Mobile menu toggle

Google - page 10

Google starts testing AirDrop clone for Android Q

By

AirDrop
‘Fast Share’ will roll out later this year.
Photo: Apple

Google is working to deliver an AirDrop clone that will allow Android users to quickly share files with nearby devices.

Its new “Fast Share” feature, which will also make its way to Chrome OS, can be used to send images, videos, links, and other files without an internet connection. It can already be enabled on some Android Q devices.

How to ask Google to auto-wipe your activity data on iOS

By

Google-app-activity-data
It takes care of itself.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You can now ask the Google app on iOS to automatically wipe your location and activity history.

The new feature, which was showcased during Google I/O in late May, takes the hassle out of covering your tracks. You only have to set it up once and it will take care of itself going forward. Here’s how to get started.

Microsoft plans dual-screen Surface tablet with Android apps

By

Microsoft-Surface
It will look very different to a standard Surface tablet.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new dual-screen Surface tablet that will run Android apps.

The slate, which is codenamed Centaurus, will reportedly pack two 9-inch displays that fold together like a book. Supply chain sources expect it to launch in the first quarter or first half of 2020.

Be very careful about buying used Nest security cams [Update]

By

Nest-camera
Who’s watching you through your Nest?
Photo: Nest

UPDATE: See the statement received from Google at the bottom of this story.

You might want to think twice about buying used Nest security cameras.

A new report reveals that secondhand models can allow previous owners to spy on new users — even if they correctly follow Nest’s instructions on resetting the device. There’s currently no fix for the security flaw.

Apple becomes world’s fourth-largest gaming company

By

Fortnite iOS 14
Everyone should welcome skill-based matchmaking.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is now the world’s fourth-largest gaming company, according to a new report.

It is ranked higher than gaming giants like Nintendo, EA, and Activision — thanks mostly to the popularity of mobile gaming on iPhone. Apple is estimated to have earned $9.453 billion from games during 2018 alone.

Uh-oh! Huawei delays its first foldable smartphone

By

Huawei’s Mate X isn’t exactly svelte.
You’ll have to wait until September for the Mate X.
Photo: Huawei

If you’re itching to get your hands on a foldable phone and you thought choosing Huawei over Samsung would be a good idea following the Galaxy Fold’s delay, think again.

Huawei has confirmed that it, too, is delaying its first foldable handset. The Mate X is now pegged for a September debut so that extra tests can be carried out to avoid another Galaxy Fold fiasco.

Leaked Pixel 4 sports square camera bump like 2019 iPhone

By

Pixel 4
Pixel 4 mockup for case makers.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Square camera bumps are shaping up to be one of the biggest smartphone trends of 2019.

Leaked images of Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone surfaced online today, revealing some surprising design changes for the handset, including a square in the back that packs multiple cameras. It looks awfully similar to the leaked iPhone 11 renderings we’ve seen so far.

Take a closer took:

2019 iPhone could finally take on Google Pixel’s amazing Night Sight

By

Pixel 3 Night Sight
The Pixel 3 destroys iPhone in low-light performance.
Photo: Google

Apple is developing its very own Night Sight feature for the next-generation iPhone lineup, according to a new report.

Google’s Pixel handsets have been well and truly beating rivals on low-light camera performance for years now. But it is claimed Apple has a similar feature up its sleeve called “Night Mode” — and we should see it this year.

Dropbox overhauls its Mac app, adds a bunch of awesome features

By

Dropbox-overhaul
Try it out today.
Photo: Dropbox

Dropbox wants to be the only app you use on your Mac to access your most important files — wherever they are stored.

Its overhauled desktop client brings all your favorite cloud services together inside an all-new design with a bunch of awesome new features. It’s more than an app, Dropbox says, “it’s a completely new experience.”

Amazon beats Apple and Google to be named most valuable brand

By

Amazon Music
Unlimited potential? Yep, that seems to sum it up!
Photo: Amazon

Amazon has overtaken Apple in terms of market cap, and now it’s overtaken it in terms of brand value as well.

At least, that’s according to Kantar’s latest BrandZ list of the world’s most valuable brands — which shows an amazing leap ahead by Jeff Bezos’s retail titan.

Game on! Apple Arcade faces serious competition

By

Microsoft Project xCloud
Three huge tech companies are all launching gaming services this year, and any of them can be accessed with an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Photo: Microsoft

Two of Apple’s biggest competitors revealed they’ll debut their own streaming games services at about the same time as the launch of Apple Arcade.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Microsoft xCloud and Google Stadia, but their developers have revealed new details about pricing and release dates.

