God of War will release on 20 April 2018 exclusively on PS4

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Sony has just announced that the new God of War game for the PS4 will be releasing on 20 April 2018 and digital pre-order starts from 24 January 2018. There will be a Standard Edition and Collector Edition for both physical and digital purchases.

The new entry to the series will see Kratos and his son, Atreus venturing into the Norse wilds to fulfil a deeply personal quest. The duo must adapt to the new lands, unexpected threats and this would be the change for Kratos to be a father once again. The new story takes place many years after Kratos as exact his vengeance on the gods of Olympus. The new game will take Kratos and his son through Norse cities, forest, mountains and caves of the pre-Viking lore and you will expect to see new creatures and monsters in a fully open world full of discovery and exploration. Moving away from its platforming essence, the new God of War will offer an over the shoulder free camera combat placing the action right in your face as you hack away at monsters with new weapons while preserving the overall essence of the series.

The Standard Edition will cost RM229 and RM209 for the physical and digital copy respectively. The Collector’s Edition will cost RM549 but it comes with goodies and in-game items like:

・9” Kratos & Atreus Statue
 ・2” Huldra Brothers Carvings
 ・Cloth Map
 ・Special Necklace
 ・Drawstring Bag
 ・Death’s Vow Armor Set・Exile’s Guardian Shield
 ・Digital Comic
 ・Digital Art book
 ・Dynamic Theme

Ther is also a Digital Deluxe Edition that will cost RM249 and comes with:

・God of War™ (Full Game)
 ・Death’s Vow Armor Set・Exile’s Guardian Shield
 ・Digital Comic
 ・Digital Art book
 ・Dynamic Theme

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GOG GALAXY? Rival of Steam?

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Steam finally meet its competition: GOG (Good Old Game) Galaxy, which is a DRM-Free gaming platform that sets it different from the competition.

Similar to Steam, its feature set includes a friend list, game time tracking, achievements, and chat. GOG Galaxy will have an online multi-player and matchmaking solution that utilizes cross-platform play; those who bought the game on Steam will still be able to play against those who bought the game on GOG Galaxy.

GOG has also teased about bringing big-name franchises to the platform.”With GOG Galaxy, we can start bringing new, big games to GOG.com,” said Piotr Karwowski, VP of online technologies. “The first Major release will be The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will offer automatic updates, achievements and stats. We’re getting ready to release and fully support even more AAA titles in the future,” he continued.

Gamers who would like to try this can download GOG Galaxy open beta
here
. The platform is currently available to Windows, Mac OS X and Linux users.


GOG introduces GOG Connect

383

Have you ever wished that you could own a DRM-free copy of game you’ve already owned on Steam for free? Because GOG is doing just that with its new GOG Connect initiative.

The premise behind this is simple: you connect your Steam account to GOG and from there, if any on the games on your Steam account is eligible for this initiative, GOG will give you a DRM-free copy of the game with no extra charge.

Of course, the games that are eligible with GOG Connect will be rotated in and out, meaning that the games that are eligible today will eventually be removed to make way for a brand new set of games. For now, some of the titles that are on GOG Connect includes FTL: Faster Than Light, Saints Row 2, Braid, Bit.Trip Runner and more. These games will be eligible for GOG Connect for the next five days, so if you wish to take advantage of this initiative, you’re going to need to do so ASAP.

Source:
GOG Connect

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GOG.com to begin selling early access games

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Following in the footsteps of Steam,
GOG.com
 has begun offering early access games to its userbase.

Starting late last night, GOG will be offering these “Games In Development” on their webpage and on the Galaxy store client as well. Much like other titles offered by GOG, these early access games will come with no DRM. Unlike Steam, GOG will allow customers who purchased games under the “Games In Development” to refund those games within 14 days with no questions asked.

Currently, five games are available in the “Games In Development” category. The five games are Starbound, Ashes of the Singularity, Project Zomboid, TerraTech, and The Curious Expedition. All titles are currently discounted to commemorate the launch of GOG’s new early access-style initiative.

Source :
GOG.com

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Goodbye Steam, hello Epic Games: Metro Exodus makes the switch in digital store partners

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After releasing its very own web store to rival industry giants Steam, Origin, and GOG, Epic Games have been steadily adding to their lineup of titles, including Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 despite the original being sold on Valve’s Steam platform. Today, it has been confirmed that Metro Exodus will follow suit.

Publishers Deep Silver has ditched Steam, opting instead to sell their upcoming post-apocalyptic shooter on the Epic Games Store; even though the last two installments of the series were released on Steam.

Image credit: Metro Exodus

It’s still early days but this could be a sign of things to come for the PC gaming community. With more AAA titles flocking to the Epic Games Store, gamers can now expect a more competitive market, one that isn’t dominated by Valve’s Steam.

Image credit: Metro Exodus

During the time of writing Metro Exodus’ Steam page still remains, but with a notice that the game will be taken down soon. If you want to get your hands on the game, you can pre-purchase it on the Epic Games Store now with prices starting from around RM205.

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Goodyear debuts the Wrangler TripleMax for mid-size SUVs

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Mid-sized sport utility vehicles (SUV) are getting common on the Malaysian roads these days and we all know how hazardous the road conditions can be here, Goodyear has made its timely move to introduce the new Wrangler TripleMax tyres for mid-size SUV owners, which delivers superior braking and wet performance, all thanks to the company’s very own improved Hydrogrip Technology, an innovative functionalized polymer tread compound with improved molecular bonding.

The tread design of the Wrangler TripleMax features large blocks with high number of biting edges and a Wide Face Cavity, it provides increased contact to road and concentrtates pressure distribution on Key Block element during braking, which results in better braking efficiency and grip on wet and dry roads. Lastly, the Wrangler TripleMax helps protect the driver from road hazards by having a rim flange protector, which provides more material on the sidewall to protect the rim and tyre against any road hazards.

Goodyear has started selling the Wrangler TripleMax tyre and will offer sizes from 16-inches to 18-inches, it is currently available in all Goodyear authorised dealerships nationwide, the tyre will be priced from RM443.72 to RM675.22 inclusive of GST, subsequent tyre sizes will be added in the near future. To find out more and where you can purchase these new tyres for your beloved mid-sized SUV, head on over to www.goodyear.com.my

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Goofy and Daisy Duck comes to Samsung’s AR Emoji

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Samsung’s AR Emoji has been one of the best alternatives to Apple’s Animoji, and while it already has Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse when it debuted on the Galaxy S9, it is now adding Goofy and Daisy Duck to its AR Emoji family, which is great to hear and a good effort to show that the company isn’t giving up on the feature, though it doesn’t perform as well as Apple’s Animoji on the iPhone X due to the lack of facial recognition sensors. The Daisy Duck and Goofy characters will be available as a free download on the Galaxy Apps Store, while Samsung and Disney also promised that they will be bringing more characters to the AR Emoji platform.

Unlike Animoji, AR Emojis are created using the Camera app and allows you to create your own animated emoji by detecting your facial features, it allows you to record video AR emojis as long as your phone’s memory could hold, and can be shared to any messaging and social media apps with ease.

Go download these new Disney characters on your Galaxy S9 now.

ar emoji
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Google: 2 billion devices have installed Chrome

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Chrome is one of the most popular browsers out there over multiple platforms. It is in fact the most popular browser when it comes to smartphones, and it has a 63 percent worldwide usage share of web browsers as a desktop browser according to a report last month. Over at the Chrome Dev Summit, Devin Fisher, Chrome’s Engineering Vice President has stated that the Google Chrome browser has been installed on a whopping 2 billion devices across the mobile and desktop platform.

The large figure of installs are said to be in active use, according to a report by Tech Crunch. The last time Google has reported such figures or stats regarding its own browser was roughly six months back in April, where the tech giant has unveiled the number of active Chrome users as 1 billion. The 1 billion active Chrome users have certainly increased since then, although there were no reports regarding the statistics by the folks at Google duringthe Chrome Dev Summit.

The Google Chrome browser first made its appearance back in 2008 on Windows, and has come a long way now, being available for other platforms such as Android, iOS, macOS and Linux. Google now has seven of its products that have surpassed a billion users on each – Android, Chrome, Gmail, the Google Play Store, Maps, Search and YouTube, a very huge milestone indeed. Is Google Chrome the default browser on your devices?

Source:
Tech Crunch

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Google accidentally sent 10 units of Pixel 3 to a man who only ordered one

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About a day ago, a Reddit user named Cheetohz decided to return a defective Google Pixel 3, in hopes that he can repurchase another model. Sadly, he received a $80 refund that was only to cover the tax, and Google still owed him $900.

According to Android Police, the Reddit user then went ahead and purchase a pink model of the Pixel 3, but to his surprise, Google ended up sending him 10 units of the Pixel 3. Of course, this is not Google’s way of compensating him, it’s merely a wonderful mistake.

Image credit: Reddit

The user now has 10 of the Pixel 3 that cost $1000 each, meaning that Google’s $900 debt to him is more than settled. However, he also wrote in his post that he wants to return the extra devices and “do the right thing”. He also suggested returning the extra phones with $1000 COD if he failed to to get his refund done properly.

He also posted a comment under his thread, “Google, I have your phones. You have my money. Let’s sort this out.”

