Google (GOOG) News

Is Alexa always listening? New study examines accidental triggers of digital assistants

by Nat Levy on February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 at 11:07 amComment

The listening capacity of digital assistants like Alexa and Siri has become a major privacy sticking point in the last year. A group of researchers out of Northeastern University and Imperial… Read More

Google discloses cloud revenue for the first time — here’s how it compares to Amazon and Microsoft

by Nat Levy on February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 at 6:25 am 2 Comments

Google parent Alphabet gave new insight into the state of its cloud division this week, disclosing quarterly and annual revenue for the first time as the search giant challenges rivals… Read More

Google snags office space in two more Seattle-area buildings, continuing rapid growth

by Nat Levy on January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 at 8:57 amComment

Google is expanding yet again in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Wash., just a few months after purchasing a huge new office complex there. Google inked leases at two additional… Read More

Amazon and Google sued by reps of legendary songwriters over pirated music on their platforms

by Nat Levy on January 28, 2020January 29, 2020 at 9:10 amComment

Amazon and Google failed to police their music marketplaces and allowed pirated recordings to proliferate, according to a series of lawsuits filed last week by organizations representing top songwriters. GeekWire… Read More

Google wades deeper into Expedia’s territory with new travel and cloud pact with Sabre

by Nat Levy on January 21, 2020January 22, 2020 at 4:59 amComment

Google is taking a major step in its travel push, teaming up with travel giant Sabre Corp. in a new 10-year alliance. Sabre is a 60-year-old company that rose to… Read More

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Google Cloud acquires AppSheet, a Seattle startup that sells no-code app development software

by Taylor Soper on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 at 1:27 pm1 Comment

Google Cloud has acquired AppSheet, a Seattle startup founded in 2014 that helps businesses develop their own data-based apps without requiring a team of developers. Terms of the deal were… Read More

Video

Sonos vs. Google: Amazon won patent for ‘distributed speaker synchronization’ four years ago

by Todd Bishop on January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 at 6:11 pm 2 Comments

Is this why Sonos decided to sue Google rather than going after Amazon? Our search of U.S. patent records this afternoon, following news that the high-tech speaker maker is suing… Read More

Here are all of Google’s voice assistant announcements from CES as it battles Amazon

by Nat Levy on January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 at 10:49 amComment

One of Google’s main advantages over rivals like Amazon in the digital assistant race is its command of the popular Android operating system and the opportunity to embed the Google… Read More

Podcast

The future of podcasting: Can the business of audio content catch up with the creative revolution?

by Todd Bishop on January 4, 2020January 4, 2020 at 10:01 amComment

More than half of the U.S. population over age 12 has now listened to a podcast, according to Edison Research. The medium has fundamentally altered the landscape for audio content,… Read More

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The decade when tech turned dark: Learning from the mistakes of the past 10 years

by Christopher Budd on January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 at 9:30 am 3 Comments

The arrival of 2020 is a chance to look back on the past decade and what it has meant for the world of technology. Recent security problems with security cameras… Read More

Winter was coming! Seattle snow and HBO show among Google’s top trending search terms in 2019

by Kurt Schlosser on December 11, 2019December 10, 2019 at 7:02 pmComment

Winter was a hot topic when it came to Google searches in 2019 — whether it was coming to HBO’s “Game of Thrones” or dumping snow on Seattle during a… Read More

Amazon dominates global smart speaker sales as Google continues to lag behind

by Nat Levy on November 14, 2019November 14, 2019 at 7:01 amComment

Despite a growing list of challengers, Amazon remains the dominant force in the global smart speaker market, accounting for more than a third of all sales in the quarter, according… Read More

Google to acquire Fitbit for $2.1B, doubling down on digital health and wearables

by Nat Levy on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 at 8:40 amComment

Google is buying Fitbit, bolstering the tech giant’s quiet push into digital health and setting up wearables as its next big hardware initiative. Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices… Read More

Judge limits role of former Amazon sales exec in AWS vs. Google Cloud non-compete lawsuit

by Nat Levy on October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 at 8:50 amComment

A lawsuit against a former Amazon Web Services sales executive who joined rival Google Cloud earlier this year took an interesting turn, with a federal judge slapping some major limitations… Read More

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Google Cloud hiring spree: Alphabet adds 6,450 employees in Q3, cites cloud as biggest factor

by Todd Bishop on October 28, 2019October 28, 2019 at 3:43 pmComment

Google parent company Alphabet grew by a net total of 6,450 employees in the third quarter, up nearly 6 percent from the end of the second quarter, topping 114,000 employees… Read More

Video

Everything Google announced at its Pixel hardware event

by Nat Levy on October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 at 1:02 pmComment

Google unveiled its latest hardware products today, joining fellow tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Apple in refreshing existing gadgets and releasing new ones ahead of the busy holiday shopping… Read More

First look: Inside Google Cloud’s new Seattle campus — right across the street from Amazon

by James Thorne on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 at 2:02 pmComment

Google and Amazon are officially next-door neighbors in Cloud City. Google Cloud on Thursday officially opened up the first portion of its new five-building campus in South Lake Union, adding… Read More

