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Google Assistant now helps you book taxis
Google's rolled out a bunch of new features for Assistant this week, and it's not finished yet. Now, you'll be able to use it to easily book ride services. So with your Android, iPhone, Google Home or any smart speaker with the Assistant, you just need to say "Hey Google, book a ride to...." Or "Hey Google, get me a taxi to... ." You'll then be given a list of popular ride services to choose from, including Uber, Lyft, Ola and Grab, along with information on estimated pricing and wait times.
Google brings voice calling to Home speakers in the UK
It's taken a while, but finally Google Home speakers in the UK can be used to make hands-free voice calls. The feature was announced at Google I/O 2017 and introduced in the US last August. Brits have waited patiently since then (or switched to Alexa, which has offered voice calls since October) for the same functionality — today, that mental fortitude pays off. To get started, simply say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" followed by the person or business you'd like to call. You don't need your phone either — the speaker will use Google Contacts as an address book and place the call over Wi-Fi. Update: As one of our readers pointed out -- Alexa-based calls only work between Echo devices (or a smartphone with the Alexa app installed). Google's implementation is, therefore, different and drastically more useful.
Google gives up on 'Hands Free' wireless mobile payments
Google has ended its "Hands Free" payment scheme, which let you live the retail dream of paying wirelessly with no need to pull out a card or phone. The program, which ran only in San Francisco's South Bay area, first detects if you're in a participating store using your smartphone's location services. If you say you're "paying with Google," it then completes the transaction over Bluetooth LE or WiFi, with the cashier verifying the purchase using your photo ID.
Hands-free 'Ok Google' commands come to Google Maps
The "Ok Google" command has expanded since the debut of Android KitKat, allowing devices to respond in various smart ways to those two words. Now, Google Maps on Android has this ability too, whether you're in the middle of a road trip or doing something else. Once it's enabled in settings, you can choose whether it works only while Maps is open or from any screen. Say the magic phrase then follow it up with something like "find a gas station" or "How's traffic ahead?" and it will let you know.
Google kicks off a public pilot for Hands Free mobile payments
Heads up, Silicon Valley residents: the days of pulling out your credit card to pay for Big Macs are numbered. Google just announced that the pilot program for its Hands Free payments scheme has gone live for certain stores in San Francisco's South Bay, so all you'll have to do is tell the cashier you're "Paying with Google." We're trying to figure out if there's a cap to how many people can sign up, but for now, it looks like all local residents need is an Android device running 4.2 or newer, or an iPhone 4S and newer.
Google wants you to buy Big Macs with your face
Google may have been the first big tech company to push NFC payments, but it was Apple Pay that got the public excited about buying things with your smartphone. At a Google I/O session for Android Pay, the search giant announced that it was partnering with McDonalds and Papa John's Pizza to launch Hands Free, a payment system that looks suspiciously like the Pay with Square app (later called Square Wallet and discontinued). Customers walk in a store and say, "I'd like to pay with Google," and the cashier will see a photo of the customer and their name on their point-of-sale system. The service is initially launching in San Francisco in the coming months and those interested can sign up for the beta here. Details about the geofencing payment service are sparse, but it should use cards stored in the upcoming Android Pay.
Porsche offers to put modern tech in the dash of your classic 911
Older sports cars are great for hitting the open road, but let's face it, they lack the bells and whistles of modern automobiles. Porsche is looking to help, though, with a new version of its Radio Navigation System for those older vehicles. On top of turn-by-turn directions, the Bluetooth unit sorts hands-free calls with ports for playing tunes from an SD card, iPod, USB stick or via an auxiliary cable. So if you have a Porsche 911 up to type 993, or a 4- or 8-cylinder that dates back to 1965, you're in luck. Best of all, this new unit sports the overall look of those classic interiors, rather than a modern faceplate from the likes of Pioneer or Alpine. The automaker has offered to outfit older cars with navigation systems before, but this more robust upgrade costs €1,184 (around $1,342). Unfortunately, US pricing and availability hasn't been announced just yet.
Control your Mac by pointing your finger with ControlAir
If you're sitting at your Mac right now, there's a fairly high chance that you'll be listening to music. Normally, if you want to skip between tracks, you'd use the keyboard shortcuts that line the top of your Apple keyboard. But what if you could could control music and movies without touching your Mac? That's what ControlAir does, and let me tell you, it's pretty impressive.
