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Google is also removing apps used to report sightings of ICE agents

by admin


Following Apple’s removal of ICEBlock from the App Store, an app used to report on the activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 404 Media reports that Google is also removing similar apps from the Play Store. In a statement to Engadget, Google said “ICEBlock was never available on Google Play, but we removed similar apps for violations of our policies.”

Google says that it decided to remove apps that shared the location of a vulnerable group following a violent act that involved the group and a similar collection of apps. It suggests the apps were also removed because they didn’t appropriately moderate user-generated content. To be offered in the Play Store, apps with user-generated content have to clearly define what is or isn’t objectionable content in their terms of service, and make sure those terms line up with Google’s definitions of inappropriate content for Google Play.

404 Media report specifically focuses on Red Dot, an app that both Google and Apple removed. Like ICEBlock, Red Dot designed to let users report on ICE activity in their neighborhood. Rather than just rely on user submissions, the app’s website says that it “aggregates verified reports from multiple trusted sources” and then combines those sources to determine where to mark activity on a map of your area. “Red Dot never tracks ICE agents, law enforcement, or any person’s movements” and the app’s developers “categorically reject harassment, interference, or harm toward ICE agents or anyone else.” Despite those claims, the app is not currently available to download from the Play Store or the App Store.

The pushback against ICE tracking apps seemed to begin in earnest following a shooting at a Dallas ICE facility that injured two detainees and killed another on September 24. According to an FBI agent that spoke to The New York Times, the shooter “had been following apps that track the location of ICE agents” in the days leading up to the event.

Apple pulled the ICEBlock app from the App Store yesterday following a request from US Attorney General Pam Bondi. In a statement shared with Fox Business, Bondi said that “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed.” Apple’s response was to remove the app. “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store,” Apple told the publication.

Google says it didn’t receive a similar request to remove apps from the Play Store. Instead, the company appears to be acting proactively. The test for either platform going forward, though, is if there’s a way that developers can offer these apps without them being removed again.



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Google Keep
Product Reviews

I tested Google Keep and found it excels at simple note-taking

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The best note-taking apps help you remember crucial information. It’s often done with physical notebooks, but digital note-taking apps provide an easier way. You already carry a smartphone, so using the same device to take notes makes things convenient. Google Keep is one of the most popular note-taking apps used on smartphones globally.

Initially launched in 2013, Google Keep has amassed tens of millions of users within a short period. Because it’s free to use, Google Keep has become a go-to option for people seeking a simple app to store and manage notes.

But, is Google Keep an ideal note-taking tool for you? What are its unique features, and how does it differ from competitors? I’ve extensively reviewed the app to answer these questions for you. Read on to learn about Google Keep’s features, pros, and cons compared to rival note-taking tools.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Keep: Plans and pricing

As I mentioned earlier, Google Keep is a tool you can use at no cost. Google offers it for free, along with various other tools, to keep users attached to its software ecosystem. Anyone with a Google account can enjoy Keep’s features.

However, there’s a catch. Google offers a premium tier for companies that desire collaborative functionalities and access to enhanced features on Google software tools. If your company subscribes to this premium plan, called Workspace, the features of Google Keep don’t change. However, your company can enjoy seamless collaboration on Google Keep and many other Google tools.

Google Workspace has three pricing tiers: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month, the Standard plan costs $14 per user per month, and the Plus plan costs $22 per user per month. There’s also an Enterprise Plus plan for large companies that can negotiate custom sales deals with Google’s team.

The Starter plan unlocks 30 GB of storage per account, the Standard plan unlocks 2 TB of storage, and the Plus plan allocates 5 TB to each account. Google Keep’s functionalities remain the same regardless of your plan, but these plans have significant differences in other areas.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Keep: Features

Google Keep’s core feature is letting users keep and retrieve notes when needed. It lets you create and organize notes, from shopping lists to personal reminders, phone numbers, and workplace ideas. You can then label these notes for easy retrieval later. For example, you can have separate labels named “work” and “personal” and simply click on any label to find the relevant notes when needed.

To create a note, you have various options: a plain note, a list, a note with a drawing, or a note with an image. A plain note can be any text you choose to write. There’s no limit on the number of characters you can store in the plain note.

After writing your plain note, you can add a reminder to it, which will be saved in the Google Reminders app, and you’ll receive an email or push notification reminder at the appropriate time. Google Keep has seamless integrations with other Google tools, making it convenient if you already use one Google app or another.

If a plain note isn’t satisfactory, you can add images or drawings for context. Images can be uploaded directly from your PC or smartphone, but videos aren’t permitted. All uploaded images count towards your allocated storage, which ranges from 15 GB on the free plan to between 30 GB and 5 TB on Workspace plans.

Similarly, you can add drawings to your notes, a feature that is useful when trying to sketch ideas. Forgive me for not being the best artist, but my example below illustrates how adding drawings is done on Google Keep.

(Image credit: Google)

Notably, you can convert your drawing into an image and download it to your device. Drawings help you add significant context to the notes you’ve jotted.

I like that Google Keep provides ample text formatting features. It allows users to break down notes into headings and subheadings, making them easy to read later. You can bold, italicize, and underline specific words or phrases within your notes. The formatting options aren’t as plentiful as what you’ll find on a word processor, expectedly, but they provide the basics that help users create detailed notes.

Another feature I enjoyed is Google Keep’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which lets users extract text from uploaded images. The example below illustrates a picture I uploaded and its extracted text.

You can observe that Google Keep extracted the text from the image with a high degree of accuracy. I only needed to adjust the text a little to get a coherent note. The OCR feature isn’t perfect, but it works well most of the time. It’s a valuable feature in many situations, such as a lecture with informative slides displayed on a projector. In this case, you can simply snap a slide and extract the text instead of typing the same thing manually.

Still on the idea of extracting external information into your notes, Google Keep has a browser extension available exclusively on Google Chrome. With this extension, you can download web pages directly as notes to view later. Suppose you encounter a web page that piques your interest, but you’re too busy to read it at the moment. You can simply download it as a note and open it later. My only complaint is that this feature is compatible with Chrome but not with other browsers.

(Image credit: Google)

Another interesting feature is the ability to record voice notes and transcribe them into text. You can add an audio memo to a note, and Google’s sophisticated voice recognition system will translate it to text and also keep the audio recording for future playbacks. In my case, the transcription feature wasn’t perfect, as I had to edit some words and phrases, but it transcribed most words correctly. Note that this feature only works on the mobile app.

I talked about using labels to organize your notes. However, that’s not the only way. You can change the background color of each note to differentiate it from the rest. For example, all personal notes can have one background color, and those related to work can sport another color.

