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Google Chromecast listed on PC World and Currys for £30, pointing to imminent UK launch

Mar18
by on March 18, 2014 at 5:37 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

It looks like Google Chromecast will soon be available in the UK. Retailers PC World and Currys have started listing the tiny streaming dongle on their respective online stores for £30. At the time of writing, Currys is listing Chromecast as “out of stock” and PC World is offering it only as a product that can be collected in-store. Home deliveries are currently unavailable on both sites, although if recent rumors are anything to go by, that’s likely to change fairly soon. At SXSW, Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Android, Chrome and Google Apps, said Chromecast would be coming…

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Skype updates Android app with promise it will no longer drain your battery

Mar18
by on March 18, 2014 at 5:26 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Mobile

Skype today updated its Android app with major battery life improvements. You can download the new version now directly from Google Play. The Microsoft-owned company promises that Skype for Android users can now leave the app running on their device “all day without negatively affecting battery life.” Skype 4.7 for Android also includes the following fixes: Workaround for the KitKat bug which caused a runaway process when the camera was synced in the background. Fix for audio and video calling on tablets that do not have Bluetooth. Now lists your Windows Live Messenger contacts in the Skype (default) view, not…

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The opposite of surge pricing: Lyft launches ‘Happy Hour’ for cheaper rides at quiet times

Mar18
by on March 18, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Updates

Ride-sharing service Lyft has been updated to offer users a new Happy Hour feature that promises to cut the cost of the price of journeys at quiet times. Announced today by the company, the Happy Hour option isn’t tied to specific hours of the day and is instead active “during slower times on the road”, according to a blog post. During these quieter times, the cost of a ride will be reduced by between 10 percent and 50 percent with the idea being that a higher volume of lower-cost lifts could actually net drivers more money. For example, “a driver…

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LG announces the G Watch, an Android Wear smartwatch built in ‘close collaboration’ with Google

Mar18
by on March 18, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets

Following the unveiling of Google’s Android Wear platform for wearables earlier today, LG has announced the G Watch, an upcoming smartwatch “developed in close collaboration” with Google. The device is scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of 2014. Similar to the Nexus devices that LG worked on with Google in the past, LG is acting as a “lead partner” on one of the first examples of the Android Wear program. Motorola also announced a smartwatch – the Moto 360 – on Tuesday. ➤ LG G Watch announcement

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Motorola unveils the Moto 360, its first smartwatch running Google’s new Android Wear platform

Mar18
by on March 18, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets

Moto 360 Cafe
Google unveiled its Android Wear platform today for wearables and already it has a host of hardware partners pledging their allegiance. One of the most notable is Motorola, who revealed its first smartwatch today running the new operating system. It’s called Moto 360, and it’s quite the looker. It has a classic, circular watchface that appears to be made of metal and has been shown in promo images with either a metal or leather strap. Motorola says it will be available globally “in a variety of styles” this summer, starting in the US. The device will run Android Wear, which Google…

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