CorysTechTime

  Not quite the announcement I was hoping for but Google announced today that Chrome OS will adopt a 4-week update cycle like Chrome. This is a bold move, in my opinion, however, it's a move I really like. This allows for Google to iterate even faster and push the bounds of what's possible on its desktop/mobile OS.  More on the release from Google below… To deliver new features more rapidly to consumers while also continuing to prioritize the key pillars of Chrome OS – security, stability, speed and simplicity – Chrome OS will move to a 4-week stable channel starting with M96 in Q4. For enterprise and education users, Chrome OS will also introduce a new channel with a 6-month update cadence by M96. More details to be announced soon. With the change taking effect with Chrome OS 96 the Chrome OS team decided to skip M95. My guess, skipping M95 will give Google time to get things nice and tight before forging down this new path of OS update rhythm.. Again... Although this was not

The second beta of Android 12 is here with more features turned on that are expected to be in the final release such as the color theming. More on Beta 2 can be found below. I think I’m going to wait for Beta 3 before I put it on my Pixel 5 but I am very tempted. Privacy Dashboard - We’ve added a Privacy Dashboard to give users better visibility over the data that apps are accessing. The dashboard offers a simple and clear timeline view of all recent app accesses to microphone, camera, and location.  Mic and camera indicators - We’ve added indicators to the status bar to let users know when apps are using the device camera or microphone. Users can go to Quick Settings to see which apps are accessing their camera or microphone data and manage permissions if needed. Microphone & camera toggles - We’ve added Quick Settings toggles on supported devices that make it easy for users to instantly disable app access to the microphone and camera. When the toggles are turned off, an app acce

  Once a quarter or every 3 months Google drops some pretty dope features for us, Pixel users. June is Pixel feature drop time and Google did not skimp on features this time around even though they’re hard at work on the next version of Android. Check out what's new below. I can tell you right now I will be using the new astro-video feature and what they added to Gboard looks like it will be a useful time-saver. Pixel owners love using astrophotography in Night Sight to take incredible photos of the night sky, and now it's getting even better. You can now create videos of the stars moving across the sky all during the same exposure. Once you take a photo in Night Sight, both the photo and video will be saved in your camera roll. Try waiting longer to capture even more of the stars in your video. This feature is available on Pixel 4 and newer phones. For photos and videos that need a little extra privacy — like pictures of an upcoming gift for a loved one, or screenshots of your

  Yesterday, Google announced that Stadia will be made available on a few devices beginning on June 23rd. Yes, June 23rd as in just over 2 weeks or 15 days at the time of this blog post. I've been really looking forward to this update since the new Chromecast launched last fall. I currently have two Chromecast where I play Stadia the most and I must admit that I can’t wait to get rid of the Chromecast Ultra that really only serves one purpose right now and that's to play Stadia on my living room TV.  More on the news from Google below… In a few short weeks, we’ll see millions more TVs come to life with games available to play instantly with Stadia. For this initial launch, Stadia will be officially supported on the following devices: Chromecast with Google TV Hisense® Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G) Nvidia® Shield TV Nvidia® Shield TV Pro Onn™ FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device Philips® 8215, 8505, and OLED 935/805 Series Android TVs Xiaomi® MIBOX3 and MIBOX4 As for

  On paper, the Pixel Buds A appear to be a solid budget option when compared to the regular and more premium Pixel Buds. More on that in my review and comparison. Most of the same features are there and Google seemed to remove features that don't adversely affect the overall experience. So with that out of the way let's see where both the Pixel Buds A and Pixel Buds are the same. Pixel Buds A and Pixel Buds both have the same… Custom 12nm speakers for rich sound Call quality (except for wind reduction) Touch controls (except swipe gestures for volume up and down) Hold for Google Assistant Up to 5 hours of listening time and 24hrs with the case Hands-free Hey Google Adaptive Sound USB-C charging (no wireless charging with the Pixel Buds A) There is a lot to like about the feature set Google is bringing to the table. In my opinion, Google included features you expect in a modern set of true wireless earbuds and maybe a couple you didn't. So, what does the Pixel Buds A foreca

  I usually adopt features rather quickly when Google announces something new, however, that wasn't the case when Hold for Me was first introduced last fall. The feature sounded cool but I was a bit skeptical if it worked as well as it was being pitched. Also, it's not a feature that you may use every day, for me at least. But that changed today when I called my bank and was immediately presented with the Hold for Me option when the automated voice kicked in during the call. When on a call and when a voice automated service is detected the above screen appears with the option for Hold for Me. When Hold for Me is selected the screen displays what's happening on the call. You don't hear anything but you will see a Live Transcribe of what's occurring during the call. Music playing indicator and/or a transcription of what's happening as you are on hold. Once a person picks up and the Google Assistant detects it you will see a green button to answer or pick up the li

  Today, Google announced the Pixel Buds A. The feature set and the price point are not what I expected at all. The price is much lower than I originally thought and they kept most if not all of the features that really matter. The one feature Google removed that I am not a fan of is the swiping feature for volume up and down. The taps to play/pause and skipping tracks are still there. But at $99 these earphones sound like a really good deal. I ordered the Dark Olive color and will be doing a comparison against my 2020 Pixel Buds. Tech specs can be found below. Sweat & Water Resistant Sweat and water resistant Connectivity Each earbud Bluetooth® 5.0 Audio Each earbud Custom-designed 12mm dynamic speaker driver Passive noise reduction Spatial vent for in-ear pressure reduction and spatial awareness Voice Each earbud Dual beamforming microphones Battery Earbuds: up to 5 hours of listening time or up to 2.5 hours of talk time Earbuds with charging case: Up to 24 hours of listening tim

  Earlier this year Google announced changes pertaining to Chrome, the browser where updates will be more frequent. Instead of the usual 6-week update cycle, Chrome will be adopting a 4-week update for most major releases. Which is great as I like to see new features as much as anyone else. However, Google was really vague on news for Chrome OS and stated more will be announced later in the year. Then Hiroshi of Google tweeted the following… Now, I usually don't pay attention to these kinds of tweets but to have this mentioned recently with the news from earlier this year, how can I not think something big is happening this year. The article that Hiroshi retweeted doesn't allude to anything about future plans so there is really nothing for us to cling to at the moment. I have no idea of what's to come but I am really excited to hear what's next for Chrome OS. If Google was to do something big to Chrome OS I believe this would be the year. With the platform turning 10 ye