Google Lens is one of the most exciting launches coming from Google this year. A look at the latest Google app beta (version 7.9) reveals more about the visual search feature, its interface, and how it could be activated. Meanwhile, Google is working on adding a Quick Search bar to notifications and a redesigned Search interface. Other changes include an updated screenshot editing feature and minor tweaks to Google Assistant.

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A total solar eclipse – the entire sun blocked by the passage of the moon – is one of the most awe-inspiring natural events you can experience. I travelled to Germany to view one in 1999, and I remember it vividly today. The light getting gradually dimmer and dimmer, a deep twilight and then the sudden and dramatic transition into total darkness.

Today will see America’s first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in almost a century. You need to be in quite a narrow band of the U.S. to experience the totality in person, but if you’re not able to do so, there are plenty of ways to livestream the event …

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Action Launcher — one of the most popular third-party launchers on the Google Play Store — received a massive update a little less than a month ago to support Google Feed integration, App Shortcuts, and plenty of other Android O-related features. Now, Action Launcher is being updated once more, and with version 27 of the app, users now have even more customization options of these previously released features..

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Many consumers expect web content to be free and will suffer through most ads rather than subscribe to various publications. This, of course, comes as a great detriment to publishers and their business. With several new efforts, Google is now trying to help publications boost their subscriptions and monetization.

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Last month saw YouTube TV expand to 10 more markets around the U.S. Today the $35 per month cord cutting service is launching in 14 more locations, with Google’s cable competitor now available for residents of 29 areas around the country.

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Over the past month, some Pixel users began noticing a transparent Google Feed to the left of their homescreen. Over the past few days, Google has been more widely rolling out the redesigned interface, with many users now seeing the new design this evening.

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The latest Gboard beta is rolling out this evening with a number of new features for the Google keyboard. Version 6.5 most signficantly adds sticker integration with apps like Bitmoji, while slightly redesigning several keys as well as the Themes settings page.

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Google+’s continued focus on Collections and Communities has served the social network rather well since its 2015 relaunch. The service is now launching a new Discover feature to to surface the best content.

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While Google Maps may be the superior service in a lot of ways, Waze offers a lot of features that come in handy while on the go. Its most notable crowd-sourced feature is spotting police cars hidden on the road, but today the app is adding roadside assistance to its feature list.

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With the next billion users coming from developing markets, Google has taken to creating apps specially tuned for those users. The latest is called Search Lite and offers a lighter, more focused version of the main Google Search experience.

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Over the years, Google has added a number of features based on crowdsourced data to improve local discovery in Maps and Search. The latest effort involves adding a question and answer section directly to listings in Maps and mobile Search.

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When someone buys a car from Genesis, they’re given three complimentary years of the company’s “Connected Services.” These services include the ability to remotely lock, unlock, start the vehicle, and much more. Announced today, users will now be able to control their Genesis cars through Google Assistant on smartphones and Google Home…

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Facebook today has announced a host of updates for both mobile and desktop users. Most notably, the company is making changes to how users go about navigating the News Feed on desktop and mobile, while the Camera functionality is also gaining a handful of new features.

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With Chrome 60 rolled out to Mac, Windows, and Linux, as well as Android, version 61 is now rolling out to the beta channel. This release features several major new APIs that bring more native app functionality to the web.

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Google has been messing around with rounded UI elements for the past couple of months through its various services, and now, that’s extending to Chrome for Android. In the latest update to the Canary channel of Chrome, v62, a new flag enables a “modern” look for the UI which introduces a rounded UI.

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As part of Android O Developer Preview 3 from June, the Google Camera app was updated with a handful of new features. That version is now finally rolling out to all through the Play Store for current Pixel, Nexus, and Android One devices.

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As Android O nears its official launch for phones and tablets, other Android-based platforms are beginning to transition over. For Android Things, the jump to 8.0 will introduce new features and begins with Developer Preview 5.

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Google has long possessed a number of cooking-related tools, including a recipe-optimized Search functionality. Back in April, the Assistant on Google Home added the ability to verbally walk users through creating a dish. The Google Feed is now gaining more food-related smarts as its built-in ‘Cooking’ feature sees a wider rollout.

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Google Maps is probably one of the most used applications on your smartphone, and Google is constantly testing new ways to make it more and more useful. In the latest beta update for Maps for Android, Google has added several new features, including a picture-in-picture window for Android O users.

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