Category Archives: Google

Google is announcing even more Workspace features today, part of an increased cadence of changes to the companys office and communications software suite over the past year or so. Todays announcement is a bit of a milestone, however. Although there is still the smattering of small and coming-soon updates, the bigger change is that Gmail is getting a redesign that reveals its true nature in Googles eyes: the central hub for every Google communication app.

To begin, Google is adding the ability to ring another Google user with Google Meet but inside the Gmail mobile app, not inside the Meet app. When the feature rolls out and turns on, your Gmail app will be able to be called just like any other VOIP app (in addition to being able to join Google Meet meetings). Google says the standalone Meet app will get the same ability to place calls, not just create group meetings, at some point in the future.

That Gmail was the first place Google thought to put its calling feature reveals how important Gmail has become to the larger changes happening within Google Workspace. Google has not been shy about leveraging Gmails popularity to drive adoption of its other services.

Now, Gmail is essentially Googles equivalent to Microsofts Outlook. Its a central hub for multiple services. Outlook is Microsofts hub for email, calendar, and contacts; Gmail is Googles hub for email, one-on-one chats, group chats, videoconferencing, and now calls. The email part of Gmail is just one tab in a group of four, next to Chat, Spaces, and Meet.

Spaces is Googles rebranding of Rooms, a Slack-alike product that offers group chats. With the rename, Googles making it easier to find Spaces within a company by making them discoverable to search (as an option) and also finally adding full support for threaded messages. As with other group chat apps, threads will appear in an extra column on the right-hand side. (For those keeping count, that means a Spaces user could have up to five columns of different information on their screen at once.)

Google says users will be able to hide the tabs they dont use, as before, and that the redesign is rolling out to enterprise users first, in the coming weeks. After that, it will start to appear in Gmail for regular consumers.

As for the smaller updates, Google Calendar will now let you RSVP to a meeting invite with an indication of your location. Google will finally launch the so-called Companion mode feature this November. Its the system that has you log into a meeting on your laptop alongside the main rooms AV system, muted by default so theres not an embarrassing audio feedback loop.

Finally, Google is expanding the Series One line of Google Meet-compatible hardware. Unlike Made by Google hardware like the Pixel, Series One devices are made by other companies to look like they fit in with Googles design aesthetic and work primarily with Googles software.

To me, the more interesting device is the Series One Desk 27. Its a touchscreen display designed primarily to serve as a Google Meet videoconferencing station, but it also has a simple USB-C port and can serve as an external monitor for a laptop. When you plug in, you can use its soundbar and 5-megapixel camera with whatever video conference app you like, as well. Google says it has an Edge TPU (a custom, Google processor) for listening to Hey Google commands, but otherwise it uses a standard Intel chip for its main functions.

Its definitely a device meant more for corporate spaces than consumers homes and has a price to match: $1,999.

Theres also the Series One Panel 65, a TV thats also able to take stylus input and work a little like Googles own Jamboard. Google says both will run on Chrome OS and are all-in-one meeting devices, but beyond that, we dont have a ton of specs. The devices are made by Avocor, which makes a bunch of other custom meeting devices. It will launch in 2022. Pricing is not available yet.

Google is partnering with Cisco to ensure that hardware designed for Google Meet will be able to dial into Webex meetings and that hardware designed for Webex will be able to dial into Google Meet. As for Zoom, theres nothing to announce.

Theres been more work put into Google Workspace in the past year than seems to have gone into it in the several years before that, the vast majority of it focused on communication. Thats great news for companies and consumers who use all of Workspaces various apps. But for those of us who just want Gmail to keep being just an email app, its going to be increasingly difficult to keep it that way.

Correction, 5:25PM ET September 8th: The Gmail redesign is rolling out to enterprise customers in the coming weeks, not today as the article originally stated. We regret the error.

Excerpt from:

The Gmail app takes calls now, too, because Google wants it to do everything - The Verge

Google Photos now lets you order prints of specific photographs and get them shipped to homes in the US for as little as $0.18 plus shipping, the company has announced. Although its previously been possible to print individual photos through Google Photos, until now youve had to pick them up from a local Walmart, CVS, or Walgreens. Otherwise, getting prints shipped has required paying for Googles $6.99 a month photo subscription, which sends 10 cardstock photo prints each month.

