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Ready or not, we're about to enter the age of robotics.

That's the message underlying Google's announcement on Wednesday that former Android honcho Andy Rubin would be aiming the company's next "moon shot" at robots. Google has bought its way into the robotics game, purchasing seven companies to become the foundation of its robotics team, from makers of robotic arms and powered caster wheels to companies specializing in computer vision.

Google might seem like the corporate version of your eccentric rich uncle, throwing money at crazy projects like balloons that can broadcast Wi-Fi, medical record analysis, … Read more

Need to back up or export your Google Calendar appointments? You can now download them directly from Google.

As of Thursday, Google offers you the ability to save a zip file of your Google Calendar data, either all of your calendars or just select ones if you juggle multiple calendars. The process takes a few steps but is relatively straightforward.

Log into Gmail. Click on your account picture in the upper right corner, and select the link for Account. On the Accounts page, click on the link to Download your data and then click on the button to Create an … Read more

Is there an Android game or app that you can't live without? You can now give it a thumbs-up though the Players' Choice Awards.

Google's new awards page invites you to vote for your favorite app among various categories. You can vote for the "most addictive games," the "best franchise games," the "best games based on a movie," the "best apps for enhancing the everyday," the "best app for booking and buying," and the "best Google apps."

Google offers several suggestions in each category. The most … Read more

The Google Barge, not quite as mysterious as it once was, now is facing a mystery of its own: Does it have the proper permits to be in San Francisco Bay?

An investigation launched in the past week by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development will attempt to make sure the barge isn't running afoul of local permit regulations, Reuters reported Thursday. Specifically, the agency, which watches over development in the bay, will examine which permits were needed to build the barge and whether Google secured them.

"We want to make sure that the permits that are … Read more

A US appeals court on Wednesday considered whether Oracle should be afforded copyright protection over certain portions of the Java programming language in a case that is being closely watched by software developers.

The appeal, being heard by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC, is the latest chapter in the company's long-running patent and copyright battle over Google's use of Java application programming interfaces (APIs) in Android. Oracle sued Google in 2010, alleging that Google's use of 37 Java APIs in its mobile operating system constituted patent and copyright infringement.

Google … Read more

It wasn't cheap to buy into the earliest round of Google Glass testing, but Google is now offering an unexpected benefit: a free hardware upgrade.

In an e-mail sent to early Google Glass owners on Wednesday, the company offered to upgrade the $1,500 Explorer Edition headsets to a newer model for free. Google said that the newer model is faster, more durable, and compatible with upcoming prescription frames and the recently announced accessories such as the mono-earbud and the sunglasses attachment Shades.

The one-time swap-out offer covers all Glass models purchased before October 28, 2013, and is good … Read more

It's that time of year, when Google helps little ones around the world track Santa. This year, instead of only tracking Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve, Google is giving you a different glimpse into what's occurring at the North Pole every day leading up to Christmas.

The announcement from Google came courtesy of a post on its Google Maps blog early Wednesday. With a countdown timer at the top of the page, you're able to view familiar Google Maps pins for each day leading up to Santa's busiest day of the year, and see prep work … Read more

A woman issued a ticket in California for wearing Google Glass while driving is fighting back.

In a tweet, Cecilia Abadie said that she pleaded not guilty to the charge in court on Tuesday morning. The self-proclaimed geek and Google Glass pioneer has acknowledged that she was wearing the high-tech specs while driving but claimed they were powered off. As such, her contention is that simply wearing Glass behind the wheel is not against the law.

Abadie's attorney, William Concidine, told the Associated Press that his client will testify in San Diego traffic court in January that the glasses were turned off while she was driving … Read more