As a Google user, using Google Chrome in incognito Mode has become something of a habit especially when we don’t want people to trace our browsing behaviour. However, have you ever thought that certain authorities might be able to trace your activities on social media or the internet, even with incognito?
Recently, Google has come under fire for an issue with their Google Chrome incognito mode that consists of misleading and deceitful behavior. A group of users in California voiced out that they realized that Google Chrome’s Incognito mode does not do a good job in preventing and safeguarding the activities of the user. This has created a contradiction of the purpose of incognito mode, which is privacy. Therefore, this group of users from California filed a lawsuit against Google.
Koh, a US District Judge in San Jose who is presiding over the case also questions what data is being collected and why is Google collecting user data and activities in a way that big data companies can sell to advertisers or others.
Google’s lawyer is trying to dismiss the issue by saying that Google did follow the terms and regulations in protecting user’s data. Additionally, the plaintiff said that it is just another tactic for Google to observe and collect user data.
Google claims that it is very hard for a user to prevent Google from collecting their data, and users should assume that their internet and social media activities are often traced by someone else. Even though Google claims that there will be no record of what you are working on while using incognito mode but they will still be able to access your activities. From a different perspective, users might think that Google’s access is a way to protect their users from bugs and other dangers from websites.
As a Google user or online consumer, you have to understand that no matter what, tracing your activities on the internet is not all that difficult. Hence, users must always be aware of the security risks of each channel they are using to prevent leaking personal data.
Let’s be frank, Samsung’s track record when it comes to device support hasn’t been the best. However, in recent years, the company has shown a vested interest in demonstrating its commitment to providing more secure devices. One of the ways in which they have done this is by decreasing their rollout times for updates across the board.
However, it seems like they are looking to up the ante with new policies. Just recently, in August, the company announced that it would provide three major updates to all its Android-powered devices at the launch of the Note20 series. Today, Samsung announced that, in addition to the three major updates, they would be providing four years of security patches. This promise extends to devices released since 2019 – i.e the Galaxy S10 series onward. The commitment doesn’t only cover flagships though, Samsung is committing to support all their major line ups including the Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Note, Galaxy XCover, and Galaxy Tab line ups.
In its announcement, Samsung listed the complete list of Galaxy Devices eligible for this new commitment.
Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+
That said, Samsung also highlights in the footnotes that the availability of security patches and updates is subject to market and device. This could mean that lower priority regions may still be stuck getting lagging updates if any at all. So far, Samsung has kept to its word in Malaysia and countries like the U.S. and U.K.
Samsung’s move to provide these updates go above the minimum requirement that Google has set for its Andoird OEMs. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t seem like the company has been enforcing the requirement. However, Samsung’s move to champion the updates under their security umbrella brings a little bit more reliability and longevity to the Android Ecosystem.
We are back for another episode of Tech & Tonic Podcast. In this episode of the Tech & Tonic show, we look deeper into Apple’s Car project and whether or not Apple is reaching too far out from their own industry and expertise. While we are on that subject, Google is also shutting down one of their most hyped project, the Stadia Studios.
On Apple’s end, Hyundai and Kia have severed any ties they had with Apple on their autonomous vehicle projects. On Google’s end, Stadia’s closure also means that Stadia may not be competitive at all. What is happening here? Are they taking bigger bites than they should have? What will become of autonomous cars and cloud gaming?
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Towards the end of the Trump administration, Xiaomi was added to a Department of Defense blacklist similar to fellow Chinese company, Huawei. The Chinese technology company finds itself on the blacklist due to claimed ties and dealings with the Chinese Military. The company has since denied the allegations. In a statement to Android Authority, Xiaomi stressed that “The company has been in compliance with law and operating in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of jurisdictions where it conducts its businesses. The company reiterates that it provides products and services for civilian and commercial use. The company confirms that it is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with the Chinese military“.
In the weeks since the announcement, we’ve also been able to clarify what has actually happened. Unlike Huawei, Xiaomi is on a different blacklist – one that doesn’t bar it from doing business with U.S. companies like Google. However, U.S. based companies and entities are barred from investing in Xiaomi. To that end, companies who have invested in the technology manufacturer are required to divest that interest by 11 November 2021. This could affect the company’s stock value and liquidity when it comes into full effect. Since the initial report, Xiaomi has initiated legal proceedings against the U.S. Government citing the blacklisting is unconstitutional and can cause “imminent, severe, and irreparable harm” to the company.
