Brave, the company behind the privacy-centric web browser by the same name, is betting big on its own search engine. Brave browser now defaults to the company's search engine, offering it in the place of Google for users in select markets like the US, Canada, and the UK. Users in other countries will also see the change soon.
Today Google revealed one of the most major changes to the way they deliver information in search results for mobile users. Instead of the classic "next", or "see more" button or a list of "o" letters in the word GOOGLE for more results, there'll be a never-ending scroll effect. This is the feature Google refers to as "continuous scrolling", and it'll be live and in-effect on your device as early as right this minute.
Earlier this year Google showed quite a few features that'd be coming to Google Lens in the future - now would appear to be the time these features will start to be available to the public. Google described their future in intelligent information parsing with their Multitask Unified Model, or MUM. The first pair of features for Google Lens are about to be available to the public using MUM to search for answers with Google in new ways.
Google Search now allows users granular controls for deleting search history. Depending on the app or interface you use, you should be able to relatively easily drop in and delete all history from your searches in tiny increments. The latest simple update to the iOS Google app - the Google Search app, that is - allows a user to "Delete last 15 min" with 2 taps.
Google might be the most popular search engine in the world but it is hardly the only one. There are several of those around, some trying to survive in their local markets against the might of Google's resources. In Europe, the tech giant was legally forced to present Android users with a Choice Screen, letting them select the browser and search app of their choice. That choice didn't come without cost for those search engines, however, but now Google is removing the hurdle that forced those search engines to pay to be even on that Choice Screen list.
There's a new Easter Egg in Google search right now, if you care to take a peek. This is different from the website that focuses on the Bouncing DVD Logo, but not entirely different from what you'd expect from such a logo. Pam claims she saw it one day when she was alone in the conference room... Okay.
Google is axing its Google Shopping app, with the iOS and Android app expected to disappear within the next few weeks. Intended as a way for Google to serve up retail-specific results - and squeeze some extra advertising revenue from retailers, of course - the Google Shopping app had increasingly been looking pointless given there's a Shopping tab in search results these days.
Brave, best known for its privacy-minded browser, is getting into the search engine business with the launch of Brave Search. The new Google and Bing alternative is based on Tailcat, and existing privacy search technology Brave recently acquired, and aims to distinguish itself in several ways from the search mainstream.
Google just released their first ever "top 100 trending gifts" guide, also known as the Google Shopping Gift Guide 2020. This website puts in focus the products that've been most-purchased for the holiday season, effectively pushing the biggest to sell bigger, and the lesser-known an even lesser chance of finding their target audience. Google's top 100 includes categories like The Chef, The Athlete, The Techie, The Decorator, The Wellness Guru, The Gamer, and The Kids.
The final Chrome update of the year 2020 was released this week. Google claims that this new Chrome 87 release includes significant improvements to both speed and memory utilization - both of which are long overdue for a boost in one of the most-used web browsers in the entire world. This update also signs a sea change for Google, as Chrome is set to include the ability to search tabs (all the tabs open at once), and activate Chrome Actions.
It is Huawei's big day and, as expected, it announced a slew of products to show the world it can still make it big. More than just hardware, however, the company also announced apps and services that practically boast of its independence from companies that it will no longer be able to do business with as per the US' rules. It remains to be seen, however, if Petal Search, Petal Maps, and Huawei Docs will be able to gather enough traction both from users and partners to stay in service for long.
It has finally happened. After repeatedly being investigated again and again over alleged anticompetitive business practices, Google was finally hit with a formal antitrust lawsuit by the US Justice Department, specifically over what is being described as an unfair monopolistic advantage in the Internet search market. Of course, Google didn't simply take the charges sitting down, given how high-profile and potentially disruptive it could be, and has now published a point-by-point rebuttal over what it calls a deeply flawed lawsuit.