Would you have done the same?

google
Google Pixel 3


Some Google accounts can now access Google Meet from Gmail

346

Google recently made Google Meet free for everyone, but it’s still rolling out in certain countries. However, Google’s support page has revealed that those with Gmail work or school accounts can now access Google Meet.

For those who can gain access to Google Meet, the feature will now be available on the left sidebar after all your other tabs like ‘Inbox, ‘Starred’, ‘Drafts’ and so on. From that panel, you’ll be able to either start or join a Meet meeting.

There are a few ways to join a Meet conference call — you can either get the link from the organizer or dial a phone number followed by a specific pin which will also be provided by your organizer. Just like the premium Google Meet, users will be able to turn on real-time captions and also choose to present by sharing their screen with others.

With Google Meet, Gmail users will no longer have to depend on third party accounts like Zoom, Skype or WeBex.

gmail
Google Accounts
Google Meet


Google is acquiring HTC’s mobile division team for $1.1 billion

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As the announcement of HTC taking off their stocks from the market, there were two scenarios, the Taiwanese company is finally going to close its doors after suffering losses for a long time, or Google is going to pick them up which was based on rumours that were going around. It seems like the rumours are somewhat true as they have confirmed that they will be acquiring part of HTC’s mobile division team for $1.1 billion.

All is not lost, as HTC will still be producing their own phones as HTC CEO Cher Wang said that this acquisition will ensure continued innovation on their smartphones and virtual reality business. In a press release that HTC sent out, they mentioned that they are already preparing for their next flagship phone. Google is not new to acquiring smartphone companies as they did the same with Motorola but in 2014 they have sold the company to Lenovo. There are also worries that Google might be going directly against other phone manufacturers like Samsung and LG as they are looking to get a bigger piece of the pie in the smartphone market.

All we can do is hope that HTC will push through and become an icon in the smartphone industry with the help of Google as they used to make really good phones and even helped push the Android brand to the market.

acquisition
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Google adds Find My Phone to Android Wear with Google Device Manager update

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If you are an Android user you would’ve known that Google has its own phone finder service a.k.a Google Device Manager, there’s a good news here that Google has brought the feature to Android Wear devices with a recent update to the app itself, it will now allow you to locate your phone via your smart watch should you misplace it somewhere while still being connected to it. While this feature doesn’t work like the
Samsung
 Gear S, which allows you to use 3G to locate your phone despite not being connected via Bluetooth, this is still a rather welcoming addition for Android Wear users since a lot of folks like me tend to misplace devices at our homes.

If you have been using Google’s Device Manager to track your phone and have an Android Wear device on your wrist, head on to the Play Store and hit the update button.


Google’s new policy: Ads related to spyware or surveillance will be banned

371

It’s a wonder why Google took so long, but the tech giant finally
updates its policy
 to prohibit advertising for any spyware or surveillance technology.

Google doesn’t want you to spy on your significant other

Google will implement the new policy starting on August 11, 2020. This will prevent unethical parties from promoting any products and services that help one track or monitor another individual without their knowledge.

“Spyware and technology used for intimate partner surveillance including but not limited to spyware/malware that can be used to monitor texts, phone calls, or browsing history; GPS trackers specifically marketed to spy or track someone without their consent; promotion of surveillance equipment (cameras, audio recorders, dash cams, nanny cams) marketed with the express purpose of spying.”

Parents can still monitor their children

Google also pointed out that its new policy doesn’t include parents who want to track their underage children or private investigation services.
Advertisers
 who violate this policy will be given a warning seven days in advance before a suspension.

ads
google
policy
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Google AI now gives selfie videos a customized background touch

331

…it’s not for everyone though.

Google’s AI team has released a new feature and it’s pretty cool indeed; they’re giving selfie videos a wacky background change, just like how you could do them on still photos. Although this has been a decades-old technology, it still is generally complicated and time-consuming, just as how superhero movies need the green screen as it works wonders.

It all started with Google’s segmentation technology which allows it to learn how to distinguish facial features – eyes, hair, nose and etc, from the rest, which results in having background swaps that are fast enough to keep up with the video.

But if you’re wondering whether this is released for public’s use, nope, at least not for now. It’s only available for a very small number of high-profile YouTubers with access to the YouTube stories service. Guess we’ll have to wait and see if they’ll roll out the feature for mass usage.

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Google allegedly drops Oculus-competitor VR headset project in favour of a new hybrid headset

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Once upon a time, Google was rumoured to be building its own virtual reality headset that would see it compete with the likes of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. However, this may no longer be the case as Recode reports that this VR headset project has since been shutted down.

While no one is qutie sure as to why Google has halted all progress on its VR headset, Recode speculates that the decision likely stems from Google’s effort to streamline its more ambitious projects. One of those said projects is rumoured to be Daydream, Google’s won VR platform for Android.

Even thought the VR headset project has been discontinued, this doesn’t mean that Google’s headset ambitions are over just yet. Engadget is reporting that while the VR headset project has indeed been shut down, Google is currently working on a seperate headset that aims to blur the lines between virtual reality and augmented reality. According to Engadget’s sources, Google has been actively assigning individuals to work on a high-end headset in recent months. Team members of this particular project were told that Daydream is not the company’s long-term plan for virtual and augmented reality, implying that what they would be working on would be far more ambitious than a VR platform for Android phones.

As for what the hardware will offer, Engadget reports that this particular headset will not require a computer or a phone to power it. While it does have a screen, it will offer features more in line with AR systems than VR headsets. Basically, Google is looking at developing a stand alone HoloLens-type headset. No release date was given as to when this headset will be available, but sources say that it is an important part of Google’s future plans.

Source:
Recode
,
Engadget

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Google allows Android developers to force app updates on users

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At the recent Android Dev Summit, Google shared some announcements and updates which includes the In-app Updates API.

The In-app Updates API will offer developers more control over the apps they created by allowing them to urge users to update their apps in two ways. Users will either get a full-screen message display that forces them to update their apps immediately, or they’ll be faced with a flexible in-app update that allows them to update their apps while in use. The download will progress in the background while users are using the apps, and when the download is done, users will be told to restart the app to finish the installation. Users can also choose not to update the app immediately, unlike the first method that is meant for critical bug fixes.

Image credit : Android Developers Blog

Google also allows the developers to customise the update flow so the update interface will be different for different apps, and this is to ensure that the interface matches the app’s theme and design. While this In-app Update API has yet to be released to all developers, it’s already being tested through Android Google Chrome app with early access partners, and Google did say that it will be released to the rest of the developers soon.

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Google AMP users can now share the original URL of an article

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Google has just made a huge change to its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) platform. Starting from today, users can now copy and share an AMP article’s source link as Google has implemented an anchor button that shows the original link.

Prior to this update, users who wish to share an article that they’re currently reading on their device’s Google app or Chrome browser could only share a link that shows Google’s address. Once the update is made available for the user’s devices, a button can now be found on the header bar that contains the publisher’s permalink for the article in question. Simply put, the new AMP update will let you share the actual link to the article itself instead of the AMP Cache URL.

This update to the AMP is now available on the iOS versions of the Google App and the Chrome browser. Android users will need to wait a little while longer before the feature goes active, but Google has promised that it will be available within the coming weeks.

Source:
Google Developer Blog
,
TechCrunch

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Google and Facebook officially bars fake news websites from using its ad revenue services

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Google and Facebook has been cast into the limelight for the past two weeks as many people believed that the prevalence of fake news stories on both sides have affected the outcome of the recent U.S. Presidential Elections. In order to prevent this from happening again, both companies have announced that they will be implementing measures that would begin barring websites who host fake news from using their advertising platforms.

On Google’s side of things, the company will be updating its policy to prevent websites that misrepresent content from using its AdSense advertising network. This update would see websites who publish fake news from using AdSense, alongside websites which host pornographic or violent content. On Facebook’s side of things, the company will also be updating its advertising policies, explicitly stating that Facebook’s ban on misleading and deceptive content will also apply to fake news.

While both Google and Facebook’s decision to do so is a step in the right direction, only time will tell if their methods will prove effective in combating the prevalence of fake news on their services.

Source:
Reuters

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Google and Facebook will work together to construct a trans-Pacific undersea cable

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Google is looking to lay yet another undersea cable, and this time they’re teaming up with Facebook and Pacific Light Data Communications to do it.

Dubbed the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN), this new trans-Pacific undersea cable will be 12,000-ish kilometer, and will run from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. The PLCN would be Google’s sixth submarine cable in which the company has a stake in. Other submarine cables that Google has a stake in includes Unity, SJC, FASTER, Monet and Tannat projects.

When completed, the PLCN will be capable of transmitting 120 terabits of data per second, making it the highest capacity trans-Pacific undersea connection available. Google believes that the PLCN will be able to support 80 million concurrent HD video conference calls between Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The construction of the cable will also improve the connection quality between Southeast Asian internet users and websites hosted in the United States.

Source:
VentureBeat
,
Google Cloud Platform Blog

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Google and iRobot’s spatial mapping can enhance smart home experience

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iRobot recently introduced its latest robot vacuum named iRobot 7+ and collaborated with Google to use spatial maps to not only identify your home’s layout but also locate smart home devices .

The Roomba i7+ is able to map out its surroundings and also remember the different rooms and floors which can be named manually through the companion app. The robot vacuum can clean your place while avoiding obstacles and identify which area was cleaned and which area was not, in addition to the function that allows you to ask the i7+ to clean specific rooms through voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

The latest collaboration is to allow the spatial map to assist in better positioning of smart home devices by providing data such as WiFi coverage or the best angle for surveillance devices, and with the ability to locate smart home devices and understand the surroundings, it will be able to automatically assign names to different rooms in the future based on its understanding of the surroundings.

