Googles

Google is hoping to make its performance reviews less of a burden to employees by making it so they only happen once a year instead of twice a year, requiring less paperwork, and changing the way employees are rated. According to a report from The Information, 47 percent of Google employees didn’t think that their time was well spent with the previous performance review system. It’s often hard to point to how internal changes can affect end users, but Google, as a company, has a reputation for either pulling the plug…

It’s not unusual for a phone reviewer to receive a phone case, but yesterday I received a phone case for a phone that doesn’t exist yet. Poetic sent me a case for the Pixel 6A which, allow me to repeat myself, doesn’t officially exist yet. But the case itself suggests a few things about the phone, not the least of which seems to be that it’s coming soon. If I had to put money on it, I’d place my chips squarely on Google I/O. Phone case makers often try to have cases made for popular phones before release. Often cases…

Like many smartphone vendors, Google sells its own wireless earphones. The $99 Pixel Buds A-Series headphones compete directly against the pricier $129 AirPods. But the company will reportedly launch an even more capable version of the Pixel Buds in the coming months. The Pixel Buds Pro, as they are reportedly called, will be Google’s answer to Apple’s AirPods Pro. Interestingly, Apple is also said to launch a new AirPods Pro model of its own this year. After six years, the AirPods are still the standard that…

After postponing the first Pixel foldable handset last year, Google will reportedly release the Pixel Notepad foldable smartphone in 2022. The device should feature the same design that most foldable handsets deliver. We’re expecting a handset with two displays, including one that folds inwards when the phone is closed. The Pixel Notepad will look like any Galaxy Z Fold model that Samsung has released to date. But according to a new leak from a trusted industry insider, the Pixel foldable might have a better…

Three times already in 2022, Google has had to urge Chrome users to update their browsers to patch dangerous zero-day exploits. Thankfully, the fourth zero-day has yet to emerge, but the latest Chrome update rolled out last week, and it includes 29 important security fixes. As always, you should apply the update as soon as possible. Chrome 101 includes important security fixes Last Tuesday, April 26th, Google’s Prudhvikumar Bommana said in a blog post that Chrome 101.0.4951.41 had begun rolling out to the…

In March, Google announced it was voluntarily recalling 1.7 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches following reports of 78 burns. Now, a recently filed lawsuit says the recall didn’t go far enough, claiming that the same defect affects all of Google’s Fitbit devices. According to the court documents, all Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers share the same defect — a tendency to overheat, thereby causing burns or creating fire hazards. The complaint also accuses Fitbit of trying to deflect blame onto “consumer hygiene”…

For multiple lines of Android phones, the shift to Android 12 has been a rough one, including withdrawn updates and occasional bugs. Still, the number of issues we’ve seen for Google’s flagship Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices alone has been surprising. Today, Google announced the May 2022 update for Pixel devices is starting to roll out. It fixes a problem people noticed on the Pixel 6 phones after the March update, where the vibration for notifications was suddenly much weaker. Two fixes apply to all Pixel devices…

It sounds like Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch will be a flagship set to compete with Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watches and the Apple Watch, according to new specs leaked by 9to5Google. According to 9to5’s report, you’ll be able to get a cellular version of the wearable, and it will have a 300 milliamp-hour (mAh) battery. It wasn’t necessarily a given that there would be a cellular option for the Pixel Watch. Some lower-end smartwatches, and even some high-end fitness-focused models, are reliant on your phone for…

Last year, Apple added App Tracking Transparency to iOS, and the shift in the flow of data from mobile users was enough to unsettle even Facebook. Now, Google, which relies on targeted advertising for its business model, is preparing its own multi-year adjustment to mobile ad tracking and privacy. Starting today, app developers can get their first look at the new system, as the first developer preview of Privacy Sandbox on Android rolls out, following the path of similar tests in Google’s Chrome browser on the…

Google’s Pixel Watch has leaked once more, this time with a view on a wrist. The leak comes from the same Redditor, tagtech414, who claimed to find the Pixel Watch in a bar in an earlier report. In a follow-up post, the user shared photos of the Pixel Watch on an actual wrist, including descriptions of his impressions. “ kind of a pain to attach the first time, but I imagine it would be easier after I know how to properly attach them. They are extremely secure and don’t feel like they will easily release,” tagtech414…