Likewise, you can pin specific notes at the top of your dashboard. These pinned notes, which are of utmost importance, will always be displayed above the other notes you’ve created.

I mentioned reminders earlier, but there’s more to it. You can not only set time-based reminders, but you can also set reminders based on locations. That is, Google will issue a reminder about a note as soon as you arrive at a specific location. For example, you can set Google to remind you about school notes as soon as you arrive at school. You can receive work reminders as soon as you arrive at the office. These reminders are helpful in many day-to-day situations.

Seamless collaboration is one of Google Keep’s main benefits compared to rival note-taking tools. You can easily share your notes with friends, family, and colleagues, and they can view or edit the notes.

To share a note with someone, you can add their email address, and they’ll receive a notification about the note you’ve shared with them. Collaborators can view or edit your notes, and any changes are reflected in real-time.

For example, if you share a checklist, the collaborator can tick off items on the checklist, and it’ll immediately reflect in your Google Keep dashboard. A good thing about Google Keep is that there’s no limit to the number of collaborators you can invite.

Most Google tools allow you to set specific permissions for collaborators (read-only or editing access), but Google Keep bucks the trend. Anyone you invite automatically gets full access, including the ability to edit your notes. I didn’t like this lack of permission management.

Another thing I didn’t like relates to the text formatting options, which I mentioned earlier. Google Keep’s formatting features are basic, unlike the advanced formatting options I’ve encountered on several competing note-taking tools. However, it’s understandable because those tools require paid subscriptions, while Google Keep’s core features are entirely free.

Despite some drawbacks, Google Keep remains an excellent note-taking tool given the features available for free. It’s ideal if you need an intuitive app to keep simple notes. However, it’s not the best option if you need to manage large volumes of notes.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Keep: Interface and in use

Google Keep is as simple to use as it gets. Its features aren’t much, so they are neatly arranged along the dashboard. The dashboard prominently displays the box to create a new note, and after opening this box, formatting options are clearly displayed at the bottom. The main menu lies in the top-left corner and is easy to navigate.

Even as a first-time user, you wouldn’t have problems understanding Google Keep’s interface at a glance. It’s coherent and intuitive, which I’ve observed as the norm with Google tools.

I liked that Google Keep has a built-in option to switch between light and dark theme modes, both on the web version and mobile apps (iOS and Android). I also liked the ability to switch between list and grid views of my notes. Generally, Google Keep has an excellent interface that I enjoyed interacting with.

Google Keep: Support

Google Keep users have access to ample support resources. Given it’s a free tool, there’s no direct support from Google’s team, except you’re a Google Workspace subscriber. However, you can always consult the official Google Keep Help Center, which includes detailed user guides and solutions to common troubleshooting scenarios.

Every Google Keep feature is covered in the Help Center, so you’ll likely find the solution to the problems you encounter on Google Keep. Along with the Help Center, there’s also an online community where you can seek solutions from other Google Keep users.

If your company is subscribed to Google Workspace, you can get direct help from Google’s support team via email, live chat, or telephone. However, Google Keep is simple enough that direct help is needed on rare occasions, or if at all.

Google Keep: The competition

Note-taking is a thriving software niche with many players. Google Keep is one of the players, albeit a dominant one. Two major competitors I’d like to highlight are Notion and Evernote.

Notion is more than a note-taking app. It’s a versatile tool that lets you manage broad projects, storing everything from knowledge bases to wikis and technical documents. Notion is extensively customizable and has a wider library of third-party integrations than Google Keep.

Google Keep is the go-to tool for managing simple notes, but Notion is the go-to tool for managing complex notes and text documents. Notion has extensive collaboration features with more permission control than Google Keep. The drawback is that Notion’s extensive features present a steep learning curve for the everyday user. It’s not as user-friendly as Google Keep, so expect more time to get used to it.

Evernote has several note-keeping features that Google Keep lacks, such as the ability to add videos to notes, rich text formatting, and whiteboards where multiple users can work on the same note simultaneously. It provides more advanced ways to organize notes, making it ideal for managing large note volumes.

The downside is that Evernote requires a subscription to access most of its features, while Google Keep is completely free. Evernote’s free tier is heavily limited compared to Google Keep.

Google Keep: Final verdict

Google Keep is an excellent choice if you need a simple app to keep your day-to-day notes. It’s free to use, intuitive, and lets you share notes with others.

Google Keep doesn’t have the most advanced features, such as rich text formatting, inserting videos within notes, and using folders and subfolders to organize notes. However, that’s intentional. Google created it as a free tool for everyday use, not for the most complex note-keeping scenarios. The app fulfills its purpose of simplifying digital note-taking perfectly.

We’ve listed the best note-taking apps for Android.



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The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini
Product Reviews

The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini

by admin


Google is finally launching a new smart speaker, and it’s a complete redesign. The new Google Home Speaker features a new flattened sphere shape, new colors, a new light ring, and lots of new AI-powered features.

Announced this week, along with a major Gemini-infused update to its Google Home smart home platform, the speaker will also run the new Gemini voice assistant instead of Google Assistant. It won’t be available until spring 2026, but I got an early look in New York City last week.

Ditching the Nest moniker of its predecessors — the Nest Mini and Nest Audio — the Google Home Speaker features an entirely new design. At $99.99, it’s larger than a Mini but smaller than the Audio, around the same size as a HomePod Mini, but wider and flatter. The speaker is launching in four colors: white, gray, green, and red. I was particularly taken with the berry red color, which is bright and bold — a far cry from the muddy orange of the Nest Mini.

Featuring 360-degree audio, the speaker is catching up to competitors’ offerings from Apple and Amazon sound-wise. I heard it pumping out Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” with clear vocals, nice mids, and some decent bass. You can pair two for stereo sound and connect them wirelessly to a Google TV Streamer for TV surround sound — although I didn’t get to demo this.

Gemini is the primary interface for the speaker, and it has been significantly upgraded from Google Assistant.

Google says the speaker was “designed from the ground up” to support Gemini for Home, Google’s new smart home platform that puts AI front and center. It will be powered by Google’s new voice assistant, Gemini, and also support Gemini Live, a paid version that offers a more conversational AI chatbot experience. It’s also a Google Home hub, a Matter Controller, and a Thread border router, allowing it to connect and control smart home devices in Google Home.

Google Home’s Anish Kattukaran tells me the speaker features custom processing for Gemini and optimized far-field microphones. Also new is a light ring, another feature that Apple and Amazon’s smart speakers also have. Situated at the bottom of the device, the ring changes colors to indicate when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding.

The new smart speaker comes in four colors and will launch next Spring in the US, Canada, UK, and several other countries.

The new speaker is about the same size as a HomePod Mini.

