Soon you'll be able to pay friends by saying 'Ok Google'

soon-you-and-039;ll-be-able-to-pay-friends-by-saying--and-039;ok-google-and-039; photo 1 Google

Google will make it harder for that friend in your group to make excuses when chipping in for food. The tech titan's voice assistant will be able send personal payments for you in the coming months, just like its rival Siri can, so long you're in the US. Simply tell it to "Send John $10 for pizza" or something similar and authenticate the transaction with your fingerprint or password to send cash. Your recipient will then receive an email about your payment. The big G recently tweaked its API to make any card associated with your account available on all its apps and on third-party applications that use Google Payments. That's why all you need to do to be able send cash through Assistant is to link a debit card to your system.

Google has also introduced a new way to get offers from your favorite stores. Android Pay will soon show you offers from merchants whose loyalty cards are linked to your account whenever you walk into their shops. One of the first participating companies is Panera Bread, which plans to roll out the capability all over the country. In addiiton, whenever you apply for a loyalty card using your phone number, you'll get a notification that'll make it easier to link it to Android Pay for future visits.

Folks in Brazil, Canada, Russia, Spain and Taiwan might be able to enjoy some of these non-US-exclusive features, as well, since Google plans to deploy Android Pay in those countries. Finally, Mountain View promises a streamlined mobile checkout experience for PayPal users, so keep an eye out if you'd rather pay for purchases using your PayPal funds. soon-you-and-039;ll-be-able-to-pay-friends-by-saying--and-039;ok-google-and-039; photo 2

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HTC's Vive Deluxe Audio Strap makes its VR headset more comfortable The SteamVR headset now has built-in headphones and a more comfortable head mount. Compared to Playstation VR and the Oculus Rift, HTC's Vive virtual reality headset is a bit of a face-hugger. It offers a window into beautiful virtual realms and boasts room-scale motion tracking but, well, it's just not very comfortable. Soon, that may change. HTC just announced that it's creating a Vive Deluxe Audio Strap to replace the headset's elastic headgear. Not only does the new strap look a lot more ergonomic, but it tacks on one of the Oculus Rift's most convenient features: built in headphones. At a glance, the new Vive head mount looks like a cross between the Rift's ridged strap system and PlayStation VR's adjustable plastic band. It reaches over the top of the user's head, like the Rift and the Vive's existing soft straps, but still features a adjustable sizing dial for tightening the band. That should be a marked improvement over the velcro belt adjusters that come with the stock band. HTC didn't say much about the headstrap's included headphones, but they seem to be a removable on-ear solution, not unlike what ships with the Oculus Rift. In other words, you'll still be able to use your own headphones if the built in audio isn't to your liking. At the end of the day, this still leaves the HTC Vive as a heavier VR headset than its competitors -- but it could go a long way to mitigating the Vive's biggest flaw. How much that fix will cost you is still up in the air: HTC says the new headgear is scheduled to ship sometime in Q2, but isn't willing to share its pricetag just yet.

The SteamVR headset now has built-in headphones and a more comfortable head mount.

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