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YouTubers will be the stars of its subscription service
Google's bringing a paid-for subscription service to YouTube next year, but don't expect the company to sign a deal with a TV studio for some exclusive content. Instead, the site is going to see if its wide stable of home-grown talent will provide enough of a draw for you to fork over several bucks from your paycheck each month. According to Bloomberg, almost all of YouTube's biggest names, including PewDiePie and Smosh have already signed up to be a part of the new offering when it goes live.
Google Maps delivers destination info, voice directions while offline
Sometimes you still need navigation and destination info when you're offline. Google is delivering just that with offline Maps. Even when you're not connected (or in airplane mode), the app will still provide information on places in your searches. This means that you can browse hours, reviews and other important details for places like museums and restaurants. What's more, voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation is included as well for maps that you've saved for offline use. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the new tools will arrive other than a vague "later this year." Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Facebook and Instagram get knocked offline... for about an hour
Snowmageddon might not be all that fun those experiencing it on the East Coast, but it could well be affecting the rest of us too. Starting around 1am ET, Facebook and Instagram were both inaccessible, as well as apps that require FB credentials. Tinder, for exmaple, also went down in the process -- globally. (We saw problems accessing servers across the US, Europe and Asia.) We've also seen Hipchat and, er, AIM also knocked offline at the same time. Snow in the servers? Or maybe it was a DDoS attack? We don't know just yet. Facebook and Instagram have just come back after an hour. Interestingly, as TechCrunch noted, Facebook's other app, WhatsApp went strong through out.
Netflix says offline playback is 'never going to happen'
Ever since Netflix mistakenly said that offline viewing would come to Honeycomb tablets, we've waited (and opined) for the moment when it'd happen. Unfortunately, the streaming company is turning a blind eye to our needs as its head of communications saying that cached playback is "never going to happen." In an interview with TechRadar, Cliff Edwards said that the feature is a "short term fix for a bigger problem" -- namely, a lack of high-speed WiFi in certain places. As far as he's concerned, we're not far away from having ubiquitous internet wherever we dare to tread.
Elite: Dangerous has no offline mode for story reasons
Frontier Developments head honcho David Braben has been working overtime to defend the 11th-hour revelation that Elite: Dangerous will have no offline play option. A recent video interview with Braben includes his response to these issues; he states that it's not off the table, but it's incompatible with the way that the game handles storytelling. The game world is meant to change over time based on player actions, and it wasn't as functional without players being affected by each another. Braben explains that the game's missions are generated in part by aggregates of player activity; if a majority of players choose to support a rebel faction on a given planet, for example, then that faction becomes more powerful, and the nature of missions related to those rebels changes. Keeping the game online ensures that these changes can be reflected in gameplay, making the experience more dynamic and engaging. The full interview also covers the details of beta testing and control setups, if you're not as interested in the fine details of staying online while playing in single-player mode. Elite: Dangerous formally launches tomorrow.
ArcheAge servers are back up; Trion is sorting out in-game timers
If you're following the ongoing saga of ArcheAge problems, you probably know that the game had all of the servers shut down over a holiday weekend, which could theoretically solve the game's exploit issues in the same way that setting fire to your house solves any problems you have with your wallpaper. The server issues were stated to be a result of emergency maintenance, with community representatives denying that it was connected to servers overheating, DDoS attacks, or exploits. The good news is that out of the game's 21 servers, 16 were up and running last night, with the last five brought online early this morning. Players are promised compensation, which will be revealed later today. Unfortunately for players who had taxes due, the timers for all services continued to roll while the servers were down, so crops, housing plots, and the like were all still affected by time during the lengthy maintenance cycle. Trion says it is "definitely aware this is an issue for players with taxes due and is talking with XLGAMES about the best way to resolve it while the servers are offline." A server rollback is not in the cards. But at least the servers are back online. We'll have more updates on the compensation for players when it is announced.
Braben clarifies Elite: Dangerous' lack of an offline mode
When fans were told that Elite: Dangerous will not feature an offline mode, they were a little upset, considering it had been one of the explicit promises made during the game's Kickstarter campaign. Head honcho David Braben took the opportunity to clarify the situation, promising that while the game will not have any sort of offline play offered now or (likely) in the future, there will still be single-player options. You'll just have to be online to play them. Braben defended the decision as a fundamental creative decision, an attempt to deliver the best possible version of the game rather than an inferior offline experience. However, Braben also admitted that the team should have communicated more openly with players regarding the state of the offline version of the game. He also said that individual requests for refunds by anyone dissatisfied by this change are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Elite: Dangerous is still on track for an official release on December 18th.
