Google puts a stop to dessert names; Android Q is now Android 10

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Google’s tradition of naming its Android version after desserts has come to an end; Android Q will lose its letter and instead be called Android 10.

Android Q’s first beta was first released in March while its final beta was released just recently, indicating that the official launch is near. There are many features that will be included in Android 10 such as the ability to undo app removal, share Wi-Fi networks with a QR code and live caption that will add subtitle to videos watched on your devices.

“This naming tradition has become a fun part of the release each year externally, too. But we’ve heard feedback over the years that the names weren’t always understood by everyone in the global community,” said Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management, Android.

Google wants its names to be relevant globally, not just part of the world — hence the reason why they’re going with numbers instead of treats/desserts. In addition, Google also decided to introduced their new logo and brand colour that is “a more modern, accessible look”. The logo that was once green becomes black and it’ll now be paired with the famous Android robot.

The updated logo will be rolling out in the upcoming weeks and the Android 10 will be the beginning of Android’s new codename.

Android 10
Android Q
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Google rebrands Android Wear to Wear OS, expecting newer and better features

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Google is apparently restructuring the Android Wear brand to Wear OS, and through undergoing this process, lots of new features will be added and enhanced too, even with the inclusion with a new logo. All future smartwatches will have this new logo while the existing ones will be rebranded in an over-the-air update in the coming weeks.

There are many features to look out for, like how Google is planning on revamping the health app, making sure users keep their wellbeing in check whilst motivating them to stay active. They may not be making any major announcements now but accordingly, there would be major progress being made to the future of their Wear OS smartwatches.

As for iPhone users, Google is also looking into making the user experience more friendly for them, since browsing the Play Store on the smartwatch can be really complicated. But improving the iOS experience is going to happen more quickly because the use of Assistant breaks the connectivity and disrupts the information delivery process to the end user.

Though many improvements are expected to happen to the Wear OS smartwatches, it cannot be denied that some limitations will remain too. One obstacle is that iMessages will continue to be apparent and may not go away anytime soon, though efforts will be pushed to improve on that matter. And if Google Fit’s revamping doesn’t include a better feature than its current form, it will continue to pale beside rivalry brands.

But it’s definitely something worth waiting for as there’s going to be a lot of improvements that have been promised, so we’ll be sure to keep an eye out to keep you guys posted.

android wear
google
google assistant
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Google Redesigns and Simplifies Google+

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Looks like Google has finally realized that Google+ won’t be replacing popular social media networks like Facebook, however, they have instead redesigned and simplified Google+ to cater for its main users – communities. Google+ users tend to use this platform to share information and talk about specific topics, with Communities and Collections being the forefront of that. Whether you like Astrophotography or Teddy Bears, there is a community for you to share and discover your passion.

Now, what is Google revamping? Well, they’ve drastically simplified every aspect of Google+, focusing its navigation around Collections and Communities. Not only have they done a redesign these two sections, it is also now easier to post, search, connect, and keep up with your favorite content in a redesigned home stream. On top of that, the new web experience will load faster and work as well on all devices of various sizes.

To preview the new Google+ on the web today, just sign into your Google+ account and click on “Let’s Go” when you see the prompt. Do note that not all features in Google+ have been updated yet, so you can actually toggle back to the classic Google+ design with one click. As for iOS and Android versions, Google will be rolling out the updated apps in the next few days.

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Google released Datally to manage your mobile data usage

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Google has released an app that will help you better understand, control and save data by showing you apps that are using excess data or just generally monitor the data usage of the apps you have installed.

The app will do mainly three things, understand your data by showing you hourly, daily, weekly or monthly data usage and recommend to you how you can save data. Next is the Data Saver bubble to block background data usage and track real-time data usage and block them with a tap if they are using too much data. Lastly, it will tell you when you are near a public WiFi and help you connect to the network to help keep your data quota from depleting.

The app was being tested in the Philippines for the past few months and it managed to save up to 30 percent of the citizens’ data. Now it is available globally and you can download the app from the
Play Store
 if you have a phone running on Android Lolipop and above.

android
app
data
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Google releases Google Earth VR

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Do you wanna travel the world from the comforts of your own home? If you have a HTC Vive, you can, because Google has just released
Google Earth VR
 today.

Available right now on Steam, Google Earth VR is a free application that would take you on a cinematic tour to some of Earth’s biggest attractions. For example, some of the places you can visit right now on Google Earth VR includes the Amazon River, the Grand Canyon, the Swiss Alps and more.

The list of attractions isn’t just limited to natural attractions as the app also includes tours of cities such as the Island of Manhattan, Rio de Janeiro and the Tokyo Tower. If you’re tired of visiting places on Earth, you can always zoom out to space and see the entire planet instead.

For now, Google Earth VR is currently limited to the HTC Vive headset. Support for other platforms will be available in the future, including Daydream, so you will eventually be able to explore the world through your smartphone.

Source:
Steam

daydream
google
googleearthvr
htcvive
steam


Google Releases: Mobile Search Moments, Streamlined Searches and The MLP

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Today, Google had a press conference addressed by Matthew Zaheen, Head of Marketting for Google Malaysia, and Sajith Sivanandan, Managing Director of Google Malaysia to unveil three very key features that Google is releasing into the Malaysian tech ecosystem.

Mobile Search Moments

First off the agenda was Google’s latest research statistics. The Google research and development division has set out to further enhance the way that users use Google on their phones, primarily the search function. The presentation was conducted by Sajith Sivanandan to deliver the findings of the research team. The research was focused around 3 important moments, starting with the actual Search itself, the Conversion that followed the search as well as the Perception.

To further expand on this and shed some light a little, there are about 10 million 3G subscriptions in Malaysia at the time of survey. It is also found that 51% of adults in Malaysia have a smartphone and 24% of those users are women who are more likely to make their searches on a smartphone than on anything else, like a
tablet
 or a PC. The group of 403 participants in this research agreed to be monitored of their daily habits on their smartphones when using Google search, most of the searches were based on navigation. Another interesting fact is that these searches often happen at home or at work, and the volume of searches increase as the end of the week draws nearer — When users are starting to plan for their weekend, looking at things like weather, where’s the best bargain or even where are they going to eat for their Saturday night gathering. The group averaged about 3.3 searches a day. If you want to see numbers, about 80% of mobile searches occured at home or at work, and 22% of them happen on-the-go. Roughly 8% of these searches happened while in stores or at a restaurant. 91% of mobile searches actually led to a conversion, or further action. Which means these users used Google to find info about a product or store before making a purchase of a product or even a service. Some 50% of these searches help with decision making when time is urgent. Also, 26% of consumers who click on an ad (or at least those who didn’t click on it on accident) are more likely to visit a store to make a purchase.

“Today’s battle for customers is won in ‘micro moments’ – the spontaneous moments of decision-making and preference-shaping that dictate outcomes throughout the entire consumer journey, which is happening with consumers on mobile,”

Sajith Sivanandan, Managing Director, Google Malaysia.

There is a lot of truth in these ‘micro moments’, how often have you gone to a shop and wondered if you should purchase something, or think there might be something better? Google definitely zoomed in on this and has done necessary optimizations to their search engine to better provide information that is both useful and convenient to the end user.

The above image is an example of how Google will implement ads into the searches, it’s definitely what you are looking for and it is definitely a way for Google to help boost your business’ presence in the market and on the web, all you need is a mobile-enabled web service and you’re good to go. How to get one, you might ask? Well keep reading, the press release has a big announcement regarding this as well!

Streamlined Mobile Results

Based on your connectivity, Google will now deliver it’s search results based on your internet connectivity. The searches will not be based on whether you are on 2G or 3G however, but based on the your internet speed at the point of search, which means even if you’re on 3G with horrible speeds, you will still be able to get results for your searches. This benefits both the users and businesses. Fewer bytes means you get faster answers. You won’t get Google’s high resolution graphics, but you will definitely get Google’s high quality services. This is a giant step Google takes towards organizing the world’s information and making it literally accessible to everyone — not figuratively accessible to everyone with a good connection.

Mobile Leadership Program (MLP)

Better ad presence, smarter search results and faster delivery times are all great and everything, but the main reason for this press conference was to unveil Google’s latest lunge towards enhancing the experience and convenience for those micro moments. Google’s Mobile Leadership Program, the first program of its kind that is aimed towards helping businesses enhance their presence not only on the search engines but from within your smartphone. You won’t get to see all those pretty graphics without a properly optimized website anyway, and Google is willing to teach you how to create one for free!

Matthew Zaheen, Head of Marketing Google Malaysia and Sajith Sivanandan, Managing Director Google Malaysia were present to unveil the MLP that is targeted towards ‘supercharging’ Malaysia’s businesses on the mobile space by helping agency and business professionals become better equipped to engage Malaysians via the mobile platform. The MLP will aim to help marketers build a stronger presence as well as cover the research and insights, Google’s own mobile solutions and measurement tools as well as assist anyone who wants to improve their mobile-related skill set and knowledge.

“This trans-formative role of mobile in digital marketing has opened up exciting new opportunities for businesses to reach and engage with consumers, and our Mobile Leadership Program aims to help them discover and grow their proficiency in mobile advertising.”

Sajith Sivanandan, Managing Director, Google Malaysia.

