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Do you prefer the outgoing Google Calendar UI from 2006 or its redesigned replacement? [Poll]

Google Calendar

Back in October of last year, Google announced a cleaned up and refreshed version of Google Calendar for the web. On top of receiving a fresh coat of paint, Google worked to add features to the online calendar to make it easier to add events, format calendar invites, and much more.

As the new design will automatically replace the outgoing version starting on January 8, we wanted to know if you prefer the look of the 2017 redesign more than the version from 2006 leaving the web in a couple of days…


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Google says its AI-powered speech synthesis system almost indistinguishable from human speech

Google claims that the latest version of its AI-powered speech synthesis system, Tacotron 2, is almost indistinguishable from human speech – and has put some comparative examples online to demonstrate.

Tacotron 2 works directly from written text, and Google says it can use context to correctly pronounce identically-spelled words like ‘read’ (to read) and ‘read’ (has read), responds to punctuation and can learn to stress words …


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Justin’s 9to5Google Gift Guide — The best last minute items for the techie in your life

If you’re anything like me, you have noticed that the holidays are now upon us and you haven’t bought gifts for everyone just yet. Thankfully, there is still time to pick up or order some last minute gifts. Here are a couple of items that are still in stock and can be at your door in time for the big day…


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Google will no longer show news results from sites that hide their location

“Fake news” is probably one of the most recognizable terms to come out of 2017, and Google has certainly had to work to prevent illegitimate sources from showing in search results. Especially in the case of tragedies, Google’s news results this year have pulled up alarming results, and the company is continually taking steps to fix these issues.


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Google’s Inbox makes it easy to unsubscribe from email lists you don’t read

When Google introduced Inbox, the app’s smart sorting and organization features differentiated it from the standard Gmail email client. Since launching, the app has been updated with new functionality like the ability to remind users to follow-up on sent emails. A new feature within Inbox, rolling out now, automatically detects when you haven’t read emails from a certain sender and offers to automatically unsubscribe you from the email list.


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Do you plan on buying the Google Home Max? [Poll]

The Home Max is now available for purchase which means Google now sells three different smart speakers, all serving separate purposes. The Max, being the largest of the three, is intended to be a premium quality speaker which just happens to have Google Assistant built-in.

But at $400, the Home Max can be a difficult purchase to make. Are you buying one for your house?


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[Hands-on] How to use Google’s AR Stickers on the Pixel 2 w/ Stormtroopers, Porgs, and more

At long last, Google has finally launched its first implementation of ARCore on the Pixel 2 handsets in the form of AR stickers. These sticker packs include characters from Star Wars, Stranger Things, and several of the company’s own creations. Here’s a quick hands-on to show you how they work…


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Report: Google concerned over future Qualcomm innovation after Broadcom takeover

Early last month, Broadcom announced a $105 billion offer to buy Qualcomm. The latter chipmaker has rejected the initial bid in an attempt to possibly get a better offer. However, a new report today reveals that Google and others in the industry are worried about such a deal due to innovation concerns, as well as the purchase aiding Apple.


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Best Google-compatible smart home devices and apps to get you into the holiday spirit

Google Santa Tracker

As we move forward into December, we are quickly approaching the holiday season. As it’s 2017, there are applications and smart home products that can help you not only get into the holiday spirit but also help you control your decorations using your phone and Google Assistant. Here are just a handful of apps and products to help you make it through the festivities…


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Review: Moshi’s USB-C digital audio adapter with charging is useful but also huge

Despite mocking the iPhone last year over the lack of a headphone jack, Google decided to remove the 3.5mm port from its latest flagship smartphones. Because of this, users either have to convert to USB-C or Bluetooth headphones or use the included USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. But what if you want to charge and listen to music at the same time with wired headphones? Moshi has you covered, but it won’t come cheap…


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Opinion: Apple AirPods provide a better experience than Pixel Buds, even on Android

Leading up to Google’s October 4 event, we knew that Google was planning to introduce a pair of wireless earbuds that would compete with the likes of Apple’s AirPods. The key differentiator for Pixel Buds — besides Android optimizations — is the Google Assistant. They seemed more sophisticated and feature packed than the competition even with the wire connecting the buds.