E-thugs target Destiny with DDoS attacks
Destiny has been made the target of a round of DDoS attacks, coming from the same group that previously took credit for executing a similar attack against Sony Online Entertainment and a bomb threat on John Smedley's plane (among other harassment). Players were told that the game was facing issues with logging in and matchmaking across the board, but Bungie declined to elaborate further at the time; the tweet on the matter has since been deleted. Our sister site Joystiq reports that the servers are up again. Hacker group Lizard Squad has taken credit for taking parts of the game offline, an attack which also affected Call of Duty: Ghosts. Congratulations are in order for Destiny, since nothing says you've arrived like people taking down your servers as part of a petty show of power.
Google Play Movies & TV gets offline viewing on Chromebooks, info cards in Chrome browsers
Google has unleashed a Chrome add-on for the video on-demand arm of its Play store, a move that also to combat the notion that Chromebooks die and wither away from internet connections. Just as promised, the add-on lets the ChromeOS devices store movies for offline playback -- you know, those long flights or camping trips in places where Netflix doesn't reach, like anywhere with Verizon FiOS. Unfortunately the trick doesn't extend to Chrome browsers on other platforms, although you can still use the extension to view your library of content or purchase new stuff to watch. The Google Play Movies & TV extension also promises a better Chromecast experience, and the info cards about actors in a scene that rolled out on Android last year. Those are now available in all countries with Google Play Movies, so head to the Chrome store to try it out for yourself. [Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Spotify lets you take all of your tracks offline with just one button
While Spotify's allowed you to save music for offline playback for some time, downloading playlists can be a laborious process. Today, it's making things a whole lot easier. As part of its latest iOS app update, the company enabled a new "Available Offline" toggle inside the Songs tab, allowing you to instantly download and then listen to your entire catalog of curated beats (tracks that you've saved) without the need for a connection. Android users should already see the option as part of a forced security upgrade. Once updated, you can host as many as 3,333 songs per device and keep them offline for up to 30 days -- definitely enough to get you through a tedious long-distance flight.
Simple.TV's streaming DVR now sends shows to your Chromecast
Simple.TV's streaming DVR is handy if you want to catch up on shows while on the road, but what if you want to watch on a friend's TV, or don't have an internet connection at all? Neither should be a big issue following an update to the company's Android, iOS and web apps. You can now send both live and recorded TV to a Chromecast, so that big-screen experience will follow you outside of the home. And if you travel to a place where internet access isn't guaranteed, you won't be deprived of viewing material -- it's now possible to download recordings to a computer (sadly, not mobile devices) in advance. They're not the biggest improvements, but they make all the difference if you're scrounging for something to watch while on vacation.
How to save offline maps in Google Maps 3.0
Google recently improved its offline maps feature in the popular Google Maps app (version 3.0), making it easier to both save a map to your iPhone or iPad for offline use and access it when you need it for travel purposes. Here is a quick rundown on how to save a map for offline use and how to access the list of saved locations so you can view them or delete them as needed. Saving a map for offline use 1. Open Google Maps when your iPhone or iPad is connected to the Internet. You will need an active Internet connection to download the maps before you head offline. 2. Search for the map area you would like to save or move the map to that location if your destination does not have a landmark compatible with search. 3. Open the search location information that appears at the bottom of your screen, or tap the search field if you moved the map to your location. This displays an information sheet with details about the area and an option to save the map for offline use. 4. Tap the "Save map to use offline" button in order to begin the process of saving the selected area of the map. 5. You can adjust the area being saved by panning and zooming the map. When you have selected the correct region, tap "Save" at the bottom of the screen. 6. Enter a name for the map and then tap "Save" to begin downloading the map to your phone. Google Maps will start the download process and will display a confirmation message when the map area has been saved. Accessing your saved maps while offline 1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or iPad when you are offline. 2. Tap the person icon in the top right corner of the home screen to open your Maps Activity page. 3. Scroll down to the "Offline maps" section at the bottom of the Maps Activity page. 4. Tap the saved map that you would like to view or tap "View all and manage" to see all your saved maps. Remember that you can only access the saved maps data when offline. You cannot search or retrieve driving directions as they both require an active internet connection. Managing your offline maps 1. Open the Google Maps app. 2. Tap the person icon in the top right corner of the home screen to open your Maps Activity page. 3. Scroll down to the "Offline maps" section at the bottom of the Maps Activity page. 4. Tap the "View all and manage" link to see a list of all your saved maps. 5. Tap the menu icon (set of 3 dots) to the right of the saved map in order to edit the map details. 6. Tap either Rename, Update, or Delete. Rename and Delete are self-explanatory, while Update allows you to expand or contract the map area that is saved in your offline map. 7. Make your modifications and then confirm changes.