Google’s director of smart home ecosystem, Michelle Turner did stress that the spatial information will not be used for Google’s ad business and users can choose whether to share their information and be involved with the new experiences that Google and iRobot have to offer. Users’ spatial maps will also be uploaded to company’s server but the low-resolution images will stay in their Roomba devices, so basically it will not be invading or misusing users’ information without permission.

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Google and Japan uses two adorable Akita dogs to give you a tour around Odate City

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Japan and Google have brought a unique way to tour Odate City through the point of view of two fluffy Akita dogs. Akita dogs are a very big part of the city’s history, it houses the Hachiko statue, a monument of loyalty dedicated to the Akita dog that waited nine years for its owner that passed away.

This project is to honour the breed’s historic ties to the city and now you can tour the city on the backs to two adorable Akita dogs named, Ako and Asuka. The 360 camera is strapped to the backs of the dogs and they will take you through snowy mountain trail, Odate’s open-air hot spring foot bath, Roken Shrine, the statue of Hachiko and the Akita Dog Museum.

If you are not interested in the sites the city has to offer, you can still view the Street View images and take a glimpse of the dog’s head and tails as they travel around the city. Check out this two hard working floofs
here
.

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Google and Qualcomm working together to optimize Snapdragon chips for Tango

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Google’s augmented reality platform, Tango, is due to debut when the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro hits the market. With Tango set to be available on a myriad of other devices outside of the Phab 2 Pro, both Google and Qualcomm have announced that they have teamed up to optimize the Snapdragon processors to run Tango.

The key to optimizing the Snapdragon processors for Tango lies in what Qualcomm calls the ‘Snapdragon Heterogeneous Proccessing Architecture.’ This architecture allows non-compute-heavy chips in an SoC, such as the DSP, sensor hub, and Image Signal Processor, to get recruited for compute duties in a Tango phone. According to Qualcomm, this architecture allows the phone to run all of Tango’s algorithms and sensors with a “less than 10%” CPU overhead compared to a normal app. The company further boasted that this is a lower-power process.

As for which of Qualcomm’s chips will be ‘Tango Ready’, Qualcomm has stated that the Snapdragon 652 and Snapdragon 820 are Tango Ready. Future processors in the 600 and 800 line will also be able to support Tango. “We are committed to Tango and we believe in this technology. We see broad adoption of this technology as forthcoming and we would like to support that,” says Seshu Madhavapeddy, VP of product management for Qualcomm.

Source:
Ars Technica

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Google confirms Android 10 Go Edition for entry-level phones that will launch real soon

343

Just weeks after the launch of Android 10, Google has decided to announce Android 10 Go Edition for all the entry-level phones out there so these smartphone users can stay updated too.

Like most of the major updates, you can expect Android devices to be faster and more secure with the new Android 10 Go Edition. App-switching and app launches become quicker, and Google even added in Adiantum — a new form of

encryption that is compatible with entry-level phones.

Image credit: Google

Google also made sure to improves some of the apps that are made for Go edition phones such as Lens in Google Go, YouTube Go and Gallery Go by Google Photos. Android 10 Go Edition features a read-out-loud feature for easier text comprehension, and its Lens in Google Go helps to translate texts via the phone’s camera.

Android 10 Go Edition will be launching this fall and there will definitely be more devices in the future shipping with it.

Android 10 (Go edition)
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Google: Android 7.0 Nougat rolling out to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 LTE devices soon

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The latest version of Google’s Android has been made official a couple of weeks back. Android 7.0 Nougat, though said to be made available for Nexus devices, has only seen its way to the current gen Nexus phones so far – the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X. This has caused many of the previous gen Nexus users crying foul over the lack of support for their devices, with no flashable image or OTA updates available for the Nexus devices of 2014. However, Google has since spoken regarding Android 7.0 Nougat on the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 LTE.

According to the folks at Android Police, Google has responded to them stating that the latest Android version will be rolling out beginning from the next few weeks. The good news is, the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 LTE will eventually receive their share of Android Nougat in the future and the bad news, “the next few weeks” could still mean a long wait for users of the respective devices. It remains a mystery as to why Google is taking longer than usual to release Nougat for the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 LTE. While no exact date has been revealed, users will just have to remain patient in order to get their copy of Google’s latest software.

There’s also another option if you can’t wait any longer – Android Beta Program, which has Developer Preview versions of Nougat made available for Nexus devices. Google will be feeling the heat if other OEM’s manage to push out Android 7.0 Nougat for their devices before Google does for its 2014 flagship Nexus devices, so let’s hope that “the next few weeks” won’t take that long.

Source:
Android Police

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Google’s official Android support on Twitter is off to a messy start

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Fourteen hours ago, Google finally opened up Android support on Twitter with the hashtag #AndroidHelp. This may be great news for all Android users, but here’s the catch — there are limitations to what the Twitter account can cover.

While some may have read the issues that are covered by Google on #AndroidHelp, some may have just heard of the feature via word of mouth, leading Google to its current mess. According to a reddit post, #AndroidHelp on Twitter only covers “general troubleshooting, identity and authentication, accessibility, security and many other Android features”, but Twitter users are flooding the thread with future suggestions, upcoming Android updates and complaints.

Have questions related to your
#Android
 📱? We’re here to help. Now, you can get assistance by tweeting your issue using hashtag
#AndroidHelp
.

— Android (@Android)
January 27, 2020

Google should have made it clear on the Android account by listing out the issues that it could help with to avoid confusion and the overflowing comments like the current one. What’s worse is that Google has yet to respond to any of its replies as of now.

One reddit user also thinks Google is “not really ready for what they’ll be dealing with,” while another thinks that the company should’ve just created another Twitter handle solely for Android support.

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Google announced Google Lens on mobile web in Google Images

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Google Lens is a feature that has image recognition to allow users get access to more information when the feature is used on their smartphones. Previously it was only available on iOS and Android devices but now it is available on Google Images, meaning that you can use the Lens on mobile web.

Image credit : Google

Images will now have an extra Lens icon which can identify the subjects in an image and dots will appear on objects that the Lens can provide you with more information. This will also prove useful in searching and purchasing items you like in an image, whereby you can tap or circle the items using Google Lens and Google Images will reveal relevant information such as the price of the items or where you can buy the items.

For now, the dots are only available to identify products and objects but Google revealed that it will expand to different kinds of images such as landmarks, animals and plants, though it’s still possible to circle things you want more information on.

Currently, the Google Lens is only available in US for searches in English, but users in other countries using other languages will soon get this feature too.

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Google announces Android One program for entry-level smartphones

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Think about it, how many satisfactory entry-level smartphones have you actually encountered until the existence of Chinese branded smartphones? Imagine an Android device with a single core processor, 768MB of RAM and a meagre 4GB internal storage that runs on a heavy OEM skin, the experience is totally crap and destroys the entire Android user experience. Today, Google is resolving this problem by introducing the Android One program to smartphone makers that makes entry-level devices.

The Android One program promises a stock Android like experience found on Google Nexus devices with Play apps auto-installed with automatic updates, it will also enable smartphone makers to create high quality and affordable smartphones for developing markets using available parts to keep costs down. Google will launch this program in India, which is a huge market of entry-level devices with local smartphone makers – Karbonn, Spice and Micromax, phones manufactured in accordance to the Android One program will cost $100 or lower.

Google will be introducing the Android One program to other markets soon after India. Come to think of it, will this program be extended to Chinese Android smartphone makers? We really appreciate some stock Android love on Chinese Android devices, like seriously. #becausewearesickofiosripoffs


Google announces partnership with Visa and Mastercard

347

Google’s own digital wallet platform, Android Pay, has just received a big boost today as Google announces that it has entered a strategic partnership with both Visa and Mastercard.

This partnership between two of the world’s biggest credit card providers means that Android Pay users will soon be able to use the system on websites that currently support either Visa Checkout or Masterpass. In short, Android Pay will soon be supported across hundres of thousands of online websites.

For those who have yet to utilise Android Pay, all you need to do is to link your Visa Checkout or Masterpass accounts to your Android Pay account. Once completed, you can then shop online using the system, allowing you to authorize transactions via a fingerprint scan or any other authentication method that you’ve selected.

Unfortunately, the system won’t be available until “the early part of 2017,” so you’re still going to have to rely on other payment methods to do your Black Friday shopping this year.

Source:
Google

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Google announces Project Zero contest; will award those who manage to hack a Nexus smartphone

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Bug bounties are pretty commonplace these days, with many companies offering cash prizes hackers who are able to compromise the security on their devices. Google is no stranger to these bug bounties, and are holding yet another one with at least USD350,000 up for grabs.

Called Project Zero, Google is asking the public to compromise the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X in exchange for cash money. In this bug bounty/contest, those interested must be able to access the phones in question solely through the devices’ phone numbers and associated email addresses. Once in, they must show that they’re capable of remotely executing codes on both phones just by opening an email or a text message.

