Daily Archives: January 10, 2024

Summary

Apple users enjoy the conveniences of AirDrop and AirPlay to share files between devices or stream content to connected displays. Since Android is an open ecosystem, its much more challenging to have a standardized system that works universally. However, Google recently invested efforts in Nearby Share for Android, even enabling file sharing with Windows devices. Now, Google has announced a complete rebranding of the feature, improved in collaboration with Samsung.

Nearby Share has been kicking around since 2020, and it is great for sending files and folders between Android devices and computers. The transfers are speedy if the devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, and the folder structures remain untouched too. Such a tool greatly helps the versatility of Android devices. However, big OEMs who invest considerable resources in developing custom Android skins also go the extra mile like Samsung did with its Quick Share tool. Late last year, we reported on signs suggesting Google is rebranding Nearby Share to match Samsungs Quick Share.

Today, it's all official at CES 2024, Google announced that Quick Share integrates the best of both utilities, and it works across the Android ecosystem. You can also use this system to share content with Chromebooks, while Google works with PC makers, including LG, to pre-install the Quick Share app on Windows PCs.

A rebranding means everything displaying Nearby Share branding today will soon read Quick Share, instead, and that includes the share sheet in most apps, notifications from the service, its Settings page, and Quick Settings tile. However, functional changes should be subtle in practice, and sharing files between your devices should feel just as seamless. Google reassures users that privacy settings which define the visibility of your device are here to stay, unchanged from the Nearby Share days. The biggest change may show on Samsung phones, where individual options for Nearby Share and Quick Share are consolidated into one tool.

We are disappointed Google is already rebranding a relatively new tool, because it will take some getting used to, just like were still getting the hang of writing 2024 instead of 2023 everywhere. That said, this is typical behavior we have seen from the company, like when it rebranded Hangouts Meet to Meet, combined Meet and Duo, or outright killed several services in 2022.

The Nearby Share rebrand to Quick Share should start reaching end-users in February, Google says. However, specific dates or even ambiguous timelines for when the rollout will be complete are still anyones best guess. We could hear more at Samsungs Galaxy Unpacked event later this month, though.

View post:

Google and Samsung join forces, rebranding Nearby Share to Quick Share - Android Police

What you need to know

At CES 2024, Google spilled the beans on a bunch of updates and fresh features for Chromecast, all aimed at making transferring media between devices smoother than ever.

Perhaps one of the most surprising announcements is Google's decision to make casting from short-form video apps like TikTok a native experience. Currently, casting TikTok videos from your Android phone to TV requires several steps, starting with mirroring the entire phone to the big screen.

Soon, the Cast icon will appear on every screen with playable content in the TikTok app's top right corner. And with auto-play enabled, it smoothly rolls into the next video without you lifting a finger.

Chromecast will also come to additional devices. The shiny new LG TVs hitting the shelves in 2024 will be flexing with built-in Chromecast. The Google TV squad is also growing, now with more members like the fresh Hisense ULED and ULED X Series, along with the latest TCL Q Class models and the hot-off-the-press QM7 line.

Google is also on a mission to prepare your smart home setup for the Matter takeover. Coming soon, LG TVs and some Google TV and other Android TV OS devices are stepping up as hubs for Google Home. So, if you've got a Nest Hub, Nest Mini, or a compatible TV, adding Matter devices to your home network and bossing them around with the Google Home app is about to be a piece of cake.

As for the Pixel Tablet, Google's rolling out a fresh trick to make casting from your phone a breeze. Say hello to the "Cast to devices nearby" feature, which lets you sling media onto your tablet by holding your phone close to it. This was spotted earlier last year.

When this kicks in, you can ditch the menu hassle on your device. Just make sure your Pixel Tablet is docked, and pick it as your casting target. Wave your phone in front of it, let the ultra-wideband chip work its magic, and you're beaming whatever media you want. Thanks to the ultra-wideband chip in the Pixel Tablet, it senses your device.

This feature is a two-way street. Your Pixel tablet sends music back to your Pixel phone, and all it takes is getting the phone cozy with the tablet again. But there's a catchthis cool trick is exclusive to the Pixel Pro models.

Chromecast's output switcher is getting a facelift as well, with better volume control and slick device categories. Plus, Fast Pair is hitting Chromecast with Google TV next month and spreading to more Google TV devices later this year.

