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How to create your own iPhone-15-inspired 'Action button' on Android Fri, 22 Sep 2023 05:07:00 -0700

If you're reading this column, odds are, you don't have a lot of iPhone envy.
Believe me, I'm right there with ya. But much as we may enjoy the (ahem) greener pastures here in the land o' Googley matters, every now and then, Apple does come up with a genuinely interesting idea for its iPhone devotees.
And amidst all the magical and revolutionary blathering at last week's iPhone 15 event, one such intriguing addition made its way to the surface. It's a new "Action button" that sits on the side of the iPhone 15 Pro, exclusively, and is able to summon a single specific command of the phone-owner's choosing.
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Got a Google Pixel Fold or Pixel Tablet? Find this secret setting this second Wed, 20 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Google's Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet may not look like siblings, but the two 2023 flagship Android offerings actually have a surprising amount in common.
And i's not just that they're the first Pixel devices in their respective categories of folding phones and tablets, either. Nope: When you use the two products side by side, you quickly realize that they share plenty of DNA within the evolved Android setup they showcase and the overall user experience they provide. And that extends all the way to their relatively unusual unlocking mechanisms.
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Google adds its Bard chatbot to Gmail, YouTube, Docs and other apps Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:20:00 -0700

Google today announced it is embedding its conversational,Bard chatbot into many of its most popular apps, allowing users to get human-like responses to questions, summarize Gmail messages, and search Google Docs and Youtube.
Bard is in heated competition with other top generative AI technologies, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing conversational AI tool (which is also based on ChatGPT). Microsoft has added ChatGPT functionality to its suite of Microsoft 365 business productivity and collaboration apps through its own Copilot chatbot assistant.
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AI language models need to shrink; here’s why smaller may be better Thu, 14 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Large language models (LLMs) often appear to be in a fight to claim the title of largest and most powerful, but many organizations eyeing their use are beginning to realize big isn’t always better.
The adoption of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools is on a steep incline. Organizations plan to invest 10% to 15% more on AI initiatives over the next year and a half compared to calendar year 2022, according to an IDC survey of more than 2,000 IT and line-of-business decision makers.
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Alphabet layoffs: Company trades recruitment team for tech talent Thu, 14 Sep 2023 01:09:00 -0700

Google-parent Alphabet late on Wednesday let go of hundreds of employees from its recruiting team in continuation of its efforts to operate more efficiently as macroeconomic uncertainty looms.
The company, which faces stiff competition from Microsoft, AWS, IBM, and Oracle in the field of generative AI and artificial intelligence, is looking to trade non-technical roles for engineering and technical talent.
“As we’ve said, we continue to invest in top engineering and technical talent while also meaningfully slowing the pace of our overall hiring,” a Google spokesperson said in an email statement.
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Google's increasingly prickly Android perception problem Wed, 13 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700
Ask most Android enthusiasts for their thoughts on the eternal "iPhone vs. Android" debate, and you're bound to hear some comically common conclusions:
- Android is more advanced and ambitious, both in its software and especially in its hardware (hello, folding phones!).
- Android is more customizable and conducive to productivity, thanks to all the ways it lets you take total control of your virtual environment and make it work the way you want.
- The iPhone is bland, old-fashioned, and boring in comparison.
Apple's iOS platform certainly has its advantages, but it's tough to deny that Android is the more modern, powerful, and adventurous option (a juxtaposition expressed admirably in this recent video analysis by the ever-balanced Marques Brownlee).
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The line-blurring brilliance of Google's new ChromeOS-Windows connection Tue, 22 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0700

When I tell people a Chromebook could conceivably replace their Windows laptop, there's often an asterisk attached — particularly when it comes to productivity-obsessed computer owners.
And that asterisk almost always comes down to Windows software.
It's the subject of the second question in my heavily referenced "Is ChromeOS right for you?" guide, in fact, and for good reason: The biggest thing one has to think about when moving to a Chromebook is what type of work you dive into on a daily basis and whether the tools you need would exist in the ChromeOS universe.
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The problem with Google's Pixel Tablet Fri, 11 Aug 2023 02:45:00 -0700

