Tag: Google

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Nest Hub Max may soon switch over to Fuchsia OS

While Google quietly released Fuchsia OS to the first-generation Nest Hub earlier this year, the operating system is now heading to the Nest Hub Max.

According to a comment that was posted to the Fuchsia code change, Google is prepping an update for the Nest Hub Max that will change its system from the Linux-based Cast OS to Fuchsia OS.

Spotted by 9to5Google, Fuchsia is in its final stage of internal testing for the smart home device. Considering the change wasn’t very noticeable on the Nest Hub, it’s unlikely to be all that big of a deal on this larger variant.

Fuschia is Google’s own operating system that is made for its smart home devices. However, not a lot is known about it yet and it could amount to more in the future.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft withdraws itself from attending CES 2022

CES 2022 is due to be held between January 5th through to January 8th and the show’s biggest partners continue to drop out. As COVID-19 Omicron variant numbers continue to rise, Microsoft is the latest to withdraw itself from having a presence on the show floor.

In a statement the company shared with The Verge, Microsoft will no longer be attending the upcoming event in person. “After reviewing the latest data on the rapidly evolving COVID environment, Microsoft has decided not to participate in-person at CES 2022,” a company spokesperson said.

Rather than have a presence on the CES 2022 show floor, Microsoft will be migrating its efforts to hosting itself digitally for the Microsoft Partner Innovation Experience and the Automotive Press Kit.

Microsoft is the latest exhibitor to drop out as the landscape of an in-person show continues to become worrisome. Large companies such as Google, Amazon, Twitter, and Meta have all withdrawn their presence. Each of them has taken notice of the rise in Omicron cases and decided against sending staff members to the show.

Other companies that have chosen to withdraw include Intel, Lenovo, Hisense,

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Earlier this week, CES organizers confirmed that the Las Vegas, Nevada show will indeed be held early on in the new year. In a statement posted on Twitter, the organizers stated that “focus remains on convening the tech industry and giving those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally.”

CES 2022 will see many COVID-19 health measures in place. All attendees will be required to show proof of full vaccination. Additionally, masks are to be worn while inside the event space. Rapid tests will also be provided to attendees.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

TikTok overtakes Google as most visited website of 2021

TikTok has become a titan within social and viral content in 2021. So much so that the ByteDance-owned platform has overtaken Google as the most visited website of 2021.

CloudFlare, a security company, released this year’s annual rankings. It was discovered that Google has finally been usurped as the number one most visited website by users around the world. Google now sits as number two, opening up the top spot for TikTok.

The top 10 most popular domains of 2021 are as followed:

  1. 1. TikTok.com
  2. 2. Google.com
  3. 3. Facebook.com
  4. 4. Microsoft.com
  5. 5. Apple.com
  6. 6. Amazon.com
  7. 7. Netflix.com
  8. 8. YouTube.com
  9. 9. Twitter.com
  10. 10. WhatsApp.com

In comparison, TikTok ranked number seven in 2020’s rankings. While still largely popular, TikTok sat behind websites such as Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon in the seventh spot. However, over a mere 12 months, the popularity of TikTok escalated to the point where it was able to overtake each aforementioned website.

CloudFlare’s data does not specify if it includes traffic from Douyin, TikTok’s sister app, available in China. Additionally, the use of TikTok has been banned in India, which was once the app’s top global market.

According to the data, the first day TikTok held the number one spot was February 17th, 2021. It then fluctuated between March and May gaining that spot once more a few days during that period. However, come August 10th, 2021, TikTok managed to hold that spot for the majority of the year, including Thanksgiving in the US and Black Friday.

It’s an impressive feat by TikTok in 2021. Though, it is slightly scary considering how popular and accessible Google is as a website. Google is a ubiquitous website that for all intents and purposes is the internet to many. Though, I suppose that can not compete with TikTok’s apparent 1 billion monthly active users.

Source: Cloudflare

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Mobile Syrup

Watch Santa deliver gifts around the world using Google Santa Tracker

Santa has left the North Pole and begun delivering gifts around the world. Led by his nine reindeer, Santa’s journey will take him through each country. Thanks to Google Santa Tracker, you can keep up with where in the world Father Christmas is.

