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Create and share Google Maps lists on the web from your desktop
This past February, Google made it possible to create lists of your favorite local spots in the Maps mobile app. A little later, the company added a sharing feature so you could send your lists to friends and family from your phone. Now Google is bringing the experience to your computer, as well.
Samsung inexplicably opens up its Android browser
Samsung has announced that the new version of its browser, Samsung Internet, can be used on any relatively new Android phone, which is good news if you're bored of existing mobile browsers that already do the job perfectly well. The Korean tech giant made its software ambitions known in March when, in response to "many requests", it released a beta version of Samsung Internet (5.4) compatible with Google devices such as the Pixel and Nexus series. Now, the v6 beta version is being released for any phone running Android 5.0, aka Lollipop, or later.
Google Drive is ready to back up all the files on your PC
Google Drive just became more useful as a means of protecting those files you can't afford to lose. A few weeks later than promised, Google has released its Backup & Sync app for Macs and Windows PCs. As before, this is a simpler option for safeguarding your data in the cloud -- it merges the photo backup of the desktop Google Photos app with Drive functionality that lets you back up the folders of your choice. You don't have to wonder whether or not your pictures will survive a system crash as well as your must-have documents. The app is free, although you'll need a lot of Google Drive space if you're determined to upload more than a modest amount of content.
Microsoft rolls out space-saving Files on Demand to Windows Insiders
Storing your files in the cloud is a great thing for managing them across devices, but if you want to work on them on your own or with others, you either need to let them sync to your local computer or launch a web app. Microsoft introduced a way to access both local and OneDrive files from your PC desktop this past May. The feature lets you work on your files directly from your computer using the regular Windows file picker, further blurring the lines between offline and online file storage and saving space on that fancy SSD. The service, called OneDrive Files on Demand, starts rolling out to Windows Insiders who run build 16215 right now, and you can download it directly if you don't want to wait for the automatic update.
Nintendo prez discusses Switch docks and left Joy-Con issues
Engadget editors have let you know how we feel after extended time with the Nintendo Switch, and in an interview with Time, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime gave us some updates from within the company. Through its first five days on sale, the Switch continued to be Nintendo's fastest-selling console ever in the US, but the biggest questions are about issues some owners are experiencing. When it comes to that occasionally-finicky left Joy-Con, Fils-Aime said "all I can tell you is that we are aware of and have seen some of the reports. We're asking consumers a lot of questions....we'll look and see what the next steps are."
Ford vehicles will soon have Amazon Alexa on board
We finally know when Ford will unleash the Alexa integration it promised almost exactly a year ago. The automaker has announced it will roll out the feature in two phases, with the first one going live later this month. Folks who own Ford vehicles with the company's Sync 3 entertainment system, starting with the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi, will be able to control their cars from home sometime this January. They'll be able to start or stop their car engines, unlock their doors and check their fuel levels simply by issuing commands through Amazon's Echo, Echo Dot and Tap speakers.
Opera warns that its web sync service was hacked
Data breaches happen all too often, but it's rare that they target your browser's sync service... and unfortunately, Opera just became one of those exceptions. The company is warning users that it detected a hack in its sync system that may have given intruders access to login details. While your passwords are likely safe (all synced passwords are encrypted, for example), Opera isn't risking anything. It's resetting all sync account passwords, and it recommends that you change any linked third-party passwords to be on the safe side.
Rifftrax app takes the guesswork out of syncing jokes to film
For fans of snarky, alternative film commentary, Rifftrax has long been a haven of amusement. For only a few dollars, one can hear MST3K veterans Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett rag on classic and modern cinema. There was only one problem: syncing these audio tracks to the actual movies could be a minor nightmare. Fortunately, those days seem to be behind us: the group's new RiffTrax app will do it for you.
Photo-editing app VSCO is turning off its sync feature today
Almost two years ago, the popular photo-editing and sharing app VSCO released a big iOS update that, among other things, brought the app to the iPad. At the same time, VSCO added a sync feature: if you imported a photo into your VSCO library and made edits on your iPhone, the same photo and edits would appear on your iPad (and vice versa). It was a handy feature, letting you make changes on the iPad's big screen while sending them to the iPhone for easy sharing to apps like Instagram. However, as of today, that sync feature is going away.
Dropbox's iOS app will scan the scraps of paper cluttering your office
Dropbox makes no bones about the shift the company has undergone in the past few years. Rather than focusing on end-user products (like the now-defunct Carousel photo app and Mailbox email app), Dropbox now wants to be the glue that allows people to collaborate and work together across various file formats, devices and operating systems. That's not to say that millions of people aren't using it to store and sync their files, but the company's real mission is to develop a platform that helps businesses and teams seamlessly get work done. (That's where the money is, after all.) To that end, Dropbox is releasing one of the biggest updates to its core product in quite some time. Most of those changes are designed to make it easier to work collaboratively, but the first and perhaps most important update should be useful to just about anyone: The iOS Dropbox app now has an intelligent document scanner built right in. It's not the sexiest feature, but if you've ever taken a photo of various hand-drawn notes, ideas or any scrap of paper you wanted to save digitally, it'll be quite useful.
