09
May
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The Google Maps Android app has been updated to version 6.7, bringing some new important (and useful) features. You probably figured out what they are. Here's the changelog:

What's in this version:

  1. Discover nearby Google Offers in the US
  2. Indoor walking directions (Beta) for Japan and the US
  3. See 360° panoramas inside restaurants and stores

Google Offers has been having difficulty gaining traction in a market dominated by the Groupons and LivingSocials of the world, and Maps integration may be just what it needs to start getting a little respect. You can actually set it up so while you're in the maps app, Offers will let you know if the area you're hovering over contains any...

03
Nov
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If Google's Groupon competitor Offers is available in your area, then you you'll be happy to know that the companion app to the service has just been released to the Android Market. The app allows you to find and buy the best deals in your area on-the-go, as well as notify you about deals that match your interests and allow you to purchase and redeem them instantly.

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Nice interface. Very ICS-y.

Offers is free in the Market, hit the link below to download it.

Google Offers

Download Google Offers from Google Play
QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.offers

[Google Mobile Blog]

29
Jun
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Yelp received an update today, and it adds a brand-new mobile-exclusive feature called Deals, which is essentially a competitor to Groupon's Groupon Now!. The Deals button found on the updated app integrates Yelp Special Offers, Check-In Offers, and its time/location-sensitive Deals all into a single, location-based menu.

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Like Groupon Now!, you can only view offers within a certain distance of your current location (which is to say, it can't be manually set). The fact that it puts together all of Yelp's discount systems into a single list is really pretty handy, but unfortunately, there's no option to filter or sort the results.

15
Jun
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Update: Don't install this app until it gets an update - it will turn your GPS on every 10 seconds to update your location info, and won't stop unless you Force Stop it from the Manage Applications screen. It was at 68% on my phone's battery usage menu after 6 hours of doing little with my phone aside from checking e-mail sporadically. Yuck.

Have you ever wanted an app that aggregates your favorite daily deal and special offer services into a single, location-based list? I certainly have. Oddly enough, T-Mobile has launched just such an app, called "More for Me." We've all seen carrier-branded applications before, like Verizon's VCAST app store (and their veritable crappy cornucopia of other apps), but most of them suck.

26
May
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A few days ago, we told you that Google was most likely going to announce a mobile payment service using NFC. Today, that announcement is official, and it's called Google Wallet. Wallet is exactly what the name suggests: a payment service that aggregates all of your credit cards, coupons, loyalty cards, and more, into your Android phone. You can then not only use your phone to pay, but it will also enter your customer loyalty information automatically, as well as redeem any coupons that are loaded into your Wallet using NFC (near field communication).

Here are a few bullets about Wallet, how it works, and what to expect:

  • This service is going to officially launch this summer, but a beta program is already underway in San Francisco and NYC.