Now you can block spam file sharing on Google Drive
Google has a spam problem -- and we're not talking about Gmail, but Google Drive. Having discovered that the file sharing functionality of the cloud storage platform could be used to harass people, spammers have been doing exactly that.
Having announced plans to do something about the problem back in May, Google has finally started the process of roiling out anti-spam measures, giving users the ability to block spammers. While many Google Drive users will be pleased at the introduction of new controls, is it enough?
Google updates search to tell you why you're seeing particular results
Google has announced a significant upgrade to it search engine that means you will now be better informed about the reasons particular results are displayed to you.
Much of the time it is apparent why a certain page has been included in results, but this is not always the case. It is with this in mind that Google is updating the About This Result panel in search results to be more informative.
Google is rolling out its unified backup service, Backup by Google One
Backing up Android data is getting a whole lot easier as Google starts the roll out of Backup by Google One. The service makes it easy to backup everything from SMS, MMS and call logs, to Wi-Fi passwords and photos.
The company has not made a great deal about the rollout, making no announcement about it. This is perhaps understandable as it is essentially a consolidation and rebranding of a previously disparate selection of settings and tools.
Google is making it easier to hide the searches you want to keep secret
Perform a search using Google, and details of your search are saved in your Google account for posterity -- unless, of course, you take action.
If you want to keep a search to yourself, you could use Incognito mode in Chrome and it will not be saved. Or you could manually delete your search history, although this does mean losing potentially useful historic information; the same is true of the auto-delete option for your online activity. But now there is new option to delete the last 15 minutes of search activity -- just enough to cover your tracks when you need to.
Privacy-focused Google makes 'My Activity' more secure with new verification options
Google tracks you. Yeah, yeah, we all know that. It is nothing new. The truth is, that tracking is both a gift and a curse. True, it isn't a nice feeling to know a company is watching your activity across its services, but at the same time, that tracking allows Google to provide you with a more personal experience. For instance, I choose to let Google track me, and my overall web experience is better as a result.
Thankfully, the search giant does empower its users by letting them limit some of the sharing. And now, Google is making "My Activity" (the page which displays much of this tracking history) more secure. You see, the company is now providing extra verification options when accessing My Activity.
The classic Symbian OS reimagined as a rival to iOS and Android
Before Android and iOS took over the mobile market, there was Symbian. Originally developed for PDAs in the late 1990s, it was the most popular mobile OS in the world for a time, powering early smartphones from Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson.
As Google and Apple’s mobile operating systems took off, Symbian OS went into an inevitable decline, and it was discontinued in 2010. But perhaps now is the time for a modern re-invention of it.
Google launches unified initiative to boost open source security reporting
One of the problems with open source vulnerability databases is that each uses its own format to describe vulnerabilities and this makes tracking and sharing of vulnerabilities between databases difficult.
To address this and boost security, the Google Open Source Security team, Go team, and the broader open-source community have been developing a simple vulnerability interchange schema for describing vulnerabilities.
Microsoft Chrome OS is an amazing alternative to Windows 11
In a couple of days’ time, Microsoft is set to take the wraps off the next version of Windows. We already know a fair bit about this, thanks to a number of leaks, including a full ISO of Windows 11 which the software giant is currently scrambling to remove from the web.
The new operating system is based partially on Windows 10X, the scrapped lightweight operating system that was designed as a rival to Google’s Chrome OS. While that creation may never properly see the light of day in its original form, we can today get an idea of what Chrome OS would look like if Microsoft had developed it instead of Google.
Google reins in the madness and brings some sanity to Chrome's address bar
Over the years Google has made sweeping changes to Chrome, introducing all manner of features and options. The constant stream of Beta, Dev and Canary builds of the browser are proof of the constant development that is going on, and some of the work has been rather controversial.
One move that was widely opposed was the decision to stop showing full URL of a web page in the address bar (or Omnibar if you want to use Google's nomenclature). Introduced almost a year ago, Google said the experiment was an attempt to help people spot spoofed URLs, but it caused widespread annoyance and confusion. Now the company has seen sense and is opting to show full addresses once again.
A decade of Chrome OS: What do you think of it?
Let me get this out of the way first, lest I be called a Microsoft hater (I’ve been called both that and fanboy). I have Windows computers and I use them for some things, just not for my regular, daily routine. I started with a Chromebook early on when Google itself released the HP Chromebook 11 G1 back in 2013.
Chrome OS was announced in 2009 and an actual "Chromebook" shipped in 2011, but it took a couple of years from then for the platform to pick up steam.
Update Chrome now, it has a zero-day exploit
We’re much more used to security flaws now after years of being conditioned to hearing about them from various sources. Some software makers handle vulnerabilities better than others of course, but remember, software is inherently complicated and it’s being written by flawed humans so mistakes are inevitable.
Today Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero reports on a new flaw in Google Chrome, the sixth zero-day affecting the browser this year. Very little information has been released on the vulnerability, but from what we can learn it seems to be in the Javascript engine that powers Chrome.
Acer launches 17-inch Chromebook
Chromebooks have been taking the world by storm lately, and it isn't hard to see why. As more and more people do their computing almost exclusively on the web, it makes no sense to spend big money on a Windows 10 laptop you don't really need. Don't get me wrong, Windows definitely still has a place, and Microsoft's operating system is currently more useful than Chrome OS, but it is just overkill for many. Chromebooks are simple, safe, and getting better all the time. Google is giving the people what they want.
Acer has long been a Chromebook proponent, which makes total sense. Look, Acer is traditionally a value brand and Chromebooks have historically been affordably priced; it has been a marriage made in heaven. Today, Acer launches four new Chromebooks and three of them, which have 14-inch screens, are a bit ho-hum. None look bad... they are just more of the same. A fourth model, however, is quite special. You see, the Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H), as it is called, has a 17-inch display! This is apparently the first Chrome OS laptop with such a screen size -- who knew!?
Google to require masks in its NYC store
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.
Google releases Android 12 Beta with a focus on beauty, speed, and privacy
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.
Watch Google's 2021 virtual I/O keynote live here
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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