Google is reportedly making two Android Wear smartwatches integrated with Assistant

It’s going to be a busy fall this year for Google. In addition to releasing two Nexus devices and the latest version of Android, now known as Nougat — not to mention the developer kit of the first Project Ara modular phone, Google Home, and another Google-built phone — the search giant may also be working on two Android Wear smartwatches.
The latest rumors come again from Android Police, but this time it’s a rendered image of what the smartwatches may look like. The Android news site attributed the leaked information to a “reliable source” which it did not identify. You know what that means — take this information with a grain of salt, as nothing can be confirmed until Google’s official announcement. Here’s a look:
google smartwatches

Get the Nexus 5X even cheaper (starting at $280) on eBay while you can

If you thought the newest upper mid-range “pure Google” phone was an interesting proposition at $380 and up, then a very alluring one at $330, and an outright irresistible bargain when dropped an extra 30 bucks, wait until you hear what eBay seller Buydig has to offer today.

You guessed it, we’ve just reached another Nexus 5X all-time record low price, in both 16 and 32GB configurations. The entry-level model costs a measly $280 on the auction website in your choice of carbon black or quartz white coats of paint, while the version capable of accommodating twice the data internally sets you back $330 only in the former color.

Google job postings, new hires point to serious interest in VR hardware

There’s a fair chance that you may be starting to get sick hearing about VR-this and VR-that all the time, but you’ve just got to open your mind a little. After all, while it was easy to talk big about VR in years past, in 2016 we’re finally seeing things go commercial in a really big way, connecting the dots between stuff like basic Google Cardboard viewers and the really immersive 3D worlds that once only seemed possible in sci-fi fantasies. As such, it’s only logical that Google appears to be paying more and more attention to the burgeoning market, as we saw earlier this month when we got word that the company was creating a new VP position focused solely on VR. Now the full scope of Google’s VR ambitions continues to come into focus, as we learn a little more about its hardware plans thanks to a job posting, and see it recruit even more big talent for VR development.

GOOGLE KEEP FINALLY LAUNCHES ON IOS

Can’t keep track of your thoughts? Don’t worry, that’s what apps are for. Google just gave Apple fanatics one more option in their arsenal of virtual memory programs: Google Keep is now available for iOS.
The Evernote competitor (or knockoff, depending on how cynical you are) launched in 2013 and had lived exclusively in the Android ecosystem on mobile. Though it’s always been accessible on the Web, it now has it’s very own stand-alone app for iOS.

New Google Maps feature shows you exactly where you’ve been

Google’s latest Maps feature shows you exactly where you’ve been. Whether you find this idea interesting or slightly creepy depends of course on your disposition, though the Web giant will be hoping you’ll see the offering as a useful (or simply fun) tool rather than something about which to be wary.

Called Your Timeline, the new feature lets you “revisit the world that you’ve explored,” as the company puts it. That’s right, with a simple swipe and tap you can access maps showing all the trips you’ve taken on any given day “to get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.” The results even indicate if you walked, rode, went by car, or took a train, and how many minutes each portion of your journey took.your timeline

Currently for logged-in Android and desktop users, Google’s feature incorporates some neat little extras. For example, it syncs with the Web company’s recently launched photo service, so the Your Timeline maps that you pull up will also include images you snapped along your route. This could help you to resurface some of your memories, whether they link to an outing you made a very long time ago or one as recently as last weekend when you had one beer too many and have no idea how you made it home.

Google finally has a fix for Chromecast's biggest problem

The Google Chromecast was almost perfect when it launched in 2014.

It offered a low-cost, lightweight option to mirror exactly what you see on your handheld or tablet to the big screen. But if you didn't have a consistent Wi-Fi signal in your living room, you could pretty much kiss any chance of having a flawless stream goodbye.

Capitalizing on the one flaw plaguing its pint-sized streaming stick, Google has finally released an ethernet adapter that will replace the power cord that ships with the basic Chromecast.

New Nexus 5 (2015) tipped to be more powerful than Galaxy S6

A LG-built Nexus 5 (2015) has been rumoured for a while and we now have reason to suspect that not only is it coming, but it could be incredibly powerful.

