Yesterday’s Google Doodle of the Moog synthesizer in honor of Robert Moog had a lot of people creating bad synthetic music. This guy, Brett Domino, did something much better: Covering Daft Punk.

Sure this guy was able to create very competent music using an HTML 5 music ]]>

Yesterday’s Google Doodle of the Moog synthesizer in honor of Robert Moog had a lot of people creating bad synthetic music. This guy, Brett Domino, did something much better: Covering Daft Punk.

Sure this guy was able to create very competent music using an HTML 5 music creation device. But was he able to bang on the fake Moog synthesizer like a child or moderately advanced chimp might, as I did for 30 seconds? Doubtful. Very doubtful.

We know it’s hard to believe that Apple would ever ditch a product most of its userbase knows and loves simply because the company making it dared to challenge them elsewhere. And yet, it’s happening: Apple is dumping Google Maps come the next iOS, iOS 6. Which means the new ]]>

We know it’s hard to believe that Apple would ever ditch a product most of its userbase knows and loves simply because the company making it dared to challenge them elsewhere. And yet, it’s happening: Apple is dumping Google Maps come the next iOS, iOS 6. Which means the new iPhone isn’t going to have it, although current ones will still if they’re not updated.

So what does this mean for you? And what will be used in its place?

First, the replacement: Apple, needless to say, isn’t ditching giving you detailed maps. It just has its own in-house maps system now. Apple’s been building this for a while, buying companies and testing products, but this is the first word we’ve seen they’re following through on that threat.

It does mean that there won’t be a “Street View” option, but rumor is that there will be 3D representations available on your iPhone.

For you the end user, though, as far as getting around, you probably won’t notice the difference. Mostly what it means is that if you’ve got a lot of material on Google, it might be time to consider dumping the iPhone altogether. If Apple is ditching Google Maps, frankly, the rest of Google’s products are going to get shoved off the phone sooner rather than later, making it hard to fully integrate your life on your phone.

Still, it’s not like we weren’t expecting this one. It is Apple, after all.

What To Expect From The New Maps App on iOS6 [Wired]

Self-driving cars sound cool, but they can have some drawbacks. Like, if you get in a collision, and the car’s driving, are you still liable for the damage? Also, when robots inevitably achieve self-awareness, will the robot car kill you by crashing, or just lock you in and let you ]]>

Self-driving cars sound cool, but they can have some drawbacks. Like, if you get in a collision, and the car’s driving, are you still liable for the damage? Also, when robots inevitably achieve self-awareness, will the robot car kill you by crashing, or just lock you in and let you dehydrate to death?

Either way, Google has spent years and millions developing self-driving cars. And, in fact, their self-driving cars are pretty good. But it doesn’t want to get into the car manufacturing business, which is why it’s trying to pitch itself to Detroit.

The problem is this: Google’s hardware needs more testing. They’ve already taken it nearly 150,000 miles, but it needs to be tested in more conditions and in more states to make sure everything is up to snuff.

Don’t expect to be pulling a Michael Knight behind KITT’s wheel any time soon: the self-driving setup requires lots of expensive sensors, like LIDAR range finders. But, sooner rather than later, expect your city to have self-driving buses. All we ask is that they have missile launchers to take out that jerk who parks in the bus stop, forcing a little old lady to walk into the street to get on the bus. Or maybe you could weld iron spikes to the front, and the bus could just crash into it! OK, so it’ll inevitably backfire on humanity, but watching a robot bus destroy some douche’s Porsche would be hilarious.

Google Pitches Self-Driving Cars [Wall Street Journal]

Well, Google announced its latest product that may or may not take over your life: Google Drive.

Do you need it? Well, that really depends: do you need any online cloud storage? And if you already have online cloud storage, will you need more of it? And ]]>

Well, Google announced its latest product that may or may not take over your life: Google Drive.

Do you need it? Well, that really depends: do you need any online cloud storage? And if you already have online cloud storage, will you need more of it? And how much?

First things first, if I said “online cloud storage” and you said “what?”…you probably don’t need it. It’s just a way of storing various files on the Internet for later retrieval; it’s popular among people who, say, need to back up work documents and files, and nerds who like to keep stuff at hand no matter what.

Google Drive is essentially neither better nor worse than the other cloud storage services. Well, aside from iCloud. iCloud blows. But we’ll get into that at a later date.

Mostly, it’ll be useful for people who already use Google’s services, like GMail and Google Docs. The key drawback is that it’s not designed around photos, but rather collaborative documents, so it’s really more about work than your personal life.

But, hey, if you need storage, it’ll do, and 5GB are free.

