Google Announces YouTube Gaming, A Twitch Like Streaming Service

Google today announced YouTube Gaming, a service that will go live later this year allowing gamers to watch and stream content both on mobile and the Web. More details on Big G’s new service can be found right here.
The world of watching people live streaming as they play games is apparently a pretty big one as proven when Amazon bought Twitch, but today the world grew a little larger with the announcement that Google is set to join the fray with a new service of its own.

Dubbed YouTube Gaming, Google’s new gaming oriented flavor of YouTube isn’t live yet, but will be at some point in 2015. Right now all you can do is register your interest for the new venture, with Google emailing you when it goes live.

According to tweets sent out by a new account set up as part of the YouTube Gaming unveiling, it will be available online and on mobile, with iOS and Android apps on the way. YouTube Gaming will feature improved personalization options for content creators, while those watching will be able to tell Google what their favorite games are in order to get recommendations on streams and other games that they might want to watch.
Content in Google Gaming will be split into three catagories: Games, Feed and Channels with improved commenting and chat features set to arrive alongside the service.
According to an official blog post by Google:

YouTube Gaming is built to be all about your favorite games and gamers, with more videos than anywhere else. From “Asteroids” to “Zelda,” more than 25,000 games will each have their own page, a single place for all the best videos and live streams about that title. You’ll also find channels from a wide array of game publishers and YouTube creators.

Right now little is known about what YouTube Gaming will look and work like when it does go live, and we only have a handful of screenshots to go along with, but with Twitch already well established in the arena and built into gaming consoles for both the streaming and consuming of content, Google’s YouTube Gaming may have a fight on its hands. All that said though, we’re keen to see what Google’s recommendation engine is capable of, and any competition is a good thing as far as we are concerned.

For its part, Twitch is taking Google’s announcement in its stride, tweeting earlier to ‘Welcome Player 2′ to the market.
If you’re interested in YouTube Gaming, then you can sign-up for the service by heading over to the following URL: gaming.youtube.com
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Siri Proactive Assistant Vs Google Now On Tap [Features Comparison]

One feature of Apple’s new iOS 9 mobile operating system that got a lot of airtime during this year’s WWDC keynote speech was the new and improved Siri. Apple undoubtedly believes in the future of Siri as an important part of the iOS platform but has also conceded that improvements have needed to be made on previous iterations of its voice assistant. Google had already laid its cards on the table with an upgraded Google Now within Android M, but which one is better? Obviously, the sensible thing to do would be to pitch the two against one another.
The folks over at CNET, took the initiative and decided to take a closer look at Apple’s more “skillful” Proactive Assistant in Siri when compared against the latest and greatest Google Now on Tap, which is part of Google Now. Apple’s introduction of the new, more powerful Siri focused on the assistant’s ability to serve up more “proactive suggestions” in its array of results, which the company believes results in a “smarter way to do just about everything.” The focus on improved accuracy of understanding allows results to be delivered faster with a wider ranger of rich answers. But has all of the effort worked?

The test immediately throws up a number of comparisons and overlapping features between the two assistants. As you might expect from two pieces of software that are essentially built to do the same thing but in their own unique way, the test showed that Apple’s Siri has a fantastic ability to excel at what they are calling “original features,” which includes tasks such as recalling specific photos or videos that have been captured on a very specific time of the day as specified by the search request. This feature was demonstrated extensively during the WWDC keynote and is clearly something that Apple is proud to show off.

Google Now also comes with its own set of fairly impressive and intuitive features. As an example, the more powerful suggestions feature will take the initiative by presenting actions that appear to be relevant to the search results. The actions presented by Google Now on Tap are derived from the presented information and can include things like creating a reservation for a specific restaurant if one is mentioned in an email. Google Now on Tap is also context-aware, so actions and results can change depending on what is actually being done by the user.

Checking out the advertised and marketed features of both assistants is one thing, but the final test will come when the software is bundled onto a real-world device and used across a variety of network conditions.
If you want to check out what are the cosmetic changes in iOS 9 compared to Android M, then you may like to check out:

• iOS 9 vs Android M: Visual Comparison [Screenshots]

(Source: CNET)
You may also like to check out:

• Download iOS 9 Beta 1 And Install On iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 5s, 5c, 5, 4S, iPad, iPod touch [Tutorial]
• How To Download And Install Android M [Tutorial]

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Android Wear 5.1.1 Download For Moto 360 Released

