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Summary Google Fiber to rollout 5Gbps and 8Gbps plans in early 2023 in select markets. Quotes My thoughts With other ISPs like Comcast and ATT Fiber offering plans up to 6Gbps and 5Gbps respectively, it is not surprising that Google Fiber is increasing its offerings beyond the existing 1Gbps and 2Gbps plans. It is surprising that they went with an 8Gbps option instead of a 10Gbps but presumably that will be offered soon since they are reportedly working on 20 Gbps currently. As a current GF customer I am really excited for these developments and am interested to see if these additional speed tiers will spark another race among ISPs in affected markets to offer similar plans. It will also be interesting to see how long traditional coax infrastructure can keep up since GF only has to update the back-end infrastructure to update their link speeds. Sources https://fiber.google.com/blog/2022/10/ready-for-faster-internet-be-trusted.html https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/24/22898876/att-fiber-multi-gig-connections-speeds https://www.engadget.com/comcast-10g-internet-test-6-gbps-hit-download-speeds-143925568.html

Summary Google Amazon and the Israeli government are working together on project nimbus that among other enhanced AI surveillance will be able to tell if someone is lying. We don't yet know how accurate it is though, and some employees don't like it. Quotes My thoughts This is definitely a cool use for AI but definitely will be used for evil from everyone to companies to nations, but it could be nice to see game shows or Internet shows use this kind of technology for fun not just evil. Sources https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/google/google-project-nimbus-ai-surveillance-evil https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/01/google-workers-protest-1-2b-project-nimbus-contract-with-israeli-military/

Hi, So I've been doing a lot of research recently into smtp relay server, but none of the tutorials seem to be based on a real life scenarios, or I'm just completely missing something. Long story short, I'm the only IT guy in our company, and the manager asked me to set up smtp relay server, so we can use it to send password reset emails etc., as with the expected amount of them it'd be potentially blocked as spam or at risk of being delivered late. The company currently uses gmail for their emails, and has a free server in a cloud. The most useful thing I found is this: https://adamtheautomator.com/iis-smtp-relay/ but I just don't really get how it can work with gmail, where exactly do you put the credentials, how does it work exactly, are all emails diverted through this server somehow instead of going through google? Any info or links would be much appreciated! F

Hey, So I've been eyeing the Pixel 6 Pro for a while now, and I've just worked up enough money to buy one. The main selling point for me, outside of the fantastic camera and screen, is the AI assistant. I'm curious about where the tech is going and Google seem to be way ahead in this area (presumably due to the tensor chip and, you know, google being google). The thing is, just as I'm gearing up to actually buy the phone, I'm seeing that they might release the new Pixel 7 in October. Do you think the AI part of this phone will be substantially different from the current gen phones? Or is this just unknown? I can't make up my mind on if I should suffer with my 10 year old device for another few months or take the plunge and just go for the 6 Pro.

Hi, Chrome keeps just closing on my laptop and then the screen turns off. It is really annoying and then one time chrome just wouldn't open Does anyone have a solution? Oscar,

Summary Googles streaming platform stadia has finally streamed its last stream, or at least it will mid January next year. Phil Harrison announced in a blog post that Stadia will be winding down over the next few months and issuing refunds for " all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store." A relatively consumer friendly way to deny them access to things they bought, especially compared to alternatives. As noted by Paul Tassi of Forbes it is unclear if in-game purchases that go across platform (such as premium currency for destiny 2) will be refunded. Quotes My thoughts Guess they saw the market for stadia wasn't so bright with their negative latency. Going to be sad to see that R6 siege no longer has crossplay on PC. Sources https://blog.google/products/stadia/message-on-stadia-streaming-strategy/ https://support.google.com/stadia/answer/12790109 https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/09/29/google-is-killing-stadia-and-refunding-every-purchase-ever-made/

