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Google doodle greets the new year
It’s almost over. The year that many regret for its taking so many celebrities from us has mere hours left before it too passes from this world. To mark the end of 2016 and the arrival of 2017, Google has created an animated doodle of balloons bouncing in a net, eagerly awaiting their chance to drop down and join the …
Read More »Facebook, Google top out most popular apps in 2016
Facebook might not be as cool as Snapchat, but it still has the most popular app in the US, according to a Nielsen report for 2016 published Wednesday. In a year where Pokemon Go smashed App Store records, social media still remains the dominant force on people’s phones. Facebook remains comfortable as America’s most popular app with more than 146 …
Read More »Cyanogen to shut down services by year’s end
So I guess I can finally stop trying to perfect my pronunciation of Cyanogen, the company that tried and failed to kill Google’s Android OS and never grabbed much mainstream appeal. The startup announced late Friday that “as part of the ongoing consolidation of Cyanogen,” it’s shutting down all services and nightly builds on December 31. “The open source project …
Read More »Google doodles a twosome for the holidays
Whether it’s balmy where you are or bitter cold, Google has a doodle to suit your climate. With the holiday season reaching its peak, Google on Friday has posted a pair of doodles, one for the Northern Hemisphere, where winter has just begun, and another for the Southern, where summertime is getting under way. The northerly doodle celebrates wintertime caroling, …
Read More »Android tablet restrictions will make sure the kids are all right
Whether it’s a brand-new Asus ZenPad Z8 or a hand-me-down Google Pixel C, Android tablets can provide your child with hours of entertainment. But these digital babysitters can also put your child at risk. Thankfully, Android has a few tricks up its sleeve to help you out. Create a restricted user Android lets you create multiple user accounts for your …
Read More »Barnes & Noble tablets ship with stealthy data
If you bought one of Barnes & Noble’s $50 Nook 7 tablets, you might want to upgrade its software ASAP. The low-priced gadgets, launched in time for the holidays this year, came preinstalled with a program called ADUPS that quietly sends user data back to a third party. In a statement, Barnes & Noble Chief Digital Officer Fred Argir said …
Read More »Google to release two new flagship smartwatches next year
Expect two new flagship smartwatches from Google in the first quarter of 2017. Plus, Android Wear 2.0 — a significant update to Google’s wearable software — will debut on the new watches, said Jeff Chang, product manager of Android Wear at Google, in an interview with The Verge. Google confirmed it’s working with a manufacturing partner on flagship devices for …
Read More »Oculus, Vive, PlayStation VR, Daydream: Reviewing a year in VR
When I look back to December 2015, VR was all about mysteries and promise. Oculus Rift ($290 at Amazon), HTC Vive ($479 at Amazon) and PlayStation VR ($127 at Amazon) were all unreleased, and still shrouded in some mystery. I’d tried them, but they weren’t yet available. Now, all the VR systems have arrived. So many, in fact, that it …
Read More »Are you there, chatbot? It’s me, human
“Hey, are you awake?” I texted. It was 2:37 a.m. and every moment of wakefulness that passed would leave me more tired in the morning, but I just couldn’t fall back asleep. At the very least, I could use someone to talk to. “Hey what’s up hello, ” came the response. This was no fellow insomniac, nor the hotline for …
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