In-car heads-up display lets you respond to texts with hand motions and voice
We've seen companies take a few stabs at smartphone-savvy heads-up displays for cars, but they tend to be one-way devices -- while they'll feed you info, you still have to reach for your phone to answer a message or get directions. Navdy may just have a smarter solution in store. Its namesake HUD not only projects car stats, navigation and notifications, but lets you interact with them through a blend of gestures and speech. You swipe with your fingers to either respond to or dismiss any alert that comes in; the system leans on the built-in voice commands from Android and iOS, so you can tell Navdy to get directions in Google Maps or play iTunes music as if you were speaking to the phone itself.
Sony's SBH52 Smart Bluetooth clip acts as your secondary handset
HTC may have its Mini Bluetooth handset, but Sony thinks such implementation works best as a big clip without the numeric pad. Dubbed the SBH52, this splashproof device comes with FM radio, a headphone jack plus a small OLED display to show caller ID and text messages, so in a way it's similar to its predecessors. What's new is that you now get NFC as well as an earpiece -- the latter lets you use the clip as a mini phone. Expect to see this on the shelves in Q3 this year. %Gallery-192247%
Dragon Mobile Assistant 4 for Android adds driving mode, voice notifications
For Nuance, it's not enough that Dragon Mobile Assistant spares Android users from pecking at the keyboard -- with the app's new 4.0 upgrade, those users can sometimes avoid contact altogether. Dragon Mobile Assistant can now detect when you're in a moving car and automatically invoke a Driver Mode that relies solely on voice recognition and feedback, keeping your focus on the road. Accordingly, the upgrade builds in spoken notifications for inbound calls, messages, upcoming meetings and Facebook updates. There's also voice-aware email and customizable wake up commands. All told, 4.0 is a big boost for Android fans who see touchscreens as old hat; if you do, you can grab the update shortly (if not already) through Google Play.
Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers' hands free in sticky situations (update: video)
We're very familiar with Kopin's Golden-i, but it was surprising that an early collaboration with Motorola Solutions didn't immediately lead to Motorola selling the head-mounted computer on its own. That odd discrepancy is being patched up now that Motorola Solutions' HC1 is here. The design keeps its signature micro-display, head tracking and voice commands, but sees a slight repurposing from Kopin's focus on security: Motorola Solutions' attention is on giving construction workers, field technicians and soldiers an always-up computer that keeps their hands free when it would be too dangerous (or just unwieldy) to grab a handheld. We haven't been told if the HC1 has been upgraded to that promised TI OMAP 4 chip, although we do know that there's an optional camera to bring on the Aliens-style video feeds as well as pairing support that offers cellular data, GPS and voice calls when linked to the right phone or hotspot. Whether or not the HC1 keeps the Golden-i's $2,500 price is an unknown as well -- that said, the corporate emphasis is more likely to see bulk sales of the wearable PC than any kind of scrimping and saving. Update: You'll find an official clip for the HC1 after the break. The clip also confirms that there's no OMAP 4 in this version.
Pioneer's latest Raku Navi GPS units take commands from hand gestures
An AR heads-up display wasn't the only navigation hardware Pioneer showed off at CEATEC 2012. The firm also took the opportunity to tear the wraps off a new line of gesture-controlled Raku Navi GPS units. With the infrared-powered Air Gesture feature, drivers can wave their hand in front of a device to pull up a menu with commands such as setting their home or a personal haunt as a destination or skipping to the next tune on a playlist. Once a hand is retracted, the menu will be replaced with the usual map interface. Though the solution isn't completely hands-free, horizontal hand waves can be assigned one of ten different functions. Japanese store shelves will be lined with two dashboard-embeddable units by mid-October, while four console-independent models will join them in early November. As of now, there's no word if the hardware will make the pilgrimage stateside.
New Nokia Luna Bluetooth headsets, now with wireless charging
So yesterday saw a whole bunch of new Nokia-related goodies. There were phones (of course), charging pillows, a slew of retailers offering charging stations, and a bevy of new apps. One thing that didn't get a mention was the new Luna Bluetooth headsets. These may look familiar, but in keeping with the trend, these now also support wireless charging. As always, you have a near rainbow of color choices, and can expect up to eight hours talk time and 35 hours on standby. The NFC-enabled headsets do also have a micro-USB port, should you find yourself away from wireless power options. Sadly, no word on pricing and availability at this time.
Samsung announces Drive Link, a car-friendly app with MirrorLink integration
Until self-driving cars become mainstream, it's best to keep eyes on roads and hands off phones. With this in mind, Samsung's debuting Drive Link, an app that balances in-car essentials with driver safety, complete with approval from the no-nonsense Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association. It's all about the bare essentials -- navigation, hands-free calling and audiotainment from your phone-based files or TuneIn. Destinations can be pulled from S Calendar appointments or texts without trouble, and the text-to-speech feature means you won't miss a message, email or social media update. The best bit is that via MirrorLink, all these goodies can be fed through compatible dash screens and speaker systems. Drive Link is available now through Sammy's app store for Europeans sporting an international Galaxy S III, and will be coming to other ICS handsets "in the near future."