I've gotta admit: I've really been struggling with how to share my experiences living with Google's line-blurring Pixel Tablet.
To say my expectations for this product were high would be an understatement. As I wrote in a column this January, it's been clear for a while now that Google's aim with the Pixel Tablet is to reimagine how we even use these types of devices and the very purposes they serve — to "create a whole new sort of framework for how tablets should function and fit into our lives," as a particularly sage mobile prophet once put it.
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16 ways Google Lens can save you time on Android Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Psst: Come close. Your Android phone has a little-known superpower — a futuristic system for bridging the physical world around you and the digital universe on your device. It's one of Google's best-kept secrets. And it can save you tons of time and effort.
It's a little somethin' called Google Lens, and it's been lurking around on Android and quietly getting more and more capable for years. Google doesn't make a big deal about it, weirdly enough, and you really have to go out of your way to even realize it exists. But once you uncover it, well, you'll feel like you have a magic wand in your pocket.
At its core, Google Lens is best described as a search engine for the real world. It uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects both within images and in a live view from your phone's camera, and it then lets you learn about and interact with those elements in all sorts of interesting ways. But while Lens's ability to, say, identify a flower, look up a book, or give you info about a landmark is certainly impressive, it's the system's more mundane-seeming productivity powers that are far more likely to find a place in your day-to-day life.
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What's going on with Google Assistant? Tue, 01 Aug 2023 05:57:00 -0700

Once upon a time, Google was absolutely gaga over Google Assistant.
Remember those days? You should. They really weren't that long ago.
Back as recently as 2020 — in the last year the annual Consumer Electronics Show was held in person before going digital during the peak of the pandemic — Google did everything in its power to make sure Assistant was everywhere you looked, both virtually and in a very literal physical sense. Assistant turned into a full-fledged spectacle at the high-profile tech exhibition that year, continuing a theme Google had been threading for a while.
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How the Google Pixel Fold could make every Android device better Wed, 26 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

When you talk about Google's Pixel Fold, it's tough not to focus mostly on the phone's form.
I mean, this is a device whose screen folds in half, for cryin' out loud! It may not be the first Android phone to feature that feat, but still: It's without a doubt the device's defining characteristic. And it's quite a sight to see, even in passing, and even more so to experience in your own pockets and person-paws.
While it's easy to obsess over the Fold's fold, though, we've been there and done that at this point. And now that I've personally been totin' the Pixel Fold around in my pantaloons for a solid month (somehow!), I want to move beyond the surface and focus a little more closely on what might actually be the Fold's most significant innovation from an Android-wide, platform perspective.
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15 powerful tricks for your Google Pixel Clock app Wed, 12 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Google's Pixel phones are practically overflowing with useful stuff. And some of the best options of all are things you've probably never even noticed.
That's true for the Pixel's core Android software as well as its Google-made apps — everything from the excellent calling-related features in the Pixel Phone app to the expanded array of advanced options in Google Assistant on Pixels.
It's even true in apps that seem so basic and utilitarian, you'd never think they had anything interesting lurking in their dusty virtual corners.
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The secret to a smarter Android lock screen Fri, 30 Jun 2023 02:45:00 -0700

Google giveth, and Google taketh away.
It's an all-too-common tale here in the land o' Android, and it's exactly what happened in the world of widgets on our lock screens.
Way back in 2012, a full decade before Apple decided to (cough, snort) invent the idea of a more interactive smartphone entry point, Google made a big deal about bringing widgets onto the Android lock screen with its Android 4.2 release. It was all the rage — until two years later, anyhow, when Google quietly killed the feature off without any explanation.
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Google Pixel Fold: 7 unfiltered thoughts after 8 days with the device Tue, 27 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700
If you've followed my mumbly mobile musings for long, you probably know two things about me:
1. I tend to view Google's Pixel devices favorably, as a general rule. In fact, they're the only Android devices I wholeheartedly recommend for most folks these days — both because of the unmatched overall user experience they offer and because of the unparalled level of post-sales support they provide.
2. Thus far, I've been pretty wishy-washy on foldable phones, as a general concept. The technology around them is wildly impressive, without a doubt, but the forms they've taken to date have come with some significant compromises that make it tough for me to recommend 'em as advisable purchases for most people.
So when I got my hands on the shiny new Google Pixel Fold — which officially goes on sale this week for a whopping $1,800 (!) — I was both intrigued and skeptical, to say the least.
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How to activate your Chromebook's crafty new shortcut system Tue, 20 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

