Roundup: the best tech-related April Fools’ hoaxes
It’s that time of the year, folks. Outlandish news, imaginary products unveilings, and outrageous announcements – tech companies are trying to one-up each other with the wildest April Fools’ day hoaxes. Some have even jumped the gun by a day, or in the case of OnePlus, by a few weeks.
If you don’t have the time or patience to sift through all the fake news today, we’re doing the hard work for you. Here’s what transpired so far.
Chrome Selfie
The Google Chrome team thinks it’s too damn hard to share what you really feel when you read the news online. So it’s fixing things with a new feature available now in the Chrome for Android app. Chrome Selfie lets you take a selfie, along with a screenshot of whatever your reading, and send it to whomever you want. Handy! All kidding aside, we can totally see some cash-flush venture-funded startup trying to make this into a real product.
Google Panda
Google Japan thinks the best way to spur the adoption of Google Now is to put Google’s virtual assistant in a cute and fluffy panda body. They even got bigwig Chris Yerga to introduce in on stage at a press conference where Android Authority has, somehow, not been invited.
Google Panda has three main functions: cuteness (“soft, rounded design”), mobility (it hugs you!), and durability (fluffy fur absorbs shock! if only smartphones had fur as well…). More about the groundbreaking new Google Panda here.
Google party horn keyboard
Typing is too hard! How about if, instead of pushing inconvenient keys, you could spell out words by blowing into a party horn? Not satisfied with Panda alone, the Google Japan team is introducing a Bluetooth-enabled party horn that will make tedious key pushing a memory.
Google Smartbox by Inbox
“Introducing a new way to interact with the mail you love. The good old-fashioned kind of mail that you touch with your hands… and smell with your nose.” Thank you Inbox team!
Moto Selfie Stick
Hipsters of the world, rejoice. You will definitely appreciate Motorola’s new product: handmade, leather-bound, custom selfie sticks. Because when you have to embarrass yourself with a selfie stick, you should at least do it in style.
T-Mobile Pets Unleashed
Your carrier hates puppies! So put it in the doghouse and switch to T-Mobile, where Pets Unleashed lets your favorite furry friends get their paws on their dream devices, starting at five bucks a month. What would your pet do with a smartphone or tablet, you ask? Easy – swipe through Pet Tinder, use FitPet, and watch zebra porn. Yes, really.
MS-DOS Mobile
Microsoft has had a hard time with its mobile operating system, so it’s going back to basic with MS-DOS Mobile. Black and white text has never looked so good! Launch apps or send messages, with a simple text command!
Reddit invasion
Visit r/Android today, that bastion of all things blessed by Duarte (okay, that’s r/AndroidCircleJerk actually) and you’ll be in for a nasty surprise. At least r/Apple users are probably just as confused.
Imagination PowerVR Vogue GPU – it can run Crysis!
“Yeah, but can it run Crysis?” That perennial favorite question of trolls everywhere now finally has a resounding “Yes!” answer, thanks to Imagination. The chip designer just unveiled a mobile GPU that can run Crysis, and only that. Look at those graphics! Plus, more cool features like Vogue magazine caching, the Romulan API (will “further decrease the efficiency of graphics and compute on modern GPUs, providing no control over GPU acceleration for minimized performance and absolutely no predictability”), and a 1000-bit CPU.
com.Google
com.Google is like Google.com, but backwards. That is all.
Samsung Exynos ExoBoost
You can’t ever have too many cores in your phone, am I right? If you feel inadequate in this department, Samsung Exynos is here to help you, with the new ExoBoost, a line of add-ons that give your phone some extra processing oomph. Again, this is something quite a few people would buy.
Updating with more silliness as it comes! Missed anything? Tell us in the comments.
Google shows how it fights apps that insert unwanted web ads
It’s bad enough when apps add unwanted toolbars and buttons in your browser, but it’s especially irksome when they inject ads. It’s no fun to have a technical support scam interrupt your web reading, after all. Google clearly hates this rogue software as much as you do, though, as it just outlined what it’s doing to fight ad injectors. In Chrome, the company’s tougher extension rules and malware blockers theoretically prevent code from inserting ads without your say-so. Google is also refining its techniques for catching bad extensions, and its AdWords policies prevent advertisers from offering shady downloads.
