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The next musical Google experience from the maker of the Blob Opera is here
This unique experiment lets anyone guide a bird character named Viola as she plays a cello
Artificial intelligence is bringing changes to many areas, including the arts. Google's Arts & Culture team, known for using AI creatively, has introduced several artistic projects recently. One of these was the Blob Opera, a fun tool that used AI to let people compose their own music. Now, they have an even more inventive project called Viola the Bird.
The Google app is getting a snazzy new At a Glance widget
Prepare for a much-needed redesign on third-party Android devices
Google’s At a Glance widget is a staple feature on Pixel phones that has evolved a lot over the years. On Google devices, it shows you all kinds of timely information, upcoming calendar events, and even lets you turn off your flashlight. This same widget is also available on virtually all other great Android phones, but it’s a lot more rudimentary and looks outdated, still sporting the look and feel it had on Android 11 with its centered style. That’s about to change, with a completely novel design different from what Pixel users get.
Google’s AR efforts face more turmoil as lead exec quits over ‘unstable commitment’
The company’s AR roadmap is looking increasingly blurred with the departure of Mark Lucovsky
Will the metaverse and augmented reality really change the way we access systems? Even with some really impressive stuff like Apple's Vision Pro on the way, it feels like much of the early hype is already starting to fade. We've already seen Google grappling with the fallout from the termination of its ambitious "Project Iris" earlier this year, and now the company faces yet another stumbling block on its rocky path towards augmented reality and mixed reality, with the unexpected resignation of Mark Lucovsky, its Senior Director of Engineering, Operating Systems, AR.
Google Docs for Android wants to save you a tap when editing a document
The app will now launch in edit mode by default
Google has done a lot to improve Docs after a barrage of updates to Workspace that represent the biggest set of improvements for the app in over a decade. For example, the addition of a pageless format was a massive symbolic change for the service, and Google went on to transform Docs into a dynamic smart canvas for your documents, with features like creating polls and assigning tasks to colleagues via @-mentions. However, editing a document hasn't been exactly straightforward, as Docs always defaults to view mode when you open the app on Android. This is finally changing with a new update.
Google's latest AI chatbot is tackling tough healthcare conversations
Med-PaLM 2 is already in testing at Mayo Clinic
Google is a crucial player in pushing the boundaries of innovation as artificial intelligence technology has been developing quickly across several industries. The beta release of Bard, an outstanding language model capable of producing fresh content and offering conversational responses, seems like it was only the tip of Google's AI iceberg. The company has now unveiled Med-PaLM 2, an advanced medical chatbot that has the potential to transform the healthcare sector, building on the success of Bard.
Google may finally add this much-needed feature to Gboard
A new Undo button might be available on the beta channel soon
Gboard has a massive user base since it comes pre-installed on most Android phones — but even if this weren't the case, Google's virtual keyboard would still be a popular choice for its easy typing and useful features. Despite a plethora of treasures tucked away in the mustiest corners of its settings menu, Gboard has long ignored a much-needed feature: an undo button. This could soon change, as Google has been spotted developing a new feature in the app that will magically reverse those accidental taps.
Google might not go full-custom with its Tensor chips until 2025
Google's transition from semi-custom Samsung to fully-custom TSMC for its Tensor chip pushed to 2025
Google's ambitious journey into the world of custom chip design, initiated with the Tensor G1 SoC in the Pixel 6 series, appears to be approaching a significant turning point. Although Google has depended heavily on Samsung for chip design and production since the introduction of the Tensor, this reliance is set to shift as the tech giant is planning to debut a fully customized Tensor chip by 2025 and has selected Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as the new production partner.
Google Photos adds stylish video effects to its editing suite
The recent Google Photos update introduces a range of video effects
Google Photos, which could be considered the Swiss Army knife of gallery apps, is always getting better with each update. For example, recently Photos received a convenient import function. Now, the developers have added video effects and fine-tuned media controls, transforming the app into an even more comprehensive tool for Android users.
Twitter’s recent changes are making Google Search results less useful
Rate limits and new login requirements are having ripple effects across the internet
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Lately, Google has been trying to get better about incorporating social media posts into your search results, launching a new Perspectives tab right around the same time Reddit's blackouts started. Meanwhile, Twitter has changed its platform in ways that may be affecting the appearance of tweets in search results. CEO Elon Musk announced the controversial decision to impose temporary rate limits just days after the company made most of its content solely available to registered users, and now we're seeing a lot of Twitter results disappear from Google Search.
Google updated the Messages app last year with an inline reply feature for responding directly to a specific message in a conversation. However, it requires users to have RCS enabled as part of Google's effort to convince carriers and developers to make RCS the standard messaging method despite existing compatibility issues with iOS devices. Direct reply is perhaps one of the most useful features to arrive on Google Messages' Android app in recent times, and it has finally landed on the web.
