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Google Maps gets a localized version for India

Whether you're just traveling to the next city to visit a friend or taking a vacation in New Delhi, Google Maps has got your location needs covered. Today, Google has announced Google Maps in Hindi, the latest fruit of its efforts to break down the barriers that keep people apart, whether it be physical location or language differences.



As part of its mission to collect the world's knowledge, Google has been working to make that knowledge more accessible to many people, even if they don't speak English. While its translation technology is already at work in throwing text, whether written, spoken or even in images, back and forth between languages, not all of its products have been localized equally. Today, Google Maps joins the list of apps and services that can offer its information in a different tongue, in this case, the Hindi Language.


The translated Google Maps will be available in the latest web browser version as well as in the updated Maps app on Android, but only for those running Android 4.3 and later. Unlike Google's other translation services, however, users will only be able to switch to Hindi text by changing their preferred language settings. On web browsers, users can either change their Google Account's language preference for a more Google-wide effect, or simply visit google.co.in, select Hindi in the available languages, and then browse maps.google.co.in. On Android, you will have to select Hindi under the Language and Input settings.


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This localized version of Google Maps for India will be of help to both locals, who will appreciate a service catering to their own culture, as well as to foreigners, who will find it easier to communicate with native speakers. That said, Google acknowledges that languages are dynamic and nuanced and that their translations might not always reflect local dialects or might sometimes even be wrong. To that end, Google is encouraging native speakers to submit bug reports should they see any mistake or know of better translations so that Google can make sure that it is providing a map service that is not only accurate but also fun and easy to use.


SOURCE: Google





Galaxy S5 ad mocks Apple’s rumoured bigger iPhone screen

In continuing with its tradition of pulling no punches when mocking its competition, Samsung’s newly-released ad for their Galaxy S5 has once again chosen rival Apple to receive its barbs. The ad entitled “Screen Envy” pokes fun at the rumoured bigger screen of the upcoming new iPhone, and saying that Samsung users have had their bigger screen devices for the past two years.



The ad shows two men, one using an iPhone 5s and the other one a Galaxy S5. The iPhone user mentions that the rumours about the soon to be launched "iPhone 6” or “iPhone Air” for some, will have a bigger screen. The Samsung owner smirks and asks, “That hasn’t happened yet?” and then shows off his Galaxy S5's bigger screen and puts it next to the iPhone. The voice over says the big screen “has been here the whole time,” but also takes a dig at iPhone users, saying “But maybe you like waiting.”




Rumors swirling about over the next-gen hardware for Apple puts the new iPhones to be at a 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. The Galaxy S5, with its 5.1-inch screen is somewhere in between those two, but there are also other Samsung devices with bigger screens, like the Galaxy Note 3 (5.7-inches), Galaxy Mega 6.3 (6.3-inches) and the Korea-only Galaxy W, a 7-inch tablet phone (or phablet).


This is of course not the first time that Samsung has bragged about its advantages over Apple, albeit in humorous ways. Their previous Galaxy S5 ad called “Wall Huggers” took potshots at the notoriously fast-draining batteries of the iPhones. They portrayed the iPhone users as wall huggers, since they are always glued to walls with power outlets, charging their gadgets, while looking on with envy at Galaxy S5 users who have all the freedom to walk around, especially with its Ultra Power Saving mode.





Pyrus on Android Wear leaves no excuse to miss tasks

Even in this digital age, where people almost have their faces glued to their smartphone or tablet screens, it is still possible, or even convenient, to miss a pending task notification or email. Smartwatches, however, can now make sure that you are always up to date and up to task with notifications, and collaborative task management Pyrus is the first app of its kind to jump into the Android Wear scene.



Todo apps, even collaborative ones, are aplenty on Android. Pyrus, however, prides itself in scalability, being able to handle a group of two up to, and this might sound almost too good to believe, 7,000 people all at once. Pyrus also specializes in workflows that involve approving documents, proposals, budgets, ideas, and whatnot, even including features such as browsing the revision history of a document to see what has changed and what needs to be approved or rejected. Unsurprisingly, Pyrus has a mobile presence on all major platforms, including Windows Phone, but now it is extending its reach from your hand to your wrist.


