The GAA, in partnership with Google, has launched its anti-bullying and internet safety programme to over 100 participating clubs from the GAA, Ladies Football and Camogie Associations in Ireland and Britain, targeted at the 9 – 12 years age group.
As part of the Gaelic Games, Give Respect – Get Respect initiative, this programme incorporates Google’s Be Internet Legends initiative, an existing free, online safety education programme for primary-age children helping them to become safe and confident explorers of the online world. The programme helps children bring the respect and values they learn on the field into their online interactions encompassing learnings and activities in the areas of anti-bullying, developing positive behaviour and staying safe online.
This programme mirrors the Give Respect – Get Respect initiative which promotes respecting fellow players, coaches, referees, opponents and officials; playing fair; treating others equally; setting an example; and creating an environment where children feel confident and comfortable to talk to a coach or adult if they have a concern.
Speaking at the launch the GAA President Larry McCarthy welcomed the involvement of the Gaelic Games Give Respect – Get Respect initiative in this programme. He said:
“This is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness around the need for young players to show respect for referees, fellow players, coaches and opponents, both on and off the field of play.
“It is the Association’s intention to further develop the ‘Respect Initiative’ over the period of our recently launched Strategic Plan and this Anti-Bullying and Internet Safety Programme will be supported and closely monitored.”
Speaking in Croke Park at the launch, Shane Nolan, Director, New Business Sales, EMEA, Google Ireland, said:
“At Google Ireland, we recognise the responsibility that we have as a company to protect and support the users of our products. We need to play our part in ensuring that the internet is an accessible resource to all and that it’s used in a positive way. We are delighted to build upon our already successful partnership with the GAA to deliver the Be Internet Legends programme to even more clubs and children across the country. Google Ireland is committed to helping empower young people to act wisely, responsibly and safely all the while remaining confident explorers of the online world.”
Minister of State Jack Chambers TD speaking at the launch said:
“I am delighted to support and help launch this important initiative. Abuse of our players, coaches, referees and volunteers is unacceptable and must be called out – whether it occurs on the pitch, in the training grounds, up in the stands or online. This initiative underlines the commitment of the Gaelic Games family to tackling the scourge of bullying and to protect and safeguard all those who participate. The initiative equips young people to identify and learn how to respond to online abuse and bullying, with the learnings then applied to a sports setting. I congratulate the GAA and partners Google on this welcome and important initiative and look forward to it being rolled out to children in clubs across the country.”
Google Street view turns 15 and like me I use it quite often and you may have also noticed some nice Jaguar cars going around with a contraption on top, well that is Google if you did not know.. So where is the most visited places of interest on Google Street view.. Let’s have a look then read on some more about Google Street view
Most visited Places of Interest on Street View in Ireland
1. Dublin Castle
2. Billy Byrne 1798 Monument
3. Dublin Airport
4. Phoenix Park
5. The Temple Bar Pub
6. Guinness Storehouse
7. Aviva Stadium
8. Trinity College Dublin
9. Molly Malone Statue
10. Dog’s Bay
Most visited Museums on Street View in Ireland
1.Kilmainham Gaol
2. Titanic Experience Cobh
3. Dublinia
4.Muckross House
5. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
6. Drombeg Stone Circle
7. The National Wax Museum Plus
8. Irish Museum of Modern Art
9. MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland
10. Bunmahon Geological Park
Fifteen years ago, Street View began as a far-fetched idea from Google co-founder Larry Page to build a 360-degree map of the entire world. Fast forward to today: There are now over 220 billion Street View images from over 100 countries and territories — a new milestone — allowing people to fully experience what it’s like to be in these places right from their phone or computer. And Street View doesn’t just help you virtually explore, it’s also critical to our mapping efforts — letting you see the most up-to-date information about the world, while laying the foundation for a more immersive, intuitive map.
While that’s all worth celebrating, we aren’t stopping there. Today, we’re unveiling Street View’s newest camera, giving you more ways to explore historical imagery, and taking a closer look at how Street View is powering the future of Google Maps.