I saw several demos of the new speaker responding both as Gemini and Gemini Live. The latter requires you to say “hey Google, let’s chat,” to invoke it, whereas the former still responds to “hey Google” (and only “hey Google”). Gemini is the primary interface for the speaker, and it has been significantly upgraded from Google Assistant.

I wasn’t able to make requests myself as the speakers are voice-matched (it can work with up to six people in a home, as well as guests). I watched the tester ask what to substitute for vanilla in a cookie recipe and heard Gemini offer several usable suggestions. It was then asked to create a shopping list with ingredients for an authentic pad thai, which it proceeded to do.

I’ve written more about the capabilities of Gemini here, but my takeaway from these (very on the rails) demos is that the voice assistant appears to be more conversational, able to understand natural language, and has more access to real-time information, all of which should make it more useful. However, I won’t know for sure until I can test it myself.

I’m most excited to try out this natural language control interface with smart home devices, something I’ve enjoyed using with Alexa Plus, Amazon’s LLM-powered upgrade to its voice assistant. Kattukaran tells me that with Gemini, you don’t have to use precise nomenclature to get devices to operate, can string together multiple commands without specific names (so “make it warmer” instead of “turn the thermostat to 68 degrees”), and can use exceptions (“turn all the lights off except those in the bedroom.”)

The jade color is a fetching green.

The white has a clean look.

There’s a physical mute button at the back of the speaker to mute the microphone.

The demos I saw with Gemini Live seemed more limited in a home context. The Live assistant doesn’t require repeating the wake words, making the back and forth more natural, but the interactions were no different from those you can have with the Gemini Live chatbot on your phone or computer; there’s nothing particular to the home here.

The tester asked Gemini to help him create a recipe using eggs, spinach, feta, and bread. It started to respond, then he interrupted it and asked it to make the dish keto. He then interrupted again, asking it to be kid-friendly. The chatbot was able to understand interruptions and easily pivot based on the new instructions.

Gemini Live can’t take any actions, so it is purely a chatbot in a speaker.

However, it couldn’t pull up a recipe on the screen of the Nest Hub Max, which they were also demoing the experience on, or even send it to your phone. Gemini Live can’t take any actions, so it is purely a chatbot in a speaker.

Kattukaran says that having access to Live in the smart speaker is “like having 1000 experts on your countertop or your bedside table or in the living room.” My counter to that is so is my smartphone. However, Google’s long-term plan is to bring everything you can do with Gemini today to Gemini Live. “That’s the world we’re building towards,” he says. That’s when things could start to get really interesting.

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

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Google Forms 1
Product Reviews

Google Forms Review: Is This the Best Free Survey Tool?

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Google Forms is an online form builder with robust functionalities, both on the free and paid tiers. It simplifies the process of creating and managing online forms to gather data from various audiences. It doesn’t have the most advanced data collection features, but it works well for collecting and analyzing simple data.

I reviewed Google Forms extensively so that you don’t have to go through the same stress. My review focused on essential factors, including its features, pricing, ease of use, and customer service. Read on to learn about Google Forms’ unique strengths, weaknesses, features, and how it fares against rival online form builders.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Forms: Plans and pricing

Google Forms is a freemium tool. Anyone with a Google account can access the free version and enjoy most features. The free version lets you create surveys to gather and analyze data. There’s no limit on the number of responses you can collect, as long as it fits within your allocated storage space.

Free users have 15 GB of storage for data collected on Forms and other Google tools. They’re also limited to self-service and community support. If you need more storage space, direct support, enhanced security, and collaborative features, a Google Workspace subscription unlocks these benefits.

Google Workspace is designed for businesses with employees who need access to Google’s software suite, which includes Forms. It unlocks premium features on Google Forms and many other Google tools, such as Docs (document editing), Sheets (spreadsheets), and Meet (videoconferencing).

Google Workspace has three pricing plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month and unlocks 30 GB of storage for each account. It also unlocks access to Gemini, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, which can help you create online forms.

The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month. It provides 2 TB of storage per account, ample enough to store vast volumes of data collected via forms. It also includes access to Google Gemini and direct support from Google’s team if needed.

The Plus plan costs $22 per user per month and increases storage to a sizable 5 TB per account. It unlocks enhanced security features for organizations where data security is paramount. Google Gemini and direct support, which are available on other plans, are also included.

Google offers an Enterprise Plus plan with no regular pricing. This plan is designed for large companies, typically with a minimum of a few hundred employees, that can negotiate a custom plan with Google’s sales team.

The core features of Google Forms remain the same in both the free and paid versions. What differentiates the paid plans is access to Google Gemini, higher storage space, enhanced security, and access to advanced features on other Google tools.

Google Forms is designed as a simple tool for individuals and enterprises to gather and analyze data. It doesn’t have the most sophisticated features you’ll find on form collection tools designed specifically for businesses, but it works well for everyday forms.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Forms: Features

Google Forms offers a decent set of functionalities that enable you to create and manage online forms. It lacks some sophisticated analytics, customization, and integration features, but it meets most basic form creation needs.

To start, Google Forms has a library of pre-loaded form templates. Examples include templates for party invites, event registrations, online orders, and RSVPs. You can use these templates as the foundation for your forms, instead of going through the hassles of creating them from scratch.

Whether you select an existing template or create a form from scratch, Google Forms makes the creation process noticeably easy. You can input as many questions as you like in a numbered format. Existing questions can be rearranged by dragging and dropping them in the desired positions.

Each question on a form can have various response formats, including a short text, paragraph, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown list, rating, date, time, and even a file upload. Any uploaded files will count towards your allocated storage space, so carefully consider this if you’re creating forms for a large number of recipients.

You can insert images to add context to a question. A question can be compulsory or optional, depending on your preferences for collecting data. The short text format lets respondents answer a question in a single line, and the paragraph format allows respondents to type their answers in multiple lines.

You may choose to make your questionnaire a quiz, with point values assigned to each answer and automatic feedback once the respondent completes the questions. You can choose to collect email addresses during your response, and respondents can receive an email copy of their answers after completing the form.

As a respondent completes a form, you can choose to display a progress bar highlighting how far they’ve gone and how many answers are left. You can also choose to shuffle the question order for each respondent. Likewise, you can display a custom message after a respondent clicks the submit button, e.g., “Thank you for your response!” These features may sound trivial, but they go a long way in creating an interactive form that people are encouraged to complete.

I liked that Google Forms allows respondents to edit their responses after submitting a form. This feature is helpful, given the tendency for people to make mistakes when filling out forms. For instance, if I create a form asking people for their opinion about a product, it’ll be helpful to allow them to edit their responses after interacting with the product repeatedly. However, the response editing feature isn’t enabled by default. You have to toggle it on manually.