Owners of the Moto 360 smartwatch have exercised extreme patience in regards to future updates of Android, but now it looks like the wait could be over. Proud wearers of the gorgeous Moto 360 timepiece will be delighted to hear that Android 5.1.1 has now begun rolling out to the device as an over-the-air (OTA) update. Like most updates of this nature, it may ultimately end up taking a few days before all Moto 360 device owners start seeing the update filter through to their devices.
The latest update in the world of Android Wear, version 5.1.1, originally announced back in April, has already started to filter down to a number of other popular wearables, which is partially why Moto 360 owners have been left feeling a little disgruntled and forgotten about. There hasn’t been a great amount of official communication coming out of the Motorola camp regarding the issue other than to say that a number of “performance issues” and concerns had delayed the Android Wear 5.1.1 update from hitting the device, but it seems that they have now been resolved, hopefully, giving the green light for the update to be pushed out to all owners.

One of Google’s senior developers, Wayne Piekarksi, confirmed the immediate rollout of Android Wear 5.1.1 to the Moto 360 Android Wear device via his own Google+ account, taking care to manage expectations regarding the delivery time of the update:

Just to let you all know, the latest version of Android Wear is going to start rolling out via an over-the-air (OTA) update to the Moto 360 today! OTA rollouts are always done over a period of many days, so it will take some time to receive your update.

Users of the Moto 360 will be able to enjoy additional features within Android Wear such as connecting the watch directly to a WiFi network to receive notifications without a connected smartphone, as well as the addition of new emoji input, new app launcher and more.
Let’s hope those performance issues have been finally put to bed though

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Google Play Music Launches Free Ad-Supported Radio Streaming Service

Apple took on the big names in the music streaming space when it announced Apple Music at WWDC this year. However, that doesn’t mean that Apple’s competitors in this space will just sit and not do anything. Today, the Mountain View company announced its free music streaming tier to the already-rich Google Play Music, which will basically serve as a curated, ad-supported radio station selection for non-subscribers (read: free users) of the search giant’s music offering. The new free tier of Google Play Music is all set to take on Apple’s iTunes Radio service, and the upcoming Beats 1 radio station, which is going to be a part of Apple Music.
The new service, which is essentially Google’s Pandora/iTunes Music, will become available for users in the U.S. using the Web platform starting today, while support for Android and iOS will follow suit shortly, and will roll out as part of the Play Music app on the aforementioned mobile platforms. So expect an update within a week or two.

Google Play Music will have curated radio stations that will be crafted carefully by music experts. Google says that this initiative is building on its purchase of Songza about a year back, and will be in direct competition with the likes of Pandora, Apple’s iTunes Radio and the freshly announced Beats 1 radio station, as we mentioned before.

“Our team of music experts, including the folks who created Songza, crafts each station song by song so you don’t have to. If you’re looking for something specific, you can browse our curated stations by genre, mood, decade or activity, or you can search for your favorite artist, album or song to instantly create a station of similar music.”

This is an interesting move on Google’s part particularly because the Play Music brand already features over 30 million audio tracks that can either be streamed or stored on device for offline playback, all for a meagre value of $9.99 a month, and that, too, after a 60-day free trial. On the other hand, Apple’s Music service comes in at a similar $9.99/month value, or $14.99/month for the whole family, and offers a three-month free trial period – something that sparked quite a controversy with Taylor Swift recently. The Apple Music service is set to go live at the end of this month and will be a part of the iOS 8.4 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.
Google has gradually made a name for itself through its Play Music service already, and this move furthers the search giant’s position in this arena. When it comes to the sheer volume of music available, both Google and Apple are head-to-head, and it’s going to be small distinguishers that will decide the ultimate winner.

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How To Undo Send A Sent Email In Gmail

Here’s how you can ‘Undo Send’ a sent email message in Gmail using this native feature. More details and step-by-step guide on how to use it can be found right here.
The ‘Undo Send’ feature in Gmail has been around for a good few years now, but was part of Google Labs. In short: it was experimental, and choppy at best in certain situations. But now, the feature has matured enough to be a permanent part of Gmail, and is no longer a lab experiment, all ready to be taken advantage of by millions of users around the globe.

Getting to grips with the feature is fairly easy, and we’ll show you how it’s done.
Setting Up ‘Undo Send’
Step 1: Click on the ‘gear’ icon on the top right of Gmail, and then click on ‘Settings.’

Step 2: Under the ‘General’ tab, scroll down and look for an option titled ‘Undo Send.’
Step 3: Enable the feature and select the ‘Send cancellation period’ according to your liking. We’d suggest ’30 seconds,’ so you get a hefty amount of time in your hands to undo an email.

Step 4: Now scroll down and click on ‘Save’ to confirm your settings.