There are a few caveats with this contest though, with the biggest one being that Google will only note the first person that submits that particular bug. Every submission after the first will not be considered, so there is a race-against-the-clock element at work with the Project Zero contest as well. The contest will be held over the course of six months, after which, the first, second and third place winners will receive USD200,000 (RM826,700), USD100,000 (RM413,350), and USD50,000 (RM206,687) respectively. Furthermore, Google will use the exploits submitted during the contest to gather info on how to protect its devices from similar vulnerabilities.

Source:
Google Project Zero
,
Engadget

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Google considers an anti-tracking feature similar to Apple’s

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Google is now considering the same path Apple took with iOS 14 — an anti-tracking feature, but in a less rigid approach to prevent affecting developers and advertisers unfairly.

Anti-tracking on Android phones will be more lenient compared to iPhones

A Google spokesperson told
The Verge
 that, “We’re always looking for ways to work with developers to raise the bar on privacy while enabling a healthy, ad-supported app ecosystem.” When Apple implemented its new policy, both Facebook and Google voiced out that it can impact them negatively — Facebook also accused Apple of being “self-serving”.

Bloomberg
 reported that Google will unlike enforce opt-in requirements like Apple; instead, it could be similar to Google’s Privacy Sandbox that doesn’t collect as many data, but still contains ad-targeting. It’s also possible that Google will instead offer more opt-out options instead of strict privacy controls without leeway.

Google should jump on the bandwagon soon

Google’s decision to prioritise user privacy is a wise move; smartphone users are becoming more conscious of their data and how it’s being used by app developers and third-parties.

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Google apologizes for Mic Drop April Fools' joke

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Every April Fools, Google would come up with a myriad of jokes to celebrate the occasion. However, one particular joke this year did not go as well as Google intended.

The joke in question is the Gmail Mic Drop. This joke attaches a gif of the yellow Minion from Despicable Me dropping the mic at the end of an e-mail. Understandably, this ‘feature’ was ill-received by those who uses their
e-mail for professional purposes
, mainly because the option to include the gif was located so near the “Send” and “Send & Archive” button. A bug in the joke further caused users who had accidentally clicked the joke button within a new compose message with no recipients would cause the GIF to be attached even though the standard send button was clicked.

Google has since issued an apology for this poorly thought out joke, acknowledging that they should have included a confirmation button before activating the feature. They’ve also apologized for the bug in question. “Again, sorry. We love April Fools jokes at Google, and we regret that this joke missed the mark and disappointed you,” says the company.

Source:
The Verge

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Google app beta code hints at "search gestures" and "text support" for Google Assistant

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Shortly after Google released a beta version of Google v6.10 for Android smartphones, those who’ve delved deep into the code has discovered what could potentially be future features for Google’s own digital assistant, Google Assistant.

According to a report by
Android Police
, it appears that a search gestures option will be implemented for Google Assistant. Judging from the code that was discovered, it appears that Google may allow users to launch Google Assistant just by swiping down on the home screen. In addition to that, Google may also be implementing “In Apps” and “All” as new search options, which potentially means that Google’s implementation of deep search for apps may be on the way soon.

The next feature that is being teased in the beta code is the ability to utilise Google Assistant via text. Up until today, Google’s Allow app is the only place where one could utilise Google Assistant through text. For all other instances, Google Assistant can only be navigated via voice. This may be changing as the beta code reveal that the Google Assistant popup includes a button with a keyboard icon as well as a text box that says “Type something…”.

Before you get too excited, do note that codes in a beta app does not mean that the feature is confirmed. Until Google itself confirms that the features discovered in the code will be coming to Google Assistant, all of these features might possibly not see the light of day due to various reason.

Source:
Android Police

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Google app v6.13 could potentially enable Google Assistant on non-Pixel phones

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Users who have signed up for the Google app beta channel received an Alpha version of Google v6.13. As with any updated app, Google v6.13 comes with a new features such as a Recent page, a Lite mode, and the ability to make payments via Google Assistant. While those features are good and all, the major feature that comes with Google v6.13 is the fact that it enables Google Assistant on non-Pixel phones.

We’ve reported
 last week that Google Assistant will be coming to the Nexus phones, so it isn’t exactly surprising if this feature is available on only Nexus devices. However, the Google v6.13 brings the feature to non-Google branded smartphones as well, with reports showing that phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Alcatel Idol 4 getting Google Assistant as well.

According to Android Police’s report, it appears that the availability of Google Assistant is somehow tied to an individual’s Google account. Some people will be able to use Google Assistant, while some will be using Now on Tap with Google v6.13 installed. This potentially means that Google has the ability to make Google Assistant available for everyone, although they’re currently withholding the feature in order to sell more Pixels.

It’ll be interesting to see if Google will finally make Google Assistant available across all smartphones when version 6.13 of the Google app goes live. Should that actually happen, the next question would be how Google Assistant would co-exist with other digital assistants that are created by other companies such as Samsung’s upcoming Bixby.

Source:
Android Police

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Google Assistant arrives at Galaxy Watch4 for certain markets

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Despite having the privilege to run a unified version of Google’s Wear OS, the Galaxy Watch4 still uses Bixby as its voice assistant and doesn’t come with Google Assistant, which is a weird decision that we have questioned ourselves in the beginning and one that Samsung didn’t have a direct answer for, but today, Google Assistant will be available as a download through the Google Play Store on the watch.

Don’t be disappointed yet if you don’t see it on your Galaxy Watch4, as Google Assistant is only available for download in 10 countries – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, The UK and USA. Meanwhile, the only supported voices are Danish, English (American, Canadian, United Kingdom, Australian, Irish), Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French (Canadian, France), and Taiwanese.

Google Assistant will live alongside Bixby on the Galaxy Watch4 which you can select either one of them to be your preferred voice assistant. For Malaysian users, hang in there, Google Assistant will most certainly arrive at your wrists soon, and we won’t be surprise if there is a way to sideload on to your watch if you can’t wait.

Source:
 Samsung

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Google Assistant is coming to Android Lollipop and tablets

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Good news for those of you running on Lollipop as Google has announced that they are bringing Google Assistant support to Android 5.0 Lollipop. Prior to this, the company mentioned that the assistant will only be available for phones running Nougat and Marshmallow but it seems like they want more people to experience Assistant.

Not only is it coming to Android Lollipop, it is also confirmed to be coming to tablets as well. Assistant as most of you know is Google’s voice command assistant that replaced Google Now. Similar to the likes of Siri and Alexa, Assistant will allow you to navigate your phones ask it to answer questions for you, rather than searching the web to get your answer. The voice assistant also learns the more you interact with it and will eventually offer you more functionality.

Google is rolling out Assistant to users that have set their language to English with a focus on US, UK, India Australia, Canada and Singapore. It will come to the rest of the world soon after, you will be able to see an Assistant app icon in your All Apps list when it arrives on your phone.

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Google Assistant could be making its way into text messages soon by way of restaurant and movie suggestion pop-ups

354

OK Google, what’s install for android phones in the future? Well, it turns out the Google Assistant – Google’s AI helper – will soon be making an appearance in your text messages too. This will come by way of the new Android Messages feature.

CNET details their experience with the tech at Google’s out-stretched booth which featured a coffee stall. In the coffee stall, customers could test out the Android Messages.

Image credit: CNET

According to CNET, the functionalities of the feature is simple – say you’re texting a peer and you’re debating where to get your grub on, Google Assistant will detect questions relating to food and will suggest restaurants nearby, all within the chat. Pretty nifty, but there will likely be an option to turn this feature off as it can be a little annoying for some people.

As of right now, Android Messages only detects restaurant and movie related messages, but we’re sure it’ll gather a larger database along the way.

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Google Assistant available to use in more third-party home entertainment devices

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Google has today has allowed their Google Assistant to control a new line-up of smart home entertainment devices – meaning, developers are allowed to integrate the assistant software onto products like think soundbars, streaming boxes, speakers, streaming sticks and more.

Image credit: Google

By making the documentation needed to implement Google Assistant public, you can expect to see more devices to come with support of the feature, which is key in expanding the ecosystem. We’re excited to see more GA-enabled entertainment products which’ll play well with other existing items like the Google Home Hub, your smart lights and more.

Image credit: Digital Trends

With that said however, it’ll take time for brands to develop new products to integrate the voice assistant feature into their pipeline of offerings; but we should see a rise in Google Assistant-enabled products come 2021.

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Google Assistant’s Interpreter mode is now available on phones and supports 44 languages

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You won’t have to worry about learning other languages anymore; Google Assistant got you covered with its Interpreter mode that will work with up to 44 different languages.

Earlier this year, Google demonstrated the Interpreter mode through its Google Home and smart display devices. Now, Google Assistant on phones will be getting the same feature, allowing your speech to be translated and read out loud in the language you want.

As reported by
The Verge
, you’ll be able to turn on the Interpreter mode with commands like, “Hey Google, help me speak Thai” or “Hey Google, be my German translator.” Google Assistant can also offer Smart Replies on phone screens for quick responses so you won’t have to speak when it comes to certain predictable situations.

Since the Interpreter mode is available via Google Assistant, you won’t need to download a separate app just to try out the feature. However, it’s still rolling out globally, so you might have to wait a while if you still don’t have access to the feature.

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Google Assistant introduces a new feature that helps predict flight delays

299

For those who have traveled and experienced delay in flight, you’ll definitely know how annoying it feels when the airline decided to postponed or delay your flight by informing you last minute. Sometimes the airline don’t even take the initiative to inform you before hand or in advance, which result in you going to the airport extra early for no reason.

