A 26 letter company: Google is now a subsidiary of new parent company, Alphabet
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This is probably going to be the biggest news of the year, yet we had no idea it was going to happen. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have started a new company called Alphabet (https://abc.xyz/), which is going to serve as an umbrella company for Google and its significant parts. If you’re wondering why this even needs to happen, you’ll probably remember news like Google investing heavily into the health and robotics sectors, industries which are cool and technological, but don’t really match with Google’s core business of the search, Android, ads, etc. This will allow all these subsidiaries to run independently, which should hopefully give each company – each with its own CEO – enough agility to progress their development as best they can.
While Page and Brin transition into CEO and President, respectively, Sundar Pichai has been given the CEO reins at Google, which is pretty much the best thing ever considering his significant contributions to Android. As for Google’s shares – which shot up 4% after this news – they will be swapped one-for-one for Alphabet shares, but still trading under the GOOG and GOOGL titles.
This is a lot to take in, but it seems like a really exciting move for all of Alphabet’s subsidiaries, and we can’t wait to see how this plays out.
What do you think about Google becoming a subsidiary of Alphabet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google via Android Police
The post A 26 letter company: Google is now a subsidiary of new parent company, Alphabet appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Microsoft attempts to teach computers how to make a funny
Computers and artificial intelligence systems have long struggled with a human understanding of humor – as anyone who has ever asked Siri to tell a joke well knows. Bloomberg reports that recently, a researcher at Microsoft began working with The New Yorker on a project that aims to teach an AI system what is and what is not “funny.”
Dafna Shahaf was able to train an AI to find the funniest choices among similarly-themed captions by feeding it an archive of cartoons and caption contest entries from the back page of The New Yorker. Because computer software is trained to understand photos and not hand-drawn images, the researchers had to manually describe what was seen in each cartoon and its context; Shahaf used crowdsourced input via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for this step, asking workers to sort answers in order of funniest to least funny, and then moved onto ranking the jokes using the answers.
In the end, the AI system was often able to select choices that the cartoon editors agreed with – all of the editor’s favorite captions appeared in the AI’s top 55.8 percent of choices. Overall the AI was able to eliminate roughly 2,200 of the 5,000 caption entries the publication receives each week, saving editors from having to read through thousands of terrible puns.
These initial steps are incredibly relevant to projects like Skype Translator which makes translations on the fly between users speaking two different languages. Researchers’ ultimate goal is to teach computers to make jokes on their own, because apparently getting them to answer Jeopardy questions is passé.
[Image Credit: Associated Press]
Source:
Bloomberg
Tags: AI, comic, MachineLearning, MechanicalTurk, Microsoft, NewYorker, Siri
Columbia House owner wants to drop its mail-order business
Believe it or not, Columbia House’s mail-order media business is still around — although it might not be for much longer. Its parent company, Filmed Entertainment, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to “pursue an orderly sale” of the Columbia House DVD Club, the last remnant of a once-great distribution empire (it ditched music back in 2010). You won’t be shocked by the reason why, of course: the “advent of digital media” negated Columbia House’s reason for being. Why pay for a steady flow of discs when a combination of streaming services and downloads will cover the bases far more effectively? Columbia House will keep running during the sell-off, but we can’t imagine that prospective buyers will want much more than the recognizable name and some sales agreements.
[Image credit: Classic Film, Flickr]
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via:
Wall Street Journal, The Verge
Source:
Filmed Entertainment (PR Newswire)
Tags: blu-ray, columbiahouse, dvd, hdpostcross, internet, movies, music, streaming, television, tv, video
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 4 and Note Edge now getting Stagefright patch
Tired of Stagefright news yet? We know it can get your news feed a bit crowded. Please be patient, as this is important! You sure don’t want hackers to have the ability to take control of your device by sending you a simple message, right? All manufacturers and carriers are working hard to get all those security patches out there, and today is a good day for some of you T-Mobile users.
Sammy and Magenta have begun rolling out Stagefright-patching updates to the Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 4 and Note Edge starting today. The Note Edge and Note 4 will stay at Android 5.0.1, while the Galaxy S5 will also keep its current software version (Android 5.1.1). There’s nothing else to these updates, with the only exception being the Samsung Galaxy S5, which is also getting some Swype fixes.
