Google to launch wireless network with help of Verizon, report claims
Google has reached out to Verizon in an effort to help create a wireless network on the back of Google Fiber, says The Information. After also discussing the plans with Sprint, Google is said to have backed away from the carrier once SoftBank acquisitions took place. As it appears, Google could become a mobile virtual network operation (MVNO) .
From the sounds of it, Google would like to build out a wireless network in markets; users may potentially connect via Wi-Fi access points whenever in range of the Fiber network. If no access points are available then the devices would connect to the carrier’s network.
As of today, Google Fiber networks are found in Kansas City, Missouri and Provo, Utah. Down the road, Google plans to expand to Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; San Jose, California; and more. There’s obviously a lot that must be done before this builds into something that can compete on a national level, but if anyone can do it, it’s Google.
The post Google to launch wireless network with help of Verizon, report claims appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Acquired Speech Recognition Firm Novauris Last Year for Siri Team
Apple purchased automatic speech recognition company Novauris Technologies last year, reports TechCrunch. Novauris’ main product was NovaSystem, a server-based distributed speech recognition system.
According to the company’s website, its technology is able to handle multiple simultaneous voice requests, recognizing complete phrases and analyzing syllable structure for better speech recognition.
NovaSearch doesn’t carry out recognition at the word or sequence-of-words level, but rather identifies complete phrases from start to finish by matching them against a potentially huge inventory of possible utterances. This enables it to assemble information about what has been spoken over utterances of virtually any length and take near-optimal decisions.
While the Novauris website does not mention its acquisition by Apple, TechCrunch notes that a phone call to the U.K. offices was answered with “Apple,” by Novauris’s co-founder, who confirmed that the team now works for Apple. Novauris’s founders are well-known speech researchers and formerly worked at Dragon Systems, the company behind products like Dragon NaturallySpeaking and DragonDictate, now owned by Nuance.
One of the biggest differentiators about Novauris in terms of the competitive landscape, is that they operated in both the embedded and server space, and they also owned the core engine. This of course would make them a valuable asset for Apple, which had tried to acquire Nuance, the technology that powers Apple’s Siri – a partnership that has long been known, but only officially confirmed last year.
Novauris’s technology has been used by companies like Verizon Wireless, Panasonic, Samsung, Alpine, BMW, and more. It has also been used to power several different voice-activated mapping systems, as seen in the demo video below.
The acquisition took place in 2013 and the Novauris team has been working on improving Siri, Apple’s voice-based digital assistant. Apple is rumored to be working on making some significant upgrades to Siri with iOS 8, possibly expanding its ability to interface with third-party apps.
     |
Apple’s Exploration of Pressure Sensitive Touch Screens Continues With New Patent Application
Apple is exploring touch screen technology that determines pressure sensitivity using a combination of capacitive touch and infrared light sensing, according to a new patent application recently published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider).
The patent describes a method of determining the force of a user’s touch on a capacitive screen using infrared transmit lines from transmitters and receivers positioned under the frame of the cover glass. Capacitive touch combined with light would determine both the position of the finger and distinguish a soft touch from a harder touch, allowing Apple to implement gestures that could vary with force.
Using infrared light to determine where a user touches a screen is a method known as Frustrated Total Internal Reflection, or FTIR. FTIR is essentially a light-based way to detect multitouch, bouncing infrared light off of the touch screen to detect interference from a finger. When combined with capacitive touch, the interference measurements can also deduce force.
FTIR has been used by Microsoft for its Perceptive Pixel products, as noted in Apple’s patent application. Microsoft offers several large-screened multi-touch sensing devices that use FTIR and offers a technology called Microsoft PixelSense, which is used in the Samsung SUR40.
As implemented by Microsoft, the FTIR technology, which uses cameras to detect light refracted by pressure, allows multiple people to use the device at once and it also recognizes and distinguishes objects that are not fingers.
Though Apple has not yet built pressure sensitivity into the touch screens of its mobile devices, the company has been looking at various techniques for implementing pressure detection over the last several years. In addition to infrared light, Apple has explored force sensors, spring membranes, and pressure sensitive device casings.
Given Apple’s continued interest in pressure sensitive touch screens and competing products that already include pressure sensitivity, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro line of tablets, the implementation of the technology in some form or another seems like a logical step for Apple’s future mobile devices.
| |
GoPro’s new Blackout housing is ideal for shooting those covert operations
Still mounting your GoPro on a helmet? Get with the times. There’s like, a zillion other ways to mount that thing. Your choice is getting even bigger, too, as the action-cam behemoth has just announced a new “Blackout” housing ($49). As the name suggests, this is all about stealth filming. The dark, matte-finish case not only hides the shiny silver camera, it also conceals all the LEDs, making it ideal for situations where lights or reflections can ruin a shot (such as startling wildlife). Bonus: it’s also waterproof to over 130 feet. If you prefer to show your GoPro off in all its glory, then maybe the updated “Frame” housing is your thing ($39). As before, it’s a minimal frame-like housing, but with the ports exposed for easier access. A new latch mechanism also make it easier to lock in and release the camera. Lastly, remember that funky dual-case that allowed two Hero HD cameras to be combined for 3D footage? Well a new version of that is incoming too, updated for the Hero 3 and Hero 3+ models. No price and date on that, but hopefully enough time to save up for a second camera to go a long with it.