If you've spent any time using a Chromebook lately, you're in on the secret: Google's ChromeOS platform has gotten almost shockingly good over these past several years.
Lots of computer-owning creatures still haven't realized it, but Chromebooks have come an insanely long way since their unassuming debut over a decade ago — as ChromeOS itself has evolved from being the "nothing" operating system to being the "everything" operating system, in more ways than one.
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Android's hidden Smart Display superpower Wed, 14 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

All right, my fellow Android-appreciating animals: We've got an elephant in the room right now, and that elephant is Apple's new StandBy mode for phones.
StandBy mode, if you haven't heard, is a fancy new feature in Apple's latest magical (wretch) and revolutionary (gag) iOS update. And all involuntary reactions and unnecessary midword capitalizations aside, it actually looks pretty useful (or UseFul, if we want to stick with the Apple-style vernacular).
In short, the system brings an interactive, info-filled interface onto an iPhone's screen anytime it's charging. It's kind of like turning it into a super-simple Smart Display, and it's something those of us here on the Googley side of the mobile-tech divide could certainly benefit from as well.
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20 seconds to smarter Chromebook multitasking Wed, 31 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

If you love finding hidden software treasures as much as I do, Google's ChromeOS operating system is a productivity playground like no other.
ChromeOS is in a constant state of evolution, y'see, with new releases landing every four weeks and fresh 'n' fancy features more or less always under development and begging to be discovered. The best part of that setup is that unlike most other platforms — including even Android — Google's latest and greatest ChromeOS features are typically tucked away behind a special switch and available on any Chromebook long before they're launched to the masses.
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How to enable Google's clever new Chrome Reading Mode right now Thu, 25 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Look, this is slightly awkward, but I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: Reading stuff on the web these days can be a pretty painful experience.
You know what I'm talkin' about, right? (Insert awkward pause here.) On most modern websites, you're bombarded with an army of over-the-top pop-ups, promos, and other assorted ads every time you try to open up an enticing article. (Insert awkward eye-darting here.) Media is a business, of course, but still: As a mere mammal trying to ingest interesting info, it can sometimes get to be a bit much. (Insert forced awkward smile here.)
The business part is what makes the whole thing especially tricky — 'cause for better or for worse, online publications and the lowly internet scribes who power 'em rely on revenue from all that advertising in order to exist. That means if you use some sort of aggressive ad-blocker, you're hurting that company's odds of survival and potentially also jeopardizing the content creators' ability to earn a paycheck.
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Google killer, killed: Neeva and the limits of privacy as a philosophy Tue, 23 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

Well, that was fast.
Just under two years after splashing into the world with all sorts of provocative promises, a search startup that was set on convincing people to pay for a privacy-centric Google alternative is shutting its doors.
Neeva, founded by a pair of former Google executives and the subject of intense fascination within the tech universe, quietly announced over the weekend that its service will be winding down next week. From the announcement:
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Google I/O and the curious case of the missing Android version Tue, 16 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

With Google's I/O announcement expo now firmly in the rearview mirror, it's time for us to enter the inevitable next phase of any tech-tinted revelation — and that's the careful contemplation of everything we've just experienced.
It's my favorite phase of all, personally, as it lets us really dive in and analyze everything with a fine-toothed comb to uncover all the subtle significance that isn't always apparent on the surface.
And this year, my goodness, is there some splendid stuff to pore over.
Specific to the realm of Android, the sharp-eyed gumshoes over at 9to5Google noticed that this year's under-development new Android version, Android 14, was mentioned by name only one time during the entire 2,000-hour Google I/O keynote.
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