Google has recently announced that they are planning to roll out a new feature for Google assistant that allow users to get a better idea and help predict if their flights are delayed or not. Although the company has already done something similar with “Google Flights”, but soon, Google Assistant users may ask questions like “Hey Google, is my flight on time?” or “What’s the status of the MAS airlines flight from Malaysia?”

To be fair, there are also other services that provides the actual flight delay notifications but not predictions, for example, Apple will send users a push notification if they have a digital boarding pass in their wallet. Besides that, most airline carriers also send notifications or emails through their own apps. But the difference between Google’s approach and others is that Google predicts these delays before the airline announces them which makes it more convenient for users to prepare themselves for their flights before hand, and they won’t be wasting any time or effort rushing to the airport only to be informed that their flight has been delayed.

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Google Assistant is about to get smarter with better image captioning, more natural translation and voice response

271

Google’s #madebygoogle event kickstarted off with its voice based search assistant, CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that the company has been hard at work to improve Google Assistant over the years with the help of Machine Learning and AI, and the end result the company is showing today is a rather impressive one.

First off, the search engine now happens to caption images more accurately than ever, in the case of the above image, it will now be able to recognise two brown bears sitting on top of rocks instead of a brown bear is swimming in the water, this increases the significance of the search term when searching images.

In addition, Pichai also demoed a long Chinese sentence being translated into English by phrase, in contrast to the current machine translation engine, the more improved Google Assistant is able to produce a more humanised translation that makes the sentence a lot closer to what a more accurate translation would be, this could save a lot of shame for those foreign countries that rely on Google Translate.

Last but not the least, text to speech voice response has also been greatly improved, with Pichai mentioning that there were thousands of short phrases recorded in a recording studio that enables Google Assistant to feedback voice search results in a more natural way, while it continues to improve over time by being able to learn and adapt to user feedback.

Pichai mentions that the company has even integrated this into Google Also and the response has so far been really positive. Therefore, it seems that Google has made its voice assistant a little more smarter and practical than what you can already do at the moment.

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Google Assistant is finally introduced on the iPad

349

New reports have suggested that Google Assistant has now found a new home as it’s being welcomed on the iPad. It’s been known that the app has been powering Google Home and Google Home Mini speakers, as well as being launched as an iPhone app last year. Hence, the expansion of the iPad now being its new home is a nice touch from the company.

And it’s worth noting that while the version of Google Assistant on iOS was only available in English, the new version this time around will cover a wide array of other languages. It will be available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish. The iPad version will also support iOS 11’s multitasking mode, so running apps side by side would be a breeze.

The only downfall to it is that the Assistant won’t be as accessible as the Siri, since the latter can be activated by just pressing a button or saying, “Hey Siri”. But either way, it’s worth checking out for those who prefer the Assistant over the Siri. Do check the app out from the App Store and let us know your opinion on it.

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Google Assistant is getting a new look with better support for touch input

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Google Assistant might not be widely used by most of us, but it is rather convenient especially if your hands are tied up with a certain task and you perhaps need to make a call or just search for fast information.

Google has announced that they are revamping the interface of Google Assistant to make it easy for searching, organizing and just making it overall friendlier for voice and touch inputs. Perhaps the biggest design change is with pictures, as they are bigger and there are sliders for adjusting smart home devices. They have also added a shortcut to see an overall view of your day and you can swipe up to see suggestions based on your schedule.

The changes bring a nice touch to Assistant as most of the time we are barking commands at the voice assistant but never really explored the other tricks and features Assistant can offer.

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Google Assistant is now 10x faster according to Google as they gear up for an AI-focused future

1.5K

Google Assistant is everywhere and in everything that powers with electricity – and we’re not surprised; the AI virtual assistant has become instrumental in streamlining menial daily routines like turning on the radio or checking the time.

Because it’s used by everyone and everywhere, Google has announced during the Google I/O 2019 conference that the feature will be enhanced and will work ten times faster than before. According to Tech Radar, the AI in Google Assistant taps into data from Google’s cloud every time it tries to process a voice command.

Up until now, data takes a whopping 100GB of storage, and hence the slow responses from your Google Assistant. Google has now announced that they’ve found a way to reduce data size to just 500MB, and it lowers latency between voice requests and the AI’s processing time.

Thanks to this new level of processing speed and comprehension, Google Assistant can now help better when composing e-mails; according to Tech Radar, it will know if you want to put text in the body or the subject line, along with other improvements.

The best improvement? Voice-controlled alarm and timers – when something goes off, all you need to do is say “Stop” and forego the “OK Google” part of the command.

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Google Assistant may be coming to the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P

299

Up until now, Google has kept Google Assistant close to its heart as the digital assistant has only been made available for the Pixel smartphones and the Google Home smart speaker. However, that may no longer be the case as it appears that Google is looking to make its digital assistant available for the Nexus smartphones as well.

Was recently told that Assistant is finally coming to Nexus 5X/6P soon with next “major” update.

— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj)
February 2, 2017

According to a tweet by 9to5Google’s Senior Editor Stephen Hall, it appears that Google Assistant will be arriving on the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P in the next “major” update. Nothing was said as to when said “major” update will be made available, so you shouldn’t expect the feature to be made available anytime soon.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Google has ported over previously Pixel-exclusive features to the older Nexus smartphones of course. Just last week, Google brought the Pixel’s fingerprint gestures over to the Nexus smartphones. Google’s decision to bring over its assistant to the Nexus smartphones could be a much needed one considering the fact that the A.I. has only been made available on an extremely limited amount of devices. With other smartphone companies aiming to launch digital assistants of their own, Google needs to push Google Assistant as aggressively as possible before its A.I. gets lost in the shuffle.

Source:
Mashable

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Google Assistant might show up on iOS and home appliances

492

Google Assistant has only been available to Android phones and Google Home, but Bloomberg tipsters claim that during Google’s I/O developer conference, they will launch Assistant on iOS as a free app, it would not have a deep integration as on Android phones but you would still be able to access content on YouTube and other Google apps.

Google Photos will use Assistant to help you create coffee table books from your image library similar to the iPhoto books that Apple has been offering for years, but the voice assistant will automatically include relevant images and you would not need to hand-pick snapshots of you do not want too. Assistant might reach GE’s home appliances, allowing you to heat up your oven or check on laundry just by using your voice. How it will integrate with your appliances is still unsure but expect to see this integration in new or recent equipment.

The Assistant app will be available in the US first but expect a gradual roll out as seen in other features that companies release.

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Google Assistant has a new Song Recognition feature

315

Google Assistant has been updated to bring a feature that most of us are waiting for. In Pixel phones, Google was able to tell what song is playing just by picking up what is playing without any interaction. On Assistant, this feature took just a small step back where you will have to ask what song is playing for it to pick up the song in the background.

To activate this feature, users will just have to ask “What song is playing?”, or “Which song is this?” or any similar words. Assistant will then show a sound wave and all there is to it, is allow it to pick up the song and it will tell you the artist, song name and even the lyrics to the song that is playing. Other voice assistants have already adopted this feature, like Alexa using Shazam to identify songs, but it looks like Google is using their own methods to identify the song.

I did some tests on this feature and found it to take roughly 5 seconds to find a song which is quite impressive. In addition to that, it also managed to find songs that are not part of the mainstream music, some of which Shazam and Soundhound could not find. The feature looks to be available in Malaysia already, so if you have an Assistant enabled phone, take this feature out for a spin.

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Google Assistant is officially coming to Chromebooks

334

Looks like the previous rumours were true about
Google ditching OK Google
 in Chromebooks and replacing it with the more advanced Google Assistant. 9to5Google has spotted that the Google Home app now offers information that some Google Assistant apps will work on Chromebooks.

In the Google Home app, there is a section where you can Chat with your Assistant and there is a listing for phones, Google Home, Allo and now, Chromebooks. There is even an icon which represents the Chromebook for those of you that are still septical about the feature coming to the device, which indicates that Google is keen on bringing the assistant to Chromebooks.

It is nice to see the company bringing the support for Google Assistant to many more devices as it is one of the most used voice assistants out there and with the launch of the recently leaked PixelBook, we might be seeing the feature coming to more devices when and if the PixelBook releases. We are hoping to hear about the announcement on October 4th when Google will hold their keynote.

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Google Assistant can read out your WhatsApp messages now, along with other apps like Telegram and Slack

840

Google Assistant can apparently now read out your WhatsApp messages as well as a list of third party apps as well.

Image credit: Android Police

Based on a report by Android Police, Google’s AI assistant could only read out messages from the phone’s native messaging app, meaning on SMS messages would work. It looks like now, WhatsApp, Slack and Telegram are now some of the supported apps to be included.

Image credit: Android Police

All you need to do is say “read my messages” and Google Assistant will display a card on your screen with the newest message, along with the name of the sender, from any messaging app and read it out loud for you. To set it up, you’ll need to allow notification access to the app first.

The messages that get read out will be marked as read. You can also reply these messages, so a pretty comprehensive update. Reading and replying won’t work with images and audio messages however, but Google Assistant will let you know of the fact.

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Google Assistant will be making its way to Android Nougat and Android Marshmallow smartphones soon

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With the reveal that the Nokia smartphones and the LG G6 getting access to Google Assistant right out of the box, surely it is only a matter of time until every other Android-powered smartphone right? Well, ask and ye shall receive as Google has officially confirmed that Google Assistant will be coming to eligible smartphones that are currently running either Android Nougat or Android Marshmallow.

