Archive for the ‘google’ Category

Gadget Lab Podcast: Droid 2, Voice Search and Carrier-Humping Surrender Monkeys

For a quick download on the top tech stories of the week, check out the latest Gadget Lab podcast — just 12 minutes long this week, yet packed with everything you need to know.

In this week’s podcast, we give you a hands-on look at the BlackBerry Torch that was introduced last week. We finally got our hands on one, posted our review of the Torch, and show you how it looks in the podcast video.

Also this week, Motorola announced its new Droid 2, which looks a lot like the old Droid. We’ve got one of these, too, and we show off its main differences in the video.

In other Android news, Google announced enhancements to Android Voice Search, so you can now use it to compose e-mail messages, text messages, search for music and more.

Special guest Ryan Singel, from Wired.com’s Epicenter and Threat Level blogs, joins us to explain the biggest tech story of the week: How Google turned into a carrier-humping net neutrality surrender monkey.

And finally, we take a quick look at the $80 Looftlighter. I was excited to test this out because the publicist said it was a “flamethrower.” In fact, it’s more like an outsized curling iron. We haven’t tested it for its intended purpose yet (starting charcoal grills and fireplace fires) but we do apply it to a business card in the studio, with disappointing results.

If anyone wants to send me a real flamethrower to test out, I’d be eager to hear from you.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our smiling faces, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to it here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast #85

See Also:

Follow us for real-time tech news: Dylan Tweney and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

Posted: August 13th, 2010
at 7:00pm by Dylan F. Tweney

Topics: Android, Gadget Lab Podcasts, Looftlighter, Motorola, blackberry, droid, flamethrowers, google, podcast

Google Search Will Cease to Exist in China By Friday [Google]

Click here to read Google Search Will Cease to Exist in China By Friday

As a result of Google standing up to cafeteria-manager China, demanding they serve pie every day of the week, China’s revoked their Internet Content Provider license, meaning in 24 – 48 hours the Chinese people can’t access Google at all. More »

Google – China – search – search engine – HongKong

Posted: June 30th, 2010
at 6:58am by Kat Hannaford

Topics: Censorship, Government, Search, Search Engine, china, chinese, google, google china, hong kong, search results

Firefox for Mobile (Fennec) escapes in a rough Android port

It’s slow, jerky, and may not even work on your Android device after installing the 41MB package. But it’s FireFox for Mobile (aka, Fennec) on Android, brother, and isn’t that worth the hassle? Based on our experience with it on the N900, the only gold platform at the moment, it most definintely is. MartinSchirr of Android Forums is credited with the port and it’s your best option until the cats at Mozilla issues a formal Android release (currently in Pre-Alpha) later this year as expected. Check the video after the break if you want to experience it right now, mess free.

[Thanks, Will]

Continue reading Firefox for Mobile (Fennec) escapes in a rough Android port

Firefox for Mobile (Fennec) escapes in a rough Android port originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink XDA-Developers | source Android Forums | Email this | Comments

Posted: March 31st, 2010
at 7:01am by Thomas Ricker

Topics: Android, FirefoxForMobile, beta, browser, fennec, firefox, firefox for mobile, google, hack, port

This Is How Google Voice Will Ruin Your Relationships [Google]

Long ago, someone wrote about how Google is out to control your dog and marry your wife. I don’t know how right he was about all that, but I certainly know that Google Voice is out to ruin relationships.

You see, reader Pascal wrote us about a recent experience he had with Google Voice’s transcription feature:

I recently set up Google Voice on my wife’s new Nexus One, and today I was leaving work late and left her a voice mail whilst there was some background noise in the rain admittedly.
My message was supposed to be something like ” Hey babe, I’ve just left work, its about 7:15. I’ll see you at home. Bye. “

Pictured above is what his wife saw as a result of a voice transcription mangling. It reads like a dirty confession about Pascal’s upbringing, drinking habits, and age.

Of course I’m exaggerating about something like this ruining a relationship, but it could certainly create some temporary confusion. Especially if you call your girl to tell her about the “trucking stunt” you saw earlier in the day. [Thanks, Pascal!]

Posted: February 24th, 2010
at 5:00am by Rosa Golijan

Topics: Broken, Google Voice, Google voice transcription, VoiceMail, google, telephone, transcription, voicemail transcription

Google Nexus One Gets Extensive Interface Walkthrough [Nexus One]

We’ve seen its startup before, and those brave souls who’ve installed 2.1 on the Droid have shown us what the next Android version looks like, but this video shows the Nexus One’s interface in more detail than we’ve seen yet.

Sure, it’s very much the same as most Android 2.0 devices like Droid. But there are some changes—I like the replacement of the app tray with that home icon. Check it out for some French Nexus Un action (it’s gratuit). [Android Guys]