Filed under: Cameras, Wearables
Source: GoPro
The US started a social network in Cuba to foster dissent
At first glance, ZunZuneo had all the markings of your average Silicon Valley startup: a silly name, a focus on messaging, and plans to make a splash abroad. That wasn’t exactly the case though, as the Associated Press reports. No, ZunZuneo was a social messaging service (think of it as Twitter over SMS) cooked up by the U.S. Agency for International Development to help foment political unrest in Cuba. The plan? To hook users on a steady stream “non-controversial” updates on banal topics, before subtly injecting political messages into the mix in hopes of sparking a movement.
The AP says that some 40,000 unsuspecting Cubans used the service in its heyday, but it suddenly went dark in 2012 when it ran into the problem most startups inevitably do: it ran out of money. In a bid to polish its veneer of legitimacy, USAID apparently had a sit-down with Jack Dorsey to discuss funding and attempted to install a outsider as CEO. This situation, while utterly fascinating, is loaded with questions. Was it legal? The USAID argues it was – a spokesperson told the AP that a congressional investigation found the organization’s programs legally bueno. Was it ethically questionable? That’s another story entirely. ZunZuneo’s mass messaging was valuable in a country where internet access is limited at best, but Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) lays out the issues nicely:
“There is the risk to young, unsuspecting Cuban cellphone users who had no idea this was a U.S. government-funded activity. There is the clandestine nature of the program that was not disclosed to the appropriations subcommittee with oversight responsibility. And there is the disturbing fact that it apparently activated shortly after Alan Gross, a USAID subcontractor who was sent to Cuba to help provide citizens access to the Internet, was arrested.”
Source: Associated Press
Facebook Messenger updated with group chat, other features
Facebook has updated its Messenger application for Android devices, tying in a feature already available in the iPhone version. First and foremost, the app now lets users create group chats, tag them with images, and save them. What’s more, users can place shortcuts to said group conversations on the home screen of their device. Also, the app now allows for forwarding of messages from one user or conversation to another. As always, Facebook Messenger is free to download.
The post Facebook Messenger updated with group chat, other features appeared first on AndroidGuys.
KISS’ Photo Bomb app will glam up your photos in the worst way possible
Hey you! Have you ever wanted to use a mobile app to relive the heady glam-rock days of the late 1970s? If so, the newly released KISS Photo Bomb app for iOS and Android is not the way to go. The name says it all, really: with the app you can digitally insert members of KISS into your photos, as well as lather your face in iconic makeup (see above) and stick Gene Simmons’ crimson tongue just about anywhere you like. The end results are… just as absurd and facepalm-y as you’d imagine. Yes, this is a real thing. No, we don’t know why. Wait, yes we do: it’s a ridiculous, naked money grab, with additional sticker and frame packs priced at $1 a pop. Then again, we’d expect nothing less from the guys who thought sticking their faces on caskets was a rad idea.
Source: KISS Photo Bomb
Google reportedly wants to offer mobile phone service in Fiber areas
Many see Google Fiber as an attempt to disrupt the stagnant world of internet service providers, and it now sounds like Google wants to shake up the wireless industry, too. Sources for The Information claim that the search firm wants to offer mobile phone service in Fiber areas. It’s not yet clear how this would work, but Google reportedly told Verizon in January that it would like to become an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) piggybacking on Big Red’s network. None of the companies involved are commenting on the rumor, and there are no guarantees that Google’s dreams will become reality. We certainly wouldn’t count on Verizon’s cooperation given its vehement opposition to the net neutrality principles that Larry Page and crew hold dear. However, Google is the sort of company that’s willing to supply internet access by any means necessary — if it’s really bent on offering phone service, it’ll find a way.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile, Google, Verizon
Source: The Information
Digital Storm’s revamped gaming laptops boast high-end GeForce 800M graphics
If you’ve been waiting for a gaming laptop that wrings the most performance out of NVIDIA’s new GeForce 800M graphics chips, you may want to check out Digital Storm’s freshly revamped laptop line. The Javelin, Lance, Krypton and Behemoth all carry fast dedicated video, ranging from the GeForce GTX 860M (in everything but the Behemoth) all the way to dual GTX 880M chips in higher-end Krypton and Behemoth models. Beyond that, you’re mostly paying for screen size and frills. The Lance starts things off at $1,196 for a 15.6-inch 1080p screen, a quad-core 2.4GHz Core i7, 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Step up to the $1,430 Lance and you’ll get both improved cooling and audio alongside minor spec bumps; the $1,478 Krypton adds a 17.3-inch screen, while the $2,289 Behemoth takes a big leap forward in speed with a GTX 880M GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state primary drive. All of Digital Storm’s latest portables are available to order today.
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, NVIDIA
Source: Digital Storm
Turkey finally lifts Twitter ban, but YouTube is still blocked
It’s official: Turkey’s Twitter ban has officially come to an end. The country’s high court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional just yesterday, and access to the service was finally restored this morning after two weeks of social silence. In case you hadn’t been following this odyssey, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan promised to “root out” the service after recordings of reportedly corrupt government officials made the rounds ahead of nationwide elections.
Savvy users managed to bypass the block with tools like Tor, but Erdogan seems to have gotten what he wanted anyway: his party trounced the competition in municipal polls held over the weekend. Censorship is as powerful a tool as ever, sad to say. Twitter wasn’t the only social service that came under fire, as YouTube was blocked once illicit recordings of a high-level meeting about sending troops into Syria began to circulate. At this point there’s no word on when access will be reinstated, though this isn’t the first time YouTube has fallen into the country’s crosshairs: it was blocked between 2007 and 2010 because it hosted videos critical of Turkey’s founder, Ataturk.
Source: Reuters
AIVAnet 