Google Malaysia will be holding MLP boot camps in their home office with the first session beginning on the 28th of April. If you do not have the freedom or time to attend the boot camps in KL, you can download the course material online for self-study as well. The materials you get for self-study are the exact same materials you get for attending the boot camps, so do not feel pressured to attend the boot camp (which, by the way; is free) if you feel more comfortable on your own. Here is the program overview:

Market insights on the state of mobile in Malaysia today

Insights into various mobile offerings available in the market

Best practices on building effective mobile sites and apps

Principles on how to create an optimised mobile experience for your users

Measurement tools, helping you track and improve performance from all your mobile tactics

Become mobile ready by assessing your mobile knowledge via our online quiz

More information can be found at the
MLP website
 at
http://g.co/MLPMY
. Did I mention that the MLP website is mobile optimized? Check it out on your phone!


Google releases stabilisation for videos on Google Photos

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Those of you that have shaky hands when it comes to recording a video need not worry anymore. Google has the solution for you. Google Photos app has recently be updated to help stabilize shaky videos. Android Police reported of a placeholder in the Photos APK last August which has been replaced with a true video stabilization. This allows the app to take a previously recorded video and remove as much shake from the video as possible.

A video comparison was released by Mashable to show you a side-by-side comparison of a video with, and without Photos stabilization which you can view
here
. A good feature that Google implemented is that, the video that goes through the Photos stabilization does not overwrite the photo, it duplicates the video and stabilizes the duplicated video giving you the option to have both videos kept.

To stabilize a video, you need to download the latest version of Google Photos. From there open up a video you wish to stabilize and tap the pencil icon, select the “Stabilize” option and a progress bar will appear. This new feature has only been implemented for Android phones and is unknown if Google plans to bring it to iOS.

android
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Google releases Voice Access which allows you to navigate your phone using only your voice

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After a long beta test, Google has finally released Voice Access which allows you to use your phone without tapping on the screen. The app allows you to navigate your phone using only your voice.

The app allows you to open and navigate apps, type a message using your voice, and even control the OS by using the navigation buttons at the bottom of the phone without tapping it. You can either tell Voice Access exactly what to tap or enable the number of indicators that will indicate places on the screen you can tap and navigate by just saying the numbers. You can even scroll up and down on Facebook and every other command that you can think of.

The app was mainly made for people with disabilities who have problems using their phones. Voice Access is only available in English for now but Google has said that they are working hard to support additional languages in the future. You can try out the app right now by downloading it for free on the Play Store, and if you have friends or relatives that have trouble using this phone, you can recommend them to try this app out as well.

access
navigation
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Google is removing “OK Google” from Chromebooks to make way for Google Assistant

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There are reports that OK Google is going to be removed from the Chromebooks in order to make way for Google Assistant. This was discovered by ChromeUnboxed that Google is working on getting the new and upgraded assistant to the devices. Although this feature is rarely used in the devices, it can still be found in the settings section.

There might not be many people that use voice assistance, but it a feature that is slowing warming up to consumers and would be a waste for Google to remove it completely. This is another sign why Google Assistant will be seen on the devices as there is also a shortcut key (Search+A) to call up the feature, which they are working on and bring it to all Chromebook devices, the usual keyword is still available but it might activate all Google devices that you have in the house or around you.

When it first started off, these assistants were not widely used mainly because they were still at their infant stage. Now, I find my self-using voice commands to navigate my phone a lot and most of the time when I am occupied and need to reply a text or make a phone call. Let’s hope we will see Google Assistant coming to more than just the latest phones and Google devices in the near future.

assistant
chrome
chromebook
commands
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voice


Google renamed AR stickers as Playground, with 4 new Playmoji packs

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Google just released the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones, and its camera now has a new mode called Playground to enhance users’ AR experience.

Playground, previously known as the AR stickers, is now integrated into the Pixel camera, hence users are able to take pictures and videos with the characters they pick. Google named the characters as Playmoji and these characters can respond to the users and among themselves, meaning if they can read your movements and expression and act accordingly. The mode will also provide users with suggestions of which Playmoji to use depending on their environment, and it works on both your front and rear camera.

There are 4 new packs available this year which are Weather, Pets, Sports and Signs. Google also made a Marvel Cinematic Universe pack for those who are Marvel fans. There will also be a Childish Gambino Playmoji by the end of this year.

Currently, Playground app is only compatible with Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, though it will be available to Pixel and Pixel 2 users in the future.

AR stickers
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Pixel 3 XL
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Google reveals critical security flaw in Windows; Microsoft states that patch is still a week away

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Yesterday, Google revealed to the world that there is a vulnerability in both Flash and Windows that was deemed critical. According to Google, this vulnerability is classified as a local privilege escalation located in the Windows kernal that can be used as a security sandbox escape.

Google has stated that they’ve informed both Adobe and Microsoft about this vulnerability on the 21st of October, which has resulted in a fix being issued by Adobe to fix the vulnerability in Flash on the 26th of October. Unfortunately, Seeing as Microsoft has yet to release a fix for this exploit, Google has decided to announce the existence of the flaw to the general public due to an existing company policy regarding actively exploited critical vulnerabilities.

Microsoft is understandably upset over Google’s actions as it believes that Google’s decision to announce the flaw “puts customers at potential risk” since more people would now know of the flaw. Microsoft has since rebuked Google’s characterization of the exploit, claiming that the exploit has been fully mitigated by the Adobe Flash update. The exploit is further proven ineffective when it is used against a copy of Windows 10 with the Anniversary update installed.

Whatever the case, Microsoft is currently developing a patch that would fix this exploit that is scheduled to be delivered on the 8th of November. In the meantime, Microsoft recommends installing the Anniversary Update and using an up-to-date browser for now to prevent the risk of being attacked by this exploit.

Source:
VentureBeat
,
Microsoft
,
Google

adobe
exploit
flash
google
microsoft
patch
security
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Google reveals the Daydream View VR headset

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We know that Google is working on their own virtual reality platform. Today, we finally get a glimpse of the headset that will work with the platform, and it is aptly named Daydream View.

Made out of foam and soft fabric, the Daydream View comes with a plastic panel that allows you to mount your Daydream-ready smartphone. At first glance, the Daydream View may look like a fancier version of the Google Cardboard, but this is not the case. According to Google, when you mount a phone on the front panel, the NFC chip will connect to the headset, negating the need for complex wires.

Accompanying the Daydream View is a controller. This controller comes with a home button, a menu button, a clickable trackpad, and volume buttons at the side. Inside the controller are sensors that allows the controller to track motions. When you’re done messing around with the controller, you can simply store the controller in the front panel of the headset.

On launch, Daydream View will be receiving a bunch of apps, ranging from movie apps to games. Google has announced that the platform will be receiving an exclusive “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” app at launch. Games such as EVE Gunjack 2 will also be supporting Daydream as well. Finally, video stream apps such as Netflix, Hulu and even YouTube will be coming to Daydream, allowing you to enjoy your movies and videos on the go.

Daydream View will have be available in November for USD79. So far, the Pixel phones are the only Daydream-ready phones that will be available when the headset launches, but Google has promised that third-party Daydream-ready smartphones will be available in the near future.

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Google reveals trending searches for 2015

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With only 2 weeks remaining in 2015, many companies are taking this opportunity to perform an end year review. Google has also done this and they’ve provided us with a look at Malaysia’s trending searches and people for 2015.

The trending searches in Malaysia is a mix of politics and entertainment. Coming in at number one for trending searchs is “HRMIS 2”, the online human resource portal for the approximately 1.5 million Malaysian civil service professionals. In second place is the government handout policy known as “BR1M 2015” where qualified Malaysians can apply for the government’s financial aid program. In third place is the photo age-guessing site “How-Old.net”. Rounding up the top 5 is the comedy act competition series “Maharaja Lawak Mega” and the favorite movie of Malaysian gearheads and rempits – “Fast & Furious 7”.

As for the trending people of 2015, the results are a bit more politics-centric. Malaysia’s most trending person of 2015 is Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away earlier this year in March. Second on the list of trending people in Malaysia is “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker, who was tragically killed in an automotive accident 2 years ago. In third place is the ever-so-resilient Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Razak, thanks to a combination of scandals and political gaffes. Other entries in the top 5 include Mia Ahmad, start of the successful Malay Drama series “Hati Perempuan”, and “Kevin Morais”, the deputy prosecutor who was gruesomely murdered this year.

“Google searches continue to act as a cultural barometer that gives us a real snapshot of the major events, popular individuals and top trends that collectively made an impact on the life of Malaysians,” says Zeffri Yusof, Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Google Malaysia.

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Google rolling out “Hey Google” hot phrase to trigger Google Assistant

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Back when the “Ok Google” hot phrase was first implemented, it is safe to way that it wasn’t a refined feature at that time. Users often finding themselves having to speak loudly or raise their voice in order to trigger Google Now. Fast forward till today where Google has now transitioned to Assistant on smartphones, the company is finally implementing a not so awkward sounding hot phrase to open Google Assistant.

As the roll out has touched base on numerous smartphones, you might find it on your device as well. Google will prompt you to retrain your voice by saying “Hey Google” instead of “Ok Google”. The company has probably taken some cues from Apple’s “Hey Siri”, but we can all agree that “Hey Google” sounds less like commanding a robot than “Ok Google”.

The “Hey Google” hot phrase was rumored to be tested on a handful of Android smartphones a couple of months ago. Although the roll out has yet to be in full force, we expect most modern smartphones to have received the prompt to retrain voice commands by this week. It might take a while for you to switch to “Hey Google” if you rely a lot on Assistant before this. But rest assured, the good ol’ “Ok Google” is still able to trigger Assistant.