Canada’s ‘link tax’ law could break how the web works, says Google
The company is joining Meta in its protest against Bill C-18 and will stop linking to Canadian news in Canada
Google has vowed to remove links to Canadian news publishers across its platforms for users residing in the country, affecting Google News, Search, and Discover. The company says it took this decision following the passing of Canada’s Bill C-18, which imposes a ‘link tax’ on Google and Meta for all links to Canadian news publications.
Google has some new tricks for stopping misleading imagery online
Google is beta testing image search functionality in its Fact Check Explorer
In this age of misinformation, how is anyone supposed to know what to trust online? Even if the image you're looking at hasn't been altered in Photoshop, it can still be hard to find out where a picture originated, what context is needed to understand it, or to tell if it's candid or staged. Since it's incredibly easy to take any image and make false statements about it online, Google is introducing an upgrade to its Fact Check Explorer that adds image search.
Google's limited edition hip-hop Pixel Fold has us just all kinds of jealous
Google delivers a stunning tribute to 50 years of hip hop with its exclusive Pixel Fold
Google has added its name to the list of contenders in the race to build the finest foldable smartphone. The tech giant's foldable flagship, the Pixel Fold, is setting its sights high, aiming to take on established brands such as Samsung. Google candidly admits that it canceled its first Pixel Fold for not meeting its standards for quality. Today, that commitment to making something truly good is manifesting in a bold and unique manner, as Google is not only competing in the foldable market but also bridging the gap between technology and culture.
Google could turn to crowdsourcing for more precise weather data
Bringing in citizen scientists to help you prepare for the rain or extreme heat
We don't need experts to tell us that the world is heating up — we can feel it all around us. As a result, people are searching the internet more for information about local weather conditions, and Google is often their first port of call. In March, the company launched heat alerts in the hopes of putting that information front and center in search results. Google may now be aiming to improve the accuracy of local weather information by using crowdsourced data.
Google says report claiming violations of its own video ad standards is inaccurate
An investigation claimed that many video ads were not distributed the way Google sold them to advertisers
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Google may offer some of the best phones out there, but its main stream of revenue is advertising, which goes for both pre-roll advertisements on YouTube and targeted ads on other publications and websites. A report now claims that a big portion of video advertising displayed on other sites, not YouTube, violated Google’s own standards, which might make advertiser payments eligible for refunds.
It looks like Google might be giving Waze the Nest treatment
Waze hit with a round of layoffs amid Google's consolidation efforts
The technology industry is seeing a significant trend of job cuts recently. Both large and small tech companies are resorting to layoffs to adapt to evolving market conditions and enhance efficiency. Likewise, in a significant restructuring move, Google has announced that it will lay off a number of employees from its Waze mapping service. The action is a part of a shift to align Waze's ad monetization with the current Google Maps ad model by integrating it with Google's Global Business Organization (GBO).
Google Glass was ahead of its time, introducing the world to the fascinating new area of augmented reality. Google promoted the idea of wearable technology as a means to seamlessly integrate digital information into the user's physical world. But changes in public opinion forced Google Glass to turn away from consumer applications and towards purely business uses, and following this pivot, the project was eventually shut down earlier this year. Despite rumors about Google getting back into smart glasses again with its “Project Iris” AR initiative, we're now hearing those plans have also been scrapped, marking the end of yet another chapter in Google's AR history.
Google thinks its new Perspectives tab will finally get you to stop adding 'Reddit' to searches
Reddit's recent protests only highlighted how much we need it for good info
In its continuous efforts to revolutionize search results, Google recently introduced Search Generative Experience (SGE), an AI-powered feature with ambitions of transforming everyday queries. While the technology shows promise, early testers have found that it falls short of a well-known search trick: adding "reddit" to the end of queries. Instead of directing readers to sites targeting SEO traffic, this straightforward technique draws on the knowledge of Reddit's community to provide actual help from forum discussions. Despite Google's machine learning advancements, this search trick's popularity highlights the tremendous difficulty in providing helpful search experiences with AI.
The way Android looks has changed drastically over the course of the last few years. And with Android's constant changes, its brand identity has also adapted over time. We've seen a few changes to Android's logo and brand identity over the years, with the bugdroid remaining a staple of Android's brand. The last change was in 2019, and saw Google use only the bugdroid's head in addition to a slightly refreshed font. We're used to getting a logo change every few years or so, and if you were worried Google was going to settle for what it has right now, it's not happening. Google is yet again redesigning Android's brand — and this time, it's going for a rather radical one compared to what we've seen before.
Google isn’t done with online gaming, starts internally testing YouTube Playables
So this is where some of that Stadia money went
In the wake of Google’s decision to shut down its game streaming service Stadia earlier this year, the project’s General Manager Phil Harrison mentioned the company isn’t giving up on the idea of gaming entirely, and we could see the underlying tech make its way to other Google services, Including YouTube. Now, we are learning of the first steps in this direction, with YouTube reportedly testing a new gaming product called Playables.