Google is upgrading its Discover feed with some new recommendation options, including a Google TV-like “What to watch” for movies, as well as beauty and apparel recommendations.
Earlier this year, Google relaunched the Play Movies & TV app as Google TV, pushing the cross-service content aggregation and recommendations to the forefront. Now the Google Discover feed — Google’s endless…
US states file antitrust lawsuits over Google’s ad tech, how competitors appear in Search [Updated]
December 18, 2020
In October, the Justice Department alleged that Google paying device makers and browser vendors to make Search the default was monopolistic. States are now filing and preparing their own antitrust lawsuits focused on Google’s ad business and Search ranking.
Update 12/17…
OnePlus has had an… interesting 2020. It started off with the very excellent OnePlus 8 and even better 8 Pro, but finished off with a pair of Nords that betray one of the biggest things we’ve loved about the company. Now, going into the new year, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has…
Google argues that ‘rich results’ in Search provide more direct experience in antitrust suit response
December 18, 2020
Today, a second group of states filed a lawsuit that alleged Google Search “hinders” access to “specialized vertical providers” that provide travel and entertainment information. Google’s response to that antitrust claim is focused on how Search today is intended to benefit users.
Google says that users “prefer” all the features/sections — including “maps, links to products…
Google finalizes shutdown of Android Things platform, set for 2022
December 18, 2020
In February of 2019, Google announced that it was “refocusing” Android’s IoT platform to just be for OEMs building Smart Displays and speakers. Google is now shutting down Android Things for non-commercial usage.
Google originally wanted to create an…
Google’s John Justice talks Stadia plans, data caps, Android TV, and not overpromising [Video]
December 18, 2020
Stadia’s first year saw a lot of changes, but Google continues to have a lot of hurdles to overcome in the gaming market. As the year comes to a close, Google’s Head of Product for Stadia, John Justice, was interviewed about the state of the platform and future plans…
Earlier this month, Google announced that it was using auto-generated narrators to make more audiobooks available. The Google Play Store now has a collection of free audiobooks created using this method.
The eight fiction and 12 non-fiction works are offered by “Google Play Public Domain.” A four-color Google strip appears on the left edge of the cover image, while the listing specifies what…
Since launch, folks have realized that Google Stadia is one of the easier and more consistent ways to play Cyberpunk 2077. However, not everything is perfect in Stadia’s version of Cyberpunk, as some players are finding themselves unable to play Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K, only…
Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power goes official as a rebranded Redmi Note 9 4G with an additional camera
December 17, 2020
Xiaomi today introduced a new smartphone called Redmi 9 Power, but it’s not an entirely new smartphone. It’s a Redmi Note 9 4G launched in China last month with an additional 2MP macro camera.
This means the Redmi 9 Power has a Snapdragon 662 SoC and runs…
Google’s Project Treble has been around since 2017 with the aim of speeding up Android updates by modularizing the core Android OS framework from the OEM skin customization. Now, Google and Qualcomm are teaming up to help Snapdragon-powered phones get support for up to 4 Android OS versions (launch release + 3 OS updates) and 4 years of security updates.
Project Treble infographic
Starting…