Follow this link:

Google drops big upgrades and new features for Chromecast at CES 2024 - Android Central

At CES 2024, Google has a number of Chromecast and television announcements, including how Fast Pair is rolling out to the Chromecast with Google TV very soon.

First shown at CES 2022, Fast Pair support is rolling out to the Chromecast with Google TV in the next month. This seamless Bluetooth pairing with an onscreen Connect now prompt for headphones is coming to more Google TV devices later this year.This follows Fast Pair coming to Chromebooks last year.

You can now Cast TikTok videos from your phone to Chromecast built-in devices with auto-play enabled by default. In the future, youll be able to do the same for live content.

On the hardware front, the 2024 LG TV series, which is powered by webOS, will have Chromecast built-in. Also of note is how that support is coming to LG Hospitality and Healthcare televisions that you find in hotels.

Other partner launches include the Google TV-powered 2024 Hisense ULED and ULED X Series, as well as the TCL Q Class and TCL QM7 line. Google says there are now over 220 million monthly active devices Google TV and other Android TV OS devices.

Meanwhile, Google is making it so that select Google TV and Android TV OS devices, as well as LG TVs, can be used as Matter hubs for Google Home. This is happening soon.

So if you have a Nest Hub, Nest Mini or compatible TV, its easy to add Matter devices to your home network and locally control them with the Google Home app.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Read more:

Fast Pair for Chromecast with Google TV is almost here - 9to5Google

Google Maps is obviously the most popular mapping service in the world, but both Google and Apple have had an issue with electric vehicle makers like Tesla and Rivian. Both of those companies favor running their own in-house software to power their driving experiences over Apples CarPlay and Googles Android Auto experiences.

The benefit of doing that, for those brands, is that they can more closely integrate the driving and charging experience in the vehicle (amongst a mile-long list of other benefits). So, up until now, running something like Google Maps in an EV has been worse than running the cars built-in mapping system since Google Maps couldnt interface with the vehicles battery information. Up until now is the most important part of that sentence.

In a press release, Google announced that it is rolling out real-time battery information for Google Maps. With this new feature, compatible electric vehicles will be able to share battery info directly with Googles mapping service, enabling Google Maps users to understand how much charge theyll have when they arrive at their destination, suggest charging stations along the route, and also estimate how long a charge will take.

The company says it is rolling the feature out first to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning in the coming months. In addition, starting today, you can now send trips youve planned on Google Maps on your Android or iOS phone directly to EVs with Google built-in.

Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there.

By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use and have reviewed the Privacy Notice.

Electric vehicles compatible with Android Auto can share real-time battery information with Google Maps coming first to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning in the coming months, with others to follow. This integration will make driving an electric vehicle easier, as Google Maps will provide your estimated battery level upon arrival at your destination, suggest charging stops along the way and even estimate how long charging will take based on your vehicle.

In addition to rolling out new Google Maps features, the company announced a number of new apps coming to vehicles with Google built-in. Chrome, PBS Kids, Crunchyroll, and the Weather Channel app are all starting to roll out today.

Today, Chrome browser is starting to roll out to select Polestar and Volvo cars in beta, and will be available in more cars later this year, so you can do a little shopping or access your saved bookmarks to keep you busy while parked. And if you need to keep the kids entertained (or hey, maybe keep yourself entertained!), you can watch shows from PBS KIDS and Crunchyroll, which are both now available in select cars with Google built-in. Finally, by popular demand, The Weather Channel app is now available for cars with Google built-in, giving you peace of mind on the road. Now you can stay up-to-date on changing weather conditions with hourly forecasts, follow-me, alerting and Trip View radar right from your dashboard.

Google is really leaning hard to build Google directly into vehicles as opposed to relying on Android Auto. The company says that Nissan, Ford, and Lincoln will all have models rolling out this year that have Google built-in and that Porsche will have its first models launching in the future. It also announced that its digital key technology will be rolling out to select Volvo models soon.

Digital car key availability also continues to expand, rolling out to select Volvo cars soon and to even more phone and car brands in the future. Using a digital car key, you have the ability to unlock, lock and start your car with supported Android phones and securely share keys with friends and family on iOS or Android phones.

As Google continues to integrate its software and services into vehicles, Apple is continuing to push its next generation of CarPlay. The company recently announced that the first vehicles to support the new version of CarPlay will be models from Aston Martin and Porsche later this year.