The new Nexus has seemingly be benchmarked on AnTuTu and its massive score of 85,530 leaked by mobiltelefon.ru.

That puts it at the top of the chart by a significant margin. The Samsung Galaxy S6 has the second best score and that's just 68,157, so the Nexus 5 (2015) has a score that's over 15,000 higher.

Is LG going to make your next Nexus smartphone?

Trying to predict the company Google will partner with to make the next Nexus has become our new favourite game. A few weeks ago it looked like Huawei was the frontrunner but new rumours are pointing towards Google's old friend LG.
The fresh reports have been prompted by a visit by Google executives to LG headquarters in South Korea: it sounds like they were there to thrash out the details of the successor to the Nexus 6, but as yet we don't have confirmation either way.
We're also hearing that the upcoming handset is going to be called the Nexus 7, even though there are already a couple of tablets with that moniker. Maybe Google thinks keeping the naming sequence going is worth the confusion - or perhaps LG is working on the new Nexus 7 tablet rather than a smartphone.

Huawei's Nexus will come with an Android app store for China

We first heard rumours that Huawei is in line to produce the new Nexus back at the end of February, and since then plenty of anonymous sources have been queueing up to confirm such a device is indeed on the cards.
This weekend there's another report that a Huawei-made Nexus is indeed on the way, with an extra tidbit of information - the companies are also busy working on an Android app store for China.
The Google Play Store isn't available in China due to government regulations, with Android users having to turn to third-party libraries for their apps. It sounds like Google wants to fix this with Huawei's help.

Google is saving the environment, one renovated coal plant at a time

What better way to bid adieu to a coal plant than to build a renewable-energy-powered center right on top of it? In the ultimate victory for environmental activists, Google is planning to spend $600 million on a server farm that will span a whopping 350 acres of land near Chattanooga, Alabama, and will ultimately be 100 percent powered by green energy.

In a blog post released earlier this week, Google announced that they would be “building on the grounds of the Widows Creek coal power plant in Jackson County, which has been scheduled for shutdown.” Patrick Gammons, the senior manager for Google’s Data Center Energy and Location Strategy continued, “Data centers need a lot of infrastructure to run 24/7, and there’s a lot of potential in redeveloping large industrial sites like former coal power plants. Decades of investment shouldn’t go to waste just because a site has closed; we can repurpose existing electric and other infrastructure to make sure our data centers are reliably serving our users around the world.”

Trends with Benefits: How Google builds the ‘Map of You’

If the beginning of this episode of TWB doesn’t make much sense, that’s because it is our inaugural simulcast on Periscope. So, yes everyone at the table has a beard this week.
Google knows everything about everything, and with the new my account dashboard, now you know most of what they know. It’s a measured response to the conspiracy theorists freak-out over Google Photos, we assume.

YouTube delays launch of Music Key to work on mobile interface

YouTube doesn’t seem too worried about the delayed launch of its subscription-based streaming service, Music Key, even as formidable streaming music competitors seem to be sprouting up left and right.

The service, which proposes to offer a wealth of ad-free music videos for a monthly fee, has been available in an invite-only beta version since November and was expected to launch in May. YouTube announced an extension of the free beta until at least September 15 as the company continues to refine its new offering.

BEST GOOGLE EASTER EGGS

Google doesn’t shy away from a joke, and always make an appearance on April Fool’s Day. If you know where to look you will discover treats the company has hidden around the web. They have left many throughout the years, but only a few have stuck around.

Google Search

Google has the answers to any question you could possibly have, but sometimes the search engine itself likes to have a little fun.

Askew: When you search for the word “askew” or “tilt,” your window will do just that.

Barrel roll: If you ask Google to “do a barrel roll” your screen will do a 365 degree turn.

Bacon number: Kevin Bacon has done so much work in Hollywood that any actor can be connected to him in five steps or less through their work. Going through all the work every actor has done can be tedious, which is why Google took care of it for you. When you type in a celebrity’s name followed by “bacon number” you will see how connected that person is to the Footloose star.