How To Use ‘Undo Send’
Step 1: Compose a new email message in Gmail.
Step 2: Type in an email address you want to send off the email message to, add a subject, and type anything in the body and click on ‘Send.’
Step 3: At first it seems as though the email message has been sent off, but it hasn’t. If you look at the notification being presented to you at the top of Gmail, you’ll see a ‘Your message has been sent’ banner, and right next to it an ‘Undo’ button. Simply click it, and your email will be unsent.

We’re pretty certain that this feature will come in handy to a lot of people. We’ve all been in that situation where we wished that we hadn’t sent that one email that could’ve been something else, but it was already too late. With ‘Undo Send’ around in Gmail, those days are long gone.
Set it up on Gmail, and do let us know what you think about it in the comments section below.
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How Google Checks For Lag On Android And Chrome OS Devices [Video]

Google is a little bit obsessed with trying to make sure that the experience of using its Android and Chrome OS devices is as enjoyable as possible. To that end, the company has been carrying out tests that it hopes will show the latency endured when a user touches a screen, with the time taken between press and something being drawn on screen being measured. Google may not have been making too much noise about this testing process and you can be assured that other companies are doing the same thing with their platforms, but Google is the first to give us a look behind the curtain.
Posting on Google+, Google’s François Beaufort, a ‘happiness evangelist’ has lifted the lid on some of the testing work that Google has been carrying out. The whole thing involves a rather scary looking piece of equipment that it calls Touchbot. The Touchbot is actually built by the Finnish company OptoFidelity and it “measures end-to-end latency of Android and Chrome OS devices.” The Touchbot’s job is to point and prod at the screen it is being told to test, with a camera then measuring how quickly or how slowly the resulting image is drawn on-screen.

Lag can be the biggest reason that a device, be it smartphone, tablet or notebook computer feels slow. Users expect to receive instant feedback when interacting with a device, and if on-screen actions happen too long after a touch or press, the resulting lag can be just enough to ruin the experience. Just compare a low-end Android phone with a high-end one and you will see what we mean.
Android has historically suffered with lag when compared to Windows Phone and iOS, possibly due to the proliferation of low-end hardware in the market. Google is clearly working to improve responsiveness and lag across its platforms, and it’s using a pretty impressive bit of kit to do it.
Long may it continue till lag is turned into a bad and distant memory.

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Android M Developer Preview 2 Download For Nexus 5, 6, 9, Player Released [Direct Links]

Android M Developer Preview 2 is now available to download. The newly released system images support Nexus 5, 6, 9, and of course the Nexus Player, which should give developers the chance to keep their apps up to date with the changes that will be introduced to Google’s mobile operating system down the road.
Google announced Android M at its I/O keynote back in May, and the announcement was followed by the release of the first developer preview for the Nexus lineup of devices. With the release of Developer Preview 2 of Android M, Google says that the second release has in fact been tweaked under the hood with some much needed bug fixes and performance improvements. “The update includes a variety of enhancements and bug fixes made across the system, including those related to issues reported by developers through the external issue tracker.”

A good chunk of the focus has been put on fixing and improving ‘permissions,’ including the fingerprint scanner API, remote Bluetooth/WiFi MAC, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Being a preview – albeit the second version – the release will hiccup here and there including a possible system-wide Messenger app crash on a 64-bit emulator, while YouTube users may have to skip on the share function. The complete changelog of this release is embedded below:

The build – as should be obvious by now – is meant primarily for developers, giving them a chance to test out existing app compatibilities, or add something entirely new from scratch using the new Android M’s API set. However, there’s more than a fair chance that slightly advanced Android users would wish to give this new release a one-off spin, especially considering that any prospective consumer update is months away. Which brings us back to the usual warning associated with such beta releases of operating systems; Google is still far off from making this release a daily-runner, given the new set of APIs and internal changes being introduced to the Android world with the ‘M’ release, so if you care about general stability in day to day use, you are better off staying away from this release at this time.
If you already have Android M Developer Preview 1 installed then you can grab the OTA update by heading over to Settings > About phone > System updates then tap on ‘Check For Update.’ If you’re starting fresh then you can grab the update from the links provided below.
Here are the direct download links of Android M, listed according to the device.

