What’s happening Pokemon Go maker Niantic is expanding its AR software to blanket the world with a 3D map for apps and games. Why it matters Many big tech companies are currently linking maps to AR-ready location data, including Meta, Google, Microsoft, Snap and Meta, in advance of AR glasses plans. What’s next Niantic’s working …
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The Galaxy Watch 4 debuted the new Wear OS codeveloped by Samsung and Google last year, but the Google Assistant was nowhere to be found. That changes Monday, as the Galaxy Watch 4 is now getting access to the Google Assistant through the Google Play Store. The update will allow the Google Assistant to live alongside Samsung’s Bixby assistant. The Google …
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What’s happening Tinder parent Match Group has come to an agreement with Google that allows Match’s apps to remain on the Play Store without using Play Store Billing for in-app transactions. Why it matters The agreement comes amid tension between app developers and Google over the use of alternative payment systems. Match Group struck an agreement Friday with Google that allows Match’s …
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What’s happening Qualcomm unveils two new chips: the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Why it matters Qualcomm’s chips are powerful, but as more phone makers build their own chips, these might end up in fewer handsets — at least ones released in the US. What’s next Qualcomm has its work cut out for it …
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Not sure if that chat message is legit or not? Google has your back. Google Chat will start showing a warning banner under messages that might contain phishing links or malware downloads, according to a blog post by Google. Phishing scams can lock you out of your device or result in identity theft. Malware attacks, which include ransomware attacks, are …
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If you already use Google as your primary email, calendar and cloud storage drive, it’s tough to beat the convenience of a Pixel phone. There are a few different models on the market right now, but if you’re primarily after the basics like calling, texting, emailing and checking the web, then the budget-friendly Pixel 5A is the best bang for …
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This story is part of War in Ukraine, CNET’s coverage of events there and of the wider effects on the world. Google’s subsidiary in Russia is filing for bankruptcy after the country’s government seized its bank account. “The Russian authorities’ seizure of Google Russia’s bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function, including employing and paying …
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Google has begun rolling out a Wear OS update that’ll let users stream YouTube Music playlists over LTE or Wi-Fi — without the need to have a phone nearby. Premium subscribers will have access to more than 80 million songs and thousands of playlists on the app, Google said in a blog post Monday. The app also comes with Google’s …
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Hisense now makes a Fire TV. Today the manufacturer announced a partnership with Amazon to produce Hisense’s first television featuring the Fire TV platform. The 50-inch, 4K LED TV has better picture quality specifications than many current Fire TVs made by Toshiba, Insignia and Amazon itself. It will include quantum dot technology and, according to the company, reach up to …
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If you’re an Apple customer and have an app subscription on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, your app could charge you more without your consent. Apple updated its App Store policy Monday and now allows some apps to charge more for auto-renewable subscriptions without requiring customers to take any action. However, there are some conditions to the policy update. “The specific …
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