Latest Articles
Google Bard can now use your precise location, but it's a mess
The chatbot gives you more relevant local results, though it's still not good with distances
Google Bard may not be the hottest generative language AI model in town, especially given its hasty launch following the introduction of its biggest competitor, ChatGPT 4. But Google is hard at work improving its product ever since its launch, with the latest addition in line coming in the form of optional location sharing with the AI for more relevant answers.
Google launches a fresh fleet of features across Android phones and watches
The company is rolling out new capabilities across its apps, but Pixel phones still have to wait for the monthly system update
Summer is just around the corner, and Google is celebrating the warm season with a slew of updates across Android, the web, and WearOS. While we still have to wait for the June Feature Drop to hit the Pixel devices as a system update, the company is already rolling out new features to its apps and services on all kinds of devices.
Reddit looks set to kill third-party clients with multimillion dollar fees
A developer shares how Reddit’s new API fees could effectively shut down their Reddit client
Elon Musk didn’t just change the way blue checkmarks work on Twitter, the company also cut down free access to its APIs, effectively killing third-party clients and many research projects. On its path to profitability, Reddit is apparently looking to go that same route. Following an announcement earlier this year, a conversation between an iOS client developer and Reddit sheds light on what kind of money the company is planning to charge for its API, and it doesn’t look good for Reddit’s bustling third-party client ecosystem.
Google Tensor G2: All the details on the Pixel 7's custom chipset
Google's new chip is a much-needed improvement over its predecessor
Google showed us a slew of new devices at Google I/O 2023, marking the official launch of the Google Pixel 7a, the Pixel Tablet, and the Pixel Fold. These devices join Google's excellent existing lineup, with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro currently spearheading it. Other than these devices being part of Google's latest lineup, they have another common denominator: They are powered by the Google Tensor G2 chipset.
iPhone apps are still more polished than Android apps, and I hate it
Why do you need to switch to iOS when you want beautiful animations?
Android app design has come a long way since the gaudy Holo days, the look introduced back in 2011 with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Google deserves credit for taking design seriously across its mobile platform, and many third-party app developers have jumped in to build on top of what Google is offering with Material Design and Material You. But for as far as we’ve come on the latest and greatest phones, there is still a lot to do — particularly in the animation department.
What’s new in Google Chrome 114: Transparent navigation bar for Android
There is also some progress on the big desktop redesign launching later this year
Google has released Chrome 114 in early stable, which means that it's starting to roll out to the first few phones and desktops right now. It might take some time until it reaches your handset, but in the meantime, you can learn all about what's new in the latest Chrome release here. There are quite a few things to see, like a lot of progress towards Chrome's big 2023 redesign on desktops and some more quality-of-life improvements for all platforms.
Chrome 114 finally has a transparent navigation bar on Android
You need to switch on a flag to enjoy the glorious full-screen experience
Google introduced gesture navigation with Android 10 back in 2019. From the get-go, it was possible for app developers to make the navigation bar at the bottom transparent, showing app content behind the otherwise dead space. Fast forward to 2023, and you will still only find a handful of apps that have taken this step, leaving the best Android phones out there feeling less premium than they should. Google Chrome will soon join this handful of apps, as Chrome Beta 114 offers a flag that lets you turn your navigation bar transparent.
Google Pixel 7 review: The most refined Pixel yet
The Pixel 7 stays true to Google’s new design language
The Google Pixel 6 series was a full reboot of Google’s smartphone ambitions. The company introduced a brand-new hardware design with the now-iconic visor camera bump, a revamped interface that changes colors based on your wallpaper, and a new Google Pixel 6 Pro model that looks and feels distinct from the regular version. With such a big shift behind us, it’s great to see that Google is sticking to its guns with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. And this is exactly what the Pixel 7 is. It's a continuation and refinement of the trend that the Pixel 6 first introduced, making it one of the best Android phones out there.
Gboard might become easier to resize and reposition on Android
Evidence suggests that Google will let you tweak the keyboard size on the fly
Gboard is likely one of the, if not the best, software keyboards for Android out there, with Google having slowly turned it into a true juggernaut of productive and accurate typing. The company now appears to be working on making some customization options easier to find and use. You might soon be able to resize and reposition the keyboard on the fly, allowing you to adjust your preferred button size and position without having to head into the keyboard settings.
Protect your digital privacy on Android with a few simple steps
You don't need to share all of your data with Google
Google ships a ton of free software with all the best Android phones, but you're still paying for it with your data when you use it. The company can create an incredibly detailed profile of your life thanks to everything you share with it while browsing the web — or using all kinds of Google Search tricks — from your phone. While it's impossible to get rid of all that tracking completely if you don't want to install a custom ROM or switch to iOS, there are a few things you can do to reduce your exposure.
