Google Now on Tap experiments with Now cards

The ambition of Google Now on Tap seemed coherent enough. The idea was to analyze content on the screen and provide the user with relevant search results preemptively. Google has long been attempting to bring users the information they want before they know they want it, but by and large Google Now on Tap has felt like it has missed the mark.

Now Google looks like they're experimenting with a new feature that helps pad out the all-too-frequently empty field for fruitless Google Now on Tap results. For many users, in addition to seeing smartly fetched search results, they're also seeing the list of Google Now cards that would normally appear in the far left screen of the Google Now launcher.

See also: Google Now on Tap update brings Discover mode, text translation from any screen, and more4

These cards don't appear to be specific to information that is on the screen at the time of accessing Google Now on Tap. Rather, they're the same cards you would normally see.

This may feel like a lack of meaningful content, but whereas Google Now on Tap has been something of a letdown, Google Now cards are actually pretty damn useful. Even if you don't find exactly the kind of information you were planning on seeking out, you'll at least find some content that is likely to be relevant to your general interests and recent activity.

Google Now cards are actually pretty damn useful.

Right now there's no evidence to confirm that this feature will make it to the final version of Google Now on Tap. It appears to be under testing in beta, but if response is positive, then you should see cards appearing on Tap sometime down the road.

What are your thoughts regarding the addition to cards to Google's context-sensitive search anticipator? Useless fluff or something that could make Google Now on Tap actually practical? Give us your take in the comments below!

Next: Google Now On Tap update unleashes instant screen sharing9

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aADcX7
via IFTTT

Google celebrates Olympics with 2016 Doodle fruit-themed mobile games

Don't worry if you can't make it to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics, which officially kick off this week. Google is making sure you won't miss out on all the fun by offering free mini-games in which you get to play different fruits participating in mock 'Fruit Games' along the lines of the traditional contests held at the Olympic Games, including track and field, swimming, and cycling.

To celebrate the opening of the Olympic Games in Brazil, Google has introduced the 2016 Doodle Fruit Games, a series of interactive doodles in which you can race as a strawberry, swim as a lemon, or play lawn tennis as a pineapple. You've lots of options such as a biking game in which you get to play a coconut on a BMX bike, water polo, spider hurdle jumping, and tennis. If you're a fan of track and field games, then you'll like the mock Olympic decathlon where you can be a strawberry trying to get past the finish line before being crushed by a gigantic rolling watermelon.

Google plans to keep you entertained for the entire week by featuring a different game in the Google App for iOS and Android every day for the next seven days. So if you get bored racing as a strawberry, you'll also be able to run as different fruits, such as coconuts, strawberries, and watermelons, over the next couple of weeks to grab the title of "freshest fruit."

If what you've read so far sounds like fun, then just keep Pokémon Go aside for the moment because Google will be offering the Fruit Games only till August 21. To participate in the Fruit Games, all you have to do is tap the Google Doodle on your Android smartphone or tablet. One, two, three, go!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aKvtRc
via IFTTT

Spotify will help introduce you to more new music with Release Radar

There's no denying that Spotify is already a pretty handy app for discovering new music, what with recommended artists and new playlists curated to your tastes. But Fridays are set to become even more exciting for the new music enthusiasts out there, with the launch of Spotify's new Release Radar feature.

Release Radar is a personalised playlist that appears every week. It's packed with new releases from your most listen too artists, along with a selection of new discoveries based on your listening habits. The aim is simply to help listeners keep up with the latest releases that they might like without having to keep searching through lists they might not be so keen on.

"With the huge amount of new music released every week, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest tracks … with Release Radar, we wanted to create the simplest way for you to find all the newly released music that matters the most to you, in one playlist." – Matt Ogle, Senior Product Owner at Spotify

Along with New Music Friday, Spotify listeners certainly have plenty of tools to discover new tracks and artists. The feature is now live for Spotify across all platforms. If you haven't tried the app out yet, you can download it for free from the Play Store.

Get it now from Google Play!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2b8h7en
via IFTTT

How to print from your Android phone or tablet

Android devices can do just about anything these days (though I'm still waiting for the one that makes coffee), from storing music to handling massive Word documents. Another great feature is the ability to print from Android.

Don't have a Wi-Fi enabled printer? That doesn't mean you can't print wirelessly. In fact, Google has created a way to link your printer with your Chrome account and your phone to move and print with ease. The setup can be a bit confusing, so we've compiled a helpful guide that will get you up and running within minutes.

Connecting to Google Cloud Print

 

While most printers are capable of printing through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another quick method, not everyone has a printer that supports this. And some just like the idea of running it all through the cloud. That's where Google Cloud Print comes in. By registering your printer, you connect it to the Internet by which you can operate it from anywhere so long as you have a good connection.

Bear in mind that while most printers are capable of working through Google Cloud Print, there are some that cannot. To save you the trouble of trial and error, Google compiled a list of printers that work with Cloud Print.

