Official Google Canada Blog: August 2015

#Elxn42: The Digital Election

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Whether you’ve used the internet to fact check information during a debate, explore a party’s campaign platform, or watch a debate live on YouTube, Canadians are turning to the web during this election more than ever before.
With week three of the campaign trail underway, we took a look at the role the internet is playing in #elxn42.

Even the term #elxn42 is a nod to the new Digital Voter -- one who spends almost all their time online when looking for information about politics and elections. In fact, nearly half of Canadian voters in this election report watching less live TV than four years ago.

@googlecanadaYouTube Canada Elections HubPosted by Leslie Church, Head of Communications & Public Affairs, Google Canada

Meet OnHub: a new router for a new way to Wi-Fi

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Cross posted from the Official Google Blog
Ugh...not again. You get home at the end of the day, and sit down to stream a new movie or upload vacation photos — and your Wi-Fi slows to a crawl or just stops working. Instead of relaxing in front of the screen or sharing those photos with friends, you spend it unplugging and re-plugging cords, trying to decipher blinking lights, or contemplating a call to customer support.
While we count on Wi-Fi more than ever to be entertained, productive, and stay connected, we’re streaming and sharing in new ways our old routers were never built to handle. So today, with our partner TP-LINK, we’re launching OnHub, a different kind of router for a new way to Wi-Fi. Instead of headaches and spotty connections, OnHub gives you Wi-Fi that’s fast, secure, and easy to use.

Designed for the HomeMany of us keep our router on the floor and out of sight, where it doesn’t work as well. We replaced unruly cords and blinking lights with internal antennas and subtle, useful lighting, so you’ll be happy placing OnHub out in the open, where your router performs its best.

Starts Fast, Stays FastDuring setup, OnHub searches the airwaves and selects the best channel for the fastest connection. A unique antenna design and smart software keep working in the background, automatically adjusting OnHub to avoid interference and keep your network at peak performance. You can even prioritize a device, so that your most important activity — like streaming your favourite show — gets the fastest speed.

A simple mobile app
OnHub makes it simple to set up and manage your Wi-Fi, all from the Google On app, available on Android or iOS. The Google On app tells you how much bandwidth your devices are using, lets you run a network check, and if there’s an issue with your Wi-Fi, the app offers suggestions to help. And, instead of lost passwords and sticky notes, it even reveals your password with a single tap and lets you text or email it to friends.

Just gets better
OnHub automatically updates with new features and the latest security upgrades, without interrupting your connection. In the future, OnHub can support smart devices that you bring into your home, whether they use Bluetooth® Smart Ready, Weave, or 802.15.4. We also plan to design new OnHub devices with other hardware partners in the future. Stay tuned for news from our second partner, ASUS, later this year.

OnHub will be available for sale for $269 in the Google Store and Best Buy in the coming weeks.

At the end of the day, we want our Wi-Fi to just work, so that we can do all the things we love to do online. Here’s to Wi-Fi with the reliability, speed, and security you want at home, without the frustrations you don’t.

Posted by Trond Wuellner, Group OnHub Product Manager

The First Debate of #Elxn42 - Canadians were curious about surpluses, the Senate and separation

Friday, August 7, 2015

Last night, Canadians had their first opportunity to hear directly from Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the inaugural leaders’ debate of #elxn42.

Canadians turn to Google for all sorts of reasons, but the trending questions we saw last night point towards a sense of curiosity about the big issues including the economy and the health of our democracy.

In terms of real-time search interest, we saw the highest number of searches for Justin Trudeau, followed by Stephen Harper. The peak moment for search volume related to the leaders was around 8:50, as Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Mulcair squared off about support for expanded pipelines into eastern Canada.

Mr. Trudeau generated a high volume of search interest across the country, as seen below:

There is still a long way to go before election day, but these searches show us that even on day four of the campaign, Canadians are eager to look beyond the sound bites and to learn more about the issues.

The Google Trends team will share regular updates throughout the election, so follow us at @googlecanada, or check back here for updates!

Posted by Aaron Brindle, Communications & Public Affairs, Google Canada

Canada Lands Two Finalists in Google Science Fair's Top 20

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Posted by Andrea Cohan, Google Science Fair Program Manager

(Cross-posted on the Google for Work blog.)

Congratulations to Canadian teens Isabella O'Brien, 13, and Calvin Rieder, 18, on becoming finalists in the Google Science Fair!

Sometimes the biggest discoveries are made by the youngest scientists. They’re curious and not afraid to ask, and it’s this spirit of exploration that leads them to try, and then try again. Thousands of these inquisitive young minds from around the world submitted projects for this year’s Google Science Fair, and today we’re thrilled to announce the 20 Global Finalists whose bright ideas could change the world.

From purifying water with corn cobs to transporting Ebola antibodies through silk; extracting water from air or quickly transporting vaccines to areas in need, these students have all tried inventive, unconventional things to help solve challenges they see around them. And did we mention that they’re all 18 or younger?

We’ll be highlighting each of the impressive 20 finalist projects over the next 20 days in the Spotlight on a Young Scientist series on the Google for Education blog to share more about these inspirational young people and what inspires them.

Then on September 21st, these students will join us in Mountain View to present their projects to a panel of notable international scientists and scholars, eligible for a $50,000 scholarship and other incredible prizes from our partners at LEGO Education, National Geographic, Scientific American and Virgin Galactic.

Congratulations to our finalists and everyone who submitted projects for this year’s Science Fair. Thank you for being curious and brave enough to try to change the world through science.

Live on YouTube: The first #elxn42 National Leaders Debate

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

first debateYouTube Canada Elections HubMaclean’s Magazine YouTube Channel

youtube.com/elxn42
Posted by Leslie Church, Head of Communications, Google Canada

Official Canada Blog

#Elxn42: The Digital Election

Meet OnHub: a new router for a new way to Wi-Fi

The First Debate of #Elxn42 - Canadians were curious about surpluses, the Senate and separation

Canada Lands Two Finalists in Google Science Fair's Top 20

Live on YouTube: The first #elxn42 National Leaders Debate

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