Alongside the new shipping option, Google is also expanding the sizes available. Theres now the option of getting prints in larger 11x14, 12x18, 16x20, and 20x30-inch sizes, in addition to the previously available 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10-inch options. Canvas prints, which were already available with shipping, are also getting new 8x10, 16x16, 20x30, 24x36, 30x40, and 36x36-inch sizes, which will sit alongside the existing 8x8, 11x14, and 16x20-inch selection.

Read more here:

Google Photos will now ship individual prints directly to your door - The Verge

The Google name is displayed outside the company's office in London, Britain, November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Sept 9 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google aims to replenish 20% more water than its offices and data centers use by 2030, the company said on Thursday, addressing concerns about water-guzzling tech facilities amid record droughts.

"We are pledging to a water stewardship target to replenish more water than we consume by 2030 and support water security in communities where we operate," Google Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt wrote in a blog post. "This means Google will replenish 120% of the water we consume, on average, across our offices and data centers."

Google consumed 3.4 billion gallons of water in 2019, its most recent disclosure. The company told Reuters it had not yet started tracking replenishment rates. But it added that its 20% goal reflects what is needed to return regions with high or extremely high water scarcity to a normal level.

Google uses water to cool its data centers' stacks of computers that store and process search queries, YouTube videos and other data. Researchers have said a shift is needed as climate change worsens droughts worldwide. The Mountain View, California-based company's data centers are located around the globe.

Google plans to reach its new target by using less water at its buildings and then helping with conservation in surrounding communities, starting with those where water is especially scarce.

Google's new measures include collecting stormwater for flushing toilets and funding removal of water-hungry invasive plants. In Southern California, Google is even helping to install toilet leak detection technology in low-income housing, to cut waste and keep the water cycling through plumbing systems.

Google will continue to help vendors reduce consumption, it said.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) a year ago and Facebook Inc (FB.O) last month both announced goals of being water positive by 2030 without specifying a replenishment target.

Google said in September 2020 it planned to run its offices and data centers on carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030.

Reporting by Paresh Dave in Oakland, California; Editing by Richard Chang and Peter Cooney

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read the rest here:

Google to replenish 20% more water than it uses by 2030 - Reuters

One of Google's new dedicated pieces of videoconferencing hardware that interoperates directly with ... [+] Cisco's Webex platform is the Series One Desk 27.

As the demands and realities of hybrid work start to become more apparent, companies are beginning to face new issues. In particular, theres growing recognition of the many challenges that organizations are going to face as they begin to integrate more combinations of in-house and remote workers. In short, things were much easier when virtually everyone was remote, but theyre about to get a lot harder.

A big part of the problem has to do with the existing installed base of videoconferencing equipment that companies have within their meeting and conference rooms. The vast majority of the equipment is dedicated and will only work with a single collaboration software packagein many cases, its for the quickly disappearing Skype platform.

Recognizing this challenge, Cisco and Google have come together in a major new partnership to offer interoperability for their respective conference room hardware and collaboration software tools. Specifically, as of Q4, youll be able to seamlessly join Ciscos Webex meetings directly from Google Meet hardware (including some intriguing new options that were just introduced today). Conversely, you be able to join Google Meet meetings from Ciscos line of Webex hardware.

On the one hand, its easy to argue that this type of collaboration for the sake of collaboration was absolutely essential, because using multiple videoconferencing tools has become the accepted norm. As the two companies pointed out in a pre-briefing on the announcement, even organizations that have picked one or the other as their corporate standard will almost certainly run into situations where customers and/or partners will be using a different platform. Having room-based hardware that only supports a single platform, therefore, is quickly becoming an untenable option.

The new interoperability announcement between CIsco and Google means that Cisco hardware devices ... [+] like the Webex DeskPro device will soon be able to connect directly to Google Meet meetings.

Still, it is impressive to see Google and Cisco overcome not only the technical hurdles necessary to make their systems interoperate, but the competitive challenges that these types of co-opetition arrangements inevitably raise. Of course, what we really need is hardware that can also integrate with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, but this is a very important first step towards cross-platform interoperability that Im sure (or, at least, strongly hope!) will be replicated many times over in the coming months.

