How Chromecast Makes Shared Viewing Easier: Bat Squeaks

Using the Chromecast with friends is about to get better, thanks to this handy update: Google announced at its Google I/O developer conference that users will no longer have to join the same network, just to cast videos and music to Chromecast-connected TVs.
What Google didn’t announce, at least on stage, was how that was going to work. But the company's engineers clued me in: Later this year, smartphones and tablets will be able to link to Chromecast over ultrasonic signals, which are undetectable to the naked human ear—not too different from the high-pitched signals bats use for echolocation.
The idea is to enhance the Chromecast experience when shared among several users in a room, Chromecast Product Manager Jagit Singh Chawla explained to me. He said that the engineers asked themselves how they could eliminate the need for friends to type in passwords, just to join the host's Wi-Fi network. Bluetooth

How Google's Early Release Of Android L Breaks With The Past To Fix Its Future

Google took major steps last week to boost adoption of Android L, the latest version of its mobile operating system. In fact, the company did something it has never done before: It released a developer preview.
Since the beginning, Google's approach to major Android releases followed roughly the same format. The announcement typically involved a partner making a Nexus flagship reference device, with the newest version of the platform shipping to developers and other manufacturers so they could build apps and devices for it.
This process actually slowed adoption by consumers, manufacturers and developers. After Google announced a new version, it often took companies such as HTC and Samsung as long as three to six months to build new devices for it, or ship software updates for older phones and tablets. Meanwhile, developers hesitated to build apps optimized for it because so few consumers had the latest version.

Microsoft Smartwatch Will Reportedly Have 11 Sensors

Details of an upcoming Microsoft smartwatch were uncovered in May, hinting at a summer release. However, a new source claims that the device will actually debut in October.
In addition to the update regarding the launch of the device, the source also offers a few more details about the device itself.
Previous reports have already mentioned that the wearable will monitor the wearer's heart rate, but a source in contact with Tom's Hardware claims that it will use 11 internal sensors to achieve this function.
The report further claims that the device will contain chips from Texas Instruments and Atmel.
And while we've already heard that the device will be cross platform — compatible with Windows, Android and iOS — the latest report also claims that the company will include an open API upon the device's release.

NASA's Human-like Space Robot Pays Dividends on Earth

A humanoid robot aboard the International Space Station is inspiring technology that could be useful to both astronauts and people on Earth.
NASA's Robonaut 2, which arrived at the orbiting lab in 2011, has human-like arms and hands capable of performing simple tasks such as flipping switches and grasping objects. The robot was originally designed to do work outside the station, potentially reducing the number of time-consuming and strenuous spacewalks required of astronauts.
However, the technology developed during the Robonaut program has inspired other ideas and is being adapted into several spinoffs that have applications both in space and on Earth, NASA officials said.

Songza CEO on Google Acquisition: 'This Is Just the Beginning'

What music do you listen to when Google acquires your startup? If you're Songza CEO Elias Roman, you blast some Hillbilly Bodybuilding.
Songza is a music service that offers users expertly curated playlists around mood, time of day and general theme. It offers a nice blend between human curation and algorithmic determination. The end result is a service that can offer up some truly fantastic music to perfectly encapsulate a feeling, an event or a routine.
Google bought Songza to help flesh out its Play Music offering, though the company also said it hoped to infuse some of Songza's work into other parts of the company, including YouTube.
I spoke with Roman earlier this evening after news of the acquisition — which was first rumored in early June — became public. According to Roman, all 40 members of Songza's team are now employed by Google.
The company is currently based in Long Island City, New York, but Roman says the company will move to Google's New York offices later this summer.