(Image credit: Google)

Notably, respondents don’t have to complete a form in one go. If a respondent has a Google account, which includes most online users anyway, and is signed in, their responses to each question are saved as a draft for 30 days. They can close the form and return within 30 days to the same responses, then complete the rest and finally press the submit button.

With your form created, you can share the link via email, social media, or embed the form on your website. All responses will be collated and displayed in a single dashboard, making them easy to analyze. You can export the responses to Google Sheets for further analysis.

Google Sheets comes in handy if the responses are numerical, as you can use formulas to analyze them. For example, I created a mock quiz and got mock responses from some friends and colleagues. Then, I used Google Sheets to grade the forms automatically. You can conduct real quizzes and grade them just like I did, saving considerable time, especially when dealing with many respondents.

On Google Sheets, you can also generate charts to visualize responses, from bar charts to pie charts, line charts, and scatter plots. I liked that the charts were very customizable, but that sounds more like something to discuss in a Google Sheets review than in Google Forms.

I mentioned earlier that Google Forms’ core features don’t differ much between the free and paid plans, but the latter unlocks valuable collaboration functionalities. Under a Google Workspace plan, multiple users can collaborate in real-time to create and edit forms.

For example, five employees can work on the same form, with each adding questions and configuring settings. Every employee can monitor each other’s changes on the form and message each other via Google Chat to clarify changes.

A standout feature on Google Forms is its support for conditional logic, i.e., showing or hiding questions based on a responder’s previous answer. For example, in a survey about which smartphone brands people use, selecting “iPhone” opens a new question of “Which iPhone do you use?” and selecting “Samsung” opens a new question of “Which Samsung smartphone do you use?”

However, Google’s conditional logic support is basic. It doesn’t allow the most complex workflows that are permitted in various business survey tools. Generally, Google Forms excels in basic form management but has limited dynamic features. It doesn’t have as many integrations and customizations as you’d find in survey apps like Qualtrics XM.

For example, Google Forms doesn’t let you directly capture signatures from respondents, detect a respondent’s geographic location, or generate PDFs from form data. Though it’s slightly customizable, all forms created on Google Forms retain a similar structure, which doesn’t bode well for businesses that always want to deliver a unique experience.

Google Forms integrations are mostly limited to other Google tools, but with few third-party integrations compared to rival survey apps. Another drawback is that while Google Forms lets you embed forms on a website, you can’t host the form directly on a custom domain.

From my perspective, Google Forms was created mainly as a free tool for individuals and businesses to manage everyday online forms. It works excellently for basic forms, with features that many rivals charge money for. However, if you need an online form app with extensive integrations, customizations, and features, you’re better off with an alternative. 

Google Forms: Interface and in use

Google Forms scores an A+ in simplicity and ease of use. The interface is as simple as it gets, which I’ve observed as the norm with Google tools. From creating forms to viewing and analyzing responses, the Google Forms interface is easy to navigate. It helps that the app doesn’t have many complex features, so it isn’t hard to familiarize yourself with the interface.

You can easily add questions, rearrange them, and insert visual elements when creating forms. After creating a form, the Publish button is prominently displayed at the top-right corner, so you can click it and share the form with respondents. I liked that Google Forms has many keyboard shortcuts that make navigation more fun, although it took me some time to master them.

Google Forms is accessible only via the web interface. There are no dedicated desktop and mobile apps, unlike some rival tools.

Google Forms: Support

Google Forms users have access to reasonable support resources, depending on their tier. Free users can scour through the Help Center to resolve issues. The Google Forms section of the Help Center contains abundant user guides that will help you troubleshoot issues.

Free users can also check Google’s official support forum for answers to their questions. If the answer isn’t present, you can ask a new question and expect answers from other Google Forms users, but there’s no guarantee. Fortunately, Google Forms’ intuitive interface means you wouldn’t encounter many problems in the first place.

If you’re subscribed to Google Workspace, you can get direct help from Google’s support team via email, telephone, and live chat. Google has a 24/7 support team, but response times can vary depending on your location and the type of issue. Nonetheless, Google offers decent support with few complaints.

Google Forms: The competition

Google Forms has many rivals with unique strengths and weaknesses. As I’ve mentioned, Google Forms doesn’t have the most advanced features you’ll find in some rivals. SurveyMonkey is the main competitor I’d like to highlight and examine what sets it apart from Google Forms.

SurveyMonkey doesn’t have an interface as intuitive as that of Google Forms. However, it offers more sophisticated features, integration, and customizability. With SurveyMonkey, you can create more dynamic forms and customize them to fit your brand.

The built-in analytics features are more comprehensive on SurveyMonkey than on Google Forms. SurveyMonkey has many more third-party integrations, making it an ideal choice for businesses that want to conduct complex surveys.

The drawback is that SurveyMonkey isn’t as cost-effective as Google Workspace, considering the additional features you’ll get with the latter outside Google Forms. SurveyMonkey does have a free plan, but with minimal features compared to Google Forms’ free version.

Google Forms: Final verdict

Google Forms fulfills a valuable need for creating simple online surveys and collating responses. It’s the go-to tool I recommend for individuals or businesses seeking to conduct simple surveys.

However, if you need the most complex survey features and extensive customization, it’s not the best choice. Google Forms is perfect for small surveys but not large-scale ones.

We’ve featured the best survey tools.



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How to Use Google Gemini to Analyze Crypto Coins Before Investing
NFT Gaming

How to Use Google Gemini to Analyze Crypto Coins Before Investing

by admin



Key takeaways

  • Gemini is a research assistant for summarizing data and analyzing text, not a financial adviser for predicting prices.

  • The quality of your research output depends entirely on the specificity and structure of your prompts.

  • A repeatable workflow involves deconstructing a project’s fundamentals, analyzing its economics and mapping its competitive landscape.

  • Always verify AI-generated information with primary sources like official websites, white papers and blockchain explorers.

  • Proper setup and operational security are crucial, especially when using API keys to connect to external data.

The cryptocurrency market can feel overwhelming. White papers, complex tokenomics and endless social chatter create a flood of information. The challenge for investors isn’t finding data; it’s figuring out what actually matters. That’s where Google’s Gemini can help. As a language model, it makes the noise easier to filter and the insights easier to use.

What can Gemini do for crypto research?

The primary role of Gemini in an investor’s toolkit is to serve as a co-pilot, helping process and structure large volumes of information so the focus stays on higher-level analysis and decision-making. This isn’t about replacing human intellect with artificial intelligence, but augmenting it. Mastering the technology can provide an edge, turning the challenge of information overload into a strategic opportunity.