Bringing Street View to more places with our newest camera
From the back of a camel in the Arabian desert to a snowmobile zipping through the Arctic, we’ve gotten creative with the ways we’ve used Street View cameras to capture imagery. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that our world changes at lightning speed. Our hardware is one way we’re able to keep up with the pace.
In addition to our Street View car and trekker, we’re piloting a new camera that will fully roll out next year to help us collect high-quality images in more places. This new camera takes all the power, resolution and processing capabilities that we’ve built into an entire Street View car, and shrinks it down into an ultra-transportable camera system that’s roughly the size of a house cat. But unlike house cats, it’s ready to be taken to remote islands, up to the tops of mountains or on a stroll through your local town square.
Here’s a quick look at the new camera system:
It weighs less than 15 pounds. This means it can be shipped anywhere. This is especially handy when we work with partners around the world to capture imagery of traditionally under-mapped areas — like the Amazon jungle.
It’s extremely customizable. Previously, we needed to create an entirely new camera system whenever we wanted to collect different types of imagery. But now, we can add on to this modular camera with components like lidar — laser scanners — to collect imagery with even more helpful details, like lane markings or potholes. We can add these features when we need them, and remove them when we don’t.
It can fit on any car. Our new camera can be attached to any vehicle with a roof rack and operated right from a mobile device — no need for a specialized car or complex processing equipment. This flexibility will make collections easier for partners all over the world, and allow us to explore more sustainable solutions for our current fleet of cars — like plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles. You’ll start seeing our new camera in fun Google colors alongside our iconic Street View cars and trekkers next year.
Traveling back in time with Street View
Street View is all about capturing the world as it changes, and it’s also a powerful way to reminisce about the past. Starting today on Android and iOS globally, it’s now easier than ever to travel back in time right from your phone. Here’s how it works:
When you’re viewing Street View imagery of a place, tap anywhere on the photo to see information about the location. Then tap “See more dates” to see the historical imagery we’ve published of that place, dating back to when Street View launched in 2007. Browse each of the images to see a digital time capsule that shows how a place has changed — like how the Vessel in New York City’s Hudson Yards grew from the ground up.
Building a more helpful, immersive map
Street View is also an essential part of how we map the world. Here’s a look at how imagery helps us do that:
Updates to business information that reflect your changing world. We use Street View imagery coupled with AI to make helpful updates to Google Maps — such as adding newly opened businesses, surfacing new hours at your favorite restaurants and updating speed limit information. In fact, over the last three years, AI has helped us make over 25 billion updates to Maps so you can be confident that the information you’re seeing is as fresh and up-to-date as possible.
Easier than ever navigation, indoors and out. Street View imagery powers popular features like Live View, which allows you to use your phone’s camera to overlay navigation instructions on top of the real world so you can walk to your destination in a snap.
Immersive view helps you know before you go. Thanks to advances in computer vision and AI over the last several years, we’re able to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of places around the world. With our new immersive view launching later this year, you can easily glide down to street level on Maps and even check out the inside of a business as if you were walking around.
In celebration of Street View’s birthday, you’ll have the opportunity to make your navigation icon a celebratory Street View car – just tap the chevron when you’re in driving navigation. And on desktop, our beloved Pegman – who you can pick up and drop anywhere in Maps to see Street View – will be dressed up in a birthday hat and balloons for the celebration.
To keep the celebration going, check out our newest collections of places like The Pyramids of Meroë in Sudan and Les Invalides in France, popular spots to explore with Street View and some of our all-time favorite Street View images to date. Oh the places you’ll go!
IDA Ireland’s second ‘Special Recognition Award’ recognising the contribution of our clients to Ireland was presented by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and IDA Ireland to Google and accepted by its CEO Sundar Pichai, at a special ‘Building The Future Together’ event in California this morning.
CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “Google is a very deserving recipient of this year’s Special Recognition Award. The company’s expansion in Ireland over the last 20 years is a story that has travelled across the world.”