Drive [Google]

After all of the excitement around Google’s Project Glass spec video being released, the news just won’t stop coming. Today, a picture was released of what Google co-founder Sergey Brin looks like in a prototype.

It’s like being from a not-too-distant but completely ]]>

After all of the excitement around Google’s Project Glass spec video being released, the news just won’t stop coming. Today, a picture was released of what Google co-founder Sergey Brin looks like in a prototype.

It’s like being from a not-too-distant but completely unstylish future. I’m surprised they were able to get Levar Burton’s costume designer from Star Trek: The Next Generation for the project.

It’s unclear if the lack of shame and vague resemblance to Nick Kroll come with the package or as an added accessory.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin spotted wearing Project Glass prototype IRL [Engadget]

Yesterday’s video of Google Project Glass helped people envision a world where everything could be accessed through glasses. This parody is much closer to how it’d be.

No offense to the glasses wearers out there, but I’ve worked my whole life to not wear ]]>

Yesterday’s video of Google Project Glass helped people envision a world where everything could be accessed through glasses. This parody is much closer to how it’d be.

No offense to the glasses wearers out there, but I’ve worked my whole life to not wear glasses. Pounding carrots, pretending I meant to walk into a particular wall. So sorry, Project Glass, but I’m not exactly dying for your invasive and nerdy solution. Take that, billion dollar company with brilliant ideas.

This ad-laden parody is also solid and probably not far off base either.

I personally believe no one has it worst than gamers on April 1. When they themselves make unfunny “jokes” it’s one thing, but when websites and publishers try to get in on the yucks, it’s ALWAYS fifty times worse. But there’s always at least one gag that wasn’t so ]]>

I personally believe no one has it worst than gamers on April 1. When they themselves make unfunny “jokes” it’s one thing, but when websites and publishers try to get in on the yucks, it’s ALWAYS fifty times worse. But there’s always at least one gag that wasn’t so bad, and this year the Google April Fools joke was actually pretty good.

Never mind how Google of all people was able to top the efforts of major, actual game centric folks (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, especially friends). Their idea of an 8bit Google Maps, especially how it works in the video above, is simply awesome and something that I wish was real.

And maybe it was? I was out all this weekend and wasn’t able to test it myself (seems fairly simply to execute, in my humble opinion). At any rate, I can’t find any quest button on my normal Google Maps, but I did find this link that gives everything an 8bit makeover, just sans the adventuring aspects.

Want to make a hundred bucks, and an extra $20, every month? Don’t care that Google employees will learn all about your porn habits? Just want to put a dollar value on your privacy?

Welcome to Google’s Screenwise program, the kind of creepy Internet monitoring that’s ]]>

Want to make a hundred bucks, and an extra $20, every month? Don’t care that Google employees will learn all about your porn habits? Just want to put a dollar value on your privacy?

Welcome to Google’s Screenwise program, the kind of creepy Internet monitoring that’s 100% voluntary and we’re fairly sure isn’t going to last for a year, because there are only so many visits to RedTube they’re willing to log.

The program is, of course, completely voluntary, and comes in two flavors: peeping in your windows and staring at you over surveillance cameras.

OK, OK, the first part of the program simply requires you to download a browser extension, and it nets you a $5 Amazon gift card and more money every three months.

The second, which actually pays some real cash, involves actually installing a Screenwise Panel into your home network to track everything you do on the web. For that, you get $100 up front and $20 a month until you can’t take it any more or the program ends.

Personally, we’re wondering if this is a good idea simply because the vast majority of users will either change their clicking habits, or the normal people on the Internet trolling forums of TV shows they hate and looking at Sasha Grey videos won’t sign up for this. It’ll just be nerds, grandmas, and the shameless.

Although come to think of it, that’s a pretty good cross-section of the Internet.

Screenwise [Google]

But this time, they’re going the 8bit route.

Not sure if everyone has been keeping track, but every new flagship Android device that Google releases has been accompanied by YouTube shenanigans featuring ninjas. Here’s the very first one, for the Nexus One, which I still think is the sexiest ]]>

But this time, they’re going the 8bit route.

Not sure if everyone has been keeping track, but every new flagship Android device that Google releases has been accompanied by YouTube shenanigans featuring ninjas. Here’s the very first one, for the Nexus One, which I still think is the sexiest looking Google phone to date (as well as the best looking handset that HTC has produced period)…

And then for the Nexus S (again, lol at Samsung for refusing to allowing their device to be called the Nexus Two), you had this fourth wall breaking effort that I unfortunately cannot embed for technical reasons. And most recently, for the just launched Galaxy Nexus is this…

It’s an actual game that you can play, via YouTube. And it’s not half bad! As far as these kinds of things go, it’s actually pretty decent. It definitely has that old-school, NES vibe (you’ll definitely be reminded of TMNT and Battletoads).

