When Alphabet joyously announced last week that Google Fiber was so great that they were going to stop expanding it, lay people off, and lose the CEO, some confusion followed. Google Fiber is, after all, still kind of a nascent business — in most cities where it has a presence, it’s still just a toe-hold, with more expansion waiting on the horizon. So are the other towns and neighborhoods who have been waiting for service still going to get it? [More]
Is Gchat Down? Yes, And Everyone Is Freaking Out
By 11.2.16
UPDATE: As of around 1:00, Gchat appears to be returning sporadically for some. The company’s G Suite Dashboard is also showing no disruptions in Google Hangout service. [More]
Google Handing Out $50 Play Store Credit Over Delayed Pixel Phones
By 11.1.16
Minor delays are not rare in the world of electronics, but that doesn’t mean customers are any less annoyed when they find out their much-awaited new phone will not arrive as soon as expected. So it helps when companies throw in free money to ease the sting of a delay. [More]
T-Mobile Wants To Subsidize Your Google Pixel, Sort Of
By 10.27.16
You may remember that T-Mobile was the carrier that pushed the rest of the wireless industry into selling phones without traditional contracts, but with interest-free installment plans. Now, though, T-Mobile wants to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Google’s Pixel phone and… subsidize it for you. Sort of. [More]
Google Maps Now Lets Users Order Food Delivery
By 10.26.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Last month, Google announced that it would provide users with the ability to hail a ride from services like Uber and Lyft when searching for direction inside Maps. Now, the company is taking that idea and expanding it to food delivery: adding the option for users to order food when searching for restaurants on the Maps app. [More]
Google Fiber Hitting “Pause” On Expansion; CEO Departing, Layoffs Planned
By 10.26.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
The CEO of Google Fiber wants you to know that Fiber is doing great. Super great, y’all. So great, in fact, that he’s leaving, employees are being laid off, and expansion into any “potential” city is totally halting immediately. [More]
Google Express Bringing Delivery Service To 13 More States
By 10.25.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Google is continuing its quest to take on same-day delivery services around the country: Google Express is now rolling out in 14 additional cities, including in Amazon’s home state of Washington. [More]
New Google Accounts Now Opted-In To Ad Tracking Features By Default
By 10.25.16
Remember when Google’s default setting was to maximize your privacy? Well, Google doesn’t. The internet’s biggest advertising company has now quietly shifted its baseline privacy behavior, so you’ll want to watch out if you’re creating any new accounts. [More]
Google Starts Shaping Up “Unplugged,” Its YouTube-Based Pay-TV Service
By 10.19.16
People looking to cut the cable TV cord will be getting more options in the months to come, with AT&T still planning to launch its DirecTV Now streaming service by year’s end, and news that Google is signing up broadcasters for the YouTube-based live-TV offering it hopes to launch in early 2017. [More]
Feds Use Search Warrant To Make Everyone In Building Unlock Their Phones
By 10.19.16
If the cops show up with a search warrant, well, you expect they can search the premises. But showing up with a warrant that says every single person on a certain property has to unlock their fingerprint-reading phones and present them for search, too? That’s… pretty surprising. And yet, it turns out, earlier this year, that’s what happened in California. [More]
You Can Now Hail A Ride Straight From Google’s Mobile Search Results
By 10.19.16
While Google already offers the option of hailing a cab or ride-service pickup from within Google Maps, the company will now let users order up a car straight from Google’s mobile search results. [More]
Google Flights Will Now Alert Users When Airfares Are About To Expire
By 10.17.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
When you spot an enticing airfare online, it can be hard to walk away from it, only to find when you return even just a day later that the price has skyrocketed. Google Flights is attempting to help travelers avoid that from happening with a new system that notifies them when a good deal on airfare is about to disappear. [More]
Report: Google, Disney Aren’t Going To Bid For Twitter After All
By 10.6.16
While the rumor mill has been working extra hard lately, churning out names of possible suitors looking to buy Twitter, a new report says a few big names are definitely not interested in putting up bids. [More]
Google Needs To Step Up Support To Sell Its Own Smartphones
By 10.5.16
Google’s customer support has come a long way since it first began selling Nexus mobile phones and Google Voice number ports to customers. However, the success of its new suite of devices depends on how well it’s able to provide customer and technical support for those devices. [More]
Google Street View Car Involved In “Minor” Accident With Another Vehicle
By 10.5.16
Google Street View cars see a lot of stuff when they’re out cruising the highways and byways of the world, including traffic collisions. Whether or not one mapping car in Michigan captured its own accident on camera, we can only guess, but at least one bystander was on hand to snap a photo of the event. [More]
Google Wants You To Switch From iPhone; Announces Home, Pixel Pre-Orders Start Today
By 10.4.16 — Updated: 10.5.16
In an event today in San Francisco, Google executives announced some of the worst-kept secrets in tech since the iPhone 7 turned out to exist. And although everyone expected the Pixel phone and Google Home to be today’s showcases, Google still managed to cram a whole lot into its 90 minutes… including a whole lot of not-so-subtle digs that anyone who wants to walk out on Apple might find today’s the time. [More]
Google Play Will Let Shoppers Try Video Games For 10 Minutes Before Buying
By 10.4.16
Sometimes, a video game might have gotten great reviews and heck, it might look really fun, but for whatever reason, you’re just not loving it, and regret having spent money on it. In an effort to ward off buyer’s remorse, Google Play will now let customers play some video game titles for 10 minutes before they decide whether or not to buy them. [More]
Early Posting Leaks Pictures, Specs Of New Google Pixel Phone
By 10.3.16
Home isn’t the only new product Google will be launching this week. Joining it is the new, long-awaited Pixel phone. Except thanks to an “oops” on one retailer’s site, the wait for news ended a bit early. [More]
