Articles about Google

European regulators could hit Google with large fines if the company does not stop offering financial incentives to smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its own apps on handsets. Documents obtained by Reuters show that a potential fine could be linked to the revenue Google makes from AdWords.

With advertising being Google's primary source of income, this has the potential to be a fine of unparalleled magnitude. The European Commission knows that it needs to hit Google where it hurts if anticompetitive practices are to be effectively discouraged. The Commission says it "intends to set the fine at a level which will be sufficient to ensure deterrence".

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Of the multitude of properties Googles owns, Maps and Calendar are two of the more popular ones. Both products can easily be associated with one another in the case of business travelers, so why not bring them together?

That's exactly what Google is doing, making your Calendar appointments available to see while using Maps. This isn't just driving either, it will work just as well if you are taking public transportation.

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The browser wars continue as Chrome, Opera, Firefox and Edge all vie for attention. One of the biggest draws to any browser is plugin support, and the absence of a particular plugin can make the difference between a user switching allegiances or sticking with their tried-and-tested browser.

With this in mind, Mozilla launches Project Mortar. Its aim is to make the development and maintenance of Firefox as cheap and easy as possible. To do this, it is investigating the possibility of borrowing plugin functionality from other browsers, including PDF and Flash support from Chrome.

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The experiences of others can be difficult to understand -- do you see green in the same way as me? But things are even harder -- and more important -- to grasp in the world of medicine. Just what is it like to have dementia, for example? It's much more than just memory loss and confusion.

Understanding what the world is like for someone with the condition can help others to learn how they can help sufferers more effectively, and Google has created a new virtual reality experience with this precise aim in mind. "A Walk Through Dementia" is a Google Cardboard-compatible experience, although any VR headset will do the job, it can also be viewed on YouTube.

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Google Maps on an Android phone is a great way to get from A to B without getting lost, but if you need to check details of your route or want to make a change to settings, you'll need to pull over to do so. Or at least that used to be the case. Google has just added a load of voice commands to the app.

Of course, having to pull over is an inconvenience, and trying to fiddle with your phone while driving is dangerous. With this in mind, the addition of a series of voice commands triggered by saying 'OK Google', is not entirely surprising, but it is also very welcome.

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Easter eggs -- secret extras hidden in software and on websites -- are not quite as prevalent as they used to be, but there are still plenty to be found out there. Google is one company that continues to hide little gems in its products, and many of them are games.

From Google Search and Android, to Maps and Google Earth, there are numerous little pick-up-and-play games that are perfect for killing a few minutes at work. So, grab yourself a coffee, have your fingers poised over Alt-Tab in case the boss appears, and get ready to play!

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Five of the biggest names in the world of technology have joined forces to create the Partnership on AI. The aim of the group is to increase public awareness of artificial intelligence, conduct research, and promote best practice guidelines.

Comprising Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft -- although, interestingly, not Apple -- the group says that it does not intend to lobby government or government bodies. Instead, the aim is to promote AI so that it can be used to "help humanity address important global challenges such as climate change, food, inequality, health, and education".

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YouTube is a very popular destination for millennials -- and older folks -- to consume media. Entertainers like Gabbie Hanna (The Gabbie Show), Ian Carter (iDubbbzTV) and Justine Ezarik (iJustine) are the real stars for some of these young folks -- not dinosaurs like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Courteney Cox. This is a huge shift for the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, while YouTube popularity grows around the world, many countries still suffer with slow data connections. Apparently, in India, many citizens still use 2G, which creates a poor video streaming experience. Google is looking to change this, and today, it announces 'YouTube Go'. This new app not only optimizes the viewing for slow data, but adds easy offline viewing, and social aspects too.

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Ubuntu comes with a lot of quality software pre-installed. Unfortunately, the default web browser, Mozilla Firefox, has been on the decline -- it is slow and clunky. On Linux, Google Chrome is now the top web browser, and it is the best way to experience Adobe Flash content too (if you still need it).

Installing Google Chrome on the Linux-based operating system is not totally straightforward. This is unfortunate, as the search-giant's web browser is an important part of having an overall quality experience on Ubuntu. Don't worry, however, as we will help you to both install the wonderful Google Chrome and uninstall the disappointing Mozilla Firefox.

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Snapchat today makes two big announcements, the first of which is that it is no longer called Snapchat. The company is starting to branch out into products and services beyond the Snapchat app and therefore decided it is time to drop 'chat' from the name. Snap Inc is the new company name.

The second announcement is a new product called Spectacles. These are sunglasses with an integrated video camera offering a 115-degree field of view. There's no word on exactly when it will be released, but the marketing machine is already in motion, building up momentum and drumming up interest.

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Google has launched a new reward scheme that offers incentives for users to report videos that violate the site's guidelines. YouTube Heroes program also enables YouTubers to earn points for doing things like adding subtitles to a video and responding to questions in the help forums.

While the promise of rewards for helping to "create the best possible YouTube experience for everyone" is appealing, critics are not happy with the fact that users will now have an added incentive to report videos.

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Does the world need another messaging app? We’re not sure, but Google is giving us another one anyway, launching Google Allo for Android and iOS.

Key features include "Smart Reply", which analyses incoming messages and suggests appropriate responses you can send with a tap.

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Four months ago, Google announced two new communication apps: Duo, for video calling, and Allo, for traditional WhatsApp-style messaging. Duo arrived for Android and iOS a month ago, while Allo is available from today.

While Allo is a good looking app, it has some big privacy issues that users need to be aware of.

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Say what you want about Google, but most people love the company for its plethora of free services, like Search, Gmail, Chrome and much more. Today, the search giant brings better integration to one of its popular services -- Drive.

First up is what Google calls "search the way you talk". This means that you can simply type how you would say something and Drive will bring up the best matching result for you.

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The summer is just about over. Children are back in school, the temperatures are slowly dropping, and soon enough, the leaves will begin falling from the trees.

Summer vacations are now in the rear view mirror, meaning it is holiday-related travel coming up down the road. Around the USA, many families will begin planning for both Thanksgiving and Christmas getaways. Google Trips, a new app for Android and iOS, is designed to help people plan their trips, with a focus on offline use for when someone is without an internet connection. Keep in mind, it will work for all travel -- not just holiday related plans.

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