Technology - Google News

Apple updates Privacy website w/ details on iOS 12 & macOS Mojave, expands data download tool to US & more
Google Begrudgingly Starts Complying With Android Antitrust Ruling
Google Pixel USB-C earbuds review: more than okay Google

Apple updates Privacy website w/ details on iOS 12 & macOS Mojave, expands data download tool to US & more

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 08:20 AM PDT

Apple has updated its dedicated Privacy website today, something it typically does each year following the release of new iPhones and a new version of iOS. The new Apple Privacy website offers a detailed look at the steps the company takes to protect user privacy and data through its latest hardware and software updates.

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Apple first launched its Privacy tool to users back in May, but limited the primary download functionality to the European Union in order to comply with GDPR. Through this portal, users are able to download a copy of their data from Apple apps and services:

Download a copy of your data from Apple apps and services. This may include your purchase or app usage history and the data you store with Apple, such as calendars, photos, or documents.

Starting today, however, users in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and Canada can download their data through Apple’s Data and Privacy portal.

The overarching goal of the Apple Privacy website is for the company to explain how it designs its hardware and software to ensure user privacy. Apple explains that it believes privacy is a fundamental human right:

At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. And so much of your personal information — information you have a right to keep private — lives on your Apple devices. Your heart rate after a run. Which news stories you read first. Where you bought your last coffee. What websites you visit. Who you call, email, or message.

Every Apple product is designed from the ground up to protect that information. And to empower you to choose what you share and with whom. We’ve proved time and again that great experiences don’t have to come at the expense of your privacy and security. Instead, they can support them.

Among the updates to the Apple Privacy website this year include new details on iOS 12 features including Screen Time. Apple explains that Screen Time data is accessible only by you, not by Apple itself or any third-parties:

You can also use Screen Time to better understand and make choices about how much time your children spend using apps and websites. Activity Reports give you a detailed look at all of their usage, notifications, and device pickups – information that is accessible only to you, never to Apple or third parties. And you can set the amount of time your kids can spend each day on specific apps and websites.

As for CarPlay which now supports Google Maps and Waze, Apple says that it will “always require third-party apps to provide a privacy policy for your review.”

Apple also offers details on Apple Music Friends, saying that it only has access “to the contacts you choose to add to Apple Music Friends specifically, not your entire contact list.”

For Safari on iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, Apple emphasizes that improvements to Intelligent Tracking Prevention mean third-party sites cannot “create cookies or store data” on their own — only when you provide your “explicit consent.”

The new Apple Privacy website also highlights Create ML and Core ML, new machine learning frameworks available to developers that empower them to “create powerful new app experiences that don’t require your data to leave your device.”

Ultimately, Apple’s Privacy webpage is meant to showcase its commitment to minimizing data collection, disassociating the user from any data that is collected, and being transparent about its privacy practices. Just last month, Tim Cook reaffirmed that Apple doesn’t buy into the narrative of needing to collect user data to improve products and services:

The narrative that some companies will try to get you to believe is ‘I’ve got to take all of your data to make my service better.’ Well, don’t believe that. Whoever’s telling you that – it’s a bunch of bonk.

Apple’s newly updated Privacy website can be viewed here.

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Google Begrudgingly Starts Complying With Android Antitrust Ruling

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 07:24 AM PDT

In short: Google started making some concrete moves aimed at complying with the antitrust order the European Commission issued this summer, alleging the American technology giant abused the dominant position of its Android operating system in order to promote its mobile apps and services at the expense of rivaling solutions. While the Alphabet-owned firm recently filed a complaint against the decision, it’s now begrudgingly making some changes in order to prevent what the EC deems anti-competitive behavior in the future.

Starting from October 29, original equipment manufacturers interested in forking Android can now do so without ceding their ability to pre-load such gadgets with Google-made apps like Chrome and the Play Store itself. The so-called Android forks won’t be prevented from accessing any of those apps within the European Economic Area, though Google won’t be actively developing its software for such platforms, meaning their performance may still be inconsistent. Google is also separating its Chrome and Search licenses from the main Android one for much the same reasons and will also be licensing application suite packs separately from the operating system. While the latter will remain free, original equipment manufacturers who will want to well devices with Google-developed Android apps in the EU will now have to pay license fees to do so. The change only affects smartphones and tablets, whereas Android TV and other platforms based on the OS will still use the freemium model given how they weren’t the subject of the EC’s antitrust ruling.

Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google Senior Vice President of Platforms & Ecosystems, said the development is not in line with the company’s vision for the future of Android in no uncertain terms. “The pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us fund the development and free distribution of Android,” the industry veteran wrote in a Tuesday blog post. Android itself will remain an open-source project that’s free to use, both in the EU and other parts of the world, Mr. Lockheimer vowed. The newly announced changes won’t affect Android smartphones and tablets released prior to October 29.

