Tag: Google

The ‘Father of the Internet’ is finally retiring | TechCrunch

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Vinton Cerf will step down from his role as Google’s chief internet evangelist next week, marking the conclusion of one of the most influential careers in technology history.

While speaking via video feed at the Open Frontier conference hosted by the Laude Institute, Cerf was recognized by Dave Patterson, the UC Berkeley professor best known for co-developing RISC processor architecture.

“Vint … has been at Google more than 20 years, and he is retiring a week from today, and so I think we ought to give him a round of applause for a relatively good career,” Patterson said, to cheers from the room.

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Google and PayPal Team Up to Innovate the Future of Digital Commerce | Small Biz Trends

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In an age where digital transactions dominate, a new partnership between Google and PayPal aims to reshape the landscape of e-commerce. This collaboration, announced on September 17, 2025, promises to leverage advanced technologies to create seamless transaction experiences for businesses and consumers alike.

From small business owners to large enterprises, the key benefits of this partnership could significantly enhance digital commerce operations.

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Google enables free sharing of custom Gemini AI bots and it’s a huge deal | Digital Trends

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The big news from Google earlier today was the arrival of Gemini within the Chrome browser, with a promise of tab awareness and a sidebar assistant that can take steps on users’ behalf. But another important news that flew under the radar was the ability to share custom versions of the Gemini chatbot with other users.

What’s the big picture?

Imagine creating an AI agent that performs a specific task for you. I’ve created a custom version of Gemini called Email Assistant. It helps me with answering emails. All I have to do is copy-paste the contents of an email, type “Yes” or “No,” and it accordingly creates a polite response for those emails.

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Google throws shade at Apple’s Siri AI delay in latest Pixel 10 teaser | Digital Trends

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As Google builds up to the Pixel 10 launch on August 20, the company has posted a cheeky 30-second video on YouTube that playfully throws shade on the delayed AI-enhanced Siri features, which were first announced at WWDC 2024 and meant to land on iPhones in April 2025.

  • The voice over begins by saying, “If you buy a new phone because of a feature that’s coming soon, but it’s been coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of soon” – a direct jab at Apple.
  • The video (above) continues, showing us the outline of the Pixel 10 while the voice muses, “or you could just… change your phone” – cheeky.

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Google, Spotify Down in a Massive Outage Affecting Thousands | Entrepreneur

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Google Cloud and Spotify are down for tens of thousands of users, according to Downdetector.com. Early reports suggest a massive Cloudflare outage is to blame.

Is Google Down?

The Google Workspace Dashboard noted that the company was “investigating reports of an issue” with a slew of Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Cloud Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Tasks, and Google Voice.

“We will provide more information shortly,” the post says. “Our engineers are currently investigating the issue. We apologize to all who are affected by the disruption.”

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Google starts embedding AI chatbot into search | BBC News

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Google is introducing a new artificial intelligence (AI) mode that more firmly embeds chatbot capabilities into its search engine, aiming to give users the experience of having a conversation with an expert.

The “AI Mode” was made available in the US on Tuesday, appearing as an option in Google’s search bar.

The change, unveiled at the company’s annual developers conference in Mountain View, California, is part of the tech giant’s push to remain competitive against ChatGPT and other AI services, which threaten to erode Google’s dominance of online search.

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This Android redesign looks smashing, but I wish it came sooner | Digital Trends

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Every year, Google adds a potpourri of features to Android. Visually, however, it changes only once a few years. The last time Google made significant visual changes, it was with Android 12 over three years ago. In the coming months, Google is expected to kick off another cycle of aesthetic overhaul, with significant changes sprinkled across the UI. These appear right before Google is set to launch Android 16, and has ignites new expectations — but I’m afraid this comes too little, too late.

The redesigned Android interface brings a breath of freshness, with visually engaging colors and completely refreshed sliders across the interface. Even smaller elements, including icons in the status bar, are going under the knife, and coming out slightly more detailed than were in the previous iterations. Many aspects of the interface appear to have adopted a translucent cloak, giving it a more modern look. While the visual impact is undeniable, the timing is rather odd.

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Google faces $6.6 billion lawsuit in Britain for alleged abuse of dominance in online search | CNN Business

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Google is being sued in Britain for potential damages of up to £5 billion ($6.6 billion) in a class action alleging the company abused its dominant market position in online search. The class action, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal Tuesday, argues that Google’s actions enabled it to charge higher prices for the advertisements that appear in search inquiries than it otherwise could in a competitive market. It said the US company, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL), contracted phone makers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser on Android devices and paid Apple to make it the default search engine on iPhones, with the intention of shutting out competition.

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