By now you’re well aware that Google is launching its latest mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 4a, in the coming months. Originally scheduled for Google I/O 2020, exactly a year after the Pixel 3a, the new phone now sits in waiting — and, as usual, leaking — before making its official debut. We’ve now confirmed all of the Pixel 4a’s specs with our sources, and all the details are below…
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Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5Toys, Electrek, and more. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.
[Update: Google confirms] Don’t be surprised when ‘Hangouts Meet’ becomes ‘Google Meet’
The branding around Hangouts — in 2020, that means Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet — is a mess. Those two brands are derivatives of a pre-existing brand that never made much sense in the first place. In today’s suddenly-video-conferencing-centric world, Google needs to simplify things, and a new support page update suggests that change is finally coming.
[Update: Orders cancelled] Google Pixel Buds 2 release date might be as soon as late April/early May
In mid-February, B&H Photo briefly put up Google’s forthcoming Pixel Buds 2 for pre-order, and just a couple days ago, another listing for the headphones came from Chicago-based retailer Abt. The product was priced at $179, but no actual release date was provided. Now, buyers are being notified by Abt about a potential shipping date.
These are the Google 3D animals you like best, and the ones you want added
Last week, as the popularity of Google’s 3D animals was surging across the web, we posted a couple polls asking which of the animal kingdom AR objects you liked best. We also asked you which animals you wanted to see the most — the ones Google needs to add to its ‘View in 3D’ feature in Search ASAP. Here are the results…
More examples of Google’s 3D animals as the perfect quarantine activity
Google’s 3D animals have exploded in popularity across the web over the last couple weeks, and it’s likely the result of a perfect storm of circumstances. People across the world are stuck indoors, parents are teaching their grade school children from home, and the Tiger King documentary has dropped on Netflix. Regardless of the reason, people everywhere are making 3D animals an incredibly fun quarantine activity.
Which 3D animals are missing from Google’s AR objects feature? [Poll]
Of all the massive variety of animals on this planet we call Earth (there are over 5,000 known species of mammals!), Google’s 3D animals feature in search only supports 26. Those do include the big ones! Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! But there are definitely some that Google could add in the future. Which would you want to see?
How to fix when Google’s ‘View in 3D’ animals AR object doesn’t work
Google’s 3D animals are growing in popularity by the minute, but not everyone can use them. That’s because not every phone is compatible with the technology that Google is using to power the fun new feature. If you’re not able to find the ‘View in 3D’ button for Google’s 3D animals in search, keep reading to find out how to fix that…
Which of Google’s 3D animals AR objects is the best? Tiger? Alligator? [Poll]
It’s not even a debate that Google’s 3D animals AR objects have exploded in popularity over the last few weeks, whether that be people trying to pose with a tiger to pretend to be a “Tiger King”, teach kids about animals while we’re on coronavirus lockdown, or just have fun. But of all the 3D animals that Google lets you play with, which one do you think is the best? Let us know in the poll below…
Google’s 3D animals in Search will soon be accompanied by cars and more
Google’s AR 3D animals have become wildly popular as the world goes on lockdown thanks to the coronavirus, but animals aren’t the only AR objects that you’ll be able to play with. According to Google’s own XML list of 3D objects, some partner companies like Ford and Kia might be working on doing some cars as well.
How to be a ‘Tiger King’ with Google’s 3D animal tiger in Search
Google’s 3D animals have exploded in popularity more than a year after Google first announced that AR objects would be coming to Search, but perhaps the most popular animal of all has been the tiger. Could this be due to the sudden popularity of the Netflix show “Tiger King”? If you’re looking to strike a pose with a virtual tiger, you’ve come to the right place…
Google is killing Google Publisher Toolbar for AdSense in May 2020
Google has announced the end of its Google Publisher Toolbar, a niche Chrome extension that made it easy to view AdSense earnings in your browser. With Publisher Toolbar, AdSense users could get a quick glimpse of the latest stats for their AdSense account, including earnings for the day so far, monthly earnings, and a look at which sites were earning the most.
