The name Google is synonymous with online searches, but over the years the company has grown beyond search and now builds multiple consumer products, including software like Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Android, and hardware like the Pixel smartphones, Google Home, and Chromebooks. Its name can also be found on internet services such as Google Fi, Flights, Checkout, and Google Fiber. Here is all of the latest news about one of the most influential tech companies in the world.
Now you can move both passwords and passkeys between Google Password Manager, 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane, with more password managers to come. It works at the OS level, so there’s no unencrypted text file for you to deal with on the import / export.
The 2023 Android tablet has seemingly been discontinued. Its online Google Store page is gone, and there’s no longer even a “Tablet” section in the menu. The Pixel Tablet was most notable for the included dock, which turned it into a smart home hub, but never received a follow-up.
First announced at I/O in May, Daily Brief is an AI feature that generates a summary of your day with the emails, meetings, and other information pulled from apps connected to Gemini. It was previously only available to Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers.
As previously announced, Google has halved the release cycle for its web browser with today’s stable release of Chrome 153 on desktop, Android, and iOS. Chrome 154 Beta is now ready for testing, ahead of its stable release on September 22nd.
Searches related to hotels and flights will now more prominently display results linking to price comparison sites, after the EU found Google was breaking antitrust rules by prioritizing its own Shopping, Flights, and Hotels tools, fining it €460 million. Google told Reuters it’s the largest reduction in search quality for 29 years.
The update is rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US over the next few weeks. When it arrives, Spark users can ask the AI agent to automatically search, organize, and curate photos and videos, and extract information from them to use elsewhere.
A Play Store listing spotted by 9to5Google said “Look up” allows you to “highlight a concept you want to explore, a new word, a trip destination, and more.” Screenshots captured by the outlet show the app pulling up a definition for a highlighted word, as well as showing tracking information for a highlighted flight number.
The app description and images have since been pulled from the listing.
Google is pitching its AI tools as a way to streamline production and visual effects, but the effort faces pushback from union workers and creators concerned about copyright, job displacement, and artistic control.
The version 5.07 update will allow you to “add and adjust more metrics” to workouts you manually log, as well as view these changes more quickly in workout summaries. Google also says the Health app’s built-in map now has faster load times and smoother rendering.
[Google Health Community]
The themes menu for RCS chats now has options for different bubble colors and wallpapers, including an option to upload your own background image. Google says chat customizations are only visible to you, though, not anyone else in the chat.
An open letter signed by over 100 companies and organizations calls for a “global surge in cyber defense,” saying “AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated:”
Put cyber-capable AI in the hands of defenders, starting with the teams protecting essential services. Fix the most dangerous weaknesses, verify the fixes, and share what works so others can build on it. Together, we can turn today’s AI advances into lasting improvements in security that benefit everyone.
The feature is rolling out in the US in the coming weeks and will support bookings at Expedia, Booking.com, Hilton, Hotels.com, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Priceline, and others.
Google also announced that you can now set up flight tracking alerts through AI Mode, as well as view the cost of flights in points or miles by linking your airline rewards account.
Starting on August 31st, you’ll be able to start, stop, and pause Gemini’s “take notes for me” feature directly from Google’s meeting room touch controllers. Currently, you have to join the Google Meet from another device in Companion Mode to control the AI notetaking feature.
Along with a financial research agent, Google says its new AI legal tool can help law firms draft legal briefs, manage upcoming regulations, and verify citations — something that’s become a big problem as more lawyers adopt AI.
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[Google Cloud Press Corner]
It would have been the next bellwether in the group of cases tried in a Los Angeles state court. In the first, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million total. After settling with TikTok, the teen’s lawyer told The New York Times, she wanted to “resume her life.”
[The New York Times]
It’s rolling out an interactive button that publishers can add to their websites, allowing readers to quickly add the site to their preferred sources without navigating away from the webpage. Preferred Sources launched last year as a way to customize the outlets you see at the top of Search, AI Overviews, and AI Mode.
(PS: You can add The Verge as a preferred source here!)
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