Google

Undoubtedly, Apple has dominated the smartwatch market since the arrival of first-generation Apple Watch in 2015. The close integration of iOS with WatchOS has helped Apple Watches to gain immense popularity.

Meanwhile, Google has also been working on improving its WearOS. That said, watches running on WearOS are not as feature-rich and reliable as Apple Watches. To compete with Apple Watches, Google will be paying Fossil $40 million to buy the company’s smartwatch-related intellectual property.

So here’s everything you need to know about Google’s attempt to compete with Apple Watch.

ALSO READ: Google Chrome’s Dark Mode For macOS To Arrive In Early 2019

Google Pays Fossil $40M To Purchase Smartwatch-Related Intellectual Property

WearOS is a version of Google’s Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables. Google will be paying $40M to fossil and acquire the smartwatch technology of the company.

This purchase will also include a shift of members of Fossil’s research and development team to Google coupled with the Intellectual Property. The deal will be finalized later this month.

Google VP of Project Management of Wear OS Stacey Burr stated that “We saw some technology that they were developing that we thought could be brought out in a more expansive way if Google had that technology, and was not only able to continue to use it with Fossil but bring it to other partners in the ecosystem.”

Google WearOS: What Can We Expect

As mentioned earlier, Google is working hard to improve the performance and stability of WearOS. We can even expect the Pixel watch to launch by late 2019. Well, If Google manages to optimize the software for low-powered hardware then the Pixel watch will prove to be a good Apple Watch alternative.

It is worth noting that, Apple Watch only supports iOS. While almost 80% of smartphones are running on Android. Consequently, If Google produces a pixel branded smartwatch it will witness a good adoption rate.

Do share your thoughts and opinions on WearOS in the comments section below.

Google’s upcoming Fuchsia OS will be able to support Android apps

It is no secret that Google is quietly working on a new operating system (OS) dubbed as “Fuchsia” for quite some time now. This upcoming OS is rumored to replace the world’s most popular mobile OS, Android.

Now, a new change in Android’s Geritt source code has apparently confirmed that the upcoming Fuchsia OS will support Android apps, which will run in a specially designed version of the Android Runtime (ART), reports 9to5Google.

For those unaware, ART is the environment used to run Android apps. This version of ART will not only be compatible with any Fuchsia OS devices, but also be installable with the help of a .far file, which is Fuchsia’s take on Android’s APK file. It is also learned that Google would offer developers a new coding kit to make it easy for them to develop apps for Fuchsia, Android, and iOS.

Fuchsia OS will be cross-platform and run on anything from mobile phones to computers and IoT (Internet of Things) devices. The OS will be more secure and well-equipped to understand voice commands and gestures.

Currently, it is unclear when Google will officially release Fuchsia OS, but we can hope to hear more info regarding the new OS during the Google I/O 2019 event later this year.

Google Search’s new feature will teach you how to pronounce words in different accents

Over a period of time, Google Search has become a lifeline for many of us and the go-to-place to find answers for any kind of queries ranging from food, health, entertainment, weather, and much more. Not only this, it also serves as a platform for us to learn new things.

Google is always looking to better its services and make it more user-friendly. And one such service is its ‘Search’ feature. Apparently, Google is testing a new feature that will help users learn how to pronounce words in different accents and speeds, reports Android Police.

The new “Learn to Pronounce” feature will help users to correctly pronounce a word, which will be played in both American and British accents. Also, it allows managing the speed of pronunciation for a word for those users who have trouble in understanding the accent.

For the unaware, when a user searches for the definition of a particular word in Google Search, it displays the meaning of the word in question along with a small speaker icon next to the said word to hear how it is pronounced.

The introduction of the new feature will pop up the ‘Learn To Pronounce’ box below the word, which when tapped will open up a new search card. For instance, if you search for “onomatopoeia,” a box will reportedly appear that directs to a new search for “how to pronounce” that will have the written pronunciation of the word along with a small speaker icon placed next to it.

It will then give a drop-down option, which will have the British or American pronunciation of the given word that the user needs to choose from. Additionally, there is also an option to slow down the speed of the audio pronunciation in case it is not understandable.