“These are important relationships to mark, and it is important that we celebrate the huge contribution our 1700+ FDI companies have made to Ireland. Foreign Direct Investment continues to be a substantive driver of the Irish economy. Our client companies in Ireland have demonstrated longevity, resilience and continued commitment, creating jobs – the numbers directly employed in the multinational sector in Ireland is at an all time high of 275,384 (11% of the Irish labour force) – and delivering enormous benefits to the national and regional economies. In making this award, we are also recognising the achievement that is Ireland’s proven ability to be an enduring partner for businesses with international ambitions. It is also an opportunity to showcase internationally the level and sophistication of FDI in Ireland.”
Google opened a small office in Ireland in 2003 and has invested significantly in Ireland over the past 20 years, including over €1.5 billion in the past five years. Google Ireland, as the company’s EMEA HQ, now has a workforce of over 9,000 and serves as a hub for dozens of functions and teams supporting Google’s global operations. This includes almost 1,000 engineers working across site reliability and software engineering functions.
This award is also an appreciation of the work that everyone at Google in Ireland does in helping bring the company continue to succeed and providing support for customers around the world. It also recognises Google’s commitment to Ireland.
Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar said: “I’m really happy to present Google with this Special Recognition Award and sincerely thank Sundar and the team for their continued commitment to Ireland. From a team of 100 in 2003, to over 9,000 today, Google has made an outstanding contribution to our country. I do not underestimate the role the company has played in enhancing our reputation and attracting further investment to our shores. This Award is a good opportunity to thank the Google team and recognise their contribution.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet said: “Over almost two decades, Google and Ireland have worked together to advance Irish innovation and develop helpful tools to support the growth of small businesses. It is an honor to accept this award. We look forward to working together to develop Irish talent and make technology part of a strong future for every Irish community.”
Tánaiste addressed the audience of invited guests drawn from IDA client companies, key stakeholders, business people as well as some Google and IDA Ireland employees and presented the award to Sundar Pichai alongside Martin Shanahan.
IDA said that the event would showcase internationally Ireland as a location for FDI and focus on the excellent Irish Tech talent that is available.
Google For Startups has today announced the launch of its Startup School programme in Ireland. The series of virtual training courses will launch this April and will be available to startup founders and their teams throughout the country.
The initiative aims to provide support to startup founders and their teams by offering a series of free, hands-on virtual courses aimed at helping them to grow and advance their businesses. The interactive sessions will cover a wide range of areas and will feature Google tools and products such as Google Analytics, Google Ads and Google Cloud as well as training around topics such as funding, expanding internationally and becoming an effective founder.
The courses will be offered for free on Wednesdays and Thursdays for six weeks starting on Wednesday 13th April. A number of the training sessions will be led by successful founders including Pat Phelan, Co-Founder at SISU Aesthetic Clinic, Alison Sheehy, Digital Marketing Lead at GYM+COFFEE and Ryan Scott, CEO of Dropchef. The Google for Startups Startup School is being run in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and Dogpatch Labs, who will assist Google in reaching startup teams throughout the country.
Paddy Flynn, VP of Geo Operations at Google, said, “We are hugely excited to launch Startup School in Ireland. It’s no secret that Ireland is well known for its entrepreneurial startup culture and building successful startups. We want to continue our contribution to nurturing the startup community and providing free access to this training is one way of doing that.
“We are very proud of the great work Google has been able to achieve through partnerships with Irish startups and the startup ecosystem, and with the launch of Startup School we hope to reinforce our commitment to helping Irish businesses to grow and succeed.”
Jake Phillips, Ecosystem Development Director at Dogpatch Labs added, “We’ve always been focused on providing a valuable community for startups to support growth, share knowledge and form connections. Google’s Startup School will be another great avenue for startups to access expert knowledge to grow their businesses.”
Google has been successfully running programmes aimed at upskilling startups for several years now and has recently opened its virtual doors at an EMEA level. The Startup School courses in Ireland will be specifically available to and tailored for Irish businesses with the size of each session capped so that all participants have an opportunity to ask questions and interact with instructors.