Even more recently, rumours have begun surfacing that Xiaomi may be facing the same fate as Huawei when it comes to Google’s Mobile Services. The rumour started in Xiaomi’s Community interaction channels and has since garnered more attention. Xiaomi has since taken to Weibo to refute and clarify the claims.
Original weibo posting by Xiaomi. Source: SoyaCincau
In its statement, it clarified that domestic models in China will still support GMS. However, like many other companies in China, they also has models which do not run GMS. Xiaomi is no longer allowing users to sideload or self install GMS on these models. That said, they will be releasing GMS models in China to fulfill customer demand.
When it comes to international models, Xiaomi stresses that they will remain unaffected by the change. They will continue to launch with the Google Mobile Services pre-installed. So, rest assured, if you’re planning to pick up a phone from Xiaomi, POCO or Redmi, they will come with a complete version of Android with GMS. This includes the recently announced Mi 11.
CES 2021 is well under way. But we are not talking about CES at this point. No, we are talking about the merging of giants.
Google is undoubtedly one of the most successful tech companies you will ever see in your lifetime, beside Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. They started out in the Search Engine industry in the midst of the MSN and Yahoo! boom. They bloomed and grew to surpass two of their biggest competition at the time and now they are in everything. They are in applied sciences, corporate backend solutions, automotive, smartphones, computing, and even your homes.
They are also on your wrists with the guise of Android Wear. They do not make any watch hardware on their own though. They have always relied on their partners like Fossil, Motorola, OPPO, and even Vivo to design and create their own iteration of what an Android Wear watch should look like. This situation might change soon though.
As per Google’s Blog post alongside Fitbit’s one in their own blogs too, Fitbit is now a part of Google. As of the 14th of January 2021, Google and Fitbit finally concludes their deal. Google has officially acquired Fitbit.
As we mentioned also, Fitbit is also a giant. They are a giant in their field, the fitness tracker and smart wear field. They have revolutionised the smart wearable devices market in more ways than one.
They are, technically, the largest standalone smartwatch making company in the world currently. They have a more complete product range than any other smartwatch maker in the world right now too. They have simple fitness trackers that look like wristbands and can be easily hidden. They also have full on smartwatches now in their Fitbit Versa line-up. The Versa and Sense watches are clearly also a side effect of them acquiring Pebble a while ago.
Now though, they are a part of Google. What does this mean for you Fitbit users?
On the surface, Google says that this acquisition has always been more about hardware instead of software. They want Fitbit watches and wrist bands. They basically wanted to experiment making their own smart wearable in the future, like how they experimented with smartphone manufacturing when they acquired HTC years ago. They are still making their own hardware today with the Pixel line-up. They have an amazing line-up of Chromebooks too.
The only thing they have not been making on their own then, are smart watches and smart wearables. With Fitbit as part of Google, now they can. So, according to Google, it is not about software and data.
In terms of software though, Google has a thing or two to learn from Fitbit and vice versa. We at techENT love our Fitbit Versa devices because they are so simple to work with. Their interface is easy to understand and navigate it becomes second nature when you acclimatise with them.
We also think that the Fitbit line-up could use a little bit of Google’s magic touch. In that case, they will be easier to pair with Android smartphones, faster too, and probably even more intuitive to connect. We find that these are our biggest pain points using the Fitbit devices. Of course, there is the subject of software integration too. Currently Fitbit’s collected data does not sync to Google’s own fitness app. Maybe we might see a merging of the two apps. At the same time, we doubt we will see that integration happening too soon because Fitbit also has the premium subscription segment.
Source: TechPP
Google has ensured that they will not touch Fitbit’s data pool at this time. They also confirmed that Fitbit’s user data will not be used for Google Ads purposes at this time. From the blog posts from both sides too, it seems that Fitbit will continue business as usual at this time. Which also means that Fitbit devices will remain Fitbit devices for a little longer.