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Google is rolling out Lens update to all Google Photos users

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Google has announced that all Google Photos users will have access to Google Lens. For those of you that don’t know about Google Lens, it is a feature that can recognize what’s in your pictures and do a Google search on objects in your photos.

Prior to this, the feature was only available on Pixel phones but the company is now rolling out this feature to all Android devices. Lens should also be available on Google Assistant as it is on Pixel phones, but that implementation has not rolled out to Android users as of now.

The feature does not only tell you what is the object you are pointing at, it can also give you other information like opening and closing times, what people are saying about the location and other information that you can usually get from doing a Google search. Other than that, it can also scan business cards and save the information of the people in your Google Contacts.

Google has mentioned that the feature is coming to iOS soon but they have not given a solid timeframe on when it will arrive.

android
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Google is rolling out Motorcycle Mode on Maps

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Google Maps has been one of the most used navigation apps available and they have constantly updated it with many new features like implementing Grab and Uber in it for the added convenience. However, for motorcyclists, they are still left out as there are no navigation options for them, until now.

The new navigation method will show you a route that will even take into account narrow roads that cars could not pass making the trip on bikes efficiently faster than cars. The option will come up at the mode of transport section where users can see the icon of a motorcycle, a feature that was mainly made for the Indian market as majority of the citizens use bikes to get around but that is a main mode of transport. So it won’t be surprising if they were to release the feature here in Malaysia as a lot of us use bikes as well.

Image Source:
Reddit

The feature comes out just a few days after the Google started to roll out a major visual revamp of the app where it is easier for users to find what they are looking for.

google
maps
mode
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Google rolls out a personal safety app called Trusted Contacts

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Whenever something bad happens, the first thing many people do is try to contact someone they know that could potentially be involved in said incident. In order to make it easier for a person to notify their family and friends that they are safe, Google has rolled out a new app called Trusted Contacts.

Trusted Contacts works by having the user assign “trusted” status to the individual’s closest family and friends. Those that are deemed “trusted” would then be able to see the user’s activity states, such as where they were at recently or if they’re online at the moment.

In the event of an emergency, the user can opt to share their current location through the app. The user’s trusted contacts can also request to see your location, in which case the user can opt to deny or accept the request, showing that they are safe. In the event that you’re unable to respond to the request within a reasonable timeframe, the app would automatically share your position, allowing the contacts to “determine the best way to help you out”. In the event that the phone is rendered offline, Trusted Contacts will provide the contacts with the user’s last known location.

Requesting your current location isn’t the only thing that Trusted Contacts can do as users can opt to proactively share their current location, allowing their friends or family to monitor them. Once the user arrives at his destination, he can stop broadcasting his location details by hitting the banner at the top of the screen or from the lockscreen.

Trusted Contacts is now available for Android devices. The app will also be made available for iOS devices soon.

android
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Google Safe Browsing now on Chrome for Android

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If you’ve been using the Chrome browser for quite a while, you would have bumped into Google Safe Browsing, the system whereby Google splashes your browser with a red screen warning you of the dangers of visiting the site.

This feature has never been on Chrome for Android, until now that is. According to Google, this technology is now available and enabled by default on all Android devices as part of Google Play Services. It can be found under Chrome’s Privacy menu right now.

When asked why did it take so long for Google to implement this feature Android on mobile, the company states that it is far harder to keep a long list of potentially harmful sites on a mobile device than on the desktop. With the data compression service, all unencrypted web traffic is routed through Google’s servers, allowing Google to easily check URLs against its blacklist. On the mobile, things become a bit more complicated.

Google has stated that Safe Browsing on Android has been optimised for low memory and processor usage in an attempt to keep users safe for malicious websites without hampering the user experience.

android
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Google secretly added swipe-to-unlock feature for phone while Android Auto is active

356

Sure, Android smartphones would have easy access to the Android Auto app, but Google also makes it a point to shut down access to the phone when the app is on and you’re busy driving on the road. It’s a nice touch because your main focus is to concentrate on the road in front of you, but what if you really need access to your phone while it’s being paired to the car?

The solution here is simple. Google has hear your worries out. They have apparently quietly rolled out a swipe-to-unlock access to your own phone while Android Auto is active. This makes it easier for users because you will be able to check your own text message without having the need to actually jump through hoops to get to your own home screen. That’s one thoughtful effort right there, so kudos to the team.

But don’t be surprised if you may find it unavailable yet since the feature has just been released and Google has not given any formal announcements about it yet as well. One thing’s for sure, though, it could be a really useful feature since it curbs distracted driving and gives convenience to drivers, so it’s a win-win.

android auto
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Malaysians, be prepared to pay more for Google services from January 1, 2020

391

In an email sent by Google to G suite users, the tech giant announced that they’ll start charging a 6% Service Tax on their digital services due to the implementation of digital tax by the government.

Basically, we’ll have to pay more from January 1, 2020 onwards due to the expansion of the Sales and Service Tax legislation, so your Google purchases — apps, in-app purchases or paid services — will be tied to the 6% tax. This will most likely include your YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscription.

While other purchases and subscriptions may be the same for both iOS and Android users, the two YouTube subscription service is higher for iOS users because Apple takes a 30% cut; add that with the upcoming 6% tax and iOS users will have to pay an even higher amount.

Apart from Google services, we should also be seeing several other services to raise their prices due to digital tax implementation. Popular subscription services like Spotify and Netflix are also expected to increase their prices next year.

Digital Tax
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Google has silently launched their official store in Malaysia with Lazada

360

After the launching of the Google Pixel phones, it would seem that Google wants to make themselves known here in our own home soil. If you go over to the
Google Store
 now, you will see that the store is now in the Bahasa Malaysia language. However, there are only two products displayed at the current moment, the Chromecast 2 and Chromecast Audio.

When pressing on Cari Penruncit ( Find sellers) it will list that only Lazada is the official store for the Google products and inside we can see the prices for both the devices and that seller is Lazada.

This is excellent for those of you that want to get official products directly from Google and after doing a brief search, I found that they have the cheapest price listed out of all the other trusted sellers. So what could this mean? We hope, that Google is coming in and officially pushing their products to the Malaysian market, as they have announced a range of gadget during the Pixel 2 launch that happened early in the morning.

We also hope to see the Google Home and perhaps even the Google Daydream. As for me, I am really eyeing the Chromecast 2 so I can just control everything from the comfort of my bed. Let’s hope that in the coming weeks Google will decide to add more of their products to the store or perhaps even open up an official store page on Lazada’s platform.

google
lazada
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store


Google smartwatch revealed: Codenamed ‘Rohan’

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In the past, Google has made a lot of gadgets like the Google Home,
Pixel 6,
 and the Pixel Buds, but never their own smartwatch. Now, reports from
 Business Insider
and

The Verge
showcases Google’s plans to make their own smartwatch that is expected to launch in 2022 that will be a competitor to the Apple Watch.

The Google smartwatch was revealed to be under the codename “Rohan”, however, it is speculated that it will be called the “Pixel Watch”.  The watches are still under development as it was rumored that prototypes of these watches have been tested by Google employees.

Although Google has not made a smartwatch, they did venture into the industry by acquiring Fitbit early this year and partnered with Samsung to create Wear OS 3 that was showcased on the Galaxy Watch 4 series.
The Verge
 reports that Google wanted to display what Wear OS was capable of with the proper hardware; because of this, it’s expected to cost a lot more than a Fitbit and would rival the Apple Watch in terms of price.

No specifications of the Google Smartwatch were revealed but we can expect a heart rate monitor, step counter, and basic fitness tracking; so stay tuned for more updates and information about this device.

Source –

Busines Insider | Via –

The Verge

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Google Stadia announced – AAA gaming platform that requires no downloading and installing

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Google has announced their very own gaming platform, and it’s being compared to gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; and here’s why.

During Google’s presentation at Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) 2019, they announced the Google Stadia which leverages on Google’s vast cloud storage to deliver AAA games to the masses, get this, via streaming. So there’s no need to downloading and installing.

Rather than running a game stored from a console’s storage drive, the Stadia will allow players to browse from a plethora of titles via the Chrome browser on devices like a PC, select phones, tablets, and a TV that’s fitted with Chromecast.

Google has partnered with AMD to build custom GPUs to power the datacenters that will be storing and streaming games to the players’ choice of device.

Image credit: The Verge

You’ll be able to game on a keyboard and mouse, but Google has also launched a controller called the – drum roll please – Stadia controller. It comes in white or black and features a layout that’s a combination DualShock and Xbox controllers – think twin joysticks, A,X,Y,O buttons, as well as the standard D-pad and shoulder buttons. However, Google has stated that the Stadia will work with other controllers too.

As of right now, Doom Eternal is set to be available on the Stadia, but Google promises more AAA titles to be added to their library when the service is available sometime this year.

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Google Stadia has 31 confirmed games to be available to stream once the service hits the shelves

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You may have a heard a while back of Google’s video game streaming service Google Stadia; the service is set to be available this November and there are apparently already 31 games confirmed to make an appearance on the system.

Image credit: CBR

The most notable from the list is Baldur’s Gate III – which was cancelled after its announcement back in 2002. It’s finally announced that it will be making its way to Stadia and PC. Other notable titles include the well-received Destiny 2, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy XV and Borderlands 3.

