26 April - Global / Google Tech / Next Web

China using water spray, facial recognition technology to stop jaywalkersabout 12 hours agoSome of China's biggest cities are combining facial recognition and lasers with a simple low-tech deterrent of spraying water in an effort to stop pedestrians from jaywalking.

Google reveals massive update to Gmail, makes inbox more securea day agoGoogle unveiled on Wednesday its first Gmail redesign since 2013, capping what the company says was an expensive overhaul two years in the making to adopt security and offline functionality and better resemble Microsoft Outlook.

YouTube ran ads from over 300 companies on extremist, white nationalist channels: Report4 days agoContent featured on those channels include videos promoting white nationalists, Nazis, pedophilia, conspiracy theories, North Korean propaganda, among other things, reports indicate.

2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Reviewabout 16 hours ago2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Review  AutoGuide.comFirst Drive: 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class  Wheels.caMercedes-Benz A-Class 2018 Review  MotoringIntelligent Benz hatch memorises your daily drive routine  NEWS.com.auFull coverage

'God of War's Kratos was an angry lump of muscle. I made him a struggling father'about 21 hours ago'God of War's Kratos was an angry lump of muscle. I made him a struggling father'  The GuardianLet's Talk About THAT Scene From God Of War  KotakuGod of War guide: The Magic Chisel walkthrough and collectibles  PolygonFull coverage

Snap's updated Spectacles are doubling down on an unfulfilled visionabout 5 hours agoSnap's updated Spectacles are doubling down on an unfulfilled vision  TechCrunchNew Snapchat Spectacles have more features, but are still ugly  Android Authority (blog)Snapchat hopes for second time lucky with new Spectacles launch  The GuardianNews – New Spectacles. Made for Summer. – Snap Inc. ...

Buick Envision's interior refresh is a breath of fresh air – literallyabout 6 hours agoBuick Envision's interior refresh is a breath of fresh air – literally  The Globe and MailFirst Drive: 2018 Buick Regal Sportback GS  DrivingFirst Drive: 2018 Buick Regal Sportback and Regal GS  Wheels.caFull coverage

First Drive: 2018 Ford F-150 Dieselabout an hour agoFirst Drive: 2018 Ford F-150 Diesel  Driving2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel: High torque, high mileage  CNETTiming Is Everything, Is The Ford F-150 Diesel Too Late?  ForbesFull coverage

HTC U12 confirmed, briefly leaked by Verizonabout an hour agoHTC U12 confirmed, briefly leaked by Verizon  SlashGearHTC U12 Shows Up at Verizon Certification Site  Droid LifeHTC U12 listed by Verizon complete with a specs list  TechRadarFull coverage

Hackers find devious way to break into hotel roomsa day agoHotels are weird. When we check in somewhere, it’s typically for a very short time — often a week or less. Despite that, we often come to look upon our rooms as our homes away from home. From the moment you drop your luggage on the floor and climb under the Egyptian cotton sheets, you’re in your ...

‘Bitcoin’ was the 9th most read article on Wikipedia in 2017a day agoGone are the days when you had to personally break down the concept of Bitcoin to your less informed friends and family. Wikipedia has got them all up to speed now. The 2017 edition of the annual ‘Top 50 Report’ of Wikipedia shows that Bitcoin was the ninth most-read article on the digital encycl...

Amazon teases ‘Fire TV Cube’ that might double as an Echoa day agoWhat is it? Amazon is teasing the release of a mysterious new ‘Fire TV Cube‘ on its very website. Well, maybe not that mysterious; based on previous leaks, it appears the device is a small set-top box that combines Amazon’s TV offerings with the Echo’s voice assistant capabilities. The context: W...

Google swaps revolver for water gun in its emoji armorya day agoToday Google became the latest company to replace its gun emoji with a non-lethal alternative — namely, a water pistol. I’ve been an iOS user for as long as I’ve owned a smartphone, but I admit one look at this cute squirt gun had me thinking, “You know, there are perfectly good Android phones th...

Snap’s Spectacles v2.0 are coming this weekabout 23 hours agoEarlier this month, we heard that Snap was working on a new pair of camera-equipped glasses to complement its ephemeral messaging app, Snapchat. We now know that they’ll land in the next couple of days. That’s from a Wired story on the company’s new Snappables AR games, which have you use your fa...

Microsoft is reportedly working on a leaner Windows 10 for low-end devicesa day agoMicrosoft’s first attempt to create a lighter version of Windows 10 – which it dubbed Windows 10 S – didn’t go so well, because it did away with the platform’s best feature: its ability to run a crapton of legacy apps. Now, it’s taking another shot with Windows 10 Lean. That’s from the folks at W...

Meet the world’s only identity theft comedianabout 14 hours agoSo, I’ve got a joke for you. A man walks into a bank and asks the manager “Can I have a mortgage?” The bank manager says “sure!”, but then changes his mind upon discovering the man owes hundreds of thousands of pounds to a variety of creditors — loans, credit cards, phone contracts, you name it. ...

Working parent? We’ll babysit your kids for free at TNW2018about 15 hours agoSometimes it’s hard to keep your work life and private life separate. At TNW, we’re all for merging the two together and finding a balance. As our CEO Boris said last year, bringing your kids to work can be a great learning opportunity. It’s also a great lesson for us adults. Promoting inclusivit...

Why running a Medium column will do more for your company than a traditional blogabout an hour agoMost businesses have their own blog since they want to boost their SEO, build authority and trust, and engage with their consumers. Blogging is no longer just a way to share opinions and ideas or keep cross-country relatives up-to-date; it’s a business and marketing tool that helps companies buil...

Researchers are livestreaming audio from nearly 4,000 feet below the oceanabout 4 hours agoRight now, researchers at the the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are streaming live(ish) sounds from the bottom of the ocean, some 1,200 meters (nearly 4,000 feet) below the surface. Installed in 2015, the ultra-sensitive microphone — called a hydrophone —  sits approximately 30...