Summary The European Union’s General Court on Wednesday upheld an antitrust ruling against Google’s parent company, Alphabet, but reduced its fine to 4.125 billion euros ($4.12 billion) from 4.34 billion euros. Quotes My thoughts This is not even a DMA/DSA [digital markets act/digital services act ] lawsuit, and the EU is properly fining google for monopoly abuse within the android Ecosystem If the EU Had added the DMA/DSA rules on top of this lawsuit/appeal, the fines could have become even higher. At least its a good sign that the HIGH Fine is still a HIGH Fine, and not just a mere fraction of the original fine, just like with many other court cases like this where a company gets fined for 4 Billion, but it gets reduced to a mere fraction of that fine, being at most 40 Million. Sources https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/14/eu-court-backs-antitrust-ruling-against-google-but-reduces-fine.html https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2022-09/cp220147en.pdf https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/10/eu-hits-alphabet-google-with-android-antitrust-fine.html

Still going strong on my 5 year old LG V30. Keeps up with usage on a lazy day but is showing its age. If I get any more usage time than 8h (that's usage not screen on time) in a single charge I've been conservative. It's worn out with massive burn in to the point where I've even received a message from my carrier that they're shutting down 3G and I'm on such an old phone, they've given me a 25% discount on any new phone on top of existing discounts. So let's say I do get a new phone. Have you seen the market? All boring phones that look exactly the same as one another with meaninglessly powerful specs that I feel are more often a detriment to how well it functions rather than enhancing the experience. 120Hz screen on a phone for what? Just so the 3 seconds that I look at what the time is is super smooth? So that when I record a video the camera stats come back to me at 120fps even though I'll be recording the video at 30fps? Silly. That's the same if the car industry put launch control on a front wheel drive 1.0L VW UP. That's like buying a 3090ti just to play CSGO/Valorant on a 1080p 60hz monitor... My rant out of the way, the only 2 phones that have even remotely peaked my interest are the Pixel 6a and Nothing phone (1). With Google I can kind of know what to expect. Good software and long-term software support. I hope. I've heard Pixel 6 had a ton of bugs that turned people away and lost a lot of users but you think Google will have fixed most of them by the time Pixel 6a comes out? Shame 1080p, no headphone jack and even worse no wireless charging. For such a huge 6.1" phone to have such a low resolution screen really is a turn off. Have either a small phone with 1080p or a big 6.1" phone with 1440p. Worst of both worlds. And then there's the new kid on the block. The Nothing phone. Specs wise I'm satisfied. Shame it's also a ginormous at 6.55" with the same low resolution 1080p screen at least it has wireless charging. Size to screen is even worse here. The question is what is their plan with OS and software support? The same 2 years of updates and then abandon like most of the industry does? Anyone know how their custom OS is gonna work? Closer to vanilla android, something bloated like Sony's old android or a disgusting imitation of IOS like Honor used to do. I've always jumped ship and dove into the deep ends with every new android phone I've gotten and the last 8/10 android phones I've used it's been a good purchase. Which one should I look forwards to the most? Or is there some other phone anyone can recommend that I should keep an eye out for too?

What's safer? To sign up with Google or to use your email and password with a password manager. I understand the privacy trade-off, but which is the better option solely in terms of security (since Google will find a way to track me down anyway). Is it better to have all of your eggs in 1 basket with Google, or use a password manager and put all of your eggs in that basket instead... Bonus Questions! #1: Why does Imgur let you sign-up with Yahoo? Who uses Yahoo? #2: If you sign-up to Twitter with Google, then sign-up to another site with Twitter, who gets your data? Will it make the world implode? #3: What's the longest chain or cross-logins you can think of? I can't get past Google -> Twitter -> Imgur #4: Should I have just made this a poll...?