A report launched today by Google confirms a substantial economic opportunity for Ireland exists if a meaningful investment in digital skills is made. The comprehensive study developed in partnership with Amárach provides detailed insights into the digital capability needs, ambitions, and plans of 1,000 SME leaders throughout Ireland. The research proposes that a significant investment into digital skills could contribute an extra €9.5 billion to Ireland’s GDP by 2025.
To help Irish businesses succeed online, it is important to first understand how they’re doing today and what their goals are. That is why Google commissioned Amárach to engage SME leaders on their lived experiences and expectations of their digital journey. Titled Bridging the Gap – A Report on Digital Capabilities in Irish SMEs, the study, one of the largest surveys of Irish SMEs in recent years, identified four key gaps in digital capabilities:
Performance – how far businesses are from realising their full potential
Competence – how businesses are struggling to use digital skills
Investment – the role of funding, time, and talent in expanding competence
Advisory – the absence of qualified advisors and suppliers to meet digital needs
The current situation
Most Irish SMEs are in the process of adopting, developing, and evolving their use of digital technologies. But some are further ahead in the process than others. When asked to rate their own progress, the majority (62%) of Irish SMEs are ‘less than halfway’ on their digital journey. Recruiting people with the necessary digital skillset is also a challenge for Irish SMEs with 41% of respondents agreeing that they do not have a person within the organisation who is tasked with developing digital skills. Only 26% of SMEs say their employees have all the skills needed in terms of basic digital capabilities.
Faced with multiple demands on their time and energy, the report indicates that business leaders believe that the digital skills gap can be closed, but the challenge is prioritising it over other short and medium-term tasks.
Digital tools
The report finds that only 11% of Ireland’s SMEs feel their employees have the skills needed to successfully adopt and use new technology, a statistic borne out in the data where only 53% of SMEs have (or use) social media and video platforms and just 18% make use of customer insights tools. When measuring the number of SMEs that have their own business website, Ireland at 55% ranks comparably lower than the EU average of 77%[1].
The research shows that Irish SMEs are ambitious when it comes to investing in digital capabilities but 50% say they lack basic knowledge about which skills to prioritise. The report indicates that policy makers, advisors, and suppliers to the SME sector need to help address the priority gaps that will deliver quick wins, spurring decision makers to go further.
Commenting, Alice Mansergh, Director for Small Business at Google said:
“The timing of this report could not be more important, the decisions that business leaders and policy stakeholders make about digital capabilities in the coming months and years will have profound implications for the long-term productivity and profitability of the SME sector, and for sustainable economic growth over the rest of the decade. For its part, Google will use these findings to help shape the courses we provide via the Grow with Google initiative helping to train people in key digital skills that will empower them to embrace new business and commercial opportunities.”
The opportunity
Irish SMEs are very confident (56%) that meeting their digital skills objectives could make a big difference to business performance, and not just on one or two metrics. SME leaders believe that improving digital capabilities would allow them to increase wages and salaries (28%) and over half of those surveyed (57%) say that meeting their objectives [in digital capabilities] would help them to grow faster and become more profitable.
Bridging the gap infographic
Fiscally, the study proposes that an increased investment in digital skills could grow Ireland’s GDP significantly, calculating an increase of €9.5 billion (to €544.2 billion) by 2025.
Spotlight on Gender
The report identifies several gender differences highlighted in the areas of digital content and social media. Female decision makers in SMEs are more likely to use social media platforms (55% vs 51% of men). Women are more likely than men to see the creation of digital content as a top priority for digital skills development (35% vs 28% of men), as well as using digital tools and channels for marketing (21% vs 17%).
Even though more female leaders than male are likely to adopt and leverage digital tools, female leaders and decision makers in Irish SMEs are less likely to say their organisation is over halfway in its digital journey (58%) than men (65%).
In order for Ireland to achieve its digital ambitions, it is vitally important that female entrepreneurs and SME business leaders are enabled to play their part.
Regional breakdown
Comparing SMEs across the regions we find several differences. 45% of firms in Dublin are likely to think they are more than halfway along their ‘digital journey’ significantly higher than regional firms based in the midlands (32%). When it comes to the adoption of digital tools, Dublin again maintains a distinct advantage with 62% of firms using a business website compared to only 47% in the border region. Firms in Dublin demonstrate a stronger appetite to upskill with nearly 70% of business leaders in the capital likely to undertake a course in the next 12 months vs 59% of Border firms.
