Articles about Google

Google is opening a retail store in New York City, and I couldn't be more excited. No, I don't plan on shopping there, but instead, I'll use it for a place to sit down and cool off in the summertime. You see, that is what many New Yorkers use the Apple Store for -- a place to hang out and charge their phone while enjoying the free air conditioning. I expect the Google Store to become a similar destination.

Some people will go to this new Chelsea Google Store to actually shop too, I suppose. Customers can expect to see many Google products like Chromebooks, Pixel phones, Nest smart home devices, and more. By visiting a physical store, consumers can be assisted by actual people -- a nice change to the coldness of online shopping. The search giant will even offer workshops to teach customers more about the Google products they already own.

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Android has been a bit boring lately -- it has been hard to get excited about Google's Linux-based mobile operating system. Android 10 and 11, for instance, were more evolution than revolution. While there was plenty going on underneath the hood, there wasn't much to excite the typical Android user.

Well, folks, Android is about to get fun once again. Today at Google I/O, the search giant unveiled Android 12. Even better, the search giant has since released a Beta of the operating system. This version of the OS is very exciting, as it puts a lot of emphasis on eye candy and aesthetics -- things that do matter. In other words, typical end users will actually see something fresh and new.

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Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Google cancelled its I/O developer conference last year, but it returns as a virtual event for 2021 and you can watch it right here today.

We’re expecting Google to show off Android 12, the next update for its mobile operating system, as well as cover other Google services, like Google Assistant and its range of Home/Nest smart devices.

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When someone tells me that Chromebooks are only good for surfing the web, I have to do my best not to angrily laugh in their face. That opinion is just so ignorant and outdated. The truth is, Chromebooks run the excellent Chrome OS Linux distribution, which is more than capable for business, education, and personal use. You aren't limited to web apps either -- you can run many desktop Linux and Android apps nowadays. Oh, and Chrome OS is more secure than Windows 10 too.

Most new Chromebooks come with a USB-C port, letting you connect many great accessories, such as docks and dongles, to expand its usefulness. Yeah, you can even turn a Chromebook into a makeshift desktop by connecting a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. And now, HYPER has unveiled a trio of Google-certified "Works With Chromebook" USB-C products.

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There are many things to get annoyed by online, and we're not just talking about the content you find and the people you encounter. It used to be that pop-ups were the scourge of the internet, but these have been replaced by new irritants -- in particular ads, cookie warnings and site notifications.

Pop-ups have all but died a death and ads can -- should you wish -- be avoided with various blockers. There's little that can be done to stop sites warning your about cookies, but when it comes to being pestered by sites asking if you would like to receive notifications, you can take action. Here's how to block notifications and notification requests in Chrome across Windows, macOS and Linux.

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Google is taking steps to make people's accounts more secure by announcing two initiatives to mark World Password Day.

Firstly it's automatically enrolling all Google account users in two-factor authentication. This will begin with accounts that are appropriately configured for this transition. You can see whether your account is ready in Security Checkup.

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There are thousands of different languages spoken around the planet, but a sizable number of these are at risk of disappearing.

In fact, of the over 7,000 native languages currently in use, some 3,000 are in danger, and on average, a language becomes extinct every fourteen days. Google Arts & Culture is taking action to help preserve these endangered languages.

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If you’ve ever been locked out of your personal Gmail account then you will no doubt have discovered it can be a serious uphill battle to regain access. If you forget the password, then you can try the 'forgot password' option, but if you’ve been locked out for other reasons, then you’re in trouble.

As reported by PCMag, Game publisher Mike Rose was recently locked out of his account for 'suspicious activity', and when he contacted Google support he was told there was nothing they could do for him.

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It is May 4th, which every Star Wars fan knows is 'Star Wars Day' ("May the 4th be with you!").

There’s lots of Star Wars related content today -- Amazon Alexa is offering to do impressions of the main characters from the films, and Star Wars spin-off The Bad Batch has debuted over on Disney+. There’s even an impressive teaser video showing the 'real' lightsaber Disney is working on. Not one to be left out, Google is celebrating the day too.

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While we would all like to think the ground beneath us is stationary, the truth is, this giant sphere we call Earth is constantly moving. Not only is our planet simultaneously rotating and moving around the sun, but sometimes the ground can shake and rumble more than we'd like too. This can happen when the tectonic plates move about too much. This friction is what we call an earthquake. We call it this because a layer of earth beneath us quite literally quakes.

These earthquakes aren't just scary -- they can be deadly too. Yes, people can be injured during these seismic events, including death. Earthquakes can even cause tsunamis, leading to drownings too. This is why it is so important to alert people when earthquakes happen. Thankfully, if you own an Android phone and live in either Greece or New Zealand, I have some good news -- Google is launching an earthquake alerts system in those two countries.

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In recent years the use of microservices has helped to streamline development processes. But there's still an issue with managing communication between services.

Service mesh is a technology that adds uniform networking capabilities right across the program stack but is decoupled from the application code itself.

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Alphabet own Google. Google owns Fitbit. And Fitbit largely owns... well... the fitness tracker market. Look, Apple Watch might be wildly popular, but for the average consumer, the name "Fitbit" is synonymous with wearables. I have witnessed many people referring to fitness trackers made by other brands as "Fitbit." This behavior is much like consumers calling all adhesive bandages "Band-Aid."

Fitbit's success isn't a mystery. Besides its catchy brand name, the devices are easy to use and are heavily focused on fitness. In other words, Fitbit devices aren't overly complicated. This has lead to their adoption by people that aren't necessarily gadget enthusiasts. Oh, and they have excellent battery life too -- they don't need daily charging like Apple Watch.

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If you care about your privacy on the web, and you’re worried about just what Google knows about you, then privacy-focused search site DuckDuckGo is a great alternative.

It offers lots of features that you may not be aware of, including the ability to quickly generate a QR code for any website.

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I’ve been lucky enough to travel extensively and see a large chunk of the world, although thanks to COVID-19 and lockdowns, I haven’t been anywhere in quite a while and have seriously itchy feet.

Back when overseas travel was easy to do, I visited quite a few UNESCO World Heritage sites, but the world is a huge place and there are still plenty more I would love to go to (I will finally tick Machu Picchu off the list one day).

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Google's Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology has raised the hackles of many, and the latest to express concern at the new user tracking and ad targeting technique is WordPress.

The blogging platform joins the likes of DuckDuckGo in standing up to Google, suggesting it could block Google's new technology on the sites it powers. With WordPress catering for around two-fifths of the web, the proposal could have a huge impact on what Google has planned. Fighting FLoC, WordPress says it "can help combat racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and discrimination against those with mental illness with four lines of code".

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