The name Google is synonymous with online searches, but over the years the company has grown beyond search and now builds multiple consumer products, including software like Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Android, and hardware like the Pixel smartphones, Google Home, and Chromebooks. Its name can also be found on internet services such as Google Fi, Flights, Checkout, and Google Fiber. Here is all of the latest news about one of the most influential tech companies in the world.
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Pixel 8 drops below $500 for the first time
We also found big savings on a TCL QM8, solid discounts on a Kasa smart bulb four-pack, and $25 off the Apple TV 4K for Sam’s Club members.
Google’s AI now goes by a new name: Gemini
Bard and Duet are gone, as Gemini becomes both the model and the product for getting all of Google’s AI out into the world.
Three years after completing its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, Google has taken another step towards integrating the fitness-tracking company into its hardware lineup with some updated branding.
Recent changes on the Fitbit website, first spotted by 9to5Google, include an updated wordmark that uses capitalized Google Sans font and ditches the dotted arrow logo, which is still featured on the brand's favicon.
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You may still be able to use find your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro when it’s off using Google’s Find My Device network in Android 15, writes Mishaal Rahman for Android Police.
Rahman says older Pixel phones, including the Pixel Fold, don’t appear to support the in-progress feature, though.
[Android Police]
You may find that your Google Drive account has Dark mode on the web now — I have it on just one of mine, so far.
If Google has blessed you with the update, you’ll get a “New! Dark mode” prompt at login. After, the option lives under the gear icon > Settings > General > Appearance. Check the gallery below for more.
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Pixel 8 and 8 Pro review: in Google we trust?
These might just be the Pixel phones we’ve been waiting for, but it all depends on how much trust you’re willing to put into Google.
A better way to find stuff to watch
Plus, in this week’s Installer: how the Apple Car failed, a great Cold War doc, an AI texting app, and much more.
A Reddit commenter posted a screenshot today showing what they said is the Hum to Search option in the YouTube Music on iOS
Google has let you search by humming a tune for years and started testing it in the Android YouTube app in August. Like 9to5Google, I’m not seeing it on my own iOS or Android devices. Are you?
The people who ruined the internet
SEO experts got very rich filling the web full of garbage. But are they to blame, or is Google?
As usual, Google has chosen to reveal the date of its I/O developer conference through a collaborative puzzle. For I/O 24 it’s a Pipe Dream-style game, guiding a marble from point A to point B.
Completing your levels helps the overall progress (and probably trains generative AI models somehow), which you can monitor on the main event page. Or, just wait for others to finish it while you dig through the I/O 23 announcements to see what has or has not shipped yet.
Update (5:03PM ET): The puzzle’s done, and we have a date (May 14th).
I’m busy testing the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s camera but please take a minute to appreciate this gorgeous photography accessory kit. It updates last year’s version with a beefier battery that can power the phone. Just feast your eyes on that gorgeous two-stage shutter button!
One thing I’m noticing so far? It’s heavier than the previous version. That’s not so hot.
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It appears Google is further optimizing YouTube Music for podcasts as it prepares to sunset Google Podcasts at the end of this month.
9to5Google reports spotting a line of code that indicates it is building out a “trim silence feature,” which is standard on Google Podcasts and other podcast listening apps. It automatically skips long stretches of silence that appear in an episode, saving the listener a bit of time.
The company has confirmed to Android Police that only the Galaxy A35 will be coming to the US, and that “we will not be carrying Galaxy A55 5G at this time.” It’s unfortunate given that we rated last year’s Galaxy A54 as one of the best affordable handsets.
Slack has started rolling out a GIF picker that uses the Tenor search engine owned by Google.
This is a true blessing for anyone who has never fully trusted that they wouldn’t send their dumb search term, rather than the GIF itself, when using the “/giphy” command.
Gecko (Firefox), Blink (Chrome / Edge), and WebKit (Safari) are the engines behind most web browsers, and the developers who make them have collaborated on a new benchmark to measure performance with browsing and web apps.
Announced in December 2022 and already used to optimize the browser engines listed above, Speedometer 3.0 is now available to test “key scenarios” like rendering a news site — if that’s the kind of thing you enjoy doing.
Correction March 11th, 4:29PM ET: An earlier version of this post incorrectly swapped the browser engines for Chrome and Firefox, it has been correct. We regret the error.
Okay, it’s not exactly Dex, but Mishaal Rahman reports that the latest Android 14 beta allows Pixel 8 phones to use DisplayPort over USB-C for screen mirroring. Plug your phone into a monitor or TV and you’ll be able to output your phone’s display to the big screen — no adapter required. You can’t run a whole desktop environment ala Dex just yet, but that might be in the works.
Continuing its lack of secrecy around new phones (remember when it tweeted out a picture of the Pixel 4 months ahead of launch?), Google has seemingly confirmed that a Pixel 8A is on the way in a bug tracker, 9to5Google reports. We’ve already seen leaks of its design, specs, and packaging, but now we know it’ll get a new battery stats feature.
That’s according to WABetaInfo, which spotted that a new “end-to-end encrypted” indicator that appears briefly at the top of chat threads was under development in late January. Yesterday, the outlet reported that the test is now rolling out to beta testers.
The change is being tested as Meta rolls out third-party chat interoperability in the EU.
The perfect music streaming app does not exist
Plus, in this week’s Installer: the new Nothing Phone, Rivian’s upcoming crossover, the M3 MacBook Air, and much more.
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Google Pixel Fold review: closing the gap
The Pixel Fold is a powerful device with an entertainment-friendly inner screen, but it feels like it’s at least one generation away from greatness.
Google’s release notes say that passes will be transferred to the Wallet without user action when confirmation emails show up in Gmail from “some global movie chains and airlines.” (The company says it’s “working to expand this.”)
Wallet users can also now manually archive “most passes.” Check out a screenshot below from Android expert Mishaal Rahman.
Reuters reports “inoperable” or “spotty” Wi-Fi has been an issue for months — which can happen with new construction. Besides trying new laptops with better Wi-Fi adapters, employees are using phones as hotspots, plugging in, or even going outside for better signal. Google confirmed it’s working to fix the problem, but it could take weeks.
Google opened the campus just before its return-to-office push started in 2022 — but perhaps fixing the Wi-Fi will be a better incentive than a $99 per-night hotel.