It’s important to remember, however, that Gemini is not a real-time price oracle, a financial adviser or a substitute for independent verification. Its strength lies in analysis and synthesis, not prediction or absolute accuracy.

How to research a cryptocurrency with Gemini

The utility of a tool like Gemini is unlocked not through casual questions but through a structured and methodical line of inquiry. Generic prompts lead to generic results. The key is to guide the model with precise, contextual instructions — treating it like a specialist — so that an ordinary prompt-and-response exchange produces more structured and actionable insights.

  • Assign a role: Begin prompts with a directive like “Act as a senior blockchain analyst…” or “Act as a venture capital associate specializing in decentralized finance…” to frame the context for a more specialized response. This encourages the model to simulate a more specific domain of expertise in its responses.

  • Request a format: Specify the output structure for clarity. Asking Gemini to “Create a comparison matrix in a markdown table” or to “Draft a SWOT analysis of this project” makes the information easier to digest and compare than leaving it as an unstructured block of text.

  • Iterate and refine: Treat the first response as a starting point. Effective research with Gemini works as a dialogue. For example, if it lists competitors, a useful follow-up could be, “Based on the competitive analysis you just provided, what is the single most significant defensible moat for this project?” This iterative approach enables a progressively deeper understanding.

Part 1: Deconstructing the project’s fundamentals

The first phase of any serious asset analysis is a deep dive into the project’s fundamental design. This involves deconstructing its core technology, understanding the economic incentives that govern its native token and investigating the team building it. Let’s consider a well-known project: Solana, a high-performance layer-1 blockchain focused on supporting decentralized applications and Web3 solutions.

“Act as a blockchain engineer. In no more than 5 concise bullet points, summarize the Solana white paper with emphasis on its Proof-of-History + Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. Highlight how it differs from traditional monolithic Layer 1 blockchains.”

  • Dissecting tokenomicsThe economic model of a token is a critical determinant of its long-term viability. Gemini can help surface potential red flags, such as overly aggressive vesting schedules or a lack of clear utility. A precise prompt for this analysis could be:

“Act as a blockchain tokenomics analyst. Provide a concise analysis (max 6 bullet points) of Solana (SOL) token. Summarize token allocation (team, private & seed/strategic investors, community, foundation), outline vesting schedules and unlock timelines, highlight value accrual mechanisms (staking, inflation, fee burns), and estimate the initial circulating supply based on these data.”

“Act as a Web3 researcher. Provide a concise summary (max 5 bullet points) on the Solana founding team’s relevant Web3 experience, identify the lead investors from seed and Series A rounds and highlight other notable crypto projects in their portfolios. Keep the response factual and brief.”

Part 2: Mapping the competitive landscape and social sentiment

No project operates in a vacuum. Its success depends on its position within the broader market and the sentiment of the community. Once you’ve established a baseline understanding of the project’s fundamentals, the next focus should be on these external factors.

“Act as a market intelligence analyst. Identify the top three competitors to the Ethereum Chain. Create a feature comparison matrix, evaluating them on transaction finality, developer ecosystem support, and network activity as of Q3 2025.”

  • Gauging market sentimentThe crypto market is profoundly influenced by narrative and social discourse. Following a successful testnet launch by Solana in September 2025, an investor would want to understand the market’s reaction. A relevant prompt could be:

“Analyze the public sentiment on X and crypto-focused subreddits regarding Solana’s most recent testnet deployment. Identify the main positive narratives being discussed, the key concerns raising criticism, and list 3-5 influential accounts driving the conversation.”

Part 3: Conducting advanced risk analysis

With the fundamentals and market positioning understood, a deeper analysis of risk factors and governance is necessary to form a complete investment thesis. Gemini can accelerate this process by summarizing complex and often overlooked documentation.

“Summarize the key findings from the security audit report for Solana conducted by [Reputable Audit Firm]. List any high-severity vulnerabilities identified and confirm whether the report states they were successfully remediated.”

“Based on global regulatory trends as of September 2025, analyze the potential regulatory risks for a project offering decentralized off-chain computation (similar to Solana). Focus on securities law and data privacy implications in major jurisdictions. Keep the answer in max 5 concise bullet points.”

“Explain the on-chain governance model of Solana. Detail the proposal submission process, the token-weighted voting mechanism, and the quorum threshold required for proposals to be enacted. Keep the response concise and structured in no more than 5 bullet points.”

Risks and best practices when using AI for research

For all its analytical power, it’s important to recognize that Gemini is a tool for augmentation, not an infallible source of truth. Large language models can hallucinate and generate plausible but incorrect information. Therefore, the final and most important step in any AI-assisted research process is independent verification.

Treat Gemini’s output as a highly organized first draft. Any critical data points — such as token allocation percentages or partnership announcements — must be cross-referenced with primary sources like the official project website, white paper, audit reports, press releases or a blockchain explorer. The real advantage in this research paradigm comes from the synergy between machine-scale processing and human critical thinking.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.



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Cardano news
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Cardano Founder Confirms Google Collaboration On Midnight

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Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has confirmed a new collaboration between Midnight—Cardano’s privacy-focused partner chain—and Google Cloud, framing it as a strategic step to harden the network’s infrastructure and accelerate developer adoption. “Proud to be working with Google on Midnight. They are a wonderful company and add a ton of value to our ecosystem,” the Cardano founder wrote on X, amplifying Midnight’s announcement and a same-day blog post from the project.

Google Is Now Part Of Cardano’s Midnight

In a September 30, 2025 post, Midnight said the Midnight Foundation has launched a “strategic collaboration” with Google Cloud “for enterprise-grade security and infrastructure and to expand community tools and resources,” positioning zero-knowledge technology as “essential infrastructure for next-generation digital systems.” The announcement situates Midnight’s core thesis—selective disclosure and privacy-preserving computation—inside a compliance-aware architecture aimed at institutions handling sensitive data.

The scope of work is unusually concrete for a cloud–blockchain tie-up. According to Midnight, Google Cloud will “operate critical network infrastructure, including running a validator for Midnight,” and will bring its Mandiant division’s threat monitoring and incident-response capabilities to the network.

Midnight also says it will leverage Google Cloud’s Confidential Computing to remove operators from the trust boundary and harden against provider-level access, signaling an attempt to bind zero-knowledge proofs with hardware-enforced isolation. “The future of enterprise applications requires both transparency and privacy,” said Richard Widmann, Head of Web3 Strategy and Operations at Google Cloud. “By providing scalable infrastructure, we’re enabling developers to experiment with innovative zero knowledge frameworks to verify transactions without exposing sensitive data.”