Google’s new A.I. assistant will be coming to smartphones by way of an OTA update via Google Play Services within the coming weeks. Before you get too excited though, do note that Google plans to rollout the update in stages. For the first stage, Google aims to roll out Google Assistant to English users in the U.S., Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Once the update has been rolled out to these countries, Google will then rollout Google Assistant to Germany, complete with German support. If you do not live in any of the countries above, Google Assistant will presumably be rolled out at a later date.

Once your smartphone receives the Google Assistant update though, you can expect this system to replace the current “OK Google” system on your smartphone. One thing to note about this update is that Google has stated that Google Assistant will be made available to eligible smartphones. This may mean that Google Assistant will not be coming to all smartphones that are running Marshmallow or Nougat.

Source:
The Verge

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Google Assistant will come with a new sensitivity feature to prevent unintentional activations

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Google Assistant will now have a new sensitivity feature, probably due to the giant tech hiring language experts to listen and transcribe voice recordings — causing an uproar among Google users who doesn’t want anyone listening into their conversations.

Google previously hired experts to listen and transcribe audio data to improve Google Assistant’s speech technology. However, this has caused concern for its users because users were unaware that their audio conversations were being analysed — even though it’s only around 0.2% of all user audio snippets.

In its blog, Google clarified that the audio recordings aren’t kept by default but users can choose to store their audio data by opting in to the Voice & Audio Activity setting when they set up their Assistant. This will provide better voice recognition over time and improve the speech technology by increasing the understanding of various languages and accents. Those who doesn’t turn on their VAA setting will be excluded from the human review process.

To further assure its users, Google also explained that Google Assistant often deletes unintentional audio data once detected. In the near future, Google will allow its users to control the sensitivity of the Assistant towards prompts like “Hey Google”, so users can control how easily the Assistant can pick up the prompts.

Google did not mention when its sensitivity feature will be launched.

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Google Assistant will roll out to tablets, Lollipop powered smartphones

326

Google Assistant was introduced some time last year when the company launched its first ever Pixel smartphone line up. Fast forward till the end of 2017, and we have Google Assistant running on numerous Android devices, but only limited to the more current handsets and flagships. While Google is still managing the chaotic Android fragmentation, it will bring Assistant to smartphones with older aging software.

Earlier this year, phones operating Android Marshmallow have gotten their piece of Google Assistant. Google will be extending the privilege to smartphones running software as old as Android Lollipop, according to an announcement on its blog. This would mean that Android Lollipop smartphone users will soon be able to trigger Assistant via a long press of the Home button on their devices.

Not only that, Android tablets will be getting Assistant too. With Assistant, users can have a more automated experience with their Android tablets, being able to control smart home devices and setting reminders are a few of the handy features that can be handled by Google Assistant. However, the roll out will be limited to tablets running Android Marshmallow or later.

Google Assistant for Android Lollipop smartphones have begun rolling out, while the roll out for tablets will commence next week.

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Google Assistant will soon be able to make phone calls for you

393

Google had much to show during its Google I/O event, and perhaps one of the most interesting things that they have shown is Google Assistant’s ability to make calls for you. No, you cant use it to call and have a conversation with that annoying friend or family member, but it will have the ability to make reservations or ask queries from businesses.

In a demo that was shown, Assistant was asked to make an appointment at a hair salon. The user asked Assistant to create an appointment between 10 AM to 12 PM, Assistant then proceded to make a phone call with the business and set up and appointment for 10 AM. Whats even more impressive is that Assistant was not using the default voice that we are used to on our phones, it managed to mimick the tone and accent of a real person and asked questions on behalf of the user. Google then proceded to take it one step further and call up and Asian restaurent where the person on the other side of the line did not have very good mastary of the english language. This proved to not be an issue as Assistant could still understand and asked the questions it needed to fufill its user’s request.

Google’s CEO explained that even with bad english, Assistant could pick up the context of what the person on the line is saying and forms questions and answers from that. He also said that we will be able to see this feature in the coming weeks but did not disclosed if it will be available in every region.

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Google Assistant’s dark mode doesn’t serve its purpose

706

Dark mode has become an increasingly popular mode as it can be better for users’ eyesight especially when it comes to night time, which is why Apple introduced the dark mode in MacOS Mojave and Google Chrome has extensions for its users to switch on the dark mode. Now, Google is rolling out a new dark mode for Google Assistant on Android, but it doesn’t seem to be a job well done.

Google’s new feature for the Google Assistant is the dark mode cards that can be used to display the Assistant cards, but it’s not a complete dark mode, which defeats the purpose of dark mode itself in the first place.

While the Assistant cards can be switched into dark mode cards, the background remains white which causes the whole screen to look like a combination of dark and light, which looks like an incomplete dark mode. This means that even if users are using the dark mode, they’ll still have to bear with the blinding white background thanks to Google’s weird update on the dark mode.

That being said, the company is rumoured to be working on a system-wide dark mode for Android devices, which could mean that you can generally use your smartphone in dark mode no matter which app you’re using. Maybe then Google Assistant’s dark mode will be greatly improved. For now, let’s just hope that Google will fix this inefficient dark mode and and introduce a better version of it.

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Google bans Chinese developer CooTek for violation of advertising policies

332

Chinese app developer CooTek is recently banned by Google, causing dozens of apps by the developer to be removed from Play Store at once.

CooTek is found to be going against advertising policies with the use of an adware plugin called BeiTaAd. This plugin apparently spams users with ads even when the devices are not actively being used.

Despite the company claiming that the plugin has been removed, it was reported that many updated apps from the same developer still spam aggressive ads towards users. These apps are updated with some old and new codes that in return continues to allow malicious ads to appear on devices.

CooTek is also not the first to be banned from Play Store. Other Chinese companies like Cheetah Mobile and Kika Tech were also banned from Play Store last year when their ads have been found to be part of a scheme that rips off app developers.

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Google bans resold Pixel phones that were affected by a tax loophole

274

If you’re going to buy a phone from a reseller, it may be wise to consider the consequences of such purchases. 200 Pixel users are learning this lesson the hard way as it appears that Google has permanently banned some of the resold Pixels from being used.

According to reports by The Guardian,
U.S. reseller site Dan’s Deals
 have been receive reports from customers that their Pixel phones have been locked by Google. These Pixel phones were all bought from Google’s Project Fi mobile carrier, and were shipped to New Hampshire, a U.S. state with no sales tax. This allows the reseller to split the profit with the buyers, resulting in discounted phones.

The act of reselling is against Google’s terms of service, as there is a line that states that customers “may only purchase Devices for your personal use [and] may not commercially resell any device.” Dan’s Deals founder Daniel Eleff has since gotten in contact with Google, and Google has mentioned that it will be “restoring access to genuine accounts for customers who are locked out of many Google services they rely on.” As of the time of writing, no accounts have been restored just yet.

Whatever the case, anyone looking to buy a resold device should be aware that your device could potentially be bricked by the company selling it at any time.

Source:
The Guardian
,
Dan’s Deals

blocked
dansdeals
google
pixel
reseller


Google begins crackdown on shady Play Store apps

443

For the most part, the apps in Google’s Play Store are all well made, functional tools. However, for every good app that was made by an honest developer, there are a few that are made by people with the intention of gaming the system. Those people may no longer get their way as Google has announced that it will be cracking down on these developers and their apps.

According to Google, the company mentions that they are aware of developers attempting to manipulate the placement of their apps through illegitimate means. This could mean fraudulent installs, fake reviews, and incentivized ratings. All of these, Google mentions, are in direct violation of the Google Play Developer Policy.

In order to counter these attempts, Google will be rolling out improved detection and filtering systesm to combat manipulation attempts. This system will run automatically, filtering apps that it deems fraudulent. Additionally, developers who continue to game the Play Store will have their apps taken down from Google Play.

Source:
Android Developers Blog

apps
developers
filters
fraud
google
playstore


Google begins HTML5 rollout for Chrome

336

Four months ago
, Google announced to the world that it will be replacing Flash for HTML5. This week, the company has begun its first phase of the great HTML5 rollout.

In a blogpost
 published by Google, Google has outlined hot HTML5 will be implemented over the coming months. Over the course of the next few months, HTML5 By Default will be enabled for the Chrome browser. The feature is currently enabled for roughly 50% of Chrome 56 beta users while 1% of Chrome 55 Stable users will be given access to this feature within the next few days. Google will be looking to rollout HTML5 By Default to all users in the Chrome 56 Stable build that is coming in February.

By January, Google will be making it so that Flash will only be run when prompted to. These prompts will appear on a site-by-site basis for sites that the use has never visited before. To prevent over-prompting, Google has mentioned that it will tighten the restriction using Site Engagement Index, a heuristic for how much a user interacts with a site based on browsing activity.

Source:
Chromium

adobe
chrome
flash
google
html5
replacement


Google begins selling Cardboard VR through its own store

318

Acquiring a Google Cardboard VR isn’t exactly an easy thing as the company didn’t make this VR headset available in the public. Well, things have changed as Google is now selling the Cardboard VR through the Google Store.