These and other differences in the research point to the need for a strong regional focus in Ireland’s digital skills agenda to ensure an equitable and impactful benefit for all our communities.
A post-Covid world for SMEs
The Covid-19 crisis has amplified the power of digital in building business resilience. During the first few weeks of lockdown, Google saw a 300%[2] increase in the number of people taking digital training courses. Research has shown that 80% of European SMEs increased their use of digital tools during the pandemic and those SMEs that embraced digital tools had 60% better revenue results and hired 3 times more employees[3] during the pandemic. The report launched today finds that 64% of SMEs in Ireland say their experience of the Covid-19 pandemic has incentivised them to invest more in digital skills with 76% saying digital tools are more helpful to their business now than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report has shown how Irish SMEs are ready to invest in the digital capabilities that will propel their success in the post-Covid era.
Gerard O’Neill, Chair of Amárach Research added,
“This research is unique in that it provides information and insight directly from SME leaders themselves. The study is comprehensive, representing a cross-section of Irish SMEs and is nationally representative of regions, genders, industries and business models. While we see some subtle differences in the findings, two things are constant to almost all SMEs; first that they believe investing in digital capabilities will enhance their business and second that they are ready to do that now – but they need the right supports. This research allows decision makers, policy makers and industry personnel to have meaningful and informed dialogue that can affect real and positive change to Ireland’s digital landscape.”
Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy said,
“Small and medium enterprises remain the backbone of the Irish economy; accounting for 99% of active enterprises and 70% of employment. Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices are committed to supporting these businesses with their digitalisation journeys, investing in the capabilities that will help lead them to international success.
For successful businesses, digitalisation isn’t an option, it is a crucial advantage that allows them to compete and win. The report launched today provides invaluable insight and guidance that will inform debate and enhance decision making as we further invest in digital capabilities across Ireland.”
Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced it will support spunout to establish a peer led empathy education programme over the next two years with a €250k grant. In developing the platform, spunout is building on its work in the areas of digital citizenship, mental health and social-emotional learning to help build a safer digital experience for young people.
The grant will be used to develop and roll out an innovative and scalable empathy education program. Offering a range of peer-led resources designed to help make the internet a kinder space, the empathy-based learning platform will support:
Young people at risk of engaging in harmful or illegal behavior online
Young people at risk of being victims of harmful or illegal behavior online, especially young people targeted with hatespeech and discrimination such as young women, members of LGBTI+ communities, people with disabilities, and BIPOC
Young people who have or might witness harassing, bullying or dangerous behavior online.
The programme will provide a toolkit for building skills in the areas of self compassion, healthy communication, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution and resilience. With grant support from Google.org, spunout’s empathy focused learning programme will deliver a curriculum of interactive, accessible and jargon-free content designed to empower young people with the tools to self-regulate, engender empathy and to engage in bystander intervention online.
Kiki Martire, Director of spunout, commented:
“The core values of spunout are empathy, equity and innovation, and this opportunity to develop the Empathy Academy with grant support from Google.org, is truly at the perfect intersection of all three. Empathy is an undercurrent in all of our work; empathy for self, empathy for and between young people, empathy in action, empathy in information, and empathy online. We want to be a platform that facilitates the true understanding of empathy, the practice and spread of empathy amongst young people and their communities, and providing quality information as a tool for building empathy. The Academy will enable spunout to empower and support young people to navigate their digital worlds in ever safer and healthier ways, and to connect with each other empathetically in every step of that process.”
Speaking at today’s announcement, Ryan Meade, Public Policy & Government Relations Manager, Google, said:
“At Google, we are committed to playing our part in ensuring that the wellbeing and safety of young people is central to all digital learning experiences. Keeping people safe online is at the heart of everything we do, and we continue to innovate as new challenges emerge. We’re also committed to supporting spunout to foster digital wellbeing and teaching empathy online. Peer led support plays a huge role in equipping children and young people with the right knowledge and tools to navigate the online world. I am delighted to be here today to announce our grant from Google.org and I look forward to the roll out of this innovative empathy focused learning platform.”