You don’t need much to upgrade your phone. The only requirements are that your battery is at 50% or higher, you are connected to a WiFi network and there’s enough storage to download the update file. The Galaxy S5’s file weighs 388.75 MB. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge will need 142 MB and 150 MB, relatively.
Have you gotten your update notification yet? If you have not, simply go to your Settings app and check for updates. Remember, that most times these updates roll out in waves, though. If you can’t download the update yet, just stop smashing your screen and sit back for a while. It will come!
How many of you have gotten the Stagefright fix? Did it all go smoothly?
Samsung videos!
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Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo coming soon: 5MP front camera, IP67, flap-less USB 2.0 port
Over the years, Samsung has consistently found ways to reissue the previous year’s product(s) at more price-competitive points, or at times with additional features. For the past few months, there have been on-again, off-again rumors and rumblings of a new Galaxy S5. Specifically, a Neo one. Today, we now know that the Galaxy S5 Neo is real, is coming soon, and is slightly modified from the original model:
The Galaxy S5 Neo features a 5.1-inch Full HD (1920X1280) sAMOLED display, a 1.6GHz Exynos 7580 Octa-Core SoC, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. Rounding out the specs are IP67 certification, a 16-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 2,800mAh user-replaceable battery, and ships with Android 5.1. No information was provided about the presence of a fingerprint sensor however, though the heart rate monitor is still included.
The model goes by the product code SM-G903F and is priced at 439 Euros ($480). It is expected to be delivered by the end of the month, on August 27th. It will be available in Black, Dark Blue (pictured), Gold, and Silver color variants.
What’s Different:
Eagle-eyed readers will be quick to note there are several differences in the S5 Neo, some of them actually enhancements over the base model. For starters, the original model featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (or 805) whereas Samsung has now switched to its own, internally-produced Exynos chip-set. The front-facing camera has also seen a significant boost, going from 2-megapixels to 5-megapixels as per more recent devices like the Galaxy A8.
Perhaps the most noticeable changes however, come from the design: the USB 3.0 charging port is now gone -replaced by USB 2.0- as well as the waterproof flap that was previously used to seal the port. Interestingly enough the Galaxy S5 Mini also made use of this design: an open-air USB 2.0 port. The flap proved to be one of the more controversial aspects of the S5 when it released, as frequent reports cropped up where the plastic piece would break off or fail to close properly after even a short period of using the phone.
One last change -also design related- is the texture to the phone. Whereas the original S5’s frame had a three-layer “stacked” look, the S5 Neo seems to downplay it somewhat, giving greater prominence to the large center rounded rim portion. The frame also features a frosted texture which should hopefully make it more grippy than that of the S5. The rear (battery) cover also has received a slight change, having a much finer pattern of the stippled dots that many likened to adhesive bandages.
More for the Money?
While the Galaxy S5 Neo certainly has some nice things going for it, namely the aforementioned removal of the waterproofing flap and an enhanced front camera, it also has a few strikes against it. For starters, the price is arguably quite high when the original Galaxy S5 can be found on sites like Amazon Germany at roughly the same or even less. The Exynos SoC used is also apparently unable to record 4K video, something that may be a sore spot for those hoping to make heavy use of the rear camera.
Will the fingerprint sensor make a return for the S5 Neo?
As Samsung has yet to officially announce this device, the presence -or lack thereof- of a fingerprint sensor may also be an issue. Ultimately the swipe-based authentication method used by the Galaxy S5 was seemingly of a hit-or-miss affair. Software patches were issued to try and improve the functionality, but even so, it still fails to work as flawlessly as that of the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy A8. Most likely however, due to possible overstock of unused parts from poor S5 demand, Samsung will opt to include it with the Neo.
It’s coming soon
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Until the official announcement of the product -presumably coming in the next few days or weeks- the full picture of the Galaxy S5 Neo will remain unfinished. While we know it will release in Germany, wide-scale European availability, as well as that of a global roll-out remain unknown.
For all those Samsung-loyal who feel slighted by the Galaxy S6’s sealed design and lack of microSD and user-replaceable battery, could the S5 Neo solve this for you? Is the pricing point too high? Let us know your thoughts on this new product below in the comments section!
Hangouts 4.0 is now available with updated Material Design and Android Wear functions
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Hangouts has today graduated to the next level. Google has today released the Hangouts 4.0 update, and it brings with it a huge number of improvements, not least of all an updated Material Design interface and some really nifty Android Wear features. The full list of changes, according to Google, is as follows:
- Hangouts is sleeker. Now updated with material design, Hangouts has a new look and feel: items respond to your touch in more intuitive ways and transitions between tasks are more fluid.
