Google launches new Chromebooks and AI tools for education at Bett 2024, featuring class management, accessibility improvements, and enhanced AI-powered features.
Tag: Google
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Google Layoff; Senior Engineer Takes Layoff In Stride After 19 Years Of Service |
New Delhi: Google has recently declared substantial layoffs impacting employees with long tenures. One of those impacted is Kevin Bourrillion, a software engineer who has dedicated 19 years to the industry. Upon waking up to the unforeseen news, Bourrillion expressed his perspective on the situation on X.
In a post on the platform, Bourrillion disclosed the conclusion of his almost two-decade tenure at Google. Notably, he had dedicated more than 16 years to the team he initially established. In spite of losing his job, Bourrillion showcased an uncommon degree of acceptance and positive outlook. To him, the reduction in employment opens up a chance for a necessary transformation in his life.
End of an era! After 19 years of working at @Google, with more than 16 of them on the team that I founded, I made the tough decision yesterday morning to finally bite the bullet and find out that I’d been laid off overnight.
— Kevin Bourrillion (@kevinb9n) January 12, 2024He said “Layoffs suck, but in my case… it’s fine, because I’ve needed some kind of change in my life for a very long time.”
In this statement, Kevin Bourrillion is expressing a positive outlook despite the challenges of the job loss. He emphasizes that the layoffs, while not ideal, are acceptable to him because they offer an opportunity for the meaningful change he has been seeking in his life.
He also added “And I have no plans to rush into anything else right now. I’ve got too much to do: cycling, reading, restarting my drum lessons, travel, family time. etc. etc,”
He highlights his intention to take a deliberate and unhurried approach to his next steps focusing on personal interests such as cycling, reading, drum lessons, travel, and family time.
The sudden job layoffs at Google reflect a wider pattern in the tech sector as other prominent companies, including Amazon, Flipkart, and Paytm, have also revealed plans for workforce reductions in 2024.
Google in a statement stated that that the company had to make tough decisions regarding the continued employment of certain employees. They convey regret for the impact on affected employees acknowledging the difficulty of such decisions.
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Google’s Pixel 8 Series Gets First Update In 2024: Check How It Is Beneficial For Users |
New Delhi: In a recent development, Google has rolled out the initial update for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in 2024. The update, arriving a couple of days later than usual due to New Year’s Day falling on a Monday, prioritizes addressing issues related to the Camera and User Interface (UI), as reported by 9To5Google.
The fixes introduced in the update cover various devices, with the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 taking the lead, followed by the Pixel Fold and other supported devices. (Also Read: Invest Only Rs 110 Per Day; Get Three Times Return In 21 Years: Check Out Return Calculator)
Users are advised to refer to the device key provided to interpret the changelog effectively, which includes the following categories: (Also Read: Journey Of Grit, Innovation, And Success: Meet Sameer Gehlot, India’s Youngest Billionaire & Architect Of Rs 34,000 Crore Business Empire)
[1] Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8
[2] Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel Fold
[3] Pixel 5, Pixel 5a (5G), Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro
[4] Pixel TabletThe update for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is here to fix some problems. If your camera is crashing sometimes, this update tries to stop that from happening. But, if you’re using a Pixel Tablet, this fix doesn’t apply to you.
Another issue this update tackles is the screen. Some people were seeing a black screen flash when they played videos. This update is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen anymore. So, if you have these problems, this update might make things better for you.
Also, it fixes problems where users couldn’t leave the Setup Wizard and where the wallpaper on the home screen showed up as black in certain situations.
The Pixel 8 series has been recognized for its consistent updates and feature drops, with this latest release focused on enhancing the overall user experience.
While the fixes primarily target Camera and UI issues, users are encouraged to stay tuned for further updates as Google continues refining and optimizing its flagship devices.
Recently, in another announcement, Google said Gemini is even smarter than OpenAI’s best talking robot, GPT-4, and even smarter than people when it comes to doing lots of language tasks simultaneously.
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Spending Money On Trip? Here's How To Avoid Tolls On Google Maps
Once set, Google Maps will remember your preferences, automatically steering you away from tolls and highways on future trips.
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Google Pixel 8 Pro Available At A Discount Of Rs 17,000 On Flipkart: Here's How To Avail The Deal
This discount isn’t dependent on card offers or exchange deals; it’s a straightforward, standalone offer.
