Neowin News Feed for: Google

Google Bard now requests your actual location for better answers

Paul Hill — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 05:00:01 +0000

Google Bard now asks users for their precise location. This enables the chatbot to provide better information about local businesses, provide local weather reports, give you directions, and more. Read more...

Reading Practice arrives on Google Play Books to help improve literacy skills

Paul Hill — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:22:01 +0000

Google Play Books users in the United States can now use a feature called Reading Practice. It's aimed at children to help them develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills independently. Read more...

Google adds seven new features for Android, US users can get Dark Web reports as well

Anushe Fawaz — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:38:01 +0000

Google has introduced seven additional features for Android, with more unique ones for US residents. These range from features boosting productivity to features increasing data privacy and safety. Read more...

Google Chrome 114.0.5735.91 (offline installer)

Razvan Serea — Wed, 31 May 2023 03:50:01 +0000

Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier. Google Chrome is one of the best solutions for Internet browsing Read more...

Official keyboard and stylus for Pixel Tablet 'under development,' but that's all we know

Tushar Mehta — Tue, 30 May 2023 07:16:01 +0000

As per a recent leak, more official accessories for the Google Pixel Tablet, including a keyboard and a stylus, are still "under development," but additional information remains undisclosed. Read more...

Google's head of hardware design confimed a second foldable Pixel was canceled

Omer Dursun — Mon, 29 May 2023 21:16:02 +0000

Google's head of design confirmed the cancellation of a second foldable Pixel phone. The canceled device, potentially a clamshell design, fills a gap in Google's product lineup. Here are the details. Read more...

Editorial: It's right that big tech leans up with layoffs, focusing on profitable activities

Paul Hill — Tue, 23 May 2023 14:00:01 +0000

In this editorial, I argue that big tech companies are making the right decision by making sweeping job cuts, despite being hard to do and hard on the people whose lives are affected as a result. Read more...

Android 14 Beta 2.1 update for Pixel phones fixes multiple bugs from the previous update

Tushar Mehta — Fri, 26 May 2023 09:38:01 +0000

Google has released the Android 14 Beta 2.1 update for its Pixel smartphones, fixing a bevy of bugs introduced by the previous Beta update released during Google I/O earlier in May. Read more...

The limited time YouTube Stories videos are going away for good on June 26

John Callaham — Thu, 25 May 2023 23:06:01 +0000

YouTube Stories launched in 2017 under the name Reels and were supposed to compete with Instagram and Snapchat with videos that would disappear after seven days. Now they are going away for good. Read more...

Google opens Search Generative Experience to US Search Labs users

Paul Hill — Thu, 25 May 2023 18:00:01 +0000

Google Search users in the US are able to access Search Labs features from today. The main addition is the Search Generative Experience which adds generative AI directly to your Google Searches. Read more...

Google Play Games on PC is now available in Europe and New Zealand

John Callaham — Wed, 24 May 2023 20:00:01 +0000

The expansion of Google Play Games on PC to a ton of new countries around the world will make it easier for many more people to check out a number of Android-based games on the PC. Read more...

Google disables the Mica material in Chrome due to high power consumption

Taras Buria — Wed, 24 May 2023 15:08:01 +0000

The latest Chrome Canary updates have disabled the recently added Mica Alt material due to "not good enough" power usage. However, you can still enable the effect; here is how to do it. Read more...

Google Bard can now bring in images from Search

Paul Hill — Tue, 23 May 2023 22:45:42 +0000

Google Bard can now pull in relevant images from Google Search. Just like the text responses, the images that Bard fetches tend to be spot-on. To be clear, Bard cannot generate its own images yet. Read more...

Google shows off a new Chrome sidebar with extra customization features

John Callaham — Tue, 23 May 2023 17:18:01 +0000

Google is promoting the latest features it has added to Chrome, like a sidebar that can be activated on the right side of the browser. It lets users customize the browser's color and backgrounds. Read more...

At Build 2023, Microsoft unveils new Fabric OneLake Shortcuts for ADLS, AWS, Google Storage

Sayan Sen — Tue, 23 May 2023 15:02:05 +0000

At the Microsoft Build 2023 event today, Microsoft has unveiled its new unified analytics platform dubbed "Microsoft Fabric". One of the features of Fabric is the new, unified "OneLake" storage. Read more...

Bing is now the number one desktop search engine in China thanks to AI

Omer Dursun — Mon, 22 May 2023 18:08:01 +0000

Microsoft Bing achieved a significant milestone by overtaking Baidu as the top desktop search engine in China. This showcases the importance of AI-driven innovations in the search engine market. Read more...

Google expands its AI-powered Flood Hub to 80 countries

Paul Hill — Mon, 22 May 2023 17:36:01 +0000

Google has expanded its Flood Hub project to cover 80 countries. The tool also provides 7-day forecasts now instead of 48-hour forecasts. This can give communities more time to prepare for floods. Read more...

Google search rival Neeva is shutting down its search engine to work on AI products

John Callaham — Sun, 21 May 2023 03:06:01 +0000

Neeva, which created a search engine that later added an AI component, announced this weekend it is shutting down its consumer search business. It will concentrate its efforts on AI development. Read more...

Report says Samsung has decided not to replace Google with Microsoft's Bing in its phones

John Callaham — Fri, 19 May 2023 14:08:01 +0000

A fresh, new report claims that Samsung has paused the internal review that was looking into replacing Google Search as its smartphone's default search engine with Microsoft's Bing. Read more...

Google now says it will not delete unused accounts that have YouTube videos

John Callaham — Thu, 18 May 2023 21:32:01 +0000

Google has now quietly updated its announcement on the company's plans to delete unused or inactive Google personal accounts, stating that those accounts with YouTube videos will not be affected. Read more...

