Google’s former head of search and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea announced that he was stepping down from the role earlier this week, prompting veteran Jeff Dean to take his place. Now, Giannandrea will be lending his talents, and potentially Google's secrets, to Apple as the firm poached him to run …
Read More »Google is reportedly working on a 4K Chromebook codenamed ‘Atlas’
Since 2015, Google has been continuously supporting its lineup of Pixelbook laptops, all sporting Chrome OS. In October, we finally got a hardware revision, with beefier processors and better battery life, but it looks like the next upgrade could be just around the corner. Reports this week claim that Google …
Read More »Google axes all cryptocurrency mining extensions from Chrome
Since the cryptocurrency boom in popularity, scammers have taken the opportunity to exploit newcomers and enthusiasts with all manners of illicit mining. Following on from its ban on cryptocurrency advertisements last month, Google is now taking a stand by blocking any Chrome extension that can mine cryptocurrency from entering the …
Read More »Google is shutting down its goo.gl URL shortener
Google has offered its own URL shortener since 2009 in the form of goo.gl. The site has multiple advantages, allowing users to create easily sharable short links and track the number of clicks. Unfortunately, the service will shutting down soon in favor of ‘Firebase Dynamic Links'. Over the weekend, Google …
Read More »Kodi removed from Google Search’s autocomplete to combat piracy
Perfectly legal multimedia software Kodi has taken another blow today, thanks to its close association with piracy. In another attempt to fight back against copyright infringing material, Google has removed the name of the platform from its autocompleting algorithm, meaning that search terms will be have to typed out in …
Read More »The EU is still open to the idea of breaking up Google
It looks like the European Union is concerned about Google once again. This time around, the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, voiced “grave suspicions” over Google's growing dominance online. Previously, the EU has fined Google £2.1 billion for prioritising Google Shopping in search results over competing services. Now, the competition …
Read More »EU outlines new tax rules for ‘digital’ companies, like Google, Amazon and Facebook
It is no secret that large tech companies often use various methods to lower the amount of tax they owe in different continents. This has riled up the European Union in the past and now, they intend to do something about it. A couple of weeks ago, reports began surfacing …
Read More »The next Chrome update will mute websites autoplaying content with sound
We’ve all come across those sites that load up and begin auto-playing a video at some obnoxiously loud volume. Over time, Google has been trying to tackle this with various Chrome updates. Back in January Google pushed out a Chrome update that allowed users to permanently mute certain websites, but …
Read More »Android P may start blocking apps from running if they target older APIs
Google is continuing to combat its Android fragmentation problem. This time around, Google is focussing on developers and ensuring that they support the latest versions of Android. Back in December, Google announced that Play Store apps would need to support versions of Android no more than one year old going …
Read More »The French government plans to take Apple and Google to court over app store developer contracts
This week it was revealed that the French government has plans to sue both Google and Apple over their developer contracts. According to French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, both companies use “abusive” contractual terms for developers on the iOS App Store and Google Play store. Speaking on RTL Radio, …
Read More »Google will be banning cryptocurrency ads from June onwards
Following in the footsteps of both Facebook and Twitter, soon Google will begin banning cryptocurrency adverts on its platforms. Various coin exchanges, ICOs and other ventures will lose access to Google's AdSense platform starting in June. In January, Facebook announced that it would be cracking down on cryptocurrency related advertisements …
Read More »Google claims its Bristlecone quantum chipset can outdo normal CPUs
Google is doubling down on emerging technology, debuting its new quantum computing chip that could potentially lead to a major breakthrough. While still in the theoretical stages, the company has stated that its Bristlecone design can outdo today’s CPU technology still using silicon. “We are cautiously optimistic that quantum supremacy …
Read More »EU reportedly plans to introduce new revenue based tax rules targeting tech giants
It is no secret that large tech companies often use various methods to lower the amount of tax they owe in different continents. This has gotten the likes of Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google into varying degrees of trouble over here in the Europe. So with that in mind, the …
Read More »Amazon to stop selling Google-owned Nest products as feud continues into 2018
Amazon reintroducing Google’s Chromecast onto its market seemed like it was set to mark the end of the very public feud between the two throughout 2017. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case as Amazon has now announced that it will stop selling Google-owned Nest smart home products as …
Read More »Google increases transparency after receiving 2.4m right to be forgotten requests
It has been a few years since the European Union first introduced ‘the right to be forgotten', giving EU citizens the opportunity to have links pertaining to them removed from Google search results. Google has been transparent about its process in the face of this new rule, and this week …
