While Android’s ecosystem is flush with a variety of applications, its operating system adoption rate has always been noticeably slow when compared to its rival. Android Oreo seems to be no exception, finally hitting double digits 10 months after its release. Although Oreo’s adoption started off distinctly slow in comparison …
Read More »Trump lambasts the EU’s $5bn fine against Google, as worries of a licensed version of Android rise
United States president Donald Trump has lambasted the European Commission for hitting Google with a record breaking $5 billion fine amidst anti-competitive complaints, stating that the governing body is taking advantage of the US. The staggering number also has many concerned that Google will change its approach to Android, potentially …
Read More »Android has double the app downloads, but half the sales of Apple’s App Store
Google’s Android is once again storming further ahead of iPhone in terms of downloads, however Apple’s ecosystem is far from down and out for the count. New statistics show that despite having less than half the total downloads of its rival, iPhone users spend twice as much on the App …
Read More »European Commission fines Google a record-breaking $5 billion
The European Commission has finally decided the fate of Google following complaints of anti-competitive behaviour surrounding its Android platform. Google has been ordered to pay a record-breaking €4.34bn (£3.8bn/$5bn) fine, which the company states is unjustified given that “Android has created more choice for everyone, not less.” European competition commissioner …
Read More »Google Chrome will now use more RAM due to Spectre fixes
Google Chrome is already rather infamous for eating up a lot of RAM. Last year, we saw Google begin to take steps to tackle the issue, but thanks to Spectre, those efforts are now in-vain. This week, Google announced that Chrome would be getting a Site Isolation feature, which will …
Read More »The European Commission will decide the fate of Google’s antitrust complaints next week
Google once again came under fire from the European Commission last month for antitrust practices, this time for its alleged blocking access to its Play Store unless Android devices pre-install Google Chrome and Google Search. European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager could impose a multibillion dollar fine against the company, …
Read More »Google Pay now supports peer-to-peer payments and mobile tickets
It’s hard to argue against the convenience of technology such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. Whipping out your phone and paying for your lunch without having to waste time fiddling around in your wallet for a card, and then entering a pin is a godsend. Google Pay is looking …
Read More »Google’s Android P is close to completion as Beta 3 launches
Introduced in August last year, Android Oreo has just about managed to reach 5.7 percent of devices on the market, a staggeringly low figure in comparison to that of its predecessor. Despite this, Google is pushing forward on its next iteration, rolling out Beta 3 of its impending Android P. …
Read More »Sources claim that Google is preparing a cloud gaming platform of its own
There have been rumours surrounding Google's interest in gaming for a number of years, but it is starting to look like we may finally see the tech giant's plans come to fruition. At this point, most major publishers are interested in some form of cloud streaming for games, and Google …
Read More »Google Duplex gets its first public trial
At Google I/O earlier this year, we got our first look at Google Duplex, the companies new AI calling service. It was met with both awe and criticism in terms of validity and ethics. Since then, Google has reworked a few things to address concerns, and is now pushing Duplex …
Read More »Google adds Continued Conversations to Google Home
When you get a smart assistant such as Alexa or Google Assistant, it never really stops feeling unnatural to add Ok, Google, or Hey, Alexa before every command. Google is looking to tackle that problem with a new feature for Google Home, known as ‘Continued Conversations'. This feature was a …
Read More »Android Messages can now be used across mobile and desktop
For a long time, if you wanted to text someone on Android you had to do it on your phone. All the while Apple users have been able to use iMessage across any device using macOS and iOS. That key difference in features is ending today, as Android Messages can now …
Read More »Google tries its hand at another podcast app with Google Podcasts
In 2012, Google shut down Google Listen, the company's first attempt at a podcast app. It was a serviceable piece of software but it didn't really catch on at the time, leading to the app being taken offline. Now several years later, with a resurgence in podcast listening, Google is …
Read More »Google to fix a location data leak found in Google Home and Chromecast
IoT devices have been causing nothing but trouble in terms of security. Whether it is always-on microphones or using unprotected devices in a botnet, something is always going wrong. Google’s Home and Chromecast are next in a long list after it was discovered they were both leaking location data. Craig …
Read More »Google now offers more control over targeted advertisements
Over the last year, user privacy and data control have become hot button topics and many companies are making changes so as not to be caught in some form of scandal. This week, Google is making its own changes, giving users better control over targeted advertising. Google now has an …
Read More »Google is removing the ability to install extensions outside of the Chrome Web Store
