Google brings Slides to iPad, adds Office functionality

The iPad is great for productivity, that much is certain. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he gets about 80% of his work done on an iPad, and now you might be able to as well. Google has rounded out their suite of productivity apps for iPad, bringing Slides to the tablet. There is also some new functionality for those who may be using the Docs or Sheets apps as well.

Google’s Slides app compliments their Docs and Sheets apps, already available for iPad. The trio reach into Drive, which is Google’s effort at productivity anywhere. By starting, continuing, and finishing work in the cloud, you can access your stuff anywhere.

Slides may have been held out to work on functionality, too. Google is also announcing their three apps now work with Microsoft Office documents. At Google I/O this year, Android and Chrome boss Sundar Pichai told us that Drive would be a lot more friendly with Office in the near future. An update gave us that functionality, so perhaps getting the Slides app to work with Office presentations was among the final steps in that process.

The app is available now, and is free to download. It does require a Drive account to be set-up, but if you’ve got Gmail, you already have that. For being productive on the go, Drive is hard to beat in many circumstances — especially if you’re using multiple OSs, and multiple types of devices.






Source: slashgear.com

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Google buys chat app that spies on you to serve ads

Google just bought another online communications channel it can fill with ads.

The tech giant confirms it has acquired Emu, a startup that offers a kind of instant messaging tool. The price was not disclosed, but Google's interest in the company isn't hard to divine: Emu has built a system that can monitor chats, infer what people are talking about, and insert relevant links -- including ads.

Emu, which has been subsisting for two-and-a-half years on venture funding, doesn't insert such ads today. Instead, it uses its monitoring tools to identify certain other information that might be helpful to you. For example, if you're chatting on the Emu service and the other person types something about getting lunch, Emu might suggest nearby restaurants or show the mid-day schedule from your calendar. But it's a very short leap from such information to commercial promotion. A nearby cafe might pay for ad to appear every time the word "coffee" comes up in your chat.

The Emu buy is part of a much larger trend to monitor and thus profit from new chunks of people's lives. Foursquare just rolled out a new version that, by default, tracks your movements continuously, negating the need for a "check in" button. Google, meanwhile, isn't just interested in chats; the company has said that it may eventually show ads on internet-connected home devices, such as thermostats.

Emu fills a growing hole in Google's ad offerings. Google mines search terms and emails for advertising purposes, but not yet chats. As people shift their computing to smartphones and other mobile devices, chatting -- short, immediate, and part of phone culture for decades -- has become more popular.

Google's popular "Hangouts" app seems a perfect home for Emu's monitoring algorithms, particularly once the Emu chat service shuts down on August 25. The fit between Emu and Google looks even better when you consider that Emu co-founder and CEO Gummi Hafsteinsson spent five years at Google before founding Emu.

Google's Android mobile operating system could also benefit from the deal. Emu's technology could monitor not just Hangouts but also incoming text messages on Android phones and use the phone's full capabilities -- its calendar access, contact list, location data, and so forth -- to be even more helpful to users. Hafsteinsson designed such a system in his two years at Apple, when he was a manager on the Siri virtual iPhone assistant.

Though Emu could help Google smartphone users, it is also poised to further erode their privacy, putting one-on-one communication under centralised monitoring by a third party. Once upon a time, chats were considered too humdrum to deeply analyse, even if they were easy to intercept. Those days are gone.




Source : wired.co.uk

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Parrot Jumping Sumo leaps its way into stardom at CES 2014

Parrot has done it again, this time with their Jumping Sumo remote device. Unlike the civil drone, the Sumo rolls and tumbles, grabs as it leaps. It’s controlled via an app, and has a front facing camera for all kinds of shenanigans. For pure fun, the Jumping Sumo might take the cake at CES 2014.

It’s got two massive wheels on either side, which have a springy shock system of sorts. With something jumping around so much, you’re going to want a soft landing. The Jumping Sumo is made of a resilient plastic that felt more rubber than hard plastic. The team tells us it’s a special compound, which is made to withstand the impact naturally caused by big drops.

The front of the device has a menacing look, which was hard to grab in demonstration. With so much spinning and jumping, the Jumping Sumo was particularly hard to nail down. The front facing camera sits square in the middle, too, and relays back to the app, so you’re almost virtually driving it. A neat option that adds to the experience in a visceral way.

The rear “jumping” arm, which catapults the Sumo into the stratosphere, also has a grabbing mechanism, although that wasn’t on display. It’s mean tot fetch and retrieve, and the jumping capabilities only add depth to the trouble we can get into. And we will get into trouble, should we get our hands on one.

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'Twitter' for BlackBerry 10 Updated

Please read this important updated information about the latest release:

    Twitter version 10.2.2 has been removed from BlackBerry World due to user reported issues. We are actively investigating and will provide an update here when Twitter 10.2.2 has been reposted.

