Weekly Digest From Chrome Unboxed

View this email in your browser Web publishers can opt out of having Bard, other AI trained on their content via Google-Extended Google is continuing with its narrative about developing its artificial intelligence initiatives “responsibly”. Whether or not this works out the way it plans, only time will tell. In the meantime, Bard and other AI projects cooking at the company are trained on data from the web, like publisher content. As you can probably imagine, not […] Read More Adobe Photoshop on the web launches and works great on Chromebooks Adobe has unveiled the general availability of Photoshop on the web, marking the culmination of nearly two years of beta testing. Beginning Wednesday, September 27th, all users with paid plans can access this simplified-yet-powerful online version of the iconic photo editing app. The biggest highlight of this release is definitely the integration of the Generative […] Read More How to enable ChatGPT's new 'Browse with Bing' for up-to-date internet access Even though it feels a bit like the generative AI hype has died off a bit, the truth is we’re still just at the beginning of this journey. Now that generative AI has become a bit more normalized and everyone realizes this isn’t exactly a Terminator scenario, we can step back and see some of […] Read More Google may soon offer an all-in-one subscription bundle with Nest Aware, Google One storage, more Google may be gearing up to announce an all-inclusive Nest subscription bundle that includes Nest Aware, a 2 terabyte Google One plan for your photos, email, and files, and more. By subscribing, you’re expected to save money compared to purchasing these services individually, according to 9to5Google, who found references to this all-in-one plan” in the […] Read More Why the new $159 Fitbit Charge 6 might be my next smartwatch Google has just unveiled the Fitbit Charge 6 – the latest in a long line of Fitbit fitness trackers that looks to bring a bit more smarts to Fitbit’s most popular wearable. This latest iteration not only emphasizes accurate heart rate tracking but introduces new abilities with the integration of first-party apps like YouTube Music […] Read More Google is shutting down Jamboard, recommends you find a different whiteboarding solution Google has officially announced the shutdown of its collaborative whiteboarding service Jamboard. According to the Workspace Updates blog post they put out today, this will finalize by the end of next year, 2024. The company states it’s integrating competitors like FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro across Workspace as solutions so you can keep whiteboarding with others. […] Read More The excellent ASUS Chromebook CM34 Flip is once again available for just $279 Since this device’s introduction, it has been on sale on a very regular basis. I’d go as far as saying the ASUS Chromebook CM34 Flip has been discounted for more days than it’s been available at MSRP by this point, and while Chromebooks go on sale a lot, this one simply seems to linger at […] Read More Oops, Bard leaks shared user conversations into Google Search, is working to remove indexing Well this is awkward – Google’s new Bard AI chatbot just started displaying user conversations as Search results. Per Gagan Ghotra in a post on X, typing “site:https://bard.google.com/share” into the Google Search bar will display discussions you or others have had with Bard. Now, obviously, these are only discussions that have been ‘shared’, meaning someone […] Read More What is a photo?: Google's Pixel 8 face swap AI feature is deeply unsettling What is a photo? It’s a memory of a precious time in your life when you and your loved ones enjoyed special moments together. In your mind, you remember the things you did, the places, you went, and most of all, the emotions experienced. Google’s new Pixel 8 AI-driven face swap filter seeks to destroy […] Read More Leaked Pixel Watch 2 promo video shows off new features and bands With the unveiling of Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 just around the corner, the floodgates of leaks have officially burst open. Leaks from a few days ago unveiled the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro pricing and an additional 2 years of software updates, but now a 1-minute teaser video, shared by 91Mobiles, has […] Read More Save a whopping 50% off the new HP Chromebook 15.6″ right now For a few months at this point, there has been an HP Chromebook 15.6″ available and on sale multiple times at Best Buy. But over that time, we’ve never really talked much about it for good reason: the screen. That device comes with an interesting processor (the Intel N200 that we’ve yet to test), but […] Read More Chrome Companion: You may soon be able to pin Journeys, Notes, and more to the toolbar According to Leopeva64 on Twitter, Chrome may be preparing to let you pin specific Companion features to the toolbar right next to your extensions. At this time (on Canary), the toolbar just says ‘Companion’, but per a discovered Chromium Gerrit, pinning your Bookmarks star icon, Notes you’ve created for Chrome web pages, your Journeys or […] Read More Three of my favorite upcoming Android 14 features probably aren't what you expect The release of Android 14 is right around the corner with the hardware event for Google’s Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, and you’d think I’d be gushing about the battery improvements, or the cross device improvements for app developers such as the display adaptability tools, but no. Here are the three of the features I’m […] Read More Google's new AI 'Gemini' set to rival OpenAI's GPT-4: Here's what you need to know Google hopes to rival OpenAI’s GPT-4 artificial intelligence soon with the launch of it’s own project ‘Gemini’, an upcoming model that seeks to radically transform how Bard and other AI initiatives at the company operate at their core. According to The Information, Google has begun allowing a select group of companies to test a basic […] Read More ChromeOS 117 looks to be rolling out to most Chromebooks After about a week’s delay, it looks like ChromeOS 117 is finally beginning the roll-out to most Chromebooks. According to cros.tech – the site that pulls in real-time info from Google’s Omaha updates server – nearly all modern ChromeOS devices look to have the ability to update to