Whats particularly noteworthy about this announcement is that the companies moved well beyond simple sharing of audio and video streams. Cisco and Google worked to incorporate many critical hardware-based capabilities, including things like automatically muting of extraneous audio, blurring backgrounds, leveraging automatic camera zooming tools to the current speaker, and much more. Even more interestingly, on the software side, they thought through details like overlaying Webex-style controls during Google Meet meetings if you join from a Cisco device and vice versa if you join from a Google hardware device into a Webex meeting. Theyve also made the ability to join meetings with a single touch work seamlessly across either platform. While these details may seem somewhat subtle, they reflect how the companies want to leverage the comfort that their existing users have with their method of operation, while still offering the ability to connect to other platforms. In my mind, thats a very nice touch.

On top of that, the companies were also able to integrate some of the native capabilities of one platform into another. For example, the voice-based assistants that each platform offers natively, such as Webex Voice Assistant and Hey Google, can be used while connecting to meetings on the other platform. To be sure, theres more work to be done, especially in areas like leveraging add-on whiteboarding and other collaboration software tools that extend the capabilities of these platforms. Still, its clear that the two companies are dedicated to addressing issues over time.

Another interesting implication of this collaboration has to do with the overall philosophy and approach that will be needed to guarantee interoperability in the future. For a while, many in the industry have discussed the need to coordinate or federate communications across platforms at the server or cloud level. With this announcement, however, the focus is shifting towards an endpoint-based solution that can interoperate with existing server and cloud-based tools. How this ultimately works out remains to be seen, but it certainly does appear to be a significant step in a new direction.

As mentioned earlier, alongside this announcement, Google also debuted some new Google Meet hardware devices. The Google Series One Desk 27 is Googles standalone hardware solution, incorporating a 27 high-resolution QVGA (2,560 x 1,440) touch-capable display, along with a 2,560 x 1,920 resolution webcam with a 100 field of view, built-in soundbar and adjustable stand. Priced at $1,999, the Desk 27 also features multiple USB-C ports, allowing it to also be utilized as a second monitor for a laptop or other PC. The companys new integrated display room solution is the $6,999 Series One Board 65, which incorporates a 4K resolution 65 touch-capable display, a 4K, 12 MegaPixel camera, a stereo sound bar and similar USB-C connectivity. Both devices come with styli for easier whiteboarding support with the integrated JamBoard software, and include autoframing of the video, voice-based operation with Hey Google, and automatic noise removal, among other capabilities. All told, its an impressive set of offerings that puts Google on par with some of the best videoconferencing hardware from Cisco and Microsoft.

Leveraging multiple videoconferencing tools on PCs has become second nature for virtually everyone that has worked remotely, but as more employees start to return to the office, the need to make the room-based tools equally simple to interoperate across platforms is quickly going to become critical. As a result, its great to see Cisco and Google come together to take this important first step in improving hybrid work collaboration. While there are more companies that need to be involved and more work that needs to be done, this looks to be a great first effort.

Disclosure: TECHnalysis Research is a tech industry market research and consulting firm and, like all companies in that field, works with many technology vendors as clients, some of whom may be listed in this article.

See original here:

Google And Cisco Partner To Drive Collaboration Forward - Forbes

As cool as videoconferencing hardware can look, its often exorbitantly expensive the $2,000 Series One Desk 27 for Google Meet being a perfect example. Luckily, alongside that expensive Meet machine, Google also announced its Designed for Google Meet program and a more affordable first entry, the Rayz Rally Pro. Its a $200 Nest Mini-like phone speaker that doubles as a microphone for Google Meet calls.

The Rayz Rally Pro comes in a gray-tone fabric-covered body that looks a bit like Googles smart speakers but with a phone dock carveout. The speaker dock comes in two varieties: a Lightning connector iPhone model and a Google Pixel version that should work with any USB-C phone. Both versions can work as a Bluetooth speaker, omnidirectional microphone, and 20W passthrough fast-charging dock for whatever phone you connect.

The big trick of the Rally Pro and all of the third-party devices included in Googles Designed for Google Meet program is its close integration with Google Meet. According to the Rally Pros manufacturer, Appcessori, joining a Google Meet video call is as simple as plugging in a smartphone and then tapping the Google Meet invite that is automatically launched at plug in. The device also features active noise suppression and automatic gain control and a dedicated mute button.

