Articles about Google

Bend tests have become a talking point after Apple's iPhone 6 Plus was found to have issues in this department. So, whenever a new flagship smartphone comes out, you can expect someone to make a YouTube video showing how easily -- or not -- it can be bent. They have become so popular that reviewers can expect millions of views.

And because such tests are a given, manufacturers are also expected to learn from others' mistakes and come up with smartphone designs that fare well in these kind of conditions. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw Google's new Nexus 6P bending -- and, as a result, breaking -- with very little effort. Has its manufacturer, Huawei, learnt nothing from Apple's mistake?

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Gmail might be Google's most well-known email service, but more recently the company has introduced Inbox. Now Inbox gains a new feature -- Smart Reply. The email tool is known for its automation features and Smart Reply aims to cut down the amount of time you have to spend replying to messages in Android and iOS.

Although not entirely automated. Smart Reply analyzes the content of the emails you receive and suggests a number of stock replies that you might like to send. While it is certainly not going to eliminate the need to type out emails entirely, the ability to respond to common types of email with a couple of clicks will prove a real time-saver.

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HTC is just killing me. Last week, I bought a new Nexus 9 tablet from Amazon, thinking: "What a deal!" But every Tuesday, the device manufacturer boasts big 24-hour sale. "What a steal" is my reaction to the weekly price cut, with buyer's remorse. The company sells, today only, the 32GB LTE model for what I paid for the WiFi-only variant: $359. Oh, the pain!

But this story is stranger still. I didn't regard N9 much of a good value when reviewing in May, writing: "I want to love Google-branded, HTC-manufactured Nexus 9. But ours is a contentious relationship". On Oct. 29, 2015, Amazon delivered the new tablet, and the user experience dramatically differs from the previous device—so much I must revise my review. Value is even better, for anyone buying on this November Tuesday and scooping the deep discount.

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Google has scotched rumors that Chrome OS could be ditched. There had already been some doubts about the truth behind suggestions that Android and Chrome OS could be on the verge of merging. Google has already gone to some lengths to stress how committed it is to Chrome OS, and today goes a step further in stating in very plain language:

"Chrome OS is here to stay".

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Microsoft is promoting Skype more than ever before. Not content with desktop and mobile apps, now the company is bringing the voice and video messaging tool to its office suite. Starting with Office Online integration Skype messaging is now available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote Online, as well as Outlook.com.

This is a continuation of Microsoft's increased focus on the cloud, and a recognition of the importance of communication for collaborative projects. There are times when simply being able to work on the same document with colleagues is not going to be enough, and this is where Skype integration comes into play.

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True to its word, Amazon has made good on an earlier promise (or threat, depending on your point of view) not to sell Apple TV. In what will be widely regarded as an aggressive marketing move, the online retailer has cut out Apple TV like a cancer. The block on sales comes just as Apple launches its latest streaming device, and the sanctions also affect Google's Chromecast.

Previous links to such product now 404, but there are still a few accessories scattered through the store. But the ban does feel like a case of Amazon cutting off its nose to spite its face. While it does means that Amazon is able to take steps to fight the competition, it does so at the cost of hurting its customers.

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Google is rumored to be planning a merger of Android and Chrome OS. An early build of the combined operating system is expected to see the light of day as early as next year, with an official release making its way in 2017. That's what a so-called "report" claims anyway.

Such a plan would certainly make sense, considering that Chrome OS has limited appeal while Android has matured nicely, becoming the most-popular mobile operating system. So, how does Google comment? Well, the search giant continues to stand by its less-popular operating system. What else do you expect?

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YouTube announced its first-ever subscription service last week, YouTube Red, with the usual set of (uninteresting) "premium" features -- ad-free videos and offline/background playback. The only interesting tidbit was that YouTube Red would also house "original" movies and TV shows starring well-known YouTube personalities. While it may seem mundane, this move has the potential to present a true disruption to the TV industry.

For years, industry observers have talked about the looming threat of cord-cutting -- consumers were expected to drop expensive cable subscriptions in favor of on-demand streaming services like Netflix. But while Netflix has seen exceptional growth, we are yet to see a tipping point in cord-cutting behavior.

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Just as Microsoft is trying to streamline its various operating systems with the approach it has taken with Windows 10, so Google appear to have similar plans. The Wall Street Journal reports that plans are well under way to merge Android and Chrome OS.

Work has been going on for two years, and an early build of the hybrid operating system is expected to see the light of day next year. A full release is planned for 2017. While described as a merger of OSes, the report suggests that Google is really looking to expand Android so that it can run on laptops. Chrome OS may well live on, but the same cannot be said of Chromebooks.

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In a first for Microsoft, today sees the release of not just a new Windows 10 Mobile build, but also a new build of Windows 10 for the desktop. Windows 10 Build 10576 is now available to Insiders on the Fast Ring. This is the latest update to the Threshold 2 branch, the final build of which is due for release next month.

This is more than just a bug-fixing build -- although there are a number of bug fixes, you'll be pleased to hear -- there are also new tools and features to try out. Taking a leaf out of Google's book, Microsoft Edge gains media casting, PDF can be navigated with Cortana, and there's a new Xbox beta app. But it doesn't end there...

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Google has fired warning shots at Symantec, threatening that Chrome would start to flag the company's security certificates as unsafe. The threat comes in a blog post penned by Google software engineer Ryan Sleevi who is still seething after Symantec employees issued a number of unauthorized security certificates.

Some of the certificates were owned by Google -- including Google.com -- and a Symantec-led audit suggested that the problem affected just 23 test certificates. But further probes revealed that there were in fact more than 2,500 certificates involved. Google is understandably fuming and is now holding Symantec to ransom.

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The haughty headline from yesterday's Apple fiscal fourth quarter 2015 earnings report isn't big revenue or profit performance ($51.5 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively), but a figure given by CEO Tim Cook during the analyst call: "We recorded the highest rate on record for Android switches last quarter at 30 percent".

Blogs, and some news sites, set the statement off like an atomic blast of free marketing for Apple. The fallout spreads across the InterWebs this fine Wednesday, largely undisputed or corroborated. Just because Cook claims something doesn't make it true. To get some perspective, and to either correct or confirm the public record, today I asked a half-dozen analysts: "Does your analysis of the smartphone market support that assertion?"

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Google might have changed its name to Alphabet, but the stand-off it has with the European Union’s Antitrust Commission won’t go away.

In an extensive interview for The Wall Street Journal, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager explains she still has the company in her sights.

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When Google announced its first OnHub wireless router, my colleague Brian Fagioli had one question -- why? The answer, according to Joe Wilcox’s excellent review, is it gives great Wi-Fi and is, in a word, "fantastic". High praise indeed.

The TP-LINK-built OnHub was always intended to be the first in a series of easy to use wireless routers from Google, and today the second device arrives, this time coming from ASUS.

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With all this cash lying around, Alphabet is planning on buying back shares of its own stock, The Economic Times has reported.

According to the report, high profit which the company had in the third quarter of this year, has prompted it to announce it would give investors some of the money.

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