CorysTechTime

  I've been meaning to write about this for some time now and I'm just getting around to it. Google has slowly built an ecosystem of not just devices but services that have become a part of me and my family's everyday life. I find these services to be very reliable, comparable to the competition, and worth the asking price. Youtube Music/Premium - I have a family plan and been a subscriber since Google Play Music. The service was a little rough around the edges, to say the least at first but as Google does they iterated the hell out of the service. I now find it to be better than Google Play Music and see why the change was made. Looking forward to new features and updates in the future. Near future, I hope. Youtube TV -  I've been a subscriber since early on and I love the service. Unlimited DVR is a killer feature along with profiles for each user. Google has added channels over time and lost some, unfortunately. But YTTV is a solid service and the best out of the bu

  Not that long ago I was looking for some workout earphones that would work well with my Pixel 5. I came across a few before deciding to go with these and the main selling point for me is Fast Pair. Fast Pair is what Google calls its nearby Bluetooth LE protocol that allows Android devices to communicate with. It also features account syncing, locating lost devices, and battery stats for each individual earbud and case. Forgive the tangent but this technology is pretty cool. So back to what I was saying. The earphones of course had to feature Fast Pair, have a good IP rating, sound good, and have the earhook design. The earhook design was not as important but I am glad that JBL made it for these earphones. In short, the Endurance Peak 2 delivered on everything I previously mentioned. It also has some pretty good touch controls where you skip tracks and turn the volume up or down. Cool features Powerhook is the earhook that also doubles as the on/off switch for each of the earbuds. Th

  Sometimes the smallest of updates can make an impact on the user experience and that's what Google did today when they announced Gboard for Wear OS. It's very similar to what we had previously. You can swipe but Google also took time to add more features including emoji support right from the keyboard. Check out more below. Type effortlessly with Gboard With the new Gboard on Wear OS, it’s now a breeze to reply to a text, search for new apps on Google Play, and enter your passwords using the watch. We’re excited to share with you our favorite new features: Message the way you want to: Gboard supports multiple input methods so you can communicate whichever way you like. Text using the QWERTY keyboard and gesture input, or use voice input for a hands-free approach. And when things just can’t be expressed in words, the integrated emoji palette comes in handy. Enhanced suggestions and corrections: Scrollable word suggestions provide more options when you’re texting, so you can fi

  I should probably put my expectations in check but I am already excited for Google I/O. With Google deciding to skip I/O altogether last year I guess there is some legit build-up for us that happen to be fans of their platforms. At least me... I will definitely be watching the keynote and starred a bunch of sessions and events just to see what's new.  If you’re interested I will have a list of what I have starred below. Things seem different this year but I assume all of the talks will also be available through the normal channels on Youtube. Well, hopefully… So why am I so excited I have no idea what’s coming besides the usual software updates for Android, Assistant and the like. But this year feels like the first time in a long time that Google is not in complete transition mode so we should see some pretty significant things as Sundar Pichai mentioned recently in Google’s earnings call. I won't speculate on what will be announced at I/O however I don't foresee any hard

Sundar Pichai, Google Ceo spoke with CNN on the India COVID situation this morning. Video can be found below if you are interested in hearing what he had to say.

Roku and Google may be going through contract negotiations but something is telling me that this may have something more to do with the new Chromecast with Google TV than the terms and conditions of a deal. If you are unaware, Roku sent their customers an email informing them that the Youtube TV channel may be going away due to ongoing contract negotiation issues with Google. Now, this is not uncommon as huge companies tend to have these spats behind closed doors but this situation was being reported on quite a bit today. Check out what Roku had to say (via The Verge) “Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anti-competitive and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and our users,” a Roku spokesperson said in a statement Monday. “It should come as no surprise that Google is now demanding unfair and anti-competitive terms that harm Roku’s users.”​ And now Google’s retort (via The Verge) “We have been working with Roku

  In a collaboration with Targus, Google’s new laptop sleeve takes me back to the Chromebook Pixel days where it featured a multi-colored light bar. In the end, it's just a laptop sleeve and it works well. There's plenty of padding to protect your laptop. And if you were wondering it does fit the Pixelbook Go. My current laptop of choice. That's pretty much it, it's a laptop sleeve. Below are some pics… Link(s) Targus

  The Nest Hub gen 2 smart display is not that different from its predecessor and that's okay. Where Google made improvements and the addition of sleep tracking makes this device a worthy upgrade. Let's jump right in and talk about it! Starting with the display . It's very good and ideal for photos and screensavers. Video looks good as well, keeping things nice and crispy. Also, the glass goes edge to edge making it easier to clean and keeping unwanted particles. Moving on to sound . This was an area where Google needed to improve and they did just that. Music gets nice and loud with more noticeable bass than the gen 1 model. Vocals come through too so listening to podcasts became a little easier without the need to turn things all the way.  The last things I want to mention are the software and performance . There is a processor update but unfortunately, it does not feel like it. Things can get laggy at times when interacting with the display but it does not hinder the exp