Google is expanding its handy .new TLD shortcuts to third-party sites
It's not something that everyone knows about, but Google owns the top-level domain .new, and the company has gone beyond using them as simple web addresses. Instead, addresses such as cal.new, doc.new and keep.new can be used as shortcuts to create new calendar events, Google Docs files, and Keep Notes.
Until now, .new shortcuts have only worked with Google's own products and services, but this is about to change. There are already shortcuts that can be used in conjunction with the likes of Spotify, Canva, Word and GitHub, and Google has announced that other sites will be able to register domains -- and therefore shortcuts -- very soon.
DoH! Google tries to clear up DNS-over-HTTPS confusion
Google has already revealed plans for Chrome which it says will increase privacy and security. DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) was announced back in September, and the company is already worried that people are confused about the implementation.
The company has published a defensive blog post in which it says that "there has been some misinformation and confusion about the goals of our approach and whether DoH will impact existing content controls offered by ISPs". It goes on to try to dispel the incorrect beliefs it says have built up.
Report: Alphabet wants to buy Fitbit
Google's parent company Alphabet has made an offer to buy health and fitness wearable maker Fitbit, according to reports.
Although unconfirmed by either party, such a bid would not be entirely surprising. Although Google has produced its Wear OS operating system for wearables, it is yet to produce any devices of its own -- despite users clamoring for a Google-made smartwatch for some time.
The Pixel 4's 90Hz Smooth Display slows down when screen brightness is lowered
When Google launched the Pixel 4, one of the key features it pointed out was the Smooth Display feature, refreshing the screen at 90Hz. But all is not as it seems.
We already knew that the high refresh rate is not supported by all apps and all scenarios, so Google drops from 90Hz to 60Hz on occasion. But a new condition has been unearthed. It seems that the use of a 90Hz refresh rate is dependent on screen brightness levels... until Google issues a fix, that is.
IBM disses Google's claims of 'quantum supremacy'
Earlier today, Google made a huge announcement, stating that it had achieved 'quantum supremacy', by building a quantum computer that "can perform a task no classical computer can".
Scientific journal Nature published the results of Google’s endeavors, in which the search giant explains that its Sycamore chip performed a computation in 200 seconds that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years, marking the start of a new computing era.
Google Pixel 4 is oh so awesome [Review]
I'm an Apple iPhone user -- a rather satisfied one at that. More specifically, my regular day-to-day smartphone is the iPhone 8 Plus. Why haven't I upgraded to a newer model? Well, I didn't want to give up the Touch ID fingerprint reader, and I am not a fan of the notch. Not to mention, the iPhone 8 Plus is a great device that is still receiving updates. And so, I have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for Apple to convince me to upgrade -- the company has yet to do so.
When I got the opportunity to test Google's Pixel 4 smartphone, I was excited, but also, rather concerned. While I was glad the Pixel 4 didn't have a notch, I was worried about it not having a fingerprint reader. The more glaring issue, however, was the operating system -- moving from the iPhone 8 Plus to the Pixel 4 would be quite the culture shock.
Google is ready to fix a bug that gives iPhone users free full-quality photo backups
With the launch of the Pixel 4, many people were surprised to find that Google was not offering full-quality photos backups as it had done in the past. For iPhone users, however, the use of the super-efficient HEIC format means it is a different story.
iPhone users have been happy to discover that their original photos are being backed up for free because the compression used by HEIC is more efficient than Google's JPEG compression. Google refers to this as a "bug" and says it is working to address it.
The second generation of Google Assistant is faster and smarter than ever
Yesterday's Made By Google event was primarily about the launch of the Pixel 4, the Pixelbook Go, and a range of Nest devices -- but there were a few extra bits and pieces to get excited about.
At the New York event, Google spoke about the second generation of Google Assistant, promising greater speed and more functionality than before. There's also a new look to the digital assistant.
