Technology Voice

If you've been eyeing the LG G Pad 8.3, your decision just became more difficult. Yesterday Google announced -- and began shipping -- a Google Play edition of the tablet for $350 in the US, which makes it the very first slate to receive the stock Android treatment. What does this mean, exactly? Google Play editions come with Android 4.4 KitKat without any manufacturer or carrier customizations, so it looks precisely the way Google intends it. This can be good or bad, because there are a couple tradeoffs you need to consider: The good news is that these types of devices typically get upgrades to the newest version of Android far earlier than the vast majority of smartphones and tablets, but you also need to give up a few features that were unique to their skinned counterparts.

The contents of your wallet are under attack. Earlier this month Coin swept in threatening to eliminate the need for all of your beloved non-cash payment methods and now Google Wallet is making it even easier to capture your plastic with its latest Android update. Along with the introduction of its very own physical debit cards, Google added the ability to upload your debit and credit cards to Wallet by simply snapping a picture with your smartphone -- similar to the recent addition to the Dropbox Android app. Instead of entering your card numbers manually (such a drag, we know), those users who see a camera icon in the "card number" field of the Wallet mobile app, can capture both the card number and expiration date with a photograph. Read More