Image credit: SlashGear

Venture Beat reports that although Google Stadia is a streaming service, it’s won’t be like Netflix where all content is consumable via a monthly subscription – instead, you’ll need to buy every title you choose to play (bar the free-to-play ones, if any), on top of a subscription fee for the service.

We also have to take into account that we need steady and speedy internet connections to stream these games seamlessly, and fast internet isn’t something many Malaysian’s can afford. The addition subscription fees on top of buying the games could put many off, since consoles and Steam on PC offers the same while costing less.

But with that said, if Google prices their subscriptions well along with regular discounts on premium titles, there’s a chance Malaysia could adopt the Stadia as its next go-to gaming service.

game streaming
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Google Stadia could be faster than gaming consoles says VP, but risk hindering gamers

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The upcoming Google Stadia is a cloud-based gaming service that allows you to game on your Chrome browser or your Chromecast-enabled TV. Questions were raised as to whether there would be any slow down in experience considering you’re playing a game that’s installed in a server far, far away.

Google has made it clear that all you need is a decent internet connection to play games smoothly – but Stadia VP, Madj Bakar will eventually be “faster” than traditional consoles. Bakar explains that Google is employing something called “negative latency” to address input lag – what it does is predict button inputs to take away any latency that may occur.

Image credit: PC Gamer

Sounds fine in theory, but should every button press be predicted, we may see the gaming experience be overly assisted. That takes away some of the challenge of playing the game – one good example as 9to5 Google points out is in fighting games. Feints are key parts in these games – players fake a set of button presses to feint a move, then hit their opponents with something else. AI prediction of button presses could prevent that and render players predictable.

But reports say that this is in development and we could really only be seeing it’s full effects in two years’ time. Since the Google Stadia is set to be launched sometime next month, so we’ll see how bad input lag really is first on the system, perhaps negative latency won’t really be needed.

chrome cast
cloud gaming
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Google Stadia officially available this November 14, Founder’s Edition includes Chromecast Ultra and Stadia Controller

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After a lot of talk of Google’s entry to cloud gaming, the Google Stadia has finally been given an official release date. Set for November 19, the Founder’s Edition bundle will set you back $129 (RM541).

The bundle will include a three-month subscription to Stadia Pro that allows game streaming of up to 4K, support for 5.1 surround sound, a copy of Destiny 2: The Collection, exclusive discounts on titles, a Chromecast Ultra and a Night Blue Stadia Controller.

There’s also a base edition that’s free – this limits you to 1080p streaming, stereo audio, with no free games and discounts.

During the Made by Google event yesterday, the team also spoke a little more about the design of the controllers. The shape of the grips are akin to that of a professional chef’s knife – straight and rounded. It boasts a minimalistic overall look – there are triggers at the back, a DualShock joystick placement, along with Xbox controller layouts.

Right of the bat, you’ll be able to purchase and play games like Borderlands 3, Assassins Creed Odyssey, Doom Eternal and more. You can play them on your Chrome browser, Chromecast-enabled TVs, or even your Pixel smartphone.

For 720p gaming, Google recommends a stable internet bandwidth of 10Mbps, you’ll need up at least 20Mbps for 1080p, while 4K streaming requires between 30 to 35Mbps. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the service’s availability, stay tuned on our website for updates.

chrome
chromecast ultra
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Google allegedly stole lyrics from Genius to post on its own search engine

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When it comes to song lyrics, we all know Genius is one of the best websites out there. However, the lyrics website recently accused Google of stealing its lyrics and displaying the lyrics as their own.

Apparently, this isn’t the first time Google has done so. The tech giant allegedly stole lyrics from Genius back in 2017 and recently in April. The Chief Strategy Officer Ben Gross also revealed that Genius has repeatedly present solid evidence to Google and Google needs to solve the issue.

It should be impossible to know if someone is actually just stealing lyrics, but that’s not the case for Genius. The company uses a unique method of alternating between straight and curved apostrophes in their lyrics that converts into Morse code that says “Red Handed”.

Google on the other hand told Wall Street Journal that its lyrics were taken from a third party known as LyricFind Inc and will investigate the issue to discover the truth. LyricsFind Inc in return denied the allegations that it stole Genius’ lyrics, and said that they had their own content team for the lyrics production.

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Google to stop Tango, carry on with ARCore

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When Google first launched Project Tango, it had a lot of potential leading to the future of smartphones. With specialized sensors and the right cameras, smartphones will have AR abilities to measure 3D space, displaying 3D objects in AR form. Not too long ago, Google kicked off another project known as the ARCore, and the company has announced that it will be shutting down Project Tango on March 1 2018.

At three years, a massive project like Tango does seem short lived. But Google definitely doesn’t see a point in continuing Tango since it started ARCore. The first ever Tango device was launched last year – the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro. Although it did seem promising at first, the hype took a quick plunge due to its hefty price tag for what it offered and the lack of apps and development for Tango. The ASUS ZenFone AR too launched with Tango based AR capabilities, but we doubt you will find a friend using that smartphone on the daily.

We have seen how impressive Google’s machine learning can turn out to be. The company’s latest line of Pixel phones do not require dual cameras to produce impressive portrait images, thanks to machine learning. ARCore does not need special sensors to function, and works with current smartphone hardware and cameras, with machine learning taking care of the workload for the most part. ARCore will be succeeding Project Tango for future development of AR.

ar
ARCore
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Google streamlines two-step verification with Google Prompt

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Google is making its two-step verification process a bit easier to the users as the upcoming update to its Google Play Services will see the introduction of Google Prompt.

According to 9to5Google, unlike the old two-step verification method which involves a code being sent to your phone number, Google Prompt would bring up a simple dialogue that features your name, profile image, and the specific city and device you’re trying to login from. Underneath the details are “Nom deny sign-in” or “Yes, allow sign-in” options, allowing to user to deny or approve the sign-in request.

This feature won’t be Android-centric of course. Google Prompt will be coming to iOS as well, although you will need to download the Google Search app for iOS. Once installed, iOS users will likely receive a simple notification directing them to open the Google App.

The latest version of Google Play Services is expected to roll out within the next three days. With that update, the Google Help Center will be updated with further instructions.

Source:
9to5Google

android
google
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Google testing autoplay videos on YouTube

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Most of us either love or hate autoplay videos on apps. Notably on Facebook, autoplay videos might turn out as a convenience to some, but at the expense of taking up your data volume if you happen to be on a limited cellular data plan. Thankfully, Facebook allows its app users to turn off the autoplay feature, or limiting the feature to work only when connected to WiFi. Google appears to be testing that feature on the YouTube app as well, but not on everyone’s devices.

According to Android Central, some users are experiencing the autoplay feature on their YouTube app. The feature takes place while browsing through the Home section of the app. It works similarly to the same feature on Facebook, with videos autoplaying without audio. A bonus is that the muted autoplay videos come overlaid with subtitles if you’d want to know more about what is happening in a particular video.

Just like on Facebook, users of the YouTube app will be able to turn the feature off in the settings, with the option to limit the feature to only when connected to WiFi as well. The autoplay feature on YouTube is known as “Play as you browse”.

Are you getting the autoplay feature on your YouTube app? Perhaps you are one of the chosen ones by Google and YouTube. Let us know if you’re getting the tested feature.

autoplay
facebook
google
subtitles
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Google to add ‘Kids’ section to Google Play Store with ‘Teacher Approved’ apps

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With most of the world now observing some sort of movement control order, education institutions have shut down until students are able to leave their houses again. But despite that, learning still needs to happen, and everyone has taken to the internet to teach and learn using video conferencing software, open-source document sharing sites and more.

This is no exception in the mobile sphere as well – Google has announced that they will be launching a ‘Kids’ section in the Play Store, that will be filled with apps that are ‘teacher approved’.

The apps will have to be age-appropriate and be of high quality in its content – each approved app will show a list of reasons why teachers have given it a thumbs up. With the new section rolling out progressively across the globe, this is a good time for parents to sit down with their kids around a phone or a tablet and learn together as a family.

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Google to debut multiple devices at October 4th event

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Google’s Pixel phones are about to make their debuts in two weeks’ time as the company has announced that it will be hosting an event on the 4th of October.

While Google did not explicitly namedrop the rumoured HTC-created Pixel phones, the video above shows the Google search bar slowly morphing into a smartphone-shaped object, which more or less indicates that the event will be, at the very least, smartphone related. While the reveal of the new Pixel phones is exciting, a source from Android Police has claimed that the phones will be sold at a higher starting price when compared to the Nexus phones that they would be succeeding. If the source is correct, the basic Pixel phone will have a starting pricetag of USD649. For comparison, the Nexus 6P was priced at USD499 at launch.

Alongside the Pixel phones, Google is expected to unveil 4K-capable Chromecast as well as a Daydream VR headset. For those who wish to tune in, the event will happen at 12am on the 5th of October local time.

Source:
Engadget
,
Android Police

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Google to fold Songza into Google Play Music

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Google is taking the music space rather seriously as the company has decided to consolidate Songza into Google Play Music as of January 31st, 2016.

First launched in 2007, Songza is a music platform that offered up expertly curated playlists based on the user’s mood or activity at the time via the Songza Concierge. Furthermore, users can also hunt for playlists by genre, mood or artists.

The platform was bought up by Google in July of 2014 and has since worked on integrating some of Songza’s features into Google Play Music. As time went on, Google Play Music has managed to implement numerous features found on Songza, making the two services highly similar to each other.

