Google

There have been rumors about a folding Google Pixel phone for years. However, just like Apple, Google has so far resisted the temptation to enter the foldable market. Just last month the company debuted the new Pixel 7/Pixel 7 Pro smartphones and introduced the Pixel tablet for 2023 with no mention of foldable.

Well, it does seem that Google is developing a Pixel folding phone and images of the device have leaked online.

Back at the start of the year, reports suggested the Google Pixel folding phone would arrive this year. It seems that the timeframe was not accurate but the handset itself is real. We are likely looking at a 2023 launch if these leaks are accurate.

FrontPageTech has found images of the Google Pixel folding phone from a source they do not identify. According to the leaker who provided the images, the device is “really f**king heavy”.

The handset will be available in white (Chalk) or black (Obsidian) and will apparently cost $1,799. That price is on par with current folding phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. As for the release date, the report points to a May 2023 launch.

Previous reports point to a 120GHz screen refresh rate and will be overall smaller than the Galaxy

Z Fold 4.

Apple

If Google does enter the folding phone market, that will leave on Apple amongst the major phone manufacturers without a foldable. Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, and others already have their own folding devices.

Back in May, I reported on predictions that Apple is targeting 2025 as the year to launch that handset. Last month, Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight claimed Apple will launch a folding iPad before the iPhone.Tip of the day: Though many VPN providers have their own apps, you can in many cases connect to a VPN in Windows without any third-party software. This is ideal if you have a self-hosted VPN or if you’re using a PC with restricted permissions. In our tutorial, we’re showing you how to connect to a VPN in Windows.

Source Winbuzzer

The Office of Communications (Ofcom), the UK’s communications regulator is putting the world’s largest tech companies under the microscope. An investigation will look into the practices of Big Tech names such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google in regard to cloud services.

Specifically, the group will investigate the dominance of these three companies to ensure competition is fair. Furthermore, the regulator will look into WhatsApp, FaceTime and Zoom in the video messaging market, and the Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Apple HomePods in the digital personal assistant market.

However, it is the cloud investigation that is the biggest. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are comfortably the biggest players in the cloud industry. AWS is comfortable ahead of Azure, while Microsoft’s product is comfortably ahead of Google.

Even so, all three are thriving and the question is, what about the rest? How is the dominance of these three heavyweights impacting other cloud providers?

The Study

Ofcom points out that Amazon, Microsoft, and Google account for four-fifths (80%) of the UK cloud computing market. Of the three, AWS is the leader with over half of that. The regulator will spend the next year investigating this dominance and how it impacts smaller players in the market.

Selina Chadha, Ofcom’s director of connectivity, says: “The way we live, work, play and do business has been transformed by digital services.

“But as the number of platforms, devices and networks that serve up content continues to grow, so do the technological and economic issues confronting regulators.

“That’s why we’re kickstarting a programme of work to scrutinise these digital markets, identify any competition concerns, and make sure they’re working well for people and businesses who rely on them.”

Ofcom will study the strength of competition against what the regulator called the “hyperscalers” in the market. Furthermore, the investigation will look into what limitations on the market (if any) are stifling innovation and growth.

“How well digital markets function will be increasingly important to the outcomes consumers experience across the sectors we regulate. We need to be looking as much at how companies are using digital infrastructure and services as we do the cables, masts and satellites that we have focused on in the past.”

Ofcom is operating under the Enterprise Act 2002, a UK law that allows it to conduct market studies in digital communication industries.

Tip of the day: If you need to Create, Delete or Resize Partitions, Windows has everything you thanks to the built-in Disk Management-tool.

Source  Winbuzzer

Over the years, Google has become a major donator to the economy of the European Union. The company has fallen foul of regulators more than any other Big Tech giant and has forked billions of dollars in fines. So, that Google has lost another antitrust case – this time an appeal – and will need to pay €4.1 billion is hardly a surprise.

This fine stems from a decision by the European Commission (EC) in 2018, which found Google guilty of unfairly restricting Android OEMs and network operators. At the time, the EC slapped Google with a record €4.34 billion fine.

As is usually the case in these situations, Google was having none of it and went back to the courts to appeal. Well, today, the Mountain View company has lost that appeal in an EU court.