According to Google’s own research, just under 10% of extensions submitted to the Chrome Web Store between 2012 and 2015 were malicious. Google is looking to continue cracking down on malicious extensions with a new ban on inline installations on all platforms, essentially removing the ability to install extensions outside …
Read More »Google could possibly receive another record-breaking EU fine for Android antitrust violations
Following on from the European Commission fining Google a record-breaking €2.42 billion over its Shopping search engine last year, the tech giant found itself under investigation for antitrust allegations against Android. The decision of the case is expected to be revealed next month, however Google could be breaking records once …
Read More »Microsoft has overtaken Google as the world’s third most valuable company
Google’s parent company Alphabet and Microsoft have been tussling for the title of the world’s third most valuable company for quite some time, with the search giant holding onto the spot for the past three years. Microsoft has once again overtaken its rival, valued at $753 billion over Google’s at …
Read More »Google’s notched displays will reportedly be taller and provided by LG
Rumours surrounding Google’s upcoming Pixel 3 smartphones have begun to crop up, with early screen protectors revealing that one of the devices will sport the infamous notch. It turns out that this notch will be distinctly smaller than the iPhone X, however it will be taller than we’ve seen yet. …
Read More »Pixel 3 XL hinted to adopt iPhone X-style notch, others to remain traditional
Although there are still a few months left until Google will officially unveil its line of Pixel 3 smartphones, rumours are beginning to shed light on what to expect. The latest leak suggests that Google will indeed be catering to the notch enthusiasts, as well as affording an option to …
Read More »Facebook and Google hit with lawsuits after allegedly breaching GDPR
The EU’s new GDPR rules were ushered in last week, forcing websites to update privacy policies across the board. It seems that some companies are having more trouble than others, as one activist has targeted Google’s Android, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with a lawsuit. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims …
Read More »HTC is back in the smartphone market, unveiling its new flagship later this month
Despite major restructuring as a result of Google’s acquisition of its smartphone design and engineering teams, HTC isn’t out of the game yet. In fact, it looks to be re-entering the handset market this month with what’s believed to be the tentatively titled U12, the successor to its praised U11. …
Read More »Gmail users report spam emails sent from their own account
One of the main identifiers to spam emails is often the email address itself, usually containing a questionable domain. Unfortunately, things aren’t always as clear cut as that, as some Gmail users spotted that spam was coming from their own accounts. Despite having two-factor authentication, Gmail users found that their …
Read More »Google to take on iMessage with Chat, the supposed successor to SMS
Despite its attempt with Hangouts and then Allo, Google has failed to compete with its rivals iMessage chat application since Apple debuted it back in 2011. Now playing catch-up, Google has helped launch ‘Chat’, a new RCS-based service that works with carriers to replace SMS messages as we know them. …
Read More »Google working on an ‘Alt OS’ mode for Chrome OS
We've been hearing a lot about Google's laptop plans recently. Back in January, developers began testing Fuchsia OS on the Pixelbook, then we heard that we may see a new Pixelbook launch later this year. Now, it looks like the Chrome OS team is trying something new, as references to …
Read More »Google Chrome 66 is now live and will mute sites that autoplay 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 »Researchers find thousands of Android applications improperly tracking children’s data
Just one week after YouTube has been accused of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), another Google-owned company is under fire for the very same thing. According to researchers, over 3,300 Android applications could be harvesting children’s data improperly and might face consequences. The International Computer Science Institute …
Read More »Researchers claim some Android vendors are hiding missed security patches from users
Over the last few years, Google has been making efforts to keep Android secure by frequently pushing out security patches to Pixel devices, and handing them over to third-party Android phone makers so that they can keep their customers up to date. Unfortunately, it looks like many manufacturers are doing …
Read More »Google set to end support for first generation Pixel phones this year
As Google is reportedly looking ahead to its tentatively titled Pixel 3 smartphone, it is putting its first generation of Pixel devices to rest in October. The handsets have already been removed from the Google Store and the US Project Fi marketplace, but third party vendors will continue selling the …
Read More »Google’s Pixel 3 name has been spotted in the wild, the rumour mill starts
The disastrous launch of Google’s Pixel 2 smartphones had many suspecting the possibility that the entire Pixel brand might be on the chopping block, but it looks as the company is indeed pushing forward with new additions expected later this year. Among the rumours is the possibility of a third …
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