Read More »uTorrent users urged to update as Google reveals security issues
Given that uTorrent is one of the most popular torrent clients around, there is a good chance that many of you currently use it. If you have it installed, then be sure to upgrade to the latest version, as multiple security flaws were recently discovered in the software, and have …
Read More »Android P will stop malicious apps from exploiting smartphone cameras and microphones
Developers are having fun with the next iteration of Android, with the operating system internally known as Android Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich. What’s not fun, however, is idle applications having the ability to sneakily take photos or record audio with access to the smartphone’s camera and microphone. This is something …
Read More »Google Pixel 2 users reporting battery drain and heat issues after latest security update
The Google Pixel 2 suffered from its share of issues at launch but for the most part, things seemed to have smoothed out over the last couple of months. That was until the latest Android security patch began rolling out, which seems to be cutting battery life down and causing …
Read More »Google has removed the ‘view image’ button from search
If you woke up this morning and were confused by Google Images' sudden lack of ‘View Image' button, then you weren't alone. So far, critics have complained that the move is unfriendly to users and has degraded Google's image search functionality. Those statements might be true, but what was Google's …
Read More »HTC’s smartphone head steps down following on from Google acquisition
A few months ago, Google announced that it would be acquiring a chunk of HTC's smartphone business for $1.1 billion. In the deal, most of HTC's smartphone design team moved over to Google. Now it looks HTC is going to be losing another member of its ranks, the company's president …
Read More »Google manages to double its Pixel sales in 2017
With the disastrous launch of the Pixel 2 range of smartphones, it seemed that all of the hard work Google had done building its reputation in the handset world had been undone. In an impressive change of pace, however, it seems that the company has managed to double its sales, …
Read More »Google details its built-in ad blocker for Chrome ahead of tomorrow’s release
Blocking advertisements is a popular practice when browsing the net, simply because websites have been abusing the system with intrusive pop-ups. Google in particular has had enough, having tested its own Chrome-based Adsense for over a month. Due to go live tomorrow, the company has detailed how it works and …
Read More »YouTube’s recommended videos algorithm is promoting controversial content
Over the course of its near 13-year life, YouTube has refined its system to provide its users with the optimal viewing experience alongside ways to discover more content catered to their preference. Sometimes, however, things don’t go to plan. YouTube’s recommended video algorithm has unfortunately been leading viewers astray with …
Read More »Google is reportedly working on a cloud gaming service called ‘Yeti’
Since the rise and fall of Onlive, many other companies have tried to tackle video game cloud streaming. Nvidia's GeForce Now service is probably the best option around at the moment, but Sony has PSNow in its pocket and Microsoft just recently bought PlayFab, a cloud gaming firm. Now, Google …
Read More »Google managed to purge 700,000 dodgy apps from the Play Store last year
Over the years, there have been plenty of ill-meaning app developers pushing malware and adware onto the Google Play Store. Over time, Google has gotten better at squashing these apps out and removing them, which is shown by the company's 2017 stats. According to Google, it removed 700,000 bad apps …
Read More »Google’s $1.1 billion HTC acquisition deal has officially closed
Back in September, we learned that Google would be acquiring HTC's smartphone team for $1.1 billion. The deal gave HTC the cash to stay afloat after a slew of financial setbacks, meanwhile Google would receive a fifth of HTC's workforce to bolster its own smartphone efforts. Deals like this always …
Read More »The latest Google Chrome update will let you mute sites permanently
We've all come across those sites that load up and begin auto-playing a video at some obnoxiously loud volume. Over time, Google has been trying to tackle this with various Chrome updates. We already had the ability to mute tabs, but now Google will be giving Chrome users the ability …
Read More »Win a Google Pixelbook!
It's competition time! Today, we are giving our readers the chance to win something a little different. Last year, Google launched a brand new Pixelbook, complete with an impressive QHD display, loads of memory and fast flash storage. Today is your chance to win one and its open WORLDWIDE too!
Read More »Google issues fix for Chromecast and Home WiFi troubles
Earlier this week, users of Google’s Chromecast and Home devices were reporting a bug that caused their WiFi networks to crash. The issue has now been isolated and reproduced, prompting the search giant to release a fix. The problem first arose on TP-Link devices, in which a bug caused a …
Read More »YouTube changes its partner program to make it harder to monetise videos
For the past couple of years, YouTube has been tightening its rules around video monetisation, making it harder earn on the platform. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it decision, the Google owned service has increased its parameters for partnership, now requiring users to have 4,000 hours of watch time over the course of …
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