In Google’s blog post, Rick Osterloh’s statement also reads, “the combination of Fitbit’s leading technology, product expertise and health and wellness innovation with the best of Google’s AI, software and hardware will drive more competition in wearables and make the next generation of devices better and more affordable”. We are more excited about this than anything. It means that you can start expecting Google smartwatches soon. You might want to expect some changes in Fitbit’s software approach now too. We hope that it is for the better on both parties. You might even get an Android Wear update for your Fitbit Sense.
Still, we see this as a win-win situation. At this time anyway, the acquisition and merging of the two giants in their space may prove to be just what both companies needed for the uncertain times ahead. For us consumers, we only care about their upcoming devices, and we are expecting them to be miles better than what we have now. Google Watch anyone?
Chromebooks just got a little more interesting with the newly unveiled Acer Chromebook Spin 514. The new Chromebook comes equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors. The processor is complemented with AMD Radeon graphics. This new Spin 514 marries capable performance with stylish design. This paired with the responsiveness and battery life that Chrome OS gives makes the Acer Chromebook Spin a viable option for those looking for a workhorse on the go.
The built-in AMD Radeon™ graphics takes things to the next level by providing better performance whether it be gameplay or media streaming but also opens new doors when it comes to content creation on Chromebooks. That said, these features also empower business users by bolstering the capabilities of Chrome OS when it comes to business applications. The AMD architecture allows larger more complex operations to be done in programs such as Google Sheets.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514’s convertible design also allows users to interact more naturally with Chrome OS and allows users to write, draw and sketch on the Chromebook. It also has military grade durability on its sleek body. The aluminium laptop comes equipped with either the Ryzen 5 (3500C) or the Ryzen 7 (3700C) complemented with AMD’s RADEON Vega Mobile graphics platform.
Acer Chromebook Spin 514 weighs only 1.55kg and is only 17.35mm thin. However, the cover of the laptop is exceptionally strong and can withstand up to 60kg (132lbs) of downward force or a drop from a height of up to 122cm (48-inches). The Chromebook Spin 514 comes with 14-inch Full HD touch IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection to prevent scratches. Just like any other Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 has support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0. It also comes with 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 514 optimizes the Spin 514 for corporate and business use with features that allow businesses to manage devices at scale. In fact, Chrome OS itself is optimized for businesses looking to migrate to the cloud. The cloud-based OS will allow users to a lot more flexibility when it comes to working on the go. With one-touch enrollment, users are able to quickly enrol devices into the workforce. IT Departments can also easily control updates, configure apps, update policies and more remotely via Chrome OS’s web-based management system.
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 will be available in three colors: Pure Silver, Steel Gray, and Mist Green. The CP514-1H variant will be available starting February 2021 in North America and March 2021 in EMEA with prices starting at USD$479.99 (MYR1,940.66) and EUR529 (MYR2,622.45) respectively.
The Enterprise version (CP514-1WH) will launch in March 2021 in North America and EMEA for USD$749.99 (MYR3032.31) and EUR 799 (MYR3962.29) respectively.
Update 8:46pm: Google services seem to be coming back online. Sites like YouTube and Gmail are back. Google Play is still down, however. Discord is also back – it seems like the outage was unrelated.
Update 9:03pm: Pokemon GO is back online. No comment yet from Google. However, they have noted on their dashboard that, “service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users in the near future. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change.”
Update 9:08pm: The Google Play Store is back online. It seems like the issue has been resolved.
If you’ve been trying to get into Gmail and other Google services like YouTube and failing, you’re not alone; while pretty rare, it seems like Google is experiencing a worldwide disruption of nearly all their services. Outages have been reported since 7:23 pm Malaysian time.
The disruption seems pretty extensive this time with services like GSuite for Business and Education also being affected in addition to Google’s new game streaming service, Stadia. YouTube is also down. If you’re on Android, the Google Play Store is also facing the same predicament. It seems like the outage is affecting more than just Google’s in-house apps. Apps like Pokemon GO and Discord have also been affected by the outage.
Reports are coming in are indicating that the outage may be more extensive with countries such as South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Egypt, New Zealand, Romania, Russia and Thailand and Turkey also reporting the same.
The issue seems to be with account authentication as users are reporting that sites such as YouTube are accessible when accessed via an incognito window. YouTube Music is apparently still accessible on browsers at the time of writing. However, if you try to access the service through its app, you will only be able to access your downloaded content.
