Google

Google’s Making Moves to Kill the Password

Passwords are long and complicated and hard to remember. And that’s only if they’re good passwords. No matter how you slice it, passwords are annoying and on top of that, they’re not even all that secure. Google knows that all too well, and it’s pushing for the next big thing. A ring maybe. Like for…

The Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2 are finally getting an upgrade to 4.1 Jelly Bean. Welcome to the present.

Google’s bought a plot of land in London, on which it will build new offices, for a cool $1 billion. [Reuters]

Google’s Nexus 7 has overtaken the iPad in terms of market share in Japan. A trend that could spread? [CNET]

Has Google Finally Discontinued the Nexus Q? (Updated)

The Nexus Q page in the Google Play store says the media streamer is “no longer for sale.” Does this mean Google has given up on the device? Maybe. Previously, the page said “this device is not for sale at this time.” It’s just a simple change in wording, but perhaps after months and months…

Larry Page: ‘We’re Crazy, I Know It, and I Like It’

Ten percent better doesn’t cut it for Larry Page. Neither does 50, 100, or 500. In an era of modest revision, the Google co-founder expects his company’s products to outperform the status quo by no less than 10x. Because how else are you going to change the world? You know, we always have these debates:…

Did You Preorder a Set of Project Glass Explorer Editions?

Later this month and early next month, Google is planning two hackathons in San Francisco (1/28-1/29) and New York (2/1-2/2) that they’re calling “Glass Foundry” for any developer who preordered a set of Glass from last year’s I/O conference. The two-day hackathon begins with an introduction and hands on session with Glass followed by a…

Patent Hints at Laser-Controlled Google Glasses

With Google’s Project Glass still very much in its awkward developmental stages, the best method of controlling it remains up for debate. This patent, though, suggests that a laser-projected control pad might be in the running. https://gizmodo.com/wsjs-exclusive-project-glass-trial-promising-but-diso-5942508 Currently, Project Glass uses a touch pad that runs down the side of one of its arms. Trouble…

MediaFire for Android: Store 50GB of Your Stuff For Free

Storage space is precious, and most major services—Google Drive and iCloud, for example—only give you a measly 5GB for free. MediaFire, is pretty magnanimous, doling out 50GB on the house. And it just launched on Android. What does it do? Lets you stash your files and photos in the cloud for free. Why do we…

Who Does Facebook Search Screw the Most?

Graph Search, which we’re going to call Facebook search from here on out because nobody wants to read or write “Graph Search,” is a dramatic new way to browse Facebook. But its implications spill over its rivals—which companies lose the most? https://gizmodo.com/heres-what-using-the-new-facebook-search-looks-like-5976201 It’s hard to give Facebook’s new search engine a fair appraisal, because it’s…

Google Street View Car Not Guilty of Donkey Murder

The internet was freaking out yesterday because holy shit! It looked like Google ran over a donkey with a Street View car in Kweneng, Botswana. But no need to call up PETA, Google says it absolutely did not commit assicide. Street View tourists of Africa were up in arms over an image that showed a…

Challenge Your Friends and Claim Zamboni Dominance With Today’s Google Doodle

This morning Google blessed bored office drones around the world with another playable doodle that celebrates Frank Zamboni’s 112th birthday. The game has players guiding the iconic ice resurfacing machine he invented back in 1949 across a rink, as more and more skaters mar its surface between rounds. It’s no Grand Theft Auto, but certainly…

Google just confirmed it will fix A2DP streaming audio in the next Android (4.2.2) release! Rah rah Bluetooth audio?

Want To Replace Your Bank? Use This

The bank-less service you’ve never heard of but should know about, Simple, finally has an Android app. The new Simple app for Android comes nearly a year after the launch of the iOS version and was built from the ground up in collaboration with Two Toasters, the same dev shop behind GateGuru and Airbnb’s apps.…

If Your Phone’s Screen Shatters, This Is the Best Background You Can Possibly Use

The Onion joked about people getting phones with shattered screens but, if my screen breaks, I will set this background and keep using it until I bleed to death through my fingers. So cool. [Imgur via Reddit] https://gizmodo.com/the-onion-apples-new-college-girl-friendly-iphone-come-5969840 p.s. In case you just woke up from a 2,000-year hibernation, the background image is a reference…

Say Hi to The New Google Chrome Beta, It’s Listening

Voice control has been the trend in phones for a while now, but it’s not content to just stay there. The newest Chrome Beta is introducing a Web Speech API, which means a talk-y future is on the horizon, hopefully. So far, Google’s got a demo where you can dictate a little messages for your…

Dropbox for Android finally lets you share your pictures with a shared album or through e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

This Is How Bad the Flu Is This Year

Everyone you know is sick, or getting sick, or they’ve become a lifeless husk of human skin full of flu germs where there was once organs and bones and blood. Don’t believe it? Check out Google’s influenza tracker, which shows just how massive this year’s spike is. Google’s Flu Trends tracks certain search queries to…

You can now get Chrome Beta on Android: faster, newer features… and the occasional bug. Take your chances? [Google]

Why You Shouldn’t Be Too Quick to Cheer Self-Driving Cars

One of the clear automotive technology trends at CES this year is cars that drive themselves. From Audi to Lexus to Ford, the world’s largest car companies are beginning to follow Google’s lead in an effort to produce cars smart enough to drive themselves. The thought is that autonomous cars will reduce the number of…