Google Now could soon have more to show from Google+

Google has never been shy about using one of its services to promote another, and now it looks like Google Now is about to get a fresh injection of Google+. 9to5Google is reporting that a small set of users are seeing Google+ Stories show up in their Google Now card lists on Android.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Stories feature of Google’s social network — and there’s every reason to think you might be — they’re albums of pictures made automatically from your uploads based on time and location data. The theory is that you can dump a bunch of holiday snaps (for example) into Google+ and it will automatically produce a highlights reel for you.

Google plugs its Field Trip app into Google Now

You may not be aware of Google’s Field Trip app, the travel discovery tool that shows points of interest wherever you happen to be. The app has been around since 2012 and has just been rolled into Google Now’s functionality, though it looks to be staying as a standalone app as well. If you’re a Google Now user, it means more recommendations of places to see while you’re on the move.

The original app is available for both Android and iOS and promises to be “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you.” It has earned positive reviews since its release but has a userbase of thousands rather than millions at the moment. Perhaps its new role in Google Now will encourage its developers to devote more time and focus to the project.

The app covers all kinds of venues and uses your phone’s location to check for nearby attractions. Everything from gigs and local restaurants to historical sites and notable architecture is covered — there are even a smattering of local deals available through the app. Of course, this all ties in very neatly with Google Now’s mission to give you the most relevant information at any particular time in any particular place.

BEST GOOGLE CHROME EXTENSIONS

Google Chrome in its purest form is a beast of a browser, but if you install the right extensions and give it extra functionality, you can transform it into even more of a beast — like a fire-breathing grizzly bear on steroids. Ever wanted to control a fire-breathing grizzly bear on steroids? You’ll have some idea what it’s like when you polish up your Chrome experience with the best Google Chrome extensions around.

Attempting teleportation with Google Jump panoramic VR videos

VR headsets like the Oculus Rift can drop you anywhere from the edge of a comic-book skyscraper to a dinosaur-infested swamp, but how do we capture real-life experiences for VR? The answer is easy enough: 360-degree 3D video.
Shooting video in every direction at once from multiple viewpoints is really, really tricky, however. The rigs to do it right cost enough to make even James Cameron think twice. But at Google’s I/O developer conference in San Francisco on Thursday, the company introduced Jump, a new solution that may make it possible for anyone to shoot 3D panoramic video in the near future. And we got to try out the engulfing results.

Google will be changing up your mobile search results

It seems that Google will begin placing a heavier emphasis on mobile sites when populating mobile search results on smartphones. The implications of this formula shift reach far and wide, as mobile optimized sites will receive preferential treatment over desktop only sites. This could have a vast effect on what nearby businesses receive exposure when their industry (restaurant, mechanic etc.) is searched from a mobile device.
The new formula is set to roll out Tuesday and will have companies kicking their developers into gear. Itai Sadan, the CEO of the website-building service Duda told AP “Some sites are going to be in for a big surprise when they find a drastic change in the amount of people visiting them from mobile devices.”

Google finally remembers it acquired Snapseed, releases first major update in two years

Remember Snapseed, that photo editing app Google snatched up a while ago? Well, it seems Google finally did. The first significant update in some time brings new photo editing tools to the iOS and Android apps.
Google purchased Nik Software, the makers of Snapseed, back in 2012 to bolster photo editing capabilities across its range of products. The app, initially exclusive to the iPhone and iPad, dropped the paid moniker and began a migration to Android and Google+. There it languished, inexorably neglected for two years.

Next Nexus could feature not the Kirin 930, but Kirin 950 (plus more Kirin details)

Rumour mill is rife churning out word that the next Nexus phone will feature a Huawei chipset. Although we’re far from confirmation on that as yet, but a little bird told us a couple days back that it could be the Kirin 930 that rocks beneath the next Nexus.

Today, however, a contradictory report landed in our hands from nowhere else but the homeland of Kirin chipsets, i.e., China. It appears as though the rumour mill was quick to jump the gun on the Kirin 930; it might well be the 940 or even the more powerful Kirin 950 that powers the next Nexus phone.

Of course, this left us curios about what exactly the Kirin 940/950 were about. Thankfully, there’s a bit of info on that as well; all the three SoCs (930/940/950) will feature essentially the same architecture of a quad-core set of A53 cores and another with A57 cores, with the main difference in the clock rate.