Today, the company added over 1,000 images to that gallery, bringing the total to over 2,500. The company says the new Earth View images are optimized for today’s screens, “featuring brighter colors, sharper images, and resolutions up to 4K.” You can learn more about how Google captures Earth View images in the video below. Needless to say, just about every frame is eye candy. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so you might as well just head on over and take a look for yourself....

But, how will it change your life? First, an introduction to RCS. Think of RCS as SMS on steroids. It gives you the ability to send large texts without any character limit, create groups, send content, and share live location. In short, it’s Google’s attempt to make an iMessage rival for Android. For the standard’s implementation, the GSM Association, a governing body of mobile networks around the world, has created a universal profile, that helps set rules to enable RCS for consumers....

That changes today. The company is rolling out incognito mode for iOS today. It works much the same as it does with Android. Simply open Google Maps, tap on your profile photo, and select ‘Turn on Incognito mode.’ While Incognito mode is on, you won’t receive personalized suggestions or notifications, and your searches and trips won’t be saved to your Google account. Additionally, starting next month, you’ll be able to delete multiple specific places you’ve visited from your Maps Timeline in bulk, instead of completely deleting your travel history by date range....

While Google Photos previously allowed users to modify blur effects on images that were already taken in portrait mode, the new update expands the effect to images that never had depth information in the first place. It essentially uses AI to create its own depth map rather than hardware, and Google’s AI is sophisticated enough that it can outdo some hardware-based methods, in my experience. Meanwhile, Portrait Light is one of the coolest image editing features I’ve seen in some time, first making its debut on the Pixel 5....

Yep, according to reports, the upcoming Pixel 5 will no longer have the Soli radar chip, effectively cosigning Motion Sense to the long list of Dead Google Shit. As a quick refresh, Motion Sense is a way of controlling the Pixel 4 using gestures. For example, you use it to skip to the next song by swiping your hand in view of the phone. This is achieved using Google’s Soli radar chip and a range of sensors on the front of the device....

Despite assurances to regulators and competitors that the auction wouldn’t really be pay-for-play, and wouldn’t omit the popular, purpose-driven search engines from rankings, the results have done nothing to increase competition in search. The latest ‘winners’ were mostly little known profit-hungry search engines like GMX, PrivacyWall, and info.com, who crowded out purpose-driven operators. Purpose-driven search engines like Ecosia (which I founded), DuckDuckGo, Qwant, and Lilo have next to no visibility on Android in this pay-to-play system, and the origin of some of the actual winners, is worthy of cross-examination....

Hire helped HR departments keep track of and communicate with candidates. This tool was a product in development at Bebop, a startup Google acquired for $380 million in 2015. Its founder and CEO, Diane Greene, helped Google build this product. She later joined the Alphabet board in early this year, and left the seat in June. The company said in an email to customers that it’ll focus its resources in other products in the Google Cloud portfolio:...

However, not everything is rosy with this model. For all their green cred, most ebike batteries only last three to seven years, and cannot be easily recycled or their precious materials recovered. Currently, the glue or welding used in designing battery packs makes it challenging to refurbish or replace cells or components within a battery. Fortunately, this may change — because a French startup called Gouach has created a new repairable battery for micromobility vehicles....

This language is so pervasive on the app that websites such as Douchebags of Grindr and hashtags like #grindrwhileblack can be used to find countless examples of the abusive language that men use against people of color. Since 2015 I’ve been studying LGBTQ culture and gay life, and much of that time has been spent trying to untangle and understand the tensions and prejudices within gay culture. — justin noel hall (@jstnhll) May 3, 2020 While social scientists have explored racism on online dating apps, most of this work has centered on highlighting the problem, a topic I’ve also written about....

I was able to spend a few days with the latest version of the Pace 500 Step-Through, and it gets a whole lot right for not a lot of money. First, some basic specs. Here are the numbers for the Pace 350: Price: $1,399 Motor: 36V, 350W Battery: 417 Wh with LG cells Range: 39 km (24 mi) throttle-only, 39-64 km (24-40 mi) with pedal-assist. Measured with a 75kg (165lb) rider on flat terrain....

