Daily Archives: December 20, 2023

Google has released yet another year-end list, and this time, the tech giant goes over what it thinks are the best Chrome extensions for 2023.

Its similar to the 10 best Android app awards from last month; however instead of highlighting different kinds of software, the company is focusing on extensions that help you with work or navigating the internet. It didnt really touch upon any entertainment plugin.

The first group pertains to AI-powered software that aims to get tasks done faster. You have Scribe which utilizes artificial intelligence to document your workflows, then create step-by-step instructions for other people to follow. DeepL Translate does as the name suggests: translate web pages for you on the fly. It can even instantly change the language of your writing without having to run it through Google Translate. Sider is one of the more interesting suggestions as it lets you access ChatGPT through a sidebar.

QuillBot helps you write emails or summarize news articles in front of you. And Teal lets you bookmark job listings on online boards as well as track applications in a single location.

From here, we start to see the accessibility tools such as Transkriptor to record audio meetings into text for later reference. Google also recommends installing Equalizer onto Chrome to add better audio controls for media. It lets you create a unique listening experience just by moving the sliders up or down.

If youre having trouble with (or just dont feel like) perusing emails or PDFs, users can download Speechify to have a natural-sounding AI voice read it out loud for you. This one is pretty amusing because Snoop Dogg is one of the voices and its a very surreal experience hearing him read something you wrote on Google Docs. There isnt much in the way of customization extensions apart from Bonjourr transforming homepages into a minimalistic centerpiece by removing the search bar and widgets.

Google caps off the list with a trio of miscellaneous extensions: Coupert helps people find promo codes online, Boxel 3D adds a mini platformer game for whenever you want to take a break, and BTRoblox introduces new features to the Roblox website.

Whats particularly funny about this list is that there isnt a single adblocker anywhere. If you at other best Chrome extension roundups, you will almost always find an adblocker on there just like our old one from 2022. Its not super surprising this is the case. Google has been at war against ad-blockers for the past several months, seeking to remove them from Chrome and YouTube altogether.

It makes sense the company wouldn't want to highlight something theyre not a fan of, but we certainly will because we know you're fans of them. Be sure to check out TechRadars list of the best ad blockers for 2023.

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Google names the best Chrome extensions of 2023 with a glaring omission - TechRadar

A publisher took to Twitter to share their reaction to what they felt was essentially a theft of their content for the benefit Google with what they felt was little to no benefit to the publisher.

Googles response was surprising and probably not what publishers and SEOs expected.

The publisher showed a screenshot of a branded site:search for things to do in Denver with content directly from their site.

The publisher tweeted:

Google is now stealing Travel Lemmings own brand searches (even via site search).

They take our list INCLUDING MY ORIGINAL PHOTOS and present it in a rich result so people dont click through.

I am literally IN that Red Rocks photo!

This wasnt just happening to branded and site:searches, either.

Google was competing with the publisher with the publishers content for regular keyword searches like Mexico Travel Tips.

The publisher tweeted a screenshot of the SERPs with a huge search feature that uses all of the publishers content.

He tweeted:

They are doing this across all travel searches unbranded and branded alike.

Example: Mexico Travel Tips they have an AI answer & also a rich result that basically just re-creates an entire blog post, including our stolen photos.

Again, I am IN that Mexico packing photo!

Heres the tweet:

They followed up with this, this and this tweet:

Like how is it legal for Google to just essentially create entire blog posts from creators content and images?

I literally have a law degree from the top law school in the world, and even I cant figure it out!

Fair use does NOT apply if youre using the content to compete directly against the creator, which they clearly are. I cant sit outside a movie theatre, project the movie on a wall, earn money from it, and claim fair use.

I spent SO much time taking those photos in Denver.

It was 10+ full days worth of work for me and partner Clara, going around the city to photograph everything. $100s of money spent in attraction admission fees, gas, parking.

Now Google just gets to extract all that value?

How much does Google get to take before creators say enough is enough?

How hard does the water have to boil before the frog jumps?

The comments show it is a prisoners dilemma as long as Google has a monopoly on search

Googles SearchLiaison (aka Danny Sullivan) responded with an explanation of whats going on. They explained how the rich result that uses the entirety of the publishers content also features a link back to the publishers webpage.

Wisely, SearchLiaison didnt insist that Google was in the right. Instead, their response was sympathetic to the plight of the publisher.

