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In a blog post from Google, exec Bradley Horowitz wrote: Horowitz, Google’s vice president of product, added that today Google Labs is officially dead, too. Other victims of Google’s so-called Fall Sweep include Google Labs. Its site is officially down today. On or by January 15, Google intends to shut down its Code Search and Code Search API services, the University Research Program for Google Search and Jaiku, a member-based update service it acquired in 2007....

Google announced today on its Cloud Platform blog that it is rolling out its Google App Engine application called Mobile Backend Starter that first debuted for Android developers back in June. Google says the application helps to simplify the server-side development process for developers adding cloud services through Google Cloud Platform and it does so by providing Mobile Backend and Objective-C client libraries for everything from storing data in the cloud to sending device-to-device push notifications and authenticating Google accounts....

Columbia University’s American Assembly research center is out with a new survey (PDF) commissioned by Google on file sharing and copyright enforcement. The survey gathered public opinions to gain insight into how consumers get content and what their opinions are toward copyright enforcement, and the results chiefly indicated that Americans do not support the use of bandwidth throttling and disconnection as fair punishments for unauthorized file sharing. Interestingly, though, 41 percent of U....

Free QuickOffice Google acquired Quickoffice a year ago and is offering this promotion in hopes of competing with Microsoft Office Mobile 365. Android users can get the app for free in the Google Play Store, and so can iOS users – it’s available in the iTunes store. The app can be used to edit and create Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets and presentations on your mobile device, be it a smartphone or tablet....

According to this post by Google Plus Product VP Bradley Horowitz, Google has decided to adjust the naming policy on the service just a bit. You’ll be able to add nicknames, maiden names, or names in another script, along with your real name. Here’s how to add one of these to your profile. Just remember that if you change your name on Google+, it will also be changed on all of the other Google services you use....

The German contact tracing app is set to launch sometime this week, the latest country to adopt the Apple/Google API as part of its coronavirus response. Unconfirmed reports say that the launch date is tomorrow. Germany is also relaxing travel restrictions into the country … Reuters reports that the government confirmed the plan but wouldn’t be drawn on the exact day. It comes two weeks after Italy launched its own contact-tracing app, also using the API – with downloads off to a good start....

Henry Golding has confirmed filming is done on the G.I. Joe Snake Eyes movie spinoff. Golding, who made his name playing the dashing Nick Young in 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, is starring as the titular character, taking over from Ray Park from the previous two G.I. Joe live-action movies. The film itself will reboot the franchise by exploring Snake Eyes’ backstory and how he evolved into a deadly ninja commando who famously never shows his face....

Even the most die-hard Doctor Who fan can’t deny that the show has its fair share of inconsistencies and plot holes. For some people, this is just part of the show’s charm. After all, this is a series that never takes itself too seriously, and one that’s usually making things up as it goes along. For other fans, these oversights are cause to shake a fist at the screen in fury....

Samuel L. Jackson’s Elijah Price made for a memorable, complex villain in both Glass and Unbreakable, but what was Mr. Glass’ real superpower? Unbreakable was M. Night Shyamalan’s follow-up to his smash hit The Sixth Sense, with the movie now commonly regarded as one of his best movies. Unbreakable centers on David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a normal man who survives a horrifying train wreck without a single scratch. He soon encounters Price, a man suffering from a brittle bone disease who believes Dunn could be a real-life superhero....

The God of War series has become one of the most popular franchises associated with the PlayStation brand, but it could have been known by a totally different name, as it has been revealed that the title for the first game was pulled out of a hat. The first God of War game was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 to widespread acclaim. The series stars Kratos, a soldier who wages war against the gods and monsters of Greek mythology....

The director of Godzilla: King of the Monsters hints that the title creature may not be the most powerful kaiju in the story. Michael Dougherty has been discussing some of the plot details about the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2014 reboot of Godzilla, which introduced the MonsterVerse to theaters. When Godzilla become a major global success, the groundwork was set for refreshing and expanding the mythology of the Toho creations for modern audiences....