I am designing a critical tracking app in Android studios ("Ik flutter is a better choice") but I went with android studio as I wanted to Improve my java ... as well as a Struggle that popped me in the job was 1)server designing I want a server suggestion where around 2k users and over 40 providers (providers write data and users read data from db) I want the spects to design a server 2)How do u even make a server end without a PHP based volly Engine which makes me mad seeing the PHP stuff I want the server end with java any Idea ... It would be a great help to support the 2ed point **Note 2ed one is mandatory

Summary Despite countless third-party apps available on the Play Store - and even Google's own "Files" and "Chrome" apps - having the ability to install apps via .apk files, Google has threatened the developer of Total Commander to remove his app completely from the Play Store. Google claims their policy forbids any Play Store app from downloading apps from third-party sources. Quote from ghacks article: Ghisler has not been able to appeal Google's decision. My thoughts I think this really adds to the monopolistic behavior we've seen from Google. If they actually enforced this on a big scale then they would effectively cut off any way of installing apps outside of the Play Store on a huge amount of devices. If all of the apps installed on a new phone are available on the Play Store and they all complied with this policy, then you would virtually have no way to access third-party app sources - even third-party app stores. You would probably need to either transfer an app without this restriction from a PC and launch the package manager through a terminal or maybe use something like curl to download the files in the terminal. (I'm not sure if Android has curl by default.) I find it completely unrealistic though, that they would actually enforce this store-wide. And it's very hard to believe that they would cut the functionality out of their own browser. But that only adds to how unfair this is to the developer. I would guess that he was targeted due to Total Commanders incredible support for advanced functions for root users and system modders. Sources https://www.ghacks.net/2022/05/19/google-forces-total-commander-removes-the-ability-to-install-apks/ https://www.androidpolice.com/total-commander-apk-installation-block/

When scrolling google for obscure questions, I occasionally find these really random, basic HTML websites with a random mishmash of copy pastas, with random links inserted in the at random points, which just lead to more of these websites. Every one of them always seems to have a random domain as well. Examples: <mod removed> There seems to be no point to these websites, but I see them everywhere. I also see another type of these seemingly random websites that redirects you to another website, usually a porn or scam website, which usually also has a random domain. Why do these websites exist and why does it seem that there are so many of them?

I just recently bought a new Pixel 6 Pro. I had it for less than 3 months when the inevitable happened. I dropped it in a foot of water at the saltwater beach on vacation. I immediately took it out and let it dry before using it again. It was working fine for about 24 hours when the screen froze and a few seconds later, the whole phone went dark. RIP. It no longer turns on. I get in contact with google support and tell them the situation. They will not pay for any damages caused by water. This is a phone that is IP68 water resistant and the lenses are fogged from 1 foot of water. I am going to get this phone fixed, but this seems like a ridiculous way to treat a warranty. Has anyone else experienced this?

Summary A senior Engineer at Google named Blake Lemoine is on administrative leave after releasing protected conversations he had with the Google AI LaMDA. He leaked the "conversations" he had with the AI in attempt to prove his idea that the project had gained a level of self awareness that warrented larger discussion. Quotes My thoughts I am honestly not sure myself- I have read the conversations at length (source 1) and do understand Lemoine's concerns, but I don't think I echo them. I argue though that what this interaction does prove is that as AI becomes more complex, espically as the use of Neural Networking styles of processing inhibits our ability to easily understand underlying code and processing, a model to actually measure sentience is going to be essential. This "model" could help both in reducing false positives, as well as giving us a framework to help indicate an actual positive. I recognize that a model like that is an overwhelming task- and for people smarter than I am to debate how to create this. I suspect this would need to be a combined endeavor with some combinations of programmers and AI engineers, as well as neurologists, philosophers, and linguists. Thoughts? *I am a security engineer and an hobby developer- I am not an expert in these matters, please read the data for yourselves. I am just a tech enthusiast who loves the challange and conversations. Sources Original leaked conversation https://cajundiscordian.medium.com/is-lamda-sentient-an-interview-ea64d916d917 Reporting by Dailymail that brought this to my attention https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10907853/Google-engineer-claims-new-AI-robot-FEELINGS-Blake-Lemoine-says-LaMDA-device-sentient.html?fbclid=IwAR2k7OE5FnCx8bqI5Z5AvMX6-CLS_3EYQSAG1eNASc2b9HLAK2TSp5R8PTc