Google Assistant can now control Xbox consoles in new voice integration between tech giants

by Nat Levy on September 26, 2019September 26, 2019 at 6:59 amComment

The Google Assistant is coming to Xbox, the latest example of Microsoft adding more voice control to its flagship gaming console outside of its digital assistant Cortana. Microsoft is kicking… Read More

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50 US states and territories launch antitrust probe into Google’s ‘potential monopolistic behavior’

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 at 7:56 pm 21 Comments

Attorneys general from 50 U.S. states and territories launched an investigation into Google to find out whether the tech giant violates antitrust laws. A handful of them announced the probe… Read More

Ex-Google manager alleges in new complaint she was discriminated against for being pregnant

by Nat Levy on September 6, 2019September 9, 2019 at 6:10 amComment

A former Google manager filed state and federal complaints against the tech giant this week, alleging she was retaliated against for standing up for a pregnant co-worker and that higher-ups… Read More

Apple says Siri will no longer retain audio by default, one-upping Amazon and Google on privacy

by Todd Bishop on August 28, 2019August 28, 2019 at 10:25 am 2 Comments

Siri won’t be so sneaky about snooping anymore. That’s the gist of a new policy announcement and accompanying apology from Apple this morning. It’s a move that could pressure its… Read More

Google and Dell team up on new Chromebook Enterprise devices, targeting Microsoft’s bread-and-butter

by Nat Levy on August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 at 11:12 amComment

Google is taking on the enterprise institution that is Microsoft’s Windows operating system with a series of new laptops targeting business customers. Google is launching new Chromebook Enterprise devices, teaming… Read More

Baidu surges past Google in global smart speaker sales, becoming the new #2 behind Amazon Echo

by Nat Levy on August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 at 9:18 amComment

Baidu is now the No. 2 smart speaker seller in the world, roaring past Google and trailing only Amazon. According to a new study from Canalys, Baidu shipped 4.5 million… Read More

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Bill Nye swears, and Microsoft Windows is cursed, in new promotion videos for Google’s Chromebook

by Kurt Schlosser on August 13, 2019August 14, 2019 at 8:36 am 8 Comments

Bill Nye is cursing (again) in the name of climate change. But this time he’s swearing by the need to change out your laptop, specifically for Google’s Chromebook — and… Read More

Today on GeekWire: Satya and the Sounders; Cray goes nuclear; new Seattle startup fundings

by Todd Bishop on August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 at 12:00 pmComment

Highlights from today’s top stories. Subscribe here to receive this rundown daily. Satya Nadella owns a soccer team. At least, he owns a piece of one. An all-star roster of Seattle tech… Read More

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Google

Is Alexa always listening? New study examines accidental triggers of digital assistants

Google discloses cloud revenue for the first time — here’s how it compares to Amazon and Microsoft

Google snags office space in two more Seattle-area buildings, continuing rapid growth

Amazon and Google sued by reps of legendary songwriters over pirated music on their platforms

Sonos vs. Google: Amazon won patent for ‘distributed speaker synchronization’ four years ago

Here are all of Google’s voice assistant announcements from CES as it battles Amazon

The future of podcasting: Can the business of audio content catch up with the creative revolution?

Winter was coming! Seattle snow and HBO show among Google’s top trending search terms in 2019

Amazon dominates global smart speaker sales as Google continues to lag behind

Google to acquire Fitbit for $2.1B, doubling down on digital health and wearables

Judge limits role of former Amazon sales exec in AWS vs. Google Cloud non-compete lawsuit

Google Cloud hiring spree: Alphabet adds 6,450 employees in Q3, cites cloud as biggest factor

Everything Google announced at its Pixel hardware event

Google Assistant can now control Xbox consoles in new voice integration between tech giants

50 US states and territories launch antitrust probe into Google’s ‘potential monopolistic behavior’

Ex-Google manager alleges in new complaint she was discriminated against for being pregnant

Apple says Siri will no longer retain audio by default, one-upping Amazon and Google on privacy

Google and Dell team up on new Chromebook Enterprise devices, targeting Microsoft’s bread-and-butter

Baidu surges past Google in global smart speaker sales, becoming the new #2 behind Amazon Echo

Bill Nye swears, and Microsoft Windows is cursed, in new promotion videos for Google’s Chromebook

Today on GeekWire: Satya and the Sounders; Cray goes nuclear; new Seattle startup fundings

Platform Power: Amazon, Facebook, Google, and the hidden forces driving the world’s top businesses

Google’s Seattle-area footprint skyrockets to nearly 2M square feet, fueling region’s tech space race

Earmuffs, Alexa! Amazon to let users opt out of human review of voice recordings, amid scrutiny

Hello, neighbor! How Google Cloud is making its presence known in Amazon’s backyard

Google brings YouTube back to Amazon Fire TV, as promised, but not to rival’s Echo Show

Meet This Billionaire Space Tourist Who created Microsoft Word and Excel

Mission to Mars – Everything you need to know

Startup Pitch Bootcamp: Learn from Seattle’s Top Entrepreneurs