Google Is Not Apple, and It Should Stop Trying to Be

October 7, 2022

Did You Know?

Dale Carnegie, most famous for the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, changed his last name from “Carnagey” to “Carnegie” in honor of the steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie, and to make it easier for others to remember his name.

Happy Friday! Google’s big hardware event was yesterday, but it wasn’t perfect. The company is trying more than ever to mimic Apple’s product strategy with mixed results, and Google’s poor long-term support is still a problem.

The upcoming Pixel Tablet will have a dock to keep it front and center in your home. That’s cool and all, but it’s fine to just stuff your tablet in a drawer.

– Corbin

Apple and Google are popular for different reasons. However, Google doesn’t seem to understand that. The Pixel Watch is yet another example of Google thinking it can sell hardware the same way Apple does, but has that ever worked? Read More »

Windows 11 is notoriously picky about how it is installed. Among other things, Windows 11 requires that you use a Microsoft account when you install it. Here’s how you can avoid using a Microsoft account while installing Windows 11 or convert an existing Microsoft account into a local one. Read More »

Sometimes, you don’t need a tech gadget. Sometimes, you just need a simple paring knife like this one from Victorinox. This straight-edge, 3.25-inch knife does the job well, and according to staff, it still cuts well after years of use. For $15, you can’t ask for much else!

The Steam Deck is one of the hottest gaming products of the year, as it’s a full gaming PC in the form of a handheld console. If you were looking to buy one, you don’t need to make a reservation anymore — you can just get one right now. Read More »

Samsung Galaxy Watches can be paired with any Android device, but not all Android devices are treated equally. Some features are reserved for Samsung’s own Galaxy smartphones. Just how much are you missing if you use a different phone? Read More »

Amazon has excelled at making affordably capable smart speakers for years now, iterating on each design in a way that provides exceedingly more value without inflating costs. Now that the next generation Echo Dot is on the way, you can get the outgoing Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) for an all-time-low price of $24.99 ($25 off). Read More »

The iPad Mini is Apple’s compact tablet, intended as a more portable iPad while giving you a larger workspace than a typical smartphone. The newest model, introduced in 2021, is back down to its best price yet. Read More »

There isn’t a single part of life that isn’t touched by tech. We’ve gone from flipping wrinkled pages to swiping. From recording tunes as they crackle on-air to listening on-demand. And you’re probably near a screen (you’re here, after all). Read More »

Windows 11 introduced a new panel for widgets, providing easy access to information like weather, upcoming calendar events, and traffic data. Only Microsoft could make widgets, but that has now changed. Read More »

The safety of your company and customers rely on the security of your network. In 8 Steps to Better Security: A Simple Cyber Resilience Guide for Business, you’ll learn how to protect your business against internal and external cybersecurity threats by building an effective team, complying with regulatory guidelines, testing your cybersecurity infrastructure, and more. Download your free copy today to get started. This offer ends on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

You can’t kill Michael Myers, and you can’t kill the Halloween franchise, either. The horror series has been repeatedly rebooted and reimagined since the 1978 original, and it just keeps going. Here’s how to stream all of the Halloween movies. Read More »

With the picture and sound quality of Blu-ray, every night is like a trip to the cinema. Check out our top five picks that range from a superb gaming console to a nifty on-the-go gadget. Read More »

There are several possible reasons your printer is displayed as Offline. In most cases, the problem is easy to fix, as long as you know where to look. Here’s why your printer is offline, and how to get it online and printing again. Read More »

Whether it’s the morning after a few too many rounds or your mid-drink and realize you need to sober up quickly, many people recommend coffee. The caffeine is allegedly a quick fix when you are a bit fuzzy around the edges. But does it work? Read More »

Recently I was stumbling around the HBO Max page while cheaply hesitating before subscribing, and I noticed HBO lets you watch pilots on some of its television shows for free. It’s like career day in high school, a chance to spend an hour learning how you could spend the rest of your life. Read More »

Wondering why the Thunderbolt connection on your computer is underperforming? Before you blame the port or peripheral, check the cable. Read More »

We tend to think of solid-state devices like CPUs and SSDs as unchanging as if they’ll keep working forever. The truth is that CPUs are subject to wear and tear thanks to something called electromigration at the atomic level. Read More »

Looking at the night sky has inspired civilizations for tens of thousands of years, but a new proposal on satellite-based advertising might inspire us to look away. Read More »

The Pixel 7 lineup is now available for pre-order. Google showed several improvements during its Made by Google hardware event, such as the new Tensor G2 system-on-a-chip and an improved rear camera setup. But it forgot to mention one important detail — you’ll only get three major OS updates. Read More »

Google’s big October hardware event took place today, where the company fully revealed the Pixel 7 series and Pixel Watch. Google also highlighted how it takes sustainability and the environment seriously… but does it really? Read More »

Google is notorious for confusingly named products, and that might be most apparent with Google Wallet and Google Pay. These two apps have taken a convoluted path to get where they are today. So which one should you be using? Read More »

When you walk around an office or café, you’ll often see people using an array of items to cover up their webcam. Sometimes it’s tape, post-it notes, folded business cards, stickers, their thumb, or a marlin. I smear peanut butter over my webcam, but chunky peanut butter. It’s more secure than smooth. Read More »

Battery life and notifications are two of the features you might care about the most when it comes to your Samsung Galaxy Watch. Did you know there’s a “Watch Only” mode that can improve both of those areas? Read More »