Midnight framed the collaboration as an accelerant for real-world use cases that have historically struggled on transparent public chains. Fahmi Syed, President of the Midnight Foundation, argued that “Midnight transforms privacy from a technical barrier into a competitive advantage, enabling confidential financial systems, verifiable digital identity, and secure applications that can operate at scale with regulatory compliance built in.”

The blog post points to selective-disclosure patterns for financial institutions (private trading and compliant cross-border payments), credential issuance for governments, and privacy-preserving data-sharing in healthcare as early targets.

On the developer front, Midnight said projects building on the network can apply to the Google for Startups Web3 Program, with “up to $200,000 in Google Cloud Platform Credits over two years,” plus training and mentorship—an increasingly standard incentive package in cloud-supported web3 ecosystems but notable for a privacy-centric L1. Midnight’s own post and social messages also emphasize that the Google Cloud collaboration includes support for community tooling and expanded resources, indicating a bid to spur third-party app growth around Midnight’s zero-knowledge stack.

Hoskinson’s endorsement underscores the partner-chain strategy that Cardano entities have advanced this year, with Midnight frequently described as the lead privacy chain in that model. While the announcement stops short of financial terms or service-level guarantees, it commits Google Cloud to an operational role on the network—validator operations and security services—beyond marketing or co-branding, and provides direct quotes from both organizations that anchor the collaboration in concrete infrastructure and security deliverables.

At press time, Cardano (ADA) traded at $0.80.

Cardano needs to break the black trendline, 1-day chart | Source: ADAUSDT on TradingView.com

Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.



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Google is blocking AI searches for Trump and dementia
Gaming Gear

Google is blocking AI searches for Trump and dementia

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Google appears to have blocked AI search results for the query “does trump show signs of dementia” as well as other questions about his mental acuity, even though it will show AI results for similar searches about other presidents.

When making the search about President Trump, AI Overviews will display a message that says, “An AI Overview is not available for this search”:

Go directly to AI Mode, and you’ll only receive a list of 10 web results instead of a summarized page of information:

Similar searches about Trump are limited in the same way. Various queries about dementia, Alzheimer’s, and senility display no AI overview and only produce a list of links inside AI Mode.

Google’s behavior is inconsistent if you swap in different names. When asking “does biden show signs of dementia”, Google doesn’t show an AI Overview at all:

But in AI Mode, it will offer a summarized response. When I searched for it, the response started with, “It’s not possible to definitively state whether former President Joe Biden has dementia based solely on publicly available information.”

Google also displayed AI overviews for queries about Biden and Alzheimer’s, stating there is “no clinical diagnosis or public proof that former President Joe Biden has Alzheimer’s disease.”

This is all different from what you get when using the names of other public figures or recent presidents. Use Obama’s name instead, and you’ll get an AI Overview — when I searched, it said that “No public evidence or statements from medical professionals indicate that former President Barack Obama has dementia”:

I got a similar result while searching about Obama in AI Mode:

There’s been a lot of coverage of the mental acuity of both President Trump and President Biden, who are the two oldest presidents ever, so it’s reasonable to expect that people might query Google about it. The company may be worried about accurately presenting information on a sensitive subject, as AI overviews remain susceptible to delivering incorrect information. But in this case, it may also be worried about the president’s response to such information. Google agreed this week to pay $24.5 million to settle a highly questionable lawsuit about Trump’s account being banned from YouTube.

Google spokesperson Davis Thompson didn’t say why AI overviews weren’t triggered for these queries when asked by The Verge. “As we’ve said, AI Overviews and AI Mode won’t show a response to every query.” Thompson also pointed to a document that explains how AI Overviews may not show for every query and that AI Mode may choose to show links instead of generating a response.

Update, September 30th: Added response from Google.



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Google Cloud To Support Midnights Privacy Focused Zk Network 1
GameFi Guides

Google Cloud to Support Midnight’s Privacy-Focused ZK Network

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The Midnight Foundation announced a collaboration with Google Cloud on September 22, 2025, to support the infrastructure of its zero-knowledge (ZK) network.

According to the announcement, Google Cloud will run a validator and provide security and confidential computing services to enhance the development of applications that require data privacy.

Midnight 🤝 @googlecloud

The @midnightfdn is collaborating with Google Cloud to accelerate privacy-first infrastructure and advance zero-knowledge technology as essential infrastructure for the next generation of digital systems.

Under this collaboration, Google Cloud will:… pic.twitter.com/3sNQVuOLXI

— Midnight (@MidnightNtwrk) September 30, 2025

Google Cloud Infrastructure and Security Role

Google Cloud’s role in the ecosystem includes operating network infrastructure and integrating its Confidential Computing service, which encrypts data during processing. In addition, Mandiant, a Google-owned cybersecurity firm, will provide threat monitoring for the Midnight network.

The collaboration also includes security enhancements from Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm owned by Google, which will provide threat monitoring for the Midnight network. This move aims to build a secure environment for developers and enterprises looking to build applications that handle sensitive information.

Richard Widmann, Head of Web3 Strategy and Operations at Google Cloud, said the collaboration reflects the balance enterprises seek when adopting new technologies. “The future of enterprise applications requires both transparency and privacy”.

He also pointed out that  by providing scalable infrastructure,they are enabling developers to experiment with zero-knowledge frameworks to verify transactions without exposing sensitive data.

Developer Support and Ecosystem Growth

The collaboration also extends to developer support. Startups building on Midnight will have access to the Google for Startups Web3 Program, which offers resources and credits valued at up to $200,000. The program is intended to encourage new projects and expand the range of privacy-preserving applications built with ZK technology.

By linking Midnight’s privacy-focused blockchain with Google Cloud’s enterprise infrastructure, the partnership brings tools and services aimed at developers and organizations in sectors where data security is a priority.

Also read: Google, PayPal Unite for AI-Powered Payment Solutions





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Google Calendar Review Hero
Product Reviews

I tested Google Calendar, and found it excels at helping manage day-to-day schedules

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

A digital calendar is one of the most sought-after tools, both for personal and professional use. It helps you plan your schedule ahead of time and adhere to it, instead of juggling random activities, which often leads to confusion. The best calendar apps are a productivity booster, especially in the workplace.

If you need a calendar app, you have an endless list of options to choose from, both free and paid. Google Calendar is one of the top options known for its simplicity and ease of use. I’ve reviewed Google Calendar extensively so that you don’t have to go through the same hassles. Read on to learn about its pros, cons, features, and what sets it apart from the competition.

Google Calendar: Plans and pricing

Google Calendar is a freemium tool. The free version is designed for personal use, unlocking access to a detailed calendar where you can plan your schedule and receive reminders.

