Learn how to maximize your Google Pixel Buds Pro with our exhaustive list of tips, tricks, and recommendations.
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Having issues with your Pixel Buds Pro? From glitchy sound to unresponsive Bluetooth, here’s a list of the most common Buds Pro problems and how to solve them.
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Small and comfy, the Pixel Buds Pro sound great and are packed with features. If you’re an Android user, meet your new buds.
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Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are a real competitor of Apple’s AirPods Pro. But are they a threat?
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Android 13 is almost here. What phones are getting it, and when?
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Can’t choose between the OnePlus 10T Pro and the Google Pixel 6? We compare these phones to help you figure out which is the best buy for you.
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Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are a real competitor of Apple’s AirPods Pro. But are they a threat?
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In this latest example of Google’s complicated rebranding fetish, the Duo app is set to be incorporated into the Google Meet app, with notifications of “Duo is getting even better” being sent out. This rebranding means that Duo will get all of Google Meet’s features before the two apps become one app which will be […]
Come comment on this article: ‘Allo’ beckons to Google Duo from the graveyard as Google Meet gets ready to take its place
We all know how productive Chromebooks can be but in the weeks and months ahead Google is adding a bunch of features in August that will round out the experience. Whether you’ve been waiting for the addition of light or dark themes, the ability to edit PDFs in the Gallery app, or perhaps just better […]
Come comment on this article: Google Photos Editor, Light/Dark Themes, LumaFusion app, and more are coming to Chromebooks
Google’s latest Pixel 6a takes on the iPhone 13 Mini as both phones offer flagship features for a relatively lower price. Read more to find which fares better!
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It’s no secret that Stadia isn’t performing as well as Google might have hoped and that the search giant is exploring ways of of making it more successful by way of partnerships with third-parties such as with Verizon and its 1-Gig Fios product. Google had to deny plans to shut down Stadia in early 2021 […]
Come comment on this article: [Update: Stadia trolls the source of the rumor] Google Does Google have its sights set on killing Stadia before the end of 2022?
Blake Lemoine, an engineer who's spent the last seven years with Google, has been fired, reports Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter. The news was allegedly broken by Lemoine himself during a taping of the podcast of the same name, though the episode is not yet public. Google confirmed the firing to Engadget.
Lemoine, who most recently was part of Google’s Responsible AI project, went to the Washington Post last month with claims that one of company's AI projects had allegedly gained sentience. The AI in question, LaMDA — short for Language Model for Dialogue Applications — was publicly unveiled by Google last year as a means for computers to better mimic open-ended conversation. Lemoine seems not only to have believed LaMDA attained sentience, but was openly questioning whether it possessed a soul. And in case there's any doubt words his views are being expressed without hyperbole, he went on to tell Wired, "I legitimately believe that LaMDA is a person."
After making these statements to the press, seemingly without authorization from his employer, Lemoine was put on paid administrative leave. Google, both in statements to the Washington Post then and since, has steadfastly asserted its AI is in no way sentient.
Several members of the AI research community spoke up against Lemoine's claims as well. Margaret Mitchell, who was fired from Google after calling out the lack of diversity within the organization, wrote on Twitter that systems like LaMDA don't develop intent, they instead are "modeling how people express communicative intent in the form of text strings." Less tactfully, Gary Marcus referred to Lemoine's assertions as "nonsense on stilts."
Reached for comment, Google shared the following statement with Engadget:
As we share in our AI Principles, we take the development of AI very seriously and remain committed to responsible innovation. LaMDA has been through 11 distinct reviews, and we published a research paper earlier this year detailing the work that goes into its responsible development. If an employee shares concerns about our work, as Blake did, we review them extensively. We found Blake’s claims that LaMDA is sentient to be wholly unfounded and worked to clarify that with him for many months. These discussions were part of the open culture that helps us innovate responsibly. So, it’s regrettable that despite lengthy engagement on this topic, Blake still chose to persistently violate clear employment and data security policies that include the need to safeguard product information. We will continue our careful development of language models, and we wish Blake well.
The Pixel 6a is a powerful engine in a lightweight body. Protect its glass front with one of the best Google Pixel 6a screen protectors you can buy right now.