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Given the relative youth of the platform, Pyrus boldly claims to be the first productivity-focused app on Android Wear, at least if you exclude the platform's integration with Google's own Calendar, Tasks, and (Google Now) Reminders services, or even Wunderlist and Trello. We can concede that Pyrus is the first collaborative app on Android Wear that lets you respond, approve or reject, and complete tasks right on your watch. New tasks that arrive on your Pyrus inbox are sent over to your LG G Watch or Samsung Gear Live as the usual Android Wear notification. What you do with that notification depends on how you want to proceed with the task. If you want to delay it for later, simply swipe it away. You can view the full content of the task right from your watch or, if you have the time and space, open it up on your paired smartphone directly. If the task is something that needs approval, you can do so right then and there, presuming you already know what you're approving or rejecting. And finally, if the task requires a response, you can send a reply. Given that Android Wear does not favor keyboards in any form, you will be required to dictate your reply, which may be awkward in certain situations.




The Pyrus app, both on Android and, as of today, on Android Wear, is available for free on Google Play Store. However, the service itself is offered in tiers. For a maximum of 12 users, you can get access to Pyrus' features, including 100 GB of storage, for free. More than that, you will need cough up a monthly fee, starting at $50 for 15 users tops. Although Pyrus' time in the spotlight will most likely be short-lived now that the cat is out of the bag, it will remain a shining example of the hopefully productive things you can accomplish when Android Wear's got your back, or to be precise, your wrist.


First batch of NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet games revealed

NVIDIA is trying to make waves in the mobile gaming industry again by announcing the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet today. Although being an Android device, it has access to the entire treasury of Android games on Google Play Store and elsewhere, nothing says "high profile gaming device" than a portfolio made exclusively or at the very least optimized for this gaming tablet.



NVIDIA is announcing, as well as pre-announcing, a bunch of games that it says have been reworked to take full advantage of the Tegra K1 processor running in the SHIELD Tablet as well as add support for the SHIELD Controller, an optional accessory sold separately. Of these pioneers, Trine 2, originally a PC game, bears mentioning as the only one that is exclusively available for this new NVIDIA Tablet and nowhere else, even if it is actually up on Google Play Store instead of just on NVIDIA's TegraZone listing. Of course, Half-Life 2 and Portal, which are also included in the list, are also NVIDIA exclusives, but they are also available on the older NVIDIA SHIELD, now called the SHIELD Portable, running on a Tegra 4 CPU.


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War Thunder is an interesting member of the roster, as it is one that is available on multiple platforms, such as PC, PlayStation 4, OS X, and even Linux. This World War II-themed MMO combat game will be coming this Fall on Google Play Store, though it is not yet known whether it will be exclusive to NVIDIA as well. Other games that are also voyaging from plain Android into the SHIELD realm are Pure Chess, Rochard, Anomaly 2, Flyhunter, Origins, Dungeon Defenders Eternity, and Chuck's Challenge 3D: Reloaded, all arriving July 29. A completely new game is the first person puzzle game The Talos Principle, also available on Steam, which will still be coming sometime in Fall.




Many of these games don't exactly come for free. Trine 2, for example, costs $16.99, while both Portal and Half-Life 2 cost $9.99 each. Add that to the $299 and $59 price tags of the SHIELD Tablet and Controller, respectively, you pretty much have the makings of a gaming device that could rival the likes of the PS Vita, not just in gaming but in business model as well.


SOURCE: NVIDIA





Twitch.tv app gets a facelift and expanded search

Numerous games are in line both for PC and consoles and even more are coming as we slowly approach the gaming season. And what better way to watch other people play those games you wish you could play than through Twitch.tv. Fortunately, they have just updated their Android app to make living vicariously an even better experience.



For those who are already frequent users of the app, they might notice a subtle yet effective change in this update. Twitch has happily updated the app's design to make it match common Android stylistic conventions. Even better, the app's is now also optimized for tablets so that you won't feel like you're using a smartphone app magnified for a 7 or 10-inch screen.