Google has yet to officially confirm the release or testing of the new feature. However, the feature is already displaying for some users, according to Android Police. This could mean that Google may slowly roll out the feature to users in coming weeks. Keep watching this for more updates!

Source: Android Police

Another data leak forces Google to close down Google+ in April 2019

In October this year, we had reported how personal data of hundreds of thousands of Google+ social media users were exposed after a software glitch between 2015 and March 2018. Following the data exposure, Google had decided to shut down Google+ permanently over a span of 10 months.

However, a newly discovered second data leak has now forced Google to shut down much before it has planned. According to the company, a bug in the Google+ API has exposed the data of 52.5 million users, which has compelled the search giant to kill off Google+ in April 2019. The company also added that the bug was fixed within a week of it being introduced.

“We’ve recently determined that some users were impacted by a software update introduced in November that contained a bug affecting a Google+ API. We discovered this bug as part of our standard and ongoing testing procedures and fixed it within a week of it being introduced. No third party compromised our systems, and we have no evidence that the app developers that inadvertently had this access for six days were aware of it or misused it in any way,” David Thacker, VP, Product Management, G Suite said in a blog post.

“With the discovery of this new bug, we have decided to expedite the shut-down of all Google+ APIs; this will occur within the next 90 days. In addition, we have also decided to accelerate the sunsetting of consumer Google+ from August 2019 to April 2019. While we recognize there are implications for developers, we want to ensure the protection of our users.”

Profile information of Google+ users such as name, email address, occupation, and age were exposed even when their profile was set to not-public. In addition, apps with access to a user’s Google+ profile data also had access to the profile data that had been shared with the consenting user by another Google+ user but that was not shared publicly. However, no access was given to information such as financial data, national identification numbers, passwords, or similar data typically used for fraud or identity theft.

The company has started notifying consumer users and enterprise customers affected by the bug. Although the platform will shut down for consumer users in April 2019, Google will continue to invest in Google+ for businesses.

“We understand that our ability to build reliable products that protect your data drives user trust. We have always taken this seriously, and we continue to invest in our privacy programs to refine internal privacy review processes, create powerful data controls, and engage with users, researchers, and policymakers to get their feedback and improve our programs. We will never stop our work to build privacy protections that work for everyone,” said David Thacker in the closing statement.

For those who are unaware, Google+ is an Internet-based social network that was launched in June 2011 and is owned and operated by Google. The major reason why Google developed this social media platform was to compete with the exponentially growing social-media platform Facebook.

To increase the active user base Google interlinked Google+ with other services like Gmail and YouTube; however, the integration didn’t work out. In fact, even after massive investments and development Google+ didn’t gain immense popularity among users.

What do you think about Google+ being shut down? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Google may shut down Hangouts sometime in 2020; Hangout executive rubbishes this rumor

Contrary to reports by 9to5Google, Google’s real-time chat service, Hangouts for consumers will be shutting down for good sometime in the future and not 2020, reports Android Police.

Slamming the reporting as shoddy, Scott Johnston, Realtime Comms product lead in G Suite at Google (Hangouts Meet & Chat, Google Voice) in a string of tweets said that there have been “no decisions made about when Hangouts will be shut down.”

However, he did confirm that those who are using the “classic” Hangouts will eventually be upgraded to enterprise-focused, Google Hangouts Chat and Meet. This means that Google has plans to shut down Hangouts eventually but not sometime in 2020. Also, Hangouts as a brand will live on with G Suite’s Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet.

https://t.co/QgYfj03ADn

Hey @hallstephenj, I run Hangouts and this is pretty shoddy reporting. No decisions made about when Hangouts will be shut down. Hangouts users will be upgraded to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Your source is severely misinformed. You can do better.

— Scott Johnston (@happyinwater) December 1, 2018

For those unaware, Google Hangouts is a communication platform that was launched by the company in 2013 as a successor to Google Talk (Gchat). The messaging service includes messaging, video chat, SMS and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) features.