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Last year’s Pixel 5a was something of a snoozefest when it came to its design but this year Google has aligned its new affordable handset’s design with that of the premium Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. With pre-orders for the Pixel 6a live with a reasonable price tag of $ 449/£399, it would seem that Google […]
Come comment on this article: Snag free Pixel Buds A-Series Earbuds when you pre-order the Pixel 6a from the Google Store or Amazon
Seventeen Republican attorneys general have urged Google not to limit the appearance of anti-abortion centers in search results. They made the demand a month after Democratic lawmakers asked the company to refrain from directing people who are looking up information on pregnancy terminations to such centers. The Republican AGs suggested that if Google obliges the request from the other side of the aisle, they may investigate the company and undertake legal action. "If you fail to resist this political pressure, we will act swiftly to protect American consumers from this dangerous axis of corporate and government power," they wrote in a letter to Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Many of the so-called crisis pregnancy centers in question have religious affiliations, as the Associated Press notes. Some centers have been accused of providing misleading information about abortion and contraception. Following a leak of a draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade, a ruling that ensured the right to abortion nationwide (a move that the court took in late June), Democrats in the House and Senate introduced a bill that seeks to "crack down on false advertising that crisis pregnancy centers employ to dissuade patients from getting the reproductive care they need, including abortion care."
"Directing women towards fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and don't provide comprehensive health services is dangerous to women's health and undermines the integrity of Google's search results," the Democratic lawmakers wrote in their June 17th letter. They cited statistics indicating that a tenth of Google searches for terms like "abortion clinics near me" and "abortion pill" included results for anti-abortion centers.
The Republican AGs took issue with the Democrats' missive. They noted that crisis pregnancy centers often provide services like free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted disease testing and parenting classes. "These pregnancy centers serve women, no matter who they are or what they believe," they wrote. "These attacks threaten not only those affiliated with the centers, but also the mothers in desperate need of the assistance the centers provide."
The AGs noted Planned Parenthood has acknowledged that crisis pregnancy centers "have religious missions" and “are faith-based organizations that oppose abortion." They claimed ceding to the Democrats' request would "[reek] of religious discrimination."
They went on to state that if Google complies with "this inappropriate demand to bias your search results against crisis pregnancy centers," their offices would investigate the company for possible violations of antitrust and religious discrimination laws. The AGs would also "consider whether additional legislation — such as nondiscrimination rules under common carriage statutes — is necessary to protect consumers and markets." They gave Google 14 days to respond.
Engadget has contacted Google for comment. Google previously said it will delete abortion clinic visits from users' location histories. Meanwhile, YouTube today started removing videos with unsafe instructions on how to self-administer an abortion.
Ahead of the EU’s Digital Markets Act coming into force, Google opens up the Play Store to third-party payment providers.
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Google Wallet is finally here and is as confusing as ever. Luckily, its UI is clean and easy to navigate, making it a fair enough transition for Android users.
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The Google Pixel 6a has been revealed, and even though it’s not available for pre-order yet, you can still get your case ready. Here are the best options.
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There is an impressive Google Pixel 6 Prime Day deal that you can grab now, with the rarely discounted smartphone going for just $ 499 after a $ 100 discount.
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There is an impressive Google Pixel 6 Prime Day deal taking place, with the rarely discounted smartphone going for just $ 571.
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Android 12L and Wear OS 3 are supposed to be Google’s big revolutions for tablets and smartwatches. But it sure doesn’t feel like it.
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A group of Democratic lawmakers led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin is urging Google to "crack down on manipulative search results" that lead people seeking abortions to anti-abortion clinics. In a letter addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, the lawmakers reference a study conducted by US nonprofit group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The organization found that 1 in 10 Google search results for queries such as "abortion clinics near me" and "abortion pill" — specifically in states with trigger laws that would ban the procedure the moment Roe v. Wade is overturned — points to crisis pregnancy centers that oppose abortion instead.
"Directing women towards fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and don't provide comprehensive health services is dangerous to women's health and undermines the integrity of Google's search results," the lawmakers wrote. CCDH also found that 37 percent of results on Google Maps for the same search terms lead people to anti-abortion clinics. The lawmakers argue in the letter that Google should not be displaying those results for users searching for abortion and that if the company's search results must continue showing them, they should at least be properly labeled.
In addition, CCDH found that 28 percent of ads displayed at the top of Google search results are for crisis pregnancy centers. Google added a disclaimer for those ads, "albeit one that appears in small font and is easily missed," the lawmakers note, after getting flak for them a few years ago. "The prevalence of these misleading ads marks what appears to be a concerning reversal from Google’s pledge in 2014 to take down ads from crisis pregnancy centers that engage in overt deception of women seeking out abortion information online," the letter reads.