But it also plays pretty damn well to boot; virtually every other effort of its kind always falls short in the playability department. Punching and kicking is crisp, as is grabbing and tossing foes aside as well. It’s hardly deep, but its three levels will keep you entertained. For those wanting more, there’s a free Android app that seriously picks up right where the YouTube version leaves off.

BTW, been working on an iPhone vs. Android piece for a while now; unfortunately, the Android phone I’m using is no longer the hottest Google phone on the block, but given the rapid fire pace in which such devices are released, I guess it can’t be helped. Look for it by the end of the week!

Yeah, yeah, we know, you never spend any time on Google+. You’ve got Facebook. But Google keeps adding features to it, and Google Hangouts, which are basically Skype, but free, are actually pretty handy for work teleconferencing and other, actually fun, pursuits.

And now you can add “prank calls” to ]]>

Yeah, yeah, we know, you never spend any time on Google+. You’ve got Facebook. But Google keeps adding features to it, and Google Hangouts, which are basically Skype, but free, are actually pretty handy for work teleconferencing and other, actually fun, pursuits.

And now you can add “prank calls” to that list, because Google Hangouts is officially the Internet’s payphone. Except they’re free.

Well, any number in the United States and Canada are free; international calls aren’t supported yet. But if you want to call a friend from a Hangout in Hangouts With Extras, or that one convenience store where you’re convinced the dude will eventually have a stroke on the phone, you click “Invite”, then click the Phone tab, punch in the phone number, and then Google handles the rest.

We see this technology serving some incredible roles in our future. Now, which name do we use first, Hugh Jass or Mike Hunt?

A New Extra for Hangouts With Extras [Google]

The latest rage in tech is “mobile payments”, a fancy term for being able to wave your credit card over some scanner and pay that way instead of swiping a card, because swiping is so incredibly difficult. Google’s got Google Wallet, which wants you to pay with your cellphone, and ]]>

The latest rage in tech is “mobile payments”, a fancy term for being able to wave your credit card over some scanner and pay that way instead of swiping a card, because swiping is so incredibly difficult. Google’s got Google Wallet, which wants you to pay with your cellphone, and now Intel wants to install similar technology on your next laptop. Why? Uh, because it’s cool?

To make it work you need three things: a credit card, cell phone, or other item with an NFC (near-field communication) chip, an NFC reader keyed to your specific cards, and your shiny new Ultrabook laptop. You see something you want on the Internet (no, you cannot buy a swimsuit model), and click “Pay with PayPass”. You scan your card, and it creates a six digit code, which is then encrypted. The site in question uses its normal encryption methods, and you just go about your business, cold buying stuff.

Why, exactly, do we need this? Well, supposedly it offers more protection than your average heavily encrypted website, but it also allows you to use, say, NFC solutions offered by MasterCard’s payment partners (read: Google Wallet) on your computer with minimal trouble. Because we need methods to spend more money more quickly on the Internet, guys. That was absolutely crucial.

Intel and MasterCard to offer Ultrabook users ‘safer’ NFC checkout via PayPass [Engadget]

Google, currently the high overlord of your email, your search, and your cuddly kitten video clips, is looking to expand into not just being on the Internet, but actually connecting wires to people’s houses and sending them TV content. And the big cable companies are not happy about the idea. ]]>

Google, currently the high overlord of your email, your search, and your cuddly kitten video clips, is looking to expand into not just being on the Internet, but actually connecting wires to people’s houses and sending them TV content. And the big cable companies are not happy about the idea. But will it actually take off?

For now, it’s only being tested in one area, Kansas City, but Google is aggressively looking into it. And with reason: TV is the next big frontier of technology.

Why? The short answer is that your cable bill will never go down: cable companies are charged retransmission fees by networks, and they pass that cost onto you, along with whatever they please since federal rules give many of them a monopoly on areas for cable TV. The net result? Cable companies are starting to lose subscribers, as people in cities realize that they can get the same reruns off of Netflix Streaming for eight bucks and people without jobs realize they can do without seeing “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”.

The big roadblock has been that companies that strung the cable pretty much get total control of it. So, Google is just stringing its own cable.

Oh, and this isn’t even including Apple’s supposed new Internet TV, or the work Google has been doing elsewhere, OR the work Google’s been doing in online video, OR Amazon’s attempt to get every single episode of every single TV show up on their site digitally for two bucks a pop.

One thing is for sure: if you want to ditch cable, tech companies are welcoming you with open arms.