Apple prods devs to give ‘Sign in with Apple’ top billing

By

Sign in with Apple
Get ready to see this button everywhere.
Photo: Apple

Sign in with Apple could give Facebook and Google some serious headaches when it launches as part of iOS 13 this fall, however, Apple’s strict rules could bring some pushback.

Not only will Apple require all apps that use third-party login services like Facebook to also support Apple’s privacy-focused login service, but it is also asking that the button be placed above competitors’ options.

Apple guns for Facebook with new ‘Sign in with Apple’ privacy feature [Update]

By

Sign in with Apple
"Sign in with Apple" is a new privacy feature in iOS 13.
Photo: Alfred Ng

WWDC 2019 bug Update: Apple says “Sign in with Apple” will be mandatory for third-party apps that require sign-ins, according to these new App Store guidelines. That means apps that currently use Facebook or Google to sign in will also have to support “Sign in with Apple.”

“It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year,” the new guidelines say.

Apple is targeting Facebook with a new privacy feature in iOS 13 that privately logs users into third-party apps and services.

Called “Sign in with Apple,” it aims to replace popular cross-web login services like ones offered by Facebook and Google.

The new privacy feature prevents third-party apps and web services from tracking users via their logins. It creates private, disposable logins for every service or app.

Huawei OS could fight Android (and Windows) next year

By

Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Huawei is developing its own operating system that will power its smartphones and other devices if it cannot rely on Android.

Richard Yu, head of the company’s consumer division, has now confirmed the software could be ready in early 2020. Android and Windows remain its top preference for now, however.

Apple reportedly tried to buy Tesla for way over the odds

By

Tesla
This Model 3 could have carried an Apple logo one day.
Photo: Tesla

Apple tried to buy Tesla for more than it is currently worth back in 2013, according to one analyst.

The iPhone-maker is said to have made a bid at around $240 a share. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had already tried to offload his company to Google when its future wasn’t looking so bright.

Google, Qualcomm and others cease partnerships with Huawei

By

Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Google has suspended its business with Huawei and revoked its Android license following a U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology companies.

It’s a massive blow for the world’s third-biggest smartphone-maker — and it’s not the only one it received this weekend. Intel, Qualcomm, and other chip manufacturers have also halted their partnerships with the company.

Google ad blasts iPhones for being more expensive than Pixel 3a

By

Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Google thinks iPhones are too expensive.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Banner ads showcasing Google’s new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL handsets pit them against Apple’s iPhone X series devices.

The banner ads, which are appearing on a number of billboards around the U.S., contrast the $999 price of the iPhone XS to the significantly cheaper $399 for the Pixel 3a.

Google CEO takes a shot at tech giants which sell privacy as a ‘luxury’ product

By

Google
You guys, we think he was talking about Apple! (Maybe.)
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google and Apple’s feud has cooled a lot in recent years. But like a married couple who are staying together until the kids are at college, neither company is beyond throwing a bit of undercover shade at the other.

Tim Cook has previously taken issue with tech giants which gobble up user data. Now Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken to the New York Times to blast unnamed tech giants which sell privacy as a “luxury good.”

Google remains cautious about making a folding Pixel

By

The Huawei Mate X folding phone
Google has probably prototyped a Pixel similar to the upcoming Huawei Mate X.
Photo: Huawei

Add Google’s name to the list of companies investigating flexible-screen phones. The head of development for the Pixel line says his team is at the prototype stage.

Apple is also experimenting with this tech, while companies like Samsung and Huawei are moving ahead with production models. Or at least they are trying to.

Pixel 3a is basically the iPhone SE 2 Apple won’t give us

By

Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a looks amazing.
Photo: Google

Google is bucking the trend of expensive flagship smartphones with its new Pixel 3a phone that debuted at Google I/O this morning.

The new Pixel 3a looks a lot like the Pixel 3 that debuted last year. It has some of the Pixel 3’s best features, like its fantastic camera, only its made with the budget-conscious consumer in mind.

Google’s wireless phone service adds Visual Voicemail for iOS

By

Google Fi 1
Have you tried Google Fi yet?
Photo: Google

Google brought its wireless phone service, Google Fi, to iPhone late last year. Now it’s given it an update — bringing Visual Voicemail to the iOS app for the first time.

That means that you can get information on the caller, call date, call length and preview of the transcribed message inside the app. This interface easily allows you to expand the preview to read the full message or hear the audio.