Data from your Fitbit smart watch could be sent straight to your electronic medical record thanks to a collaboration between Fitbit and Google. Photo: Fitbit
Fitbit wants Google’s help to turn its fitness trackers into health monitors. The wearables maker will use Google’s cloud solutions to tie directly to users’ electronic medical records.
The real goal, of course, is to help Fitbit be more competitive with arch-rival Apple Watch.
Gmail's new super-clean interface is ready for duty. Photo: Cult of Mac
Gmail’s sweet new interface is rolling out to users. It offers the familiar simple text-based interface from the Gmail you all know and “love,” but it manages to be both less messy, and more useful. If you want to take it for a spin, then switching it on is easy.
We don't need two Gmail clients anymore. Photo: Google
Google Inbox will finally be optimized for iPhone X “soon,” according to a new report.
Google has been working hard to update its most important iOS apps for Apple’s flagship smartphone since it made its debut last November — but Inbox, its nicest Gmail client, has somehow been neglected. Now that Gmail’s big redesign is out of the way, that’s set to change.
Google Tasks for iOS can help you get stuff done. Photo: Google
Google has finally decided that Tasks deserves a dedicated app on mobile.
Available now on iPhone and iPad, Tasks boasts a clean and simple interface with all the features you’ll need to stay productive. It also works closely alongside Google Calendar and Gmail to make managing your most important projects as easy as possible.
Phone and software companies are moving away from a realistic gun emoji to a harmless one. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Google today joined the movement replacing the gun emoji with a water pistol. A number of other companies already made the same move amid a growing awareness of gun violence.
Apple started this trend several years ago when it exchanged the pistol emoji for a harmless pool toy in iOS 10.
No one likes autoplaying videos on the web. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Google has done us all a favor by asking Chrome to block autoplaying videos with sound. No longer will our ears be sodomized unexpectedly by obnoxious ads that we’ll never look at. There are some caveats, however.
Windows Defender is now available inside Google Chrome. Photo: Microsoft
Windows Defender, which protects Windows 10 PCs from malware, can now keep your Mac safe from inside Google Chrome.
Microsoft has turned its antivirus app into a Chrome extension that promises to detect phishing links in your emails and dodgy sites that distribute malicious software. It’s 99 percent effective, according to Microsoft, which makes Windows Defender better than rival browser protections.
Siri needs all the AI talent it can get. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s is slowly invading the home turf of some of its biggest rivals in Seattle.
The iPhone-maker has reportedly secured more office space in one of the biggest skyscrapers in Seattle, where Amazon, Microsft and Facebook all fight for top tech talent.
How's battery life on your iPhone with iOS 11.4? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
New screenshots reveal Google took inspiration from iPhone X when designing its upcoming Android P update.
The operating system’s refreshed user interface features a multitasking interface that looks like it was pulled straight from iOS — as well as a familiar virtual Home button.
Gmail’s new Confidential Mode in action. Photo: The Verge
Gmail is getting a gorgeous redesign on the web, which will include a bunch of awesome new features. One of those is a “Confidential Mode” for sensitive messages, which prevents them from being forwarded, downloaded, printed, and more.
HomePod sales are already suffering. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple has been forced to cut HomePod orders as inventories continue to build up in its retail stores, according to a new report.
The $349 speaker enjoyed a promising start when it made its debut in February, but demand has fallen quickly as smart speaker shoppers turn to more affordable options from the likes of Amazon.
Facebook is one of many tech giants that builds is business on user data. Photo: Facebook
Thanks to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a backlash is brewing against the way tech giants like Facebook monetize data. This could result in government regulation, which has the potential to upend the business models of some of the world’s biggest companies.
Luckily, Apple is practically immune. Here’s why 2018’s biggest tech scandal could actually help the world’s biggest tech company.
Acer’s 9.7-inch Chrome OS tablet is designed for students. Photo: Acer
The first ever tablet to run Google’s Chrome OS has finally arrived.
Acer revealed its new Chromebook Tab 10 which is aiming to take a big slice of the education market. Chrome OS laptops have already had a lot of success in schools, but Apple is planning to launch its own cheap tablet for schools tomorrow. And it will undoubtedly steal the Chromebook Tab 10’s thunder.
Google location data is being used by investigators, apparently. Photo: Google
If you find yourself within the immediate radius of a crime that’s committed, you could find your personal data seized by police, with a helping hand from Google.
That’s the takeaway from a recent report about how Raleigh police have presented Google with broad search warrants, requesting user data from all mobile devices with a certain vicinity of particular crimes. In one case, Google was reportedly asked for unique data for all homes and businesses within a 17-acre area of a gun-related incident.
Google Lens can pull the contact information out of a business card. Photo: Google
The image-identification technology in Google Photos is now in the iOS version of this software. Google Lens can find objects and text in pictures and then provide more information. For example, by examining a photo of a business card, the artificial intelligence can pull out all the contact information.
France isn't happy about how Apple treats developers. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The French government plans to take both Apple and Google to court for what French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire classes as “abusive trade practices.”
This relates to the way that both companies reportedly treat startups and developers. In particular, Le Maire singles out the way that Apple and Google unilaterally impose prices and contractual terms on software devs.
Importing to a password manager will be easy. Photo: Francois Beaufort
Google is making it easier to download all your saved passwords from Chrome. It has long offered the ability to export the data, but the process has been complicated and cumbersome. That’s going to change “soon” with a new export system.
Google is using artificial intelligence to make it easier for you to find the files you need inside Google Drive. Its next update will add an interface that predicts the people and files you’re most likely to want and makes them more visible, speeding up your workflow.
The Google iOS app just added an iMessage extension that lets users conduct searches without leaving Apple’s chat app. Google also added a couple other features that should make life easier for Apple fans: a Safari plugin that serves up related content, and iPad drag-and-drop support.