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CoRover And Google Cloud Partner To Bring BharatGPT, India’s ChatGPT Rival | Internet & Social Media News
As India continues its ascent as a beacon of technological prowess in cloud adoption, CoRover.ai has joined hands with Google Cloud as its technology partner to launch BharatGPT, an Indigenous generative AI platform meticulously tailored for the Indians, often touted as the country’s ChatGPT rival.
According to a statement by the company, BharatGPT champions the linguistic diversity of the nation, supporting over 14 Indian languages across text, voice, and video interactions. Google Cloud as CoRover’s Cloud service provider will help CoRover enhance and scale BharatGPT.
Ankush Sabharwal, CEO of CoRover, said, “Our intent with BharatGPT is about crafting a platform that encapsulates India’s rich cultural heritage and flourishes in a cloud-first world. BharatGPT, which is built on Google Cloud’s fortified infrastructure, confidently addresses these challenges, carving a niche as a trusted AI mainstay that is grounded and reliable.” The platform’s expansive feature set encompasses custom knowledge base integration, ERP/CRM system collaboration, an integrated payment gateway, and much more.
Bikram Singh Bedi, Managing Director, Google Cloud India said, “This technology has the potential to transform lives and our language and generative AI capabilities built into the platform will make access easy and democratize the use of the platform. This will help strengthen India’s position as an AI first nation.”
CoRover.ai has already served more than 1.25 Billion users and now with BharatGPT, becomes a human-centric conversational AI platform with contextual Generative AI (LLM) and faster Machine Learning.
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NCLAT refuses interim relief to Google on Rs 936-crore penalty imposed by CCI
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief to Google seeking a stay on competition watchdog CCI’s penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies.
The appellate tribunal has directed Google to deposit 10 per cent of the fine before its registry in the next four weeks.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar and Alok Srivastava issued notices to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and other respondents and posted the matter for hearing on April 17, 2023.
Last week, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) also declined to stay another CCI order, in which it had slapped a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on Google for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.
Google was fined over Rs 2,200 crore in two CCI rulings less than a week apart in October, marking a setback for the tech titan in one of the most promising digital markets globally.
On October 25, CCI had slapped a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.
The regulator has also directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices as well as carry out various measures to address the anti-competitive issues within a defined timeline.
Google had subsequently said it is “pausing” enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Play’s billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions by users in India while it reviews legal options, in the aftermath of the recent ruling by the CCI.
“Following the CCI’s recent ruling, we are pausing enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Google Play’s billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions by users in India while we review our legal options and ensure we can continue to invest in Android and Play,” Google said in an update on help centre page on November 1.
The search engine giant has faced criticism globally for mandating software developers using its app store to only use its proprietary in-app payment system that charge a commission of up to 30 per cent on purchases made within an app.
Google is also facing a separate probe into its business conduct in the news content and Smart TV market in India.
The Competition Commission had also slapped a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the tech major for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices. Google had filed appeals before the NCLAT against the two orders of CCI in October.
On January 4, while hearing the appeal in the Android matter, the appellate tribunal refused an interim stay on the competition regulator imposing a Rs 1,337-crore penalty and asked the US tech giant to deposit 10 per cent of the amount.
NCLAT admitted the search giant’s challenge to the CCI slapping Rs 1,337.76-crore fine for abusing the dominant position of its Android smartphone operating system in the country.
NEW DELHI: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief to Google seeking a stay on competition watchdog CCI’s penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies.
The appellate tribunal has directed Google to deposit 10 per cent of the fine before its registry in the next four weeks.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar and Alok Srivastava issued notices to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and other respondents and posted the matter for hearing on April 17, 2023.
Last week, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) also declined to stay another CCI order, in which it had slapped a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on Google for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.
Google was fined over Rs 2,200 crore in two CCI rulings less than a week apart in October, marking a setback for the tech titan in one of the most promising digital markets globally.
On October 25, CCI had slapped a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.
The regulator has also directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices as well as carry out various measures to address the anti-competitive issues within a defined timeline.
Google had subsequently said it is “pausing” enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Play’s billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions by users in India while it reviews legal options, in the aftermath of the recent ruling by the CCI.
“Following the CCI’s recent ruling, we are pausing enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Google Play’s billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions by users in India while we review our legal options and ensure we can continue to invest in Android and Play,” Google said in an update on help centre page on November 1.
