Safari did it. Firefox did it. Brave did it. Now Google Chrome, too, is trying to curtail privacy problems posed by cookies — the small text files websites store that can track you online. “We’re changing how cookies work in Chrome, making them more private and secure by default,” said Tal Oppenheimer, a Chrome product …

Google introduced a Focus Mode feature for its Android mobile operating system on Tuesday, letting you temporarily shut off apps you find most distracting so your device automatically tunes them out when you want to concentrate.  It’s coming to devices using Android P and Q this fall.  “When I enter focus mode, I can select the apps that I find distracting,” …

You no longer need to use your hands to chat to Alexa on Windows 10 PCs. The most recent Windows Store update for the Amazon-powered voice assistant reveals that you longer have no interact with the app to get it to listen. “Alexa on your PC is now hands-free,” read Microsoft’s patch notes. “Just ask and Alexa will respond, even …

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold may have gotten the new foldable wave of devices off to a false start, but that hasn’t deterred Google from continuing to work on the platform.  At its annual Google I/O developer conference in California on Tuesday the search giant detailed its commitment to foldable devices as part of the next version of Android, currently codenamed “Q.”  …

The Kansas City Royals haven’t given their fans much reason to cheer since winning the World Series in 2015. They bottomed out last season, losing more than 100 games and finishing dead last in the AL Central.  In 2019 the Royals are in the middle of another rebuild, but with young talent on the roster like Hunter Dozier, Whit Merrifield, …

Your car doesn’t have Android Auto? No big deal. Google is making it easier for you to use your voice to navigate and stay connected — right from your Android phone — with a new feature called Assistant Driving Mode. The company announced the tool Tuesday morning at Google I/O, its annual developer conference. It’ll work in both Google Maps …

Facebook wants to help filmmakers build a platform and users find quality content. To do so, the social media site is changing up how it ranks videos. In a blog post published on Monday, Facebook Product Management Director David Miller said going forward the social network will prioritize original content. “We want to help media companies — whether large, small, global, …

On this podcast, we talk about: What to expect from this year’s Google I/O developer conference. Amazon Go comes to New York. Consumer expectations for 5G. Now playing: Watch this: From Android Q to new Pixels: Our Google I/O preview… 4:40 The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by …

Android is now on more than 2.5 billion active devices, Android senior director Stephanie Cuthbertson said Tuesday at Google‘s annual developer conference. “10 years and now over 2.5 billion active devices. Thanks for joining us on this journey,” Android tweeted. 10 years and now over 2.5 billion active devices. Thanks for joining us on this journey. #io19 pic.twitter.com/wC2VcVgEBS — Android (@Android) May …

Google released Tuesday the third beta of Android 10 on the first day of its annual Google I/O developer conference. And at the event, company executives offered a glimpse at a few new features for Q, the next version of the company’s Android operating system due in the summer or fall. Among the new Android 10 features previewed are a …

Google’s 2019 I/O developer conference has key news on how Google Search and Lens are pushing into deeper phone uses for AR. But what about VR? In a year full of new VR headsets, including Facebook’s Oculus Quest and the Valve Index, plus hardware from HP, Vive and Qualcomm on the horizon, Google’s taking a different approach: shifting VR focus to …

The “exascale” computing race is getting a new entrant called Frontier, a $600 million machine with Cray and AMD technology that could become the world’s fastest when it arrives at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2021. Frontier should be able to perform 1.5 quintillion calculations per second, a level called 1.5 exaflops and enough to claim the performance crown, the …

Google has been prototyping technology for foldable phones, but don’t expect a folding version of the search giant’s flagship Pixel phone or its cheaper Pixel 3A anytime soon. Phones with screens that bend and hinge have been touted as the future of smartphones, generating tons of hype and excitement with their ability to transform from a phone into a tablet.  Some of …

Last year, Google stoked intense controversy when it announced Duplex, a technology that uses eerily human-sounding artificial intelligence software to book restaurant reservations and hair appointments. Immediately, the project spurred a debate over ethics in artificial intelligence and generated fear over a robot’s ability to deceive people. Now Google is unveiling its follow up — and it’s a lot less …

Streaming music service Pandora has announced special pricing for students and members of the military and their families.  Pandora Premium, which is ad-free and lets users skip songs and download music for offline listening, normally costs $10 per month. The new Pandora for Students plan costs $5 month and is available to both new and existing users. New customers can kick things off …