Warner, Slotkin and the letter's other signees are asking Google what it plans to do to limit the appearance of anti-abortion clinics when users are explicitly searching for abortion services. And, if Google chooses not to take action to prevent them from appearing in results, the group is asking whether Google would add user-friendly disclaimers clarifying whether the clinic is or isn't providing abortion services. You can read the whole letter below:
NEW: @RepSlotkin and I are leading a group of lawmakers to push on the Google CEO to crack down on manipulative search results that lead to scammy “crisis pregnancy centers.”
It’s time for them to limit or label results and ads that lead to fake abortion clinics. pic.twitter.com/LlkTueI2QP
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) June 17, 2022
A Supreme Court draft obtained by Politico in May showed that SCOTUS justices have voted to reverse Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that protected the federal rights to abortion across the country. Senator Ron Wyden and 41 other Democratic lawmakers also previously asked Google to stop collecting and keeping users' location data. They said the information could be used against people who've had or are seeking abortions in states with trigger laws.
Google Assistant has been losing features over the last several months and now two ‘reminders’ features have been put on the chopping block.
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If you are just starting out with Google Stadia, we’ve compiled a list of essential facts and factoids to help you make the most of your cloud gaming experience. Whether it’s which devices are compatible with Stadia, how fast your internet connection needs to be, which gaming controller to use, or even which games are […]
Come comment on this article: Here’s everything you need to know about Google Stadia (Updated)
Having been promised for months, the Google Assistant finally began rolling out to Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatches last week but it seems that the addition of the virtual assistant may be causing some issues. Galaxy Watch 4 owners are reporting that their units are experiencing battery drain and pairing issues since the Google Assistant was […]
Come comment on this article: The Google Assistant could be to blame for the Galaxy Watch 4 suffering pairing issues and battery drain
Codenamed “Passport“, the Pixel foldable whose launch was delayed by Google in 2021 would appear to have once again been postponed. If you are feeling like this could be the Pixel Watch all over again, you are not alone. According to the Korean news outlet, TheElec, Google has decided to postpone the launch of the […]
Come comment on this article: It looks like Google has postponed the Pixel foldable once again
If you're looking to get a few smart speakers for your connected home, this may be your chance to grab a handful at a discount. You can get a pair of Google Nest Audio smart speakers right now from Adorama for $ 120. If you just want the one, you can also grab a singular speaker for $ 65.
The Google Nest Audio has always offered a robust music experience without a hefty price tag to go with it, but now it's even more affordable at $ 80 or 40 percent off the bundle's regular price. While we didn't find the Nest Audio to be quite on par with bigger music-focused speakers when it comes to audio quality when we tested it out, it still sounds a lot better than the Nest Mini.
Buy Google Nest Audio Smart Speaker 2-Pack at Adorama – $ 120Buy Google Nest Audio Speaker at Adorama – $ 65
It's loud enough for small- and medium-sized rooms, and pairing two of them can deliver stereo sound. Since it's a Google smart speaker, it supports Assistant voice commands, and you can tell it to play what you want after linking it to your account and your music streaming services. Like other Nest speakers, it's covered in cloth for a clean, minimalist aesthetic that will complement most home decor. And at 7 inches tall and only 3 inches thick, it will fit in most places you decide to put it.
If you'd rather get a smart display, the second-generation Google Nest Hub is also down to $ 65, which is $ 35 off the usual price and one of the best deals we've seen it dropped to an all-time low of $ 55 in March. Its bigger sibling, the Google Nest Hub Max is also on sale at Adorama for $ 179, or $ 50 off its retail price. With its 10-inch touchscreen, the Nest Hub Max is the biggest Google smart display available and also has the best sound quality. We gave it a score of 86 in our review, praising it not just for having a great display and sound quality, but also for its ability to double as a Nest Cam and to play and pause media with gestures.
Buy Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) at Adorama – $ 65Buy Google Nest Hub Max at Adorama – $ 179
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
At Google I/O this year, Google said they were working with developers and manufacturers to finally give Android apps the tablet-optimized versions they deserve. No more upscaled, wonky UI that leaves a ton of wasted space, blown up phone apps, or things that are just straight up broken and unpleasant to use on an Android […]
Come comment on this article: Google says they’re finally optimizing Android tablet apps. Do you believe them?
Remember Google Wallet? You know, the one that was renamed Android Pay and then most recently, Google Pay? Well, Google Wallet has been resurrected and it’s going to take over from Google Pay, albeit with a couple of new tricks. Confused? If you know anything about Google you should have been expecting this news when […]
Come comment on this article: Google Wallet is back with support for storing your Driver’s License
The Google Pixel 6A seems like it’s going to have a new fingerprint scanner, possibly setting it apart from the rest of the Pixel 6 line’s sensor problems.
