Google’s News Lab collaborated on visual site that shows most common ‘How To’ questions online

The phrase “Google it” is such an important part of our lexicon for years already. But what do we Google exactly? A new website made by Google’s News Lab team together with interactive visual data journalist Xaquin G.V. delves into the searches we made starting with the words “How To.” These two words apparently make up a lot of our searches on the site. Inspired by his own searches of how to fix things around the house, the site makes use of Google and its Trends tools to show what tops the “How to” searches are for different countries. As TechCrunch points out, in Canada, how to searches related to doors, toilets, and fridges are commonly looked up.

On top of that, the site has an essay that looks in the top 100 “How To” searches made around the world to see what we usually need help with. Xaquin breaks this down into categories and adds visual representation of how popular each topic is. The site is highly responsive and looks great on mobile. It was deliberate on their part as Google News Lab Data Editor Simon Rogers said, they wanted to focus on the site’s mobile performance for visual storytelling as this is how people access information. Rogers also said projects like this help them see how their data can be used to tell stories and perhaps fuel interest in creating great data-based journalism.

The Essential Phone gets better quality photos from a modified Google Camera APK

Left: Essential Camera; Right: Google Camera with HDR+

The reviews for the Essential Phone have started to come in and what we’ve been seeing so far is criticism towards the camera quality of the new device. But it doesn’t seem to be because of the camera sensor itself but something more to do with Essential’s camera software. The Next Web’s Napier Lopez reviewed the device and he installed a modified Google Camera APK that works with most Snapdragon 820+ phones into the Essential Phone to check whether it’s a hardware or software issue. And he found better quality photos on it, which means, the issue lies on software. The good thing about that is, software can be remedied. Let’s hope Essential works on that soon, and we know they already have enough issues to deal with now.

Mark Hamill teases Luke Skywalker’s look and big change for ‘The Last Jedi’

It’s been so long since we’ve last seen Luke Skywalker. Sure we saw a bit of him at the end of The Force Awakens but that brief encounter doesn’t really tell us anything. A new cover for a magazine featuring Mark Hamill as the iconic Skywalker gives us a glimpse of a changed man. Luke in an all-black ensemble with red light shining on him has people talking about the lengths the Jedi Knight has changed.

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‘Star Wars’ BB-8 gets an evil twin?

Just in time for Force Friday II, when merch for the upcoming Star Wars film comes out, Disney together with Sphero unveiled new droids we’ve definitely been looking for. One is a tiny incarnation of R2-D2 (at least that’s what it looks like to us based on the video) and another is what Hollywood Reporter calls the evil twin trope incarnation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’s BB-8. Called BB-9E (or if Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson had his way, BB-H8), the new droid will be debuting in the Dec. 15 film as part of the Astromech unit of the First Order. BB-9E helps keep the starships and machinery running. The toy itself is being called a “rolling menace” and you see it toppling a Jenga tower in the video above.

The BB-9E is almost identical to BB-8, down to the markings on the body, but this time it comes in black and gray and has a more angular head and a red-eye, making it look similar to Darth Vader with his helmet on. The BB-9E will be available for US$149.99 (around CA$190), while if you’re more interested in R2-D2, the iconic droid goes for US$179.99 (around CA$220).

Source: Variety