On 21st March, to mark the inception of spunout’s empathy learning platform, spunout’s Mental Health content editor, Joseph Morning, will lead a virtual panel discussion of spunout Action Panel members and volunteers to explore their experiences of empathy (or lack thereof) online. Kiki Martire, Director of spunout, and Almudena Lara, Senior Manager, Child Safety at Google, will reflect on the need for empathy based interventions and why Google.Org is supporting spunout in this work.
As part of the announcement, spunout asked a number of Ireland’s young people [aged 16 -25] what empathy means to them, see what they said here.
Finally the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are here, the completely redesigned Google phones, are here. My Pixel 5 has been my daily driver since launch date and it actually has shot most of my videos on You Tube and I still use it today and find it hard to put down, it is a year old now and seems to be on the small side compared to newer devices I am using but I am glad to see we have two new options from Google now to play with over the coming weeks, and of course we will have our hands on reviews soon a more in the coming days. Another huge talking point is the new Tensor SoC, Google’s first-ever processor, and shipping with Android 12, both phones are fast, smart, secure and designed to adapt to you.
Pixel 6 is an outstanding all-around phone and it starts at only €649. If you want all the advanced capabilities and upgraded finishes, Pixel 6 Pro is the right phone for you, starting at €899.
Powering the new Pixel lineup is Google Tensor, a mobile system on a chip designed specifically around Google’s industry-leading AI. Google Tensor enables entirely new capabilities for your smartphone, and makes Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro more helpful and more personal.
Distinct design
Pixel has a bold new design this year with a cohesive look across the software on the inside and the hardware on the outside. The first thing you’ll notice is the Camera Bar, giving the phone a clean, symmetrical design that puts the camera front-and-center.
Pixel 6 has a distinctive graphic and vibrant look. The matte black metal band complements the expressive, versatile color options. Pixel 6 Pro was inspired by the finishes you see in luxury jewelry and watches. It’s made with a polished metal unibody and transitions into gorgeous curved glass in colors that complement the metallic frames.
Speaking of color, Android 12 brings a full redesign to the OS, with Material You.
Android 12 on Pixel 6
Android 12 builds on the best features of Android so your phone can really be your phone: It can adapt to you, it’s secure by default and private by design. And Android 12 looks especially stunning on Pixel 6.
When you choose your wallpaper, your entire UI will update to reflect that choice. Everything will feel more responsive and smoother. At a Glance, which shows up on the home and lock screen, has a fresh new look and some new capabilities. Here, you’ll find what you need, right when you need it — like your boarding pass the day of your flight or stats from your current workout.
And Pixel 6 is again the highest rated phone for security. It includes the next generation Titan M2TM, which works with Tensor security core to protect your sensitive user data, PINs and passwords. We’ve also extended our support window to at least five years of security updates, so your phone has the most up-to-date protection.
New Pixel, new camera
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have the most advanced cameras we’ve ever built. The entire camera experience is improved from the hardware to Pixel’s revolutionary computational photography.
Both Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have a new 1/1.3 inch sensor on the back. This primary sensor now captures up to 150% more light (compared to Pixel 5’s primary camera), meaning you’re going to get photos and videos with even greater detail and richer color. Both phones also have completely new ultrawide lenses with larger sensors, so photos look great when you want to fit more in your shot.
Pixel 6 Pro also has an amazing telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom and up to 20x zoom with an improved version of Pixel’s Super Res Zoom. There’s also an upgraded ultrawide front camera that records 4K video. You can make use of that wider front camera in Snapchat’s new ultrawide selfie feature. Plus, for instant Snapchat access, the new Quick Tap to Snap feature is coming exclusively to Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro later this year.
Magic Eraser makes distractions in your photos disappear, just like that. With a few taps in Google Photos, remove strangers and unwanted objects.
