Eroding the iMessage Moat

RCS has long been the battle cry for Google and Android in the “messaging wars”. The better way to text has had an uphill battle, but Google has stuck with it and continues to push to make it a standard. Unsatisfied with carriers’ dragging its feet, Google made RCS the default way to message on Android and now has turned on end-to-end encryption by default. That is a big deal. Abner Li at 9to5Google has more on why. Google is making this big move to “ensure more people benefit from this added security.” E2E encryption for 1:1 conversations fully launched…

Chromebook Trash

One interesting part of the 2020 COVID lockdowns was the frenzy of school districts to procure computers to facilitate remote learning for all students. There were months-long waits for Chromebooks specifically because these low-cost machines worked with a school’s budget and integrate well with Google Classroom. But due to a literal Expiration Date, hundreds of thousands of Chromebooks will become e-waste. How is this possible? Monica Chin at The Verge explains. Chromebook Churn also discusses the Chromebook’s auto-update expiration date — something users have been complaining about for years.  While Google currently guarantees eight years of automatic updates to Chromebooks, that period…

Google Discontinues Glass, Yes THAT One

Google Glass is one of the higher-profile flops from Google. The augmented-reality frames were meant to be something lightweight you wore to get information at a glance. It never got out of the “limited early adopter” stage for the general public. But quietly in the business realm, Glass succeeded. Until today. Because Google is killing off the Enterprise Edition of Glass. Samuel Axon at Ars Technica has more on this product you likely didn’t even know still existed. An updated version called Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 was announced in 2019, and that’s the one that was discontinued. Sales ceased…

Alexa, Go Away

With the massive proliferation of Amazon Echo / Alexa devices, Amazon found a gaping hole by which to get their hardware into people’s houses. For years Amazon has generally released shoddy, commodity (AKA crap) they sell at a loss in order to get you to use their services more. The Echo was a hit, mostly due to its incredible speech recognition and speed with which it could reply. When Amazon first introduced the Echo, the question was “what do you do with this thing?” but it quickly became a perfect Kitchen computer for setting timers and reminders. Alexa was the…

RCS Shame and Blame

Google launched a new campaign two weeks ago that looks to do two things: The first is to tout how far RCS has come since Google began pushing it a few years ago. The second is to shame Apple into supporting it on iOS. Google will fail. That isn’t simply my opinion. While it is true I am an iOS user and I do prefer Apple’s products above Google’s, I also have seen this before. Let us hop in the Delorean and go back to 2004 when Real Networks (remember them!?!) waged a similar campaign against Apple, but that time…

Google’s RCS Spam Failure

Google, whose failure to get people to use its various chat apps is well known, has been pushing an SMS alternative for years. RCS was to bring parity to Apple’s iMessage system for non-iPhone users. Google worked tirelessly to get carriers on board with RCS because it’s supposed to be better. And yes it’s better: for spammers. Jon Porter over at The Verge goes over how Android users in India are being flooded with RCS spam that is coming from legit companies. It’s unclear how widespread the issue currently is, but Indian-based Ishan Agarwal — whose recent tweets have drawn…

Google I/O ’22 Breakdown

In a world of Apples, Google wants to be… a Google-type of Apple. That’s my takeaway from the annual Google I/O conference last week. In typical Google fashion, they debuted new hardware, Android updates, and sorta-near-future mind-blowing tech. Let’s dive in. Pixel Watch was not only leaked but something that had been rumored for a while. It’s round, has proprietary bands, and runs Wear OS. It’s hard to leave much to surprise when Google let the cat out of the bag a while back. So far, it looks nice, and honestly, Android users deserve a tightly-integrated wearable experience like Apple…

A Watch Gets Left In A Bar

Google is finally having their own iPhone 4 moment. The search company, notorious for leaking a lot of their products on their own on purpose is finding themselves in the position of a true leak. A report from Ars Technica reveals that an upcoming Pixel Watch was lost at a restaurant, with a full slate of photos appearing on Android Central. Ron Amadeo has more. Sadly, the device doesn’t actually work. No one knows how to charge it, and it might be remotely wiped anyway. Keep in mind that these are pictures of a prototype, not the final model, and…

Pixel DIY

As mentioned in the previous issue of The Stream, there is a lot of positivity and momentum when it comes to Right to Repair. And sure enough, this past week both Samsung and Google have come aboard. Both companies have partnered with iFixIt, which sells parts and tools for people to perform DIY repairs. Even more important are the walkthroughs they post to their site on HOW to actually do those jobs. The great thing about the guides is you can see in full detail what it takes to do the job before buying anything. They rank the difficulty and…

Unauthorized Storefront

A restaurant group in Florida is suing Google for allegedly setting up landing pages that don’t belong to the eateries. According to the group, Google is providing a profile within their search results that have “Order Online” buttons but those point to delivery apps. Tim De Champ at Ars Technica has the story. When users click the “Order Online” button, they’re directed to a page that in many cases contains large links to food delivery companies, complete with their logos. The restaurant’s own site gets a link as well, though it’s a small, generic “website” button. In some cases, Google…

Chrome Flex

Anyone who works in education or has kids in public school, it’s a sure bet that you’ve seen how pervasive Chromebooks are. Lightweight and inexpensive laptops, these durable devices are everywhere in schools. ChromeOS is a basic operating system, but because it ties into Google’s services at its core, it is quite powerful. Google announced Chrome OS Flex, a new version of their operating system that works on Windows and Intel Mac PCs. Scharon Harding at Ars Technica has more. Chrome OS Flex is basically the official Google version of CloudReady, which Google acquired when it bought Neverware in 2020. Flex allows individuals,…

Google Blaming Apple For Their Own Mistakes

If there was a big eye-roll moment, it’s Google’s Android team bellyaching about iMessage. Apple’s advantage is obvious because it’s a form of lock-in for their ecosystem. When the iPhone debuted, it supported SMS and nothing more. Then with iOS 5 in 2011, Apple rolled out iMessage. It was a simple and secure messaging platform that was an alternative to SMS. It famously only works between Apple devices. What really set it apart though was it became the default messaging protocol when you first messaged someone. Google has been fighting this fight for a long time. However, due to Android’s…

A Rival Ecosystem

When Apple rolls out new products or services, the hook is their ecosystem. People can make fun of “it just works” when things don’t work. However, many ways Apple devices and services have an interplay between them is a huge benefit. Airdrop for starters is amazing. Airplay is another no-hassle way to sling content from one device to another. Even AirPods are part of it with a single-pairing that carries to all your other devices. At CES, Google has unveiled their plans to develop their own ecosystem. The company announced several new features that will be available in 2022: Coming…

PlutoGoogs

Streaming TV service Pluto is coming to the Google TV platform. Pluto does something pretty revolutionary: they have liner TV channels that run commercials and doesn’t let you rewind, skip, or pause. It’s literally the style of live TV but on a streaming app. And I love it. Catie Keck at The Verge has more: Beginning today, Google TV will now support Pluto TV within the live TV tab, meaning users can easily access more than 300 free channels from the platform’s primary live TV hub. Pluto TV is the fourth streaming service to grab a spot on Google TV’s tab. …