The Google Maps app for iPhone and iPad has been updated with a few changes to the hotel search feature and transit directions. When searching for a hotel, the app now presents some sponsored rates (ads, basically—but useful ones). You can also quickly access a map from the transit directions preview screen, as well as a list of upcoming departure times. The app also include “bug fixes,” which are always nice....

To celebrate the release of The Girl in the Spider’s Web on Digital and on Blu-ray February 5th, we teamed up with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and LA artist Kevin Rolly to host a live stream of the creation of unique piece of art for the film. And by unique, we mean explosive. Made with actual gunpowder, the creation process was a sight to behold and you can watch that video here or below....

Throughout Glee’s run as a series, they were able to introduce a variety of characters to the world. Whether they were looking to portray the quarterback of the football team or a performance-obsessed choir girl, they had someone to do it. When it comes to portraying these characters, it was imperative that they had the right actor to do so. One of the reasons that Glee was so successful is because of how well-received their characters were, and by casting actors that were able to portray these roles with honesty, it allowed fans to connect to them....

Put plainly, Glui is a screenshot and annotation tool; a utilitarian application. It does not evoke charm, but it doesn’t really need to. What Glui does need to offer is a functional yet efficient workflow and, on this front, it delivers. In use, I never feel like the app is getting in my way. The activation shortcuts are bound to Shift+Cmd+5 and Shift+Cmd+6 by default to match OS X’s native screenshot shortcuts....

The Google Calendar app for iPhone and iPad adds a new ‘Today Widget’ for iOS in its latest update today, bringing a quick view of calendar events from the app into the iOS search screen when swiping to the right from the home screen. The Today Widget for Google Calendar will show the next two events you have in your calendar by default but a “Show More” button in the upper right will reveal another two....

While Apple Silicon-powered Macs can run most iOS apps, the vast majority of developers have opted out. Google did that in late 2020, though it recently made its AI Test Kitchen iPhone/iPad app available on the Mac App Store. Google announced AI Test Kitchen as a way for the public to “learn about, experience, and give feedback on emerging AI technology” at I/O 2022 in May. Availability opened up in recent months with three demos to test three experiences powered by LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications):...

Google Maps has brought many new features in their app that are going to bring a new revolution to your daily commuting journey. These updates will let you keep your Google Maps app on no matter where or how you are traveling. So, here’s a quick glance over the updates available: Musical Apps Integration Gone are the days when you had to toggle through music apps like Apple Music, Google Play or Spotify so you could listen to your favorite song as you push your way through the traffic or are strapped in a crowded bus....

Google has updated its Google Play Music app for iPhone with several new features and a refreshed UI for iOS 7. The app was first released last month but had not yet been designed for the latest version of iOS. Besides the updated interface, the app includes support for “I’m feeling lucky” radio stations, the ability to search for music and create stations by genre, and auto-playlists. You can grab Google Play Music for free on the App Store....

While Google claims this is private and enhances searches, I find it annoying and so does Twitter. According to an All Things D article, Twitter released a public statement denouncing the new feature. Here’s the full Twitter Statement: Personal Search Results Here I’m logged into Google+ and did a search for Windows 8. Notice the personal results icon next to certain links. If you want more results, you can click the personal results link....

Google reportedly poached an Apple employee to hire on its own staff. VentureBeat reported that Google hired Apple’s (now former) Senior Director of Product Integrity Simon Prakash for a secret project, where he would work perhaps alongside Google’s cofounder Sergey Brin. Prakash could even work under Motorola Mobility, whom Google is working to acquire, to head hardware projects. Prakash worked at Apple for over eight years, and was responsible for the product quality across Apple’s products—from iPhones to Macs....

If you opened up a brand new Mac for Christmas, you’ll likely be spending some time setting it up. Apple has done a great job of helping customers get their brand-new Macs up and running, but there are some tips and tricks to take it a step further. As you set up your new Mac, here are some handy tips and tricks to get it going at its full potential....

Batteries are a consumable component that have a limited life span or cycle count. Apple’s various products use different batteries that have varying cycle count limits. Let’s take a look at some useful things to keep in mind when trying to get the most out of your MacBook Pro battery or when looking at buying a used MacBook. Once a MacBook’s battery has reached a certain cycle count limit, it is considered consumed and Apple recommends replacing the battery, although you can continue using it (but expect decreased performance)....

Charles Dance’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters character just became infinitely more menacing, thanks to a newly released audio outtake. The film was a direct sequel to 2014’s Godzilla and the third installment of Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise, following Kong: Skull Island. Despite its impressive cast and praise for the visual effects, cinematography, and action sequences, the clash of these particular Titans was largely deemed forgettable and failed to land a solid blow at the box office....

George Clooney is returning to TV with a new adaptation of Catch-22, taking on his first small-screen role since playing Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s ER. The award-winning actor/director is primarily known for his work behind the cameras these days, but his latest project will see him take a significant role in a new adaptation of a classic piece of American literature. Catch-22 will be based on the satirical novel of the same name by author Joseph Heller....

Google has finally brought their helpful ‘Instant Previews’ feature from the desktop browser, down to the mobile experience. ‘Instant Previews’ let you tap the accompanying magnifying glass for a pop-up preview of the website. This saves you time, as now you can get a quick glance at the site without actually having to load up the page. The neat part about Google’s implementation in iOS Safari is that you can flick through the previews of a particular search query, like you flick through iOS’s native Safari tabs function....

Ahead of Apple’s education-focused event tomorrow where a new affordable iPad is expected, Google this morning announced the first Chrome OS tablet. The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is a new form factor for Chrome OS going directly after the K-12 market. Since its 2011 launch, Chrome OS has expanded beyond laptops with Chromeboxes and all-in-ones. Convertibles with touchscreens that can be used in several modes are also popular, with Google now expanding the operating system to dedicated tablets....

Messaging has always been a tough point for Android phones compared to iPhones simply because iMessage is, put simply, very good both for its experience and its security. As Google finally solves that problem with expanded adoption of RCS with end-to-end encryption, the company is pushing for its rival, Apple, to do the same by pointing out that the current fallback method instantly drops security. In case you missed the news, Google and Verizon today announced a partnership that would see Verizon do away with its first-party SMS/RCS app as the default and adopt Google’s....

Have you been losing sleep over whether you should put your mattress on the floor? Well, now you can kick back and relax because we’ve done all the research to help you put the matter to rest. Read on for info and tips on hitting the hay without a bed frame, whether there are any health risks you should know about, and how to make yourself as comfortable as possible....

Lorelai Gilmore is considered by many to be the greatest mom on TV. While she’s more famous for her coffee obsession than for her fashion sense, she definitely wears some interesting outfits over the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls (plus the four episodes of the Netflix revival). Whether she’s walking to Luke’s Diner to get a burger or strolling around Stars Hollow with Rory, Lorelai usually looks great… except for the times that she doesn’t....

Paramount Pictures is giving Masamune Shirow’s classic anime/manga property Ghost in the Shell the live-action blockbuster treatment, with Scarlett Johansson starring as the film’s protagonist, aka. “The Major”, and director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) calling the shots. Following the release of a series of enigmatic teasers, the studio has now launched an official trailer for the film. The Ghost in the Shell trailer debuted during a global launch party for the film in Tokyo, where Johansson, Sanders and “Beat” Takeshi Kitano were all in attendance....