Logitech unveils 'Made for Google' K580 wireless keyboard and M355 mouse for Chrome OS
Earlier today, Google officially announced its latest Chromebook -- the affordable Pixelbook Go. While it is designed for portability, it can double as a makeshift desktop by connecting a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Since the Pixelbook Go only has USB-C ports, and one of them will be needed for video out and the other for power, this means you will pretty much need a wireless keyboard and mouse for a proper desktop experience.
Today, Logitech launches its first-ever "Made for Google" accessories -- the K580 wireless keyboard and M355 wireless mouse. Both of these products are designed for Chrome OS, but they should work with other operating systems too, such as Windows 10 and macOS. The K580 keyboard also has a cradle at the top to hold a smartphone -- you can then switch between Chrome OS and your phone by pressing a button.
Google Pixel 4 is officially here
Happy Google Day, dear BetaNews readers! Yes, today in New York City, the search giant unveiled a bunch of new devices at its Made by Google event. Yours truly is in attendance, getting up close and personal with all the new stuff. True, much of the information leaked to the web beforehand, but it is still exciting nonetheless. There's a new Chromebook Go laptop, Nest Mini, and even a new Nest Wifi mesh system. Let's be honest, though -- the star of the show is the newest Pixel Android phone.
As expected, Google announced the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL. The phones are largely the same except for differences in OLED screen size -- 5.7-inch vs 6.3-inch. The smaller phones gets a 2800 mAh battery, while the XL variant has a 3700 mAh battery. They both are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of RAM. Sadly, Wi-Fi is limited to 802.11ac and not the faster 802.11ax. There is no next-generation 5G cellular modem either.
Pixelbook Go is a smart, competitively-priced Chromebook
Google's original Pixelbook launched back in 2017, and two years on the company is launching a new lighter, thinner version called the Pixelbook Go.
Weighing around two pounds and only 13mm thick, the Go offers up to 12 hours battery life, backlit keyboard and a 13.3-inch 1080p touchscreen. Top end models will feature a 4K display.
Nest Mini comes with an upgraded Google Assistant
Amazon has been putting its voice assistant Alexa into as many devices as it can dream up, leaving Google trailing in its wake. Two years ago, the search giant announced its Amazon Echo Dot competitor, called the Home Mini, and today at its Made by Google ’19 event it debuted that device’s successor.
Nest Mini -- Google is rebranding its home hardware with the Nest name -- comes with an upgraded Google Assistant, and twice the bass. That’s not all though.
Google's Nest Wifi mesh router and extender comes with Google Assistant built-in
I live in a house with very thick walls and floors, so as a result, my Wi-Fi coverage always used to be extremely patchy. I tried various solutions over the years, including a number of range extenders, but eventually I cracked the issue by switching to Google Wifi, a smart networking system that creates a whole home wireless network.
Today, at its Made By Google ’19 event, the search giant unveils the successor to its mesh solution -- Nest Wifi.
Google's Stadia game streaming service launches on November 19
At this year's Game Developers Conference in March, Google took the wraps off Stadia, a new, instant-play cloud-based gaming service.
With Stadia, games are "played" on Google’s servers, and streamed to compatible devices in the home, including smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, TVs and more. Google claims Stadia servers are capable of providing 4K, 60 frames-per-second performance.
Google launches USB-C Titan security key
Does your laptop have USB-A ports? Gross! Don't you know no one uses them anymore? Everyone uses USB-C now. I am, of course, being facetious -- USB-C, while great, still has a long way to go before dethroning the ubiquitous Type A. With that said, there are computers that are USB-C only, such as Apple's MacBook Pro. Owners of those computers have to get dongles to use their USB-A devices.
Tomorrow, however, Google is making it possible to ditch the dongle when using a Titan security key. You see, the search giant is launching a USB-C variant of the two-factor authentication device. Not only will it be more convenient for those with USB-C laptops, but this new model looks nicer too (it's pretty).
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