Less than a year after Amazon took on the likes of Angie’s List, Yelp and other companies that can connect consumers to professional service providers like plumbers, locksmiths, electricians and others, Google announced it would join the fray by adding prescreened service providers to its sponsored search results. [More]
Google Adds Paid Home Service Provider Suggestions To Search Results For “Clogged Toilet,” “Plumber”
By 8.31.15
Amazon Launches App Store That Claims To Show Other Actually Free Apps
By 8.26.15
In a relatively novel idea, Amazon has launched a new store called Amazon Underground that claims to provide Android users with a list of top apps that are actually free – no hidden in-app purchases here. [More]
McDonald’s Memo Says Android Pay Launching This Week
By 8.24.15
Though it hasn’t received the headlines that Apple Pay has, Google’s Android Pay mobile payment has been slated for a vague “later this year” launch. Recently leaked memos from McDonald’s now seem to indicate that the platform could go live as early as this week. [More]
Google Testing Feature That Lets You Put Your Food Photos On The Map
By 8.24.15
If you’re a diner that enjoys providing your social media followers with (sometimes) artistic shots of the food you plan to shove down your throat, but are getting tired of just getting little hearts from Instagram, have no fear. Google is reportedly working on a new feature that will put your foodie photos on the map, literally. [More]
U.K. Orders Google To Forget 9 News Articles About The “Right To Be Forgotten”
By 8.21.15
Although Europeans in 28 countries have the option to ask Google to remove Internet search results about themselves under certain conditions, Google is pushing back against a new “right to be forgotten” request — one that seeks to remove nine news articles about the “right to be forgotten” itself from its internet search results. [More]
Google Launches Tool That Tells You If Solar Panels Can Save You Money
By 8.17.15
Are you thinking of putting a solar panel on your home, but not sure if the investment would be worthwhile? Google’s latest unusual online tool aims to take the guesswork out of the alternative energy investment. [More]
Google Maps Restoring Map Maker Editing Feature
By 8.13.15
After an image of an Android bot urinating on an Apple logo popped up in Google Maps and prompted the company to temporarily shut down Map Maker, which allows users to edit maps, the company says the feature will be reopening in phases. [More]
BMW Beat Google To The “Alphabet” Name And Website
By 8.11.15
Yesterday, Google announced a massive reorganization that will put the Internet giant and all its other side businesses under the umbrella of a new company called Alphabet. But don’t expect to visit Alphabet.com anytime soon, unless you want to buy a bunch of BMWs. [More]
Google Reorganizing Itself Under New Company Called “Alphabet”
By 8.10.15
Google, probably one of the most well-known brand names in all the world, has decided to change things up today, with an announcement from CEO Larry Page that the company is going to be reorganized under the umbrella of a bigger corporation known as “Alphabet.” [More]
Google Maps For iOS Adds Night Mode To Make It Easier To Navigate After Dark
By 8.7.15
There’s nothing quite like the white glare of your phone’s map app to annoy a driver at nighttime. Which is why Google Maps for iOS will now include a “night mode” with a darker background, making it easier for drivers to navigate in the dark. [More]
Google, Samsung, And LG To Start Pushing Monthly Security Patches That You Still Won’t Get
By 8.7.15
There have been a number of very high-profile security flaws in Android phones this summer. The good news is, the makers of the hardware and software are now pledging to roll out updates to everyone more often. The bad news? “Everyone” doesn’t actually mean “everyone.” [More]
HBO Now Adds Chromecast Support
By 8.6.15
Last month, HBO Now crossed the tech dividing line, making its way to Android devices after months of being exclusively available to Apple device users. Today, the standalone streaming service announced it was taking things a bit farther by adding support for Google Chromecast. [More]
What Can You Do If Your Mobile Carrier Sends You An Update That Breaks Your Phone?
By 8.5.15
When you buy a new phone or tablet, you’re not just buying it as-is in its current state. Software is dynamic, and constantly updated. In a sense, then, you’re also making a bet that your device will keep working into the future, after countless rounds of mandatory system updates. And usually, it does! But every once in a while, something goes wrong. And for that small handful of consumers, that’s where the real trouble begins. [More]
Apple Denies Report That It’s Planning To Sell Mobile Services Directly To iPhone Users
By 8.4.15
Apple has come out against a recent report that had claimed the company was testing a mobile virtual network operator, a cellular service that would replace traditional phone carriers for iPhone users in the U.S. and Europe. [More]
Google Slaps Air Pollution Monitoring Systems On Street View Cars In San Francisco
By 7.29.15
The next time you see a Google Street View car cruising down your block, it might be doing more than just snapping photos — it could be tracking air pollution.
[More]
Google Can Now Show You The Best Time To Pick Up Your Dry Cleaning
By 7.28.15
Waiting in line is often an annoying, but unavoidable aspect of everyday life: grabbing lunch, picking up a prescription, cashing a check, just to name a few. Now instead of just telling you how much time it will take to drive from one place to the other, Google has used its skills (all that data it collects) to create a new feature that gives a little more insight on just how busy the coffee shop is at 8 a.m. (busy). [More]
From Apple To Walmart, Over A Dozen Of The Biggest Businesses In The U.S. Sign On To White House Climate Pledge
By 7.27.15
A huge number of the world’s nations are coming together in Paris this December to negotiate an agreement to stem emissions and forestall further climate change. Ahead of this winter’s United Nations talks, however, some well-known names here at home are pledging their own contributions to the cause. [More]
Google Removing Google+ Requirement For YouTube, Other Product Interactions
Just a week after Google said it would ship its Google+ Photo platform into the ether, the company announced more plans to distance its social network venture from its other products by ditching a requirement that tied user activities to their public profiles. [More]