Hey everyone. So, I'm gonna try my best to keep it on the rails here, but I'm infuriated with Google's lack of support on this issue, and want to share/plead for help in the event someone might have tips. TL;DR: I opted into the Android Beta 13 program on my daily driver, my Google Pixel 6 Pro, apps I need for my job as a network admin didn't work, so I rolled back. After getting Android 12 back (from an OTA update) the device is stuck in the bootloader, unable to even go into recovery, and Google Support won't help because there is a faint scratch on the screen from where my keys brushed against my phone once. So, the TL;DR includes a lot, but to fill out more info: - I'm a first-time network admin, and a lot of my accounts use MFA that was on the Google Authenticator instance on my Pixel 6 Pro. Absolutely stupid of me, I know, to use a daily driver as a Beta device, but I wanted to do what I could to aid the devs in gathering info to sooner roll out 13. I still think that opting to roll back to 12 shouldn't brick my device, and I'm wondering if it falls under the terms and conditions of joining the 13 beta program if I had opted out and was trying to roll back through the Google-approved facet. - I've dabbled in Android ROM and Kernel development in the past, most prominently in the 5.0-6.0 days. I know my way around fastboot, advb, and recovery. This device isn't even recognized as fastboot, recovery, or adb with the enhanced Google ADB drivers. - I have a log of the support chat, but I essentially was told the device couldn't be warrantied due to the light scratch on the screen. Even though that would have ZERO to do with how the operating system functions. It felt like what I was saying was more than what their script was equipped to handle. Any thoughts? Any advice? Also, pease feel free to absolutely flame me for the dumb decision. - ArticularSpark

Summary The Google Store's redesigned account menu has a bug which shows anyone who has any Google Store credit at all that they have $500. However, your normal balance shows up at checkout. Quotes My thoughts Seems like someone working at Google must have made a mistake when coding this redesign. Hopefully, Google fixes this soon and not too many people are tricked by this bug but I am pretty sure most people would notice at checkout that they don't have that Google Store credit before buying something. However, this is just another case of where one small mistake can have a more widespread impact. Sources https://www.androidauthority.com/google-store-500-credit-bug-3159741/ https://www.phonearena.com/news/your-500-google-store-credeit-_id139931 https://9to5google.com/2022/05/01/google-store-credit-500/

Summary A Microsoft Defender error, causes a false positive flagging Google crome updates Quotes My thoughts Something makes me think that this was a deliberately caused issue, that Microsoft tries to shove under the rug, saying its a bug, in the hope people get scared enough to stop using Crome, and use Edge instead. if it were not for that Microsoft office was also flagged as malware by defender. Sources https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-defender-flags-google-chrome-updates-as-suspicious/ https://www.techradar.com/news/these-google-chrome-updates-were-flagged-as-dodgy-by-microsoft-defender https://www.windowscentral.com/google-chrome-updates-labeled-suspicious-due-microsoft-defender-false-positive-issue Microsoft office false positive https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-defender-tags-office-updates-as-ransomware-activity/

What the heck google, i'm not buying a subscription or registering in order to read the news article, why are you removing my ability to block those sites from my feed? Did they change the UI or did they just outright remove the option that used to be 'don't see content from this source' ? I find this extremely outrageous enough that despite previously liking this application I'm ready to remove it all together. The ability to curate the new sources to those that aren't completely ads or demand you subscribe so they can send you ads it the main reason i used this application.

I making website, and one of features are Google Form, but I can't use them. Because language on google form is cyrlic, and I need it to be latin. I went to settings, changed language to latin. But no change, it is still in cyrilic... I reload page and it is still not applied??!