Background: The EC’s competition watchdog hit Google with the largest fine ever issued on the Old Continent for antitrust behavior this July, ordering it to pay the equivalent of over $5 billion for abusing the dominance of its OS in order to benefit its app business. The timing of Google’s Tuesday announcement meant to outline the company’s first compliance efforts isn’t accidental either as the EC gave it 90 days to start doing so or face additional fines, with that deadline being set to run out tomorrow, October 18.

The Android antitrust fine came just over a year after Google already set a record for the largest EC-imposed competition fine, having been sanctioned with the equivalent of $2.7 billion for abusing the popularity of its Search engine in order to promote its shopping service. Much like with the Android case, Google appealed the ruling and begrudgingly started implementing compliance changes, arguing the interconnected nature of its services is meant to benefit consumers and not hurt its rivals. A number of high-profile companies such as Yelp previously dismissed that notion as misleading and frivolous, welcoming the EC’s ruling.

This summer, Mr. Lockheimer and many other Google executives argued Android has been envisioned to promote competition from day one, pointing to consistent innovation and aggressive prices of Android devices as proof of that strategy working. However, that point is largely moot because the EC never claimed Google stifled device innovation but competition in the app market. By most estimates, Android accounts for close to 90-percent of the global mobile market share. Google said it never prevented OEMs from pre-installing rivaling apps on devices, maintaining that its license bundles allowed Android to remain free and open-sourced for over a decade. The company also attempted arguing it doesn’t have a mobile monopoly due to iOS but didn’t get far with that point seeing how Apple doesn’t license its OS to other manufacturers and holds a relatively minor share of the global smartphone market with its iPhones, especially outside of the United States.

Impact: While no immediate effects of Google’s changes will be experienced by consumers, the new changes are significant due to their implications for the future of the Android ecosystem as a whole. E.g. there’s now nothing stopping Amazon from pre-loading the Google Play Store and other staple Android apps on its Kindle devices sold in the European Union despite the fact they’re running a heavily modified version of the omnipresent OS. However, only the largest OEMs may be able to take advantage of this fact given how Google-developed Android apps will now actually cost money for anyone looking to pre-load them on their devices in Europe.

At the same time, some of the major manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei may actually be among the first to ditch the majority of Google apps from their products sold in the EU given how they already have already invested massive resources in developing alternatives for the thereof and they might opt to use every tool at their disposal in order to promote them more aggressively now that they’re able to circumvent a significant part of Google’s mobile portfolio. The effects of the new development should hence be felt as early as this year’s holiday season and some major 2019 releases such as the Galaxy S10 will likely lack a lot of Google apps out of the box, requiring consumers to download them from the Play Store or other sources themselves if they want to use them.

As for Google itself, the company’s appeal is likely to take years to be resolved. E.g. Intel is still fighting its $1.2 billion fine issued by EU regulators over anti-competitive behavior in 2009 and Alphabet’s subsidiary will surely be looking to exhaust all of its legal options before paying anything as well. At the same time, the competition watchdog on the Old Continent is currently also looking into the company’s potential abuse of its advertising network’s dominance, with that probe being set to be concluded in the coming months. Most industry watchers agree the investigation will lead to a third fine, leaving Google with a massive legal headache. Regardless of the current developments, Google’s anti-competitive practices already achieved their desired goal, with the company currently dominating a wide variety of mobile app genres such as Internet search, navigation, and email.

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Google Pixel USB-C earbuds review: more than okay Google

Posted: 17 Oct 2018 05:57 AM PDT

Unmentioned during Google's big hardware event this month was the introduction of a new member of the Pixel Buds family of earphones, the Pixel USB-C earbuds. Bundled in the box with the new Pixel 3 devices or available as a $30 purchase, they're unglamorous and uncomplicated. Just plug them into the nearest USB-C port and play. Basic.

But the fact that I'm taking the time to review them separately from our Pixel 3 review should tell you something. These basic buds happen to be very good. Superior to the average pair of disposable earphones in both design and engineering, the Pixel USB-C earbuds solve a problem that the tech industry imposed upon us: the extinction of the headphone jack.

8.5 Verge Score

Good Stuff

Clean, smooth sound
Featherlight and super comfortable
Compatible with most recent USB-C devices
You might love the in-ear cable loops

Bad Stuff

Negligible noise isolation
Lightweight bass
Glossy white finish isn't easy to keep looking pristine
You might hate the in-ear cable loops

Once upon a recent time, we all had a trusty pair of cheap wired earphones always with us, tucked into a jacket pocket or tumbling at the bottom of our bags next to charging cables and lip balm. We could plug those earbuds into our phones, laptops, desktops, or media players, and that universality was good and desirable and lovely. But then Apple and others got it into their heads that the 3.5mm analog audio jack occupied too much valuable space inside our phones, and poof went the headphone jack.

