Coverage of Google I/O - Google Integration Into Mercedes, Streaming Music, G+ Additions, Google Play Game Services & More

 

Google Play game services aims to integrate gaming across Android, iOS and the web

Google Play game developers and players alike are getting a quartet of game-changing additions today: real-time multiplayer, leaderboards, cloud saves and achievements. And that's not all -- the latter three services will function cross-platform between Android, iOS and the web. The whole initiative is called -- unsurprisingly -- "Google Play Game Services," and it's available today in a smattering of games. Unlike Apple's Game Center application, what Google's offering is backend support for developers rather than a standalone application. Think of it more like OpenFeint than Game Center -- you can sign in using your Google+ login in-game, and that login will track your identity (including leaderboard scores, achievements and saves) across various games and devices.

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Google beats Apple to it with streaming music service

With its $9.99/month service, the tech powerhouse makes its first move into a space already occupied by the likes of Pandora, Spotify, and possibly, Apple.

Google launched a music streaming service Wednesday, taking its first stab at the growing industry with a new service linked to Google Play for Android.    

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Google announces Google Play for Education launching this fall

Google today announced a new service called Google Play for Education that allows schools to easier find and distribute Google Play content to Android devices in schools.

The Google Play Education store will allow schools to search for content by subject matter and grade level and provide content that has been recommended by other educators.

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Google I/O event previews Mercedes' integration of Google services


The annual Google I/O developers conference is going on this week in San Francisco, California, featuring in-depth sessions that showcase the latest and greatest from Google in the way of products and technology. One of the things being highlighted this year is Mercedes-Benz's integration of Google's services.

Using a current SL model, Mercedes-Benz will show a Drive Kit Plus system which uses a smartphone and custom app which enables seamless integration of the smartphone with the car's infotainment system. Essentially, this makes it easier to use your smartphone with your vehicle's on-board features such as navigation and streaming music.

 

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Google adds photo and other enhancements to Google Plus in effort to rival Facebook

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular.

Many of the 41 new features being added to Google Plus beginning Wednesday will draw upon the computing power, machine learning, algorithms, semantics analysis and other innovations that established Google's search engine as the most influential force on the Internet.

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Cellphones Are Changing School Emergency Plans

Once seen as a nuisance, student cellphones now figure into school security plans. Credit: iBjorn/Flickr

Discovery News - In the past, schools and cellphones didn't mix. Teachers saw them as a distraction, and many schools banned their use in the classroom. But in the wake of school shootings over the past 13 years, school districts are beginning to change their policies.

Since the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Colorado, school districts and law enforcement authorities have worked together on strategies to respond to violence in schools. Plans include how to protect students inside buildings, evacuate them and notify parents. Students and teachers practice lockdown drills, steps to secure the school so that no one can enter or exit.

And technology is a big part of more recent plans, now that cellphone use among kids has grown. While most high school students wouldn't leave the house without their phones, children just starting school have cellphones, too. More than 1 in 10 kids between the ages of 6 to 10 already have their own cell, according to data collected during the first six months of 2012 by YouthBeat, a research firm that focuses on the use of technology by kids from preschool up to age 18.

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