Technology - Google News

Universal - Mario Kart Tour (by Nintendo) - Touch Arcade
McDonald's enlists Alexa and Google to help with its hiring - Associated Press
Google Play Store dark theme starts rolling out [Gallery] - 9to5Google

Universal - Mario Kart Tour (by Nintendo) - Touch Arcade

Posted: 25 Sep 2019 05:52 AM PDT

Details

■ Mario Kart takes a world tour! Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favorite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavor of cities featured in the game! ■ Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips! The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses. ■ Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode! In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time! ■ Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more! Earn Grand Stars by racing or fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name! ■ Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races! In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy! ■ Race to increase your online rank! Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practicing and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top! Note: A Nintendo Account is required to play Mario Kart Tour. * Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account required. Data charges may apply. * For information about our ads, please see the "How we use your information" section of the Nintendo Privacy Policy. * May include advertising. © 2019 Nintendo Mario Kart is a trademark of Nintendo.

Information

Seller:Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Genre:Action, Racing

Release:Sep 25, 2019

Updated:Sep 25, 2019

Version:1.0.1

Size:186.6 MB

TouchArcade Rating:Unrated

User Rating:Unrated

Your Rating:unrated

Compatibility:HD Universal

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McDonald's enlists Alexa and Google to help with its hiring - Associated Press

Posted: 25 Sep 2019 01:29 AM PDT

Want a job at McDonald's? Just ask your smartphone.

Starting Wednesday, McDonald's Corp. will let job seekers start an application by using voice commands with Amazon's Alexa or Google's Assistant.

If users say, "Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald's," Alexa will ask which country they want to work in and play McDonald's catchy "I'm lovin' it" jingle. After that, users can share their phone number and get a link to continue the application process. Alexa also shares some facts about working for the company, such as how it can lead to jobs in other fields.

The function is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. McDonald's is also exploring adding the feature in other markets. It's not yet available through Apple's Siri.

The move is an unusual one. While some job recruitment companies have built voice-recognition systems on Google and Amazon's platforms, both companies say McDonald's is the first direct employer to use its platform in this way. McDonald's developed the technology itself.

For McDonald's, voice-initiated hiring is a way to stand out in a tight job market. The U.S. unemployment rate of 3.7% is near a 50-year low. Unemployment is also below 4% in the U.K. and Germany.

McDonald's employs 2 million people at 38,000 restaurants worldwide, and its needs are constantly changing based on turnover and seasonal demands. Over the summer, the Chicago-based company said it was hiring 250,000 people in the U.S. alone. McDonald's is currently seeking 338 part-time crew workers in the New York area and 414 in Toronto, according to company hiring sites.

Applications by voice — dubbed McDonald's Apply Thru — are also part of a broader effort to use technology to streamline every part of the restaurant, said David Fairhurst, McDonald's executive vice president and chief people officer. For customers, that means digital ordering kiosks and mobile ordering; for employees, it means online scheduling and virtual reality games to train store managers.

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Google Play Store dark theme starts rolling out [Gallery] - 9to5Google

Posted: 24 Sep 2019 04:33 PM PDT

With the launch of Android 10 at the beginning of September, there are still some major Google apps that have yet to gain a dark theme. The Play Store is now the latest to roll out a dark theme after the last 24 hours saw both the Google app and Gmail.

This dark mode follows the Material Theme Play Store becoming widely available in late August. Following that major overhaul, today's night-friendly look is easier to implement for Google. The white background primarily switches to dark gray, like other first-party apps.

This includes the main feed, navigation drawer, and bottom bar, while the search bar uses a lighter shade. Various accent colors throughout have been tweaked and are more muted in hue. This is especially true of the light green when dealing with apps and their Play Store listings, as well as Play Pass. Red for Play Movies & TV and blue for books get the same staid treatment.

Compared to the previous stark background, apps that make edge-to-edge use of rounded square icons really pop. The same can be said of screenshots and other promotional content. Section headers are white, while smaller text and Material Theme icons opt for gray. This dark theme makes browsing editorial content, app listings, and other text-heavy pages in the app easier on the eyes.

The Google Play Store dark theme respects Android 10's system-level setting and might automatically be applied on your next visit. There are reports of the dark theme enabled with Play Store 16.7.21, which is rolling out right now. However, sideloading the version does not guarantee that the "Theme" preferences will appear in settings. A server-side component in involved, like other Google Play updates.

More Google dark themes:

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article

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