First of all, let me clear a few things. I never sign in to Gmail yet alone my google account to any other device expect my one, which is not publicly accessible meaning people are unable to use my computer without me knowing. When I go to security sessions on google there are no recent signs ins, the only thing in that section is the 2 factor authentication i put on my account a few days ago. As for the current session section the only device there is mine and it says I'm logged in with 1 session running presumably mine i guess. It also says I use no other sites or apps that i use google to log in with and also no linked accounts associated with my google as well. In the screenshot provided shows the concurrent session which is referring to the other device, you can see it comes from an unknown access type but has the same IP and location as me. I want to reiterate I only use this device to sign into my google account and gmail, this is further proven by the fact that google says I only have one session open on this device in google security settings. Also we can see all the logins from me and the unknown acesss share the same IP and location. Sometimes the unknown logs into the gmail in the exact same time I do indicated by the date and time section. Help me figure this out please. Thank you kindly. Screenshot displaying activity section: https://gyazo.com/78c0295918d62cfb56001d9473d4514c

i have a samsung phone and had factory reset it a long time ago. i wanted to access it today and went through the setup. when i got to the FRP lock part, i entered my google account that was used previously on the device. it gave me an error saying somthing went wrong try again. i remembered that i had removed the device from my list of devices on googles account management page. what should i do?

Like the title says it just pops out if you press down on the bottom edge of the bar, which I discovered by just sliding my finger down the bar to lower the volume like normal. I feel like for 900 dollars it should at least stay together. Luckily it goes back in.

Hello everyone, I have decided to get a home ai for my parents (definitely not techy). I looked and seemed it's gonna be between Amazon's Alexa systems or Google's Home Assistant. We do have a Samsung smart TV, so I would want the Ai to be able to control the TV without needing extra devices to allow that. I am unsure if this is correct area to post, so mods feel free to move my post to the right area. Which eco system, or speaker would you guys recommend as an entry device into the Home Ai? (Google or Alexa). I know about the Apple Home, but it's out of my christmas budget range and appears to be harder to obtain

I'm trying to login on my PC. I know my username and password for my google account, and I know I'm typing it in correctly. I'm looking at Recent Security Activity on my phone, and it isn't showing that I'm trying to login on my computer. It will send me 2FA prompts on my phone that I tap yes on, and nothing happens. "resend code" stays greyed out, and clicking "try another way" does nothing, doesn't change anything on the screen. But other things will show up in recent activity, for example, I never actually verified email B as a recovery email for email A, so I did that, and then "Verified Recovery Email 7:02PM" showed up in the recent activity box. I also went back to the original login page and hit "Forgot password" where it brings me to a screen with 3 options to verify identity, Tap yes on phone, get a text, or try another way. Clicking on any of them only highlights the choice and doesn't move forward to the next step. I can't seem to find any threads anywhere of someone with a similar issue. I've tried different gmail accounts, as well as Chrome, Firefox, AND Edge. At this point I'm thinking it might be something going on at Google and I just need to wait? Any tips?

(I would appreciate the absence of 'Why are you using Mac/Chrome/etc.' ) I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) running MacOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G9028). I just replaced the battery. Everything seems to be going well, except SPECIFICALLY, I cannot get to ANY Google services, Specifically when using Chrome. I can connect just fine in Safari, but well, Safari. I am running Version 112.0.5598.0 (Official Build) canary (x86_64), and tried using the public build. I also tried going onto different networks, re-installing network certificates, switching time servers, changing DNS, using a VPN, killing mDNS, and more. I can get to any website that doesn't use Google services, mostly, they load a bit slower than normal, but the whole system seems a bit slow. Occasionally, Google will load, so I will try to sign in, and run into the issue again. (times out and the lock icon says not secure.) Interestingly, using incognito makes it work consistently, but there isn't much use logging in when using it. I tried disabling extensions and such and using other profiles too. This is driving me crazy, I need for this computer to work so I can work on schoolwork. Other notes: - No, nothing is happening in the network pane of dev tools.