For the most part, the EU General Court upheld the decisions of the EC. That means the court agrees Google was using anti-competitive tactics. The only (minor) victory for Google was the court found discrepancies in the EC’s analysis, specifically finding the regulator partially infringed Google’s right to a fair hearing.

Decision

The result of those irregularities meant the court reduced the fine from €4.34 billion to €4.1 billion. In a post-decision statement, the General Court says:

“The General Court largely confirms the commission’s decision that Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine.”

Google was found to have been restricting Android OEMs in three ways:

• Illegal tying of Google’s search and browser apps
• Illegal payments conditional on exclusive pre-installation of Google Search
• Illegal obstruction of development and distribution of competing Android operating systems

In response to the ruling, the company says it disagrees with the findings:

“We are disappointed that the court did not annul the decision in full. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.”

It is worth noting Google can appeal again to the higher court, the EU Court of Justice. While the company may take this route, a winning outcome seems unlikely. In 2017, the company was forced to pay $2.7 billion for breaching competition laws around its shopping search results.

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Using Windows startup repair can fix boot issues caused by the most prevalent issues. Though it may seem that all is lost when you run into startup problems, it’s important to try a Windows boot repair so you can at least narrow down the source of the issue. If it doesn’t work, you may have to reinstall the OS or test your hardware.

Source  Winbuzzer

Google has been making tweaks to its communication app arsenal in recent months, including the unification of Google Meet and Google Duo into a single service (Google Meet). Now, the company says it is ditching Google Hangouts and will migrate the application into Google Chat on Web.

Google has been promising its intentions to make Google Chat become its default texting app since earlier this year. At the time, the company said Google Hangouts on Gmail web, mobile, and Chrome extension will be automatically migrated to Chat.

Now, the company is confirming that migration and says Google Hangouts will head into the sunset on November 1, 2022.

More details on what admins need to do to export their data and changes happening with Vault will be sent before the cutoff date via email. Google points out that the majority of data will migrate automatically, but there may be cases where some is left behind.

Migration

When this happens, the company will reach out to respective users individually. In a blog post, Google explains why this switch is necessary:

“Upgrading Google Hangouts to Google Chat gives users a single messaging solution and better integration across Google Workspace. Further, users can take advantage of the feature-rich experience, such as: 

• Rich-text editing 
• Tagging specific people with @ mentions 
• Searching for and sharing GIFs and using emoji reactions 
• Seamless integration with Gmail, alongside your other critical apps 
• Spaces, dedicated places for organizing people, topics, and projects in Google Workspace.”

Google Workspace customers and those running the old G Suite will start getting the update in November. Users must download all their chat data by January 1 2023 as Google will delete Hangouts data permanently.

Tip of the day: Windows Update downloads can often be frustrating because they are several gigabytes in size and can slow down your internet connection. That means your device may work with reduced performance while the update is downloading. In our guide, we show you how to limit bandwidth for Windows Update downloads, so they won’t bother you again.

Source Winbuzzer

While Android can lack security, Google works hard to ensure the platform is safe for users. Google often points out that compromised security on Android is because of OEMs changing the OS for their own devices. Maybe, but Android also faces security risks from apps because of the open nature of the platform.

Google often cleans house to ensure nefarious apps stay off the Google Play Store. Even so, some apps slip through the net and cause damage. For example, eight apps that Google has now removed, but not before were already downloaded a total of 3 million times.

According to security researcher Maxime Ingrao of cybersecurity firm Evina, a new variant of the Joker spyware was spread through the eight offending apps. Known as Autolycus, the malware will automatically subscribe users to a spyware service as well as gain access to their SMS messages.

By automatically signing users up for a premium service, people can be paying for something without knowing about it. Known as fleece, this type of attack is dangerous for customers who integrate their payments on Android.

Offending Apps

According to Ingrao, the 8 apps use the Joker variant Autolycus and have already been downloaded millions of times since arriving on the Google Play Store in June 2021. Yes, the apps have been up for over a year.