See the article here:

Google Maps can now display your electric vehicle's battery information in real time - BGR

Google and Meta is backtracking on their commitment to DEI in a huge way according to a bombshell report by CNBC.

Per the outlet, the tech companies have severely underdelivered on their promises to demonstrate commitment to racial equity over the last few years.

By mid-2023, DEI-related job postingshad declined 44% from the same time a year prior, according to data provided by job site Indeed, the outlet wrote. In November 2023, the last full month for which data was available, it dropped 23% year over year.

Whats more both Google andMetahave laid off employees in DEI and minimized programs that fell under DEI investment.

Whenever there is an economic downturn in tech, some of the first budgets that are cut are in DEI, but I dont think weve seen such stark contrast as this year, Melinda Briana Epler, founder and CEO of Empovia told CNBC. The company consults companies and leaders how to use research-based culture tactics to improve their workplaces.

When George Floyd began to become the topic of conversations, companies and executives doubled down on their commitments and here we are only a couple years later, and folks are looking for opportunities to cut those teams, Devika Brij, CEO of Brij the Gap Consulting told CNBC. The outlet reported that Brij shared some of her clients had slashed DEI budgets by 90% by midyear.

Our workforce reductions and company-wide efforts to sharpen our focus span the breadth of our business, and cherry picking examples to suggest were deprioritizing our longstanding efforts for underrepresented communities, or our DEI work, is inaccurate and misleading, a Google spokesperson shared with ESSENCE in a statement. To be absolutely clear, our commitment to this work has not changed and we invested in many new programs and partnerships in 2023.

The tech industry isnt the only sector thats disinvesting in DEI.

As previously reported by ESSENCE, Hue, a workplace culture platform, releaseda reportin 2022 that found 82% of HR professionals they surveyed said their industry does a decent job of carrying out diversity-related initiatives while 84% of workers shared they felt there was a lack of meaningful progress for equity work over that past year.

The rest is here:

Following Big Racial Equity Promises In 2020, Google And Meta Have Let Go Of Several DEI Leaders And Cut Programs - Essence

Google is on its way to eliminating cookies. A web browser staple since the early days of the internet almost 30 years ago, cookies are an integral part of the internet and the infrastructure on which companies like Google, Meta, and others have built their extensive data collection systems. Now, Google is taking practical steps to eliminate them. Last Thursday, the company initiated a pilot for 1% of Chrome users, in which the browser stops supporting third-party cookies. This is with the goal of ending the use of cookies for all Chrome users in the second half of the year.

Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari already eliminated support for cookies four years ago, but with a global market share of almost 65%, only if Chrome stops using them will they disappear entirely. Don't celebrate too soon: experts caution that the alternative presented by Google for personalized advertising is expected to tighten its grip on the digital advertising market.

Cookies are small pieces of information stored on a computer while using a browser. They have many legitimate uses, such as allowing websites to identify returning visitors and preventing the need to enter a username and password each time for services like Netflix, Amazon, or Gmail. However, third-party entities, like advertising networks, can also implant cookies during browsing, using them to create sophisticated user profiles for personalized ad targeting during website visits.

This usage has faced significant criticism from privacy advocates and users. In 2020, browsers like Safari and Firefox blocked third-party cookies by default. The impact of these changes on the digital advertising market was relatively limited, as Google Chrome dominates almost two-thirds of the global browser market. Until now, Google refrained from blocking third-party cookies, stating an intention to do so responsibly. Cynical observers argued that Google's responsibility was not towards users but rather towards its revenue stream, which was significantly impacted by blocking third-party cookies without providing an alternative for monitoring browsing habits.

Now, after developing and implementing such an alternative called Privacy Sandbox, Google has begun a wide-scale pilot for its testing, aiming to completely part ways with third-party cookies by the end of 2024. According to the company's December announcement, this decision is in response to regulators' concerns about antitrust issues.

These concerns are related to Privacy Sandbox which moves the monitoring of user browsing activity from the websites the user visits to the browser itself. The browser locally generates a list of interests or topics for advertising purposes, sharing only these with the site and its advertising network during the user's visit. Google started incorporating this alternative into Chrome in September and the move received widespread criticism, among them that it concentrates more power in the company's hands, potentially harming competition in the digital advertising market. While third-party cookies allow any player in the market to create a user profile and tailor ads, Privacy Sandbox generates this profile solely through a tool under Google's complete control. There's no certainty that it offers a better alternative for user privacy protection.