SearchLiaison likely understood how the publisher felt because, unlike many Googlers, Danny Sullivan used to be a publisher for many decades. He, probably more than any other Googler, knows what its like to be on the other side of Googles fence.

SearchLiaison tweeted:

Hey Nate, this got flagged to my attention. Ill pass along the feedback to the team. Pretty sure this isnt a new feature. Elsewhere in the thread, you talk about it being an AI answer, and Im pretty sure thats not the case, either. Its a way to refine an initial query and browse into more results.

With the example you point out, when you expand the listing, your image is there with a credit. If you click, a preview with a larger view comes up, and that lets people visit the site. Personally, Im not a fan of the preview-to-click.

I think it should click directly to the site (feedback Ive shared internally before, and Ill do this again). But its making use of how Google Images operates, where theres a larger preview that helps people decide if an image is relevant to their search query. Your site is also listed there, too. Click on that, people get to your site.

If you dont want your images to appear in Google Search, this explains how to block them: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/prevent-images-on-your-page

I suspect youd prefer an option to not have them appear as thumbnails in particular features. We dont have that type of granular control, but Ill also pass the feedback on.

SearchLiaison followed up with another tweeted response:

I appreciate your thoughts and concerns. I do. The intention overall is to make search better, which includes ensuring people do indeed continue to the open web because we know for us to thrive, the open web needs to thrive.

But I can also appreciate that this might not seem obvious from how some of the features display.

Im going to be sharing these concerns with the search team, because theyre important.

You and other creators that are producing good content (and when youre ranking in the top results, thats us saying its good content) should feel we are supporting you.

We need to look at how what we say and how our features operate ensure you feel that way.

Ill be including your response as part of this.

Theres a legal definition of whats fair and it may be that Google has a legal right to use website content in a manner that has the impression that Google is stealing the content from a publisher to outrank that publisher with their own content.

But theres also a subjective common sense definition of fair play that you feel in your heart. Maybe its that notion of fairness that many publishers feel when Google appears to use their content in a way that seems to benefit Google more than it does the publisher.

Is this one of those situations that fits into the paradigm of just because you can doesnt mean that you should?

Visit link:

Google Responds To Accusations Of "Stealing" Publisher's Content - Search Engine Journal

Summary

Google Chat unveiled its redesign back in November, and its changed mightily. The fresh look streamlines navigation with a new bottom bar that livens up the whole app experience, providing new menu options to choose from. Google announced the change in its Google Workspace Updates blog, but its taken a few weeks for the redesign to roll out onto our smartphones. Now, with a new Chat app update, users are starting to see the new UI on their devices.

While our team has yet to see the update hit our phones, 9to5Googles writers are reporting that the redesign has rolled out to some of their devices. Google Chats latest update on the Google Play Store was made on Dec. 5, so this change looks like its being enabled on Googles server-side backend. Regardless, as wide-scale rollouts usually go, its taking a longer period of time than we hoped for to see the change made on Android devices. Originally, Google said it would start taking effect on Nov. 29, but the blog also mentioned that it could take longer than 15 days to be visible. Its been exactly three weeks since Nov. 19.

Source: 9to5Google

Those who have access to the new look will see the bottom bar is now a floating pill containing four icons right next to an additional floating action button (FAB) thats more squared. From left to right, the icons inside the pill are for Home, Direct messages, Spaces, and Mentions, while the FAB next to the pill is for creating a new chat. In the Gmail app, the entire bar containing the Chat pill and accompanying New Chat button is now its own FAB that appears when pressing the middle chat icon on the bottom bar on Gmail.

The redesigns substantial changes put Google Chat more in line with other Google apps and software that have been injected with a dose of Material You over the past couple years. To be honest, were not sure if were fans of the design changes that have been made to Chat and other apps in the Google Suite over the past few years. We wrote over three years ago about how Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, and Meet all look the same after Google released new icons for them. Its hard to distinguish between most Google apps when looking at their logos, and most of them now feel too similar when using them. Gone are the days of individuality among Googles software, it seems.

Google Chat is for any and all types of users, but it definitely gets its usage the most from business and enterprise accounts. Its accessible via your Android smart device, iOS-based iPhone or iPad, or favorite web browser, meaning you can use it on practically any device anywhere you go. This makes it a great choice for company communication, so if youre spending most of your days using the program, utilizing the right tips and tricks for Google Chats is important once you get Chat up and running.

