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Get ready: ChromeOS drops the space in Canary version 103
If Chrome and OS feel good together, who are we to judge?
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Chrome OS is Google’s operating system for laptops (Chromebooks, to be precise), built around the company’s browser of the same name. For years, the software has gone by the official designation of Chrome OS written in two words. But it looks like that could change soon, as reports suggest that Google is doing away with the space, leaving us with "ChromeOS."
Facebook rebrands as Meta, hopes you'll forget how terrible it is
The company, not the social network
Facebook held its Connect 2021 keynote today, a company-wide conference originally dedicated to its Oculus-branded VR branch. In addition to announcing a whole slew of VR-focused products, Mark Zuckerberg finally revealed a previously-rumored rebrand to his business, changing its name to "Meta."
CBS's rebranded Paramount+ streaming service is finally available
Another streaming service to pay for
Last year, ViacomCBS (the newly formed entity from the Viacom and CBS merger) announced that it would relaunch its All Access streaming service in 2021 with a new name, Paramount+. The new service is now finally available and even app store listings have been modified to reflect the change.
Facebook Messenger attempts to keep things fresh with new logo and smattering of features
Look, it has a gradient now!
Facebook has been working on unifying Instagram's messaging system with its own Facebook Messenger app since earlier this summer, and now the company is announcing a refreshed look for Messenger complete with new chat themes, custom reactions, and a more colorful logo.
When LiveXLive acquired Slacker Radio for million towards the end of 2017, it wasn't clear what the live music streaming service would do with the app. Eventually, the decision was made to combine the two platforms and the rebranded app is now live on the Play Store.
Late last month, some mentions of the Nest Hub Max were spotted on the Google Store. We thought it was odd that Google would choose to brand it as a Nest product given that its current smart display is called the Home Hub, but there are now rumors that the Home Hub will be renamed as "Nest Hub."
Google announced last month that it would be restructuring a number of its marketing and analytics tools into fewer brands with names that more clearly reflect what the products actually do. Part of the new slate of offerings is going live tomorrow in Google Marketing Platform, a combination of Google's existing DoubleClick and Analytics 360 suites.
Google's research projects have been rolled into google.ai to create the new Google AI division. This means that Google Research is no more, and a new website has been launched alongside a renamed blog. The move unifies all of the company's advanced research efforts while explicitly pointing to the machine learning tech that underpins them.
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- Snapchat has created a site specifically for Spectacles, so we've got additional information on them now.
Snapchat, the company best known to us for creating a horrible Android app, has just announced two big pieces of news; not only is Snapchat renaming itself Snap Inc., but it's also releasing 'Spectacles', a pair of sunglasses built just for Snapchat that is equipped with a wide-angle camera.
I've never been much of a runner, so I've only taken my phone with me for a lap around the neighborhood a handful of times. When I did, it felt Runtastic. But the Nike+ Running app has been another option for people looking to set goals and track their progress.
Todoist gave its Android app a complete material makeover early this summer, providing users with the most changes they've seen in years. But it seems the company left one thing off the list at the time, and today it's rectifying that. The to-do list and note syncing service has come out with a new brand identity, one that does away with its old TD logo.
Xbox Music is now Groove. This is news that Microsoft detailed weeks ago, but it's only now—coinciding with the release of Windows 10—that we're seeing the name change on Android.
When OnePlus staff member David S. said that the tiny phone manufacturer would release a drone called the DR-1, our BS-o-meter shot past the "nope" point in under two seconds. As many of you guessed, the OnePlus drone is indeed an April Fool's Day joke. But apparently the company is taking a page out of Think Geek's playbook: in addition to being a mildly amusing misdirection, the DR-1 drone will also be available for purchase.
I'm sorry, Logitech Revue fans: at this point it's impossible to deny that Google TV is irrelevant. That being the case, the folks at GTV Hacker, who have provided us with many a tool and exploit for Google-branded set-top boxes and other hardware, have decided to say goodbye to their old and somewhat targeted moniker. GTV Hacker is now Exploitee.rs... because really good URLs are basically hard to find. (It's a play on "exploiters.")
Work is pretty dull. Google wants people to use its products to get stuff done, and the company's previous name for its efforts in this area - Google Enterprise - fully communicated just how stuffy and non-exciting the experience would be. Now the search giant is changing the name of its business-related offerings to something that, while equally mundane in its approach, doesn't have to show up for work in oxford shoes and a tie. 'Google for Work' is a name that more accurately represents the type of people, businesses, and organizations that are turning to the company's cloud solutions to get the job done.
Kingsoft, makers of the popular productivity app Kingsoft Office, today announced that the Android app has reached 210 million users around the world. To mark the event, the app has been rebranded to WPS Office and given a new icon to match. The announcement comes on the heels of the app's update to version 6.0, which introduces "over 100 feature updates and enhancements," including a revitalized interface, support for 44 languages, and - in Kingsoft's words - "much more."