Thursday, October 31, 2013

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Google Glass accessories make an appearance, support pages in place
Oct 31st 2013, 00:49, by Juan Carlos Torres

Google now seems to be shifting gears towards preparing a more consumer-friendly version of its Google Glass eyewear in preparation for an expected public release next year. Not only did the company announce an updated version of hardware, we’re now also seeing evidence of a couple of fancy accessories being prepared for the device.

google-glass-v2

A few days ago, we got news that Google is preparing some changes to its Glass Explorer program in preparation of rolling out a new version of the Glass hardware with still unknown updated specs. Then yesterday we got a glimpse of what the new hardware may look like, which included the presence of a single-ear earbud. We originally presumed that it would be part of the Glass itself, but now it turns out that it is merely one of a set of accessories intended for the device.

The mono earbud attach to Glass via a microUSB port on the right side of the eyewear for better quality audio. The earbud comes with four interchangeable caps in black, blue, red, and gray colors. There is also, of course, a charger accessory which comes with a USB cable that connects to the same microUSB port as well as a wall charger. There are also a few interchangeable shades and clear protective shields available for Glass, made in partnership with Maui Jim and Zeal Optics. There is also a handy Japanese micro-fiber travel pouch available that’s made of recycled materials.

google-glass-accessories-earbud google-glass-accessories-charger google-glass-accessories-shield google-glass-accessories-pouch

All these accessories will come with any Google Glass, but the shields are only available for devices purchased after the October 28 switch date. But the accessories will also be on sale for $50 each, except for the shields again, which cost $75 a piece.

SOURCE: Google (earbud), (charger), (shields), (pouch)
VIA: Androidheadlines

Google Wallet may change with Android 4.4, Nexus 5 hardware
Oct 30th 2013, 23:32, by Nate Swanner

Google Wallet has had its share of troubles. First carriers refused to include it, citing security concerns. Payment centers were hard to come by as well, with many point-of-sale terminals supporting NFC payments, but not Wallet. Now there is news that with the update to Android, Google Wallet may be shifting gears, or disappearing altogether.

google-wallet-card-540x332


With the Nexus 7's inclusion of Broadcom NFC hardware came the inability to use some legacy NFC tags. It also meant that Google Wallet was being left out, as Broadcom lacked the necessary element to store payment options, like credit card data. According to one Redditor who dug through the leaked LG service manual for the Nexus 5, the same can be said for the upcoming Nexus flagship phone.

It's doubtful that Google will drop Wallet support, considering they use it for Play Store purchases and have recently rolled out the ability to send money via email using Wallet. What isn't clear is how this will affect Wallet on mobile devices, moving forward. A recent update supports Wallet’s move from NFC with the secure element, but there is no indication it's being accepted by more retailers.

The security concern for carriers was that element present on the older NFC chips which stored the payment information. Now that it's gone, we wonder if Wallet will serve as a funnel for other services, or forge a new path in mobile payments. A recent patent filing by Google for mobile payments without the secure element suggests they're sticking with Wallet for the foreseeable future.

VIA: Android Authority

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