Articles about Google

There are so many Android phones on the market these days, that it can be hard to get excited. Look, Samsung recently released its Galaxy S20 devices, and for the most part, the world shrugged. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the S20 line is great and all, but overall, the phones have hardly got consumers excited. Not to mention, there are many budget Android smartphones coming out of China nowadays that are actually quite good -- many consumers are starting to wonder why they should continue shelling out the big bucks for the name-brand phones if they are just going to be incremental upgrades every year. Overall, the state of Android has been a bit... well... boring.

And so, today, LG announces its latest flagship, and I am sure you are wondering -- is it another boring Android phone? Actually. No. The "LG V60 ThinQ 5G," as it is called, is actually something that should get your heart beating faster. On the surface, it looks like a standard smartphone -- and it is -- but the beauty is all of the amazing specifications that the company crammed in here. LG is finally bringing some excitement back to the stagnant world of Android!

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"What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine."

With all due respect to Pete Townsend and The Who, no, no it’s not. If you take something that’s mine without compensating me for it then it’s stealing, plain and simple. In fact, the concept of private property rights is so fundamental to the American experience that it’s literally baked into our founding documents. Yet, as details surrounding an upcoming Supreme Court case ("Google v Oracle America") attest, the folks at search giant Google appear to think they should operate by different rules than the rest of us.

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Things would be much easier if everyone in the world spoke the same language, but sadly, we do not. Inconvenience aside, I suppose there is beauty in each and every language — it might be boring to only have one.

Thankfully, thanks to translation technology, it is much easier to communicate with people that speak a different language nowadays. Google Translate, for instance, is a great service that can help people around the world speak with each other. Today, the service gets even better, as the search giant adds five new languages.

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Having embraced the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge now gives users the chance to install Chrome browser extensions -- but Google would rather you just stick with Chrome in the first place.

The company has start to display warning messages to anyone who has the audacity to visit the Chrome Web Store using Microsoft Edge with a view to downloading extensions. The message advises users that "Google recommends switching to Chrome to use extensions securely" and includes a link to download the browser. The browser wars are back, complete with sneaky underhand tactics.

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Google has released a Firefox version of its Lighthouse browser extension, giving developers an easy way to test the performance of websites and web apps.

The open source extension makes use of the PageSpeed Insights API, and the new release brings Firefox in line with Chrome which has had a version of the extension for a few years now. The ultimate aim is to make it easier for developers to improve app and page performance by encouraging better practices.

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If you have a Huawei phone launched after May 16 last year, you're going to have to live without Google app such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps -- even the Play Store.

Known collectively as Google Mobile Services, Huawei is banned from gaining a license from Google to use its software. In a post on its support website, Google has revealed more about what is going on, and advises people against bypassing the ban by sideloading apps.

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Researchers at Check Point have recently found eight malicious apps containing malware on the Google Play app store, despite Google forming the App Defense Alliance in November 2019 to improve security of apps in the store.

The apps were camera utilities and kids' games and all carried the Haken malware. Check Point estimates the apps had been installed on over 50,000 Android devices before they were analyzed and removed from the Play store.

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It's been almost two years since I cut the cord and switched to YouTube TV and I couldn't be happier. The picture quality and DVR remain top notch, while Google has consistently offered more and more channels -- some at no added charge, some at a premium. Since I initially subscribed, I now have additional channels that I watch regularly, such as Food Network, Discovery, and Tastemade. Believe it or not, I even find myself watching PBS on occasion. True, the price has gone up a bit from when I first subscribed, but look -- you get what you pay for, folks. YouTube TV is the best streaming television service and worth every penny. All of your devices, such as smartphones and tablets, become portable TV screens. It rules.

And now, the best is getting even better. You see, YouTube TV has made a deal with WarnerMedia to bring both HBO and Cinemax to the streaming service this spring. That is not all, either. The upcoming HBO Max video on demand service will eventually come to YouTube TV as well. If you didn't know, HBO Max will be the only place to stream wildly popular TV show Friends -- that is a big deal for a lot of people.

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Google has confirmed that it plans to move data pertaining to its UK users out of Europe, and will instead store user accounts in the US.

The move comes as a result of the UK's departure from the European Union, and it is a side effect of Brexit that few would have predicted. Reuters reports that Google will be placing UK user accounts under US jurisdiction, adding that it "will leave the sensitive personal information of tens of millions with less protection and within easier reach of British law enforcement".

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Turning it all the way up to 11, Google today launched the Developer Preview of Android 11 -- or Android R, if you prefer. For now, the preview build is only compatible with Pixel devices (no surprises there), but what can you expect to see?

Google has chosen to put privacy and security front and center in Android 11, giving users more control and transparency. The company also says that it has added things such as enhancements for foldables and 5G, call-screening APIs, new media and camera capabilities, and machine learning.

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You're very likely still waiting for Android 10 to make its way to your handset, but Google is already working away on Android 11.

The company accidentally (probably) published the Android 11 Developer Preview page online, leading to speculation that a developer build might be in the offing. But it seems that there is no cause to get excited just yet...

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Is Bing a bad search engine? Actually, no. Believe it or not, Microsoft's search offering is actually quite good. There's just one big problem -- it isn't Google. It is unfortunate for Bing, but there's no reason for anyone to choose the second best search engine. Bottom line, Google is great, Bing is good, and no one wants to use the latter. It is the same with the Chromium-based Edge -- it's not bad, but people want real Google Chrome rather than a bastardization.

And that's why people were upset when Microsoft announced an asinine plan to force Bing on Office 365 ProPlus users through a browser extension. Not only would this anger and annoy end users, but it would lead to huge headaches for IT departments as employees start complaining about Bing showing up over Google. The thing is, even if Bing was better than Google (which it definitely isn't), nobody likes to have things forced upon them. Google, for instance, became dominant organically because people liked its results. If Microsoft thinks it can gain Bing users by forcing it on people, then the company just hasn't been paying attention.

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Google announced in October that after years of theorizing, it had finally achieved the milestone of quantum supremacy -- carrying out a calculation in just three minutes that would take up to 100,000 years for a conventional computer.

Ask any analytics expert what they're excited to see in the future, and you’re likely going to hear quantum computing. That's largely due to the sweeping ways it will transform analytics. We spoke with Prasad Kothari, vice president of analytics and client solutions at The Smart Cube, about what that looks like.

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When Google Maps was first released, it changed everything. It transformed the way people navigate the world, ultimately becoming an indispensable tool for those needing directions. It has become so ubiquitous in modern times, that there are likely many young people that never even tried using an old-school paper map (which can be impossible to fold). Stopping at a gas station to ask a clerk for directions? A relic of yesteryear -- your smartphone can get you anywhere.

Today, Google Maps celebrates a 15th birthday (where does the time go?), and believe it or not, it is still the best such service. While Apple Maps has gotten considerably better over the years, Google's offering is still better. Quite frankly, I don't see that changing anytime soon -- if ever. To celebrate this monumental birthday, Google Maps is not only gaining some new features, but getting a nice redesign too -- don't worry, it is nothing too dramatic.

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If you used Google Takeout to download an archive of your Google Photos content, there's a chance that someone else may have ended up with your videos.

The company has admitted that for a few days in November last year, "some videos in Google Photos were exported to unrelated users' archives". This means that not only could your videos have ended up on a stranger's computer, but also that you may have received random videos belonging to someone else.

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