Google has held on to the annual tradition of tracking Santa Claus each Christmas since 2004. The tracking system is powered by Google Maps. Google uses satellite technology and a bit of magic to keep up with Santa’s location. It’s become a favourite of families around the world as they can see where Santa is and where he is off to next.

Google has been expanding the Santa Tracker portal with beloved features as well as new activities families can take part in. One of my personal favourites is the ‘Local Guide’ which shows the exact location of Santa and provides the ability to see details and attractions of the area. Google will redirect users to Google Maps to see a more in-depth look at the area.

Additionally, the Santa Tracker shows the grand total of presents delivered by the big guy. At the time of writing, over 2,500,000,000 gifts have been dropped off across the world.

Google Santa Tracker also includes a whole bunch of interactive games to play. Santa Selfie, for instance, enables users to give the jolly old elf a beard trim and style his hair. There are also games like Gumball Tilt and more. Of course, what’s a Christmas without a Yule Log fire video. Yes, the Santa Tracker portal includes one of those as well for your viewing pleasure.

It’s a pretty impressive offering of activities Google has helped put together for families across the world. Kids can learn a bit of geography while Santa and co. zip from location to location around the world throughout the day.

Google Santa Tracker can also be installed on Android as well through the Google Play Store.

Image credit: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pixel 6, 6 Pro owners reporting random screen cracks

Google’s 2021 Pixel 6 flagships are great smartphones in several ways, but like most Pixel devices, they also come with their own set of flaws. This latest report relates to several owners stating that they’re finding that the front glass of their devices is cracking.

Many Pixel owners have taken to Reddit and Google’s support forum to report that their Pixel 6 Pro’s screen is randomly cracking. It’s worth noting that most of the reports are related to the Pro, though there are some examples of the Pixel 6’s display shattering. Several forum posts indicate cases and screen protectors don’t prevent the problem.

According to Android Police, this type of issue usually results from a manufacturing problem that causes pressure to build up in the display glass, eventually causing it to crack. Significant temperature changes can also result in glass breaking.

Some reports indicate that Google is currently investigating the issue, though the tech giant has released no official statement.

For what it’s worth, my Pixel 6 Pro’s display hasn’t cracked — at least not yet.

Image credit: Google Support Forum (A OR C)

Source: Reddit, Google Support Forum Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Adobe Lightroom adds RAW support for Pixel 6, 6 Pro and other phones

Adobe recently added official support for RAW images from several phones, including Google’s new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

9to5Google spotted the change in a help page for Adobe’s ‘Camera Raw’ extension, which handles the processing of RAW images for many Adobe services (like Lightroom and Photoshop). The extension’s December update, or version 14.1, expands RAW support to several devices, including:

  • Google Pixel 6
  • Google Pixel 6 Pro
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 mini

It’s worth noting that Adobe lists RAW support on a per-camera basis. For example, the Galaxy S21 Ultra received RAW support for its telephoto and “super” telephoto cameras, while both iPhones got support for the ultrawide cameras (Camera Raw already supported both phones’ main cameras).

With the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Adobe added support for all the cameras, including the selfie camera, main rear camera, the ultrawide camera and the 6 Pro’s telephoto camera.

Official RAW support should make it easier to edit RAW photos captured with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. One of the main benefits of the RAW format is that it captures more data from the camera sensor, which gives editors more room to play with when they bring the image into a program like Adobe’s Camera Raw.

If you haven’t used RAW images on your Pixel before, here’s how to turn them on: Open the camera > Tap the gear icon in the top-left corner > More settings > Advanced > Turn on RAW+JPEG control. Now if you go back to the camera and tap the gear icon again, there should be an option to toggle capturing just a JPEG file or a RAW and JPEG file.

You can find a full list of devices supported by Camera Raw here.

Source: Adobe Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Canada offers training to Indigenous job seekers in tech field

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – September 30, 2019: Google sign in the Google Canada Kitchener-Waterloo office.

Google Canada has announced funding to train Indigenous people looking for jobs with digital skills.