For those who are interested, the Google Cardboard VR is priced at USD 15. If you buy two, you can get both for USD 25. This makes the Google Cardboard VR the cheapest bring-your-own-phone VR solution thus far, although to be fair, the Cardboard VR is a very basic VR headset and is not meant to be a competitor to devices like Samsung’s Gear VR. Nevertheless, if you would like a sneak peek into the whole VR craze, the Cardboard VR is the most afforable way to do so.

Do note however, that if you intend to purchase one, you’re going to have to get it through the American Google Store as Malaysia does not have a Google Store quite yet.

Source:
Engadget

cardboardvr
google
googlestore


Google begins testing out Instant Apps feature

353

Instant Apps, a feature that was first previewed at the Google I/O event, will soon be made available to the public in an attempt to collect user feedback and iterate on how the feature will work before being made publically available.

For those who don’t know what Instant Apps is, Instant Apps is a feature that allows some applications to run without requiring said application to be installed on the device in the first place. This feature will be made available for apps by BuzzFeed, Periscope, Viki and Wish, allowing users to use the apps associated with them without needing to install them.

Developers who are looking to tinker with Instant Apps will not be able to do so for now although they are allowed to register their interest in the feature
here
. Those interested in making their apps Instant App-ready will need to follow the guidelines that Google has published.

Source:
Engadget
,
Android Blog

android
google
instantapp
testing


Google is bringing Smart Replies to Gboard

311

The guys over at 9to5Google have discovered codes that indicates Gboard will soon get Smart Replies, allowing you to send a quick message to someone when you are occupied with a task and manually typing it out is not ideal.

It might sound like a half-hearted reply to someone’s question or request, but if you are busy running around or need to avoid distractions, smart replies are something that can save time and keep you focused on your task at hand. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp already have these quick reply messages and people have been using it frequently (myself included). The code also indicates that there will be an option to create your own GIFs by recording them and there is a Universal Media Keyboard that will help you search for content to send as a message.

It is still unsure if this feature will make its way to Gboard, but seeing as how other apps have already implemented this feature, it might be a good idea for Google to add this feature as well, as there are many people that use the Gboard aside from third-party keyboards.

gboard
google
replies
smart


Google builds Live Cases for Nexus phones

341

Google has brought in a series of some pretty cool cases for their own Nexus handsets, and they’re cooler than you think. Known as Live Cases, the case literally comes to life. Snap it onto your Nexus phone and you can begin crafting the magic or the Live Case. So let’s find out where the magic happens.

Live Cases allow you to upload your favorite photo to Google’s Live Case Design Studio. On the web app, you can position your photo as you would see fit to be displayed on the Live Case. You can also customize the photo on the web app with some provided tools by Google for enhancements, including changing color schemes and putting on a hipster filter to mask your photo. The photo will then be displayed on the Live Case, hence the given name.

Apart from using photos, Google also allows users to pick out a part of Maps to be customized and tweaked with the given tools. For example putting a map covering the Great Wall of China, in Pink, Turquoise and Beige color schemes, and zoomed in or out to a degree of your preference. If that isn’t cool I dont know what is. Live Cases interacts with Nexus phones via NFC and it has an additional button on it too, which users can customize for certain actions such as powering up the phone’s flashlight or launching an app.

Live Cases are available for the Nexus 6, and the more recent Nexus 5X and 6P. Coming with a price point of $35 (RM136.09) per case, it doesn’t sound too bad after all considering the fact that you can customize it whenever you want and every individual will probably be donning different Live Cases. What do you think about Live Cases?

Source:
Google

5x
6
6p
android
cases
google
live
maps
nexus
nfc
phones


Google Calendar is removing SMS notifications next year

309

Google Calendar is getting an update next year and it’s the removal of SMS notifications from the app.

Starting from 7 January 2019, Google Calendar will no longer support SMS notifications hence users who have been receiving SMS notifications will get in-app or email notifications instead. According to Google, they’ll be changing the Calendar API for the new update to occur, hence why it’s only releasing next year.

In truth, there seem to be no harm in removing the SMS notifications as there are the alternate ways to be notified. Both iOS and Android users will soon see the notifications as event notifications if they have the Google Calendar app in their smartphones, and for those who set up SMS notifications for new, changed, cancelled events or even event responses will in return get notifications in emails.

Many users might be affected if they are used to the SMS notifications but then it’ll be quick before they come to terms with it since the in-app and email notifications work since Google say they can still get notified regardless of their devices or connections.

google
Google Calendar
SMS notifications


COVID-19 leaves Google no choice but to cancel I/O 2020

350

Another event is now cancelled due to COVID-19. Google has notified the I/O developer conference attendees via email that the event will not happen this year.

Just a few days back, Google made its Cloud Next conference a digital-only conference, but there’s no confirmation whether the same will happen to its I/O conference that’s originally set to take place from May 12 to May 14.

“Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre,” said a Google spokesperson.

The Verge
 also reported that Google will be refunding those who’ve purchased tickets to the show, in addition to giving them the option to purchase next year’s ticket.

I think it’s safe to say that there’ll be more event cancellations in the near future.

Cloud Next
covid 19
google
I/O 2020


Google Cast is now available for all Chrome browsers

315

After two long years of testing, Google has finally finished working on Google Cast for Chrome. Starting from today, all Chrome browsers will have Google Cast functionality built into the browser.

From this point forward, you can easily cast your Chrome browser to any Chromecast device in your vicinity. Because the feature is built into Chrome, you no longer need to install any extensions or configure any settings for it to work. For websites that are integrated with Cast, you’ll see the Cast icon appear when you’re on the same network as a cast device. Websites that are not integrated with Cast can also be displayed on a yout Chromecast-attached TV. All you need to do is right click on a blank space on the website, or click on the Chrome menu, and select the “Cast” option.

Source:
Google Chrome Blog

cast
chrome
chromecast
google


Google celebrates Nasi Lemak Day with Google Doogle

850

Hey Malaysians! Aside from today being the last day of January, it’s also Nasi Lemak Day, and Google is celebrating today with a Google Doodle on its homepage.

Today’s Google Doodle features a short video on Nasi Lemak, one of Malaysian’s most popular dishes. Combining fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk, fried anchovies, peanuts, egg, cucumbers and spicy sambal sauce, Nasi Lemak is indeed a staple food that we Malaysians have been enjoying since young.

What’s so amazing about this dish is that it’s suitable to be eaten at any time of the day, though many would prefer to eat Nasi Lemak during breakfast because it’s both delicious and filling.

On the other hand, Google is also ready to celebrate Lunar New Year with all their fans. The company recently released its Google Play Gift Cards in Malaysia and these gift cards can be purchased at any 7-Eleven outlets across the nation.

These gift cards come in three values; RM50, RM100 and RM200. Android users can purchase apps, games, books and other things that are available in Google Play Store. In addition, every purchase of a Google Play gift card in the month of February will get free in-game reward sets for Mobile Legends. Depending on the value domination, different amount will result in users getting different reward sets. These rewards will also be automatically transferred once the card is redeemed and the game is launched.

google
Nasi Lemak


Google Chrome Flex OS will breathe new life into computers up to 13 years old

1.1K

Google has announced Chrome OS Flex, a free-to-use cloud-based operating system that can rejuvenate old PCs and Macs that can no longer support newer versions of their respective operating systems, this operating system is developed shortly after the acquisition of Neverware.

While the regular Chrome OS has long been seen as a solution for such kind of systems, it has never come with a native installer from Google and the only way to get it done is to get it through the Chromium project, or purchase a regular Chromebook.

While Chrome OS Flex should work similarly to the regular Chrome OS with access to the Google Play Store, and Google is also bold enough to claims that you can even run it on a computer that’s up to 13 years old and expect a good web browsing experience, there are still notable limitations as compared to a modern regular Chromebook, not all shortcut keys will work properly and certain Mac webcams might not be able to function.

Here
 are a list of compatible computer models that will work with Chrome OS Flex.

At this point of time, Chrome OS Flex hasn’t been through any large scale testing and a stable version will be made available in the coming months. If you have an old laptop lying around that can still be turned on, why not give it a try over
here
.

chrome os flex
google


Google to launch a version of Chrome just for M1-powered Macs

487

Google began rolling out a new version of its Chrome browser for the new Macs that are powered by the M1 chip, but it has been paused.

We hit a bit of a snag with our rollout of the M1-native build of Chrome, so to keep our users in a good place, we paused that rollout and will pick it up again tomorrow. If you already have the M1 build, we have a workaround
https://t.co/t5igTxF6Cm

— Mark Chang (@mchang)
November 18, 2020

The new version of Chrome is made to fit the new ARM-based Macs that were released just last week. According to
Mark Chang
, the Product Manager of Google Chrome, the native version of Chrome should be out today after it’s fixed.

Workaround for Chrome with crash issues

Those who experienced the
crash
 can also uninstall and reinstall Chrome — just select “Mac with Intel chip” when re-downloading Chrome. Despite using the Intel-optimised version of Chrome, The Verge reported that it “already runs well on Apple’s new Macs”. This means that you don’t necessarily need to use the native version of Chrome when it comes to your new Macs.

Chrome is faster and more power efficient

On a side note, Google also announced the several new updates for its web browser. Chrome is supposedly much faster than before — it knows to prioritise user’s active tabs, is able to start up faster and also load pages almost instantaneously. In addition to that, Google also improved Chrome tabs by introducing tab search to the toolbox. This means users will be able to type to search for their pinned tabs instead of scrolling and searching endlessly.