While the Songza brand and products would no longer be active starting from next year, the four Songza founders confirmed via an e-mail to their users that the team will work in tandem with Google on Google Play Music.

This move may be a signal that Google is ready to compete with other music streaming sites like Pandora, Spotify and Apple Music. Just recently, the company has announced that a family music plan will be available on Google Play Music very soon, allowing six family members to stream music for USD 14.99 a month. The service will also be compatible with YouTube Red, giving subscribers to either service access to the other.

Source :
TechCrunch

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Google to launch Android One in the US after failing overseas

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The Android One initiative definitely sounded hopeful when it first launched back in September 2014. The initiative was mainly catered to consumers from developing countries who aren’t ready or capable of splashing cash on smartphones. Hence, Android One is a line up of low cost budget Android smartphones with standardized stock software by Google, manufactured by partnering manufacturers. It turns out that Android One isn’t doing well as it was expected to be in participating nations, which mostly consist of South Asian countries.

Despite that fact, mega company Google is said to be willing to test the waters in the US. The company has launched its new line of Pixel flagship smartphones last year and slapped premium price tags on them, giving a reason for Google to expand the initiative state side. If this turns out to be true, we might be looking at a more affordable line of Nexus/Pixel handsets when Android One kicks off in the US.

There is no doubt a market for Android One in the country, and LG is rumored to be the company that Google will be working with for the initiative. Like existing Android One smartphones, the upcoming ones will be running stock Android as well. On top of that, Google Assistant is also tipped to debut in the mentioned Android One handsets for the US market. How do you think Android One will fare if it were to hit Malaysian shores?

Source:
The Information

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Google to punish websites that uses annoying pop-up ads

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Pop-up ads, the internet’s biggest nuisance, may soon be detrimental to websites that uses them as Google has stated that it will be punishing websites that uses pop-ups an interstitials.

Beginning on January 10th 2017, Google will begin lowering the rank of sites “where content is not easily accessible.” The logic behind this is simple. As the site’s ranking begins to drop, a Google search for a specific subject will result in said website to be on a lower pecking order. Get low enough, and the website may not even appear on the first page of the search results. Websites that rely on Google search traffic will almost immediately feel the effects of this change, as lower ranking means lower foot traffic, which results in less visitors and ad revenue.

One thing to note is that Google isn’t going on a grand crusade against all forms of pop-ups and interstitials. Google will only be targeting pop-ups and interstitials that are considered intrusive. Examples include overlays that gray out the content beneath them, or those that require you to personally close them before proceeding with your content. Websites that uses interstitials responsibly, such as those informing you of website cookies, will not be affected by this move.

Source:
The Verge
,
Google

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Google to shut down Picasa

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Google has announced that it will be shutting down Picasa starting March, nearly 12 years since the company acquired the photo storage service back in 2004. This news does not come as much of a surprise as Picasa’s relevance has diminished over the years.

Google will close down Picasa’s desktop app starting in March, Picasa’s web albums won’t be editable starting May. Unsurprisingly, Google is promoting its own Google Photos app as a replacement for Picasa. Google claims that users with a Picasa account will be able to log in to Google Photos and have their photos and videos from Picasa, available on Google Photos. But Google isn’t forcing its own app down everyone’s throats. Picasa’s web albums will still be accessible for downloading and deleting content, just without the option to edit them.

Back in 2004 when Google acquired Picasa, the plan was to put Google into the competition alongside Yahoo and Microsoft’s MSN. A year after that, Yahoo purchased Flickr, a image and video hosting website, which exists till this date. But Yahoo is working hard to keep Flickr’s on par and in line with the rest of the competition today, alongside new app innovations. Fast forward to today, Yahoo and MSN is seemingly dwarfed by Google’s overwhelming presence on the web. Have you heard about Picasa? Comment below!

Source:
The Verge

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Google trained its DeepMind A.I. to read lips by watching television

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Google has been employing some highly unorthodox methods to train its DeepMind artificial intelligence. Today, Google has revealed that its UK-based DeepMind division have collaborated with scientists from the University of Oxford to develop the world’s most advanced lip-reading software. Their method of achieving it? Television shows.

According to
published study
, DeepMind and the University of Oxford has fed the A.I. thousands of hours of TV footage from the BBC to a neural network, training it to annotate videos based on mouth movement. The result of this test shows that the A.I. is capable of identifying what is being said on screen solely through mouth movement analysis with 46.8% accuracy. By comparison, a professional human lip-reader managed only a 12.4% accuracy rating.

While the technology is still in its early stages, Google is looking to use this part of DeepMind to assist individuals with impaired hearing. Other possibilities includes film annotating as well as communicating to digital assistants solely using lip gestures.

Source:
The Next Web

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Google trains its A.I. with a Pictionary-style game called Quick, Draw!

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Got a lot of time to kill in the office and you have nothing urgent to do? How about a game of Pictionary with Google’s own A.I.?

It appears that Google has came up with a new way to train its A.I., and that method is through the power of doodles. Available now on your browser of choice, Quick, Draw! is a simple game that asks you to draw a picture of a provided subject. On the other side, Google’s A.I. will attempt to guess what it is that you’re drawing.

Fun though it may be, Google is also using Quick, Draw! as a tool to help its A.I. recognize doodles and other poorly drawn images. This experiment is said to help Google’s A.I. in the long run.

Whether or not Quick, Draw! will benefit Google’s A.I. in any way remains to be seen. In the meantime, it is a great time waster for those who wants to play a game of Pictionary minus the shame of having your “drawings” judged by your friends.

Source:
Quick, Draw!

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Google trials "Chrome Home" on Chrome Canary

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With phones getting bigger these days, it’s getting kind of hard to navigate your entire phone with just a single hand. Google is probably thinking along the same lines, as it is currently experimenting something called “Chrome Home” on its browser.

Available only on Chrome Canary, this new feature would allow users to move the address bar, tab switcher, and settings menu to the bottom of the screen. The logic behind this move is that it would allow users to access all their tabs and address bars without needing to stretch their fingers all the way to the top of the screen.

That being said, this feature is currently in its early testing stages, so a full rollout of “Chrome Home” is still a while away…assuming Google intends to roll the feature out in the first place. For those who are curious, you can always download Chrome Canary to try it out for yourself.

Source:
9to5Google

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Google updates its stock Android keyboard with new features

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Google has just released an update for Android’s stock keyboard, and with said update comes a ton of new features.

With version 5.0 of Google Keyboard, the keyboard app will be receiving features such as Gesture Typing, allowing you to slide your finger from letter to letter much like Swype. Also new to Google Keyboard is Voice Typing whereby touching the microphone symbol will allow you to dictate your text. A particularly welcomed addition to Google Keyboard v5.0 is one-handed mode, which allows you to type out your messages with only one hand.

Aside from the new features, Google Keyboard has also received a few UI tweaks in its v5.0 update. Chief among these tweaks is the option to show key boards and the removal of holo themes. Keyboard height can also be changed in the settings now, which is useful for those using tablets.

Google Keyboard v5.0 is now available in the Google Play Store.

Source:
Android Police

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Google urges developers to update apps to support the 18:9 aspect ratio

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The Galaxy S8 and LG G6 introduced a new gorgeous display with an all new 18:9 aspect ratio, and that has in fact worsen the app fragmentation issue with Android, and Google is beginning to urge developers to update their app to support the phone’s new display standards, as current apps that have been developed for the 16:9 aspect ratio would show black bars on such phones, it also becomes a problem even when watching videos on these devices as many of them are not formatted to fit the screen, this would affect the viewing experience as well as having unused screen estate.

Google’s call to developers have been in anticipation of such aspect ratios to be used on future Android powered smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi Mix is technically the first smartphone to use a uncommon aspect ratio at 17:9, but with LG and Samsung leading the trend of wider cinematic displays, we should be seeing devices from other phone manufacturers this year. Google has advised developers to increase the maximum supported aspect ratio and ‘application’ element to support at least 2:1 or higher aspect ratios, to find out more on how you can do this the company has written a post on the Google Developer Blog.

We expect developers to have ample time to fix this issue when the Galaxy S8 launches next month, however if you still see black bars on your phone’s display by then, you will know that your screen isn’t broken.

SOURCE:
Google Developer Blog

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Google Voice will no longer support SMS voicemail forwarding to curb robocalls

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If you’re a Google Voice user, then you should know that Google has decided to block its voicemail transcription feature starting from August 9.

“Get voicemail via message” feature is one that allows users to get voicemail transcripts via their SMS apps, but it will soon get shut down because it has caused several issues that revolve around spam calls.

Robocalls have resulted in many carriers blocking Google Voice’s “get voicemail via message” feature. Google says it will discontinue the feature effective Aug. 9
pic.twitter.com/AZVuWqGXt8

— briankrebs (@briankrebs)
August 6, 2019

Carriers are blocking this Google Voice feature because it has led to many robocalls that cause many of the transcripts voicemails to be labelled as spam. Due to this, users sometimes can’t receive important voicemails and the feature becomes irrelevant.

Seeing as the feature is no longer practical, Google has decided to shut it down for good and has also informed the users who have been using the said feature. However, the company also mentioned that users will still be able to get their voicemail transcription via the “Get voicemail via email” feature. Google Voice also offers iOS, Android and web apps for users to access their voicemails and transcripts.