The search engine giant has faced criticism globally for mandating software developers using its app store to only use its proprietary in-app payment system that charge a commission of up to 30 per cent on purchases made within an app.
Google is also facing a separate probe into its business conduct in the news content and Smart TV market in India.
The Competition Commission had also slapped a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the tech major for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices. Google had filed appeals before the NCLAT against the two orders of CCI in October.
On January 4, while hearing the appeal in the Android matter, the appellate tribunal refused an interim stay on the competition regulator imposing a Rs 1,337-crore penalty and asked the US tech giant to deposit 10 per cent of the amount.
NCLAT admitted the search giant’s challenge to the CCI slapping Rs 1,337.76-crore fine for abusing the dominant position of its Android smartphone operating system in the country.
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‘India is a part of me’: Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai
By PTI
WASHINGTON: “India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, as he received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Indian envoy to the US.
Indian-American Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan for 2022 in the Trade and Industry category. The Madurai-born Pichai was named one of the 17 awardees earlier this year.
He received India’s third-highest civilian award in the presence of his close family members in San Francisco on Friday.
“I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me,” 50-year-old Pichai said while accepting the award from India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
“India is a part of me. I carry it with me wherever I go. (Unlike this beautiful award which I will keep somewhere safe),” he said.
“I was fortunate to grow up in a family that cherished learning and knowledge, with parents who sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities to explore my interests,” Pichai said.
India’s Consul General in San Francisco, T V Nagendra Prasad, was also present during the event.
Sandhu said that Pichai represented the limitless possibilities of technology for transformation.
“He has been making commendable efforts towards making digital tools, and skills accessible to across various segments of the society in different parts of the globe,” he said.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of technology that combines 3Ss – speed, simplicity and service, Sandhu hoped that Google would make full use of the digital revolution happening in India.
Pichai said that it had been amazing to return to India many times over the years to see the rapid pace of technological change.
The innovations created in India are benefitting people around the world – from digital payments to voice technology, he said.
“I look forward to continuing the great partnership between Google and India, as we work together to bring the benefits of technology to more people,” he said.
Businesses are seizing the opportunities for digital transformation, and more people have access to the internet than ever before, including in rural villages, Pichai said.
“Prime Minister Modi’s Digital India vision has certainly been an accelerator for that progress and I’m proud that Google continues to invest in India, partnering with governments, businesses, and communities over two transformative decades,” he said.
“Every new technology that arrived at our doorstep made our lives better. And that experience put me on a path to Google, and the chance to help build technology that improves the lives of people all over the world,” he said.
Pichai said he sees so much opportunity ahead.
ALSO READ | India’s G20 Presidency will boost global economy, open Internet: Sundar Pichai
On India taking over the G20 presidency, Pichai said: “It’s an amazing opportunity to build consensus on strengthening the global economy by advancing an internet that is open, connected, secure, and works for everyone. That’s a goal we share, and are committed to advancing with you.”
India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on Thursday. I am grateful for the opportunity to do this work together and bring the benefits of technology to more people,” Pichai said.
Google this year added 24 new languages to its translation service using a new advancement in machine learning.
Eight of them are languages native to India.
“It means so much to see how people can access information and knowledge in their preferred language, and see the world open up to them in new ways. That’s why I continue to be so optimistic about technology, and why I believe India can and must continue to lead,” he added.
WASHINGTON: “India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, as he received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Indian envoy to the US.
Indian-American Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan for 2022 in the Trade and Industry category. The Madurai-born Pichai was named one of the 17 awardees earlier this year.
He received India’s third-highest civilian award in the presence of his close family members in San Francisco on Friday.
“I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me,” 50-year-old Pichai said while accepting the award from India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
“India is a part of me. I carry it with me wherever I go. (Unlike this beautiful award which I will keep somewhere safe),” he said.
“I was fortunate to grow up in a family that cherished learning and knowledge, with parents who sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities to explore my interests,” Pichai said.
India’s Consul General in San Francisco, T V Nagendra Prasad, was also present during the event.
Sandhu said that Pichai represented the limitless possibilities of technology for transformation.
“He has been making commendable efforts towards making digital tools, and skills accessible to across various segments of the society in different parts of the globe,” he said.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of technology that combines 3Ss – speed, simplicity and service, Sandhu hoped that Google would make full use of the digital revolution happening in India.
