Technology companies and racing teams have always had close ties. Google and McLaren recently hit a cooperation agreement for 2022. As part of the agreement, the Android logo will appear on the hoods of F1 cars. Furthermore, the Chrome branding will appear on the vehicle’s hubcaps. Google will also make its products available to team operations throughout the racing weekend, including Android devices and the Chrome browser.
This is a multi-year partnership involving two teams in the McLaren portfolio – McLaren F1 Team and McLaren MX Extreme E Team. Google’s branding will also be featured on the overalls of F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as Extreme E drivers Emma Gilmore and Tanner Foster.
The Google branding will be featured on the MCL36 F1 car starting this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and on the No. 58 McLaren MX Extreme E car starting at the 2022 Island X Grand Prix scheduled for early May.
Qualcomm will also appear in the F1 race in 2022. Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced that its Snapdragon logo would appear on the Ferrari F1-75, which will appear on the car’s flanks and wheels during Sunday’s race.
Google Play Store update: Screen premium apps for larger-screen devices like Android tablets
Google previously announced that it will adjust the Play Store to help users more easily find applications suitable for their platforms on devices of different sizes. In its latest blog, Google reveals that it will launch a “high-quality” app label for apps. This will make large screen devices to better adapt to some apps that are originally not for large screens. Judging from recent moves, Google seems to be working hard to help the Android tablet ecosystem develop.
Google emphasizes that the first update to the Play Store will be available in the next few months. Finally, Google also emphasizes that it will present ratings and reviews based on the device a user is using. Thus is whether it’s a tablet, Android Auto, or Wear OS.
Google claims last year that it hopes to provide users with an application experience optimized based on current devices. An app might rate low on a tablet but will work well and have a high rating on a phone. This way, users can know if the app is right for their device. Also, developers can better understand where they need to improve.
Google says these features will arrive “in the next few months”. In addition, Google will launch the Android 12L system with wider applicability later this year.