Chrome OS will bring offline Play Movies later this year
One of the biggest concerns with Chrome OS is the fact that much of the platform relies on an internet connection to actually do what they're supposed to do. Fortunately, Google's aware of this and is working on it, one feature at a time. Today, the software giant announced that the Play Movies Chrome app will support offline movies and TV shows in the next several weeks. This feature has already been available on Android devices, so it's nice to see it expand into the Chrome OS sphere, along with continued manufacturer hardware support for the platform.
Google Now's info cards will stick around when your phone goes offline
One of Google Now's biggest quirks has been its inability to cope with going offline -- go through a subway tunnel and you risk losing those important directions or your parking place. You won't be left hanging after today, though, as Google has brought offline support to Now on Android phones. So long as you're using the latest version of the Search app, all your information cards should hang around whenever you're cut off from the rest of the world. It's a small change, but it could make a big difference if it keeps you informed while you're off the grid.
Adidas confirms offline Spotify playback coming to its SmartRun Android watch
Yesterday we reported on a new collaboration between Spotify and Adidas that would allow runners to cook up a personalized playlist and fresh route for their next run. That's great, if you run with your phone, but we mused that Adidas already has a device that could handle that task -- the Android-powered SmartRun. Turns out, Adidas is one step ahead, and confirmed to us today that offline Spotify playback will be coming to the SmartRun later this year (towards Christmastime). So, a plus for Spotify subscribers, who get one more place to enjoy their music, and a definite boost for SmartRun owners, if for no other reason than the knowledge that it's a product Adidas is clearly keen to expand the functionality of. Too much to dare that even more features could be in the pipeline?
Apple buys tech that could take Siri offline
Apple has sort-of-confirmed that it recently snapped up another small company, called Novauris. The firm specializes in speech recognition and has historical ties to the core technology and patents underpinning Siri. TechCrunch reports that Novauris' experts are already working inside Apple to improve its voice assistant, but no one really knows exactly what they're up to. One of Novauris's big strengths has been locally processed recognition, which doesn't rely on distant servers, so it's possible that Apple wants Siri to accomplish more without a data connection. (Apple's current Siri partner, Nuance, can also do offline processing, but Apple hasn't been able to bring that technology in-house.) We're just speculating, of course, but this is a function that no voice assistant has really mastered so far (although others are definitely working on it), and it's even more important now that iOS is getting into the car.
Elder Scrolls Online struggles with downtime and disables guild functionality
Smooth, polished, and... offline? Elder Scrolls Online's NA megaserver was down for the better part of today for "inventory-related issues," although these have been addressed and the game is back up and running after over 12 hours of work. The devs pushed out a small patch when the server came back up that fixed various issues, including broken quests that blocked player progression. It also appears that guilds have been neutered for the time being: "All guild functionality has been temporarily disabled. We will notify you when it has been turned back on. When guild functionality is returned, all guild-related tools and functions will be as they were before we turned them off." One bright spot for the day is that the Elder Scrolls Online soundtrack is now available on iTunes. [Update: ZeniMax just announced downtime for the EU megaserver.]
SimCity offline mode update in 'final testing'
SimCity's Update 10, a patch that will allow for offline play, is in "final testing," according to a tweet posted on the game's official Twitter account. Update 10 was revealed back in January, shortly after publisher EA and developer Maxis announced that the game would also start supporting mods. The SimCity saga of server instability and poor service was one of 2013's defining moments in gaming, as well as inspiration for our newly-launched State of Service reviews. The option to play offline has been a long time coming. [Image: EA]
Embers of Caerus website is nuked by its host
Website woes have hit Caerus hard in the embers, if you get our drift. Embers of Caerus' site was nuked by its host, and it looks as though some data may have been lost for good. The problems began back in early February, when the sandbox MMO's website went down. Regular posts on Facebook indicated that the site would come back, but that changed when the game's creator realized that agreements between the company and the website host lapsed. Subsequent renegotiations did not go well, and the site has remained offline. "After lengthy discussions with the host, it seems they're absolutely unwilling to work with us," the team posted on Facebook today. "They're basically wanting a big chunk of change that Forsaken Studios can't afford. Unfortunately, because they shut everything down without us being aware that it was happening/impending, they also have a lot of data on their servers that we no longer have access to. Obviously, some of that which was hosted was the website and everything on it. I'm not certain where we're moving to from this point, but this monkey wrench definitely hurt."
SugarSync for Android gets more offline features, full-resolution media uploads
Cloud storage service SugarSync has updated its Android app with quite a few nifty features. For starters, the application now allows any file to be saved to your device or SD card card -- a feature that will come in handy when you don't have a connection. You can also rename folders/files and export them to other apps, while some optimization on the tablet side will make SugarSync for Android look better on larger screens. Most importantly, perhaps, the new version uploads pictures and videos at their full resolution -- and we know how meaningful this is for some of you.