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Google Voice


Google walks back on resold Pixel ban; unlocks all banned accounts

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Last Friday,
we’ve reported
 that Google has banned hundreds of Pixel users for using a resold version of Google’s latest flagship smartphone. After some intense outcry from its userbase, Google has decided to backtrack on the ban, restoring access to the accounts that were banned.

The initial decision to ban users of resold Pixel phones comes from the phone’s terms of service which explicitly states that the phones may not be resold commercially. As for the backtrack, Google states that it is doing so as it believes that some customers “weren’t aware” of this particular rule. If you’re one of the few who’ve bought a resold Pixel, you may breath easy for now.

While Google has decided to drop the ban for resold Pixels, do note that the “phones may not be resold commercially” clause is still a part of Google’s terms of service. Google may decide to resind the ban for the Pixel, but the company can always ban future devices that have been resold. Simply put, Google is considering this incident as a first strike. If you still decide to get a resold Google phone in the future, you may wind up getting banned for good next time.

Source:
Engadget

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Google Wallet is now available in Malaysia

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Google has finally caught up to Apple by finally launching Google Wallet in Malaysia, which you can finally store and make payments with your credit and debit cards on most Android phones with NFC capabilities, and all you need to do is to download the Google Wallet app from Google Play Store if your phone doesn’t come preinstalled with it.

At this time of writing, Google Wallet has worked with CIMB, Hong Leong Bank, Hong Leong Islamic Bank, Public Bank, HSBC and HSBC Amanah to provide the service. However, do note that not every banking cards are supported and here is a list of supported cards from respective banks:

CIMB (Mastercard Credit)

Hong Leong Bank (Visa Credit, Mastercard Debit)

Hong Leong Islamic (Mastercard Debit)

Public Bank (Visa Credit, Debit)

In addition, HSBC and HSBC Amanah credit card customers will only be able to enjoy the service in the coming months with Mastercard and Visa credit cards.

Therefore, only debit cards from Hong Leong Bank, Hong Leong Islamic and Public Bank are supported on Google Wallet, which is a lot more limiting compared to Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. Similar to its rivals, Google Wallet also allows you to store boarding passes and flight tickets.

Download the Google Wallet app now on Google Play and let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, do check out our comparison of digital payment services
here
.

google
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Google wants HUAWEI phones to use GMS again

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Google may have advised users against sideloading Google apps in HUAWEI phones, but the tech giant hasn’t given up on trying to get back in partnership with HUAWEI. The latest report shows that Google wants to re-license HUAWEI to use its mobile services.

Due to the US ban that started out last year, HUAWEI has been cut off from several US and US-related technology. Luckily for HUAWEI, Microsoft was one US company that was given an exemption so that they can have Windows on their laptops.

Image credit: Forbes

If Google succeeds in getting the license to work with HUAWEI again, then the company will be offering updates to HUAWEI phones so that users can once again enjoy GMS. It’ll make things easier for HUAWEI users who are attached to Google apps like Google Chrome, Gmail, YouTube and Google Drive. Even if HUAWEI chooses not to pre-install Google apps into its devices, at least users can still sideload them.

On the other hand, if Google’s request is denied by the US government, then HUAWEI users will have no choice but to be stuck with Huawei Mobile Services.

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Google wants your feedback on the Pixel series

326

The Google Pixel is probably the greatest smartphone that Google has ever made. Manufactured in partnership with HTC, Google launched the Pixel series, nailing the coffin on the half a decade old Nexus branding of devices. It was indeed a well designed all rounder with an excellent camera, plus top of the line specs. But no phone is perfect, hence Google is seeking for your feedback on the Pixel.

On the Pixel User Community forums, Pixel’s Product Lead Krishna Kumar wrote a post, requesting for thoughts on the current Pixel lineup:

“I would like to hear your thoughts. What do you like about the design? What do you hate about it? What did we get right? What would you like to see us improve?”

This is definitely a rare moment, considering the fact that large manufacturers usually wouldn’t ask for feedback from their own communities about their products. Kumar’s post is an effort to build a healthy relationship between manufacturer and consumers, plus getting opinions on how the Pixel community would like the next Pixel flagship to turn out.

Requests for water and dust resistance happen to be the most so far, considering the fact that most major manufacturers have also begun adopting such protection for their own devices. A Pixel 2 with water resistance has definitely been in the rumor mill for some time now. What do you think can be improved upon the current Pixel smartphone?

Source:
Google

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Google WiFi has arrived in Singapore but will be exclusive to StarHub

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The little WiFi routers from Google has finally come to Asia however it comes with a big but. The routers are now available in Singapore but it will come to other countries around Singapore soon. The second issue is that the routers will have to be acquired through StarHub, a Singaporean Internet service provider.

The deal is users would need to sign up for a two-year contract with the ISP to get the devices which will cost S$15 a month where in the US you could just buy the devices off the shelf. Making devices exclusive is not usually Google’s style and when Mashable asked for comments from Martic Geh, Google’s managing director for Asia-Pacific, he could not comment on how long the deal will last and said it was rare for Google to do this. If you were to buy the devices from 3rd-party sellers, Google mentions that there will be an issue with the channels as different regions will have different regulations.

They did not mention if it will come to Malaysia next seeing as Singapore is just next door to us but if it does, there could be a chance that the routers might be exclusive to a particular ISP. Let’s hope that is not the case.

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Google will be removing the Google Now Launcher sometime in Q1 2017

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Owners of Android smartphones or tablets may be familiar with the Google Now Launcher, an application that lets users enjoy the home screen experience that Nexus device owners have without the need to do any complex flashing of their own devices. For those of you who do use the launcher, we have some bad news for you. Google is looking to remove the application from the Play Store within the first quarter of 2017.

A report by Android Police shows that Google has sent out e-mails to OEMs to inform them that both the Google Now Launcher and the Google Mobile Services package will be removed from the Play Store within the next few weeks. While you won’t be able to download the Google Now Launcher from the Play Store soon, those who’ve installed the app prior to its removal from the store will still be able to use the app as per normal. In addition, Google will continue to support existing users of the app by updating the Google Search App.

Google’s decision to remove the Google Now Launcher isn’t particularly surprising considering the fact that a Pixel Launcher also exists in the App Store, albeit that app is limited strictly to Pixel devices at the moment. It is entirely possible that Google will make the Pixel Launcher available for all once the Google Now Launcher gets taken down, but we wouldn’t hold our breath over it.

Source:
Android Police

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Google will discontinue the Pixel-branded laptops

325

With the Pixel brand now being applied to Google’s new batch of smartphones, it appears that Google is looking to fade out the pre-existing devices that bears the Pixel name, mainly the company’s own Pixel laptop line of premium Chromebooks.

According to a report by TechCrunch, Google’s Senior Vice President for Hardware Rick Osterloh has mentioned that the company will end production of the Pixel laptops after two iterations. As for whether or not Google will be re-entering the laptop market with a new laptop of their own, Osterloh mentioned that the company has no plans to discuss the matter at this point in time.

While the Pixel laptop may be dead for now, Osterloh mentioned that Chrome OS will still be avaialble. “Chrome OS is a huge initiative in the company. We have the number two market share in the U.S. and U.K. – but we have no plans for Google-branded laptops,” says Osterloh.

Source:
TechCrunch

chromebook
chromeos
google
mwc2017
pixel


Google will fix the Pixel 3’s memory management and camera issues

329

Google launched the Pixel 3 series last month but there are already a few bugs and issues, the most recent one being the memory management in the devices.

The Pixel 3 users have been faced with background apps being killed, camera issues and increased reloading time. Apparently most of them reported that their music apps will be stopped when they’re using the camera to take pictures, in addition to some images not being able to be saved in the gallery after users took the photos. Other than that, users also reported that the Pixel 3 series can’t keep more than 3 apps in memory at once and the apps are reloading more often than usual.

In response, Google has announced a fix for the issues aforementioned, promising that the fix will include prevention of the background apps from suddenly being closed. Google also announced a fix for the camera issue whereby it fails to save the photos taken, but both updates will be rolling out in the next few weeks so users of the Pixel 3 series will have to be patient.

google
pixel 3
Pixel 3 XL


Google will introduce add-ons to Gmail

366

Google’s Gmail service will be getting a huge upgrade later in the year as the company has announced its intentions to rollout add-ons to the e-mail service.

Currently available only as a developer preview, this add-ons will give Gmail new functionalities for G Suite users on both the web version of the service or the mobile app on both iOS and Android devices. According to Google, these add-ons will only need to be installed once. After installation, the add-ons will be made available across all platforms, meaning you’ll never need to download the same add-on twice.

For now, the developer preview version comes with three add-ons. Intuit Quickbooks is the first, and it allows Gmail users and QuickBooks small business customers to generate and send invoices directly from Gmail. ProsperWorks is the second add-on, and it allows Gmails users to check the contact info of people on email threads against the information stored in their customer relationship management (CRM). Finally, Salesforce will also be an available add-on for Gmail, allowing users to look up existing contacts, add new ones, and associate email threads with one or more existing opportunities in Salesforce.

Source:
G Suite Developers Blog

addon
developerpreview
gmail
google
gsuite
intuit
prosperworks
quickbooks
salesforce


Google will introduce new Hands Free payments app

296

Google is debuting a new experimental mobile payment service, and this time, it has nothing to do with Near Field Communication.