1. Launch Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Log in to Google Chrome if you're not automatically logged in.
3. Click the Menu button (represented by an icon showing 3 horizontal lines; 3 little dots if you're running a Chromebook) at the upper-right corner of the window.
4. Select Settings.
5. Click Show advanced settings.
6. Scroll down to the Google Cloud Print section and click Manage.
7. Click Add Printers
8. You will be taken to a shortlist of all available printers. Just check the ones you want to add, click Add Printers. It should detect your printer, and the task is done.

Print from phone: how to do it in Android

Some phones come with Google Cloud Print already built into the software (largely the ones that run stock or near-stock Android). If that's the case, then don't worry about the download. If your phone doesn't include the app, you can get it here.  Download the app and follow its installation instructions.

After you have Google Cloud Print, you don't have to run the app itself in order to print; think of it like an add-on to your phone software. It's convenient once you get the hang of it. Make sure however that the Google account linked with your phone is the same account that you used on Google Chrome in the previous step.

1. Open a document you'd like to print (this can be anything from Google Drive docs to pictures saved on your phone).
2. Select the Menu button (the 3 dots in the top right corner).
3. Click Print, and it will take you to a new page.
4. Click the down arrow that sits just to the right of Save as PDF.
5. Select the printer you want print from. If you can't find it off the bat, click the All printers… to get a list of every printer you have connected.
6. Once you're all set, click the print button (the light blue circle that looks like a printer).

Printing web pages and Gmail messages

You can even print web pages and Gmail messages through Google Cloud Print. The process is largely the same, so you'll have no problem figuring it out.

1. Open Gmail or Google Chrome.
2. When you find the page you want to print select the Menu button (3 dots).
3. A list of options will drop down. Select Print.
4. It will take you straight to the printing page, where you can select the right printer.
5. Click Print when you're all set.

Does it work for you?

Are you a proud user of Google Cloud Print? What is your experience with it like? Is printing from Android something you find useful? Let us know in the comments!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/17GVVYc
via IFTTT

Best Kickstarters of the month – July 2016

If you always on the lookout for the latest tech, there is no place better than Kickstarter to find some fun, innovative products. If something does catch your eye, your backing will not only help the developer see his dream come to fruition, but you'll also be one of the first to get your hands on some cool gadgets.

There's always something new and interesting to check out, and there are a lot as well. So, to help make your search easier, we highlight some products that we feel are worth a special mention, in this roundup of some of the best kickstarters of the month – July 2016!

---

Superbook

The Superbook is a device that will let you transform your Android smartphone into a laptop. This isn't just something that acts as a middleman between your phone and laptop, but is actually more of a laptop shell. You get a display, a trackpad, and a keyboard, and on the surface it looks like any other laptop, but internally, there is no processing hardware. All of that comes from your phone, by simply connecting it to the Superbook via USB.

This is all possible courtesy of the Andromium app, that has been developed by makers of the Superbook, Andromium. Once the phone is plugged in, the app launches, and mimics a desktop setup on the Superbook, which includes your wallpaper, apps, icons, a folder management system, and even a cursor. It makes it much easier to do things like write code or edit documents, with you now able to use a full, physical keyboard and a large display, instead of a touch screen and a small smartphone display. Of course, you can also play games and do anything else that you would normally do on your smartphone as well.

You can get online using your phone's Wi-Fi or data connection, and you can even access its Bluetooth capabilities. The Superbook will be priced at $99 when commercially available, and if you've already spent a lot of money on the latest and greatest smartphone, the Superbook offers a great alternative to buying a far more expensive laptop.

Andromium was looking to raise just $50,000, but they blown well past their goals, having raised over $1.5 million, with still another 16 days to go.

Fund this project

---

ZEEQ Smart Pillow

We spend close to 30%, if not more, of our time in bed, and as depressing, or fun, depending on your point of view, as that may sound, it makes you realize how important it is the we aren't wasting that time with having disturbed sleep and being uncomfortable. That is where the ZEEQ Smart Pillow comes in, and this is a product that can do it all, including stream music, help you stop snoring, analyze your sleep, and also gently wake you up.

To start, the ZEEQ Smart Pillow can help you fall asleep by actually streaming music from your phone out of speakers that are inside the pillow. Since your ears are going to be resting on the pillow, you will be the only one able to hear the music, and this won't disturb your bed mate either. There's even relaxing tracks that come with the pillow, that are based on binaural beats, to help you achieve sleep faster.

Once you are asleep, ZEEQ will monitor your sleep cycles by tracking your movement, and determining when you're in a deep or light sleep. It will also vibrate to wake you up if you have set an alarm, but it will do this intelligently, by waking you up a few minutes before your alarm if you happen to be in a light sleep cycle at the time. This helps avoid the grogginess that comes with waking up suddenly from a deep sleep. In addition, ZEEQ can listen for snoring, and it's very precise with its measurements, down to the decibel. If ZEEQ catches you snoring, it'll gently vibrate to encourage a new sleeping position.

Of course, a pillow can be as smart as it wants, but wouldn't be a great pillow if it wasn't comfortable, and the ZEEQ Smart Pillow seems to be so. Warrick Bell and Miguel Marrero, the creators of ZEEQ,  were seeking a goal of $50,000 and even though they still have three weeks to go, they have comfortably surpassed that goal, having raised close to $250,000.