Its not clear if those features will work the same way on a non-Google platform like iOS or if theyre compatible with other video chat software like Zoom or Webex. The Verge has contacted Appcessori for more information and will update if we learn more.

A note on Google Meet products: The Series One line features Googles design language, but are made by Avocor and Lenovo. Designed for Google Meet is a separate program for third party manufacturers. The program identifies peripherals designed by partners specifically for and to work with Google Meet, Google writes. Basically, some companies get to almost cosplay as Google, while others just get a stamp of approval.

The use cases for a microphone and speaker for video chatting on your phone seem like they might be limited. If youre traveling and taking calls, a laptop could do the trick. But with phone selfie cameras frequently taking better video than the built-in webcams in most laptops, maybe it starts to make more sense.

You can preorder the Rayz Rally Pro for $199.99 now for an expected ship date of September 17th.

Update September 8th, 3:10PM ET: Added explanation of two Google Meet product lines.

Visit link:

The Rayz Rally Pro is the first Designed for Google Meet device - The Verge

September 09, 2021

RENO,Nev. Google isproviding 10,000 Certified Educator Level 1 vouchers at no cost across the State.Throughsupport for the Nevada Department of Education, the certifications will be offered to teacherswho want to grow and demonstrate their proficiency in Google Workspace toolsfor classroom teaching.

The programconsists of a Fundamentals Course and a Level 1 Academy to help educators learnvaluable technology skills useful in both hybrid and virtual environments. Onceachieved, the certification is valid for three years.Our goalis to provide educators with opportunities to develop the digital skills theyneed in any tech-driven classroom, said Kate Franko, Googles Regional Head ofData Center Public Affairs. We hope this training will make their work easier,even more impactful, and create ripple effects across Nevada that benefit bothteachers and students."The programis available to many groups of educators working with Nevadas studentsincluding: licensed Nevada teachers and Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL)teachers, teacher preparation faculty at Nevada universities and ARL programs, contractededucational technology specialist computer teachers, pre-service teachersaccepted to a Nevada teacher preparation program, school librarians and mediaspecialists.Nevadaseducators are the key to fostering students who are globally prepared andfuture-ready, said Jhone Ebert, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Asthe technology of our world continues to rapidly evolve, it is critical to buildour educators capacity to support our students and I thank Google for providingthis opportunity.Applicationsto join the initial cohort of 2,500 educators to receive training this year inthe Level 1 Certification are open starting today online. The remaining 7,500 certification voucherswill be available in 2022 and beyond. In addition to training teachers, acohort of educators already achieved Google Certified Trainer status. Thesenewly Certified Trainers will be able to assist with the monumental undertakingof certifying up to 10,000 educators in the Level 1 program in the future.Theeducators who will take this Level 1 course, and those who have already becometrainers, are extremely dedicated individuals who will develop their skills tobenefit themselves, their students, and their peers, says Amy Mayer, CEO andFounder of friEdTechnology, the Google for Education Professional Developmentpartner delivering the training.This dedication combined withnewly-minted tech skills will support their efficiency and effectiveness in theclassroom.###

AboutGoogle in NevadaIn July2019, Google broke ground on its first $600 million data center in Henderson,Nevada, with a second $600 million expansion following in 2020. In 2020 Googlealso announced a new $600 million investment in Storey County, bringing itstotal investment in Nevada to $1.8 billion. Once fully operational, all siteswill employ many people in a variety of fields including computer technicians,engineers, and various service, maintenance, and security roles.

Read the original:

Google Offering 10,000 Free Educator Certifications to Support Nevada Teachers - Nevada Governor

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --LearnPlatform,developer of an edtech effectiveness system, today published its fourth annual year-end analysis of K12 edtech usage from the 2020/2021 school year. The company's Edtech Top 40 report data reveals that districts are using 1,449 digital products on average, per month, up over 52%since the 2019-20 school year, pre-pandemic, and up 9% from 2019-2020, during the height of the pandemic last winter.

