Articles by Derrek Lee

Google Chrome wants to be one step ahead of you.

What you need to know

Google is making Drive files accessible from Chrome’s New Tab page.
When enabled, Chrome will suggest relevant files for you in a card underneath the Search bar.
The new feature is rolling out over the next two weeks for Workspace, G Suite, Business, and personal accounts.

While Google already makes it easy to find files in Google Drive, the company is giving users more ways to access their Drive files without even opening the website. The latest update to the Chrome browser will provide users with even quicker access to their files by placing them on the New Tab page.

When the feature is enabled, opening a new tab in the Chrome browser will display a card underneath the Search bar that will display select Google Drive files pulled from the primary account being used.

According to Google, Chrome’s “intelligent file suggestions” will pull up documents that might be relevant to you.

End users will be ab…

Google is putting Lens in more places.

What you need to know

Google presented several different upgrades for Search and Lens at its second annual Search On event.
Google Lens will help power more shopping experiences on phones and Chromebooks.
Videos and searches will present the user with more context and related topics.

Google held its second annual Search On event on Wednesday, announcing a host of new features and enhancements for Google Lens and Search. With these improvements, Google is giving Search and Lens even more context to help users find what they’re looking for and help them stay informed about their results.

Some of these features are available today, while many will roll out in the coming weeks or months.

Search’s bigger, bolder redesign

The Google Search page is getting redesigned to make it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. The redesign gives users a more visual experience with images and videos straight from the results page and is intended for…

Traditional TV is dead.

What you need to know

Google is retiring its Fiber TV option in markets where the service is live.
The company is providing Fiber TV users with Chromecast with Google TV dongles as a replacement.
Customers are encouraged to select a streaming service instead.

Google has announced that it’s retiring its Fiber TV service across the U.S. and that users are being “upgraded” with streaming options instead.

In a blog post on Tuesday (via 9to5Google), the company postures that traditional TV “is expensive and outdated,” so it’s making the switch to streaming instead. As part of the transition, Fiber TV customers will receive a Chromecast with Google TV dongle and free Google Wi-Fi to replace their old router and Fiber TV box.

When upgrading, users will be able to select between a number of streaming services with live TV options, such as YouTube TV, Fubo, and others. Billing will be handled directly through the streaming service.

We want to make sure every…

Hopefully, it doesn’t smell like bacon.

What you need to know

Wendy’s has its own smartphone, and it’s giving it away in a contest.
The smartphone has a 6.4-inch HD+ display and a triple camera setup.
The contest is only open to Canadian residents.

Following the iPhone 13 launch and leading up to the long-awaited Pixel 6, a new smartphone plans to take the world by storm, and it’s made by the one and only Wendy’s.

That’s right; Wendy’s has its own smartphone, the appropriately named “Wendy’s Phone.”

As part of a contest, Wendy’s is giving away this device to 20 lucky contestants between September 28 and October 17. To enter, you have to download the Wendy’s app, like and screenshot your favorite order, and post it online with “#WendysPhone” and “#Contest” included in the tweet.

For the chance to get yours, download the Wendy’s app, ? and screenshot your favourite Wendy’s order, then Tweet it out with #WendysPhone and #Contest. You can try again every day. Learn more about …

Android 12.1 is set to significantly improve the foldable experience.

What you need to know

A look into Android 12.1 shows several improvements aimed at foldables.
Many UI elements will make better use of the larger display area.
The new features include improved notifications, split-screen, and navigation across the UI.

Android 12 isn’t even available in stable form yet, but we’re already getting a look at the follow-up Android 12.1 if that’s what Google ends up calling it. The update is expected to be aimed at the best foldable phones to enhance the UI experience for those devices.

XDA-Developers have done a deep dive into many features and changes coming to Android 12.1, which appear to make much better use of the larger displays that foldables often offer.