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Google plans to improve the video recording-experience on third-party Android apps such as Instagram, Snapchat with enhancements to the CameraX Jetpack library.
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Apps taking your data to push ads to you is a tale as old as time itself (or at least since the invention of the smartphone). However, with newer and more transparent pro-consumer policies as late, customers are now getting a say in reducing the ads pushed to them on their Android Smartphones. With this […]
Come comment on this article: [Guide] How to stop apps sharing data with Google on Android
Google’s new Play Store billing policies aren’t very popular with developers, and some are taking their disagreement to the courts.
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After years of being in the rumor mill, there’s a pretty big chance Google’s Pixel Watch is finally on its way. Here’s everything we know so far.
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WearOS 3 still isn’t widely available, so at Google I/O 2022 we need to see strong evidence the platform really does have some life left in it.
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Google Glass remains the pinnacle of exciting hardware announcements at Google I/O, and 10 years on we look back at what made it so special.
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Google is working on its next cheap Pixel, the Pixel 6a. Here’s everything we know so far about the Pixel 6’s cheaper sibling.
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A prototype unit of the Pixel Watch was allegedly left at a restaurant, giving us glimpse of Google’s first smartwatch and its dramatically curvy looks.
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We all know that free Unlimited Storage for Google Photos is no longer an option thanks to the search giant squeezing every bit of blood out of that particular stone that it can. If you are a T-Mobile subscriber, though, you will soon have the option of signing up to the Uncarrier’s exclusive Google One […]
Come comment on this article: Unlimited Google Photos Storage is back for T-Mobile customers*
Google is the latest phone maker to join Apple and Samsung in giving you resources to fix phones yourself. It’s partnering with the tinkerer of all tinkerers, iFixit, to provide official parts for Pixel phones later this year. Notably, the initiative will cover models ranging from the Pixel 2 (from 2017) through to the Pixel 6 Pro and beyond. According to the announcement, you’ll get access to a "full range" of components, like batteries, cameras and displays, whether you buy them individually or with iFixit’s own Fix Kit tools.
It’s shaping up to be an interesting year for people willing to repair their own phones. We still haven’t had a chance to see how Apple’s iPhone repair proposal will fare in real life — how hard is it going to be? — but Google is being smart by pairing with, arguably, the go-to people for those willing to take their phone’s life into their own hands.
— Mat Smith
Apple Watch Series 7 models drop to $ 330, plus the rest of the weekend's best tech deals
'Dancing with the Stars' will be the first live TV show on Disney+
The Hummer has always been ostentatious. So it’s no surprise the Hummer EV is not only large but also heavy, and really not all that efficient as an EV. But what it lacks in miles per kilowatt, it makes up for in over-the-top fun.
Roberto Baldwin got to drive the larger-than-life SUV, and it proved to be a capable off-roader that showcases GM’s Ultium platform. It is still, at its core, a Hummer.
The next major update of iOS could include “significant enhancements,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman anticipates iOS 16 will include an update to notifications and an assortment of new health-tracking features.
Gurman added that the Apple Watch’s watchOS 9 may include upgrades to its activity and health-tracking features, but stopped short of sharing specifics. Boo.
With a $ 71 million debut at the domestic box office, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has set a new record for the US film debut of a video game adaptation, beating the previous high watermark set by its predecessor in 2020. The sequel made $ 57 million during its opening weekend, and Paramount now plans to expand this success into a cinematic universe. What have you done?
Since February, GM’s Cruise self-driving unit has offered public taxi rides across San Francisco. And so far, the service hasn’t had many issues. A video from April 2nd showed San Francisco police attempting to pull over a driverless Cruise vehicle in the city’s Richmond District, only for the car to temporarily take off.
During an event celebrating the franchise’s 20th anniversary, we got our first proper glimpse at the next Kingdom Hearts game. Kingdom Hearts IV marks the return of Sora after 2019’s Kingdom Hearts III seemingly concluded the story arc that began with the original game in 2002. The trailer showed Sora waking up in a city called Quadratum, a Tokyo-inspired city rendered in a semi-realistic way, marking a major artistic shift for the series. The city is soon attacked by a towering monster and the story-centric opening scenes seamlessly transition to gameplay… and fighting.
Collaboration is a huge part of Google Docs, letting multiple users chip in edits, comments and more. Now, you can include not just text in your comments but emoji reactions, much as you can in messages or on social media. "The new emoji reactions feature provides a less formal alternative to comments to express your opinions about document content," Google said in a blog post announcing the feature.