However, the free plan lacks the features designed for business use, such as the ability for employees to create appointment booking pages and reserve conference rooms at the office. It also lacks the collaborative features that businesses get when they pay for a Google Workspace plan.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Workspace unlocks access to the premium features of the Calendar app, as well as other tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet. It’s a single stone that kills multiple birds in corporate settings; companies gain access to many valuable tools that help employees collaborate seamlessly and boost their productivity.

Google Workspace has three pricing plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $6 per user per month. It unlocks 30 GB of storage for each account and the core features of Google Calendar. However, this plan doesn’t include the ability to create appointment booking pages.

The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month. It provides 2 TB of storage per account, which covers information stored on Google Calendar and other Google apps. This plan unlocks the ability to create appointment booking pages and direct integration with Gemini, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Gemini is very helpful when using Google Calendar, a topic I’ll dive into later.

The Plus plan unlocks access to everything on the Standard plan and upgrades the available storage space to 5 TB per account. There’s no difference in the core Calendar features available in the Plus and Standard plans. Instead, the difference lies in the Plus plan having advanced security features and access to a digital vault for organizations to retain data for an extended period.

There’s notably an Enterprise Plus plan, but without standard pricing. This plan is targeted at large organizations that want to negotiate custom deals with Google’s sales team.

Each Google Workspace plan has a 14-day free trial period that enables you to test its features. You can also use the free Google Calendar app to test the core features and get a good hint of what to expect on a Google Workspace plan.

Google Calendar: Features

Google Calendar is designed as a daily companion where you can record future events and receive reminders when due. You have a calendar with all the future dates, and you can set events on specific dates and choose to receive reminders at particular times.

For example, you can choose to receive a reminder two days before or a day before an event. A reminder will be sent to your email address or via a push notification if you’ve downloaded the Calendar smartphone app.

Google Calendar lets you add many details when creating an event. First, you’ll add the title, location, and time. Then, you can add guests by entering their email addresses, and Google will send them an invitation to the event. If the event happens to be a videoconference or webinar hosted on Google Meet, you can generate a video meeting link that’ll be sent to invitees.

Google Calendar integrates with Gmail, Google Meet, and other Workspace productivity apps (Image credit: Google)

After adding events, you can monitor them easily from your dashboard. Picture a calendar listing all the dates in a year: all the future dates you’ve added events for will be highlighted, and you can click on any date to view the event. You can also switch the calendar view from the whole year to a specific month, week, or day.

What I’ve discussed above are the core Google Calendar features, but there’s much more to the app, especially for paid Google Workspace subscribers. If your business subscribes to Google Workspace, multiple employees can have shared calendars that foster collaboration.

For example, you can create an organization-wide calendar that lets employees keep track of important company events. Any upcoming meetings, holidays, and other events will be posted on this calendar, and each employee will receive reminders.

An assigned administrator can control access to this calendar, i.e., by choosing which accounts can add events to the calendar or can only view existing events. When someone adds an event to the organizational calendar and sets a reminder, all other people with access to the calendar will be notified.

Employees can also share their personal calendars with select colleagues. For instance, a team leader can share a calendar with their subordinates, giving them insight into the team leader’s schedule and the ability to book meetings directly with their team head. Different work teams can create their calendars to keep tabs on each other’s schedules and ensure they don’t set events on conflicting dates.

A memorable feature I used is the Gemini integration. Google unveiled its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant in 2023, in response to the AI boom spearheaded by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In 2024, it announced direct Gemini integration with Google tools, including Calendar, for Workspace subscribers.

The integration lets you interact with Gemini directly from your Calendar dashboard instead of using it as a separate app. Gemini can perform many tasks to help you manage your schedule.

For example, I asked Gemini to create events for me rather than spend the time to do everything manually. I asked it about specific events, i.e., “When is [event name] scheduled to be held on the calendar?” This is the tip of the iceberg, as Gemini can do much more. It’s like having a virtual assistant to help you plan your schedule.

Google Calendar can display daily, weekly, or monthly schedules or a list of upcoming events (Image credit: Google)

Users can create appointment booking pages via Google Calendar. Essentially, you’ll create a professional booking page and set your desired dates and time slots for people to book meetings. Colleagues and clients can visit the link and schedule a meeting, and you’ll be notified about every booking.

If you’re a professional who provides consultation services, you can require clients to pay to book a meeting directly from the booking page. This feature works by integrating a Stripe account to accept the payments.

Google Calendar has extensive integrations with other Google tools. For example, the Gmail integration provides a seemingly trivial but valuable feature: When you receive an email about any event, it can be automatically added to your schedule with just a click. Generally, you can convert any email directly into an event on your calendar.

Another example is the integration with Google Chat, which allows multiple people sharing a calendar to chat on the same dashboard. This way, colleagues can chat about calendar-related topics without juggling separate apps or browser tabs.

Google Calendar also has integrations with third-party tools. An example is Slack, a popular business messaging app. The Slack integration enabled me to view upcoming events and receive reminders directly on Slack instead of juggling between it and Google Calendar. I also scheduled meetings directly from Slack, and these meetings were automatically added to my Google Calendar dashboard.

Another third-party integration I tried is Todoist, a well-known task management app. The integration enabled me to sync tasks from Todoist to my Google Calendar dashboard.

I enjoyed using Google Calendar to manage my schedule. It’s not just an effective calendar app but one of the most collaborative ones I’ve used. Other apps may offer more advanced features, but Google Calendar excels at enabling people to create and manage shared calendars. It’s second to none in collaborativeness and simplicity.

(Image credit: Google)

Google Calendar: Interface and Use

Simplicity is a highlight of using Google Calendar. It has a noticeably straightforward interface that is easy to grasp. The homepage is the calendar, and you can sort through it to pick any date. Then, you can add an event to the date and set when to receive the reminder.

After setting events, you can always monitor them from your dashboard, which provides a complete view of your calendar. Click on any date in the calendar, and you’ll see any events set on that date. You can switch the calendar between different views (year, day, week, month, or any specific time frame). All the features are neatly arranged and easy to find in the top and left menus.

You can access Google Calendar from your web browser or download the Android or iOS mobile app. The mobile app makes it more convenient to monitor your schedule on the go, with the same features as the web browser version.

Google Calendar: Support

Google Calendar users have access to ample support resources. As a free user, your main support resource is the official Google Calendar help center, although it’s also useful for paid subscribers.

The official help center contains guides concerning all Calendar features. It’s the first place to consult to troubleshoot any issues with the app. In my case, I faced just a few issues with Google Calendar, mainly learning how to use some complex features. The help center quickly resolved these issues.

There’s also an official help community where you can ask questions and get answers from other Google users. This community provides valuable help for free users facing complex issues.

