Tag: Google

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The Next Web

Google confirms the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G are coming this fall

The Pixel 4a‘s reveal was Google‘s biggest news of the day, but that technically wasn’t the only device the company announced today. It also confirmed the existence of the upcoming Pixel 5, as well as a 5g edition of the Pixel 4a. That’s not surprising given all the rumors so far, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted considering the wealth of delays and cancellations due to coronavirus.

The company says the new devices will arrive ‘this fall,’ and will be avaible in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. Moreover, the company was even so kind as to tell us the Pixel 4a (5G) — that’s how Google stylizes the name — will cost $499. Read More

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Wired

Google Pixel 4A Review: Nearly Perfect and Only $350


There’s something about Google’s new Pixel 4A that has me reaching for it far more than most smartphones I’ve tested this year.

Maybe it’s the wonderfully compact size, allowing me to completely wrap my fingers around the phone. Or the matte, chalkboard-like polycarbonate back that’s grippy and attracts no fingerprints, unlike its glass counterparts. Perhaps it’s the camera that impresses all day, every day, or the various software smarts like Call Screen, which puts pesky spam and robocalls out of sight, out of mind. Read More

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The Next Web

We charted the screen-to-body ratio of Google Pixel phones


One of the most noticeable differences between today’s phones and those of five years ago is the screen-to-body ratio. Bezel sizes have dropped and we now have a lot more screen.

The other week I looked at how this had changed on iPhones, but I’m currently intrigued about other phone manufacturers. Specifically, I wanted to learn about the screen-to-body ratio of Google Pixel phones over time.

Before we go on though, a definition. The screen-to-body ratio is simply a number that shows what percentage of a phone’s front is screen compared to, well, not screen. The bigger the number, the bigger the relative screen size. Read More

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The Verge

Google Pixel 4A: how to preorder


Google has announced the Pixel 4A, its new midrange Android phone that packs in features similar to the Pixel 4, like an excellent camera and astrophotography mode, but at a much more affordable price. It will be available starting on August 20th for $349. Check out Dieter Bohn’s video review, embedded above, for everything you need to know or read his full review right here.

Preorders are up at a few places, including Google’s own store, Amazon, and Best Buy. Compared to shopping for most other phones, it’s simple here. There’s just one size, one storage configuration, and one color. So really, your only decision is where you want to buy it and whether you want a case included with your purchase. Read More

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Tech Radar

This Google Chrome extension can reveal exactly what advertisers know about you

A new extension for Google Chrome will now highlight the types of user data being used to inform personalized advertising efforts.

The Ads Transparency Spotlight extension is designed to shine a light on the mechanisms behind bespoke advertising campaigns that target a specific user’s wants and needs, based on a variety of data held collected on that individual.

The new Chrome extension reveals the number of advertisements present on any given webpage, the companies involved in serving those ads, and the precise data types used to determine which ads are served (e.g. age, gender, location, interests etc.). Read More

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Engadget

Google invests in ADT to push Nest towards home security


Later on, ADT will borrow Google’s tech to enhance its own capabilities. “Over time, Nest’s devices, powered by Google’s machine learning capabilities, will enhance ADT’s security monitoring,” Google said. “The goal is to give customers fewer false alarms, more ways to receive alarm events and better detection of potential incidents inside and around the home.”

The AI capabilities will also provide more helpful notifications, according to Google, for things like package delivery detection. ADT security customers will also gain access to Nest Aware, which tracks people coming and going into your home, with intelligent alerts and an event history up to 30 days long. Read More

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The Verge

Zelda recipe appears in serious novel by serious author after rushed Google search


If you were writing a book and needed to find out how red clothes dye is traditionally made, you’d probably start with a simple Google search. At least, that’s what John Boyne, the author behind The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas says he “must have” done when it emerged that several fantasy ingredients from The Legend of Zelda have appeared in his most recent book, A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom.

The problem, as journalist Dana Schwartz notes, is that rather than listing a real-world recipe, the current top search result for “ingredients red dye clothes” links to a guide from Polygon on how to dye clothes in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s not an uncommon mistake for Google’s algorithms to make, but in this case the mistake seems to have made its way all the way into a published book by a respected author. Read More

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Engadget

Google starts testing its replacement for third-party cookies


Google has taken one step closer to banishing third-party cookies from Chrome. The internet giant has started testing its trust tokens with developers, with promises that more would move to live tests “soon.” As before, the company hoped to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome once it could meet the needs of both users and advertisers.

Trust tokens are meant to foster user trust across sites without relying on persistent identifying data like third-party cookies. They theoretically prevent bot-based ad fraud without tying data to individuals. This would be one framework as part of a larger Privacy Sandbox including multiple open standards. Read More

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VentureBeat

Antitrust experts weigh in on breaking up Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google


Gary Reback is perhaps best known as the lawyer who helped convince the U.S. Department of Justice to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in the 1990s. He watched the majority of the House Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Reback still remembers a Senate hearing that put pressure on the government and led to the filing of United States v. Microsoft Corporation in 1998. That’s why he focused more on lines of questioning this week than on answers from CEOs of companies that have amassed unprecedented wealth and power. Read More

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Engadget

Digital contact tracing apps in the US that use ENS tech from Google and Apple are still ‘weeks’ away


In the US Google says that 20 states and territories covering about 45 percent of the population are “exploring apps” based on the systems, and the first ones should launch “in the coming weeks.” Read More