The obvious replacement for our cheap and trusty analog earphones was to be a pair of USB-C earphones, given how USB-C is well on its way to becoming truly universal across the same set of devices where the 3.5mm port was omnipresent. But right up until now, that product didn't exist. Last year, my colleague Helen Havlak documented the travails of trying to procure a half-decent pair of USB-C buds at a reasonable price. Essential tried to provide an answer and failed. Libratone built what are still probably the best USB-C earphones, but those cost $149.

And now Google waltzes in with a pair of $30 buds that make everything better. The Pixel USB-C earbuds get all the essentials right: they sound great, they're comfortable to wear, they're compatible with most modern devices, and they're affordable.

There's not a lot to be said about the design of these Pixel Buds. A utilitarian white wire goes from the USB-C plug, which is about the size you'll find on your phone's charging cable, up to a pair of pebble-like buds, glossy on the inside and matte on the exterior. Along the way, you'll also find a three-button remote control that houses the microphone and allows you to access Google Assistant with a long press of the middle button. I might have preferred a black or colored option over the white, simply because those are easier to keep looking clean. That's no more of a problem than it is with Apple's EarPods or AirPods, though the latter at least have a case that provides some protection.

As far as fit goes, I doubt anyone will have trouble with the Pixel USB-C buds. Their adjustable cable loop acts as a stabilizer that keeps the buds in place, and I find it works very well for me, quelling any worries about the earphones falling out if I make a dash to catch a bus. I do think those loops will be polarizing, though. You might see them as an ingenious design element, but if you're like me, you might also get lost in trying to adjust them to be just right. For others, the sense of the loops inside the ear may be an irritant. The earphones are super light, and they would disappear from your consciousness if it wasn't for their wire — both the way it touches your concha and in its dangling down to your connected device. But then, maybe you like wires.

The sound of the Pixel USB-C earbuds is what really got me intrigued. It's surprisingly clean and smooth. There's no discernible distortion to speak of, and I can turn them up to their max volume without being assaulted by excessively hot treble or a weird frequency response. The tonal balance that Google has struck with these buds is good and faithful to the music being played. Voices, especially, sound clear and natural, with maybe a small note of warmth added to them, which makes listening to podcasts or conference calls a nicer experience. For the $30 price, these Pixel Buds do a great job of producing satisfying audio.

I wouldn't be a critic if I didn't criticize, however, and the one major downside to the Pixel USB-C earbuds is their lack of a good seal in the ear — which leads to poor noise isolation on the one hand and rather anemic bass on the other. The bass feels lightweight; you're not going to get any chest-thumping low end out of these earbuds, but it's still there, and it's well-integrated into the overall sound. The best analogy I can offer is that it feels like a desaturated — but still crisp and sharp — image of the music. I think this is an acceptable compromise, and I'd rather have this tuning than the one most other companies go for, which is to artificially exaggerate the bass and thus introduce a ton of distortion.

The sound isolation between you and your external environment is minimal with these Pixel Buds, as it was with the original wireless Pixel Buds. It's still more than you'd get from Apple's AirPods, as Google's buds sit a little more firmly inside the ear. The AirPods are completely useless for me on the London tube, whereas the Pixel USB-C earbuds can do a decent job of conveying louder, punchier music over the racket of the train. With both Google and Apple's buds, you'll like the ability to interact with people around you without having to take your earphones out, and you'll dislike the inability to ever disconnect from the surrounding world entirely.

Google likes to talk up its Google Assistant support and real-time translation feature with the Pixel Buds line, but those are things that practically any new pair of headphones is about to get anyway. Assistant is there, but it's not a compelling reason to buy the Pixel USB-C earbuds. The compelling thing that differentiates these from Apple's Lightning connector EarPods that cost the same is that the Pixel earbuds plug into USB-C ports. And those are exploding in number. You can even invade the Apple ecosystem with these buds, which work seamlessly via the USB-C ports on MacBooks and iMacs.

I tested the Pixel USB-C earbuds with a variety of recent Android smartphones, including Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 and Huawei's freshly minted Mate 20 Pro, and every one of them worked nicely with the buds. The same goes for laptops: Chromebooks, Windows machines, and MacBooks all recognized them. Alas, USB-C is not yet out of its fragmented-mess stage of compatibility, and the Nintendo Switch unfortunately doesn't support Google's buds. However, I can say that if you buy these USB-C earphones with the intent to use them with most other relatively new devices, you can probably rest assured they'll work well together.

Unless you're up to your eyeballs in the Apple ecosystem and Lightning is the most common port on your devices, it's hard to think of many reasons not to own a pair of these Pixel USB-C earbuds. The Pixel USB-C buds are exceptional in their particular combination of cost, compatibility, sound, and comfort. They sound far better than their price would suggest, and they bring the convenience we used to have with analog earphones back to our modern digital age.

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