See the rest here:

Redesigned Google Chat with floating tab bar rolling out on Android - Android Police

In late October, Google said it would start testing the Duet AI side panel in Workspace Labs, and we now have a closer look at what it can do.

Google first teased the persistent side panel at I/O in May and demoed it again in August as a contextual, real-time AI collaborator. Its launched from a new icon, which animates when you hover over it, next to your account avatar in the top-right corner of Workspace (web) apps.

It opens as an inline column at the right, and you can expand it.Google does not appear to be testing the side panel in Gmail just yet.

In Google Drive, youre able to right-click on a document and ask Duet AI questions about the file, including:

After receiving a response, you can click Sources to view which files and documents were used to generate the response.

Instead of right-clicking, you can also open Duet AI, enter @title of the document, and add a prompt. Duet can also summarize whole projects and accept broad prompts like Help me understand our teams 2024 strategy.

In Google Docs, you can use the Duet AI side panel to:

In Google Sheets:

In Google Slides:

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What the Duet AI side panel can do in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, & Slides [Gallery] - 9to5Google

With the 40% off Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and Tablet discount, we first noticed that Google added the Diamond tier to the US Play Points program.

Previously, Platinum was the highest level in the US. After amassing over 3,000 points in a calendar year, you get 1.4 points for every $1 spent and weekly prizes of up to 500 points. Theres also Premium support that lets you:

Google first launched the Diamond tier in Asia and recently made it available in the US if you earn over 10,000 Play Points. It now appears in the Play Points dashboard on Android and the web as the next level for you to reach. This gets 1.6 points per dollar spent and weekly prizes of up to 1,000 points.

There are no changes to the in-game point (4x) or book multipliers (5x) from Platinum. Other benefits are found in the Perks tabs:

Platinum remains the top Play Points tier for most countries.

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Google adds Diamond tier to Play Points in the US - 9to5Google

Theres no guarantee youll have a stable internet connection wherever you go, and if you need to make a contactless payment, will Google Wallet still let you tap your virtual card?

The short answer is yes; youll still be able to make a payment with Google Wallet even if you lose your internet connection. In reality, the only time Google Wallet ever needs a solid connection is when youre adding new cards. In any situation other than that, youll be able to open it up and tap any contactless reader around.

In its many forms whether its contactless payments with a physical card or tap to pay with a phone or watch virtual payments work in the same way. When you open Google Wallet, a suggested default virtual card appears. From that point, the phone can transmit that cards data to a reader. When your Android phone gets close enough to the reader for a strong NFC signal to be established, a transaction occurs.

Because storing and transmitting your debit or credit card information would be a massive security risk, Google Wallet transmits a one-time code that tracks back to your bank. The code is picked up and used to verify your payment information. This generally happens within a matter of seconds.

From a security standpoint, contactless payments are reliably secure. Once the one-time code is used, it no longer represents your card in any way, nor can it be traced back to your cards data.

What makes using Google Wallet offline work is how the one-time code system works. Rather than pulling a code from servers and utilizing it for one transaction at that moment, those unique codes are stored on your device.

Once you go offline, your phone can use Google Wallets NFC-transmitted codes with no problem at all. The problems start to arise when youre offline for an extended period. That log of codes can eventually run out, and when it does, your cards in Google Wallet might be grayed out and no longer be available.

Google notes that connecting to the internet every couple of days will keep the reserve of codes full, which allows you to use Google Wallet offline without a hitch.

For most of us, using Google Wallet offline means we go through a dead spot and need the app to work whenever called upon. In that case, youll never have to worry about being offline long enough for Google Wallet to stop working offline. In most circumstances, Google Wallet will work without an internet connection just fine.

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Will Google Wallet work without an internet connection? - 9to5Google

The Pixel Fold is Google's first foldable. It has unique features that help it stand out from the competition. While we noted glaring hardware and software issues in our Google Pixel Fold review, it has plenty of standout features that make this a good first attempt from Google.

The Pixel Fold ships with Android 14. If you're unfamiliar with the new features introduced in the latest Android OS version, we recommend catching up with everything your Pixel Fold can do on the software side.

The Pixel Fold's wider outer screen looks strange, especially if you're used to Samsung's ultra-narrow foldables. When you spend time with the Pixel Fold's 5.8-inch 17.4:9 outer screen, you'll wish that every foldable manufacturer took this approach. The wider aspect ratio makes the Pixel Fold usable when closed, whether typing, watching videos, or browsing the web. It doesn't quite make up for the lackluster inner screen, but you won't have to open the Pixel Fold to perform a simple action.