Of course, these aren’t bulletproof techniques. There are other ways of imposing ads (such as malware), and these approaches won’t help you if you’re either running a non-Chrome browser or install software from outfits that don’t use Google’s ad system. No matter what, it’s apparent that something needs to be done. Google has teased a report on ad injectors in releasing in May, and it notes that over 5 percent of visitors to its sites have these scummy programs installed — knowing Google’s size, that’s a lot of victims.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Google Online Security Blog
Google brings Conditional Formatting improvements to Sheets
Google has updated the web version of Sheets with improvements made to the conditional formatting settings. Users can now use custom colors and shades to display lower or greater value more efficiently. The update also brings features like strike through and the ability to import or export color scale conditional formatting.
Here is a list containing all the changes as mentioned by Google:
- Ability to add gradient conditional formatting rules (e.g. green -> orange, where the lowest numbers are shaded green and the highest are shaded orange, with gradient shades in between)
- More style choices like bolding, striking through, and italicizing text based on conditional formatting rules
- A new look for the conditional formatting editing pane
- Import/export of color scale conditional formatting
Source: Google Apps Updates
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ASUS Chromebit lets you convert any HDMI compatible monitor into a Chrome OS running desktop
ASUS and Google have just unveiled the Chromebit which is essentially an HDMI dongle that looks like the Chromecast, but has a lot more functionality under the hood. Plugging this device into an HDMI capable monitor will let you experience Chrome OS just like on a Chromebook. Google also announced four new Chromebooks earlier today, including the ASUS Chromebook Flip.
Make no mistake, the Chromebit is a proper computer in the size of a pen (or even smaller). This will take on Intel’s recently launched HDMI dongle which runs Windows 8.1 out of the box and retails for $150.
This device on the other hand merely costs $99, letting you try out Google’s new Chrome OS on the cheap. The device has 16GB of internal storage underneath along with 2GB of RAM, a Rockchip RK3288 processor and a full sized USB 2.0 port. This can let you connect wired peripherals like a mouse or keyboard. Since there’s only one port here, it’s wise to use a USB hub like device which will allow you to connect multiple accessories on one slot.
It’s a pretty nifty device and will be aggressively marketed by Google and ASUS over the coming weeks. Google has made it very clear that the Chromecast will continue to sell despite the launch of the Chromebit as they cater to a different sets of users.
Source: Google
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Google April Fools’ Day jokes for 2015 [Updated with Google Panda, Keyless Keyboard, and more]
Is it that time of the year already? It appears that Google is starting the April Fools’ Day jokes a little early so we already have a couple below. We will update this post as more jokes are released.
To check out last year’s antics, click here.
Play Pac-Man in Maps
This might be the coolest thing Google has ever done. You can now play Pac-Man in Google Maps.
You can’t play anywhere, so you will have to find a location that you can (tips below). From your desktop, search for a location that you think has Pac-Man, and if it does, you will see a Pac-Man pin. Click on it and you’re in. If not, you can click on the larger icon at the bottom left and you will get an “I’m Feeling Lucky” link that might take you to a location that works.
Google’s Inbox app gets custom Snooze times for morning, afternoon, and evening
Google is bringing a handy new trick to Inbox that’ll be useful for anyone that doesn’t have a conventional sleep schedule.
While it’s easy to assume that “morning” means whatever time McDonald’s is still serving breakfast for most people, there are plenty of us of that might not be up and around when the sun is rising, whether that’s because of work, school, or any number of things. Google understands that, so they’ve implemented a way to adjust when your morning, afternoon, and evening snooze reminders should go off.
You’ll be able to manually change the times for those three options, but Inbox will also give you the option to set a custom snooze time as the default for any of those times. If you snooze an email until 9 AM, Inbox will ask if you’d like to set that time as your default morning, for example.
This is a pretty cool trick that will definitely help out people with weird sleep schedules, myself included. Who decided mornings should start before 10 AM, anyway?
source: Gmail
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Google unveils four new budget-friendly Chromebooks for under $250
Alongside the announcement of its Chrome OS-powered Chromebit, Google has announced four new Chromebooks aimed at folks who are on a budget. To start off the list, the Haier Chromebook 11 and the Hisense Chromebook are the cheapest of the four, available now for pre-order for just $149. Since these Chrome devices are so inexpensive, both the Haier and Hisense laptops are made of a black plastic material that seem very resilient to scratches and bumps. Both laptops have 11.6-inch screens with 1366×768 resolution and 200 nits of brightness, though the Hisense is slightly heavier and bigger overall. In addition, Haier has also launched another Chromebook aimed at the education field, called the Haier Chromebook 11E. The 11E is just like the Haier 11, though it has a water and spill-resistant chassis, a built-in handle and a removable battery.