Known as Hands Free, this new payment method allows users to buy items via voice command. How it works is that the users need to set up an app with their credit card information and photo. When the user reaches the checkout, they would say “I want to pay with Google” to complete your transaction. The cashier would then verify the user’s identity by checking the photo linked to their Hands Free account and by asking for the user’s initials.

The Hands Free app will work through a combination of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and location services to detect when you’re at a store that is set up for Hands Free. This method of paying would work even on smartphones that do not support NFC payments.

Currently, this payment method is being tasted out at McDonald’s and Papa John’s locations at the South Bay Area.

SourceL
Google
,
Mashable

google
handsfree
payment


Google will notify Android users of account logins via Android notifications

370

Google has been informing its users of any logins for quite a while now, but this notification is only available via e-mail. That is no longer the case though as Google has decided to inform you about any account logins via Android notifications as well.

Much like the e-mail option, your Android phone will now inform you if you have logged into another other device besides the devices that you currently have. When the notification pops up, you’ll be able to review exactly which device has logged into your Google account and the location where the login was made. Should anything appear out of the ordinary, you can then change your account credentials on the spot, allowing you to react almost immediately.

This feature is currently being rolled out to users. Google notes that it may take up to two weeks for some people to receive this new feature. That said, this notification will be highly useful to those that do not check their e-mails all that frequently.

Source:
Google Apps Update

android
google
login
notification
security


Google will release a new Pixel smartphone this year

317

Last year, Google released the batch of Pixel smartphones, which are widely considered to be one of the best Android-based smartphones available in the market. This year, you can expect a new Pixel iteration from the company as Google’s Senior Vice President of Hardware, Rick Osterloh, has confirmed that there will be a new Pixel this year.

Speaking to an interview with AndroidPIT, Osterloh has said that Google will be creating a follow up to the Pixel this year. While Osterloh did not reveal much details about the upcoming Pixels, he did mention that the Pixels will continue to be premium phones. For those who are hoping that Google would launch a budget version of the Pixel, it appears that those hopes have been dashed.

With the Pixel 2 confirmed to be coming, we fully expect more details about the phones to be leaked over the course of the next few months. Some of the details that we would be looking forward to includes the company that would be tasked with creating the phones, the specifications that comes with it, and perhaps even some details of the supposed Android Oreo.

Source:
AndroidPIT
,
The Verge

androidoreo
google
pixel2
smartphone


Google will stop supporting the Nexus 5X and 6P on November 2018

305

The Nexus 5X and 6P were two of the longest phones that Google has kept supporting as they are still receiving updates until today. However, it looks like Google is putting both of their iconic phones to rest and they have just announced that both these phones will not be updated to Android P.

There is still a bright side to this, even if the phones will not be getting the Android P update, Google has promised that they will still receive security updates until November 2018. After that, the company will not push anymore update or security patches. Other than that, it is expected that the Pixel C Tablets will also not get updates since Google has stop OS support for that device as well.

It is sad to see that the Nexus phones will not be supported anymore, but it was a long run and they are the longest phones to still receive Android Security and OS updates. Looks like Google will be solely focused on the Pixel phones from now on. Rest In Peace Nexus phones, you will be remembered.

5x
6p
android
nexus
stop
support
update


Google will be unveiling Android Oreo Go Edition phones during MWC 2018

342

Google has mentioned that we will be seeing the first batch of the Android Oreo Go Edition phones at MWC 2018. They have not revealed what these phones are but they did mention that some of these phones will be priced under $50 (RM195.03) which makes it super affordable.

Android Oreo Go Edition is a custom version of Android Oreo which is made for phones that have low-end hardware. It comes with a stock Android experience comes with optimized apps and a Play Store that highlights apps that are not performance demanding. Google has also said that we can expect 15% faster app performance on entry-level phones and twice the storage, thanks to the OS taking 50% less space. Phones with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage will still offer a high-quality experience according to Google.

Aside from that, we are also expected to see a range of Android One phones, as some of Google’s partners will be showcasing their entries during the event.

2018
android
edition
go
mwc
oreo
unveil


Google will utilise deep learning to improve Translate

311

For the most part, Google Translate is servicable when it comes to translating words. When it comes to sentences though, Translate can be…shall we say, inadequate for the job. Wanting to fix that, Google has said that they intend to improve upon Translate by utilising deep learning.

Deep learning involves training neural networks on lots of data and then having them make predictions about new data. Thus far, Google Maps, Photos and Gmail have all been enhanced with this technology. In fact, Google’s DeepMind AI and AlphaGo relies on this technology to defeat Lee Se-dol in Go. While Translate already uses deep learning for its visual translations, Google is aiming to fully implement deep learning into Google Translate.

In an interview at the Structure Data conference in San Francisco, head of the Google Brain team Jeff Dean said that his team has been working with Google’s translation team to scale out experiments with translation based on deep learning. Specifically, the work is based on the technology depicted in a 2014 paper entitled “
Sequence to Sequence Learning with Neural Networks
.”

The end goal for Dean is to make translations more accurate. Dean says that Google is aiming to make Translate to rely solely on the type of neural networks documented in the paper.

Source:
VentureBeat

deeplearning
google
googletranslate
neuralnetwork


Google wins court case over Oracle in Java API dispute

320

Over the past two weeks, Google and Oracle has been involved in a court case that centers around the Java API. On Oracle’s side, they claimed that Google has infringed upon the Java API copyright as 37 such APIs were used to develop the Android operating system. On Google’s side, they claimed that the APIs does not infringe on any copyrights as it was protected by fair use. Today, the jury has decided and they ruled that Google’s use of the Java API did indeed fall under fair use in copyright law.

Google was pleased with the outcome of course, as this means that they would not have to pay USD 9.3 billion in damages that Oracle is seeking. “Today’s verdict that Android makes fair use of Java APIs represents a win for the Android ecosystem, for the Java programming community, and for software developers who rely on open and free programming languages to build innovative consumer products,” says a Google spokesperson.

Needless to say, Oracle isn’t happy about the verdict and the company plans to appeal the decision. “We strongly believe that Google developed Android by illegally copying core Java technology to rush into the mobile device market. Oracle brought this lawsuit to put a stop to Google’s illegal behavior. We believe there are numerous grounds for appeal and we plan to bring this case back to the Federal Circuit on appeal,” says Dorain Daley, General Counsel for Oracle.

Source:
Ars Technica

api
google
java
legal
oracle


Google and YouTube hit ClearView AI with a cease-and-desist letter to stop data-scraping

383

Google and YouTube recently sent Clearview AI a cease-and-desist letter to stopped their activities that were considered a violation of the tech giants’ policies.

Just last month, startup company ClearView received lots of attention for having more than 3 billion pictures in its database that can be used to identify and gain information on a random passerby. ClearView CEO Hoan Ton-That also said that the technology will not be available to the general public to prevent misusage but Wired Editor-in-Chief Nick Thompson thinks otherwise. “If we know anything from the history of technology and the history of Silicon Valley, it’s that the initial intended use is not the only use,” said Thompson.

In a statement by Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesperson, he revealed that Clearview has admitted to the violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service that explicitly forbids collection of data to identify a person. Twitter also chimed in by demanding the startup company to stop scraping data from its platform and to delete data collected previously.

Ton-That also compared his company to Google by saying that Google collects information from various websites and since the information is public and could be discovered via Google search engine, then ClearView can have access to these data as well. However, Joseph disagreed on the comparison in his statement to CBS News.

“Most websites want to be included in Google Search, and we give webmasters control over what information from their site is included in our search results, including the option to opt-out entirely. Clearview secretly collected image data of individuals without their consent, and in violation of rules explicitly forbidding them from doing so,” said Joseph.

Law enforcement agencies have also been ordered to stop using the technology until there’s more information.

Clearview AI
facial recognition
google
twitter
youtube


Google explains why its employees have access to users’ conversations

418

Recently, VRT NWS discovered that Google employees have access to listening to audio files recorded via Google Assistant and Google Home speakers — including conversations that have sensitive content and shouldn’t have been recorded. Google responded quickly to that, defending its actions.

According to Google, they have language experts that are hired to “review and transcribe a small set of queries” to help them improve their understanding of these languages and enhanced their speech technology. However, the leak of a confidential Dutch audio data was a breach of their data security policies and Google is already conducting investigations and will take actions.

“Language experts only review around 0.2 percent of all audio snippets. Audio snippets are not associated with user accounts as part of the review process, and reviewers are directed not to transcribe background conversations or other noises, and only to transcribe snippets that are directed to Google,” wrote David Monsees, the Product Manager in the blog post.

But let’s put that aside for now; it doesn’t change the fact that Google still listens to our conversations, sometimes even when it’s not supposed to. Google has admitted that even though it might be rare, there still are occasions that there’s something called “false accept” — where Google Assistant interpreted background words/noise as the hotword like “Ok Google”, causing the Assistant to listen to our conversations.

Google, however, did mention that users can manage and control their data by turning off the option to store audio data in their Google accounts or choose to auto-delete data every 3 or 18 months. So if you’re really worried that Google Assistant has been spying on your private conversations, it’s best you just turn off storing audio data in your account.

google
google assistant


Google's AI beats world champion of Go in three straight sets

343

When Google announced that its AlphaGo AI will be taking on the world’s top player of Go, Lee Se-dol, in a best of five series, many expected the AI to fall. However, in a surprising twist, AlphaGo has managed to do the unthinkable and beat Lee Se-dol in three straight games, effectively winning the tournament.