As we wrote in the Pixel Buds’ review, these are the smartest earbuds you can buy, but with some clear flaws. Unfortunately, though, those flaws were enough for me to return my personal set and switch back to using AirPods with my Pixel 2…


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YouTube promises to (slowly) boost moderator team to 10,000 to tackle child exploitation videos

Following reports of sexualised videos of children attracting hundreds of comments from suspected pedophiles, YouTube has announced that it will be boosting its content moderator team to 10,000 people – but only by the end of 2018. The current team is reported to be around 8,000 people.

Times investigation first uncovered the scale of the problem eleven days ago, with volunteer flaggers claiming that YouTube wasn’t taking the problem seriously …


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iPhone owners could claim $672 each from Google for bypassing Safari privacy settings

Brits who used an iPhone between June 2011 and February 2012 could receive as much as £500 ($672) each from Google as compensation for the search giant bypassing Safari privacy settings between those dates.

A British campaign group has launched a ‘representative action’ (the UK equivalent of a class action lawsuit) on behalf of the 5.4M iPhone users in England and Wales affected by what is known as Google’s ‘Safari workaround.’ The lawsuit could cost Google as much as £2.7B ($3.63B) in total …


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Periods of misconduct by Google leadership has reportedly lead to a hostile climate internally

Early yesterday, a report surfaced that Andy Rubin, the co-creator of Android, left Google shortly after a human resources investigation found him maintaining an inappropriate relationship with a lower-level employee. Now, thanks to an investigation by The Information, it appears that relationships and misconduct had by leadership within the company has created a hostile climate, primarily for female employees…


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Andy Rubin reportedly had an ‘inappropriate relationship’ at Google, is temporarily stepping away from Essential

Andy Rubin, most notably known for being the co-creator of Android, made headlines back in 2013 when he left the mobile OS project as well as when he left Google entirely in 2014. While most have believed he left to start other ventures such as Essential, according to a report from The Information, Rubin departed from the search giant shortly after an internal investigation found evidence of him maintaining an “inappropriate relationship” with a female employee who worked for him…


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PSA: A fix for Google Pixel 2’s random rebooting problem in the works

Yesterday, yet another report was posted to Google’s product forums about the Pixel 2 and 2 XL randomly rebooting. While one user speculated that the problem had to do with the device’s LTE modem, Google had yet to give an official statement. Thankfully, the forum’s community manager has now commented to say that a fix is in the works and will be rolled out soon…


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How to enable the Pixel Visual Core’s HDR+ feature on Android 8.1

Shortly after the Pixel 2 was released, Google announced that its two new smartphones had a dedicated chip built-in that would be used to handle specialized processes like the camera app’s HDR+ image processing. Weirdly, though, Google didn’t turn on this Pixel Visual Core when it shipped its flagship devices. Now, with Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2, the Pixel Visual Core can be enabled. Here’s how…


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Google researchers developed an app that can detect and show you when someone is looking at your phone

Our smartphones are full of personal information and sensitive data, and sometimes, we have to pull up info that we don’t want others to see. However, in a public setting, it’s not all that difficult for someone to look over your shoulder and see everything you are. Now, a couple of Google researchers have figured out a way to detect when someone is looking at your phone.


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Android 8.1 DP2 fixes audio issues while recording video on Google Pixel 2/XL

As most know, the Pixel 2 and especially the Pixel 2 XL have been plagued with bugs and issues since being released back in October. Thankfully, Google isn’t ignoring customer complaints and has been working on fixes. According to several people running the second Developer Preview of Android 8.1, it appears that Google has rolled out a patch that addresses a weird microphone bug that created audio distortion when capturing video…


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