The eight apps in which Ingrao found Autolycus are:

• Vlog Star Video Editor (com.vlog.star.video.editor) – 1 million downloads
• Creative 3D Launcher (app.launcher.creative3d) – 1 million downloads
• Wow Beauty Camera (com.wow beauty.camera) – 100,000 downloads
• Gif Emoji Keyboard (com.gif.emoji.keyboard) – 100,000 downloads
• Freeflow Camera 1.0.0 (com.glow.camera.open) – 5,000 downloads
• Coco Camera v1.1 (com.too more.cool.camera) –  1,000 downloads
• Funny Camera by KellyTech –  500,000 downloads
• Razer Keyboard & Theme by rxcheldiolola – 50,000 downloads.

It is worth noting that Ingrao found these apps back in July 2021 and promptly told Google. However, the company took six months to remove six of them, with the last two getting taken down on July 13, 2022.

Tip of the day: Tired of Windows´s default notification and other system sounds? In our tutorial, we show you how to change windows sounds or turn off system sounds entirely.

Source  Winbuzzer

Google is ready to publicly test its augmented reality (AR) headset, which has been in development for some time. Prototypes of the headset will be available for small-scale tests starting next month.

In terms of hardware, Google is ultra-cautious around product releases. The company is aware that it is not seen as a hardware company. Moreover, previous forays into cutting-edge technology – specifically with Google Glass – have been hit by trouble.

With the Google Glass smart glasses, the product was seen as a glimpse into the future. However, there were growing concerns it could also glimpse into much more. People became worried that the glasses could be used to take photos and videos of people without consent. Google ultimately pulled the product and never gave it a wide release.

While the AR headset may not carry those same concerns, it will also have cameras, microphones, and an in-lens display. The core difference is users will not be able to take photos of videos.

Different Approach

Addressing concerns about image data, Google says the following:

“After the experience is completed, the image data is deleted, except if the image data will be used for analysis and debugging. In that case, the image data is first scrubbed for sensitive content, including faces and license plates.”

It is unclear what Google’s AR headset will look like. However, considering the history with Glass and the press images (albeit not the actual product) the company is using, it seems Google is making its headset as close to real glasses.

In a world of bulky AR and VR headsets like Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 or the Oculus Rift, a sleek design will help Google’s product stand out from the crowd.

Tip of the day: File History is a Windows backup feature that saves each version of files in the Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and Offline OneDrive folders. Though its name implies a primary focus on version control, you can actually use it as a fully-fledged backup tool for your important documents.

Source  Winbuzzer

Google’s lineup of communication apps is confusing and not as clear as options from Facebook, Microsoft, or Zoom. There is Google Hangouts, Google Meet, and Google Duo… all three provide video communication. While Google is rumored to be killing off Hangouts soon, the company is now merging Google Meet and Google Duo into a single product.

It makes loads of sense to combine these two services into a single app. Even so, the actual integration needs some explaining. Google says Meet features will become available in Duo, but then nearer the end of the year, the Duo app will be rebranded as Google Meet.

Why not the other way around if it is going to be called Google Meet? That’s unclear, but it is probably because it is easier to migrate Meet features to Duo and rebrand the app than migrate Duo features into Meet.

Either way, the result will be a single video communication application known as Google Meet.

Features

According to Google, the new app will be free and the migration will be complete by the end of this month. The following features will be available in Google Duo until it becomes Google Meet later in the year:

• “Schedule meetings so everyone can join at a time that’s convenient for them
• In-meeting chat for deeper engagement
• Live share content to enable interaction with all participants on the call
• Get real-time closed captions to better support accessibility and boost participation Increase the size of video calls from a current limit of 32 to 100 participants
• Integrate with other tools, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages, and more”

The new Meet application will be available across platforms, while also running on the web. As well as being a free app, it will also be baked into the Google Workspace subscription service.

Tip of the day: Tired of Windows´s default notification and other system sounds? In our tutorial, we show you how to change windows sounds or turn off system sounds entirely.

Source  Winbuzzer

Google Maps is the most widely used commercial mapping technology in the world. Whether you want to find a restaurant, directions to the restaurant, or see a street view of the area around the restaurant, Google Maps is likely your go-to option. Google now wants Apps to do even more and is debuting a new “Immersive Mode”.