    If you have downloaded the 10.2.2 version and are experiencing issues please follow these steps to downgrade:

        On the home screen, hold the Twitter icon until the X appears. Press the X to delete the application.
        Open BlackBerry World.
        In BlackBerry World go to Settings by swiping down from the top of the screen.
        Select -> General -> Refresh BlackBerry World.
        Search for Twitter in BlackBerry World
        Install Twitter version 10.2.1

The Holidays are an important time for communicating. Whether you’re checking in with loved ones, or staying connected with friends around the globe, we’ve updated the Twitter app for BlackBerry 10 to make it that much better. Designed to be the best way to stay connected to Twitter on your BlackBerry 10 device, the Twitter app for BlackBerry 10 v10.2.2 comes packed with new features:

    Home Timeline Photo Preview – Tweets with Twitter photos let you be part of the moment. Image thumbnails are now displayed on the Home timeline for all pic.twitter.com images – just tap the image to reveal the full screen version.
    BBM™ Connected – If you love BBM and Twitter, you’ll love this update. Now Tweet and update your BBM™ status at the same time.
    Reply within Tweets – It’s now easier to reply to Tweets with a built-in Tweet composer that appears when you tap to see details of a Tweet.
    Improved Search – Now relevant accounts will appear in search after you enter your query.
    Report spam or abuse by clicking on the Tweet details screen.

This release also features performance improvements to help you access your content faster.

Be sure to download Twitter for BlackBerry 10 and let us know what you think in the comments.

Twitter version 10.2.2 is available globally for handsets running BlackBerry 10 version 10.0 or higher.
*Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for releases of new app versions to appear on BlackBerry World.






SOURCE: Blackberry

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Twitter adds private DM 'photos' and new swipeable mobile apps

Twitter has added support for private image sharing via direct message, in an update to the 140-character messaging service that also sees new, swipeable timelines in the mobile apps. The update, which is released for both the iOS and Android versions of the Twitter app, also brings direct messages further out into the open, adding a new tab in the navigation bar for the private communications.

There’s also support for faster navigation between it and the other existing tabs. Whereas before you had to tap to switch between them, now the Twitter app allows for swiping left and right through the columns instead.

Support for private images has been one of the more commonly requested updates for Twitter, since the service integrated its own photo sharing system. Previously, sending an image would upload it publicly; now, however, you can opt to share them without revealing a public copy.

However, not every third-party Twitter client is handling DM image sharing correctly, and we’ve seen reports of some being unable to open the links.

Some of the changes are platform-specific, depending on the capabilities of the individual OSes. For iOS, for instance, there’s now support for in-app notifications which pop up when you receive a DM, a favorite, a retweet, or a reply.

Meanwhile, on Android, there’s now support for mobile notifications from specific users. By starring individual profiles, you can be notified just about those people, not everybody else you might follow.

You can download the new versions of Twitter for iOS and Android from the App Store and Google Play respectively.




SOURCE: slashgear

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AVG PrivacyFix for Android app stops 'WiFi' location tracking with new feature

AVG is a company that has been 'making free and paid antivirus software for a number of years. The company also makes smartphone apps that are designed' to make mobile users more secure. AVG has announced a new update is available for its Android application called AVG PrivacyFix for Android.

PrivacyFix for Android is designed to allow users to adjust smartphone 'settings giving the ability to block WiFi access when they are 'mobile with their smartphone. With this setting when users are roaming their smartphone won’t try and connect to unknown WiFi networks, when the user returns home, or to another' location with a trusted network, WiFi connectivity works without' any interference from the user.

By blocking access to unknown and 'untrusted WiFi networks, the app prevents the smartphone from sharing' its MAC address. Blocking the MAC address foils any tracking systems that retailers might have in place that don’t require the user' to use in store WiFi.

The app is also designed to do other' things like inform you when you are going to share Facebook data with' apps that don’t provide privacy assurances. The app will also warn' you when the Facebook profiles' of friends or loved ones might be exposed. The app also has a complete privacy' dashboard available from multiple devices.




SOURCE: PrivacyFix

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Danalock smart lock ditches keys in favor of smartphone tech

When it comes to securing the door on your home or office, most of us use plain locks that require keys. If you aren’t a fan of having to fumble in the dark with keys, you might be interested in a new smart lock called the Danalock. The lock is designed to need no keys to unlock or lock the door.

All the user needs is their smartphone and the Danalock smartphone application. The lock requires no special installation with an install time of only 10 minutes according to the manufacturer. The Danalock is designed to fit onto existing deadbolts and mortise locks on any door.

The smart lock requires no custom wiring. Once installed, it connects to the smartphone application using Bluetooth Smart or Z-Wave. The smartphone application allows the user to lock or unlock the door with the press of a virtual button. The app also allows the user to send virtual keys to other people who are running the smartphone app.

With those virtual keys, you can let friends or family into your home without giving them a physical key. One of the coolest features of the lock is that it can be set to sense when the homeowner approaches and automatically unlock the door. It can also be set to lock the door again once the person is inside their home automatically. There are two versions of the lock with one supporting Bluetooth Smart and the Z-Wave version designed to integrate into existing smartphone systems. The lock comes in square or round versions and is available now for $99. There are no monthly fees to use the lock.




SOURCE :  slashgear
SOURCE: Poly-control

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