• Nexus 5
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 9
• Nexus Player

For instructions on how to download and install/flash Android M on your device from scratch, follow the guide here:

• How To Download And Install Android M [Tutorial]

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Google Releases ‘Ivy’ Big Number Calculator App For iOS [Download Link]

Google has stealthily released a new app onto the iOS App Store, with Ivy being the latest to appear on Apple’s platform. The app, free to download and curiously missing from Google’s own Play Store for Android, Ivy is an experimental big number calculator that may look like something from the 1980s but certainly shouldn’t be confused with a cheap calculator emulator.
According to Google, the app “uses exact rational arithmetic so it can handle arbitrary precision,” and those “values may be input as integers, rationals, or floating point values.” We’re sure that means a lot more to those that will make use of the app, but if you were thinking about downloading Ivy to split the tips at your favorite restaurant, then you may want to reconsider.

While technically a Google app, Ivy curiously lists The Go Authors alongside Google on its App Store page, with the unknown developer seemingly a reference to The Go Project, an open-source programming language for which Ivy was developed as a companion app. This all suggests that the uses for Ivy may be rather specific, again pointing to the app being less than widely used. It’s probably very useful if you need an experimental big number calculator, but not so much if you want to do your monthly budget.
Google already has a plethora of apps on the App Store, though the lack of an Android version of Ivy is interesting, even with The Go Project links we mentioned earlier. Whether that is an oversight or simply the result of some sort of delay remains to be seen, but if Ivy sounds like the app for you then you can download it from the App Store today and it is available for both iPhone and iPad.

As we mentioned before, the app is absolutely free to download, and while it may not be something everyone can make use of in a day to day basis, it doesn’t mean that there’s any harm in just trying it out. It’s free anyway.
(Download: Google Ivy for iPhone on the App Store)
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad.
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Google Photos For Android Continues Uploading Your Stuff Even When App Is Deleted

It’s natural to assume that once you’ve deleted an app from your Android device, the functionality contained within it will cease to exist as well. However, it would appear that in some instances, namely when Google Photos is involved, merely making the conscious decision to remove the app from your phone or tablet is not enough to prevent the search engine giant from receiving uploads of your treasured Android device’s photos / videos and storing them against your account.
When the Google Photos app is launched for the first time on an Android device, you are met with a very simple walkthrough asking if you would like to backup your photos and videos to Google’s very-own cloud storage – essentially enabling the auto backup feature. That’s all well and good, but the problem arises when you delete Google Photos from your Android device with said auto backup feature enabled.

Most users naturally assume that apps are self-contained entities, and therefore removing them will also delete their settings and preferences. When it comes to Google Photos, this doesn’t seem to the case, as David A. Arnott found out to his surprise. It seems that deleting the app without turning off the auto backup feature means that Android will continue to upload photos and videos captured by the device to the associated Google account when connected to a cellular or WiFi network. Why is this so? No one has the answer to that right now.
If you’ve been utilizing Google Photos on Android for a while now and suspect that your device is backing up photos and videos to the cloud even with the app deleted, then here’s what you need to do to make sure that no background uploads are taking place.
Step 1: Open app drawer.
Step 2: Tap on the ‘Google Settings’ app.
Step 3: Look for an option labelled ‘Google Photos Backup’ and tap on it.
Step 4: Toggle the switch to OFF position.

We really hope that Google pushes out an update to fix this issue promptly as it does raise a lot of privacy concerns for some users. Think about it – an app that keeps on working while not being present on the device itself? That’s a big nope in our book.
(Source: BizJournals)
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Google Maps Timeline Helps You Track Your Location History, Here’s How To Access It

Google has long had something of a P.R. problem as far as privacy is concerned, and while some of it can be labeled as people getting a little carried away with themselves, there is no doubt that the amount of information Google has about us makes it easy to be a little uncomfortable with it. With so much location data also being piped into Google via our smartphones, the company has a pretty good idea of where we are and what we are doing almost all of the time.
Google is now making it possible for us all to see just what it knows about our daily routines and the places we visit by launching Google Maps ‘Your Timeline’, a feature on the desktop and Android app that allows users to see, on a handy map, where Google thinks we have been. With our smartphones having pretty decent GPS and WiFi triangulation hardware built right in, seeing where you were a week ago to the minute is pretty impressive and scary in equal measure.

To get at the data on a desktop, open Google Maps site in a web browser and choose the real-time routines option to see everything plotted on a map, along with any photos that were taken and uploaded to Google Photos at the time. Alternatively you can get to Google Maps Your Timeline on desktop directly using this link.
If you’re looking for the data on Android, then click the side menu in Maps app on Android, or options button in the search bar, and ‘Your timeline’ is where all the good stuff is kept, under my places.

