A new update to your Chromecast with Google TV will allow you to "Tinderly" swipe left or right to improve content suggestions. Doing so trains Google's machine learning algorithms to present you with movies and shows that are more to your liking. Once you receive the update, which should be rolling … [Read more...] about A new update to your Chromecast with Google TV helps you improve content suggestions
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Holiday Nest Doorbell ringtones return with Kwanzaa sounds added
The Made By Google team has expanded their Nest doorbell ringtone offerings this year for the holiday season. Last year, they implemented ten tones related to Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's. Now, they're back, but with an additional four new sounds centered on Kwanzaa. Nest Doorbell users will … [Read more...] about Holiday Nest Doorbell ringtones return with Kwanzaa sounds added
Chrome OS ALT+TAB getting a useful upgrade that takes advantage of touch
We've been a bit inundated with new info on upcoming Chromebooks and, frankly, I'm pretty excited about many of the Chromebooks on the horizon in 2021. From big screens to mobile tablets, it seems 2021 will bring Chromebooks for nearly any use case and just about any user. With Windows apps via … [Read more...] about Chrome OS ALT+TAB getting a useful upgrade that takes advantage of touch
Teachers rejoice! Google Sites just added new customization tools, themes coming next year
Despite its minimal features as a site builder when compared to something as powerful as WordPress, Google Sites' streamlined tools and simplicity has caught fire with educators, many of which are using the service to teach their students about web development at an early age. While Sites has come a … [Read more...] about Teachers rejoice! Google Sites just added new customization tools, themes coming next year
Google Maps turns the Explore tab into a social network for local businesses
A while back, Google Maps had begun allowing businesses near you to post updates about their offerings under the 'updates' tab of their listing. However, unless you intentionally visited them on Maps, you wouldn't see this information. Instead of relying on users to seek out new announcements from … [Read more...] about Google Maps turns the Explore tab into a social network for local businesses
Work is ongoing to make Android 11 app window management far better on Chromebooks
Part of what makes Android apps on Chromebooks a bit frustrating to use is the general jank you can run into when moving things around the screen. From simple resizes to snapping windows to tablet mode conversion, it's no secret that Android apps can get a bit fussy when moving them through the … [Read more...] about Work is ongoing to make Android 11 app window management far better on Chromebooks
[Update: Rolling out] Google Messages to bring message scheduling feature to the masses
Update: Message scheduling is rolling out more widely! Conversation categories have recently started to show up for a select few users of Google's popular Messages app. The feature will soon allow messages to be automatically sorted into labels using AI and machine learning to keep things tidy. … [Read more...] about [Update: Rolling out] Google Messages to bring message scheduling feature to the masses
PDFs imported to Google Docs get improved support for images, multi-column formatting, and more
PDF support in Google Drive has always been sort of terrible - I'm not even joking. Before you even get to the document, you can open the preview of it, and today, you'll notice that things like images, tables, and multiple columns simply don't show up. Drive has become a place to store PDFs, but … [Read more...] about PDFs imported to Google Docs get improved support for images, multi-column formatting, and more
First Look: Chrome OS recovery screen goes Dark Mode
It has been nearly two years since we discovered that Google was working on bringing "Dark Mode" to Chrome OS. In that time, we have seen the evolution that will be the upcoming light and dark mode, new theme-specific wallpapers, and the reintroduction of forced Dark Mode for the web. There is still … [Read more...] about First Look: Chrome OS recovery screen goes Dark Mode
Hangouts group conversations will soon be migrated to Google Chat
As Google Chat continues to mercilessly wipe the floor with Hangouts, including their recent decision to no longer let you perform group calls within the old app, they've now decided to migrate all of your Hangouts group conversations and saved history into Google Chat in order to ensure a smooth … [Read more...] about Hangouts group conversations will soon be migrated to Google Chat
Nest WiFi can now prioritize your bandwidth for gaming and video conferencing
Last year, we saw that a 'gaming preferred' setting was coming to the Nest Wifi via the Google Home app. Gaming preferred would allow you to prioritize devices in the home for more bandwidth usage while playing on Stadia, a game console, or a computer. There was even a support page placed up to … [Read more...] about Nest WiFi can now prioritize your bandwidth for gaming and video conferencing
A patent reveals that Google Assistant may be prepping more human-like interactions
A new patent on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website reveals that Google Assistant may soon act as an "intermediary" between you and "3P" or third-party services on your Assistant-enabled smart speakers, displays, and more. Google Assistant can perform over a million actions … [Read more...] about A patent reveals that Google Assistant may be prepping more human-like interactions