The shutting down of Hangouts shouldn’t come as a surprise for its consumer users, as Google did not make any changes to the app for more than a year, Also, some reviewers suggested that Hangouts app was showing signs of age, bugs as well as performance issues.

In the meanwhile, Scott Johnston has confirmed that the company plans to launch twelve more messaging apps in Hangouts.

Google to charge device makers in Europe for Android apps in response to EU fine

Google will start charging a licensing fee for Android device makers who want to pre-install apps like Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube on handsets sold in Europe. The announcement made by Google comes in response to a record $5 billion EU antitrust fine.

For those unaware, the EU Commission in July this year had imposed on Google a record $5 billion (4.34 billion euros) fine for illegally abusing the dominance of its Android operating system. Back then, EU said that the U.S. tech giant has been unlawfully using Android’s near-monopoly since 2011 to improve usage of its own search engine and browser and to strengthen its dominant position in general Internet search.

Google argued that “Android has created more choice, not less”. It also said that pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with other apps helped it fund the development and free distribution of Android. Hence, earlier this month, Google challenged the $5 billion fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators and filed an appeal at the General Court of the European Union.

While the appeal is still pending, Google is working on to comply with EU’s decision. The search giant will change how it bundles its apps on Android phones and also end restrictions on phone makers selling modified or “forked” versions of the mobile operating system.

“First, we’re updating the compatibility agreements with mobile device makers that set out how Android is used to develop smartphones and tablets. Going forward, Android partners wishing to distribute Google apps may also build non-compatible, or forked, smartphones and tablets for the European Economic Area (EEA), said the company in a blog post.

“Second, device manufacturers will be able to license the Google mobile application suite separately from the Google Search App or the Chrome browser. Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us fund the development and free distribution of Android, we will introduce a new paid licensing agreement for smartphones and tablets shipped into the EEA. Android will remain free and open source.

“Third, we will offer separate licenses to the Google Search app and to Chrome.”

The company also added, “We’ll also offer new commercial agreements to partners for the non-exclusive pre-installation and placement of Google Search and Chrome. As before, competing apps may be pre-installed alongside ours.”

The new licensing options could work in favor of device makers, as they will no longer require to accept all Google apps as a bundle. However, on the downside, the device makers will have to bear additional cost for installation of preferred apps, which they will eventually pass on to consumers by slightly increasing prices of the devices they sell.

Also Read– Google Play Store Alternatives to Download Paid Apps For Free

The new changes are expected to come in effect from October 29, 2018, for all new smartphones and tablets launched in the EEA. While Google has not announced what the fee structure will be, it will only apply for devices that are intended for sale in the 31 member countries of the EEA.

Real-time translation is coming to all Google Assistant-optimized headphones and Android phones

When Google launched the Google Assistant-enabled Pixel Buds last year, one of the highlighted features of the headphone was its ability to translate in real-time using Google Translate. However, until now this feature was exclusive only to Pixel Buds paired with a Google Pixel smartphone.

Google is now opening up the feature to more users and bringing real-time translation capabilities to all Google Assistant-powered headphones, according to a report from Droid-Life.

Google has updated the support page for the Pixel Buds that reads “Google Translate is available on all Assistant-optimised headphones and Android phones. The Google Assistant on Google Pixel Buds is only available on Android and requires an Assistant-optimised Android device and data connection.”

Check out the video demonstration from the 2017 Made By Google event that shows how Google translate works on the Pixel Buds:

Some of the few headphones that are equipped with the Google Assistant include the Pixel Buds, Bose Quiet Control 35 II, Sony WI-1000X, Sony WH-1000XM2, Sony WH-1000XM3, JBL Everest 710GA, JBL Everest 110GA, OnePlus Bullets and a few more come with built-in Google Assistant.

If you are interested in trying out the feature, all you need to do is say “Hey Google, help me speak (name of the language)” to the Google Assistant on your earphone or device.

Google has always tried to push the limits when it comes to innovation. Infact, a decade ago no one would have believed that you can stream 5K footage using just a browser. Now Google is moving one step further with Project Stream.