App support for the Pixel Fold's wide screen is spotty, but some apps blew us away with their customized interfaces. These are limited to Google's apps, and they look fantastic.

The Weather and Calendar apps are particularly stunning. You can view all the information you need at a glance while organizing buttons and menus into accessible spots. Other apps like Drive are similarly useful on the Fold. However, there are a few shortcomings, like with Gmail, which doesn't let you open an email in full-screen unless you rotate the screen.

Android 14 introduced the ability to navigate your phone while dragging and dropping text or images. This is a useful feature, and on the Pixel Fold, it's even better. Open two apps simultaneously on the Pixel Fold, and drag and drop text or images between them. While this might not sound exciting, Android 14 introduced a way to make this more powerful.

On Android 14, you can hold text or an image while navigating around your phone. Tap and hold an element and swipe with your other fingers to change apps. On the Pixel Fold, you can do this between either app on your screen, so you can copy an element, close both apps, and open two new ones without losing it.

While other manufacturers have struggled to impress us with their foldable's cameras, Google lives up to its claim of offering the best camera on any foldable. Like most Pixel phones, the Pixel Fold offers powerful post-processing that makes it easy to capture great photos. The Pixel Fold avoids the oversaturation that plagues Samsung's Z Fold phones and some Pixel phones.

The selfie camera is average. But as this is a foldable, you can open the phone and use the rear camera to take selfies. This is our recommended method for taking Instagram-worthy shots.

The Pixel Fold's software tricks aren't limited to its camera. Using Conversation Mode in Google Translate on any other phone (including other foldables) involves both parties looking at the same screen. The Pixel Fold helps conversations feel more natural by mirroring the translated text on the outer screen.

We recommend folding the Pixel Fold to 90 degrees and placing it on the table between you and your friend. This way, you can converse normally while glancing down to check the translated text.

The Google Pixel Fold offers five to six hours of screen time when using both displays. In our review, we ended the day with about 25% battery life. While the Pixel Fold's Tensor G2 chip is efficient, its two 120Hz screens use a lot of power. This extensive battery life is a surprise, but a welcome one.

We recommend always using the Pixel Fold's rear camera, even when taking selfies. But when taking shots of someone, use the phone's outer screen to help your subjects adjust themselves. Activate Dual Screen Preview in the Camera app and the view from your camera displays on the Pixel Fold's outer screen.

One of the best things about owning a Pixel phone is receiving exclusive features through Google's quarterly Feature Drops. These updates bring new features and tools to your Pixel devices, including the Pixel Fold.

The Pixel Fold's Dual Screen modes for Google Translate and Camera were included in previous feature drops, and the phone will continue to receive updates until 2026 alongside yearly Android releases.

There's plenty to get excited about with the Pixel Fold. If its flaws are too much for you, consider an Android foldable that offers a more reliable experience.

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Google Pixel Fold: The 8 best features for your new foldable - Android Police

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

A couple of weeks ago, Google Maps started rolling out improvements to the transit experience in many cities, including Paris where I live. I was quite excited to discover the new features until I realized theyve been live for me but I didnt notice them thats how minor these changes are.

In short, there are two improvements to transit directions in Google Maps: station exits and entrances and route options. The former lets me see which side of the road I have to go in/out of, while the latter allows me to set route preferences with less walking or fewer correspondences.

These are good changes, certainly, but as someone who has spent the last two and a half years carless and exclusively taking public transport, these count as the most minor changes on the list of improvements Id wish Google Maps would introduce.

My personal experience with Google Maps transit veers between fine and frustrating on a good day. It all starts with the fact that transit directions dont show up on my Pixel Watch 2, for some reason, and I have to keep looking at my phone. Or switch to Citymapper if I want my train and bus directions to pop up on my wrist. I dont know why transit is treated as a second-rate citizen in Google Maps on Wear OS perhaps those rich enough to buy a smartwatch dont take buses, ha?!

Then theres everything to do with transit directions. Any associated walking is treated as dots on the map, period. Theres no turn-by-turn navigation, the map doesnt flip while I walk, and I have to keep glancing down at my phone to make sure I havent missed a turn or gone off in the wrong direction before reaching my station or destination. Worse yet, I have no idea if the walk is manageable or if its pure uphill or downhill before picking it. Should I manually find the elevation of my starting and end points to get an idea? And why doesnt Maps treat transit plus walking as a mixed-mode navigation, to offer the best of both?