As you might expect, Google is constantly looking for ways to boost the abilities of Maps and frequently expands the feature set. At its Google I/O developer conference (which is currently happening), the company explains how it uses AI to boost the capabilities of Maps.

Immersive Mode is the latest AI-powered development, an attempt to give users even more navigation options in Street View and traditional maps.

Google says the new feature provides a more in-depth view of the world, an immersive view that puts users at the heart of a landmark, street, or other areas of interest.

Details

For tourists and travelers, discovering attractions will become more dynamic and they will look more realistic on Google Maps. The company suggests it will be like actually being at the location:

“Say you’re planning a trip to London and want to figure out the best sights to see and places to eat. With a quick search, you can virtually soar over Westminster to see the neighborhood and stunning architecture of places, like Big Ben, up close. With Google Maps’ helpful information layered on top, you can use the time slider to check out what the area looks like at different times of day and in various weather conditions, and see where the busy spots are.”

The new Immersive Mode works on Google Maps across platforms. However, it will debut soon in select markets like London, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Google says it will expand to other cities in the future.

Tip of the day: With many reachable wireless access points popping up and disappearing again, the available networks list can become quite annoying. If needed you can use the allowed and blocked filter list of Windows to block certain WiFi networks or all unknown WiFi networks.

Source  Winbuzzer

Google is no stranger to controversy over the data it takes from its users. The unwritten contract for using the company’s various excellent services is Google can use your info to provide to advertisers. As for Google Search, user information appears in searches from social media, ecommerce, and other sites.

Not many users know they can ask Google to remove some data about themselves. This week, Google is expanding the data you can request to be removed. Specifically, the company says users can now ask for their contact info (email address, physical address, and phone number) to be removed.

This follows the ability to remove images from a search for under 18s. Google has been allowing users to request the removal of bank accounts, credit card, and other sensitive information for years. By expanding to more personal data, the company is giving users more control.

In a blog post, Google’s Michelle Chang says the new policy protects users against identity theft.

“When we receive removal requests, we will evaluate all content on the web page to ensure that we’re not limiting the availability of other information that is broadly useful, for instance in news articles,” Chang wrote. “We’ll also evaluate if the content appears as part of the public record on the sites of government or official sources. In such cases, we won’t make removals.”

Details

There are two things to note about this system. Firstly, Google has no obligation to remove content upon request. Instead, the company assesses the individual situation before deciding. Secondly, the removal only works on Search. Sites that host the data will still be active and information visible to visitors.

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Google has a rich history with open source software… such as the company’s Android mobile platform. However, there are inherent security risks in open source. In fact, Android is a good example of software that is available to everyone that can be manipulated by threat actors. To help fight this issue with open source software, Google is supporting the Open Source Security Foundation’s (OpenSSF) Package Analysis Project.

The company says it will help OpenSSF to scale the Package Analysis Project, which brings the ability to scan open source packages. Google will allow results from analysis to be stored in its BigQuery fully managed serverless data warehouse.

With this support, users will get an alert if malicious open source software is uploaded to a repository. Google points out that the method will also provide more information on security through the software supply chain.

Google has analysed 200 malicious packages that were uploaded on PyPI and NPM. You can see the results here, but Google expands on the details in a blog post:

“PyPI: discordcmd

This Python package will attack the desktop client for Discord on Windows. It was found by spotting the unusual requests to raw.githubusercontent.com, Discord API, and ipinfo.io.

NPM: @roku-web-core/ajax

During install, this NPM package exfiltrates details of the machine it is running on and then opens a reverse shell, allowing the remote execution of commands.”

Ongoing Risk

Google suggests most malicious packages are from security researchers because of the lack of sophistication. In other words, researchers are investigating malicious packages instead of perpetuating them.

Still, the company points out there must be improvements in methods for vetting packages that land on repositories. Google calls for an open standard for reporting and centralizing test results. Of course, that is exactly what the OpenSSF Package Analysis Project aims to deliver.

Tip of the day: Do you sometimes face issues with Windows search where it doesn’t find files or return results? Check our tutorial to see how to fix Windows search via various methods.

Source  Winbuzzer