Google is a search company.
OK, Google started as a search company in 1998, when Sergey Brin and Larry Page were doctoral students at Stanford. And fifteen years later? Google is a verb. That's how ingrained it's become into our lexicon, as well as into our lives. If you want to know something, you "Google" it.
On August 10, 2015, Google became part of the umbrella company, Alphabet, with Sundar Pichai taking charge as CEO. The announcement came as a surprise to everyone when it was dropped on Google's blog by Larry Page.
Of course, Google is so much more now. It's an advertising company (which still provides the bulk of its revenue). It's a video-hosting company, with YouTube. It's a social network, with Google+. It's a mobile company, with Android. It's leading the wearables revolution with Google Glass and Android Wear. Google's making inroads into enterprise with its web-based infrastructures, to the point where municipal governments and private businesses alike are ditching the server racks for the cloud. It's seeking to change the way we use computers with its not-quite-a-thin-client Chromebooks.
And that was just the first 15 years.
Where will Google go next? That's a question many of us can't wait to see answered. And, understandably, it's a question many are wary of. Is Google too big? Is it too powerful? Does it know too much? Is it doing the right things for the right reasons? Or is it just trying to become as rich and powerful as it possibly can? Those are all fair questions, and ones that Google should ask itself, and ones that we as its customers should continue to it.
Latest about Google
Google Messages might let you disable its crazy animations soon
By Jay Bonggolto published
Annoying fireworks Google Messages might let you ditch its flashy animations and message effects soon.
Google Calendar is adding new chips to make hopping between months a breeze
By Jay Bonggolto published
No more endless swiping Google Calendar is getting a handy update for switching between months in a jiffy.
Glance is coming to the US, whether we like it or not
By Nickolas Diaz published
A new experience Sources claimed Glance is finally ready to debut in the U.S. but it seems ads will take a back seat.
Google really needs to launch a new Nest Hub Max, and it might just happen
By Brady Snyder published
Unexpected refresh? A new Nest Hub Max model was identified in an update to the Google Home app, and signs point to a refresh being on the horizon.
Google Wallet's PIN requirement for tap-to-pay on Wear OS is just a bug
By Jay Bonggolto published
a tad slower Using Google Wallet on Wear OS might make tap-to-pay a bit less handy with a new PIN requirement.
Android 15 might let your display reach new lows
By Brady Snyder published
Even dimmer Google appears to be working on an "even dimmer" brightness setting that might come with the Android 15 upgrade.
Mysterious Wear OS smartwatch listing makes us wonder what Google has up its sleeve
By Brady Snyder published
Mystery smartwatch? A new Google product was added to the Federal Communications Commission's database, but it's unlikely to be the Google Pixel Watch 3.
Chromecast with Google TV (4K) may finally get a successor
By Brady Snyder published
Big upgrades coming Prior reports indicated Google was developing a new streaming device powered by Android, and that product is now confirmed to be a 4K Chromecast with Google TV follow-up.
Google Gemini for Android might grab a neat trick from the web version soon
By Jay Bonggolto published
Real-Time Responses Google Gemini on Android might soon let you see replies as they're typed.
Google's Circle to Search may gain some useful updates for sharing and more
By Nickolas Diaz published
Something to expect Google was spotted working on smaller, handy updates for its Circle to Search AI feature.
Google rolls out second April security update to fix Pixel cellular issues
By Nickolas Diaz published
Hopeful Google has started pushing an update for a few Pixel devices to correct frustrating cellular service problems.
Google Drive just got a handy search upgrade for Android users
By Brady Snyder published
Precise searching More than a month after appearing on iOS, Google is finally making finding files easer on the Google Drive app for Android with search filters.
Android 15 will show you the remaining lifetime of your phone's storage chip
By Brady Snyder published
Storage health With phones potentially lasting longer due to software support, all eyes are on the hardware to keep up. That might get easier thanks to Android 15's upcoming storage health feature.
Google Meet will now let you annotate while presenting content
By Brady Snyder published
Live drawings Google is adding annotations to Google Meet, so now you can draw on shared screens, files, and apps. But it's only coming to select Google Workspace tiers.
News Weekly: Google's big change, live Pixel 9 Pro images, a wooden Motorola phone, and more
By Derrek Lee published
News Weekly Catch up on this week's top headlines in tech.
Google Chat now works with Slack and Microsoft Teams
By Jay Bonggolto published
No more app fatigue Google Chat can now chat with Slack and Teams directly, no more app juggling to talk to everyone.
A recent update just brought AV1 support to your Android phone
By Nickolas Diaz published
Smooth as silk Google confirmed that it has switched to a newer, more efficient AV1 decoder on Android.
Google just changed forever
By Andrew Myrick published
This is huge A weird time for such a dramatic change.
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