Plus, Google Maps doesnt calculate how long it takes to enter the station and get to the train track, or exit it. Some stations are huge and require a few minutes of walking time that isnt calculated or shown in Maps. There is no info on escalators, stairs, or lifts, and no indicators for more accessible exits or correspondences.

Things get even more complicated when you dive into the weeds of daily transit usage. If the route Ive picked offers a few different bus or tram line options (i.e. they both go from A to B, but through different tracks), I only see the stops of the bus or tram that Maps thinks I took, even if Im on the other track option. I noticed this a lot in Prague, where I kept getting confused thinking I missed my stop or jumped on the wrong tram, only to realize Maps was showing me the alternative lines stops.

Worse was my experience in a few cities where Maps, for some reason, kept ignoring the nearest (in time) train or bus, and offering the one after. Even if I was already at the station and the next bus was scheduled in four minutes and the one after in 10 minutes, Id see the 10-minute bus as the default option. This messed up all my correspondence timings and recommendations. I had to start setting manual departure times five minutes earlier to get the right directions.

All of these, and more, are issues that Maps has to figure out with transit directions to make life easier for the millions of people and billions of trips that people take every day. Yes, entrance and exit stations are cool, but the experience is still severely lacking in many other aspects.

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Google Maps transit is still a frustrating experience despite the latest changes - Android Authority

Google released a blog post on Dec 19 explaining its plans to implement restrictions on specific election-related queries that its artificial intelligence (AI) bot Bard and its Search Generative Experience can answer.

It said this restriction will be enforced by early 2024, in the run-up to the presidential election in the United States.

The post pointed out that 2024 will see many other important elections around the globe alongside the U.S. presidential election. It said it will work with an increased focus on the role artificial intelligence (AI) might play.

One of the primary priorities Google named was to help users identify AI-generated content. In September, it was among the first Big Tech companies to develop AI to mandate AI disclosures in political campaign ads.

Related: US politician uses AI campaign caller ahead of 2024 elections: Report

YouTube, owned by Google, also updated its policies in November 2023, requiring creators to disclose generative AI use or risk suspension of their accounts.

In the same vein, Google said a new SynthID tool is now in beta stage from Googles DeepMind, which directly embeds a digital watermark into AI-generated images and audio.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, banned the use of generative AI ad-creation tools for political advertisers in November.

AIs influence on elections has been a pressing theme as the U.S. elections draw closer. One study pointed out the potential impact on voter sentiment that AI usage on social media can present.

A study out of Europe revealed that Microsofts Bing AI chatbot, which has been rebranded to Copilot, gives misleading or inaccurate information about elections in around 30% of answers it gives.

Magazine: Real AI & crypto use cases, No. 4: Fight AI fakes with blockchain

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Google to limit answers to election queries on Bard AI tool and generative search - Cointelegraph

Key Takeaways

Alphabets (GOOGL) Google agreed to pay $700 million to consumers and states, and make changes allowing for greater competition in its app Play Store, according to the terms of an antitrust settlement disclosed Monday.

Of the $700 million, $630 million will go into a consumer settlement fund and $70 million into a state fund, according to the settlement, which still awaits judicial approval. Eligible consumers are expected to get at least $2 each, and that may increase based on their spending in the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023. All 50 states, alongside the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, were part of the settlement.

Google VP of Government Affairs & Public Policy Wilson White also outlined some changes to the company's app store in a blog post. Among these will be user choice billing, where developers can now show different pricing options within the app. The company is also looking to streamline "sideloading," which is the installation of apps outside of the Play store.

While Google said it was "disappointed that the verdict did not recognize the choice and competition that our platforms enable," the changes will come into effect after formal court approval of the settlement.

Google had reached a tentative settlement in September, but the terms were kept under wraps ahead of a trial between Google and Fortnite maker Epic Games. A California federal jury ruled in favor of Epic last week in a case alleging that Google's Play Store maintained illegal monopoly power. Google said it intends to appeal the ruling.

Shares of Google parent Alphabet were up 0.5% at $136.42 per share as of about 10 a.m. ET Tuesday, and have gained over 53% in 2023 so far.

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Alphabet's Google Agrees to Pay $700 Million in Settlement Over Play App Store - Investopedia