Mirror your Android screen to the TV with Chromecast

Chromecast makes it easy for you to enjoy your favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the house. Starting today, you can mirror your Android phone and tablet to the TV so you can see your favorite apps, photos or anything else, exactly as you see it on your mobile device�only bigger. To start mirroring, simply select �Cast Screen� from the navigation drawer in the Chromecast app and select your Chromecast device.  On Nexus devices, this feature is also available through the quick settings menu.

Now, anything on your Android device will appear on the TV. You can share photos stored on your phone with a group of friends, or scope out the scenery for your next family vacation together on the big screen using Google Earth.

This feature is currently in beta and will roll out on popular Android phones or tablets from Samsung, HTC, LG, and others over the next few days. Look out for the 1.7 update of the Chromecast app on Google Play store to use this new feature. 

Posted by Ambarish Kenghe, Chromecast Product Manager and Cast Master

FTC Comes Out In Favor of Direct Auto Sales

The FTC has come out in favor of direct auto sales to consumers. When asked for comment by a New Jersey legislator, FTC staff responded with a statement which suggested that banning direct automotive sales is anti-competitive and bad for consumers.

This is dangerous ground for the Obama administration, as the auto dealers are a powerful lobbying group, and quite a few dealers have unionized shops.

Source: http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/05/ftc-staff-missouri-new-jersey-should-repeal-their-prohibitions

New mobile apps for Docs, Sheets and Slides�work offline and on the go

Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog 

Every year, phones and tablets get better, and more of you are starting to use your mobile devices not just to view, but also to create and edit content. And while the Drive app is a convenient place to store your stuff, we want to make it easier for you to quickly find, edit and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the go. Starting today, you can download new, standalone mobile apps for Docs and Sheets�with Slides coming soon. Need to find a spreadsheet? Go to the Sheets app. Need to create a document? Go to the Docs app. They�re all right there at your fingertips.

When you open the new apps, you�ll see your most recently edited files, which means less time searching and scrolling.

The apps also come with offline support built in, so you can easily view, edit and create files without an Internet connection. Now, if you have a brilliant idea for a best-selling novel while traipsing through the Amazonian rainforest (or you know, something more probable, like during flight takeoff)...no problem. You can jot down your idea in the Docs app on your phone, even when you�re offline.

You can get the apps on Google Play [Docs] [Sheets] and in the App Store [Docs] [Sheets]. If you don�t have time now, over the next few days you�ll be prompted to download the apps when you go to edit or create a document or spreadsheet in your Drive app. And of course, you�ll still be able to use the Drive app to view and organize all of your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, photos and more.

So enjoy the Amazon�we�re looking forward to buying that novel someday. And in the meantime, just remember: even if a crocodile eats your phone, your files are safe in the cloud!

Posted by Brian Levee, Product Manager

Expanding Google�s security services for Android

Think about the ways your home is kept secure. You rely on structural security features�secure locks, a rock-hard foundation, strong windows and doors. You might also have an alarm or video camera to give you an extra layer of security, with a support team behind those tools making them more powerful, all but invisible until the moment you need them.

We have a similar approach to how we deliver security improvements in Android. As part of Android�s foundation, we built safeguards like application sandboxing, which confines apps, minimizing their ability to damage other parts of your phone. But just like your home, Google offers a built-in �service layer� (kind of like the phone equivalent of that alarm service for your home) to most every Android phone and tablet that�s constantly being strengthened, and it�s included for free. We�re adding to that service layer, further fortifying your Android phone or tablet.

Verify apps: now protecting you continually
Building on Verify apps, which already protects people when they�re installing apps outside of Google Play at the time of installation, we�re rolling out a new enhancement which will now continually check devices to make sure that all apps are behaving in a safe manner, even after installation. In the last year, the foundation of this service�Verify apps�has been used more than 4 billion times to check apps at the time of install. This enhancement will take that protection even further, using Android�s powerful app scanning system developed by the Android security and Safe Browsing teams.

Because potentially harmful applications are very rare, most people will never see a warning or any other indication that they have this additional layer of protection. But we do expect a small number of people to see warnings (which look similar to the existing Verify apps warnings) as a result of this new capability. The good news is that very few people have ever encountered this; in fact, we�ve found that fewer than 0.18% of installs in the last year occurred after someone received a warning that the app was potentially harmful.

Even though the risk is miniscule, we�re committed to making sure that the best available security protections are available to all Android users. This includes service-based protections such as Verify apps, as well as security features within the platform itself.

Posted by Rich Cannings, Android Security Engineer

Sharing what�s up our sleeve: Android coming to wearables

Most of us are rarely without our smartphones in hand. These powerful supercomputers keep us connected to the world and the people we love. But we're only at the beginning; we�ve barely scratched the surface of what�s possible with mobile technology. That�s why we�re so excited about wearables�they understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word.

Android Wear: Information that moves with you 
Today we�re announcing Android Wear, a project that extends Android to wearables. And we�re starting with the most familiar wearable�watches. Going well beyond the mere act of just telling you the time, a range of new devices along with an expansive catalogue of apps will give you:

• Useful information when you need it most. Android Wear shows you info and suggestions you need, right when you need them. The wide variety of Android applications means you�ll receive the latest posts and updates from your favorite social apps, chats from your preferred messaging apps, notifications from shopping, news and photography apps, and more. 
• Straight answers to spoken questions. Just say �Ok Google� to ask questions, like how many calories are in an avocado, what time your flight leaves, and the score of the game. Or say �Ok Google� to get stuff done, like calling a taxi, sending a text, making a restaurant reservation or setting an alarm. 
• The ability to better monitor your health and fitness. Hit your exercise goals with reminders and fitness summaries from Android Wear. Your favorite fitness apps can give you real-time speed, distance and time information on your wrist for your run, cycle or walk. 
• Your key to a multiscreen world. Android Wear lets you access and control other devices from your wrist. Just say �Ok Google� to fire up a music playlist on your phone, or cast your favorite movie to your TV. There�s a lot of possibilities here so we�re eager to see what developers build. 

Developer Preview 
If you�re a developer, there�s a new section on developer.android.com/wear focused on wearables. Starting today, you can download a Developer Preview so you can tailor your existing app notifications for watches powered by Android Wear. Because Android for wearables works with Android's rich notification system, many apps will already work well. Look out for more developer resources and APIs coming soon. We�re also already working with several consumer electronics manufacturers, including Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung; chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm; and fashion brands like the Fossil Group to bring you watches powered by Android Wear later this year.

We're always seeking new ways for technology to help people live their lives and this is just another step in that journey. Here�s to getting the most out of the many screens you use every day�whether in your car, in your pocket or, very soon, on your wrist.

Posted by Sundar Pichai, SVP, Android, Chrome & Apps

The BIg 2

Fiat has taken full ownership of Chrysler, and the combined entity will be called Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and will be headquartered (for tax purposes) in the UK, not Italy. With that, the "Big 3" are now the "Big 2", as GM and Ford are the only remaining American owned major auto makers. (Sorry Tesla, you don't count yet, come back when you make over 100,000 cars/year)

I see some bruised feelings all around. Auburn Hills is once again second fiddle. Italy loses Fiat's corporate registration. And the "A" in FCA lost its cross bar for some reason.

Tesla's First Fire Related Recall

They don't want to call it a recall, but, NHTSA does. And that's the law.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults?refurl=email&searchType=ID&targetCategory=R&searchCriteria.nhtsa_ids=14V006

Of course, this is for faulty charger pigtails, and not battery road damage induced fires.