In fact, not everyone understands the need for a tool that monitors user activity. "It's a terrible idea," argued the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights organization. "Google is framing it under the false assumption that we have to choose between 'old monitoring' and 'new monitoring.' It's not either-or. Instead of reinventing the monitoring wheel, we need to imagine a better world without the various problems of targeted advertising."

Critics within the industry question the timing of the move, claiming that Google is not ready for the change. Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, told The Wall Street Journal that Google needs to give companies more time to test technological alternatives before it removes cookies and that aiming to complete the move in the fourth quarter of 2024 will be a severe blow to the industry. The timing remains poor. Launching it during the industrys greatest revenue-generating part of the year is just a terrible decision."

Others argue that the expected change will boost Google's own revenue from displaying ads in Google Search, which doesn't require a detailed personal profile to tailor ads to users and thus may become a preferred destination for advertisers, especially during the transition from third-party cookies. "Privacy Sandbox likely has very few winners outside of Google, if there are any at all," said Bill Simmons, vice president of product at Trade Desk, a digital ad-buyer platform. He wrote that Googles elimination of cookies would reduce the overall value of the digital advertising industry.

In light of potential difficulties for advertisers and websites to target users, causing a decline in ad prices, digital advertising company Criteo found in 2022 that third-party cookies are up to five times more effective in targeting users compared to Google's alternative. Advertising agency Havas Media discovered that a mix of alternatives can provide similar or better results than cookies, but found it challenging to estimate how well these alternatives will perform at significantly higher activity levels.

Google has dismissed the criticism, claiming that the change will improve user privacy while providing as much value as possible to advertisers. "The ecosystem contains thousands of companies, and theyll continue to adapt and optimize over time," said Anthony Chavez, Google's Deputy President leading the transition from third-party cookies to Privacy Sandbox. "Were confident in the ability for the industry to navigate the transition.

Continued here:

Bite-sized ads: Google's cookie farewell makes advertisers nibble on alternatives - CTech

By: sam doak& January 10 2024

A map of the Gaza Strip and Israel. (Source: Wikimedia commons.)

Since October 7, the focus of fact-checkers, news outlets, and researchers has been squarely set on the violence unfolding across the Gaza Strip and Israel. While the skills required to monitor, research, and investigate conflicts from afar are numerous, the ability to accurately geolocate images and footage is vital to any individual or organization seeking to verify content from the field.

While the ability to geolocate has been increasingly valued by organizations in recent years, attempts to apply such skills to coverage of events in Gaza and Israel have highlighted how a challenge it can be.

The reasons that geolocation is particularly difficult in this region are numerous. Due to concerns relating to Israeli security, American companies were until 2020 under tight legal restrictions regarding the quality of satellite imagery showing Israel and Gaza they were allowed to make publicly available. While these obligations have been lifted for some time, leading providers such as Google and Apple have since failed to update their imagery to a quality comparable with that depicting other regions. Services such as street view are likewise not available.

Paid services, such as those offered by Planet Labs, could constitute a useful alternative to open platforms like Google Maps, but providers have chosen to withhold high-resolution imagery relating to Gaza on occasion in recent months.

While the lack of high-quality satellite imagery alone is enough to complicate geolocation efforts, the devastation caused by aerial warfare in densely urbanized areas presents a compounding difficulty. Put simply, areas across much of Gaza are likely to have changed significantly from the time at which they were photographed by satellite, due to targeting by Israeli forces.

Highlighting this reality, Chris Osieck, a researcher who has worked extensively on geolocating footage from Gaza and the surrounding region, told Logically Facts The bombardments have caused the Gaza Strip to even become unrecognizable, which sometimes asks you to look at touring and walking videos from travel bloggers on YouTube to see how things were before.

While these issues may seem daunting, there are methods and resources that can help with geolocation in areas with poor-quality satellite imagery, and lack of street view. While not all are applicable to Gaza, they can greatly expand the capabilities of those seeking to geolocate media recorded in such environments.

Frequently, those seeking to geolocate an image or video may know or suspect it was recorded within a specific area. In cases such as these, image libraries such as Getty Images and Reuters Pictures are valuable resources. Searching the name of the location will often reveal high-quality photographs that can be matched with footage, and provide additional visual information.

