Application Google

Google Street View hack turns your city into a post-apocalyptic jungle

As reported on The Verge. By Valentina Palladino Big cities often suffer from a lack of greenery, but now the website Urban Jungle Street View lets you see how your street would look covered in forest flora. The site’s creator Einar Öberg says on Twitter that he’s “breaking terms of use like it’s no tomorrow” — presumably because it uses the undocumented depth data of the Google Maps API to realistically position 3D trees, leaves, and vines that grow inside…

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Education Google

Google’s Eric Schmidt On Critics Who Say College Isn’t Worth It: “They’re Just Wrong”

As reported on TechCrunch. by Gregory Ferenstein Google Chairman Eric Schmidt took a not-so-subtle swipe at tech critics who say that college is overrated. “There are various people who run around and make claims that higher education is not a good use of your time: they’re just wrong,” he told the audience at the SXSW conference, where he was on stage promoting his book The New Digital Age. The average college loan racks up $30,000worth of debt and the…

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Google

Google Drive Goes On The Offensive

As reported on TechCrunch. by Frederic Lardinois Google drastically dropped the price for storage on Google Drive this week, to the point where it now undercuts virtually all of its competitors. At $9.99 per month for a terabyte of online storage, Google puts all of its competitors to shame, but there is more going on here than just a price war. Dropbox wants $9.99/month for 100GB, SugarSync has a $55/month plan for one terabyte of data that is shared by up…

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Application Google

Google Translate for Android now deciphers handwriting in 13 more languages

As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS If you’re an Android user traveling to the Middle East or southern Asia, you’ll likely want to grab a just-released update to Google Translate. The new app expands on a recent iOS upgrade with handwriting recognition for 13 extra languages that mostly come from the above two regions; you can now write in Arabic and Persian as well as Indian dialects like Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. You’ll also find support…

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Google

Google is finally getting serious about wearables

As reported on The Verge. By Dieter Bohn Speaking today at the SXSW conference, Google’s SVP of Android and Chrome Sundar Pichai said that in two weeks, Google will be releasing a developer SDK that will make it easier for companies to create wearable devices that run on Android. Pichai didn’t drop any hints as to whether or not Google itself was working on any devices, but instead said that when it comes to wearables, he thinks about…

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Apple Business Google

Is Jawbone Apple And Google’s Biggest Threat?

As reported by TechCrunch. by Leena Rao Long before there were wearable devices, there wasJawbone. The brainchild of founder and CEO Hosain Rahman, the hardware and gadgets manufacturer is now a multi-billion-dollar company that is becoming a personal electronics powerhouse and brand. Which is why we’re thrilled to announce that Rahman will be speaking at Disrupt NY in May. There’s been more attention on Jawbone of late as wearables gain traction among consumers — the company just released its high-powered…

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Application Google

Tell Gmail what to do with the latest Dragon Dictate for Mac

As reported on Engadget. BY TIMOTHY J. SEPPALA Let’s face it: not everyone uses Nuance’s Dragon Dictate software to power aridiculously automated dorm room, the less creative among us have had to get by using it to take notes or write term papers. No matter what you do with it, however, you might appreciate that the latest Mac version of the app lets you use your mouth instead of your fingers to write emails and navigate your inbox…

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Application Google

Fake Google Maps listings recorded calls to the FBI, Secret Service

As reported on The Verge. By Josh Lowensohn After failing to get Google’s attention about alleged security weaknesses on location listings added to Google Maps, an engineer created his own fake listings on the service that recorded calls made to the FBI and Secret Service. Bryan Seely, a former Microsoft and Avanade employee, set up listings to both government offices using a combination of Google’s Map Maker and Google Places, then used call recording software to tape calls…

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Google

Welcome to Googletown

As reported on The Verge. By Sean Hollister Here’s how a city becomes company property Some days it feels like Google is taking over the world. For the residents of Mountain View, California, that feeling is personal. Two weeks ago, Google signed a deal for its very own airport just east of the Googleplex, complete with a blimp hangar large enough to house the Hindenburg. But building a better blimp probably isn’t the reason that Google is leasing…

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Google

Google Now Launcher Comes To Play Store, With Always-On ‘Ok Google’ And Swipe For Now

As reported on TechCrunch. by Darrell Etherington Google reconfigured the Android home screen launcher somewhat with the Nexus 5, but that redesign didn’t make its way out to other Nexus or Google Play Edition hardware when they received the Android 4.4 KitKat update. Today, Google has released the new “Google Now Launcher” as a standalone app in the Play Store (via Android Police) to bring that modified home screen goodness to a wider audience. Note that I didn’t say…

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