General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Google's Android Device Manager Releasing Later This Month

Posted: 04 Aug 2013 03:21 PM PDT

Device ManagerLocate your device in a flash with app-based location service

Sick and tired of losing your phone? Need some help when you've misplaced it? Google has a solution for you: the Android Device Manager service. Similar to Apple's Find My iPhone, this life-saving app will be released later in the month and can aid in pulling you out of some potentially sticky situations.

Of course, like source PCMag reports, varying degrees of "lost" must be considered when implementing this new service. You could potentially just call your phone to find it, but what if you've somehow left your phone at the bank or someone has stolen it? That's where the Device Manager comes in, allowing you to locate your device via PC by logging into your Google account.

If for some reason your phone or tablet is gone for good, or in a location where it's not feasible to recover, you have the option to remotely wipe all sensitive data from the phone as a fail-safe.

Now if the Device Manager could somehow keep us from forgetting where we've misplaced our charge cables, that would be excellent.

Google Unveils City Experts Program in Limited Cities

Posted: 04 Aug 2013 03:09 PM PDT

Google City ExpertsBecome a City Expert and interact with other Google users

Are you a dedicated Yelp or Foursquare user who loves to post reviews of your favorite local establishments? Google called -- they want you. Google's new City Experts program is seeking out dedicated reviewers for its cause, which was rolled out in select cities on August 2nd.

The City Experts initiative, via PCMag, aims to "bring together the most active uers on Google Maps" in an effort to reward informative and balanced consumers for their input. Becoming a "City Expert" requires you to have written fifty prior reviews through the Google Maps service, and they must be up to Google's standards. Once you reach that milestone, you must continue to write five reviews per month to maintain Expert status.

The perks begin after your fiftieth qualifying review, as Google explains: "Upon becoming a Google City Expert, you'll receive an invitation to an exclusive Google+ Community, where you can meet fellow Experts in your city and discuss new tips and tricks for using Google+ Local and Google Maps. You'll also receive monthly City Experts newsletters which will include a variety of offers, including free Google-branded items, online campaigns and contests and special event invites in your area."

There's no word yet on how many additional cities will end up participating in the City Experts campaign, but it sounds like an interesting premise.

Google Play Store Surpasses iOS App Store Downloads

Posted: 04 Aug 2013 01:35 PM PDT

Google Play Store continues to play catch-up in revenue

Google Play StoreAndroid users should find cause to celebrate about their OS of choice. Forbes reports (via App Annie stats) that the Google Play Store has, after a long haul, overtaken iOS in app downloads. This unexpected turn of events seems to have been bolstered by quite the large rush in Android app downloads by Japan and South Korea, as well as downloads in India and Russia during the second quarter of 2013.

While the Google Play Store is now in top place with what can only be an astronomical amount of downloads, iOS is still sitting pretty when it comes to revenue, with a 130% lead. Still, it's very clear that Android is rapidly becoming the platform of choice globally, and it's all thanks to cheaper, more cost-efficient technology and models available.

The landscape is tumultuous and could change again in the blink of an eye, but for now it looks like Android is the reigning king. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to these numbers, as well as how the budget iPhone will alter the playing field.

Facebook Bringing 15-Second Auto-Play Ads To Your Feed

Posted: 04 Aug 2013 01:07 PM PDT

You may not "like" this status

Facebook AdsAdvertising has become a bit more intrusive over the years as companies look for newer ways to get their message across, especially when it comes to video ads. Having to click through a video ad on YouTube or your favorite website can be annoying enough, but how about video ads on Facebook?

Facebook is planning to introduce 15-second clips that would autoplay on users' feeds as a way to compete with more traditional methods of advertising such as television commercials. The ads would be shown to users a maximum of three times per day, and would be filtered only by age and gender.

It's already a hassle to click past promotional posts and ads that certainly aren't targeting the correct audiences. It's costing more money than ever for page owners to have their content even seen by the general public.

But Facebook users are Facebook users, and it's likely these 15-second ads aren't going to keep the 80-100 million US users, as Vyralize reports, from logging in each and every day. The insanely popular social networking site is about to start raking in even more dough, and the likes will still pour in.

Would you still continue to use Facebook if video ads are introduced?
Posted by Shri Krishna

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