Google

As per a new Google project over on Github, the company is working on a brand new operating system. The new OS, currently dubbed Fuchsia, would add to Google’s current operating system offerings, namely Android and Chrome OS. This wouldn’t be an upgrade or replacement for either, but rather something completely standalone. Where it differs is in the fact that Fuchsia is not based on Linux — as both Android and Chrome OS are…

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The long-time CTO and director of Alphabet’s self-driving car project is leaving the Mountain View company, according to a report this afternoon from Recode. Urmson has been on the project for seven years, and two other early — and crucial — members of the project, including Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson are also leaving the project reports say…

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We all have a million passwords to keep track of, so tools that can help us keep them secure and also make them easier to use are always great. To make keeping track of passwords easier, Google has worked with Dashlane to create a new password management API called “Open YOLO” — which stands for “You Only Login Once.”

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Samsung finally took the wraps off its new Galaxy Note 7 earlier today, but as usual, pre-ordering the phone isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. As mentioned by Samsung earlier today, the Note 7 going to be available on all four of the major US carriers, but each one is going about pre-orders and special offers in a different way. Keep reading for the full rundown…

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No one enjoys getting random, unwanted phone calls, especially on their mobile phone. Thankfully Google is doing something about it, at least for Nexus and Android One users. As long as caller ID is enabled on your device, Google will now give you a clear warning if an incoming call is potentially a spam call.

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Google+ has never been the “popular” social network, but 5 years after its creation the social network is still here and still has a strong user base. Over the coming months there are several big changes coming to the platform, including a new UI for the web, but one feature we’ve lacked is the ability to add an image in the comments section. That feature, however, is apparently on its way.

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With virtual reality gaming quickly on the rise we’re seeing more and more consumers pick up VR headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Currently these are the two biggest players in the game, but if plans from Google had come to fruition, there may have been another headset on the market…

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After picking up new updates on both Android and iOS earlier this week, Google Hangouts is now picking up a new feature for group chats — the ability to join via a unique link…

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After making some major improvements to its coverage in the US, Project Fi is turning its focus to international markets with some huge updates today. Starting today Fi customers will have access to faster data speeds worldwide, thanks in part to help from Google’s partnership with European carrier Three.

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Update: Niantic has issued the following statement:

We recently discovered that the Pokémon Go account creation process on iOS erroneously requests full access permission for the user’s Google account. However, Pokémon Go only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your User ID and email address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected.

Once we became aware of this error, we began working on a client-side fix to request permission for only basic Google profile information, in line with the data that we actually access. Google has verified that no other information has been received or accessed by Pokémon Go or Niantic. Google will soon reduce Pokémon Go’s permission to only the basic profile data that Pokémon Go needs, and users do not need to take any actions themselves.

Google lets you see the apps connected to your account at the My Account section of its website, and today we noticed something interesting: Pokémon Go, the new hit smartphone game that’s pretty much taking over the world, is getting full access to many users’ Google accounts. That’s the same privilege that Google Chrome and Chromecast get. Currently, this appears to affect those that have used the Google sign in feature in the iOS app…

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According to Mercury News, a man behind a series of attacks on Google’s Mountain View campus was charged with arson last week. Fearing that Google was tracking and watching him, Raul Murillo Diaz threw Molotov cocktails at a Street View vehicle, shot the windows of several buildings, and possibly burned a self-driving car.

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Update: Shortly after publishing this article Huawei provided us with this statement:

It has recently been highlighted that an image posted to our social channels was not shot on the Huawei P9. The photo, which was professionally taken while filming a Huawei P9  advert, was shared to inspire our community. We recognise though that we should have been clearer with the captions for this image. It was never our intention to mislead. We apologise for this and we have removed the image.

The cameras on our smartphones just continue to get better and better with improved sensors, powerful software, and impressive low light capability. But there are certain things they just can’t do.

With its P9, Huawei implemented an advanced dual-camera system to improve quality of the shots you take, and while they can be certainly impressive, as noted in our full review, Huawei’s marketing department might think just a bit too highly of this camera…

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In Google’s self-driving car report for June 2016, the Mountain View company has detailed — alongside the latest stats/metrics and a couple of accident reports, of course — how its autonomous vehicles share the road with cyclists…

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Google has been rolling out more and more instant answers – where the search-engine provides the answer immediately, rather than requiring you to click on an external link. Just yesterday it added song lyrics, and it now appears to be testing a built-in Internet speed test …

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