Delete Your Google Search Data The company is rolling out these new changes to search for the desktop today. Android and iOS updates will follow in the form of updates in the coming weeks. You can now review and delete recent search history from your desktop browser. While on the Google search page, click on the Control your data in Google Search link under the search box. There you will see a short video that (kind of) explains how Google uses your data with your search history....

. In a conversation with a Google employee who is working on the Glass project, Frederic Lardinois was informed that they are adding more-complete iPhone compatibility to Glass “very soon”: For Android phone users, Glass owners have to run a companion app on their connected phone to enable all of Glass’ functionality. However, it is unclear how complete feature parity is going to be achieved on the more-restricted iOS. While Glass will happily work with any iPhone over Bluetooth or use any Wi-Fi connection to get online, iPhone users are currently unable to get turn-by-turn directions through Glass – one of its killer features....

Google revealed its new cross-platform Photos app and service today at its I/O developer conference taking place right now. The idea is similar to Apple’s own Photos app and iCloud Photo Library. Google is automatically backing up and syncing photo and video libraries using Google Drive storage and not local device storage, but Google’s killer feature for its version comes down to price: Google Photos is completely free. Without any subscription fee or access charge, Google will backup and sync your photo collection across your devices and the web while maintaining photo quality up to 16MP and video quality up to 1080p....

The latest version of Picasa includes an additional bit of software called Google+ Auto Backup, as reported by Google Operating System. The new software can be used to automatically backup photos and videos from user-selected directories to your Google+ account. Interestingly, the app has nothing to do with the Picasa service, even though it ships exclusively with the Picasa app. The app can save unlimited 2048px photos to your account, or upload full-quality versions at the expense of Google Drive space....

It’s important to note that, despite being attracted by the Nest’s promises, I was hesitant at first about the integration process. I live in a home that’s over 120 years old. Obviously, the heating system is much newer, but it’s still what I’d call pretty geriatric. The idea of connecting a Wi-Fi enabled, AI-using, smart assistant-communicating thermostat into my home and expecting it to work perfectly with a heating and cooling system that was installed over 20 years ago caused a kind of cognitive dissonance that made it hard to believe this could possibly go well....

Feedly This is probably the number one alternative right now. After the initial announcement that Google Reader was shutting down, the company reported that 500,000 users switched to Feedly only 48 later. It now works with any web browser – including IE – by pointing it to cloud.feedly.com. There’s also a Feedly app for iOS and Android so you get your feeds on the go. You can create an elegant “magazine-style” layout (similar to Flipboard) and switching all of your current feeds is seamless....

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2fC7yrj984] Google announced today that it’s releasing mobile apps for its Google Classroom service for both Android and iOS devices. The company officially launched Classroom to its Apps for Education customers in the US during the summer offering them a web-based platform for planning lessons, handing out assignments, and working alongside students. Teachers and students will now be able to access those features from mobile devices through the new apps and Google is also adding a could of new features to the platform....

*** Warning: God of War spoilers ahead *** Fans of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War have finally tracked down the game’s last hidden Easter egg after what seems like an eternity of searching. Taking the Ghost of Sparta to pastures new, the PlayStation 4 exclusive has proved to be the game that keeps on giving thanks to a multitude of secrets even after the main campaign has wrapped. With hidden Thor endings and an MCU-esque Infinity Gauntlet, God of War has not only lived up to its honor of being the highest-rated PS4 exclusive of all time but has taken players on a wild ride that teases an exciting future for the series....

After a wave of updates for its Android apps yesterday, Google has just announced an update to its Hangouts for iOS app. The update brings the app version number 2.0.0 and is the first update for the app since all the way back in November. The update adds a plethora of features and design tweaks, most notably of which is an iOS 7 optimized interface. There are aren’t a ton of changes, but everything definitely has the iOS 7 look and feel to it....