Fund this project

---

TLS Connect

The TLS Connect is a backpack made by Twyst, that lets you keep tracking of everything you keep in your bag, and more importantly, informs you when something is removed or missing. You use a tracking app, that lets you add an inventory of up to 50 items, and by using RFID stickers, you will always know where your items are.

The stickers communicate with sensors in the backpack thanks to radio frequency identification, and uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track objects through a radio signature. You can then name each tracker depending on what item it's on. The backpack will then monitor when each tracker is removed and send you an alert if an item is missing. You can travel back and forth with peace of mind, and avoid that paranoid last minute check to see if everything is there, without needing to even open your backpack. It also helps that the bag looks good, and has a lot of small pockets and sections to keep a lot of your things.

Twyst, the creators of TLS Connect, are looking to raise a substantial amount of money, with a goal of $375,000. They've raised only close to $40,000 so far, but with 25 days to go, there is still plenty of time.

Fund this project

---

Das Keyboard 5Q

The Das Keyboard 5Q is a premium feeling, Open API, RGB mechanical keyboard, and the idea behind this product is that, instead of having tons of alerts, reminders, and alarms popping up on your phone or other websites, you can simply keep track of notifications by using the color of the keys.

This alert can be anything on the internet, including emails from your boss at work, or even a new upload from Android Authority on YouTube. You can link this alert to a key or multiple keys on your keyboard and then customize the color of it. You can also set up calendar events and notifications, and using this system, you can keep track of exactly how far away an upcoming event is, without really thinking about it.

You can do this for messages from certain contacts, or even fun things like have the keyboard light up in celebration when your favorite sports team scores, and the possibilities are endless. The funding period for this project is already over, with the developers raising over $530,000. That goes far beyond the original $100,000 goal that they had, and the great news is that we can hope to this keyboard be available commercially quite soon.

---

So, there you have it for this roundup of some the best kickstarters this month! If these products, or any others, have piqued your interest, do let us know in the comments section below.

SEE ALSO:

• Crowdfunding project of the week

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2b8cuB0
via IFTTT

97% of smartphones in India run Android

The latest report from Strategy Analytics has revealed that 97% of smartphones in India ran the Android operating system in Q2 2016, up from 90% in Q2 2015, while iPhone sales in the country fell by a whopping 35% from 1.2 million in Q2 2015 to just 800,000 in Q2 2016. That leaves Apple with a share of just 2.4% (down from 4.5%) of the Indian market. The overall market has also grown by 19%, making India the the world's third largest smartphone market, after China and the US.

Apple's premium pricing strategy and lack of network carrier subsidized plans in the country make the latest iPhones a little too expensive for the average Indian consumer. Apple had attempted to counter this by trying to bring refurbished iPhones to India, though the move was blocked by local manufacturers and environmental agencies. Apple's bet on the Indian audience warming up to its 4-inch iPhone SE also failed to pay off, and even its corporate leasing program, starting at a monthly fee of Rs 999, couldn't find many takers.

While Android's domination in India, where consumers are always on the lookout for high quality but affordable smartphones, makes sense, it's not all good news for the major players in the Android game either. Samsung, while still owning the majority of the market, saw their market share fall from 29% to 25.6%, with Chinese OEMs like Xiaomi, Lenovo, OPPO, Vivo, Huawei, and Gionee, and even new arrival Le Eco, nipping at their heels.

Chinese smartphone manufacturers first entered the market with the aim to disrupt the domination of Indian OEMs like Micromax, but they now have their sights set on bigger fish, and continue to introduce smartphones with flagship specifications and features, at a fraction of the price, when compared to the Samsungs and HTCs in the country. Not surprisingly, the share of Chinese smartphone brands in total, increased from 21% in the last quarter to 27% in Q1 this year.

Do you think Apple will be able to regain its share in the Indian market? Can Samsung survive the Chinese onslaught in India? Hit the comments below to let us know!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aA6DIO
via IFTTT

Google Search update helps you find the best spots to dine

Google has just released another update for its Search app for Android, adding in the option to view "best of" lists and reviews of local restaurants that appear in your search results. Google's localized search results were already pretty handy for exploring new areas, and this latest update should help wanderers find the best local grub around.

As well as displaying new critic reviews along with existing user reviews, the new Google Search feature will show you which, if any, restaurant or local tour lists the place you've searched for shows up on. That way you can check if the eatery is on a best or worst places to visit in X list, or see if it's known for something a little more specific, such as "where to eat on Christmas Day". Google has also included 10 best-of lists from the likes of Eater, CBS Local, and Refinery29.

One of the more interesting new features is the inclusion of data that also shows roughly how long customers stayed at a particularly location. A short trip might suggest fast service, or perhaps warn you to stay away, while you'll also be able to see places to sit down for a nice long meal.

You won't have to update your Google Search app either, as the new features appear to have been introduced on the back-end.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2aA2zs3
via IFTTT