The advent of any new technology is accompanied with complaints, as seen with Wing’s delivery drones, but in the case of self-driving cars there have been more radical expressions of discontent. As Waymo tests and operates vehicles in Phoenix, some Arizona residents have taken to threatening or even damaging the cars.
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How to watch New Year’s Eve celebrations on Chromecast, Android TV, Chrome OS, Android
New Year’s is just around the corner and, as every year, events around the world are ringing in 2019 with huge celebrations. If you’re staying home but don’t want to miss out on the fun, here’s where to watch New Year’s Eve celebrations on Chromecast, Android TV, and more.
Google Assistant can now make charity donations on Android and Google Home
Earlier this month, the Play Store added a built-in feature to make donations to charitable organizations right from Android. At the same time, Google Assistant quietly added an even simpler way to contribute to good causes with just your voice on all your smart devices.
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Google is working on a fix for laggy tablet mode on Chrome OS devices including the Pixel Slate
Chrome OS was originally a laptop platform, but slowly it’s being reworked for tablet form factors. However, as that goes on, there have been some hiccups. Most recently, many have noted the poor performance of tablet mode especially on Chrome OS products like the Pixel Slate, but it seems a fix for that lag is incoming.
Samsung Galaxy S10: Everything we know so far [Video]
Once a faucet starts to leak, often times that tap is going to keep on leaking. That’s exactly what happens with almost every major smartphone launch, including the Samsung Galaxy S10.
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Security researchers hijack celebrity Twitter accounts, and prove claimed fix failed
Security researchers have hijacked a number of celebrity Twitter accounts – including that of Louis Theroux – to post unauthorized tweets. They have also demonstrated that Twitter’s claimed fix for the problem didn’t work …
Google Duo group calling sneak peek revealed, low light mode also in testing
Google’s work in messaging services has resulted mostly in a lot of headaches, but one major success for the company has been its video calling app Duo. Now, we’re getting a first look at Google Duo group calls as well as a new low light mode.
LG G7 ThinQ kicks off 2019 w/ official Android Pie update
LG has had a tough time over the past couple of years, even despite releasing a few quality handsets and some very impressive hardware — at least on paper. That said, the LG G7 ThinQ might have flown under the radar for most out there, but is set to get its taste of Android Pie tomorrow.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 gets a fourth Android Pie beta update w/ touchscreen issue fixes
Updates for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie beta are coming thick and fast. We’ve already seen the device get a few updates already, but now for users in India, Germany and South Korea, a fourth update is steadily rolling out with the rest of the world getting the update very soon.
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Nokia 9 PureView leak of press images seemingly confirm 5 cameras, in-display fingerprint reader
The latest flagship from HMD Global, the Nokia 9 PureView, with its odd trypophobia-inducing rear camera array has leaked yet again, this time in press renders. These renders showcase the rear and drop a massive hint that the Nokia 9 PureView will also include an in-display fingerprint reader.
Popular Android apps sending user data to Facebook without user consent, likely illegally
A study of 34 of the most popular Android apps found that at least 20 of them are sending user data to Facebook without consent.
The data transmitted ranges from the innocuous to the sensitive – such as whether the user has children – and is likely to be illegal in the case of European citizens …
Google deprecating desktop Chromecast setup for Mac and PC with Chrome 72
The Chromecast celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and was Google’s first big hardware success. It is a very affordable and easy to use streaming device, though an upcoming update next month will remove the ability to set the dongle up from Chrome for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Google Search Featured Snippets highlighting answers on linked AMP articles
Featured Snippets in Google Search provide users with direct answers and are leveraged during voice queries on Assistant and Home speakers. On the web, Google sometimes shows videos queued to the relevant timestamp and is now directly highlighting answers on AMP articles when users click-through to the full answer.
YouTube Music presenting ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ this Monday on ABC
For Google, “presenting” major sporting events and award shows have served as a good way to advertise its brand and paid services. The latest sponsorship is for the Times Square Ball Drop broadcast and musical show on New Year’s Eve to showcase YouTube Music.
Privacy lawsuit over facial recognition in Google Photos dismissed by federal judge
From face recognition to fingerprints, biometric data is widely used in today’s consumer technology to sort through pictures, unlock phones, and more. Some states have passed privacy laws to govern usage, with the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) in Illinois allowing individuals to seek damages. A lawsuit involving Google Photos was just dismissed in a win for the company.
This week’s top stories: Android TV, Google Messages web app, Samsung Android Pie roadmap, more
In this week’s top stories: Fresh news on Google’s Android TV, Samsung’s Android Pie roadmap is revealed, all we’ve seen of Fuchsia disappears, Google’s Messages web app changes its URL, and much more.
Fuchsia Friday: The mystery of Dragonglass in Android, Chromium, and Fuchsia
Earlier this week, we reported that just about everything we’ve seen about Fuchsia is now gone, as the “Armadillo” UI has been deleted. In its place, we only have references to what seem, in context, to be three other “shells” or user interfaces which are all kept closed-source by Google. However, one of these, “Dragonglass,” may offer more answers than we initially thought.
Google Photos suggesting ‘Best of 2018’ photo book as Google News recaps ‘Year in News’
The year is rapidly coming to a close and Google’s various services over the past few weeks have released recaps. Google News is now offering users a “Year in News” collection, while Google Photos is suggesting “Best of 2018” photo books.
RIP Essential Phone: Stock won’t return as focus shifts to ‘next mobile product’
The past year hasn’t been kind to Essential, the startup behind 2017’s PH-1. Now, the company has confirmed to 9to5Google that the Essential Phone won’t be restocked as the company shifts its focus to future products.
Google begins rolling out Spam Protection in Messages
Earlier this month, our APK Insight of Messages 3.9 revealed Google’s work on “Spam Protection” for Android’s default SMS/RCS client. The feature is now beginning to roll out for some users.
9to5Toys Last Call: Fire HD Tablet $100, Linksys Velop Wi-Fi Routers $320, Amazon Digital Day HD Movie Sale, more
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9to5Toys Lunch Break delivers the best deals every day of the week at 12:30PM EST. This includes price drops on all sorts of Apple products from iPad to MacBook and everything in between, as well as HomeKit gear, accessories of all kinds and so much more.
You’ll also find our daily coverage of the coolest new gear and gadgets from across the internet along with our New Toy of the Day, product reviews, giveaways and app sales. Head below for today’s top deals and most interesting new products in the world of tech and beyond…
Pixel 3: Essential tips and tricks for your Made by Google phone [Video]
Hopefully, you’re enjoying your brand new Pixel 3, had one for a while or are thinking that you might get one soon, for that reason we’ve compiled a few of our best tips and tricks for any potential Pixel 3 user out there.
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Here’s why pay TV operators are flocking to Google’s Android TV
In the streaming market, Android TV is still far from the largest platform out there, paling in comparison to the mighty Roku. However, it’s clearly growing with the recent reveal that “tens of millions” of users are on the platform. Half of that comes from pay TV operators, but why? Here’s why pay TV operators seem to love Google’s Android TV so much.