How to mute coronavirus-related content on Twitter
It’s great to stay informed about what’s going on in the world, but it’s also very much possible to be over-informed. As the novel coronavirus wreaks havoc on the world, one of the easiest ways to control your level of information intake is Twitter mute filters. I needed them, so I thought you might too. Here’s how to cut down on coronavirus content on Twitter…
Google is calling off April Fools this year, according to an internal email
April Fools pranks are an annual tradition at the Mountain View, California company, but it appears Google is putting in all the stops on its gags this year. That’s according to an internal email from Google marketing boss Lorraine Twohill that Business Insider got their hands on…
Google Duo creator says today is the biggest for video conferencing in history
As the coronavirus outbreak spreads across the Western world, people are flocking en masse to videoconferencing software to communicate with loved ones and work from home. Now, the creator of Google Duo says that today is “going to be the biggest day for videoconferencing in the history of the Earth.”
Google tells devs to expect longer app review times in light of coronavirus
Google is now notifying developers that app review times could be extended “due to adjusted work schedules”. It seems likely that this has to do with the disruptions to normal business that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing at Google and other firms across the country.
Exclusive: Google plans new Chromecast Ultra based on Android TV (w/ remote!)
According to a reliable source familiar with the company’s plans, Google is planning to launch a second-generation Chromecast Ultra this year based on Android TV. The device is a dongle, much like the current form-factor, but there is one major hardware addition: an external remote.
[Update: 2 days] It’s not just you: Robinhood has been down for two days
Just in case you were concerned that maybe there was something wrong with your app or your WiFi: Nope, it’s not just you that hasn’t been able to access Robinhood’s app or website all day. In an unprecedented outage for a brokerage of its size, Robinhood hasn’t been available for two days…
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Report: A Google employee has tested positive for the coronavirus
A report from Business Insider today says that a Google employee has tested positive for the coronavirus. Google is a large company with more than 100,000 employees across many countries, and BI says that the employee had been in the company’s Zurich office before displaying symptoms…
Station, Google’s free ‘Next Billion Users’ WiFi program, is shutting down
Google has today announced (via TechCrunch) that Station, its free WiFi service available at 400 rail stations in India and many other countries around the world, is shutting down.
Cold weather might be the enemy of foldables like the Razr and Galaxy Z Flip
It looks like some foldable phones owned by tech reviewers are already breaking — and it’s happening for more people than just the one that intentionally abuses his devices. The latest events involve both the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and the Moto Razr (2020), and it looks like there might be temperature-related causes for the maladies…
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Mobile World Congress 2020 has been cancelled over coronavirus concerns
After several of the largest companies exhibiting at the show pulled out over the last week due to concerns over the coronavirus epidemic, GSMA has now announced that Mobile World Congress 2020 is officially cancelled…
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip thoughts: Foldables might just matter
It’s Samsung Unpacked 2020 today, and the first 20 minutes of the event were by far the most interesting. Samsung jumped right into the thing that’s catching most everyone’s eyes and minds — the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. This is the third major entrant in this new category of phones we call foldables, following last year’s Galaxy Fold and the more recent Moto Razr. I’m still trying to put my thoughts together on these as a category, but the Z Flip is definitely the most promising one yet.
Samsung Unpacked Live Blog & News Hub: Watch the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip announcements
It’s February 11th, and that means Samsung’s big Unpacked event for the first half of 2020 is here. 9to5Google’s Samsung Unpacked Live Blog + News Hub will be updated regularly throughout the day with the latest announcements from Samsung. The event kicks off at 2PM ET/11AM PT, so read on for quick links to our roundup coverage over the last few weeks, tweets from the ground, and all the latest news as it develops…
How to watch Samsung announce the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip at Unpacked 2020 [Livestream]
Samsung is going to take the stage at Unpacked this morning in San Francisco to unveil its latest flagship products, and you can watch the event livestream right here. The show kicks off at 2PM ET/11AM PT, but we’ll start live blogging with photos from the event space and the latest news around 9AM PT. Tune in below to watch Samsung announce the Galaxy S20, Z Flip, and more…