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Google completes its Fitbit acquisition after many months of scrutiny. In a blog post, Rick Osterloh announced today that the deal is now complete and Fitbit is officially part of Google.  Rick Osterloh says... "This deal has always been about devices, not data, and we’ve been clear since the beginning that we will protect Fitbit users’ privacy. We worked with global regulators on an approach which safeguards consumers' privacy expectations, including a series of binding commitments that confirm Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won't be used for Google ads and th is data will be separated from other Google ads data". "Together, we can make health and wellness more accessible to more people. We’re confident the combination of Fitbit’s leading technology, product expertise and health and wellness innovation with the best of Google’s AI, software and hardware will drive more competition in wearables and make the next generation of devices better and more affor

  It's around this time of the year where I start to look at what apps and services I'm using and if there are better alternatives. The past few years I've been open to trying new RSS readers because I find what's currently available are subpar at best. Maybe it's me and should seek out a more modern way to get my news. I hear many people say that they get their news from Twitter but I'm not on social media all that much and I don't foresee that changing. I guess I'm old school in that I prefer to sit down with my laptop and go to a website and find the news I'm looking for from my go-to sites in one place. However, the offering currently just seems to have some glaring issues that may be resolved if I paid for them. One problem I'm finding is that some articles do not appear in my current RSS reader of choice. The other thing I'm seeing is that articles are not appearing in real-time. Some articles appear hours later or as I previously state

I've been the happy owner of the Chromecast/Google TV for about two months now and have some thoughts. After using it the first day I knew right away this was the streaming device for me. First I noticed how fast and fluid the UI was. Then the content-based suggestions caught my eye with how well so many movies and tv shows were tailored to what I would enjoy. Once I started downloading apps and found that just about every streaming service is available I was even more excited but will get to that in my final review. These are the features that will make the Chromecast w/Google TV perfect for me.  Multi-user support Maybe not in a traditional sense where a user logs in and only see the apps they downloaded. I'm thinking more surface level where content-based suggestions live. Right now only movies and tv shows I'm into are being shown. This would be fine if I lived alone but I'm married and have two children and my interest aren't necessarily theirs. I'm also a

If it hasn't already it will soon. Google One appeared in my Google launcher app this evening. I like how Google is steadily adding more links to their apps and services. Stadia was added a little while ago and now Google One is the latest addition. Makes me wonder though, where is Youtube Music? 

I'm a huge fan of Nest cameras and have several of them around my home. They're going on nearly 4yrs old now and still work great. With reports surfacing tonight has me very excited about what is coming in 2021 from the Made By Google hardware team. It's been a few years since Nest has introduced a new camera and so much time has passed that has me wondering and excited about what could be made under a unified Google and Nest collaboration. The previous Nest cameras were made in house and without Google's input. Below is the report from 9to5Google. The company confirmed to us that today it has since sold out of that model, and that existing owners will see “ongoing feature support, software fixes, and critical security updates.” Google today also revealed that “Nest will keep investing in new innovations.” This specifically includes a “new lineup of security cameras for 2021.” No other details were provided as the company provides a preview of what to expect

  If you own a Pixel device you can expect monthly Security and Functional updates. Today Google released its first update of the year for the Pixel 3 and newer. This update brings Security fixes to Pixel devices but I tend to be more interested in the Functional side of the update. Functional updates bring specific fixes to certain aspects of the device. I was especially waiting on this update because I’ve been having issues with the auto-brightness on my Pixel 5. For some reason, the auto-brightness would turn off the screen on my phone when I was in a poorly lit room. I've already installed the update and that problem seems to be resolved now. Other issues have been reconciled and a list of those items can be found below. So far performance appears to be solid and a wee bit more optimized.  Happy updating!   Build numbers: Global: Pixel 3 (XL): RQ1A.210105.003 Pixel 3a (XL): RQ1A.210105.002 Pixel 4 (XL): RQ1A.210105.003 Pixel 4a: RQ1A.210105.002 Pixel 4a (5G): RQ1A.210105.003 Pi

I've been having the Nest Audio’s for just over two months now and they are just what I thought they would be. A worthy successor to the OG Google Home. The sound quality is much improved and I am pleasantly surprised how loud they can get. I have two and use them as a stereo pair in my living room. My plan is to write a more in-depth blog that will be more detailed. These are just my early impressions. So how good is that sound In a word, impressive. I am in no way an audiophile and these speakers are not meant for those looking for professional-grade or high-quality sound. I would classify the sound produced by Nest Audio as for casual listening. The speakers get nice and loud while producing rich sound and solid low-end bass. Vocals are clear with excellent music separation with the mids, highs, and bass. I tend to look for details in the music that can be hard to hear but the Nest Audio played them well. Having two Nest Audio’s definitely fills a large room with good sounding m

The 2020 Chromecast is the successor to the Chromecast Ultra that was released in the fall of 2016. Unlike the previous model, the 2020 Chromecast features a remote with the Google Assistant built-in. Specs are on par with what you would find in a modern-day streamer. A full list of the specs can be found at the end of this blog post. My experience So far so good. Performance is excellent and moving through the UI is fast and fluid. Suggestions powered by Google TV seem to be pretty accurate for me and I even discovered some content I probably would not have found otherwise.  Improvements The one glaring flaw with the new Chromecast is proper multi-user support. Although I enjoy having the home-screen tailored to me my wife does not get the same experience as my Google account is the one logged in. It's believed this feature is on Google’s roadmap and I for one is looking forward to this being implemented in the future.  Conclusion At $50 you won't find a better streaming devic