Motion Mode features options like Action Pan and Long Exposure, which bring movement to your shots. You can use Action Pan to take photos of your kids riding their scooter or landing crazy skateboarding tricks against a stylish blurred background. Or create beautiful long exposure shots where your subject is moving, like waterfalls or vibrant city scenes.
Another significant advancement in photography across Pixel and Google Photos is Real Tone. Going back decades, cameras have been designed to photograph light skin — a bias that’s crept into many of our modern digital imaging products and algorithms. Our teams have been working directly with photographers, cinematographers and colorists who are celebrated for their beautiful and accurate imagery of communities of color. We asked them to test our cameras and editing tools and provide honest feedback, which helped make our camera and auto enhancement features more equitable.
Smarts and speech
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro also have improved speech recognition and language understanding models, so it can make everyday tasks easier. For instance, you can now use your voice to quickly type, edit, and send messages with Assistant voice typing in Messages, Gmail and more. Let Google Assistant help with adding punctuation, making corrections, inserting emojis and sending your messages – hands-free.
You might find yourself occasionally trying to decide if you have time to call a business now, or if you should call later to avoid waiting on hold. Now, Wait Times and Direct My Call, available in the U.S. and in English, make that decision easier: Before you even place your call to a toll-free business number, you’ll see the current and expected hour-by-hour Wait Times for the rest of the week.
And when you call the business, Direct My Call helps you get to the right place. Powered by Duplex technology, Google Assistant transcribes the automated message and menu options for you in real-time and displays them on your screen for you to see and tap. For more information about these advancements in calling assistance, please see their blog post.
Finally, Live Translate enables you to message with people in different languages, including English, French, German, Italian and Japanese. It works by detecting whether a message in your chat apps, like WhatsApp or Snapchat, is different from your language, and if so, automatically offers you a translation. All of this detection and processing happens entirely on-device within Private Compute Core, so no data ever leaves the device, and it works even without network connectivity. With support for Interpreter mode, you’ll also be able to take turns translating what is said in up to 48 languages. Activate Assistant and say “Be my interpreter.”
One more thing: When you get an incoming call, just say “accept” or “decline” without having to use “Hey Google” every time by enabling Quick phrases. You can also “stop” and “snooze” alarms and timers.
Google is also launching a new collection of specially designed cases for Pixel 6, so you can protect your phone in style.
Pixel Pass, an easy subscription that delivers the best of Google. Starting at $45 per month for U.S. customers, Pixel Pass gives you a brand new Pixel 6 along with Google One, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium, Google Play Pass and Preferred Care. Pixel Pass with Pixel 6 Pro starts at only $55 per month. After two years, you’ll have the option to upgrade to a new Pixel.
As mentioned earlier stay tuned for more hands on the new devices coming your way…
The latest hardwear from Google has just landed, The New Google Nest cam with floodlight and indoor cam will finalise my complete home security set up with the Doorbell and Outdoor camera reviewed in full on site now so go check out what to expected from the duo with camera footage and more from both.
We will be doing a vlog style set up for the Nest cam with floodlight in the coming days and of course will have a full real hands on review with clips and what you will find in the app and how to set up and so on. So far the previous devices have been serving me well and have had no issues and I quite like the set up and I look forward to having the whole house covered with the set up almost now complete.
Any questions feel free to ask in the comments or on our social media handles and stay tuned for more coming soon with real hands on reviews.. Today we take a quick look at the new products and see what is in store and as mentioned we will be doing a vlog on setting up the Nest cam with floodlight
If you are bored with the stock tones on your Google Nest Doorbell you should now have a new update which will last until November 1st with 6 new spooky ringtones for Halloween, these tones will also play through your nest hub and speakers too so everyone gets to listen in on the new additions.
It is very simple to check and adjust your settings, first ensure you are on the latest app version and then go to settings then doorbell and you can toggle these on from here.. You can listen to the new Halloween inspired tones below and make your own choice if you wish to get in on the action, I did for anyone that wants to know.. You can also check out a real hands on review of the Google Doorbell HERE and our full hands on Nest cam review is up this week.
