To mark National Read Across America Day, Google Play Books is getting a pair of tools to make the Android and iOS apps more friendly for kids and young readers.
The app has always been “primarily designed for proficient readers,” but Google last year set out to “rethink what learning to read means for younger readers, their parents, and anyone else who may be a beginning reader.” It…
Given how “typography and iconography are so strongly related,” Google Fonts is adding Material icons and getting a new logo in the process.
Google has long offered a catalog of free and open source fonts. It’s now adding iconography to make a one-stop discovery…
Countless cyber threats are emerging every day, and it can be a difficult task protecting all the devices in your home. Sophos Home is for 9to5Google readers so you can get the best business-class cybersecurity software running on your PC, Android, Mac, and iOS devices…
Six utilities today announced the formation of the Electric Highway Coalition. It’s a plan to ensure that electric vehicle drivers have access to a network of charging stations on major highway systems on the Atlantic coast, in the Midwest and South, and in the Gulf and Central Plains regions.
Here’s what the Electric Highway Coalition’s network will look like:
Image: TVA
The Electric…
Google Duo on Android using ‘Lyra’ to offer natural-sounding voice calls on even a 2G connection
March 3, 2021
Google has unveiled Lyra, a new technology that allows Duo, and soon other apps, to offer natural-sounding voice chat with as little as 3 kilobytes per second of network bandwidth.
With so many of us still unable to visit with loved ones, video calling apps have played a…
Rivian planning to manufacture solid-state batteries
March 3, 2021
Recent job posts on Rivian’s career page reveal the automaker is searching for manufacturing engineers to develop solid-state batteries. The five positions currently listed are all for Rivian’s Palo Alto facility in California. Solid-state batteries have been touted for…
Google’s car OS today is available on the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge, with many more vehicles coming down the road. Volvo today announced the C40 Recharge as a follow-up that also uses Android Automotive.
The C40’s center console is very similar to that of the XC40 with a portrait screen flanked by vents. Volvo didn’t specify the C40’s display size today, but Android Automotive…
Kenko Tokina forms alliance with Carl Zeiss to be its distributor for lenses and more in Japan
March 3, 2021
A Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar 135mm F2.8 lens attached to a Sony mirrorless camera.
Kenko Tokina has announced a new business alliance with Carl Zeiss that will see Kenko Tokina take over sales and repair services for Carl Zeiss products in Japan, including interchangeable…
The team at PopCap ported its latest game, Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, to the Nintendo Switch. And producer Melvin Teo talked with the How Games Make Money podcast to explain what that process is like. Challenges include getting the Frostbite Engine that…
Gitzo has announced a crowdfunding campaign for the Legende Tripod and Backpack. Gitzo calls it “the best tripod we could make” that is backed by an “unlimited warranty” and made from eco-friendly materials along with easily repaired parts that emphasize sustainability.
The company says that it manufactured the two products to last a lifetime with low environmental impact. Gitzo says the…
