Android Pay arrives in New Zealand but with very limited support

I bring good news and bad news for all the Kiwis out there. The good news is that you can now use Android Pay to make purchases at locations like BurgerFuel and McDonald's. The bad news is that only one specific card is supported by it.

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April 27, 2016

Google just announced that Android Pay will be finally making its way to New Zealand. This means that as long as you have an unrooted, NFC-enabled Android device running Android 4.4 or higher, you will be able to create virtual cards just by downloading the Android Pay app. All you have to do is wake up and unlock your phone, hold the back of the device against the contactless payment terminal, and voila, your transaction is completed. No need to open up the actual app.

According to Google, its contactless payment system is already accepted in participating locations that are equipped with contactless terminals. These include BP, Domino's, BurgerFuel, McDonald's, Spark, Vodafone, The Warehouse, Torpedo 7, and more. Just like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, you can store your gift cards and loyalty cards on Android Pay as well. To see the full list of stores that support the app, visit Android Pay's official website for New Zealand.

However, there is a catch. Unfortunately, for now, Google's payment system in New Zealand supports only one type of card, and that is the BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card.

Unfortunately, for now, Google's payment system in New Zealand supports only one type of card, and that is the BNZ Flexi Debit Visa card.

Although the company hasn't specified whether or not it would be adding more support and when that would be, we will be sure you keep you updated. In the meantime, if you are a merchant looking to use Google's contactless payment service, you can visit the Android Pay Merchant Help Centre. And for online merchants and developers, here is the Android Pay API website.

For those in New Zealand, are you disappointed about the limited support? How often do you use Android Pay or Samsung Pay? Let us know by leaving a comment down below!

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Get ready for Saint Nick’s ride with the updated Google Santa Tracker app

With less than a month to go before Christmas arrives, it's time to get ready for the most famous yearly trip in history with the updated Google Santa Tracker app. The new version adds some features, including the ability to keep track of Saint Nick's trip around the world on December 24 on an Android TV.

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23 hours ago

In addition, the updated app includes more support for Android Wear smartwatches, although specifics have not been revealed. Kids of all ages can check out the redesigned Santa's Village in the new version, along with an AR game, Present Quest, that shows people how to get virtual gifts from real-world locations, which are then taken and placed at a local "Santa's Workshop".

Of course, the biggest reason for using the app is coming in just a few weeks, where children can keep tabs on where the big guy is in the world as he makes his way across the globe via your smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, Android TV or  Chromecast-enabled device. In the meantime, you should be able to get in the holiday spirit with this app's games and other features, which include "elves in jetpacks, rolling gumballs, sleighs powered by rockets and Google Cardboard." Sounds like fun.

Get it at Google Play

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Not so hot on coding but want to create an app? Try Google’s App Maker!

Google is adding some important features to its G Suite, including the all new App Maker, which is a low-code application development tool.

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July 29, 2016

G Suite is quite literally a suite of Google's apps, which is particularly useful for businesses. For as low as five dollars a month, you can get professional business email addresses, cloud storage, data migration, online help, etc. And now, Google has added some cool new features to it: App Maker and new partners under "Recommended for G Suite."

Let's get to the exciting part first – the all new App Maker. As you can see from the video above, App Maker is essentially an application development tool that doesn't require heavy coding. It offers built-in templates and supports popular standards like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript so that you can create a complete app within weeks. Simple and fast.

App Maker is essentially an application development tool that doesn't require heavy coding. It offers built-in templates and supports popular standards like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript so that you can create a complete app within weeks.

As Google describes, App Maker has built-in support for G Suite products like Maps, Contacts, and Groups. It also gives you access to other Google Cloud services such as the Directory API and Prediction API as well as third-party APIs. In terms of security, App Maker is built on the same infrastructure as popular Google apps like Gmail or Drive, meaning it is secure.

Whatever your business needs may be, simply drag and drop and do some simple coding, and you have a fully functioning app. For someone like me, who has very limited knowledge of coding, App Maker might be the perfect tool for creating apps in a fairly straightforward and efficient manner.

Google's App Maker is available for those enrolled in the Early Adopter Program for G Suite Business. If you are not yet enrolled, you can go here to apply.

On top of that, Google has added seven new apps to the Recommended for G Suite program, which lets you use third party apps to manage aspects of your business on G Suite. The new ones are:

• Asana for project & process management
• DocuSign for eSignature
• Freshdesk for customer support
• LumApps for corporate & social portal
• Virtru for encryption
• Xero and Zoho Invoice for finance & accounting

Are you currently using G Suite? Have you had a chance to play around with App Maker? If so, let us know what you think by leaving a comment below!

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OnePlus 3 Nougat update available for download via OxygenOS Open Beta 8

OnePlus 3 owners who don't mind getting their hands dirty with beta software can finally update their phone to Android 7.0 Nougat. People who have the recently discontinued phone can download OxygenOS Open Beta 8, which adds support for Nougat.