Google Ponders Pay-TV Business [Wall Street Journal]

Online music sales and music cloud services are the new fashion accessory for tech companies lately. Best Buy tried to turn Napster into a replacement for pushing overpriced CDs on you. Amazon has been cutting prices left and right and trying to get you to use Cloud ]]>

Online music sales and music cloud services are the new fashion accessory for tech companies lately. Best Buy tried to turn Napster into a replacement for pushing overpriced CDs on you. Amazon has been cutting prices left and right and trying to get you to use Cloud Player. And Apple became the highest-valued company in the world on the backs of the iPod and iTunes store, with the iCloud rushing up. Now, Google is getting into the fray…and giving it “a little twist”.

Right now, Google Music is pretty limited: you can upload a bunch of your songs (about 20,000) and use it as a locker. The music will stream to anything that plays Flash, and of course Android machines. If that sounds familiar, that’s because Amazon’s cloud player does a similar job. The one upside is that Google Music imports your playlists and lets you make new ones, something Amazon doesn’t have (yet).

There was a lot of speculation about Google Music when it launched. It’s kind of pointless to run a cloud service if you’re not going to sell people music. Even Google’s mighty ad power can’t made streaming lots of data for free or cheap profitable. But Google, having a pretty rough relationship with pretty much any company, was having real trouble getting the music companies to play ball and nobody was sure if they’d actually have a store or if they’d be taking Google Music out back with Pa’s shotgun this time next year.

Apparently, that’s done with: Andy Rubin, one of Google’s senior vice presidents, mentioned at a conference yesterday that Google was close to ironing out a deal and that their music store would include “a little twist.”

What, precisely, that little twist is, though, is up for debate. This is the music industry we’re talking about, so it’s probably nothing quite as exciting as, say, letting you burn a CD directly from the cloud. Maybe you get a free t-shirt?

Google’s ‘very close’ to launching a digital download store with ‘a little twist’ [Engadget]

Yesterday, Google offered up its latest version of the Android phone system, Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition to making legions of bloggers make truly awful puns about unwrapping it and how tasty it was (wait, what did I just say?), we also got a detailed look at ]]>

Yesterday, Google offered up its latest version of the Android phone system, Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition to making legions of bloggers make truly awful puns about unwrapping it and how tasty it was (wait, what did I just say?), we also got a detailed look at what will be changed and updated once 4.0 rolls out next year. Basically, everything’s become easier to use…but some improvements are more necessary than others. We’ve ranked them from useful to neat to big whoop. So what made the cut?

Useful:
• Notifications can be seen without you having to unlock your phone, which is handy if you’re fumbling to get your phone out every time you get a text message.
• The keyboard, already rock solid, has been improved massively. The targeting has been overhauled to allow more precision, the suggestions bar has been streamlined, and there’s inline spell check.
• Speech-to-text is now word-for-word: no more dictating a sentence like “This stupid phone won’t recognize speech” and getting back, “Tis hoop did bone wrecked a nice beach.”
• If you use Chrome, your bookmarks automatically sync on your phone. If you don’t, Google hates you.
• The camera takes pictures instantly: no five-second wait for the flash to go off or the shutter to click.
• You can send somebody a form text message with one swipe, so if you get a call while you’re busy, you can politely beg off without stopping what you’re doing.
• A data tracking tool that actually breaks out which apps use the most data, which means you can figure out why you’re blowing past your cap constantly.
• Copy and paste has been overhauled: finally you can just highlight and drag around text if you need to.

Neat:

• Lots and lots of NFC (near field communications) features are available, the problem being NFC is still pretty new to phones, and a lot of it is stuff phones already do. Sorry, Google, not impressive that you have to use a custom chip to share info. iPhones do that by fist-bumping.
• The camera has a “panorama” mode: fire it up, wave it left to right or up and down, and it puts together a huge picture for you. Which we predict 99% of Android users will use precisely once, but it’s still cool.
• Gestures have been cleaned up and made simpler, although we’re kind of wondering just how much simpler you can make them. Still, it’s nice that it’s been made a bit more useable.
• Folders are easier to create; just stack stuff together. Still, how many folders do most people have on their phone?

Big Whoop:

• You can take a screenshot of your phone now. You know, because that’ll be useful.
• The lock screen now can use facial recognition software. Apparently, swiping your finger across a screen was so agonizingly difficult and hard to understand that Google just decided to give a “Ya FACE!” option to unlock your phone. Sure, it’s cool, but was this really a problem that needed solving?
• The default typeface has changed to something called ‘Roboto’, so every font nerd will be yelling about it for months.

In short, the overhaul makes 4.0 look pretty good. You’ll be able to get your hands on it early next year.

The Best New Features In Android 4.0 [Gizmodo]