Chrome desktop gets URL autocorrect, coming to mobile in the coming months

Paul Hill — Thu, 18 May 2023 21:20:01 +0000

Google Chrome desktop users will now get better suggestions in the URL bar as Google will try to work out what you meant even if you made a typo. It was introduced to help those with dyslexia. Read more...

Leaked Google Pixel 8 Pro video showed a rear body temperature sensor [Update]

John Callaham — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:54:01 +0000

The video showed how this rear body temperature sensor is designed to be used by owners of the Pixel 8 Pro, but there's no word yet on what applications might use this kind of feature. Read more...

After AVIF, senior Microsoft exec confirms WebP support on Windows 11 Photos app

Sayan Sen — Thu, 18 May 2023 06:42:01 +0000

Microsoft quietly added a major feature to its new Photos app on Windows 11. The software now supports the WebP image format, which is said to more efficient that older, more common formats. Read more...

You can grab the Google Pixel 6a for as low as $199 from Best Buy today

Mehrotra A — Wed, 17 May 2023 22:00:01 +0000

The year-old Google Pixel 6a is still a great device in the segment and right now you can grab the device for less than $200 from Best Buy if you get it with an AT&T or T-Mobile connection. Read more...

Surprising no one, Google will reportedly use generative AI for ads and customer service

John Callaham — Wed, 17 May 2023 21:34:01 +0000

A new report says Google is planning to use generative AI to automate ads, which may include creating media assets and even for suggesting new videos that YouTube creators could make. Read more...

Google unveils new Vulnerability Reward Program Initiatives for Android

Paul Hill — Wed, 17 May 2023 19:24:01 +0000

Google has changed its Vulnerability Reward Program to give higher payouts. It also expects more detailed reports from security researchers and they will be ranked as High, Medium, and Low impact. Read more...

Security researcher: New zip and mov top-level domains from Google pose phishing risks

Paul Hill — Wed, 17 May 2023 17:12:01 +0000

Security experts have raised warnings about Google's new .zip and .mov top-level domains because they look like file extensions and could be used maliciously. They are already being used in the wild. Read more...

Google is adding the ability to use your Pixel as a dashcam

Steve Bennett — Wed, 17 May 2023 06:46:01 +0000

Google has accidentally launched an internal "dogfood" build of its Personal Safety app via the Play Store, which contains a new feature that allows users to use their Pixel phones as a dashcam. Read more...

Google Chrome 113.0.5672.127 (offline installer)

Razvan Serea — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:46:01 +0000

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tells US Senate panel generative AI needs regulation

John Callaham — Tue, 16 May 2023 18:34:01 +0000

Altman added that he is concerned about how generative AI systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT could be used for misinformation and for interfering in future elections in his statements to the Senate panel. Read more...

If you have a Google account you haven't signed into for a while, you may need to do so soon

John Callaham — Tue, 16 May 2023 15:30:01 +0000

If you have a Google account that you have not used or signed into for at least two years, the company may delete that account and its contents like email, photos, and more starting in December 2023 Read more...

Microsoft Outlook calendar users can now get Google Calendar invites

John Callaham — Tue, 16 May 2023 12:38:01 +0000

Microsoft Outlook calendar users who use the same email address as Google Calendar can now get Google's invites and RSVPs in Outlook's calendar feature from now on, among other additions. Read more...

Google Bard now gives better summaries and more useful source info

Paul Hill — Mon, 15 May 2023 21:30:02 +0000

Google has updated Bard again today so that it provides helpful summaries. It will also let you see which parts of the answer are from sources linked at the bottom of the response. Read more...

Driverless cars are causing more and more traffic issues in San Francisco

John Callaham — Mon, 15 May 2023 12:44:01 +0000

A new report says that the city of San Francisco is now getting three 911 calls a day due to issues with driverless automated cars from Waymo and GM, and things could get even worse in the future. Read more...

Get the new Google Pixel 7a and get a $50 Amazon gift card for free

John Callaham — Sun, 14 May 2023 19:00:01 +0000

The Google Pixel 7a is a terrific Android smartphone for the low price of $499 but right now you can get it at Amazon and claim a $50 gift card from the online retailer for no additional cost. Read more...

Indian watchdog has opened up inquiry into Google for breach of anti-trust directive

Mehrotra A — Sun, 14 May 2023 12:30:01 +0000

Google has been asked by India's anti-trust watchdog to provide details related to its user choice billing program after companies alleged that Google had been charging up to 26 percent commission. Read more...

Does your Google Chrome install feel sluggish? Here's how to make it feel fast again

Paul Hill — Sat, 13 May 2023 22:12:01 +0000

In this guide, we look at how you can reset your Google Chrome installation so that it runs like new. It's a great solution if Chrome feels sluggish on your PC if you've had it installed for a while. Read more...

Google Bard AI chatbot is not available in the European Union over potential GDPR concerns

Tushar Mehta — Thu, 11 May 2023 22:08:01 +0000

Despite a massive AI push at Google I/O 2023, Google's ChatGPT competitor, Bard, is skipping a release in the European Union (EU), possibly to avoid being grounded over privacy regulations under GDPR. Read more...

Google Chrome Canary gets Mica material on Windows 11

Taras Buria — Thu, 11 May 2023 10:58:01 +0000

Google has updated its browser in the Canary Channel, adding the recently offered Mica effect to the tab strip. The new visuals are now available for everyone to test without extra flags or commands. Read more...

YouTube confirms that it is testing out blocking ad blockers on the site

Steve Bennett — Wed, 10 May 2023 21:22:01 +0000

Recent observations from users across the internet, later confirmed by YouTube, have found that when trying to use the site, a prompt comes up preventing playback until ad blockers are disabled. Read more...