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June 14, 2016

Since this is a beta build, you may experience more bugs than normal

In a post on the company's forums, it mentions this beta release may have more bugs than normal, because of its move to a new version of Android. Therefore, OnePlus 3 owners definitely should download Open Beta 8 at their own risk. That being said, the update to Nougat will bring features such as custom DPI support, multi-window view and much more.

There are some known issues with this beta build, including some stability and performance bugs and the fact that Android Pay may no longer work. Also, users should be aware that once they download and install Open Beta 8 on the OnePlus 3, they won't be able to directly downgrade the build back to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The good news is that customer support can supply a flash install back down to Marshmallow but it will format your smartphone.

OnePlus has already stated it plans to release the final Nougat OTA update for both the OnePlus 3 and the recently launched OnePlus 3T by the end of the year. However, it does not plan to release Nougat as an open beta for OnePlus 3T owners.

Get OxygenOS Open Beta 8 at OnePlus

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Mozilla scrambling to address security attacks on Tor users

Mozilla is expected to release a security patch in the near future for Firefox, whose vulnerability is apparently exploited to attack Tor users.

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January 27, 2016

There are multiple reports of a JavaScript exploit which is used to attack Tor users by revealing their MAC address, hostname, and even their public IP address in some cases. Tor is an anonymous browser, but most importantly, is based on a version of Mozilla's Firefox. So these two browsers often share similar vulnerabilities. And that's why Mozilla is scrambling to track the bug and come up with a patch to address the concern.

These two browsers often share similar vulnerabilities. And that's why Mozilla is scrambling to track the bug and come up with a patch to address the concern.

The exploit was posted by an anonymous user, and according to this user, the leak happens when a package containing SVG, JavaScript, and x86 code pops up on a Tor mailing list and is opened:

This is a JavaScript exploit actively used against Tor Browser now. It consists of one HTML and one CSS file, both pasted below and also de-obscured. The exact functionality is unknown but it's getting access to VirtualAlloc in kernel32.dll and goes from there.

Although the attacks are targeted at Tor users for now, the exploit code is readily accessible, meaning it could be used to attack Firefox users, given these two browsers' similarities. Not much is known at this moment, but it is possible that the attacks require JavaScript to be enabled in the browser. Dan Guido, a security researcher at TrailofBits, warns that Firefox on macOS is also at risk.

What's interesting is that the code that is being used to unmask identities of Tor users is extremely similar to the one used by the FBI in the past in tracking down dark-web child-abuse website users. However, given the fact that the latest exploit sends a unique identifier to a French address, and not directly to the agency, it is unlikely the FBI is involved in it.

Window users out there: if the potential exploit bothers you, your best bet would be Chrome or Edge, which should be more difficult to exploit due to memory partitioning.

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Over 1 million Google accounts may have been breached by Gooligan malware

A new malware strand called Gooligan may have breached over 1 million Google accounts over the past several months. That's the claim from the Check Point security firm, which released its findings today.

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As with many other malware attacks on an Android-based device, Gooligan starts when the end user either downloads an infected app from a third party store (not Google Play) or if a person clicks on a link in an SMS or email message that sends them to the malware source.

Once Gooligan is installed, Check Point claims it sends out data on the infected device to a command and control server. Then it downloads rootkit software that can steal information such as email accounts and authorization tokens that can be used to breach Google accounts. The blog states that the majority of infected Android devices are in Asia, but about 19 percent of those devices are in the Americas.

Check Point has a list of the known apps that have been infected by the Gooligan malware. It also says it has already sent the information it collected on this breach to Google. Adrian Ludwig, Google's director of Android security, is quoted in the blog post as saying that the company has "taken numerous steps to protect our users and improve the security of the Android ecosystem overall."

In the meantime, most people can likely avoid having their Android smartphone or tablet get infected by staying away from unsecured third-party app stores and not clicking on any random links from emails and messages from unknown sources.

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YouTube adds 4K live streaming for standard and 360-degree videos

YouTube has been able to support 4K videos for the past several years, but today, the service has hitched that support up a notch. It can now support live streaming of videos in 4K resolution. That's for both its standard clips as well as 360-degree videos for virtual reality headsets. It also supports frame rates at up to 60fps at that higher resolution.

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April 18, 2016

One of the first such examples of 4K live streaming on YouTube will happen on Thursday, December 1. That's when it will be used to stream the annual Game Awards, which celebrates the past year in video games as well as showing off preview footage of upcoming titles. If you have a 4K TV or monitor, you can watch the Game Awards at the new resolution on YouTube starting at 6p.m. Eastern time.

This is just the latest update for the streaming video service owned by Google. It recently added support for uploading and viewing High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos and a few weeks ago it launched a stand alone VR app that is compatible with Google's Daydream View smartphone headsets.

Get it at Google Play

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