Dual-pane navigation and split-screen appear to be a big focus with Android 12.1. The quick settings panel, for example, can now be shown on one side with the notification panel sitting next to it. Not only that, but the…

Google Meet upgrades live captions with live translations in a new beta test.

What you need to know

Google Meet has begun beta testing live caption translations.
The beta test will be available for English meetings and support four languages initially.
Only certain Workspace accounts will be eligible for the beta.

Google Meet has started testing a new feature that could improve meetings for teams that collaborate globally.

Starting now, Workspace users can beta test the new live caption translations, which takes Google’s accessibility feature to the next level with auto-translation across languages.

Translated captions helps Google Meet video calls to be more global, inclusive and effective by removing language ability as a barrier to collaboration.

By helping users consume the content in a preferred language, you can help equalize information sharing, learning, and collaboration, and make sure your meetings are as effective as possible.

For those included in the bet…

Google gives you creative ways to stay anonymous.

What you need to know

Google is launching a set of colorful avatars that can be used as profile pictures.
The Illustrations feature a range of topics, from animals to space, technology, sports, and more.
The new Illustrations editor will be available on select Google apps with more following soon.

Google is giving users the option to use personalized images as profile avatars with the launch of Google Illustrations.

The company announced the new collection on Monday as a way for users to set a profile photo that matches their own personal style while providing privacy for those that would rather not use an actual image of themselves.

On Google, a single image acts as a reflection of you across a variety of products, like when you send an email, write a comment on a document or share your location with your family on Maps.

Of course, people have different preferences of how they want to be represented digitally….But fo…

Google says it can’t be anti-competitive with Apple around.

What you need to know

Google is in court disputing a $5 billion fine over the Android operating system.
EU courts ruled that Google uses its dominant position to promote and require its own apps and services on Android devices.
Google says that the court’s decision ignores Apple’s presence in the market.

Google is in court fighting a €4.34 billion ($5.1 billion) fine issued in 2018 by European Union regulators over Android’s market dominance. It’s argument: that regulators are ignoring Apple, its biggest competitor.

The EU slapped the massive fine on Google after ruling that the company used its dominance to require its own Search and Chrome apps to be installed on the best Android phones in order to gain access to the Play Store.

Regulators also found that Google would pay manufacturers to pre-install its apps on their phones to further its dominance in search and discourage manufacturers from selling smart devices…

The battle of the foldable.

This week, Microsoft finally took the wraps off the Surface Duo 2 with plenty of upgrades all around. The device features a largely similar slim chassis, but the internals have been greatly improved to better compete with some of the best Android phones of 2021. Compare that to last year’s Surface Duo, which featured a previous-gen chipset at launch and a measly camera setup, and Microsoft seems to have a winner.

But the Surface Duo is going against a heavyweight contender, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which features a folding OLED display as opposed to a dual-screen. So naturally, we want to know which type of phone you’d prefer.

Do you prefer foldable displays or dual-screen phones?

A case can be made for either display type. Foldables are great when you want to watch fullscreen content like videos and movies but can also be suitable for viewing large, full screen. That said, the experience there isn’t perfect, and Google and Samsung have been trying to imp…

But only for certain countries.

What you need to know

Google is offering discounts on the upcoming Pixel 6 if you make purchases on its online store.
The discount only applies to certain countries where the Pixel 6 will be sold and may expand to others.
Google has yet to announce a price for its upcoming flagship but is expected to pride more details in October.

There’s no shortage of hype in the run-up to the Google Pixel 6 launch, especially around Google’s birthday. And even though we’re likely a month from the full reveal, some Google is already offering discounts on its upcoming flagship to celebrate turning 23.

9to5Google spotted the offer on the Google store in a few different Asia-Pacific countries where the Pixel 6 will be sold, offering what looks to be the U.S. equivalent of $50 off the price of the device.

In Australia, purchasing anything from the store will reward you with “$70 off the upcoming Pixel 6 phones,” and the company even throws in a 15% discount code…