Paid subscribers can access direct support from Google’s team. The team is available 24/7 via email, live chat, or telephone, and is known for resolving customer issues quickly. While free users don’t have access to this direct support, the Google Calendar help center is sufficient to resolve most issues. Google Calendar’s intuitive interface minimizes the amount of help you’ll need in the first place.

Google Calendar: The competition

Apple Calendar and Calendly are the main Google Calendar competitors I’d like to highlight. Both are robust calendar apps with unique pros and cons when compared to Google Calendar.

Just like Google Calendar is extensively integrated with other Google apps and the Android operating system (which is owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company), Apple Calendar is extensively integrated with Apple apps and the broader iOS ecosystem.

Apple Calendar is pre-installed on iPhones and has a simple, intuitive design similar to Google Calendar. Calendar data is encrypted, and users have full access to their Calendar when offline. However, Apple Calendar lacks the collaborative features offered on a Google Workspace plan. It’s designed for personal rather than business use.

Calendly is a calendar app designed for businesses to automate many scheduling tasks. It has more advanced appointment scheduling features than Google Calendar, including the ability to handle round-robin scheduling and other complex team scheduling demands. Calendly is also much more customizable and has a broader library of third-party integrations than Google Calendar.

However, Calendly is a more expensive option, considering that you’re paying only for a scheduling tool, unlike a Google Workspace subscription that unlocks both the Calendar app and many other Google tools. Calendly is a good option for large businesses with complex scheduling needs, while Google Calendar is more suitable for small-to-mid-sized firms.

Google Calendar: Final verdict

Google Calendar strikes an ideal balance between functionality, simplicity, and pricing. Given the other tools available as part of a Google Workspace subscription, it’s a cost-effective option for small to mid-sized businesses, enabling them to manage schedules effectively and ensure employees stay on the same page.

Google Calendar doesn’t have the most advanced features, but it’s sufficient for day-to-day schedule management, and the intuitive interface makes it a good choice for companies across diverse industries.

We’ve also featured the best calendar apps and the best productivity tools



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Can Google be trusted without a break up?
Gaming Gear

Can Google be trusted without a break up?

by admin


On day three of the two-week remedies trial in the Justice Department’s ad tech case against Google, Judge Leonie Brinkema boiled down the argument to one key issue: trust. Brinkema interrupted testimony from a DOJ expert with a hypothetical: should she issue a strict order modifying Google’s behavior, could it resolve the issues at hand if “you had confidence that Google would actually act in complete good faith?”

The question felt particularly pointed, given how the Google trial Brinkema presided over last year unfolded. Over three weeks, the DOJ repeatedly presented examples of Google employees allegedly using chat messages to avoid leaving a paper trail for discovery. Brinkema later said the practice represented “systemic disregard of the evidentiary rules.” While she opted not to sanction Google for its lax approach to preserving evidence, she warned not to take its decision as condoning the behavior.

Soon, Brinkema will decide how hard to crack down on the monopoly that she ruled Google holds in ad tech. That decision may hinge on whether she thinks it will follow the rules this time.

Google’s remedies proposal involves a court order banning specific business practices and requiring it to engage in the ad auction process in ways similar to its rivals. But the DOJ says that leaves it easily capable of monopolizing the market again. The government wants to take power out of Google’s hands altogether by making it spin off ad exchange AdX and open source part of (and possibly even sell) its DFP tool for web publishers.

It’s the second time in just a few months that a judge has faced the question of breaking up Google. In a separate case over Google’s search monopoly, Judge Amit Mehta declined to do so, opting for lower-lift remedies like banning anticompetitive practices and sharing data. The facts that led Mehta to decide against a break up have no bearing on this case, the government argued in its opening statement. Still, Brinkema’s ruling could be an indicator of how widely judges share Mehta’s caution, as more cases against Big Tech companies roll toward a trial.

“The devil is in the details”

The DOJ was still in the midst of its case-in-chief on Friday, but Google’s attorneys were already driving at their core argument: that the government is underselling how difficult and risky its asks are. Google advertising executive Tim Craycroft testified that the DOJ’s proposals were “naive” and “incoherent.” This line of thinking seemed to land with the judge by mid-week. “The devil is in the details,” she said during the testimony of Jonathan Weissman, the DOJ’s expert witness on the technical feasibility of a break up. After he compared changing Google’s ad tech tools to changing tires on a car, Brinkema noted that a change to snow tires could result in a “bumpier” ride for the user.

But during Craycroft’s testimony, Brinkema appeared to entertain an even more extreme option the government hadn’t asked for: shutting down AdX altogether. This was apparently something Google itself considered within the past few years in an analysis it called “Project Monday,” Craycroft said.

“Why is that not a very simple and elegant solution?” Brinkema asked, after Craycroft noted that another Big Tech company could buy AdX and create its own monopoly. Though several ad exchanges exist today, the court found they’ve been denied a level playing field because of tactics like reserving full real-time bidding access to Google’s huge advertiser base through its own tools. Publishers testified in the liability trial that made it nearly impossible to leave, even though AdX was charging a supracompetitive take rate of 20 percent on transactions. Craycroft told the judge that deprecating AdX could be an elegant solution, but that would also get rid of other helpful features in the product.

Brinkema made clear she wants to learn what’s actually possible, as she considers options for leveling the playing field without harming publishers and advertisers who rely on Google products.

Google found a so-called business divestiture of AdX would be feasible within two years, Craycroft said, including offloading IP, moving customer contracts, and providing reference code to guide the buyer through duplicating product functions in its own systems. But he stressed Google couldn’t realistically provide source code guaranteed to work in an unknown buyer’s tech stack, as the DOJ requests. Former Facebook capacity engineer Goranka Bjedov, who helped migrate Instagram and WhatsApp during their acquisitions, testified that the reference source code would be sufficient for a full migration. If Brinkema finds a divestiture is possible, she’ll have to decide if she trusts Google enough not to force one.

Even after helping Google’s attorneys craft their remedies proposals, Craycroft told DOJ attorney Matthew Huppert that he could not commit to lowering AdX’s 20 percent take rate, which the judge had ruled to be above a competitive level, and said a tie between DFP and access to AdX real-time bidding, a sticking point for publishers, was “just how the product was built.”

The answer to Brinkema’s question about trust wasn’t necessarily reassuring for Google. Robin Lee, the Harvard economist she asked, said the problem was how many different ways Google could get around the intentions behind a court order. Lee said there’s an almost unpredictably exhaustive list of methods for tilting the scales in Google’s favor, and it’s got every incentive to take them.

Longtime Google critics were disappointed after Mehta’s ruling didn’t include a breakup. If Brinkema reaches a similar conclusion, The Trade Desk Chief Revenue Officer Jed Dederick testified, “I think there will be a sense that they got away with it.”

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