Google consolidates Home and Nest smart home initiatives

Fresh from Google IO 2019 is the news that Google Home and Nest devices are now consolidated into a unified smart home hardware and software initiative. The first product under this brand is the Google Nest Hub. A 10-inch smart display with Google Home functionality as well as a camera for video calls (or for security when you're away), this device can be anyting from a smart-speaker, kitchen TV, or digital photo frame.

Coming to Canada for the first time, the Google Nest Hub comes in a variety of colours including, chalk, charcoal, aqua and sand. Google says You can buy Hub for $169, and starting today, you can pre-order from the Google Store.  Google also has some deals for pre-orders of the Nest Hub between May 7 and May 27, Customers will get a Google Home Mini for free. Starting today, pricing for Google Home speakers will be $129 and Google Home Max will be $399.

Google bans app developer with over 600 million downloads over ad fraud

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This isn’t the first time Google has banned an app developer from its marketplace, but it’s probably one of its biggest yet. The tech giant banned Android developer DO Global after it discovered that it was committing ad fraud. A Buzzfeed report found at least six of the company’s apps have a code that made it seem like a user was clicking on an advertisement even if they weren’t using the apps. These even had generic names like Selfie Camera and Total Cleaner, which obscured the fact that they were owned by DO Global. And that violated Play Store policy.

Almost half of its over 100 apps have been removed from the Play Store. DO Global, which is partly owned by Chinese tech firm Baidu, has already racked up over 600 million downloads in the Play Store. The developer has also been taken out of Google’s AdMob network, which cuts off their access to Google’s mobile advertising service.

Source: Engadget

Report: Google's Pixel smartphone is fastest growing US phone brand with 43% increase

A new report from Strategy Analytics states that Google's Pixel line of smartphones is the fastest growing smartphone brand in the US with a 43 per cent growth year-over-year. Often considered the underdog brand way behind Apple's iPhone and Samsung's dominant Galaxy line of devices, Google Pixel has gained a reputation for its clean operating system, simple yet elegant design and for it's impressive photography capabilities despite having only one rear camera.

While this report seems like a nice feather on Google's cap. It becomes more meaningful when considering that the entire smartphone market is struggling. Global smartphone sales have dived by 23 per cent in the past year. Both Apple and Samsung have been forced to adjust earning's expectations after missing their sales targets in Q1.

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The Clean Slate: The Google Pixel Slate Review

Anyone wanting a change from decades-old computing nuances, who is mostly web-based, and who can find Android and Linux apps to suit their needs will love this tablet.

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The Google Pixel Slate is a fresh new take on what a Google-made tablet can offer in 2018. Tablets have been a part of Google’s Nexus strategy in years past as a great adjunct to smartphones for accessing Google’s services and features.

There have been various generations of Nexus 7 and Nexus 9 tablets as well as the elusive Google Pixel C 2-in-1 which is a natural predecessor of the Pixel Slate. The big switch has been that Android was lousy on tablets, but Chrome OS, that has way more potential.

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