Google says that the real use of this data is to be able to remember where you were when something awesome happened, or you saw something you wanted to remember. While we can see the potential uses for it, there’s no doubt in our mind that Google just invited a whole new privacy storm onto itself, and now might be a good time to make sure your Google account password is secure and that two-factor authentication is turned on. With the data Google has on your almost constant location, you won’t want just anyone poking around.
(source: Google)
You may also like to check out:

• Google Records Every Place You Go With Your iPhone Or Android, Here’s How To Stop This

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High-Res Leaked Photos Show Samsung Galaxy Note 5 In Full Glory

With the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge apparently not selling quite as quickly as Samsung would have hoped, the likely upcoming but as yet unannounced release of the Galaxy Note 5 will be an important one for the company. Generally a good seller, the Note lineup may end up carrying the weight of Samsung’s faltering smartphone devision this year, and that means the Note 5 has to get off to a good start.

While we haven’t heard anything official from Samsung, leaks will always happen and we now have some nice, high resolution photographs of what appears to be Samsung’s new large-screened smartphone. Almost guarenteed to be called the Galaxy Note 5, the handset in the photographs has the rumored dual-curve glass back panel we have been expecting as well as the telltale S Pen that is now the calling card of the Galaxy Note line.


The construction of the new Galaxy Note 5 is, as expected, similar to the Galaxy S6 in that it features a metal frame and glass front and back that gives the handset a more solid appearance and feel than the plastic used historically. If these photographs are real, and we have no reason to doubt them, then the Galaxy Note 5 will be a nice looking phone indeed. With Samsung press event now set for August 13th, Galaxy Note 5 along with Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be announced at the said event.
Samsung’s decision to opt for a more premium look and feel for its high-end smartphones comes as competition in the large-screened smartphone market has increased since Apple entered with the iPhone 6 Plus in September last year. Samsung’s once sewn-up market is now in jeapardy, and Samsung will be hoping that the Galaxy Note 5 can go toe-to-toe with Apple’s finest. If the leaked photos are anything to go by, it certainly won’t fall short on looks.

What do you guys think of the new Galaxy Note 5? Sound off in the comments below.
(source: Nowhereelse.fr)
You may also like to check out:

• Which Phones You Shouldn’t Buy Right Now? [July 2015 Edition]

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You Can Now Use Google Now To Send Messages Via WhatsApp, Viber And More

Users of Google Now on Android will notice that the app has received an update, bringing with it an interesting new WhatsApp related feature as well as support for other third-party messaging services.
Fans of Google Now will know that prior to this update it was possible to ask the app to send a message to a contact via the “OK, Google, send a message to x” instruction. Such a command would see Google Now use the default messaging app to send the message, but this new update allows users to specify which app should be used with WhatsApp, Viber, Nextplus, WeChat and Telegram all supported in English. According to Google, more apps and additional languages are also on the way.

In order to use the new feature, users need to use a slightly modified command such as “OK, Google, send a WhatsApp message to x” which should see, you guessed it, a WhatsApp message created with the recipient set to whoever’s name was at the end of the command. It really doesn’t get much easier than that and makes the task of sending a message via third-party apps easier, especially if you’re a fan of voice commands.
Google Now’s new integration with WhatsApp and other instant messaging services will be welcomed by those in countries where traditional SMS isn’t used as much as it is elsewhere, and while it may seem like simply scratching the service, it’s a step in the right direction towards Google Now controlling more of the Android experience. With Google’s Android M on the way, bringing Google Now on Tap with it, things are looking up for one of the best digital assistant implementations around. Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana should take note – the competition isn’t standing still.

(source: Google)
Be sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.
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Newly Discovered Android Vulnerability Can Render Your Phone Or Tablet Useless

Security researchers at Trend Micro have discovered a new vulnerability that they claim is present in Android 4.3 Jelly Bean up to the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which constitute to almost half of the Android devices out there. The vulnerability, if and when exploited, could make your device silent, unable to make phone calls and completely unusable. This apparently is caused by the way Android handles media files.
The researchers already reported the issues to the Android engineering team back in May but the exploit is yet to be patched. Trend Micro explains that the bug is present in Android’s mediaserver service, which is used to index media files stored on the device. If a device tries to open a malformed MKV file, it causes the service to crash along with the entire operating system in the run to process it, thereby rendering the device unusable and preventing the user from interacting with it.

This will cause the device to become totally silent and non-responsive. This means that:

• No ring tone, text tone, or notification sounds can be heard. The user will have have no idea of an incoming call/message, and cannot even accept a call. Neither party will hear each other.
• The UI may become very slow to respond, or completely non-responsive. If the phone is locked, it cannot be unlocked.