Pichai said that it had been amazing to return to India many times over the years to see the rapid pace of technological change.
The innovations created in India are benefitting people around the world – from digital payments to voice technology, he said.
“I look forward to continuing the great partnership between Google and India, as we work together to bring the benefits of technology to more people,” he said.
Businesses are seizing the opportunities for digital transformation, and more people have access to the internet than ever before, including in rural villages, Pichai said.
“Prime Minister Modi’s Digital India vision has certainly been an accelerator for that progress and I’m proud that Google continues to invest in India, partnering with governments, businesses, and communities over two transformative decades,” he said.
“Every new technology that arrived at our doorstep made our lives better. And that experience put me on a path to Google, and the chance to help build technology that improves the lives of people all over the world,” he said.
Pichai said he sees so much opportunity ahead.
ALSO READ | India’s G20 Presidency will boost global economy, open Internet: Sundar Pichai
On India taking over the G20 presidency, Pichai said: “It’s an amazing opportunity to build consensus on strengthening the global economy by advancing an internet that is open, connected, secure, and works for everyone. That’s a goal we share, and are committed to advancing with you.”
India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on Thursday. I am grateful for the opportunity to do this work together and bring the benefits of technology to more people,” Pichai said.
Google this year added 24 new languages to its translation service using a new advancement in machine learning.
Eight of them are languages native to India.
“It means so much to see how people can access information and knowledge in their preferred language, and see the world open up to them in new ways. That’s why I continue to be so optimistic about technology, and why I believe India can and must continue to lead,” he added.
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Google India adds 5 new languages to its training network for journalists
By IANS
NEW DELHI: Tech giant Google on Tuesday expanded its News Initiative Training Network to include five new languages: Punjabi, Assamese, Gujarati, Odia and Malayalam.
Google has also launched the Fact-Check Academy in partnership with DataLeads, the tech giant said in a statement.
About a 100 new trainers have been inducted to help newsrooms and journalists build capacity to tackle climate misinformation and verify misleading data and claims that include false numbers, it added.
The Google News Initiative India Training Network was launched in 2018 and along with the DataLeads, this network has 39,000+ journalists, media educators, fact-checkers and journalism students from over 2300 newsrooms and media colleges in at least 10 languages.
The Network supports journalists and newsrooms in learning the digital skills they need to verify and tackle online misinformation.
“This four-year journey wouldn’t have been half as special had it not been for the passion, commitment and collaborative spirit of the network trainers – 239 journalists, fact checkers and media educators from different newsrooms and colleges who came forward to lead this challenge and shared their learning with others in the ecosystem,” Google India said.
The tech giant is also inviting journalists, a journalism professor and fact-checkers for the Fact-Check Academy to help the media tackle misinformation by learning verification skills and techniques from the experts. In the 3-day train-the-trainer boot camp, scheduled in August, selected candidates will hone their skills in verification and training. The deadline to apply is July 30, Google said.
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Google Maps to roll out toll prices for Indian users
By Online Desk
Google is set to roll out toll prices on Maps that will help users make the choice between toll roads and regular roads.
With this new update, users can now find the estimated toll price to their destination even before the trip starts with toll pricing information from local tolling authorities.
Toll prices will be rolling out on Android and iOS this month for nearly 2,000 toll roads in India, the US, Japan and Indonesia — with more countries coming soon, said the company on Wednesday.
“Google Maps will estimate the total toll price to your destination based on factors like the cost of using a toll pass or other payment methods, the day of the week, and how much the toll is expected to cost at the specific time the user will be crossing it,” it said in a press release.
For those looking for an alternative route, Google Maps will continue to provide the option of a toll-free route, where available, alongside options with tolls.
“A simple tap on the three dots at the top right corner of the directions in Google Maps will let users select the route options and ‘avoid tolls’, if they wish to avoid toll routes completely,” the company said.
In addition, Google has also released new updates for iOS users to make Google Maps easier to use on an Apple Watch or iPhone.
The new updates include a new pinned trip widget, direct navigation from the Apple Watch, and Google Maps integration into Siri and the shortcuts app.
The new pinned trip widget will help people access trips they have pinned in their Go Tab right from the iOS home screen — making it even easier to get directions.
In addition, Apple Watch users will soon be able to get directions on Google Maps directly from their Watch. Google Maps is also integrating directly into iOS Spotlight, Siri, and the Shortcuts app.
(With inputs from agencies)