Seth Clifford looks at Apple and Google’s approaches to solving important health problems. Spot on.
Google creep
Google, don’t make it jarring to move from one app to another. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
Where Google lags Apple badly
The FCC is stepping in to address the lag in user adoption by Google and Apple. But wait, look at the numbers. Apple is certainly holding up their end.
Editing your Siri query
Some thoughts on Google’s I/O announcement and some specifics on editing your Siri query.
Google to announce its Amazon Echo competitor, Google Home, later today
The market’s been made. Every home will eventually have a similar device. Will we see one from Apple?
The FM radio inside every smartphone
If one side (either Apple or Android) adopts and promotes FM, it’ll spread by necessity.
Living with Gboard
I think Gboard is brilliant and it is now my default iOS keyboard. Here’s why.
Google’s GBoard for iOS adds search right into your keyboard
A very clever idea from Google, a keyboard plugin that brings search right to the keyboard in any app. Watch the embedded video to see this for yourself.
Oracle and Google copyright retrial
Reuters:
Oracle Corp and Google faced off on Tuesday in a $9 billion copyright retrial, with Oracle accusing Google of stealing programming to become the world’s leading smartphone player and Google saying it acted legally as a true innovator.
Lots of eyes on this, fear of rash of copyright lawsuits if Oracle wins.
Apple, other autonomous car makers, looking for huge tracts of land
Wall Street Journal:
Apple Inc., Google parent Alphabet Inc. and several car makers are seeking large expanses of real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area for their autonomous-car operations.
Like I said, huge tracts of land.
Google accused of enabling photography piracy
Time:
Photography company Getty Images is accusing Google of scraping images from third party websites and encouraging piracy, adding a new wrinkle to the Mountain View, Calif.’s ongoing legal battles in Europe.
Google search will soon add live TV listings
From the Google Search blog:
Last year we launched video actions in Search to help viewers find direct options to watch the shows they are looking for on programmer and distributors mobile apps and sites or stores like Google Play.
Today, I’m excited to announce that, coming soon, Google Search will have live TV listings.
A solid step in the right direction…
European Commission charges Google with antitrust violations
From the European Commission fact sheet (Emphasis theirs):
The Commission’s investigation showed that Google obliges manufacturers, who wish to pre-install Google’s app store for Android, Play Store, on their devices, to also pre-install Google Search, and set it as the default search provider on those devices.
That’s the heart of it, but the post contains more details.
Nintendo’s first smartphone app, Miitomo, bringing in $280K a week
Roughly 80% of that money comes from the iPhone version of the app. Fascinating numbers.
Google said to be considering Swift as a first class language for Android
Nate Swanner, writing for The Next Web:
About the time Swift was going open source, representatives for three major brands — Google, Facebook and Uber — were at a meeting in London discussing the new language. Sources tell The Next Web that Google is considering making Swift a “first class” language for Android, while Facebook and Uber are also looking to make Swift more central to their operations.
Lots of implications here.
OK Google reads all your emails
A Reddit user does some searches using OK Google, then gets an expression of sympathy about a very personal and private matter that was pulled from an old email.
Google and Apple: the high-tech hippies of Silicon Valley
Interesting look at the connection between the utopian movements of the ’60s and the tech industry.
Need a metronome? Use Google
Nice tip, Kirk.
I stayed in a hotel with Android lightswitches and it was just as bad as you’d imagine
Matthew Garrett discovers a hotel has replaced its light switches with Android tablets. And so he starts hacking.
On Google’s iOS apps
Federico Viticci lambastes Google’s latest iOS app release. I agree.
New Google Maps adds 3D Touch for directions right from the icon
Great add. This is an existing Apple Maps feature I really like.
Google demands 9to5Google change their name, then walks it back
An incredibly unfair way to conduct business. Read the post.
82% Of Super Bowl Ad Searches Happened On Mobile, Up From 70%
Huge percentage of searches during the game were done on mobile. Interesting numbers, not surprising that they are that high.
My bathroom mirror is smarter than yours
Google’s Max Braun took some of his off time to marry an HDMI display board with a two-way mirror to produce a bathroom mirror that shows you the news, weather, etc. Terrific project. Lots of details and pictures, back and front.
Tech’s ‘Frightful 5’ will dominate digital life for foreseeable future
Really interesting piece about the frightful five, five companies seen as so deeply locked in as to be unassailable from attack by startups.
Apple, Android competition shifting to the high end
Interesting post by Jan Dawson, founder and Chief Analyst at Jackdaw. He digs into the margins for Apple versus the margins for Android related companies. Which segment do you think is doing better?
Google’s musical puzzle celebrates Beethoven’s 245th year
The puzzle is a fun little distraction and worth a few minutes of your time. You’ll step through a few of Beethoven’s more well known compositions, putting them in the right order so they sound right musically.
Google makes big move on Apple Music
Google has now matched Apple’s family pricing for Apple Music. This is a big step.
Google: You’ll soon be able to download iOS Google Map data for offline use
This is a huge benefit, especially for folks with limited data plans.
Google Maps for iOS updated with spoken traffic alerts
Like Waze. Every mapping app should have this feature.