The report explains that the vulnerability can be exploited either via a website embedded with a malformed MKV file, or through a malicious app with an MKV file installed on a device that could cause the operating system to crash every time it attempts to turn on. With the latter approach, the malicious apps could be designed in a way so that it runs immediately every time the Android device restarts, therefore causing the operating system to crash upon boot.
As mentioned earlier, Trend Micro had already reported the vulnerability to Google on May 15, which was flagged as a low priority issue by the company and remains un-patched in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This bug comes in a few days after another team of security researchers discovered an exploit which could potentially allow malicious individuals to gain access to a device by simply sending a seemingly innocent text message to the targeted number.
Here’s a video demoing how a malicious app can be used to exploit this vulnerability.

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Massive Android Flaw Certifi-gate Affects Millions Of Devices, Check If Your Phone Is At Risk

Turn away now if you’re an Android smartphone user with a nervous disposition that has only been made worse with the recent spate of vulnerabilities within Google’s OS that have become public knowledge. A number of security researchers from Israel have yet more bad news for Android device owners after discovering a bug that could potentially allow malicious individuals to take control of an unwitting device through the distribution of a solitary text message. What’s even worse, is that unlike previously discovered Android vulnerabilities, this one doesn’t come with a simple fix.
There’s no better time or place than the annually held Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas to learn about vulnerabilities and potential flaws in popular operating systems. The latest bug to be found within Android, which incidentally has been given the name “Certifi-gate“, is extremely similar to a previously discovered bug that surfaced at the back end of last month, but differs in the fact that this issue is slightly more complicated due to the fact that it relates to how Android verifies – or doesn’t verify in this instance – installed apps with privilege permissions.

The specific apps outlined in the presentation by the Israeli team from Check Point Software Technologies are often referred to as mobile remote support tools, or mRST if you’re into abbreviated terms. Those specific applications are often used by assisting teams to provide remote based support when and if it’s required. Due to the fact that Google doesn’t ship Android with these apps installed – they are often added at a later date by carriers and manufacturers – and are not susceptible to verification of authenticity certificates even though the applications have elevated system privileges. That’s where things start to go wrong.

The immediate concern for Android users is that Check Point’s Ohad Bobrov, Avi Bashan et al have discovered a couple of relatively simple methods of spoofing certificates that can trick the mobile remote support tool for gaining almost unrestricted access to the target device. One method involved installing an innocuous looking flashlight application that requested only limited access to the device but was able to exploit the vulnerability to get full access. The second was via a seemingly innocent text message that had the capabilities of taking over the smartphone by triggering the remote access tool to issue a command.
Because the Black Hat Security Conference is all about discovering, sharing and ultimately fixing bugs, this one has already been addressed by Google and a number of device manufacturers. However, there are plenty of devices out in the wild that have yet to receive an update to fix this issue, and continue to remain vulnerable.
With that said, the team at Check Point have released an app called Certifi-gate Scanner on Google Play, with the purpose of helping users discover if their device is vulnerable to the exploits outlined here. You can download the app from here and check whether your phone is vulnerable to this hack or not.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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Stagefright Bug: How To Check If Your Android Phone Is Vulnerable

It seems like the malware alarm bells have been going off constantly for Android users over the last two weeks. We’ve had poorly implemented security in Android devices with biometric detection. We’ve had remote support tool applications that grant full access to a target device when provided with spoof certificates, and then we had Stagefright, a critical Android vulnerability that provides access to a device on the back of a malicious media message being received. If you have an Android device, and want to find out if Stagefright is a potential issue for you, then this new detection app should be your first port of call.
We really can’t offer up any prizes for anyone who guesses what the aptly named Stagefright Detector App serves up in terms of functionality. The official app from Zimperium, the company that actually searched and presented findings on the bug, has built the application as a free-of-charge tool for individuals who have serious concerns about the security of their Android smartphone or tablet. The company may have provided patches to Google and manufacturers as part of the Zimperium Handset Alliance, but as the company rightly points out, “it may be years until they reach all devices”.

The Stagefright Detector App is extremely easy to use and exists with two purposes in mind; to immediately inform you if the installed device is susceptible to the Stagefright vulnerability, and whether or not you need to update to a newer version of the installed operating system. In that sense, its simplicity means that it does exactly what it says on the tin and does it with relative ease and speed. Once the app is installed, simply tap on ‘Begin Analysis’ button for the process to begin, as can be seen in the screenshot below.

Stagefright is defined by Zimperium Inc. as a critical Android vulnerability. The bug within the Android operating system potentially affords malicious individuals, the ability to gain system or media access on the back of a malware-laden multimedia message.