Perform actions directly from address bar

You can also take action from Google’s address bar; if you type actions like “edit passwords” or “delete history”, you can perform that action from the bar instead of going through settings. Google is also adding cards to your new tab page which will show you your recently-visited pages and content that are related. These features will be rolling out in the coming weeks.

chrome
google
M1 chip
Mac Mini
macbook air
macbook pro


Google may be launching dark mode on Chrome OS soon

348

One thing that Chrome OS lacks as compared to other platforms is dark mode, until today. Google is finally bringing dark mode to the system after being late for months.

Chrome OS dark mode still unstable

However, this isn’t the official version that is available to everyone yet. It is only found on the experimental Canary channel and you’ll be required to access it by switching into a special developer mode on your Chromebook.

How to get dark mode on your Chrome OS

To do it,
Android Central
 says to launch Chrome and copy and paste chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark and
chrome://flags/#enable-webui-dark-mode
. There’ll be two flags in the drop-down menu that you’ll need to turn on and dark mode should be activated after that. Do note that this is a risky move as there are still bugs and flaws.

Dark mode has been the hype for awhile not just because of its colours, but because it helps to reduce eye strain and improve readability. On a side note, other Google apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and
more
 have already introduced dark mode.

chrome os
dark mode
google


Google Chrome will make it harder for sites to detect browsing in Incognito Mode

392

Many people opt for Google Chrome’s Incognito mode when they want a sense of privacy with no trace in their browser history, but web developers have long been able to track whether an individual is using Incognito Mode. Google knows this, which is why the tech giant is finally bringing a fix to the problem.

When you’re using Incognito Mode, the FileSystem API is disabled, meaning that web developers will only need to try to create a file using the FileSystem API to determine whether you’re in Incognito or not. If they can’t do so, then they’ll know that you are in Incognito.

However, Google’s fix to this issue is to create a virtual file system using your PC’s RAM when you’re browsing in Incognito, and then deleting it once you exit the mode. This will defeat all methods of determining whether one is in normal browsing mode or Incognito Mode because the file system can still be created even when you’re in Incognito.

9to5Google also reported that Google’s final goal is to remove the FileSystem API as it seems like the API is only used for Incognito Mode detection. That aside, this feature is expected to be available in Chrome 74 which is only two version away from the current one.

chrome
google
Incognito Mode


Google Chrome’s new update includes tab decluttering and colour customisation tool

329

Google Chrome is getting several new updates, including one that lets you declutter your massive amount of tabs because you keep forgetting to close them.

Rolling out in the upcoming weeks, Google Chrome is getting a new grid layout on Android devices, while it’s already available on iOS devices. However, Android devices will also be able to group the tabs by dragging and dropping one tab on top of the other — this feature is currently not available on iOS devices. With this grouping function, users can just use the tab switcher at the bottom of their screens to switch between tabs in a group.

Google Chrome also got better for desktop users. When there’s too many tabs, the names of the webpages are usually gone, leaving on their icons in sight. Now, users can preview the names of these tabs by hovering their cursor over the tabs. According to Google, users will even get to see a thumbnail of the pages in the future. In addition, Chrome users can now send a tab opened in their phone to their laptop and vice versa — provided both devices are signed in with the same account and have sync enabled.

Google also improved its address bar for both desktop and Android by showing search results in the address bar itself. There will also be prompts for translation when necessary and Google Chrome has also included a new colour customisation tool so users can change their browser’s theme according to their preferred colour.

google
google chrome


Google Chrome’s useful update lets you organize tabs in coloured groups

428

You can now enable tab grouping for added work organization on your Google Chrome browser thanks to the new Chrome 81 update for Windows and Mac.

Simple dubbed Tab Groups, it essentially
colour
 coordinates your open tabs and allows you to rename them and move the group of tabs anywhere in the bar with a single click. How it works is that you right click on a tab, it will be assigned a random
colour
 – to customize it, you click on circle with the corresponding
colour
 at the side, and from there you can change the colour and name of the grouping.

If you’d like to move the group from one side of the bar to the other, simply click and drag the
coloured
 circle to wherever you want it. All tabs grouped in the same
colour
 will be outlined by the shade you choose for it. Removing any tab from the group is as simple as dragging it away from the rest of group, or right clicking, and selecting ‘remove from group’.

If you don’t see the feature yet, you can manually enable it with the following flag:
chrome://flags/#tab-groups

To do that, just copy the line of text above and paste it onto your Chrome search bar, then hit enter. Once there, simply enable the Tab Group feature – you’ll be prompted to relaunch your Chrome browser, so make sure to save your work or bookmark important pages first.

This is a neat new feature that will take some getting used to, but once you’ve got the hang of grouping your tabs, you work flow should see an improvement in efficiency.

android
browser
chrome
chrome 81
google
internet
ios
Multitasking
organization
tab groups
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windows 10


Google Clips is a smart camera that remembers the people around you

294

We finally know what the Google Clip is and it’s not just a regular camera that captures pictures and video, it is designed to capture moments in your life that would have missed because it takes too long to whip out your phone to snap a picture.

Google Clip will take motion photos which are designed from the ground up by Google that is similar to Live Photo on iPhones. The device does not capture audio but uses smart recognition features that will capture videos anywhere and will not require an Internet connection. All you need is your phone to access the contents of the camera. The camera using machine learning to remember the people that you are close with and can be set to only capture them, it will even work on your pets. Google Clip comes with 16GB internal storage, three hours of passive smart capturing per charge, 130-degrees field of view, Gorilla Glass 3, USB Type-C, WiFi Direct Bluetooth LE and can notify you if the camera lens is being blocked.

As of now, the device is retailing for $249 but Google has been tight-lipped on how many megapixels the sensors will have.

camera
clips
google
learning
machine


Google delays Cloud Next conference indefinitely

357

Google’s initial plan to convert its Cloud Next conference to an online event has now changed — the company is now delaying its event indefinitely over growing concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

As mentioned on its blog, the company has made the decision to postpone the plan to prioritise the health and safety of those around them. However, Google also promised that the event will be held, but only “when the timing is right”.

Effective at midnight, San Francisco will require people to stay home except for essential needs.

Necessary government functions & essential stores will remain open.

These steps are based on the advice of public health experts to slow the spread of
#COVID19
.

— London Breed (@LondonBreed)
March 16, 2020

In
The Verge
‘s report, the sudden decision could be caused by the new “shelter in place” order that covers the San Francisco Bay Area. The order requires citizens to stay at home at all times unless they have to attend to essential needs and they also need to practice social distancing. This has probably caused it to be difficult for Google to do live stream sessions as it’ll still require a group of people to carry out the event.

While the Cloud Next will be held in the future, Google has cancelled its I/O developer conference — its largest tech event.

Cloud Next
google


Google collaborates with Sephora for hands free makeup tutorial

871

Ask any girls of any age, and they will tell you that they have watched at least one makeup tutorial video online. The makeup world have expanded so much that women of all ages would watch makeup tutorial videos online just so they could keep up with the latest makeup trend.

Google have noticed how well the makeup industry is doing, and have recently teamed up with Sephora to make tutorials more hands on friendly. With the latest smart home device by Google known as the “Google Home Hub”, Google aims to make tutorial videos more easy for beauty fans by using the voice control feature. The feature is both convenient and beneficial for beauty fans as they can pause the video without the need to put down their brushes and just by using their voice.

Sephora is a one stop place for beauty goers and have their own beauty channel on Youtube. With the collaboration between Google and Sephora, beauty goers are now able to view the device at selected Sephora store. Not only would this allow them to see and test the benefits of the device but it also promotes Sephora’s Youtube channel as well.

The Google Home Hub device is available for sale in Sephora store, should a customer want to purchase one, they could just purchase it over the counter. But if they need more time to consider buying one, they could always purchase it online on Google’s online store. Unfortunately Sephora with the Google Home Hub device will only be in selected Sephora store in the US, but fret not as the device is sold world wide online.

google
Google Home Hub
Sephora
Sephora x Google


Google completes roll out of its Travel suite

349

Having problems with planning your holiday trips? Google wants to assist you with that as the company has completed rollout of its travel suite in Malaysia.

Comprising of Google Destinations, Google Flights, Google Hotels and the Google Trips app, Google’s Travel suite is designed to work with each other. With Google Destinations, users can do a quick Google search about the location they’re hoping to go. Google would then provide information about the location, accompanied by various key locations and activities that one can plan their trip around. It’ll also come with a “Plan A Trip” option that allows users to get an estimated cost that a particular trip may cost.

Google Flights and Hotels will also allow users to track both airfare and hotel prices, informing them of any deals available during their desired travel period.

For those who wish to do their travel planning on a smartphone, the Google Trips app would be a great help. As it is designed to work together with Destinations, Flights and Hotels, Google Trips is capable of putting all the information you need on a single app. Besides planning a trip that suits the user, Google Trips will also provide some information to the user about local customs and etiquettes, giving them a heads up on what is or isn’t acceptable behavior in the country the user is visiting. In the event that the user is going to a location where constant internet connection is impossible, Trips will be able to download and store datapacks for each trip, allowing users to keep track of their travel plans even without an internet connection.

Google’s travel suite will continue to evolve over time of course, as Google will be adding new features to them in the near future.

destinations
flights
google
hotel
travel
trips