains suggestions. While recommended radio stations are welcomed, suggested new releases are a little more annoying because there isn't a way to remove them. As the first section you will see in Google Play Music, it provides a lot of great information and suggestions, but not many customization options.My Library
Google Play Music moved the sections for artists, albums, songs, and genres into the My Library section to free up space for All Access. This section hasn't changed much from the previous version of Google Play Music except that sections are separated into cards, with the exception of the song list section. When separated into artist view, Google Play Music has problems. Since most of my music doesn't exist in Google Play Music's store, it attempts to tag artists with incorrect information. When it does work, mainly with popular artists, it features great artist biographies and a slick looking view of your albums. But when it doesn't recognize the artist, the aggregated information is either wrong or non-existent.Radio
One problem with suggested playlists is that it has to compare your existing library with Google's library of music. This can cause problems if the music you listen to isn't readily available in Google Play Music. It's a big problem for me because I listen to mainly Korean and Japanese releases that I uploaded to Google Play Music. If it's Korean pop, then suggested radio playlists are decently aggregated. But take an artist like Yellow Monsters, a Korean rock band, the suggested playlist includes a lot of more random and unrelated artists. I'm not sure how the algorithm works against existing music, but it has a very strange way of creating these playlists. It's likely you won't have this problem, but it makes me not want to use All Access' playlist suggestions.Explore
Explore is where Google Play Music suggests recommendations and highlights artists. Recommendations do a good job of suggesting relevant artists, but it's also easy to tell that Google is putting in suggestions that are very lightly related to my music preferences. The other sections are store fronts for promoted playlists and artists. If you're looking for new music, Explore is a great section to browse through for new music.Google Play Music on Android
The Android app for Google Play Music was also updated along with the webapp. The biggest difference is that the Android app interface is better designed. The artist section in the library mainly pulls album covers rather than artist profiles. It does still have some problems relating music to unrelated artists, but it is much better. Just like Google Play Music on the web, the Android version needs updates to correct some of its interface problems. The previous version of Google Play Music was a stable release and Google will have to work to make these new features flow better from menu to menu. Also they need to fix the album art scrolling feature or remove it entirely.All Access subscription
The cost of All Access will be $9.99 per month, though US users can get a discounted $7.99 per month if they sign up before June 30. The ability to add new music to your library and download it to devices for offline playback is great. One problem with downloading for local playback is that Google Play Music downloads music files into a proprietary format onto the root folder of the device where Google Play Music is installed. This means that you can't save to external memory and could quickly fill up your phone's storage. Google has access to a huge library of music with its major music label deals. Its main competitor is Spotify and that service has a big lead on All Access. Google is keeping a lot of social interaction locked into Google+ and YouTube, making sharing to other social sites impossible. The subscription offered by Google isn't that different from Spotify other than being able to upload up to 20,000 files into the cloud and customize playlists. The fact that Google Play Music is only web-based is a problem because there is no way to playback music offline. Other streaming services have desktop apps that allow you to cache music for offline play, something that Google needs to think about to compete. This entry by Google into paid subscription makes sense because it's another service built into your Google account. If you have Gmail, you have a Google Play Music account. All Access is a paid extension of the free cloud streaming service. If you have Spotify, there's little reason to leave right now because of the lack of social integration beyond Google+ and a lack of apps. The suggestions that All Access offers are good, but they may also include promoted artists that have very little to do with your music preferences. Google Play Music All Access currently has a 30 day free trial so you can give the service a try to see if you enjoy it or not.Google Play Music improves incrementally
Google Play Music is a solid music streaming service. The addition of the subscription service for music discovery is good, though it's directed at users who have a lot of music that can be found in Google's music library. The interface updates are nice on both web and Android, but the new artist view has problems that need to be fixed. All Access is in its infancy and will need to offer something more for users than just sharing video on YouTube or sharing to Google+. Whether users will move from other streaming services remains to be seen, but Google Play Music's ability to stream uploaded music is one of the biggest benefits. For those who only want to stream their own music, there's little reason to get the All Access subscription.Gran Turismo 6 out before the end of 2013
“I thought the best scenario would be to have the game come out, then to have new scenarios, new DLC and other updates. Once the players have thoroughly played out the system, if the PlayStation 4 version came out naturally, as part of that process, I think that would be the best scenario.”Exciting as that sounds, it's worth bearing in mind that the only official announcement mentions PS3 alone. While we're waiting for further clarification, why not take a peek at the Gran Turismo 6 trailer?
Batman: Arkham Origins trailer coming May 20th
How to delete Snapchat
2. Delete your account
To make sure you've really washed Snapchat out of your hair, you're also going to need to delete your account. This is simple: just go to the Snapshot account delete page, enter your username and password and confirm deletion. The Snapchat developers warn you that this could take up to 48 hours.3. What about my pictures?
The whole point of Snapchat is that your photos are temporary and, no matter what, deleted after a few seconds. As people like to point out, once something is on the internet, it can never be removed, but for most people, Snapchat's deletion works just fine. Recovering the photos would be a costly and time-consuming process. Unless your photos are of interest to the FBI, for example, we don't think you have much to worry about. That said, think back over your Snapchat history. When you take a snap, you can save the image to your own phone, so make sure there are none you have forgotten about lurking on your device. It would also be possible for someone to have taken a screenshot of your photo, but Snapshot would have warned you if they had. Finally, it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone could have used a camera or second phone to take a picture of your picture. That's much harder to legislate against, but, then again, you wouldn't have used Snapshot if you weren't happy with a little risk. Right?!Windows 8.1, Google Hangouts and GT6 in the Softonic Minute
Google Maps, Windows 8.1, Google Hangouts and Gran Turismo 6 in the Softonic Minute
Here's your Friday dose of this week's top news in the world of software.
Windows 8.1 has a release date. Microsoft has confirmed that on June 26, you’ll be able to download the first version. It will be a completely free update and could include features that users have been demanding since day one, like a start button.
Gran Turismo 6 confirmed. The driving simulator will go on sale at the end of the year for PS3. An official trailer has been released and this July, we’ll see an official demo.
Google reinvents Google Maps. Significant improvements were presented during the Google I/O developer’s conference and include the best features of Google Earth and a recommendations feature. The design is notably better and focuses on providing information that’s of use to you.
Google Hangouts can be downloaded. A new threat to Whatsapp and LINE was one of the major announcements at Google I/O. A multiplatform messenger that spans all the Google services, it also offers group videocalls. All that, and free.
For all these stories and more, click here.
Electronic Arts abandons Wii U development
"What Nintendo's new console delivers speaks directly to the players of EA Sports and EA Games. Nintendo's new console will produce brilliant high-definition graphics and new gameplay opportunities. We look forward to seeing great EA content on this new platform."With EA abandoning development for the Wii U, major titles like Madden and FIFA won't be coming to the console. The Wii U isn't even listed for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V game, which only supports PS3 and Xbox 360 for now. Still, not all hope is lost. The upcoming futuristic open-world game, Watch Dogs, is still heading to the Wii U. [Source: Kotaku | Image: Lewis Leong]