But more than just the visual changes, the new functionality of the Twitch app also bears noting. Previously, you could only search for Channels. Now however, there are tabs for searching for People as well as for Games. One curious detail though, it seems that these are separated into tabs so you'll have to tab to each one in order to get the specific type of results, instead of everything being displayed in one page sorted according to the type. But once you've found that channel you want, the fun can begin. You can, for one, try to find out more about the broadcaster via the fancy new Broadcaster Profile page. And now you can even chat with people of the same feather even when the broadcaster is offline.




The updated Twitch app is up on Google Play Store and available for free. It seems that, despite these new features, some users are still clamoring for direct Chromecast support. That said, if you really want your Twitch feed up on your TV, you have other options available, like using Koush's AllCast app, which gained that feature just last May, or via Chromecast's screen mirroring feature, if it works with the Twitch app at all.


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Download: Twitch on Google Play Store


LG G3 now has special game for its QuickCircle case

Now that US carriers have started shipping LG’s new flagship G3 and it will mostly be available in retail stores within this week, LG has now released a new quick and fun game, and you don’t even need to open your phone case to play it. But you can only play it of course if you’re using the unique QuickCircle case that is made exclusively for the LG G3.



Puppy Pop is just like your typical match-three puzzle game. You get points when you draw lines through three or more of the same puppies until the designated time runs out. You can compete with friends and boast of your high scores if you want to, on your preferred social network. But instead of playing it normally on your phone, it was created specifically for the LG G3’s QuickCircle case, so you can play the game on the circle window so no need to actually open the case. It’s perfect for when you’re on a bus or train or waiting at a bank and you can’t afford to open your mobile phone’s case.


This is the first game that has been created specifically for QuickCircle, and is part of LG’s promise that developers will be free to create apps and functions that will be custom made for users with the case. Unlike other similar cases like Samsung’s S-View case or LG’s own QuickWindow case for the LG G2, QuickCircle is different as the window is, you guessed it, a circle. It looks a bit similar in size (and shape) to the upcoming Moto 360, the first smartwatch that has a round face.


Aside from playing Puppy Pop of course, you can also view messages, take and send calls (but only for numbers that are in the call log already), take photos, control your music playback and also get health stats. The QuickCircle case can also be used with LG’s wireless charging dock. Expect more apps and games to be developed, if this unique LG G3 (and the phone itself) catches on. Puppy Pop will be available at the Google Play Store starting July 23.


SOURCE: LG





LINE now lets you send and receive “hidden chat”

Messaging app LINE has now also joined the ephemeral message bandwagon as it released the “hidden chat” function in its latest update. The feature now lets users send and receive messages that will be displayed in a hidden chat, for a set limited amount of time only and once the messages have been viewed, it will be deleted not just from the app but as well as from the LINE server.



While the chat is indeed hidden and private, how to use it is not that complicated. Simply open a normal chat with the person you need to message. Once the window is open, you just need to choose the “Hidden Chat” option which is at the menu bar. The default timer for any message or image you send is 1 minute, but can be immediately changed from the menu at the top of the screen to 2,5, or 10 seconds, 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week. The recipient will receive a normal chat room window once you send it, and can only view it once they tap on the “Hidden Message” icon. Once they have viewed the message, the set timer for the content will automatically start, and the message will be deleted once the timer runs out.


However, there are some restrictions on the “Hidden Chat” feature. It cannot be used in group or multi-person chats. Also, you can only send text, contact info, location info, images and stickers. Video, voice messages, snap movies, albums and notes cannot be used to send these hidden messages as of yet. If the recipient hasn’t yet opened the message, it will only be stored on LINE’s servers for two weeks and after that, will be automatically deleted.


LINE is just the latest messaging app that has followed the way of Snapchat, which is probably the first one to use a set timer for received messages. The need for actual privacy in the private messaging world is something that developers are taking note, hence the updates on other apps like WeChat and the emergence of other apps like Wiper, which claims total privacy compared to others.


If you're not on LINE yet, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store.


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SOURCE: LINE





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