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Arguably the most interesting Chromebook launched today is made by ASUS. It’s called the ASUS Chromebook Flip, and it boasts a thickness of only 15mm and a 10.1-inch display that be flipped around 360 degrees. The IPS display is a touch screen as well, and will automatically pull up the proper on-screen touch controls when the laptop is in a different orientation. So, if the screen is turned all the way around (like in the press photo above), the Chromebook will recognize that and bring up the proper controls automatically. The Chromebook Flip will be available for $249. Last but not least is the ASUS Chromebook C201. It has an 11.6-inch display and will be available for $169 later this Spring on Amazon.
All of the Chromebooks listed above come with a Rockchip 3288 processor, a Mali 760 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 720p front-facing camera. Additionally, all Chromebooks come with two USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0. The Hisense and Haier Chromebooks will be available from Amazon and Walmart in mid-April, though you can pre-order both of them now. Both ASUS Chromebooks will be available from Amazon sometime this Spring.
Google Drive for Work gets new security features
Google has implemented new security features for those of you using Drive for Work. The focus on security for cloud solutions has been important for Google as more and more businesses move from traditional solutions to the cloud.
Google for Work are getting two new features tailored specifically for their Drive usage, including being able to adjust sharing settings by departments and Drive alerts. The admin console controlling a Drive for Work account can let different parts of a business share different things, increasing security over sensitive information. The Drive alerts are useful, too, as they’ll let you set up several different notifications for when specific actions happen, such as when documents are shared outside of the business.
Google Apps for Work customers are getting a different new feature, plus a related notification feature. Apps for Work admins can set up alerts for different actions, such as when programs are installed. They’ll also be able to let users reset their own passwords instead of having an IT department handling every request for a forgotten password.
Google also introduced other new features that aren’t specific to Google for Work or Apps for Work customers, including better sharing of files to email addresses that aren’t using Drive, and Information Rights Management on files. IRM prevents downloading, printing, and sharing of sensitive files, and is available for word documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows.
source: Google
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Google launches four new budget Chromebooks ranging up t $250
Google has partnered with ASUS, Haier and Hisense to bring four new budget priced Chromebooks to the market. Prominent among these is the ASUS Chromebook Flip, which is a convertible device that can transform into a tablet or a fully functioning notebook on your call.
The Chromebook Flip comes with a 10.1 inch touchscreen display and can be rotated 360 degrees, hence the name. We must note that this tablet cannot detach itself from the keyboard, but merely flip backwards. But it’s a neat feature to have nevertheless.
ASUS Chromebook C201, the Hisense Chromebook and the Haier Chromebook 11 are pretty basic in their approach and don’t come with the bells and whistles of the Chromebook Flip. But the pricing of these devices make them very attractive propositions.
As for the hardware, all the aforementioned Chromebooks sport 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, 2GB of RAM and a Rockchip 3288 SoC. Other features include a front facing 720p camera and a total of two USB 2.0 ports.
The Chromebook Flip has been priced at $249, while the ASUS Chromebook C201 costs $169. The two Chromebooks from Haier and Hisense have been priced at $149, making them the cheapest of the lot.
Via: Engadget
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Google announces the Chromebit, an easy way to bring Chrome OS to your TV
Google has just announced a new and affordable way to bring Chrome OS to your television. The Chromebit, which is essentially a Chromebook packed into an HDMI dongle, will turn your TV into a fully-functional computer for a pretty low cost.
The first Chromebit device is manufactured by Asus and actually packs quite the punch. It has a Rockchip 3288 ARM Cortex-A17 processor, 2GB of RAM, a Mali 760 GPU, 16GB of internal storage, one USB port, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The device is a bit bigger than a Chromecast, but the Chromebit actually swivels around allowing you to hide the device from sticking out of the side of your television. Google says the device will become available sometime later this summer for less than $100 in silver, blue and orange variants. This first generation device is still in testing, so the company couldn’t comment on its battery life quite yet.
The dongle made by Asus is just the first of many that will eventually make their way to market, though. Google says its hoping other manufacturers will jump on board, so we’ll likely see a few more of these devices launch with varying price points and different features sometime in the next few months.
So what do you think? Are you interested in the Chromebit?
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