Nest Learning Thermostat might be coming to Canada through Google Play

It would make sense that Google will sell the product of its latest acquisition on the Google Play Store. You can find all Google devices there already. While Google has not officially announced its availability yet, Droid Life was able to grab a screenshot of Google Play’s support pages for available devices with the Nest Learning Thermostat in the list. It says the device will be available in Canada, the US, and UK. The product isn’t available in those countries right now. So, does that mean Google plans to sell the Nest here? There is no word yet from Google and they have pulled the listing from the support page. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any developments.

UPDATE

Google has started to sell the Nest Learning Thermostat on Google Play for US$249. The tech company even helped celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree for every Nest device it sold.

Source: PCMag

Google to ban Android apps that use deceptive ads

Google wants to make sure its users aren’t being taken advantage of by bad developers. The tech giant released new rules for Google Play apps. They want advertisers to clarify how and when they will use in-app purchases.  They want to take out apps that have pop-up ads designed to spoof a service, app notification, or system in order to have you clicking on something you shouldn’t.

Google also wants to get rid of “promotion or install tactics” as well that force downloads or Play Store redirects with your approval. And they want to get rid of unsolicited SMS ads and any use of “erotic content” to promote pornography. The developers are given a 15-day grace period before Google bans those that don’t comply with the revised rules.

Source: Engadget

Game Change book explores 'gamification' of the office in the engagement economy

A new book entitled, “Game Change”. The book explores how “gamification” can be harnessed and applied as a business model for the future.

An estimated one billion people spend at least one hour every day playing computer and video- games. Why is it that people put more effort into these games than their day jobs or personal relationships?

Businesses need to consider that 7 billion hours by 1 billion gamers is what’s up for grabs in the “Engagement Economy”. It’s argued that if businesses can harness even a fraction of the sort of engagement witnessed in gaming, the rewards will be incalculable.

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Google's Chromecast App now available in Canadian App Store and Google Play

This may be an indicator that the Chromecast is soon on its way to Canada for real. The supporting apps for smartphones and tablets are now avallable on the Apple App Store as well as Google's Play Store. These apps enable interaction with the Chromecast device and allow users to wirelessly  push YouTube, NetFlix and in the case of Android, Google Play TV and Movie content to any connected HDTV. Canadians who wanted to use their US-bought Chromecast devices could download a .apk file from the Internet to get it to work. Chrome browsers on Macs, PCs and mobile devices can also push content to Chromecast by way of a browser plugin. Check out our full review of the Chromecast here.

Source: MaximeJohnson/techno