Well, using Google Project Stream users can now stream AAA gaming titles on laptops eliminating the need of gaming rigs. So here’s everything you need to know about Project Stream.

ALSO READ: Secret game hidden in Google.com, and nobody knows about it

Google Project Stream: Explained

Google Project Stream is Google’s attempt to stream AAA gaming titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to the desktop version of Chrome browser. Consequently, you can play these games on Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and Linux. The gameplay and framerates depend on your internet speed.

According to Google a stable internet connection with a minimum speed of 25Mbps is pre-requisite for playing games.

As for controls, users can rely on a keyboard and mouse or a USB (not Bluetooth) game controller. Google’s demo video suggests that playing games at 1080p at 60fps won’t be an issue. That said, playing a AAA title at 1080p quality requires a high speed gaming computer.

As of the now, Project Stream is still in the testing stage and limited to one popular gaming title Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Google Project Stream: Application Requirements

Google’s blog post clearly states that a “limited number of participants” will be able to try the game for free starting October 5. Well, if you want to join this list of participants you should be living in the US and atleast 17 years or older. Next up, you should have an active Google and Ubisoft account.

While streaming videos a few seconds of buffering is totally acceptable. The technology of streaming games is way too advanced.

Google states that:

“The technology and creativity behind these AAA video games is extraordinary—from incredible detail and life-like movement of the characters’ skin, clothing, and hair, to the massive scale of the world in which the game unfolds, down to every last blade of grass. Every pixel is powered by an array of real-time rendering technology, artistry, visual effects, animation, simulation, physics and dynamics”

Apart from the impressive graphics quality, these games have to react to your controller within milliseconds. Well, If Google’s Project Stream is successful it will be one of the biggest technology leaps in the gaming industry.

Do share your thoughts and opinions on Google Project Stream in the comments section below.

When it comes to the web browsing, Google.com is the widely preferred search engine on the internet. It is one of the biggest tech companies in the world as well.

As a matter of fact, it has some secrets which are known by very few people in the world. Among those secrets today we are revealing one of them.

Hidden Secret Text Adventure Game

Yes, Google has a hidden secret text adventure game which can only be accessed if you search for the particular term on the web.

After searching it just press “ctrl+shift+I” if you are a windows user or press “Cmd + Option + I” if you are a Mac user.

or you can simply go for Right-click option (see the image above), where you need to right-click on the web browser and go for inspect option.

After doing this navigate to the “Console” tab

and click on it.

Now, this pop will appear and you can follow the instructions to enjoy it.

This secret game was first discovered by attempt_number_1 on Reddit. And according to another Reddit user, the location details in the game points to “Google Mountain view buildings 45/47 on Charleston Road. This possibly hints at a Charleston Campus Google engineer who probably made the game as an Easter egg.

At last, it’s quite difficult to say, for how long the game will be available as the creator itself is unidentified till now. But sure, you can enjoy it now as games are the best time killer.

Also Read- 7 hidden games in Google and how to play them

Google could reportedly pay Apple $9 billion to stay Safari’s default search engine

Google is reportedly willing to pay Apple a whopping $9 billion in 2018 to keep its largest search engine running as default on iPhone and iPad’s Safari browser, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall (via Business Insider).

“We believe this revenue is charged ratably based on the number of searches that users on Apple’s platform originate from Siri or within the Safari browser. We believe Apple is one of the biggest channels of traffic acquisition for Google,” Hall was quoted as saying by Business Insider. However, this number could increase to $12 billion in 2019, according to the Goldman analyst.

The payment of $9 billion is a huge figure considering that Google paid Apple around $1 billion in 2013 and 2014. In 2017, this figure was estimated to have swollen to $3 billion, according to analysts.

Even though neither Google nor Apple has ever shared the exact terms of their agreement, most analysts believe that the payments are billions of dollars per year.

While Apple uses Google as the default search engine in Safari on iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, the Cupertino giant also uses Bing for other purposes such as searching the web through Siri.

Currently, the browser industry is dominated by Google Chrome dominates with 59.7 percent, while Safari comes in at second place with 14.5 percent in the browser category.