Category: Google

Google for Android Update With Speed and Reliability Improvements

August 12, 2015 Android, Android Phone, Android Tablet, App Update, Google, Google Now No Comments
Google Search for Android

The official Google for Android app has been updated with some minor but important updates.  The latest build, version 5.1.16.19.arm for those keeping score at home, mainly focuses on speed improvements and reliability enhancements but there are hints of new features being on the horizon.  What those updates are exactly clear but to make sure you don’t miss them, be sure to update your Android phone and tablet with this update.  As a reminder, the Google for Android app is the foundation for Google Now that gives you relevant information about your location, your agenda and other tidbits of information that is important to you.

Google for Android – Free – Download Now

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Android Wear Sees A Minor Update

August 11, 2015 Android, Android Phone, Android Wear, App Update, Google No Comments

The Android Wear companion app for Android phones has been updated today but it certainly falls in the category of minor update.  The new build, version 1.3.0.2139573 for those keeping score at home, is an update to the 1.3 build that was released a few weeks ago. There are not any new features or functionality to be found in the update but there are certainly tweaks and fixes that should make the app and the updating of your Wear device a bit more reliable.

Android Wear for Android Phone – Free – Download Now

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Google To Become A Part of Alphabet, A New Company

August 10, 2015 Alphabet, Google No Comments
OnePlus One

Google’s Larry Page has posted a blog post today on the company’s website that is going to come as a bit of a shock for some.  Google is about to become a part of an all new start up of Larry and Sergey Brin.  The company, Alphabet, will become the parent company of Google along with many of the other projects that will become companies in their own right.  It’s a big and ambitious move.

What is Alphabet? Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related. Alphabet is about businesses prospering through strong leaders and independence. In general, our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed. We will rigorously handle capital allocation and work to make sure each business is executing well. We’ll also make sure we have a great CEO for each business, and we’ll determine their compensation. In addition, with this new structure we plan to implement segment reporting for our Q4 results, where Google financials will be provided separately than those for the rest of Alphabet businesses as a whole.

The changes coming to Google are not insignificant and they will likely impact many of the services we use today.

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Google Hangouts Gets Major Update

August 10, 2015 Android, Android Phone, Android Tablet, Android Wear, Google, Google Hangouts No Comments
Google Hangouts 4.0

Google Hangouts is getting a big update today that all users of the social messaging app will want to get hold of for their Android phone, tablet and wear devices.  The updated version 4.0 is expected to be released to the Google Play Store today and with it comes a streamlined look and feel, simplified controls and improved speed.  Google indicated on their blog today that the new Google Hangouts will be available today and has started to roll out.  If you are not seeing it on your devices, give it time.  It will take a bit of time to hit everyone.

Google Hangouts for Android – Free – Download Now

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Google Issues Minor Update for Google Messenger

August 7, 2015 Android, Android Phone, App Update, Google, Google Messenger No Comments
Google Messenger for Android

Google has issued a minor update to their SMS app, Google Messenger.  The update, version 1.4.048 (2144942-38) for those keeping score at home and who love version number Bingo, is available now in the Google Play Store.  If you have not checked out Google Messenger, it is a solid SMS/MMS app that allows you to share things like stickers, your location and of course pictures.  I posted a review back in May of Google Messenger and it has been my main SMS/MMS app on my BLU VIVO IV and OnePlus One almost since the beginning.  It’s a solid app that’s feature rich for a SMS client.

Google Messenger for Android – Free – Download Now

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Fixing Google Inbox Notifications on Your Android Device

August 4, 2015 Gmail, Google, Google Inbox 12 Comments

UPDATE:  I am updating this post as it is still one of the most read articles on the site.  Please check out the post I made on an update to Gmail.  In that post, I outline the back end changes Google made to Gmail that has fixed this issue for Marshmallow users.

 

Google Inbox is the new and improved email app for Gmail that been met with mix feelings.  It is certainly a more clean email app that puts your emails into bundles (think categories) automatically to decluter your device.  It works but if you are a hardcore Gmail user on your Android phone or tablet, it will take some time to adjust.  But personally I like it and encourage you to give it a try.  Google Inbox is another app that Google has ported out of their builds of Android as stand alone apps much like Google Calendar.

An reoccurring theme with Google Inbox is the notifications not activating properly.  The Google Play Store have plenty of reviews pointing this out and while Google has updated the app several times, it still is a problem for some.  I was one of those and after a lot of trying to sort it out, I was just about to uninstall the app.  Then I figured it out and since then – over two weeks now – it has worked flawlessly.  In this How To I’m going to show you the way that I disabled Gmail notifications and got Google Inbox notifications working.  It isn’t rocket science and certainly will fall into the “duh” category for some of you but if you are like me, I found it a bit challenging to sort out.

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Lollipop Now Running On Over 18% of All Android Devices

August 3, 2015 Android, Google, Lollipop No Comments
OnePlus One

Today Google published their latest Android Dashboard and it showed a healthy jump in the adoption of Android Lollipop.  The latest version of Android is now running on 18.1% of all Android devices, up 5.7% over the June report.  This is good news for developers and consumers alike as more devices are seeing updates to Lollipop or are now shipping with it as their installed OS level.  And while many will contend that fragmentation is an issue for Android, the numbers released by Google seem to indicate it isn’t as big a deal as some might think.  Indeed the numbers for versions older than KitKat, the previous version prior to Lollipop, all saw drops in installs.

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The Power of Google Chrome Extensions

August 3, 2015 Google, Google Chrome, How To No Comments
Adding Extensions in Google Chrome

While many users of Google Chrome use it because it is lightweight and clutter free, the browser experience is only the beginning for this browser.  Google has created a powerful ecosystem of extensions for the browser that allow you to do everything from open your Gmail account with one click to integrating with other 3rd party applications like Evernote.  The best way to think of Extensions in Google Chrome is that they are mini-applets.  They bring a function or feature to the browser that in often cases you have to browse to a site to get.  Likewise, they are integration points for 3rd party services to bring them closer to you without having to navigate your PC or the web.

When I started doing the research for this article, I asked many friends who use Google Chrome about extensions and the ones that they used.  What I found was very interesting.  Mind you, most of these people are “tech savvy”.  They use PCs and/or other technologies on a daily basis and, to be fair, Extensions are a bit of a geeky subject.  So when I got two common answers (“What are extensions?” or “I thought those were only for Chromebooks”) I decided to clear the air a bit.  That’s really the point of this article so if you have ever questions what Google Chrome extensions were and how to enable them, this should point you in the right direction.

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