“Immersive Stream for Games” – Google’s white-label version of its cloud streaming tech that literally runs Stadia is now in full swing powering third-party website experiences. Last year, it leaked out that Google was putting way more time toward it than the consumer-facing Stadia platform, and that made a lot of people mad. It all […]
Continue ReadingChrome’s new machine learning algorithm is 2.5 times better at detecting phishing attempts
You already know that Google uses machine learning algorithms to filter spam out of Gmail, to make Google Maps capable of the high level of accuracy it maintains, and more, but did you know that it’s also now being used to detect whether or not a website’s notification prompts are being abused? If you read […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Maps for Android, iOS adds an air quality layer in collaboration with PurpleAir and the EPA
Last year, Google introduced an ‘Air Quality Information’ or AQI on Nest Hub devices, allowing users to see whether or not the air they’re breathing in from around them is of high or low quality. This took EPA measurement data on the level of pollution in the air and reported it in a visual format […]
Continue ReadingGet 2 free months of Google Stadia and more by preordering the Backbone One for Android
The Backbone One for Android is a new accessory from the makers of the popular Backbone iPhone game controller. That’s right, it’s finally becoming available for Pixel and Android users as an alternative to the Razer Kishi (now called Gamevice) and the GameSir X2. Backbone has always been the controller that Android users have drooled […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Stadia UI reportedly lags and glitches once users hit the 1,000 friend limit
Oh boy, this one hurts to write, but it’s my duty to report the facts, so here we go. Recently discovered by The Nerf Report, Google Stadia seems to have some major issues operating smoothly once a user reaches the 1,000 friend limit. Sure, it’s an odd problem to have for sure, but for a […]
Continue ReadingPixel users may have trouble setting up their smart home devices thanks to that Sonos fiasco
Remember that whole big Sonos patent infringement situation back in January that Google found itself in the midst of? Remember how Google also had to make changes to how speaker groups worked and how they were even set up? Well, now, more side effects are going to be affecting users – specifically those with Pixel […]
Continue ReadingPin up to three videos simultaneously in Google Meet with the Multipin accessibility update
Google Meet will now let you “multipin” things during video calls including participant’s feeds and active presentations. This can be useful for a number of reasons but is primarily being advertised as an accessibility feature as that’s how it was first announced last month during Global Accessibility Awareness Day. For example, someone who is deaf […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Photos sued by the state of Illinois in a $100 million class-action face-scanning lawsuit
According to Gizmodo, a class-action lawsuit of $100 million was filed against Google Photos for allegedly breaking the state of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. Basically, the act says that any company collecting user data of the state’s inhabitants must offer a publicly available and written policy stating when it’s collecting voice, fingerprint, hand, retina, […]
Continue ReadingXbox game streaming device coming, Chromecast may need to fight for your HDMI
As a diehard PlayStation gamer since my youth, I can confidently say that watching the trajectory Microsoft has chosen to take with the Xbox ecosystem, I never expected to kind of sort of like it. Growing up, it was the Halo console – the FPS box or racing game hardware in my eyes. Truth be […]
Continue ReadingChrome wants to automatically block notifications from sites that try to spam you
Google is doing its best to block out websites from sending you notifications if they become disruptive or originate from an “abusive” source. Spam websites, websites that overuse the notifications feature – you get the idea. These days, it feels like every single website you visit wants to ping you with something or be a […]
Continue ReadingFollowing Audible and Kindle, Amazon’s Comixology has also removed IAPs on Android
I have a confession – I never really had a chance to grow up reading comic books. Not only that, but I simply can’t justify most comic book purchases on the Google Play Store or elsewhere since you read it (quickly, I might add) and then are done with it practically forever. Unless you enjoy […]
Continue ReadingYouTube Music begins showing users their Spring 2022 listening Recap
As a trend that Google began last year, the annual YouTube Music Recap is officially here! On mobile (not on the web yet) you can tap the profile image at the top-right of the screen and select “Recap” to see yours. The Spring Recap ’22 compiles the music and artists you’ve listened to the most […]
Continue ReadingYouTube’s latest experiment lets you mute or unmute mobile search results with a tap
Google often releases new YouTube experiments for premium members to try, and if successful, these tend to become full-fledged features in the main YouTube app. If you navigate to YouTube’s experiments page right now, you’ll be met with their latest endeavor called “Unmute mobile search results”. This one runs until June 30, 2022, so it […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Assistant location-based reminders are going away soon
According to an easy-to-miss sentence on a Google Assistant Help page first found by 9to5Google, Assistant’s location-based reminders are being axed entirely. On Android, a notification appears at the top of your “Reminders” page through the Chrome browser or Google app stating this fact while offering alternatives. Important: The option to create reminders for a certain […]
Continue ReadingYou may soon be able to open multiple tabs in standalone web apps on your Chromebook
Tabbed PWAs are a feature that I’ve been enjoying on and off for a year or two on my Chromebook, and I personally think that it should be the default. But before I get into the nitty-gritty, let me first explain what the heck I’m talking about. In ChromeOS Canary right now, you can enable […]
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