What to expect from Android 14 Beta now that it's on non-Pixel phones
The Google Pixel series is still your best bet if you want a stable experience
Google released Android 14 Beta 2 earlier this month, following its annual I/O developer conference. And with it, Google also finally opened up the beta and developer preview program to more phones beyond its own Pixel lineup. Let’s be real — even on Google's own phones, Beta 1 was maybe the buggiest such release in years, with things only really getting better with Android 14 Beta 2. But now that new hardware is being supported, what do things look like on phones from other manufacturers?
Matter 1.1 better supports battery-powered devices and makes it easier to certify products
The new smart home standard sure isn’t as ubiquitous as everyone hoped at launch
The Matter smart home standard has been a long time in the making, and it was finally launched with much fanfare in late 2022. Big industry players like Google, Amazon, and Apple pledged their support, wanting to create a new platform that makes it easier for smart home manufacturers to build devices that easily interoperate with all platforms and everything else in the home. About half a year later, the consortium behind the standard has launched Matter 1.1, and it’s a far smaller release than you might expect.
The 7 best Google Pixel 7 Pro camera tips
Google's flagship phone has a few camera tricks up its sleeve
The Google Pixel 7 Pro tops our list of the best Android phones, partly due to its phenomenal camera. While it offers a wealth of powerful tricks, the camera should be your focus. However, it's hard to use the camera on the Google Pixel 7 Pro effectively if you're unfamiliar with its features. This guide walks you through the essential tips for taking phenomenal phones with its camera.
Jabra Enhance Plus review: Closer to my $5,000 hearing aids than I thought
The hearable devices are incredibly capable — it’s just a shame they’re only compatible with iOS for now
I’ve been wearing hearing aids since kindergarten, and it’s incredible how much this technology has changed over the last quarter-century. My first hearing aids were clunky and big, and I had to rely on an external FM microphone to better hear my teachers at the front of the classroom. Contrast that to my current set of Phonak Audéo M70, which are almost invisible and offer native Bluetooth audio and phone call streaming, no specialized hardware needed. However, the Phonak Audéo I have are at the higher end of the price spectrum, and people who are just starting their journey to better hearing may be reluctant to get devices this specialized and expensive. Enter the Jabra Enhance Plus.
The Google Pixel Tablet's smart home approach gives it an edge over iPad
Google may just strike gold with its first tablet in years but can it beat iPad?
I'll be the first to say that I think Google could make the Google Pixel Tablet even better if it had thought out some aspects. My colleague Taylor and I argue that the charging and speaker dock should serve as a standalone Nest Mini when the tablet isn't docked to it. But even with this big caveat in mind, Google's laser-focused approach to the Pixel Tablet might be the right way to tackle the dominance of the Apple iPad, especially as the iPad's feature set is growing more complex and bloated.
What do you do when your Chromebook’s screen breaks? You might try and get it fixed or buy a good new Chromebook, but that might cost you a pretty penny. Depending on how old your machine is and how long it’s slated to receive updates, it might not even be worth it. You might as well embrace the fact that half of your laptop isn’t functional, and get rid of the extra ballast. That’s exactly what an avid Redditor did with an old broken Pixelbook Go they acquired on the cheap.
Your Google Pixel is bringing back a time-saving option to open apps
The option to hit enter to directly launch an app from search is rolling out again
Not too long ago, it was possible to use the Pixel Launcher to open apps right from the app drawer search by hitting the enter button, with no need to stretch your thumb to the top of the results to select the first result. This option was taken away with Android 13, but it’s now bound to make a return via a server-side update after previously making an appearance in a beta build.
Bard’s big Google I/O updates are rolling out
Export to Google Docs and Gmail, dark mode, more languages, and enhancements to summaries
Google’s latest developer keynote, Google I/O 2023, was chock-full of AI announcements, with the company teasing some much-needed updates to its generative AI chatbot Bard. With Google I/O 2023 come and gone, these new capabilities and features are now rolling out to those who have joined the Bard preview program, with exports, dark mode, and Workspace support now arriving in addition to better summarization capabilities.
Google pays millions for deceptive Pixel 4 radio ads settlement
Following an FTC settlement on the same issue, the company reached a separate settlement with Texas
The Google Pixel 4 was an ambitious but ill-fated product, introducing Google’s overengineered radar and IR blaster combination to the smartphone world that only a few people ended up using. The company wanted to go all in with the Pixel 4, though, even advertising the new phone on radio stations in cooperation with scripted statements for radio hosts to make clear it's one of the best phones out there.
If you're a shutterbug in the market for a new phone, you can't do better than the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro. The company's 2022 flagships combine premium sensors with industry-leading computational photography to create incredible images. All you need to do is point and shoot. The Pixel 7 series doesn't offer an identical experience across the board. Thanks to the upgraded ultrawide lens on the Pixel 7 Pro and its exclusive 5x telephoto lens, Google's premium smartphone offers the flexibility you won't find on the smaller, cheaper model.