When you think of the ideal cheeseburger, where is the cheese in the sandwich equation — is it beneath the patty, or on top of it? That is the question Google’s CEO has now promised to address, after someone questioned the company’s cheese placement in its cheeseburger emoji. [More]
Google Looking Into Pixel 2 XL Screen Issues
By 10.23.17
Google’s new Pixel 2 phones are the tech company’s latest and greatest attempt to crack the smartphone market largely dominated by Samsung and Apple. However, Google is now having to investigate and explain to some Pixel 2 XL owners why their screens are apparently malfunctioning. [More]
Google’s Alphabet Takes Aim At Uber With $1B Investment In Lyft
By 10.19.17
A long time ago, in a ride-hailing era that now seems far away, Google and Uber were friends, with the internet giant plugging $258 million in Uber in 2013. Four years later, the two sides are embroiled in a legal battle over self-driving cars, and the tech company is pouring money into Uber’s biggest rival, Lyft, instead. [More]
Google Pulls Calorie Counting Feature From Maps App After Backlash
By 10.18.17
If you use Google Maps, you may have noticed a new feature recently: One that tells you how many calories you’ll likely burn walking to wherever it is you’re going. Google has now pulled that tool, after users complained that it often wasn’t correct, and criticism over the fact that it showed users how many mini cupcakes worth of calories they could burn on their route. [More]
Google Permanently Disables Home Mini’s Top Touch Panel After Device Recorded When It Shouldn’t Have
By 10.12.17
Following the news that Google’s new Home Mini connected-home hubs were recording users thousands of times per day because the device refused to stay asleep, Google has permanently disabled the touch-sensitive panel on the top of the Home Mini. [More]
Uber Facing At Least 5 Federal Investigations, Claims Report
By 10.11.17
Uber’s recent woes — a $20 million text message spamming settlement, an ousted CEO, investigations into sneaky software, and other issues — continue to deepen, as the Department of Justice has now reportedly opened at least five investigations into the company and its business practices. [More]
Google Home Mini Starts Waking Up Thousands Of Times A Day, Recording Everything It Hears
By 10.11.17
Sure, it’s useful to have your digital assistant ready to help you out with just a verbal command to turn it on. But Google was forced to issue a software update recently after some of its new Home Mini devices started waking up thousands of times a day on its own, and recording any and every sound it heard. [More]
Walmart Accidentally Posts Google’s New Mini Speaker, Takes Down Listing
By 10.3.17
Any hope that Google might have had for keeping the design of its newest web-connected speaker a secret was blown out of the water today by the good folks at Walmart who inadvertently posted the device on Walmart.com for all the world to see, a day in advance of Google’s press event. [More]
You Can’t Get To Those Paywalled Articles From A Google Search Anymore
By 10.2.17
A lot of paywalled news sites are easily defeated with ye olde “incognito tab,” but others have required a little Google artistry — using both the incognito browsing and incredibly precise search queries to read a paywalled article for free. However, after years of pressure from publishers, Google is finally bricking up that doggie door.
[More]
Report: Google Developing A Rival For Amazon’s Echo Show
By 9.29.17
Earlier this week, Google pulled YouTube from Amazon’s Echo Show, claiming that the device provides a “broken user experience.” Perhaps it’s no coincidence that there are now rumors swirling that Google is working on its own smart screen device. [More]
Google Also Drops Price On 4K Video To Compete With Amazon & Apple
By 9.28.17
The late-but-welcome entry of Apple into 4K video rentals is finally shaking things up in the market for this ultra-HD content. Just days after Amazon slashed its 4K prices to compete with Apple, Google is following suit. [More]
Apple Switching From Bing To Google Search Results For Siri, Spotlight Queries
By 9.25.17
The next time you ask Siri a question or look for something using Apple’s Spotlight feature, the web results you see will be from Google search, instead of Bing. [More]
‘South Park’ Screws With Viewers’ Google Home, Echo Devices
By 9.14.17
Fans of the show South Park who watched the season premiere last night got more than the usual fart jokes and foul-mouthed rants: Amazon Echo and Google Home devices were woken up throughout the episode, triggered by commands from the characters. Of course, hilarity — or headaches, depending on your point of view — ensued. [More]
Will Your Smartphone Manufacturer Repair Your Hurricane-Damaged Phone?
By 9.11.17
In times of disaster, we often rely on our smartphones to check on loved ones or connect with relief organizations. But that’s a difficult task if your device has been damaged during the storm. To that end, some smartphone manufacturers are offering free repairs to victims of Hurricane Harvey. [More]
Google Will Kill Off Google Drive Desktop App By March 2018
By 9.8.17
Google Drive desktop users, beware: The company has started the process of winding down the file-synchronizing app, and will stick the last knife in it by March 12. [More]
Google Assistant Begins Takeover Of Home Appliances; Alexa & Cortana Make Friends
By 8.30.17
It was a big day in news for connected-home devices, with Google announcing plans to put its Home technology on a slew of new appliances, while two competing digital assistants — Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana — began to make nice with each other. [More]
Walmart, Google Partner Up On Voice-Activated Shopping To Take On Amazon
By 8.23.17
There’s a new kid moving onto Alexa’s block: Walmart and Google have decided to pair up to offer a slew of items through voice shopping by way of Google Assistant. [More]
SCOTUS May Decide If “To Google” Is A Generic Term
By 8.21.17
Earlier this year, a federal court decided that while “googling” is a popular phrase that means “to search for something online,” that doesn’t mean the company should lose its trademark protection. Now the people behind that case have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping that the Supremes will agree that a verbed brand name is a generic term. [More]
