Google introduces Google Apps certification

By Molly McHugh Published February 23, 2011

Google has long struggled to be taken seriously by the big boys – aka, the corporate and government sectors. Earlier this year, Google sued the US government for not allowing it to fairly compete for its business against Microsoft Office BPOS. And while its Android Marketplace and Chrome Web Store have experienced soaring and moderate success, respectively, it now seems like Google will be taking steps to bulk up Google Apps.

The titan of search announced today that it will launch a Google Apps Certification Program. It’s a fully web-based program consisting of an online, $100 exam (not including the $45 for the webcam, which can be used for future exams) that will offer IT professionals the authority to “migrate to, configure, and deploy Google apps.” Here are the requirements, per Google:

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“Before taking the exam, it is recommended that a candidate have a minimum of 3-6 years of professional IT experience, and complete at least 3 Google Apps for Business deployments. The deployments should require some technical complexity and significant data integration and migration work. You should be experienced with the use of Google Apps Directory Sync and server side migration tools, such as Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange.”

At the moment, the exam is only offered in English, but will expand to include other languages. Sure, the IT world really didn’t need one more certification program out there, but it’s an important step for Google as it tries to compete with Microsoft for its clients. And hey, passing the test comes with a badge.

Former Social Media/Web Editor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

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Computing

You can now have secret chats with Google’s Gemini in incognito mode

Launching Gemini Deep Research query on Chrome desktop.

You can now have a quick chat with Gemini on your web browser without having to sign in first. And, to speed up the process, the Gemini website even takes you directly to the chat window instead of showing you a landing page first.

This move, spotted by 9To5Google, is pretty smart as it allows unconvinced users to try out the product with no strings attached. With any luck, they'll enjoy the experience and decide to sign up to get access to more of the features.

Computing

I saw Google’s Gemini AI erase copyright evidence. I am deeply worried

Gemini Advanced on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Update: Google has responded to Digital Trends’ queries. The story has been updated with company’s statement below.
The rise of generative AI has been a fairly messy process, especially from fair usage ethics and copyright perspective. AI giants are inking deals with publishers to avoid legal hassles, while at the same time, they are embroiled in copyright tussles in courts in multiple countries.
As the ravenous appetite for training AI on user data grows, we might be in for another ethical conundrum. Multiple users on X and Reddit have shared demonstrations of how Google’s latest Gemini 2.0 series AI model can remove watermarks from copyright-protected images.
Going by the before/after samples of images, it seems Gemini is doing a fairly good job of removing the watermarks. Notably, it’s not only erasing those banner-style watermarks, but also fairly complex overlays with design and stylized text elements.
https://x.com/ajiteshleo/status/1901484196972945872?s=61
The model in question is the Gemini 2.0 Flash, which was released earlier this year and got a reasoning upgrade, as well. It is worth noting here that you can not remove the watermark if you are using the mobile or desktop version of the Gemini 2.0 Flash model. Trying to do so returns a message like this:
“Removing watermarks from images without the explicit permission of the copyright holder is illegal in most countries. It is important to respect the copyright laws and intellectual property rights. If you want to use an image with a watermark, you should contact the copyright holder and ask for permission.”
You can, however, try and remove the watermark from images in the Google AI Studio. Digital Trends successfully removed watermarks from a variety of images using the Gemini 2.0 Flash (Image Generation) Experimental model.

It is a violation of local copyright laws and any usage of AI-modified material without due consent could land you in legal trouble. Moreover, it is a deeply unethical act, which is also why artists and authors are fighting in court over companies using their work to train AI models without duly compensating them or seeking their explicit nod.

How are the results?
A notable aspect is that the images produced by the AI are fairly high quality. Not only is it removing the watermark artifacts, but also fills the gap with intelligent pixel-level reconstruction. In its current iteration, it works somewhat like the Magic Eraser feature available in the Google Photos app for smartphones.
Furthermore, if the input image is low quality, Gemini is not only wiping off the watermark details but also upscaling the overall picture. .
https://x.com/kaiju_ya/status/1901099096930496720?s=61
The output image, however, has its own Gemini watermark, although this itself can be removed with a simple crop. There are a few minor differences in the final image produced by Gemini after its watermark removal process, such as slightly different color temperatures and fuzzy surface details in photorealistic shots.

Computing

The new Windows app is officially replacing Remote Desktop

A person compares Bitdefender and Norton antivirus software pricing on a Windows PC.

Microsoft is ending support for Remote Desktop, requiring users to switch over to its new Windows app. From May 27, the Remote Desktop app will no longer be available for download and Microsoft recommends current users uninstall the app.

The replacement, the Windows app, launched in September last year and is designed to give users "unified access" to a range of formerly separate Windows services.