Out of the four games played thus far, AlphaGo managed to defeat Lee in the first three games, all of which were very close victories. In the fourth game that was played yesterday, Lee finally managed to outplay the AI, preventing a complete sweep of the series by AlphaGo.

“This win is invaluable and I would not trade it for anything else it the world,” says Lee. “It’s a real testament to Mr Lee’s incredible fighting spirit and he was able to play so brilliantly today after three defeats,” says Demis Hassabis, founder of Google’s DeepMind AI system.

While AlphaGo has already won the series, the fifth and final match will go on as usual. Scheduled to happen tomorrow after, it would be interesting to see if Lee could beat the AI for a second time.

Source:
Reuters

ai
alphago
deepmind
go
google
leesedol


Google's AI will go up against Lee Se-Dol in a Go match.

385

Do you want to see an AI and a human try to beat one another in a game of Go? Well, you can!

Today, Google’s AlphaGo, part of the DeepMind AI group, will be going face to face with a human in a game of Go. His opponent is South Korea’s Kee Se-dol, one of the world’s best Go players.

This competition between man and machine will be played out in a series of five matches that will be held in the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul over the next few days. The winner of the series will win USD 1 million. Should AlphaGo win, Google intends to donate the winnings to charity.

AlphaGo’s showdown with Kee wouldn’t be the first time that the AI faced a human opponent. Back in October., the AI beat three-time European Go champion Fan Hui 5-0 back in October. The key to AlphaGo’s success is a novel mix of deep neural network machine learning and tree search techniques. Simply put, DeepMind taught AlphaGo how to play the game by watching professional human Go players play, and then honed its strategy by pitching instances of AlphaGo against each other, in a process known as reinforcement training.

The first match between AlphaGo and Lee is scheduled to begin at 12pm Malaysian time, so the game should be ongoing by the time you read this. As a game of Go can go on for quite a while, I highly recommend you have some snacks ready.

Source:
Ars Technica

ai
alphago
deepmind
go
leesedol
southkorea


Google’s Chrome 71 identifies shady websites and alerts users

359

If you’re using Chrome browser, soon Google will be able to warn you if a website is trying to bill you without being upfront about the terms. The new feature will arrive in December with the launch of Chrome 71, where Google would be able to inform you when a website has unclear mobile billing practices.

The new feature does not mean that you’re going to get informed in every website that you log into. For example, if you’re doing online shopping on a reputable retailer such as Taobao or your favourite department store from your Chrome browser on your devices, you won’t get any annoying flags. However, if you’re visiting a site that tries to bill your phone number for a subscription disguised as a one off fee, Google will immediately alert you.

Google said that the billing information must be obvious, cost and fee structures must be spelled out, and the information must be easy to read. If it detects that a website violates these standards, then Chrome 71 will display a warning flag.

With this new feature, Chrome 71 is making users web experience more pleasant and a safer place to browse by blocking abusive ads.

chrome
Chrome 71
google chrome


Google’s Chrome Canvas is a new web app for doodles and sketches

1.3K

Few days back, Google quietly launched a new tool called Chrome Canvas, and it allows users to sketch, doodle or draw on a blank canvas without needing to download the application.

Any browser that supports WebAssembly will be able to support the tool, where users can type in “canvas.apps.chrome” and they’ll automatically be directed to the Chrome Canvas. The in-web app is quite basic and easy to use, with several brush tools to doodle or sketch such as pencil, chalk, pen and marker, and also an eraser to erase any mistakes.

Users can also adjust the size, opacity and colour of the brush tool. The colour is customisable, but there are also 24 preset colours for those who want to save time. Besides that, users can also choose to open new canvas from image, which allows them to doodle on the image they’ve uploaded to the web. They can then choose to export the file, which only comes in the PNG format.

Apart from that, users can revisit their sketches and drawings from any other devices as long as they can access their Google profiles from the devices. Those who have Chromebook can also add the Canvas app into their app drawer by installing the app through the three-dot menu.

Canvas is a quick and efficient solution to those who need to come up with sketches and doodles at random or spontaneous times. That being said, it only offers very basic functions for now so you should not be expecting advanced results like those from Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

canvas
chrome
google


Google’s COVID-19 website is now live complete with helpful resources and information on the pandemic

298

Google’s COVID-19
website
 is now live compiling the latest information regarding the outbreak across the globe.

Dubbed COVID –19 Information & Resources, this website packs everything you need to know about the virus from what causes it and how to protect yourself from it. The latest news from sources around the internet are gathered here so you keep yourself updated on the latest happenings.

You can also check data and insights regarding the spread of the virus across different countries – this is important to keep people adrift on the number of people infected and cured. At the moment, Malaysia currently stands at 1,306 confirmed cases, with 139 recovered patients and 10 deaths.

The current website is US-centric, so help pages and hotlines are geared towards Americans, but you can visit our own Ministry of Health’s website
here
 for list of relevant contacts.

To contribute to the efforts in fighting the pandemic, Google has also linked a charity fund where you can donate money to aid the cause.

While we observe the RMO and stay put indoors, we should check in on this website at least once a day to get the latest updates on how we’re fairing against the outbreak.

covid 19
google
ministry of health malaysia
moh
outbreak
pandemic
virus


Google's Daydream VR SDK now available for developers

352

With the first of the Daydream VR-ready smartphones due to be out within the next few months, certainly some developers would like to get their hands on the SDK in anticipation of the availability of Google’s own VR platform. Well, these developers will finally have their wish fulfilled, as Google has release its Daydream VR SDK at its developer site today.

Google’s Daydream VR SDK will allow developers to build experiences for Daydream-ready smartphones and headsets on Android. There are three versions of the SDK (Android, Unity and Unreal), allowing developers to pick their poison with regards to which engine they wish to develop for.

It is probably wise for developers who are interested in developing Daydream-based apps to do so right now if they’re aiming to have their apps ready on launch days. All Daydream-based apps will need to go through the Daydream Access Program. Assuming that Google is personally vetting the Daydream apps that will be available at launch, it is probably wise to start work on your apps today.

Source:
Google VR Developer Blog

android
daydream
developer
google
sdk


Google's DeepMind A.I. sets its sights on StarCraft II

471

Google’s DeepMind Artificial Intelligence has conquered Go
. Now, it is setting its sights on a new challenge: Starcraft II.

First announced at Blizzcon, Google and Blizzard has entered a partnership that will see Blizzard opening up Starcraft II, alllowing Google to use it as a research platform for its DeepMind A.I. system. “Blizzard will release an API early next year that will allow researchers and hobbyists around the world to build and train their own A.I. agents to play Starcraft II,” says Oriol Vinyals, a research scientist for Google DeepMind.

The obvious end goal with this move is that Google may be able to train DeepMind to be an “unbeatable” A.I. in game, or even make DeepMind into the first A.I. player coach, but this isn’t what Google has in mind. “On a broader scope, these advancements we make in Starcraft might help us when we apply them to the real world challenges we face in science, energy, and other human endeavors,” says Vinyals.

Of course, the more interesting question is whether or not DeepMind could beat a professional StarCraft II player. For now, Google believes that DeepMind is still a long way from being able to challenge a professional human player at the game.

Source:
Google DeepMind
,
Engadget

artificialintelligence
blizzard
blizzcon
deepmind
google
starcraftii


Google’s Digital Wellbeing has arrived in Android One and Pixel devices

304

The revelation of Android 9 Pie by Google a few months back featured something called Digital Wellbeing, and the feature is finally available in public version instead of being a beta feature.

The Digital Wellbeing on Android is similar to the iOS’s Screen Time, as both features function to tell the users the amount of time spent on their applications so that they can better manage their time on their smartphones. Digital Wellbeing has a dashboard which displays all the applications used and the amount of time spent on each applications, in addition to how many times a user has unlocked his/her phone and how many notifications were received.

Users can also use the App Timer to limit the amount of time they spend on each application, and when they’ve reached their limits the applications will turn grey for the rest of the day. Besides that, there’s also a feature called Wind Down which allows user to stop notifications from coming in and also activate displays such as Night Light and Grayscale, the former reduction blue light to for better vision protection and the latter turning the display into monochrome mode to remind users that it’s time to put down their smartphones.

Currently, Digital Wellbeing is limited to Android One and Pixel smartphones but Google promises that it will soon reach to other Android users.

Digital Wellbeing
Do Not Disturb
google
Wind Down


Google’s Digital Wellbeing is tied with parental controls in the new beta update

390

Similar to how Apple has its Screen Time, Google has Digital Wellbeing. These features help users track their daily app usage so they can better manage the time spent on their devices. Now, the beta update to Digital Wellbeing has revealed an additional feature — parental controls.

With the new update, “Digital Wellbeing” will instead be called “Digital Wellbeing & parental controls”. Not only can it be used to manage screen time, but it will also be able to let parents control app usage and screen time for their children. This is done via Google’s Family Link app.

The app not only allows parents to limit the amount of screen time their children can spend on devices but also lets them review apps and set a bedtime to prevent their children from staying up late with their devices. Parents can also track their children’s location and lock their devices via this app.

This new update is only possible for devices running on Android Q, so it’s not surprising if you’ve yet to receive any public updates. If you’d like to test it out, make sure your device is running on Android Q’s latest beta version and also download the latest Digital Wellbeing beta.

Android Q
Digital Wellbeing
google
parental controls
play store