The new option appears when you highlight text in a document while in "editing" mode. From there, you'll see a new "add reaction" icon smiley face icon that lets you place emojis in the editing comments section. Google notes that emojis used will be shared with Google chat, "so any preferences set in one app will be reflected in the other." Both apps can also be used to update emoji preferences via the picker.
Google recently feted the 15th anniversary of Docs (along with Sheets). It has gradually boosted the feature set over that time, with the last update allowing you to draft emails in Docs and then send them using Gmail.
Emoji reactions on a Google Doc could be an easy way to add feedback, but then again they may not fly in some business environments. Either way, the feature can't be disabled by the user and "there is no Admin control for the feature," according to Google. The feature started officially rolling out yesterday, but it may take some time to appear depending on your domain type and region.
As April looms on the horizon with its silly tradition of pranks and outrageous stories, Google has released the details on its latest System Update which brings a bunch of fixes and new features for the Play Service and Google Play functions that perform a myriad of functions behind the scenes on your Android smartphone. […]
Come comment on this article: The next Google System Update will begin rolling out on April 1st (really)
Apple has closed a loophole that had allowed some Russians to continue using its mobile payments service despite the ongoing economic sanctions against Russia. According to Reuters, the company told the country's largest lender on Thursday it would no longer support Russia's homegrown Mir payments system through Apple Pay.
"Apple has informed NSPK it is suspending support for Mir cards in the Apple Pay payment service," the National Card Payment System said Friday. "Starting from March 24th, users cannot add new Mir cards to the service. Apple will stop all operations of previously added cards over the next few days."
Google took similar action last week as well. According to a separate report from The Wall Street Journal, the company paused a pilot that had allowed Russians to connect their Mir cards to Google Pay. "Google Pay is pausing payments-related services in Russia as a result of payment services disruption out of our control," a Google spokesperson told the outlet.
As The Verge notes, the Central Bank of Russia established Mir after the US and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to statistics shared by the Central Bank, Mir cards are involved in more than 25 percent of all card transactions within the country. Previously, cards from major Russian financial institutions like VTB Group and Sovcombank stopped working with Apple Pay and Google Pay shortly after the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th.
A new lawsuit against Google accuses the company of fostering a "racially biased corporate culture" that offers Black employees lower pay and fewer opportunities to advance than their white counterparts, reports Reuters. Filed on Friday with a federal court in San Jose, California, the complaint alleges the company subjected former diversity recruiter April Curley and other current and former Black employees to a hostile work environment.
In 2014, Google hired Curley to design a program to connect the company with Black colleges. Shortly afterward, she claims she was subjected to denigrating comments from her managers, who allegedly stereotyped her as an "angry" black woman while passing her over for promotions.
"While Google claims that they were looking to increase diversity, they were actually undervaluing, underpaying and mistreating their Black employees," Curley's lawyer told Reuters. The complaint notes Black people make up only 4.4 percent of employees at Google and approximately 3 percent of its leadership.
We've reached out to Google for comment.
Curley is not the first person to accuse Google of fostering a work environment hostile to Black employees and other people of color. In the aftermath of Timnit Gebru's controversial exit from the company, Alex Hanna, a former employee with the tech giant's Ethical AI research group, said she decided to leave Google after becoming tired of its structural deficiencies. "In a word, tech has a whiteness problem," Hanna wrote on Medium at the time. "Google is not just a tech organization. Google is a white tech organization."
Shortly after releasing its customary puzzle for users to decipher in order to find out when Google I/O will be held, its CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that it’s on May 11-12 and that it will happen in the Shoreline Amphitheater where it is usually held, Covid-19 notwithstanding. While there will be a limited in-person audience […]
Come comment on this article: Google I/O takes place in-person and online on May 11-12th
Apple’s iPhone SE (2022) is finally here. But is it good enough to take on the Google Pixel 5a 5G? Here’s how the two sub-$ 500 phones stack up.
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The 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit is underway and according to a rather brief announcement by the search giant, Steam for Chrome OS is an actual thing. Basically, it’s being released in ‘Alpha’ form which means that it’s not quite ready for prime-time but rather, as the name of the summit suggests, targeted towards […]
Come comment on this article: Google has announced the Steam for Chrome OS alpha program for select Chromebooks
If you’re lucky enough to own a Google Pixel 6 phone, take a look at our pick of the best screen protectors to keep your handset safe from harm.
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