- Hangouts is simpler. The new Compose button makes it easier for you to start a new group or conversation. Our streamlined contacts list helps you find the right person quickly. And attachments have been revamped and simplified, so sharing—of emoji, GIFs, your location, even multiple photos at once—is a snap.
- Hangouts is faster. Whether you’re sending a quick message or video chatting with family, you don’t want hold-ups. We’ve been obsessively fixing bugs and speeding up message delivery to make Hangouts faster and more reliable. Bonus: less battery consumption.
- Make affordable calls from the Hangouts Dialer, now with Outbound Caller ID (so your friends won’t get any more calls from the great “Unknown”).Use Hangouts on Android Wear when you really have an eye on the time (just say, “Ok Google, send a Hangouts message,” into your watch).
- Receive and reply to group MMS messages in Hangouts using Google Voice.
- Use Hangouts on Android Wear when you really have an eye on the time (just say, “Ok Google, send a Hangouts message,” into your watch).
- And if you’re not around but want friends to know what’s on your mind? Custom status messages are back.
Excited? We are too. The update should be rolling out now so make sure you compulsively check your Play Store until it does. Or, you can download the Hangouts 4.0 APK here.
What do you think about Hangouts 4.0? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google via Droid-life
The post Hangouts 4.0 is now available with updated Material Design and Android Wear functions appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
SOL REPUBLIC Shadow Wireless headphones review
W
hile the Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 function as my daily driver headset, I was pumped to get my hands on the Shadow Wireless earphones from Sol Republic. In short, they’re a solid set of buds that really impress at their price point.
Let’s start with sound. These earphones are a great buy for folks that want a strong bottom-end response. I found the low and high-end hyping to be really great for hip-hop tracks and imagine that Sol Republic is targeting a younger demographic with this offering. In fact, I can imagine tons of teens putting these on their back-to-school shopping wishlists. Let’s not kid ourselves here; these aren’t Bang & Olufsen but for the price, they do deliver.
The form factor features a “NASA-inspired biomorphic design”. Scratching your head? I was too but after feeling the comfort of the neckband, it immediately clicked for me. The unit wraps around quite nicely and fits to the contours of the neck. When in use, these are super easy to wear. I had the opportunity to try the Steel Black color, which — in my opinion — are the more attractive of the two offerings. I did find that, when the earphones weren’t in, the dangling buds were unsightly and quite annoying to walk around with although this is easily remedied by folding and pocketing.
For all you fast-moving jetsetters with multiple phones, you’ll find solace in the ability to connect to two devices at once. The battery life clocks in at about 8 hours. If you’re going out for a marathon trek in the mountains, you may want to bring a pair of wired headphones, but these fit perfectly into my New York City lifestyle.
While these aren’t the best for running (my earbuds fell out a few times), they are water resistant and the built-in button controls are simple to use. The Shadow Wireless headphones feature Bluetooth 4.0 with Apt-X support. The latter is an integrated codec for superior wireless streaming sound but, quite frankly, I didn’t hear much of a difference. Your mileage may vary, though.
If you’re looking for wireless headphones, these should absolutely be on your radar. Got a friend or family member heading to high-school or college? These would be perfect gift. I found the sound to be solid, the design to be svelt and the price point extremely attractive. Overall, the Shadow Wireless is sleek, comfortable and a true value for just $100.
The post SOL REPUBLIC Shadow Wireless headphones review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
With Sundar at the helm, where does Google fit in the Alphabet?
Earlier today, Google dropped a bombshell. Co-Founder and CEO Larry Page, released a State of the Union, in which a slew of changes were announced. The biggest of which was the re-organization of Google.
Larry Page will be stepping down as the CEO, and named Sundar Pichai, head of Android and Chrome, as Google’s CEO. Now, before running all across town saying that Sundar’s the man in charge now, he is, but there’s a catch. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have founded a new company, Alphabet.
Within this umbrella company, things will be run much differently than they currently are. Projects like Google, YouTube, and Google Ventures, will be broken into separate companies underneath the Alphabet umbrella. Hence the “G is for Google” on the abc.xyz blog post.