Google Docs remains the most used technology tool since LearnPlatform began tracking the Edtech Top 40 in 2017while Google's suite of products has consistently ranked in the top 10 for the past four years. YouTube remains popular, ranking third on the list, the same position it held in 2018-2019. Zoom is the most used video technology for virtual classrooms, followed closely by Google Meet, which are ranked #9 and #13 respectively.

"No matter the key focus of the technology, we've seen a steady increase in the number of digital tools used in classrooms, whether virtual or in-person. Tech-enabled learning is here to stay and now is the time to ensure that edtech is effective in supporting teaching and driving student outcomes,"said Karl Rectanus, CEO and Founder of LearnPlatform. "While we focus on equipping districts and states to improve the safety, equity, efficiency and effectiveness of their learning environments, this analysis provides an important broader perspective to help K-12 decision-makers."

The report considers products across four categories -- "Learner Focused", "Educator Focused", "Organization", and "General & Pervasive"-- as well as considering their primary purpose and type, to further understand the role that thousands of digital tools play in the K-12 ecosystem. For example, game-based learning platform Kahoot! joins Google Forms, both used for classroom engagement and instruction, in the top 10, while it takes first place in the "Educator Focused" category when considering only products designed expressly for the education market.

New additions to this year's Edtech Top 40 include Jamboard (#22), Pear Deck (#28) and Booklet (#37), while History.com (#29), Encyclopedia Britannica (#30) and MIT App Inventor (#37) returned to the list after dropping off last year's list which focused on the months after widespread school closures related to COVID-19.

The report is based on 44 billion student and educator engagement events across 8,616 products. To view the entire report and infographic, please visit: https://learnplatform.com/top40

About LearnPlatform

LearnPlatform is a mission-driven research organization, and creator of the comprehensive edtech effectiveness system of the same name used by educators, leaders and their partners to save time, save money and improve outcomes. The research-driven technology, central office automation and data-rich insights and evidence services equip school districts, states, and providers to organize, streamline and analyze their edtech interventions to ensure learning ecosystems are safe, equitable, cost-efficient, and effective for all students. For more information, visit learnplatform.com.

Media Contact:

Alyssa Miller

[emailprotected]

973-615-1292

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/google-products-kahoot-and-zoom-are-the-digital-tools-accessed-by-the-most-students-and-educators-in-202021-school-year-301372146.html

SOURCE LearnPlatform

Link:

Google Products, Kahoot! and Zoom are the Digital Tools Accessed by the Most Students and Educators in 2020/21 School Year - Johnson City Press...

With help from Leah Nylen and John Hendel

Editors Note: Morning Tech is a free version of POLITICO Pro Technology's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the days biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.

Ready for round 2? The Justice Department is preparing yet another suit against Google, and it could happen before DOJ antitrust nominee Jonathan Kanter is confirmed.

230 watch: Theres no shortage of bills that would tighten social media content moderation rules now working their way through Congress. But which ones stand a chance, and which are just for show?

Eyes on Texas: The states abortion restrictions could cause trouble for ride-sharing companies, and a separate law waiting to be signed could ensnare social media platforms if theyre accused of censoring conservative viewpoints.

ITS TUESDAY, SEPT. 7. WELCOME BACK TO MORNING TECH. Im your host, Benjamin Din. Huge thank you to everyone who weighed in on headphone suggestions. The pair I ordered arrived last week, and they have been incredible.

Got a news tip? Email me at [emailprotected] and find me on Twitter @benjamindin. Got an event for our calendar? Send details to [emailprotected]. Anything else? Team info below. And don't forget: Add @MorningTech and @PoliticoPro on Twitter.

DOJ READIES ANOTHER GOOGLE SUIT An actual filing against the search giant still isnt imminent, two people familiar with the probe tell POLITICO antitrust maven Leah Nylen, but Googles odds of avoiding a fifth major antitrust suit arent good. Prosecutors have spent months crafting a complaint focusing on one of the crown jewels in the companys business model: its huge share of the $70.2 billion spent last year on online display and video advertising, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

After Aon and Willis Towers Watson called off their deal to build the worlds biggest insurance brokerage and risk management service in July, DOJ antitrust reassigned the lawyers gearing up for trial in that case to the probes into Google and Apple. Their marching orders: Wrap up those probes by the end of the year.

