Items tagged with Google
Amazon has apparently changed its mind about allowing Google to hawk its Chromecast streaming dongles on its marketplace. For the first time in three years, shoppers can head to Amazon and buy a Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra from Google, instead of buying it directly from Google through its own online store, or through retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart. Heck, even Macy's sells Google's streaming dongles, which is probably not the first place people think to shop for electronics. In contrast, Amazon is a popular online shopping destination, for electronics and everything else—in...
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Do you even game on your phone, bro? Sorry, we'll slap ourselves silly for the obnoxious comment, but it's actually a valid question. Some people primarily use their phone to snap pictures for posting on Facebook and Instagram, while others go old school and -- gasp -- make actual phone calls with their handset. The ASUS ROG Phone does both of those things with aplomb, but it was really built for playing games first and foremost. Purpose-built gaming phones are a relatively new thing, at least to the extent that they are starting to become popular. There have been attempts to capitalize on this...
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Google is ready to throw in the towel on its languid and long-abandoned Google+ social networking service. Google+ was created to counter the growing social media (and advertising) threat of Facebook, but has failed miserably in just about every measurable way. We’re now learning that Google+ was compromised by another bug, which resulted in the information of 52.5 million users being exposed to developers. The bug was found in the Google+ API, and Google says that there was a six-day window in which the data was readily accessible before it fixed the breach. While it was exploited,...
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If you missed out on grabbing a discounted Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, there's no need to fret, Google has marked both of its flagship phones down once again. The smaller Pixel 3 is selling for $699 in the Google Store, down $100 from its MSRP, and the Pixel 3 XL now starts at $749, down $150 from its MSRP. Those are not insignificant discounts, even if the discounts aren't quite as deep this time. They're also still not cheap handsets, even with the savings, though Google offers a finance option to spread the cost out over time. Here is how the upfront and financed...
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Walmart has some alternatives to the deals that we talked about over the weekend on Amazon streaming devices. The deals that Walmart is promoting include the Google Smart TV Kit for $49, which is a $25 discount off the regular $74 price for the bundle. What the package offers is a Google Home Mini and a Chromecast; Walmart says this bundle is exclusive to its stores. Most are probably familiar with what Chromecast has to offer; it lets you stream content to your TV from Netflix, Vudu, and other sources. Now is an excellent time to add more Google Home Mini devices to your home with Walmart offering...
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It's not a good time to be an Android user who frequents the Google Play Store for apps. Just over the last few weeks, malware-laden apps that had been downloaded over half a million times were found on the Play Store. Apps from Cheetah Mobile were also found to be committing click fraud and running down the batteries inside user devices. Reports are now surfacing that Google has now pulled another batch of 22 apps from the Google Play Store that had been downloaded over 2 million times cumulatively. The newest apps discovered to be malicious had a so-called "device-draining backdoor" that...
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After over 10 million miles of miles of testing with its ever-growing fleet of self-driving vehicles, Google's Waymo is now ready for a commercial launch of its ride-hailing service. The paid service is called Waymo One, is available 24-7, and is accessible with an app (just like Uber and Lyft). Right now, the service is only available in the Metro Phoenix area, serving the cities of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe. The self-driving Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans can accommodate up to three adults and one child per trip, and at first will be limited to what Waymo describes...
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Verizon has confirmed that it will be rolling out Universal Profile RCS for the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL tomorrow, December 6, 2018. Before this confirmation, the Universal Profile RCS service wasn't expected until early next year. This Universal Profile is meant to ensure carrier interoperability and brings several cool new features. Verizon is referring to Universal Profile RCS as chat and enhanced messaging. Google's Messages app will be where users of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will need to go to access the new functions. Verizon employees posted a full list of features for the service...
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We all know that Google gathers a plethora of data on us as we surf the web and stay logged into Google accounts. You might think that Chrome's incognito mode allows you to surf the web anonymously where Google isn't tweaking results of your searches based on what it knows about you, but you would be wrong. You might even think that if you don't log into your Google account, you are anonymous; again that isn't the case according to a recent study. DuckDuckGo, a search company that competes with Google, conducted the study, and it aimed to see just how big of an issue Google's so-called "Filter...
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There once was a time when the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser was the most popular browser in all the land, but that time has passed. People tend to rely on browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and others over Microsoft's offerings these days. In 2015 with the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft hoped to change that with Edge built using a new at the time rendering engine called EdgeHTML. The problem for Microsoft is that Edge launched festooned with issues that turned web surfers off to the browser early on and it never recovered. A new rumor is going around claims that Microsoft is working on...
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In case you have not heard, Project Fi is now called Google Fi, and with the rebranding comes support for a bunch of additional devices, including several iPhone handsets and most newer Android phones. Google is obviously eager for more people to make the switch. To encourage that very thing, Google is offering a free month of Google Fi service to kick the tires. There is a bit of fine print, of course. For one, the free month is only valid for new Google Fi customers who sign up before December 17, based on Pacific Time (the offer expires at 11:59 pm PST on December 16). "To qualify for the service...
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Google has rolled out some new features for Google Home devices and Lenovo Smart Displays, some of which were announced back during I/O 2018. The new features include Pretty Please, Assistant notes and lists integration, Broadcast Replies, and visual lyrics for the Home Hub. Pretty Please is designed to help encourage good manners, which is a big deal for parents with kids. The way Pretty Please works is by encouraging you to say "please" and "thank you" in your commands. When Google Assistant hears commands with good manners, it will say "delightful responses" and "Thanks for asking so nicely."...
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After its big surprise was spoiled yesterday by a website leak, Google has announced that Project Fi is indeed making a big expansion. In fact, its name is also changing: the MVNO service will now be known as Google Fi. As we reported yesterday, Google Fi will now support a larger group of Android smartphones along with most newer iPhones. Google says that Google Fi will support "popular Android phones" including devices from Samsung, Motorola and OnePlus. iPhone support is currently listed as being in beta (you can grab the Google Fi iOS app here). When it comes to Android support, you...
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Like it or not, the world is trending towards completely wireless solutions, or at least that is the direction some hardware makers are intent on going. As such, Google developed a set of specs called Fast Pair to make it easier to connect Bluetooth headsets and speakers to Android devices. Fast Pair is an involving standard, with Google having now added the ability to sync data across a user's Google account. "Today, we're making it easier for people to connect Fast Pair compatible accessories to devices associated with the same Google Account. Fast Pair will connect accessories to a user's current...
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