Television shows such as CSI and NCIS have long presented a stylized version of digital forensics teams, doing battle with mysterious hackers who bombard their screens with flashing red skull-and-crossbones graphics and other such clichés. However, the reality is far more subtle, further reaching, and more important. To find out the realities of life in the field, BDJ spoke to Brett Shavers, a former police officer and digital forensics investigator assigned to various state and federal cases....

With the rise of social networks, dating apps, and streaming video platforms, our attention span has gotten ever more goldfish-esque — we’ve become addicted. Life’s one big slot machine, and goddamn do we love it. But… what happened to delayed gratification? This isn’t a concept that’s in most of our lives any more (if it ever was), and it’s a crying shame. To illustrate this, we’re going to run a little thought experiment with one of today’s prominent attention maimers: Netflix....

According to Mercedes, EQXX’s whopping range is the result of efficiency-optimizing innovations, starting with a new proprietary drivetrain that delivers 95% of the battery’s power directly to the wheels. To further boost the vehicle’s efficiency, the company has also worked on optimizing its aerodynamic design. We can notice an elongated lower body, a small front, and a narrow rear wheel track, all designed to significantly reduce air resistance. Notably, this design produces a drag coefficient of 0....

Software company Emsisoft has recently released a free decryption tool for prevalent Bitcoin extorting ransomware, called WannaCryFake. According to Emsisoft’s security researchers, WannaCryFake is a strain of the infamous WannaCry ransomware that began spreading around the world back in 2017, infecting big corporations including hospitals, banks, and telecom companies. If you’ve identified that your system has been infected with the WannaCryFake malware, you might be able to use Emsisoft’s free tool to regain access to your files....

It happened. It finally happened: iTunes is dead. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t really the hugest fan of Apple’s decision to kill its media software and replace it with standalone apps. I thought it’d mark the beginning of a new era where the company tried to force Apple Music on everyone, disregarding all of us who used iTunes solely as music library. Thankfully, it looks like I was wrong....

That’s because Ukraine’s military doesn’t have an official drone unit, so drones supplied and funded globally will play a critical part in protecting the country against Russian occupation. The initiative is facilitated by President Zelensky’s global fundraising initiative, UNITED24, together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Digital Transformation. How are drones used in warfare? Drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles) have long been a part of warfare in many parts of the world....

The unprecedented tech layoffs that have occurred in recent weeks at the likes of Meta and Stripe have sent shockwaves through the industry, as thousands of workers brace themselves for the task of finding a new role in a less buoyant job market. However, the industry as a whole remains stable. In fact, according to a report by Gartner, IT expenditure is expected to increase by 5.1% and hit $4....

To give you a sense of what that looks like, check out this screenshot from TNW’s own internal Slack team. — Matthew Hughes (@matthewhughes) June 28, 2019 So far, it looks like the issue isn’t confined to one geographic area. We’ve confirmed reports that the issue is appearing to users based in Europe, North America, and India. The issue is also presenting itself across Slack’s desktop and browser experiences. In addition, some users on Twitter are reporting issues in uploading files, as well as reacting to posts with emoji....

Late yesterday, Autoexpress reported the news that Honda is standing by its decision to focus on hybrid drivetrains for high-mileage drivers who typically favor diesel engines for their fuel economy. [Read: UK finally closes the ‘Candy Crush loophole’ in its driving laws] It marks a changing of the tide for the company, but among the public: either no one cares or no one has noticed. Presumably everyone has moved on and is now focussed on greener alternatives, leaving diesels to languish on forecourts around the country....

One of the biggest impediments to felons reintegrating into society is recidivism – according to a 2018 update from the US Department of Justice more than 80% of state prisoners are arrested for a crime within nine years of their release. A pair of computer scientists from Purdue University, Marcus Rogers and Umit Karabiyik, recently concocted a study to address this problem. According to a Purdue press release titled “Artificial intelligence examines best ways to keep parolees from recommitting crimes,” the duo intends to outfit 125 released felons with wearable devices that will collect myriad data: The study will last four years, with the devices worn during the third, and an additional 125 parolees will be included as an unmonitored control group....