But the Google ad tech probe is the closest to the finish line, and the Justice Department wont be waiting on Kanter, the presidents pick for assistant attorney general for antitrust, to get the OK from the Senate. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta will make the final call on whether to sue Google if Kanter still isnt confirmed by the time prosecutors are ready. Their involvement as the decision-makers could also help assuage tech industry concerns about possible conflicts of interest posed by Kanters former clients, many of whom have complained about the search giants dominance.

Still under debate at DOJ: where to file. The department usually prefers D.C., but antitrust suits against Google by state attorneys general and private plaintiffs are already proceeding before Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan federal court. Filing in New York would let one court decide Googles fate.

Walking down memory lane: Googles ad tech has been one of DOJs main focuses since it began investigating the company in 2019, and many observers expected the department to file suit over that issue last year. Instead, when the department sued Google in October, it zeroed in on the online search market.

An antitrust probe into Apple is also proceeding, but DOJ prosecutors who attended every day of game developer Epic Games antitrust trial against the iPhone maker in May are waiting on Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Her ruling in the Epic case is expected any day now and may affect both whether and where DOJ decides to sue.

SECTION 230 BILLS SPROUTING ON THE HILL Lawmakers have introduced more than 20 bills to revamp or repeal the online legal shield that protects internet platforms from liability for what their users post. Our Julia Arciga breaks them down for Pros this morning:

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing for changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, dissatisfied with how major tech platforms have approached their content moderation policies albeit for different reasons. Democrats are worried that platforms have used Section 230 to avoid accountability for the spread of misinformation and other dangerous content, while Republicans say those same platforms use it to discriminate against conservatives.

That disagreement could make a meaningful overhaul of the law challenging. There isnt a ton of momentum around any particular idea for changing Section 230. I dont really see a coalescing around any philosophical or legal approach to reform, said Emma Llans, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a think tank that promotes democratic values in technology.

No way: GOP lawmakers are more likely to propose revoking Section 230 entirely an idea championed by former President Donald Trump, but one that will largely remain little more than political grandstanding as Democrats remain in control.

Long shot: One strategy that has worked in the past is crafting legislation that creates exceptions to Section 230. Tech policy watchers think H.R. 3184 (117), led by Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), could become law. That bill would hold platforms liable for civil rights violations in targeted advertising.

Potentially promising: An approach with bipartisan appeal is tying Section 230 protections to platforms conduct. This would require the platforms to take certain actions, such as publishing transparency reports or clearly defining content moderation policies for the public, in order to retain their legal protections.

TECH TENSIONS WITH TEXAS Texas is facing criticism from some tech companies over its restrictive abortion law, which went into effect last week after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a court challenge. And in another move that will irk Silicon Valley, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a social media bill soon, after it landed on his desk Friday.

Feeling deja vu: The Texas state legislature approved a measure late last week aimed at curbing perceived anti-conservative discrimination. (A similar law in Florida was temporarily blocked by a federal judge citing concerns over potential First Amendment violations; that ruling is under appeal.)

The Texas social media bill would require platforms with at least 50 million active monthly U.S. users to publicly release information about their content moderation practices and results, as well as put in place an appeals process for moderation decisions. It also would allow Texas users to sue the platforms over alleged censorship.

Critics of the bill including prominent tech industry coalitions like the Chamber of Progress, as well as NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, which co-led the challenge to the Florida law say online platforms should have the right to enforce their own moderation policies and take down content they find objectionable.

Abortion blowback: Meanwhile, a number of tech companies have spoken out against Texas new ban on abortions at around six weeks, when human embryos first show detectable signs of cardiac activity. The law also criminalizes helping to facilitate an illegal abortion, which has raised concerns at Uber and Lyft that the law could affect drivers who take a passenger to get the procedure done. In response, the chief executives of the two major ridesharing services have said their companies will help cover drivers legal fees. Bumble, a dating app with headquarters in Texas, said it would create a relief fund to support reproductive rights for those seeking abortions in light of the law, and Shar Dubey, CEO of Texas-headquartered Match Group, which owns dating apps like Tinder, said in an internal memo that she would set up a fund for employees and their dependents impacted by the law to seek out-of-state care.

