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Kamis, 09 Mei 2019

Google Is Letting People Pay Cash For Android Apps At Their Local Shops - BuzzFeed News

Buying an app on your phone is straightforward: You head to the App Store or the Google Play Store, tap on the buy button, and have your credit card automatically charged when the app downloads.

In emerging markets like India, a country where nearly everyone uses Android phones and nearly no one uses a credit card, that’s a problem.

On Wednesday, Google announced that it was making it easier for people in countries like these to buy apps without using credit card with a feature called “pending transactions”.

When a user tries to buy an app from the Google Play Store, they can choose to receive a payment code, which they can take to a participating retail store near them, and pay for their purchase in cold, hard cash — after which their app will automatically download to their device.

“This is a new class of delayed form of payment — like cash, bank transfer, and direct debit,” Aurash Mahbod, Google’s director of engineering for the Play Store, told TechCrunch. All refunds, however, come back to users only in the form of Play Store credit.

Google’s Android operating system powers nearly three quarters of the world’s mobile phones, but the Google Play Store doesn’t generate as much money as Apple’s App Store does. In the third quarter of 2018, for instance, the App Store generated 93% more revenue than the Play Store.

By making it easier for people in countries where most people don’t use credit cards to pay for its apps, that's a gap Google is hoping to close.

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https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/google-is-letting-people-buy-android-apps-at-their

2019-05-09 08:38:00Z
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Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/09/google-play-pending-transactions/

2019-05-09 08:15:40Z
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Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/09/google-play-pending-transactions/

2019-05-09 07:52:14Z
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Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/09/google-play-pending-transactions/

2019-05-09 07:47:57Z
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Rabu, 08 Mei 2019

Google CEO takes a jab at Apple's security pitch: 'Privacy cannot be a luxury good' - CNBC

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 11, 2018.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

As "privacy" has become the new buzzword of Silicon Valley, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is positioning the company's new products to fit the zeitgeist while undermining its competitor's messaging.

In an op-ed in The New York Times published Tuesday, Pichai asserted that "privacy cannot be a luxury good offered only to people who can afford to buy premium products and services."

The message may hint at Apple's comparatively expensive starting price for products like its smartphones. At its developer conference Tuesday, Google unveiled a $399 smartphone equipped with the latest privacy features of its Android operating system. That compares to Apple's newest budget model, the iPhone XR, which starts at $749.

Apple has arguably been at the forefront of privacy messaging among tech companies this year. CEO Tim Cook has not shied away from criticizing tech peers for their failures in protecting consumers' privacy while making trust and security central to Apple's brand. The company has also used its privacy features in advertising for the iPhone through commercials and billboards.

At a speech in Brussels last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook blasted the business models of rivals like Google, but stopped short of calling them out by name.

"We shouldn't sugarcoat the consequences. This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them," Cook said in the speech.

Google is now trying to take the privacy message a step further, saying not only that its products will be secure, but that it will democratize that security.

"'For everyone' is a core philosophy for Google; it's built into our mission to create products that are universally accessible and useful," Pichai wrote in the Times op-ed. "That's why Search works the same for everyone, whether you're a professor at Harvard or a student in rural Indonesia. And it's why we care just as much about the experience on low-cost phones in countries starting to come online as we do about the experience on high-end phones."

Google presented a suite of new products at its event Tuesday with the goal of giving users more control over their data. Besides the new smartphone, Google is introducing its incognito mode from its Chrome browser to its Maps app, allowing users to search locations without the data being linked to their accounts. It's also making it easier to access security settings that let users choose what Google stores and for how long.

Google itself has come under criticism for its own approach to privacy in the past, which could open it to criticism over the idea of democratizing privacy. Just last year, the company faced internal backlash over a project that explored the creation of a censored search engine in China, before reportedly ending the project. Its social network, Google+, also exposed personal information from 500,000 of its users.

Read Pichai's full op-ed at The New York Times.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Watch: Google CEO makes privacy pledge in New York Times op-ed

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/08/google-ceo-says-privacy-cannot-be-a-luxury-good.html

2019-05-08 14:39:00Z
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Epson's $500 smart glasses are literally powered by your phone - Engadget

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Smart glasses have been kicking around for more than half a decade now, so it's a bit jarring when a new model is released and they look, well... ugly. Google has already demonstrated that it's possible to build a pair without bottle-thick lenses and chunky frames, and yet the market's newest arrival, Epson's Moverio BT-30C smart glasses, boast exactly that.

Aesthetics aside, though, Epson's latest offering comes with features that could help give smart glasses the nudge they need to take hold in the consumer market -- at the moment such devices are largely the sole domain of business. The Moverio BT-30C connect with an Android smartphone of Windows PC over USB-C, a plug and play function that mitigates some of the hassle seen in previous iterations with custom controller boxes.

The glasses project up to three apps on three different screens against a transparent background and come with an OLED display for sharp, bright imagery. The glasses also come with a dark lens shade, for a movie-theater experience when streaming videos. Of course, none of these features alone will have consumers lining up for a pair, but their reasonable price tag of $499 will certainly make them a little more enticing, given previous models hit the market at $699. It's not small change, but making smart glasses more affordable will certainly be a guiding principle in the way tech giants approach getting this tech into the mainstream.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/08/epsons-500-smart-glasses-are-literally-powered-by-your-phone/

2019-05-08 13:21:01Z
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Amazon’s new Blink XT2 smart camera is cheaper than the original - The Verge

Amazon has announced the Blink XT2, the follow-up to Blink’s XT camera that was released in late 2016. The Blink XT2 is built with a new chip, which yields a longer two-year battery life via two lithium AA batteries, and enhanced motion detection over the original. Best of all, it costs less.

The Blink XT2 is now available for preorder at $89.99 per camera, each of which includes free cloud storage with no monthly fee tied to it. If you’re planning on installing multiple Blink XT2 cameras around your house or property, Amazon is selling a $99.99 bundle that includes an XT2 camera and a Sync Module, which is necessary for pairing the wireless Blink cameras together. Preorders will begin shipping in the US on May 22nd, and the new camera will be available in Canada later this summer. Best Buy will also stock the new Blink camera.

The XT2 looks almost exactly the same as the XT, and, similarly, the XT2 is weather-resistant (IP65 rated), and it can record 1080p footage. Amazon and Blink have incorporated two-way talk into the XT2, and it also works with Alexa voice commands. Beyond simple queries, you can see a live feed from your cameras on your Amazon Echo Spot, Echo Show, or Fire TV device by saying “Alexa, show me the [name of your camera].”

It’s still puzzling why the Blink cameras won’t integrate with Ring devices or even its own Amazon Cloud Cam. The XT2 actually competes directly with Ring’s own Stick Up camera. While the new features and lower price of the XT2 are appreciated, it doesn’t change the fact that Amazon has several players in the connected home space, yet they’re currently all at odds with each other.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/8/18534552/amazon-blink-xt2-indoor-outdoor-camera-price

2019-05-08 13:00:00Z
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