Kinect Toolbox update turns hand gestures into mouse input, physical contact into distant memory
Using Microsoft's Kinect to replace a mouse is often considered the Holy Grail of developers; there have been hacks and other tricks to get it working well before Kinect for Windows was even an option. A lead Technical Evangelist for Microsoft in France, David Catuhe, has just provided a less makeshift approach. The 1.2 update to his Kinect Toolbox side project introduces hooks to control the mouse outright, including 'magnetic' control to draw the mouse from its original position. To help keep the newly fashioned input (among other gestures) under control, Catuhe has also taken advantage of the SDK 1.5 release to check that the would-be hand-waver is sitting and staring at the Kinect before accepting any input. The open-source Windows software is available to grab for experimentation today, so if you think hands-free belongs as much on the PC desktop as in a car, you now have a ready-made way to make the dream a reality... at least, until you have to type.
SuperTooth's Crystal Bluetooth hands-free kit brings its delights to CES
Hands-free calling, yeah? If the one thing missing from your life is being able to talk at the wheel, then Supertooth's Crystal Bluetooth speakerphone is for you. Magnetically clipping onto the sun visor of your whip, it'll let you talk'n'drive with its automatic pairing and multi-point tech, handling two phones on the same unit -- if that's your particular bag. You'll be able to stream music from any A2DP enabled player or directions from a GPS unit. It'll give you 20 hours of talk time and 40 days of standby from just a single three hour charge, retailing for $69.99 when it arrives at the end of Q1 2012.
Parrot Asteroid CK, Asteroid Nav, Asteroid 2DIN infotainment systems: hands-on (video)
At last year's CES, Parrot unveiled its Asteroid car receiver -- a nifty little head unit that brought Android apps to a driver's dashboard. Today, the company expanded its infotainment reach with three new in-car systems: the Asteroid CK, Asteroid Nav, and Asteroid 2DIN. Much like its predecessor, the Asteroid CK features a 3.2-inch color display, and can be attached directly to a vehicle's dashboard. This Bluetooth-powered, Gingerbread (2.3.4)-laced hands-free system connects to the web via tethered phone or 3G key, giving users access to a host of geolocation services, driving assistance features and streaming music. The device also comes with a wireless remote, and features voice recognition capabilities that allow users to place calls or browse their music libraries without taking their hands off the wheel. The Asteroid Nav, meanwhile, features a five-inch, capacitive multi-touch display and offers many of the same functions you'll find on the CK, along with an enhanced onscreen navigation system. At the larger end of the spectrum lurks the Asteroid 2DIN: a "2DIN-connected multimedia car radio" designed to fit within the central column of a car's dashboard. Here, you'll be able to take advantage of hands-free calling, music streaming services and RDS text+ service, along with an array of online services and navigation functions. The 2DIN also packs no less than two inputs, with one designed for rearview camera displays, and one for video output. No word yet on pricing or availability, but be sure to check out the gallery below and our hands-on video, after the break. Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.
ZOMM Wireless Leash Plus speaks up for abandoned iPhones (video)
ZOMM's Wireless Leash plus is a hockey puck you clip onto your keychain and forget about -- until things start to go wrong. Tethering to your iPhone over Bluetooth, it'll start raising hell if your phone gets too far away from you. It's also a speakerphone (with a noise-canceling microphone) for taking calls on the road, a personal attack alarm, and it'll call the emergency services at the push of a button. Paired to the free myZOMM app, you can geotag your car so you remember where it is in the multi-story lot or check out the last known location of your most precious stuff. It's shipping now for $80 and a further $30 will get you a safe driving kit, not that we need to remind you that driving with a phone in your hand is a bad thing, right?
HIOD One is a Bluetooth communicator for gadget-hungry cyclists
Between your bell, safety lights and cycling computer there's probably not much room left on those handlebars for more stuff. But, if you're tired of having to speak up to converse with your riding partner, perhaps you'll clear a little real estate for the HIOD One. This Bluetooth communicator lets you talk to your fellow cyclists from up to 1,300 feet away and can be used to place phone calls and listen to music on your phone. The control panel mounts on your handlebars, but the "wireless" voice unit is a bulky box best worn on an armband or clipped to your chest. While the voice unit isn't hardwired to the controller, it does require you to plug in an earpiece and microphone to use it. Though the HIOD One has officially launched, there's no price yet as the company is still looking for retail partners to actually sell the device. If your curiosity still isn't satiated, there's a gallery below as well as a video and PR after the break. %Gallery-135856%