John Branscome, a longtime expert on telecommunications policy, is leaving his post as a majority staff director for the Senate Commerce Committee, the panel told MT. He has been a past contender for a Democratic commissioner role on the FCC. Dominic Cussatt is now the CIO and head of technology innovation for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the State Department. He was previously acting CIO at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jessica Cole is now interim CEO of U.S. Digital Response, and Tina Walha will join as director of public digital. Founding CEO Raylene Yung will join the Biden administration, working on tech modernization at the General Services Administration.

Matt Gerst is now VP for legal and policy affairs and associate general counsel at the Internet Association. He previously was VP of regulatory affairs at CTIA. Troy Clair is now director of public engagement at Instacart. He previously was head of strategic public policy partnerships and senior policy manager at Amazon, and is a Hill alum. Grace Diana is now a senior manager of federal government relations at Samsung. She most recently was executive director of the National Science and Technology Council and is a Biden and Trump White House alum.

Meghan Pearce has been promoted to federal policy manager at TechNet. Mina Hsiang is now the administrator of the United States Digital Service, becoming the first woman and first Asian American to lead the agency. Jaime Teevan has been promoted to CVP at Microsoft. She is the chief scientist for the company's experiences and devices division.

Sana Sheikh has been promoted to VP of transformation, deputy general counsel and VP of strategic affairs at Granite Telecommunications. Accounting Seed announced three new hires: former Salesforce director of technical consulting Ryan Sieve as CTO; former AOL analyst Brian Wai as VP of finance and accounting; and former Oracle manager Barry Thompson as partner relationship manager.

J. Alex Dalessio is now principal for the worldwide public sector innovation studio at Amazon Web Services. He previously was senior adviser at the office of the federal CIO and director of strategic initiatives and technology adviser for the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Josh Divine is now chief counsel to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). He most recently was a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas.

Something for everyone: The Strange Tale of the Freedom Phone, a Smartphone for Conservatives. More from NYT.

Stepping in: Google locks Afghan government accounts as Taliban seek emails, via Reuters.

ICYMI: Theres a new Democratic majority at the National Labor Relations Board. That could mean a dramatic shift in power from employers to workers, POLITICOs Eleanor Mueller reports.

Pretty please: A Texas city hopes to entice Samsung into building a $17 billion chip plant there with large property tax breaks, Reuters reports.

ICYMI: Apple announced Friday it would pause its rollout of new child safety features amid scrutiny from privacy advocates, John reported for Pros. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said the company should drop the planned features altogether.

Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Bob King ([emailprotected]), Heidi Vogt ([emailprotected]), John Hendel ([emailprotected]), Alexandra S. Levine ([emailprotected]), Leah Nylen ([emailprotected]), Emily Birnbaum ([emailprotected]), and Benjamin Din ([emailprotected]). Got an event for our calendar? Send details to [emailprotected]. And don't forget: Add @MorningTech and @PoliticoPro on Twitter.

SEE YOU TOMORROW!

More:

DOJ preps to sue over Google's ad tech, even without its antitrust chief - Politico

Google CEO Sundar Pichai talks about the company's third-generation artificial intelligence chips.

Source: YouTube screenshot

Not content with relying on standard chips that are in high demand, some of the world's biggest tech firms are developing their own semiconductors.

Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Tesla and Baidu are all shunning established chip firms and bringing certain aspects of chip development in-house, according to company announcements and media reports.

"Increasingly, these companies want custom-made chips fitting their applications' specific requirements rather than use the same generic chips as their competitors," Syed Alam, global semiconductor lead at Accenture, told CNBC.

"This gives them more control over the integration of software and hardware while differentiating them from their competition," Alam added.

Russ Shaw, a former non-executive director at U.K.-based Dialog Semiconductor, told CNBC that custom-designed chips can perform better and work out cheaper.

"These specifically designed chips can help to reduce energy consumption for devices and products from the specific tech company, whether it relates to smartphones or cloud services," Shaw said.

The ongoing global chip shortage is another reason why big tech firms are thinking twice about where they get their chips from, Glenn O'Donnell, research director at analyst firm Forrester, told CNBC. "The pandemic threw a big wrench in these supply chains, which accelerated efforts to do their own chips."

"Many already felt limited in their innovation pace being locked into chipmaker timelines," O'Donnell said.

