Google product updates from the past few weeks

If you haven’t checked Google Play recently, or have most Google apps set to auto update, you might have missed out on some of the newer features that have come out in the past week or so. There is also at least one new Google app available for most devices too. Here’s a quick recap:

Google Now Launcher

Available now for most devices, the Google Now Launcher is a scaled down launcher with access to the Google Now cards on the left. It’s nice if you’re obsessed with the cards, but it’s missing some features more robust launchers have unless I’m missing something.

It’s a good start, but feels a bit like the Apollo launcher when it first came out.

Download: Google Play

Google+

Google+ can now send your feed to Chromecast enabling you to see on a TV your local Ingress chapter arguing in pictures about whether a publically accessible building is off limits after a certain hour. Google has also added the feature on some devices to edit auto-awesome movies.

The cast button will only appear if there are Chromecasts on the network, and as I’m not at home at the moment I can’t share a screenshot.

Download: Google Play

YouTube

Autocorrection on misspelled searches and the ability to choose between different resolutions.

Download: Google Play

Chrome Beta

The only difference I can see is that web videos appear to play once again. They had stopped working an update or two ago and once again do.

There are no changes listed on Google Play, and the ones listed in the SVN log are mostly behind-the-scenes developer things.

Download: Google Play

Ingress

Bug fixes, sometime in the last couple of updates finally the compass works on the HTC One M8.

If you’re an op in the Nashville area, feel free to come and attack or prop up the portals at the Maxwell House hotel/Dominican campus. You’d be surprised who walks by there most days.

Download: Google Play

Google Search

If you’re a fan of Google Now, they’ve added a card to indicate alternatives when your flight is inevitably delayed.

They’ve also added train and bus reminders based on emails in your Gmail.

This may be sleep deprivation talking, but it also seems a little faster than it used to be.

Download: Google Play

And many many more. Google now has nearly 70 apps published under their developer account (and a few that aren’t *cough* Ingress *cough*).

If you noticed anything neat and new that I missed, feel free to comment below.

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