These resources are particularly useful in contexts that attract a high level of media coverage, as they raise the likelihood that a photographer will be on the ground.

(Source: Gaza Damage Proxy Map/Screenshot)

Released by Ollie Ballinger, a Lecturer at UCLs Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, the Gaza Damage Proxy Map is a tool that indicates the likelihood that locations have changed significantly since October 10, 2023. It compares recent Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery with data captured on October 10. As significant damage to a structure will change how it reflects microwaves, these results provide a valuable indicator in areas inaccessible to journalists and researchers.

In the context of geolocation, this can help narrow down search areas. If a scene in a video or image shows heavily damaged buildings or other significant destruction, there is a likelihood it will be an area highlighted by the tool. Handily, the tool allows users to easily check if footage has been geolocated to a highlighted location, reducing the risk of time wastage.

(Source: Screenshot/Google Earth)

Every map, on and offline, will contain a varying level of detail. With satellite maps in particular different providers will often have imagery that varies in quality and recency. A way to address this difficulty is to download map overlays on Google Earth. This allows users to quickly toggle between different maps of the same location in a manner much easier than switching between platforms.

This can be particularly useful in Gaza, where online maps and satellite imagery can be of low quality, and contain sparse levels of information concerning a given area.

A video comparing Gaza before and after October 7, 2023. (Source: YouTube)

Often areas will have been filmed from above by aircraft or drone. Usually easily searchable on platforms such as YouTube, these videos can offer a highly detailed birds-eye view of an area and will make visible details that are unclear on satellite maps.

The existence of relevant footage of this nature is particularly likely when it concerns urban environments, culturally significant locations, and visually striking areas.

As events have unfolded in Gaza, journalists and researchers have increasingly relied upon publicly available livestreams to follow developments on the ground. Made available by a range of individuals and organizations, these can provide useful visual information for those trying to trace the origin of images and footage once a search area has been narrowed down.

To find a range of resources, one can simply search on a platform such as YouTube, or check more specialized sites such as Windy. Handily, YouTube archives old livestreams, allowing users to view locations streamed previously.

(Source: Screenshot/Peakvisor)

Initially developed for use by the mountaineering community, Peakvisor is a tool that has been embraced by OSINT professionals as a resource to aid in geolocation. It allows users to view the topography of an area, and in many cases match ridgelines and other features to images and video.

While Gaza is not particularly mountainous, it does have topography in areas that can be matched with the imagery available through Peakvisor. This is particularly useful given the poor quality of Google Earth imagery in the region.

Read the original here:

Beyond Google Maps: Geolocating media from Gaza and other challenging environments - logicallyfacts.com

Last updated: January 10th, 2024 at 09:18 UTC+01:00

At CES 2024, Google announced new features for Android Auto and Google Built-in that are mainly related to Google Maps and electric vehicles (EVs). Along with that, the company has released new applications for Google Built-in. Lets take a look.

Electric vehicles that feature Android Auto will be able to share real-time battery information with Google Maps. Based on that, Google Maps will be able to show you the amount of battery that will be left in your vehicle when you arrive at a destination. Along with that, it can use real-time battery information to suggest charging stops along the route and estimate the amount of time it will take to charge the battery.

The new functionality will make it easier and more convenient for people to plan trips in their electric vehicles using Google Maps. The company will roll out this feature in the coming months and Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning will be the first models to get it. Theres no info about which other cars will get this feature.

If your vehicle has Google Built-in, you will be able to send a trip from Google Maps on Android and iOS to Google Maps on your vehicle. This will enable you to quickly set up the same navigation on your cars infotainment display that you had finalized on your smartphone. This feature is starting to roll out today.

Google has announced the Google Chrome app for Google Built-in, which allows people in the car to browse the web and keep themselves entertained. However, if you are the one driving the car, make sure that you use it only when the car is parked to avoid distraction while driving. The app is rolling out today to select Volvo and Polestar cars.

Along with that, Google has also announced that The Weather Channel app is now available for Google Built-in, allowing you to stay up-to-date on changing weather conditions with hourly forecasts, follow-me, alerting and Trip View radar right from your dashboard.

Read more:

Google announces new apps and features for Android Auto and Google Built-in at CES 2024 - SamMobile - Samsung news