ChromeOS 117 as of this morning. ChromeOS […] Read More The new HP Chromebook x360 14c (2023) hits an all-time low at $250 off Chromebook deals don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, and this latest is a perfect example of why I say that. Just a couple weeks ago, we saw the price of this latest x360 Chromebook from HP dip to an very-appealing $479. Now, it’s available for an even lower price of $449! That’s a […] Read More Just as I predicted, Google Podcasts is being shut down in favor of podcasts on YouTube Music Google recently announced on its Keyword Blog that it’s phasing out Google Podcasts by next year and I totally called it way back in February. In the immediate future, the service will continue running, and a migration tool will be rolling out to anyone who wants to seamlessly transition their subscriptions over to YouTube Music, […] Read More Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3i: is this 'Chromebook Plus'? [VIDEO] For a few unrelated reasons, we’ve found ourselves with the recently-discovered Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3i in the office. And while my normal course of action with a new device is to go through the standard unboxing process, I was a bit under the impressions that the device I possesed was little more than a slight […] Read More Google will be handing out the Pixel Watch 2 for free for Pixel 8 Pro pre-orders If you were waiting until October 4th to learn all about Google’s new hardware, it looks like you won’t have to hold out that long after all. In a barrage of tweets in the past few hours, noted leaker Kamila Wojciechowska has spilled the beans quite extensively, and it doesn’t stop at the Pixel 8 […] Read More Pixel 8 and 8 Pro pricing details leak along with 7 years of updates We’re only a bit over a week from the official unveiling of some new hardware from Google.  While there may be a few surprises come October 4th, we know for sure that a new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will definitely be a big part of the festivities.  Renders and rumors have swirled for […] Read More A whole Android version later, and my phone still randomly switches to light mode All the way back in February, I wrote about an annoying bug in Android 13 where my entire Pixel 6 Pro’s UI would swap automatically from dark mode to light mode without my permission. This was primarily triggered by Do Not Disturb and Bedtime mode. Since then, I’ve just dealt with it understanding that Google […] Read More I wish Android would remind me to reconnect to Wi-Fi if I disable it entirely and here's why Alright, let me paint a picture for you. Imagine you’re at home, cuddled up on the couch, all set to embark on a YouTube binge session. But, hold on a minute – without realizing, you’re not connected to your home WiFi. And guess what? You’ve blown through your monthly data limits, just like that. Yep, […] Read More Google TV bug treats your purchased movies as TV episodes you don't own, here's a workaround I was browsing my Google TV library last night for a family movie to watch with my son, and when I clicked on Detective Pikachu, I was met with a very unfortunate surprise. The digital movie I purchased a license to was no longer available! Everyone’s worst fear with digital content, right? Well, Google TV […] Read More The Chrome Cast 240: ChromeOS 117 rolls out with sweet new features This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show by discussing the fresh, new roll-out of ChromeOS 117 to a handful of devices. This update comes with some sweet, new features like Material You design throughout and a new ability to select wallpapers from shared Google Photos albums. It’s a nice upgrade, for sure, […] Read More Momentum grows as T-Mobile moves to Google's Jibe for RCS messaging T-Mobile is going all-in on RCS by fully integrating Google’s Jibe platform, promising what should become an instant arrival of new messaging features as they are released in the future. This move aligns T-Mobile with AT&T – which also embraced the Jibe platform earlier this year – highlighting the growing momentum of RCS and carriers […] Read More ChromeOS 117 begins roll-out with Material You and other features on board I’ve been checking over the last few days over at cros.tech to see if the latest version of ChromeOS was rolling out to anyone just yet. It was slated to arrive earlier in the week, but as these things tend to go, it seems there was a small delay. Even right now as my Lenovo […] Read More How to make data processing easier with the new Enhanced Smart Fill feature in Google Sheets Google is now rolling out its Enhanced Smart Fill feature as a part of its Workspace Labs AI initiative. If you’re looking to automate finding relationships between column pairs and swiftly filling in the corresponding values, this is worth exploring. Don’t worry, I’m going to go over how to use it here in a moment, […] Read More Act now: You'll soon lose the ability to sign into QuickBooks products with your Google Account I know by my experience as a Chromebook expert in Best Buy that a lot of you use QuickBooks online for your business accounting, so late last night when I got an unexpected email from Intuit, I thought you’d like to know about it. If, like many, you’ve been signing in using your Google Account […] Read More Google takes another jab at Apple's iMessage's lack of RCS support with new iPager video In a continued effort to advocate for the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging protocol that is the proper replacement for SMS/MMS, Google has thrown another log on the fire of its #GetTheMessage campaign. This time around, Google’s slightly-more-aggressive nudge to Apple to adopt RCS as a part of iMessage utilizes a humorous video that introduces […] Read More Say goodbye to whole home audio: Nest devices can now only be in one speaker group at a time Remember the Sonos lawsuit from last year where the company blamed Google for essentially stealing its speaker tech to make Google Home and Nest devices? Well, it seems that the ramifications of that may still unfolding. While there’s no direct evidence this is the cause of what I’m bout to tell you, I’m confident there’s […] Read More Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.  Copyright © 2023 Unboxed Media, All rights reserved. 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