Google Cameos helps celebrities post answers to the internet’s questions

By Christian de Looper August 10, 2018

Google wants to make it easier for celebrities to reach their audience. To that end, the company released a new app called Cameos, which is available for iOS and really targeted specifically at celebrities.

Through Cameos, celebrities can essentially record videos answering some of the more popular questions asked on the internet. Then, those videos will show up straight in Google’s search results — allowing users to get information about celebrities straight from the celebrities themselves.

Related Videos

Anyone can technically download the Cameos app, but once downloaded, most people won’t be able to use it. Cameos requires that access is granted by Google before it can be used. Celebrities who do gain access to the app can then browse the web for popular questions about them, then answer any questions they choose to answer through a video. After a celebrity starts using the app, Google says it will push them to answer new questions and searches as a way to make sure that content remains timely. Once a question is answered, Google says the response to the question will be posted quickly to Google search results, so that users can find the videos when they search for a celebrity.

Of course, just because this app is available, that doesn’t mean we should expect to see videos from celebrities showing up in Google search results anytime soon. First, celebrities have to start actually using the app, and there is no guarantee that will actually happen.

Cameos is actually an extension of the “Posts on Google” feature that has been rolling out over the past few years. The feature allows some people and organizations to post directly to Google search results. Initially, it was aimed strictly at only a handful of celebrities, movie studios, and sports teams, but over the past year or so, Google has been rolling out the feature to local businesses as well. Earlier this year, Google also expanded the feature to musicians.

Interestingly enough, the new app is currently only available on iOS — which probably says more about the people Google is trying to reach than Google itself. We’ll have to wait and see if an Android version of the app ever gets released.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Mobile

What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more

The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.

Mobile

You may want to think twice about buying a Samsung or Pixel phone

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra next to the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

A new report from Project Zero, Google's internal security research team, says that a laundry list of devices using Exynos modems are at a high risk of major security breaches that would give remote users the ability to very easily "compromise a phone at the baseband level." Notably, the recently released Pixel 7 is among those that are open to attack, alongside the Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S22, to name just a few.

Obviously, this is a major issue, but not all hope is lost, as the problem is certainly fixable. The big question is when a fix for all affected devices is coming. Here's everything you need to know about the vulnerability and what you can do to keep your smartphone safe.
Why Samsung and Pixel phones are in danger

Mobile

The Google Pixel Fold may not be as expensive as you thought

Alleged renders of the Google Pixel Fold in black.

Google’s long-in-development foldable phone — the Pixel Fold — is reportedly eyeing a late June launch. A recent leak predicted that the Pixel Fold will hit the European shelves priced at 1,700 Euros, which equates to roughly $1,800 based on current conversion rates. That’s not easy to digest, especially for a first-gen foldable phone and considering Google’s own shaky history with its Pixel hardware and software.
But it appears that the Pixel Fold’s price won’t be inexplicably exorbitant at all. Leaker Yogesh Bear shared on Twitter that the foldable phone could actually cost anywhere between $1,300 and $1,500. Assuming that turns out to be true, the Pixel Fold could undercut the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and its successor by a healthy $500.

In fact, such an asking price would put the Pixel Fold in roughly the same ballpark as the higher storage configurations of phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max. Of course, Google won’t be able to match the asking price of foldables from Chinese brands, but it would at least look competitive in the Western markets.
Now, a price of around $1,300-1,500 makes a lot of sense. First, the biggest deterrent for foldable phones is their high asking price. There’s a reason Samsung managed to sell bucketloads of its flip-style foldable phones because they cost nearly half vis-a-vis the phone-tablet hybrids in the Galaxy Z Fold series.