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Amazon is selling the LTE version of Google's Pixel Watch 5 for $399.99, a $100 reduction from its standard price. The cellular model allows calls, texts, and streaming without a paired phone nearby, and Google rates the watch's battery life at up to 30 hours.
Google's revised privacy policy states that services like Search and Gemini can access data from other Google products, including Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos, to personalize experiences, which may include ads. The policy gives an example where a Search query could lead to related ads appearing on YouTube, depending on user settings.
Google's Finland country manager apologized after the company cleared roughly 816 acres of forest near Muhos without authorization, and Finnish regulators ordered it to stop further clearing near Otanmäki, where about 500 acres had already been cut down. Local residents say wolves and other wildlife have begun entering nearby villages after being displaced from the cleared forest, raising safety concerns alongside complaints about construction noise and streams turning brown.
At a South Carolina rally, President Trump recounted a phone call in which he allegedly asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the U.S., with Pichai reportedly declining, citing the ocean's many bordering countries. Trump had previously said his administration was 'seriously' considering such a rename, following earlier moves to relabel the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.
Projects such as Cleanyourtv (formerly tv-vibehack), tv-detox, and dumbtv have surged in popularity, using LLM-assisted coding to remove ads, block tracking, and speed up smart TVs running Android or Google TV. The tools rely on existing developer modes and Android Debug Bridge access rather than rooting or firmware hacking, making changes reversible, and many users are also building custom homescreen launchers, including one styled after a Pokémon town.
Google has broadened its partnership with energy company Voltus to create one of the largest virtual power plants in the US, covering the Mid-Atlantic PJM grid. Rather than building new generation, Voltus will pay homes and businesses to reduce electricity use during peak demand—often automatically via smart thermostats or batteries—freeing up grid capacity equivalent to a large nuclear reactor's output for Google's data centers.
Google Home Speaker owners reported their devices consuming unusually large amounts of Wi-Fi data, with one user citing three terabytes over two weeks and a WIRED writer finding her own speaker had used 487 GB in ten days. Google told WIRED a server misconfiguration caused some speakers to repeatedly re-download a software update, and said the issue has now been fixed.
At a South Carolina rally, President Trump said he had personally called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to ask whether Google Maps could rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or 'America.' Trump claimed Pichai declined, reportedly saying oceans touch too many countries to rename, though Trump said he's still considering renaming the Pacific the 'American Ocean.'
Google has reportedly offered $10 million to acquire Spirit Airlines' data archive, according to Fast Company's AI Decoded newsletter. The bid highlights how major AI companies are pursuing large troves of consumer and business data as a resource for training systems.
Facing growing local opposition, Google, Amazon and Meta are offering communities increased financial incentives, pledging to accept fewer tax breaks, and promising greater transparency about planned data center projects. The companies also say they are working to reduce environmental impact and are assuring residents that the facilities will raise local property values.
Google has told Android users in Canada to install pending software updates and restart their devices after some phones showed incorrect times following British Columbia and Manitoba's permanent switch to daylight saving time. The provinces will not turn clocks back on November 1st, which can confuse devices still expecting the old time change. Google also suggested enabling location-based time zone detection or manually setting the correct time zone if the issue persists.
Several Google employees have resigned in protest over the company's artificial intelligence contracts with military organizations, according to a BBC report. Google responded by saying it follows a consistent review process for such public sector contracts, including compliance checks against its acceptable use policies and AI principles, and maintains channels for employees to raise ethical concerns without fear of retaliation.