At present, barely a month goes by without a Big Tech company announcing a new chip project.

Perhaps the most notable example came in November 2020 when Apple announced it was moving away from Intel's x86 architecture to make its own M1 processor, which now sits in its new iMacs and iPads.

More recently, Tesla announced that it is building a "Dojo" chip to train artificial intelligence networks in data centers. The automaker in 2019 started producing cars with its custom AI chips that help on-board software make decisions in response to what's happening on the road.

Baidu last month launched an AI chip that's designed to help devices process huge amounts of data and boost computing power. Baidu said the "Kunlun 2" chip can be used in areas such as autonomous driving and that it has entered mass production.

Some of the tech giants have chosen to keep certain semiconductor projects under wraps.

Google is reportedly edging closer to rolling out its own central processing units, or CPUs, for its Chromebook laptops. The search giant plans to use its CPUs in Chromebooks and tablets that run on the company's Chrome operating system from around 2023, according to a report from Nikkei Asia on Sep. 1. Google did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

Amazon, which operates the world's largest cloud service, is developing its own networking chip to power hardware switches that move data around networks. If it works, it would reduce Amazon's reliance on Broadcom. Amazon, which already designs a number of other chips, did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

Facebook's chief AI scientist told Bloomberg in 2019 that the company is working on a new class of semiconductor that would work "very differently" than most of the existing designs. Facebook did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

At this stage, none of the tech giants are looking to do all the chip development themselves.

"It is all about the design and performance of the chip," Shaw said. "At this stage, it is not about the manufacturing and foundries, which is very costly."

Setting up an advanced chip factory, or foundry, like TSMC's in Taiwan, costs around $10 billion and takes several years.

"Even Google and Apple are reticent to build these," O'Donnell said. "They'll go to TSMC or even Intel to build their chips."

O'Donnell said there's a shortage of people in Silicon Valley with the skills required to design high end-processors. "Silicon Valley put so much emphasis on software over the past few decades that hardware engineering was seen as a bit of an anachronism," he said.

"It became 'uncool' to do hardware," O'Donnell said. "Despite its name, Silicon Valley now employs relatively few real silicon engineers."

Excerpt from:

Tech giants are rushing to develop their own chips heres why - CNBC

More exterior progress on Googles 1.3 million-square-foot office at 550 Washington Street has been made in Hudson Square. Designed byCOOKFOX Architectsand developed byOxford Properties, the topped-out building is the central component of the Googleplex that willencompass a total of 1.7 million square feet across three separate structures with the other two sites being 315 Hudson Streetand345 Hudson Street.Turner Construction is responsible for constructing the 12-story steel-framed edifice that spans two full city blocks between West Street, West Houston Street, Washington Street, and the New York Department of Sanitation building.

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

Since our last update back in early March, the top floors of the structure have been enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass and metal panels that wrap around all four sides of the massive rectangular office complex. Also seen are the industrial-style windows that line the podium of the western elevation.

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

The glass frontage for the whole ground floor is one of the last major external components currently being worked on, which largely sit behind fencing and wooden boards up against the sidewalks. Looking from above at the eastern side gives us an idea of how the first level is shaping up.

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

Solar shading louvers are only found on the shorter southern wall above the podium.

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

The northern profile of 550 Washington Street is steadily taking shape, particularly the lower half that will feature a hollow steel-framed canopy made of multiple girders at the top of the terminals original roof line. Abundant landscaping on almost every level and around the main entrance, the top of the canopy, and sidewalks will also populate this side of the superstructure. This is best depicted in the rendering below.

550 Washington Street. Photo by Michael Young

Rendering of 550 Washington Street by COOKFOX Architects)

Future occupants will have access to a number of outdoor landscaped terraces, large expansive rooftop areas that overlook the Hudson River and the Lower Manhattan and Midtown skylines, and amenities that have yet to be announced.

YIMBY last reported that 550 Washington Street is expected to be completed sometime next year.

Subscribe to YIMBYs daily e-mail

Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updatesLikeYIMBY on FacebookFollow YIMBYs Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews

Read more:

Google's Upcoming St. John's Terminal Office Progresses Further With Exterior Work, In Hudson Square - New York YIMBY