Articles about Google

If you're a Google Home user living in the US or Canada, Google is now rolling out the ability to make free phone calls.

The announcement sees the company making good on a promise from I/O 2017, and it extends the call-making capabilities of Google Assistant from smartphones to Google Home. There are, of course, a few limitations to keep in mind.

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A lot of people like to know what the weather is going to be like, but if you suffer from hay fever it can be all the more important to know what to expect. To make life a little easier for people struck by "seasonal allergies," Google is rolling out pollen forecasting.

The new feature is integrated into Google search, and it comes as the search giant teams up with The Weather Channel to help give accurate allergy information.

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Making a streaming service available on as many platforms as possible is key to attracting more and more customers in the cord-cutting era, and, to that end, Sling TV is now opening its doors to Google Chrome users.

Sling TV says that its new player, which is available in beta at this stage, can be used by Chrome users on Windows devices and Macs and comes with support for both live and on-demand content.

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Many pundits decry the use of emoji as contributing to the decline of advanced communications. While I understand that view, the criticism is quite overblown. Actually, one of the biggest pain points of text-based communication is a lack of context and emotion. In other words, emails and text messages can often be misinterpreted, potentially leading to arguments and misunderstandings. Emoji can remedy that, by improving upon modern language. How? Well, for example, a wink ? can help show when a person is joking.

Today, Google introduces a new way to insert emoji using its Gboard keyboard -- with voice dictation. While it's cool to have another way to insert emoji, this voice method might be tedious. After all, there are so many emoji nowadays, that it would probably be easier to just use your hands and scroll through them rather than trying to remember every voice command. For someone with a handicap that must rely on voice, however, this could be something amazing.

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Despite the age of its Material Design, Google is being surprisingly slow in rolling out the look to its products. While the UI is found pretty much universally in Android apps, the appearance on the desktop is happening at a rather more leisurely pace.

Chrome 59 sees the appearance of Material Design, and now Google is testing the look in the desktop version of Google Calendar. The design is undergoing testing through Google's Trusted Tester program, but images have leaked out giving us a glimpse of what's to come.

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Opera Max -- the free data-saving and VPN-like tool from the team behind the Opera web browser -- is being killed off.

The app has been removed from Google Play with immediate effect, and there will be no more updates. Opera is not really giving a reason for the sudden decision other that the fact that Opera Max had "a substantially different value proposition than our browser products."

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Google's latest acquisition is Senosis Health, a Seattle-based startup focused on monitoring and diagnosing health conditions via mobile phones. This is not Google's first venture into the world of health, but it could signify its next big step.

Senosis Health, founded by Shwetak Patel, has transformed regular smartphones into medical devices that can be used to monitor everything from jaundice in babies to chronic respiratory diseases. The aim is to do as much as possible without the need for extra, specialist equipment.

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Hip-Hop isn't a music style, but an entire culture. It includes rap music, yes, but also graffiti, breakdancing, and DJing. Not to mention, there is clothing, language, and more. As the great KRS-One once said, "Rap is something you do, Hip-Hop is something you live." Very true words. Hip-Hop has positively improved society as a whole, by fostering the sharing of different viewpoints, and bringing people of different cultures and skin colors together. It started in New York, but has spread globally.

Google is a very forward-thinking company, and it often shows respect to different people and cultures through its Doodle program. If you aren't familiar, this is where it transforms the "Google" logo into an artistic representation of someone or something. Today, Hip-Hop is in the spotlight because August 11, 1973 is considered by some to be the day the culture was born. The search giant is using the Doodle to both educate people on the history of Hip-Hop and to celebrate the anniversary. In other words, Google is showing mad love.

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I absolutely love Chromebooks. Well, not for me exactly, but I love suggesting them to other people when appropriate. While they aren't for everybody, they are brilliant when they can meet a user's needs. The underlying Chrome OS operating system is based on Linux and is extremely secure. In fact, it can be argued that Google's laptop operating system is the most secure OS for web browsing. If you are tired of fixing either a friend or family member's Windows 10 PC, and they live in a web browser, get them on a Chromebook and get some of your time -- and sanity -- back.

Today, Acer unveils a new laptop running Chrome OS. The "Chromebook 11 C771," as it is called, is designed primarily for education (where they really shine), plus as thin clients for businesses too. The notebook features an 11.6-inch display with optional touch, and up to 13 hours battery life. Since it is designed primarily for students, and they can be rough on computers, the C771 has military grade (MIL-STD 810G) durability and a spill-resistant keyboard. It can even survive a 4 foot drop.

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Julian Assange has reached out to James Damore, the software engineer fired by Google for publishing an "anti-diversity manifesto." The WikiLeaks founder used his Twitter account (currently sporting a fake "verified" badge) to offer him a job.

Linking to an article entitled "Google Is Not What It Seems" about his book When Google Met Wikileaks, Assange said: "Censorship is for losers. @WikiLeaks is offering a job to fired Google engineer James Damore."

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New data protection rules are due to come into effect in Europe next year, and Google is highlighting the rights and obligations that are being introduced. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in May and Google, like other businesses, will need to comply.

While Google needs to ensure that its own products and services fulfill legal requirements, the company also points out that "customers and partners have significant obligations under these new laws." A new website serves to explain everything that you need to know, including detailing how to control how your data is used and shared.

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The fallout from James Damore's anti diversity memo has been swift and wide-reaching. The senior software engineer was dramatically fired after expressing views which ran counter to Google's drive for diversity in the workplace.

Company CEO Sundar Pichai responded to the memo in an internally-circulated note to staff which was then also shared publicly. In it, he acknowledged the furor surrounding the memo and said that "portions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace."

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The senior software engineer who penned the now-infamous anti-diversity manifesto has been fired by Google. James Damore confirmed that he was fired for "perpetuating gender stereotypes," but says that he is "currently exploring all possible legal remedies."

Damore says that he has now been in touch with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), pointing out that it is "illegal to retaliate against an NLRB charge." The "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" memo written by the now-former employee went viral internally at Google before leaking to the internet shortly afterwards.

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There are many discussions nowadays as to who is the best YouTuber. Many people stand by PewDiePie, but Jake Paul and his Team 10 squad are quickly becoming a force to recon with. Heck, even Jake's brother, Logan Paul, is delivering some amazing content lately. OK, before you get too mad, please know that I am being facetious. The Paul brothers are probably the worst thing on YouTube these days, but I'll confess that the drama surrounding them keeps me on the edge of my seat. Seeing Killa' Keemstar report on the latest foolishness by Jake and Logan on Drama Alert is pure gold.

If you want to share the latest videos by Jake, Logan, or any other YouTuber, Google has a new solution that you may appreciate. Rather than just send a link, you can share and discuss the video from within the YouTube app itself. Very cool.

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The Pixel and Pixel XL are among the best flagship smartphones that you can buy today. And, since they're rapidly approaching their one-year anniversary, they are now offered with some serious discounts direct from Google, making them an even more attractive proposition in the high-end market.

Google is offering the Pixel and Pixel XL with discounts of up to $200 on its online store, and, to sweeten the deal even further, you can also grab a VR headset for free.

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