Google Photos for Android gets a manual backup option
Sometimes a seemingly small update can have a large impact on your favorite app. That might be the case with Google Photos, which has just received a manual backup option for Android phones and tablets. Before, you needed to specify whether the app should be uploading your photos over a WiFi connection, or at any time using a WiFi or mobile network. If you have a plan with a strict data cap, you're probably using the former -- but sometimes, just sometimes, you'll want to break that rule in order to quickly sync and share your smartphone snaps. Well, now you can.
Ford will let you talk to your car through Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo is becoming one of the best parts of the connected home with its impressive voice command system and growing integration with other IoT device like WeMo, Hue and Wink. Now Ford is getting in on the Alexa action with support for the device with Sync.
Fords with Sync 3 are getting Android Auto and CarPlay
Owners of Ford vehicles with Sync 3 will soon be able to enjoy Android Auto or Apple's Car Play in their cars. The automaker announced that its connected car system will start playing nicer with your mobile-platform of choice.
Ford safety feature snitches out hit-and-run driver
One of the more helpful safety features found in newer vehicles is their ability to automatically call emergency services after an accident. It turns out it's also great for catching hit-and-run drivers.
Ford is bringing Siri to 5 million SYNC-enabled cars
Most modern Ford cars come installed with its bespoke infotainment system called SYNC, allowing drivers to make calls and listen to various music streaming apps while keeping their eyes on the road. The system already lets some owners remotely start their car, but it will soon also offer services from an important partner: Apple. Starting today, owners of a Ford vehicle purchased in 2011 or later can download a new software update that will add Siri functionality to their SYNC interface.
Ford Sync 3 launches in the Escape and Fiesta this summer
Ford's Sync 3 connected car system is nearly ready to hit the road. The automaker has revealed that its tuned-up infotainment will first show up in 2016 Escape and Fiesta models, both of which go on sale this summer. If you'll recall, this version of Sync makes some big strides toward matching the experience you get on your smartphone. Besides touting an easier (or rather, less cumbersome) and speedier interface, it also brings in support for phone-like capacitive touch, more natural voice commands and WiFi updating. Sync 3 is much smarter about talking to your mobile gear, as well. It'll be one of the first shipping in-car platforms to support both Android Auto and CarPlay, and it'll eventually communicate directly with supporting navigation apps. You'll have to wait until later in the year if you want the new Sync in a spiffier ride like the Mustang, but that's no problem if you're just interested in an A-to-B commuter with modern cabin tech.
Ford explains why Sync 3 supports Apple and Google car apps
With both Apple and Google wrangling to become the infotainment center of your next new car, Ford will be choosing neither. Or both, depending on how you look at it. During an interview with Re/code, Ford CEO Mark Fields provided some details on how his company will be leveraging its in-house designed Sync system to act as middleman between smart devices and vehicles.
Microsoft still powers Ford's in-car tech behind the scenes
Ford may have ditched Microsoft for the next generation of its Sync interface, but that doesn't mean Microsoft no longer has a place in Blue Oval's cars. If anything, it's more important than ever. Ford has unveiled the Service Delivery Network, a cloud-based platform that uses Microsoft Azure to put internet services in your car, whether they're app-based remote controls (like telling your car to warm up in the morning) or Sync updates. The two companies hope that this will deliver connected car tech worldwide, and at a faster pace than you're used to -- you may not have to wait months or years for a feature to turn up in a vehicle you can buy. The first models relying on the Service Delivery Network should hit dealerships later this year, so you'll soon know how well this collaboration works on the open road.
Bittorrent Sync Pro lets employees share folders from their PCs
Bittorrent's done beta testing its cloud-alternative Sync tool, so it's now releasing not just the stable version, but also a Pro one for businesses. Sync 2.0 still lets you share folders saved on your computer using web links, but it also comes with an assortment of new features. These include the ability to link all your devices (PCs, phones and tablets) using a single private account, the power to share folders from any of those linked devices, and being able to grant a person access to your folders just once (he can access them instantly later on), among many other improvements.
Ford will connect your phone's navigation app to Sync 3
Ford's new connected car system hasn't hit the streets yet but it's already announcing future upgrades. This week during the North American International Auto Show it said the third version of AppLink -- a set of APIs that let mobile apps work with the car's systems and controls -- will come to Sync 3, and the headline feature is that users can bring their phone's navigation software to the car's screen. Instead of bringing full mobile features to its system with Android Auto, CarPlay or MirrorLink, Ford's system uses its controls to interact with mobile apps and data on the phone. AppLink 3.0 won't ship until some point after Sync 3 actually rolls out, but hopefully by then Ford has negotiated compatibility with navigation for popular apps from the likes of Google, Apple and Waze. If you want to know a bit more about why Ford set up the new system the way it did (and what owners of older Sync systems can expect), you should check out our CES interview with Connected Vehicle and Services Executive Director Don Butler, which is embedded after the break.