We will be updating this article as the situation develops.
Baby Yoda and Mando fans rejoice! Google has teamed up with Disney and Lucasfilm to create an AR experience to allow fans of hit streaming series, The Mandalorian, to enjoy snippets of the series on their smartphones. The Mandalorian AR Experience will bring some of the iconic scenes of Mando and The Child’s (Baby Yoda) adventures from the first season to whatever space its users want it to be; whether it be the living room, the outdoors or any other space.
Source: Google
To experience the virtual Mandalorian content, users will be required to download The Mandalorian AR Experience app on the Google Play Store using a supported 5G Android device. According to Google, this app will allow users to recreate some of the epic scenes from its critically acclaimed first season. For example, scenes like finding the Child, harnessing the Force and many other scenes are made available on the AR experience.
Players will be able to see life-sized versions of their favourite characters as they follow the trail of Mando, Din Djarin and the Child. Players can now interact with the characters in AR while capturing the scenes for sharing. Besides that, players will also be able to unlock additional effects based on the actions they perform within the app as the scenes interact and respond to the surrounding by using Google’s ARCore platform.
New episodes of the experience will be released on ‘Mando Mondays’ – a moniker given by Disney. Besides having weekly episodes updates, users that own a Pixel device will also be able to get additional exclusive content aside from the app itself.
The Mandalorian AR experience does not require a 5G connection to use the app. However, users will need a compatible 5G device. The app is free of charge and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Do check out the list of devices that is compatible for The Mandalorian AR experience on the official website.
Google’s Nest has just received an update and is ready to launch a new model after three years. Surprisingly, this new iteration released with a lower price tag and enhanced capabilities. The available colours are white, dark grey, light pink and light green at pricing of $14.99.
The new thermostat is designed to be simple and user friendly, with voice control through the Nest app on your devices via the Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. With a swipe or tap of the touch strip on the edge of the thermostat, you can control the climate of your home. The design of the interface is minimalist and has a mirrored finish.
Source: Google
The Nest Thermostat has less functionality than its previous iterations, which allows for the lower price. It lacks the signature learning function that identifies the optimal climate conditions for you current living situation. However it still has some useful features such as alerts for issues with your HVAC system and prompts to adjust temperature levels for better efficiency. Moreover, Google stated that the process of installing is similar to other models and is compatible with many HVAC systems currently in use.
The new Nest Thermostat is currently retailing in the US and Canada for $129.99, with no news of availability in Malaysia just yet.
It is completely fair and not overstating to say that the Google Assistant has become one of the Google’s most important products. While people are still fantasizing of contact-less computing experience, which is still not realized by most people, Google Assistant has already worked its way into the society through variety of products like the Google Home and Chromecast. Google Assistant, we can safely say, has become a big part of plenty of people’s lives.
Google has added several new features to the Assistant this year, making it better and more helpful to users. The virtual assistant is now gaining the ability to open up, search, and perform general tasks across your favorite apps. As long as you have an Android phone that is Assistant-enabled, you will be able to open and search within Android apps just by calling; “Hey Google,” or “Okay Google.”
Google has kicked off this deeper integration by partnering with over 30 of the top apps on the Google Play store. Here a list of some of the apps such as Nike Adapt, Nike Run Club, Spotify, Snapchat, Twitter and of course more.
Source: Google
The new integration will allow you to do things that need several taps in the apps themselves. For instance, apps like Nike Run Club can be easily accessed without needing users physical input. This can be huge time saver.
For all the apps that support Google Assistant, you can simply create a shortcut phrases for it and it will perform whatever preset actions for you. Nike’s Adapt training shoes could be a great example. Through Google Assistant, could create a preset action command and get your shoes to automatically tighten itself on your feet. All done via Google’s voice command, something that dreams are made of.
Source: Google
The new usefulness is a major advance towards Google offering a totally without hands processing experience. While Android 11 previously included some genuinely incredible voice control openness choices, this adds much greater usefulness to the Google Assistant.
Google says the Assistant will be able to work with more apps in the near future. You could be a part of this exciting future though by creating these shortcuts and allow developers to map users’ intent to get Google Assistant to integrate with their favourite apps. Stay tuned and be excited for more fantasy acts.
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