The terrifying part of the whole process is that the media message is actually processed and executed by the OS without any user-interaction, effectively automating the whole device takeover. The infected multimedia message, which would contain a rather innocent looking video for example, then has the ability to delete itself before detection. The potential for damage is rather large which is why it’s important to check out this free app right now.
(Download: Stagefright Detector App for Android devices from Google Play).
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Download Google Play Store 5.8.8 APK

Google Play APK 5.8.8 Update: You can now download the latest version 5.8.8 of Google Play Store APK which brings with it a bunch of changes and bug fixes that users have been facing for quite a while. This release also includes more Material Design, Details Page, updated look for What’s New, Wearable sensors/activity data, Enterprise apps support, among other things. The download link below has been updated with latest version.
The all new Google Play Store carries more elements of Material Design compared to initial releases of Android Lollipop. Apps like Google Play Newsstand, Gmail, Google+ are all now updated with additional Material Design elements.
You will also notice that the app icon for the new Play Store carrier the new, flatter look, keeping itself in line with Material Design’s aesthetics.

Apart from the design language, things have changed under the hood as well. Fire up the app and you will instantly recognize the subtle changes in animations for say, when accessing the slide-out drawer menu, along with changes in the iconography.
The What’s New section has been moved to the top and is now visibly highlighted in green, allowing for it to be prominently visible in each application listing.

Even the Widget Suggestion icons for the home screen have changed, maintaining the flat, paper like design, as was expected. Google went to the extent of changing the notification icon for the status bar as well, after all, it is this attention to detail that ultimately counts.
Version 5.8.8 of Play Store should start rolling out to users over the course of the next few days, but, we can’t be entirely sure, and it may take longer. Regardless, if you do not want to wait for that update to hit your device, you can download the APK of this new version of Google Play Store from the link at the foot of this post, side-load it, and give it a run.

Please note that this APK is not quite ready for Android M Developer Preview or ROM ports based on the Preview images. If you did not pay heed to this warning, and your Play Store is crashing, you will need to revert to an older version to get things up and running again.
If you happen to have tried the new Play Store and are running it on your device, do share your thoughts and opinions on the changes and any other improvements that we may have missed.
Download Google Play Store APK version 5.8.8 from here.
Make sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.
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Google Is Now A Subsidiary Of A New Company Called Alphabet, Here Are The Details

A new chapter in Google’s history unfolded earlier today, when co-founder Larry Page announced that the company and all its ventures will henceforth be operating under a new parent company called Alphabet Inc., spearheaded by Page himself as CEO and co-founder Sergey Brin as President.
Google has always been an exploratory company, never afraid to experiment with and invest in new ideas in a multitude of fields, no matter how crazy they may seem. This move, as Page explains in his post on the official Google blog and abc.xyz website, is to streamline these efforts while providing greater transparency and flexibility to each. Google Inc. itself will be “slimmed down” as part of this change with Sundar Pichai taking over the reigns as CEO. With Google becoming a subsidiary of Alphabet, it will be replaced by Alphabet Inc. as the publicly-traded entity while the ticker symbols for its shares (GOOGL, GOOG) remain the same.

The name ‘Alphabet’ is homage to the letters that make up a language or as Page sees it, “one of humanity’s most important innovations”, and Alpha – the measure of an investment’s performance against a benchmark index.
While this doesn’t mean much to the average Google consumer – apart from the fact that it is simply easier to understand – it isn’t one to be dismissed as daily noise. With a separate CEO running each arm with complete independence, such a restructuring should help drive more focus at Google as well as other ventures that don’t share much in products or services with the Internet giant, such as Capital, Nest, Ventures, Calico, the ISP Fiber, and X Labs, the research subsidiary that now works on Glass – all these will now be separate entities along with Google under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc. This means faster improvements for the Internet products we all use on a daily basis, more amazing ideas being explored, and possibly, relentless acquisitions. It should certainly have competitors rethinking their strategies.

It is clear that Google is looking to move even faster in its quest for new, game-changing ideas. While this might have competitors of each Alphabet subsidiary rethinking their strategies, it spells exciting times ahead for us consumers as well as aspiring entrepreneurs looking for the support of a stable collective.
The official Alphabet website is up at abc.xyz.
(Source: Google, Alphabet)
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Download Stagefright Fix For Android Nexus 6, 5 And Other Devices

Google has finally posted a fix for critical Android vulnerability called Stagefright that came into limelight late last month. The official fix is available now both as an OTA update and as factory images that you can flash directly on your device.
Supported Nexus devices for the fix include: Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9, and Nexus 10. Apparently, Nexus 7 (2012) users have been left out as the device is now out of three-year window for receiving security updates support from Google.