The company is committing $600,000 towards the initiative. $500,000 will go towards the Recording Futures IT training program by ComIT, an initiative created last year.

The charity links struggling job seekers with companies looking for IT professionals by offering programs that teach tech skills. The funds from Google created the Recording Futures program that specifically focuses on teaching IT skills to Indigenous learners. Covered topics include HTML, CSS, and other coding applications.

$100,000 will go towards Indspire, a charity that focuses on the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada. The money will specifically be used towards job and training programs, and scholarships to be used towards courses offered by Google.

“The social and economic hardships felt by many during this pandemic have brought some heavy truths to the surface and we now have an opportunity to build back a more inclusive and resilient economy,” Sabrina Geremia, vice president of Google Canada, said in a statement.

“We’re proud to support ComIT and Indspire to deepen our commitment in digital skills training in high-demand fields, create opportunities for Indigenous job seekers entering the tech workforce and increase Indigenous representation in our technology workforce.”

Image source: ShutterStock

Source: Google Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Google might bring ‘Face Unlock’ to the Pixel 6 Pro

‘Face Unlock’ might be heading to the Pixel 6 Pro, Google’s latest flagship smartphone.

According to 9to5Google’s digging into the Android 12L beta for Pixel devices, Google is looking to bring back Face Unlock to its smartphone line.

The code specifically mentions the ability to use “face or fingerprint” authentication, which would be a first for a Google handset. A further dive into the APK reveals references to a face authentication feature for the Pixel 6 that Google considers “experimental.”

However, it’s unclear if this feature will launch alongside the Android 12L beta or if it will be part of a future Pixel ‘feature drop’ only available for the Pixel 6 Pro.

It’s unclear why Face Unlock might only release on for the Pixel 6 Pro, as the Pixel 6’s selfie hardware is nearly identical. The smaller model offers a narrower field-of-view and features an 8-megapixel shooter compared to the Pro’s 11.1-megapixels, but otherwise, it’s the same.

This isn’t the first time Android code has hinted at a potential Pixel 6 Pro Face Unlock feature. Back in November, a developer found some code in the Pixel 6 series’ ‘PowerHAL’ config file that referenced Face Unlock.

It’s worth mentioning that the Pixel 4 series was the last Google smartphone to offer Face Unlock, though it also lacked a fingerprint scanner. However, the Pixel 4 also had specific hardware to handle facial unlock, whereas the Pixel 6 line doesn’t.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Get up to $200 in Google credits with purchase of Samsung Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3

Samsung and Google have teamed once again for another holiday deal.

When you purchase a Galaxy foldable you will also get free Google Play Credit, as outlined below:

To get the promotion you have to purchase one of those above devices between now and December 31st. You then have to register your new device to your Samsung Account and opt-in for the offer to work.

You will receive a code by email once these steps are completed and verified. Once all of that is complete, you have until Aug. 31, 2022, to add it to your Google account in the Google Play store.

This offer ends on December 31st. It’s worth noting that this is essentially only extending the previous promotion that only ended a few days ago and is now only available with Samsung’s 2021 foldables.

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Google finally rolling out Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro December security patch

Google’s December security patch is finally rolling out to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, according to 9to5Google and Reddit.

The update was delayed more than a week, but it’s here now and comes with 80 bug fixes and much-needed improvements.

Some of the standouts of this update include improved fingerprint sensor stability and performance, fixes for screen flickering, and full 23W wireless charging from the Pixel Stand 2.

Further, there are also some specific camera updates included as well.

  • General image quality improvements in camera preview / capture
  • General improvements for camera stability and performance
  • General improvements for auto-focus response in certain capture modes
  • General improvements for color consistency in viewfinder preview
  • Fix for issue causing blank viewfinder preview in certain conditions

You can check out the full list of fixes, here.

The patch also fixes several security vulnerabilities that ranged from moderate to high. To download the update head to ‘Settings’ > ‘System’ > ‘System update.’

It’s worth mentioning that I haven’t received the update on my Pixel 6 Pro and many others on Reddit are also waiting for the patch, so it seems as the update hasn’t hit everyone. Hopefully, it won’t take too much longer.

Source: Google (2), Via: 9to5Google