Google has also supplied the fix to Android hardware partners. So those of you with non-Nexus Android devices such as Samsung Galaxy, HTC One M[x] and others will have to wait for the OEMs to start rolling out the fix, which hopefully should be soon.
For those who don’t know, Stagefright is a critical Android vulnerability which can enable hackers to take over any device by simply sending a malicious text message to the victim’s device. According to a research, it affects 95% of Android devices around the world. To learn more on how Stagefright works, check out our detailed post on it here.
To check if your Android smartphone or tablet is vulnerable to this bug, follow our guide here: Stagefright Bug: How To Check If Your Android Phone Is Vulnerable.
To get the OTA update for the fix, head to Settings > About phone > System updates on your Nexus device and tap on Check for Update button, from there, simply install the latest Android system update. The build number for this Android 5.1.1 system security update is LMY48I.
Alternatively, if you haven’t received the OTA yet, you can download the factory image directly from Google for your Nexus device and flash it. Direct download links for Android 5.1.1 LMY48I factory images are given below:

• Nexus 6
• Nexus 6 (LYZ28J – for T-Mobile only)
• Nexus 5 GSM/LTE
• Nexus 4
• Nexus 9 LTE
• Nexus 9 WiFi
• Nexus 7 2013 WiFi
• Nexus 10

We highly recommend updating your Android device to this new update as soon as possible.
You may also like to check out:

• How To Protect Android Phones And Tablets From Growing Malware Threat [Guide]

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Fix iTunes On Windows 10 Not Detecting / Recognizing iPhone, Here’s How

Upgraded to Windows 10 and now iTunes is not detecting or recognizing your iPhone? Is short, it doesn’t see your iPhone or any other iOS device at all? You are not alone. After the upgrade, many people are complaining that iTunes is not recognizing their iOS device when connected to a PC running Windows 10.
If you have this issue, unfortunately there is no one single fix for this. You need to go through multiple checks and try them one by one to see if they fix your problem.

Reboot both your iPhone and the PC:
First and foremost, reboot both your iOS device and your computer and then connect to see if this solves the problem.
Try a different USB port on your computer:
If you haven’t already, try to connect your iOS device on a different USB port to see if this fixes the problem.
Install / Reinstall latest version of iTunes:
As of this writing, version 12.2.1.16 is the latest version. Make sure you have this latest version installed. If you’re having issues installing it, follow our guide here on how to install iTunes on Windows 10 the right way: iTunes Won’t Install On Windows 10? Here’s How To Fix It.
Install all Windows updates:
Navigate to Settings (WinKey+I) > Update & security > Windows Update and make sure your computer is up to date with all Windows updates installed.

Trust your computer prompt:
When you connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to your computer and see ‘Trust This Computer?’ prompt on the device, make sure you tap on ‘Trust’ as shown in the screenshot below.

Apple Mobile Device Support, Service and USB Driver:
Check to see if Apple Mobile Device Support is installed from Control Panel > Uninstall a program. If it is not installed, you need to reinstall iTunes.

Restart Apple Mobile Device Service: Type services.msc in Run (WinKey+R) and hit enter. Locate Apple Mobile Device or Apple Mobile Device Service and then right click > Properties. Then click on Stop to stop the service. Click Start to run the service again. Reboot your computer.

Check Apple Mobile Device USB Driver: Type devmgmt.msc in Run (WinKey+R) and hit enter. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers entry and see if Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is listed.

If it is not listed, you need to reinstall iTunes and then connect your iOS device to your PC and wait for Windows to automatically install the driver. But if it is listed and has a “!” or “?” on it, you need to reinstall the driver. To do this:

• Connect your iOS device to your computer and wait for like a minute.
• Now right click on Apple Mobile Device USB Driver and click on Uninstall. If asked, select “Delete the driver software for this device”.

• Once uninstalled, In the Device Manager window, right click on Universal Serial Bus controllers and then click on Scan for hardware changes.

• Windows will now automatically find and install the driver for you.

If everything fails:
If none of the above solutions help fix your problem, then it’s likely that a third-party software or driver on your computer is conflicting with iTunes and Apple’s services. You may want to do a clean install of Windows 10 on your computer to fix the problem. To do this, you can follow our guide here: How To Clean Install Windows 10 On Your PC The Right Way [Guide].
You may also like to check out:

        Download Windows 10 Pro ISO File Without Product Key From Microsoft

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