With this realignment, more changes need to be made, and one of those changes was to name Sundar Pichai as CEO of Google. This is not earth-shattering news, based solely on the increased responsibilities Mr. Pichai has undertaken, such as taking the lead on Android after Andy Rubin left in October of 2014. But if you’ve looked in to Sundar’s background, you will find some signs that this was a long time coming.
After joining Google in 2004, Pichai worked on numerous products, ranging from Google Chrome to Google Maps. He was also instrumental in the successful launch of both Google Drive, and Chrome OS. Pichai also helped create a new video codec by the name of VP8 which turned into the WebM video format used in Chrome. Needless to say, he was fast-tracked to the top, from the beginning.
Due to the large success that was found with almost everything Pichai touched at Google, his name was one that was swirling around the water-cooler in regards to the new CEO of Microsoft in late 2014. Since then, he continued to grow both the Android brand, as well as Chrome, and continues to make improvements on both platforms.
Just a few months ago, it was Pichai on stage at Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, where he announced Android’s latest foray, Android M. Along with Android M, there were a few plans set in place to continue to develop the Chrome browser into the end-all-be-all browser. A few of those changes to the Chrome browser have been making their way to our devices already, if you’re using the Chrome Beta application on your mobile device, such as having custom tabs within Chrome.
Regardless of that, now Sundar Pichai has his biggest challenge ahead of him. While Larry Page states that Google is now “slimmed down”, Pichai will still need to keep the ship chugging along and innovating in the process.
Speaking of that slimming down process, what does this Alphabet business, really mean? To the average person, there probably won’t be any type of immediate impact, and there may not be any type of impact at all. But what Alphabet promises to do, is huge for everyone, including the non-geeks.
Google, as big as it is, has been cut down a bit. Trimmed into more manageable slivers, with different people at the helm of those divisions. At the top of Alphabet, you will find Larry Page as CEO, with Sergey Brin as President, and Eric Schmidt as Executive Chairman. The current board of directors found within Google, will now become the directors of Alphabet.
Page describes the CEO separation changes as such: “In general, our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed.” This is where the dynamic duo of Page and Brin got their base to name individuals such as Pichai and Susan Wojcicki as CEO of Google and YouTube, respectively.
By essentially “splitting” up the companies, while still operating under an umbrella company, this will allow more focus to those special projects. While at the same time, allowing Page, Brin, and Schmidt to focus on projects like Google Fiber, Google X, and others. This also hopes to bring innovation to those in charge of other divisions and sections of Alphabet, while still giving some type of control to the Big Three at Google, Alphabet.
Also announced today, was in regards to how Alphabet would affect the stock market, and those who hold any shares in Google. While Alphabet will be keeping the same trading names as Google did, GOOG/GOOGL, the parent company will now separately report Google’s financial results. This, in turn, will give everyone a better grip about how the company is really doing.
As a side note, and a bit of a fun one, there is a hidden link within the post from Larry Page. While describing some of the fun things that Alphabet will allow Page and Brin to focus on, Page makes specific mention of X Lab. X Labs “incubates new efforts like Wing, our drone delivery effort.” Well if you tap the period at the end of that sentence, you are redirected to another page.
We are such stuff as dreams are made on
– W. Shakespeare
This link brings you to a page based on Silicon Valley, the hit TV show on HBO, about a bunch of geeks in, you guessed it, Silicon Valley. While it’s not really known how this ties into today’s announcements, it’s a fun little tidbit to look at and see what it’s all about.
Let us know what your thoughts are on today’s events by dropping us a line in the comment section below. Is this a good move for Google, or could things end up spiraling out of control if not handled correctly?
Featured Image courtesy of AndroidGuys’ own Austin Hyde
The post With Sundar at the helm, where does Google fit in the Alphabet? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google restructures to become a subsidiary of a parent company called Alphabet
Today, a major restructuring reassigns Google as a wholly owned subsidiary of a new holding company called Alphabet. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the duo that co-founded Google, will be leading the company that is a “collection of companies.”
The lines between Google and other subsidiaries will be clearer and allow each to run independently. While Google’s core businesses — search, advertising, Maps, YouTube, and YouTube — remain under usual control, Alphabet will be busy with other subsidiaries such as Nest, Fiber, Calico, Ventures, Capital, and the X lab. Since they will be operating independently, Alphabet is tasked with allocating capital to the subsidiaries.
Alphabet plans to continue Google’s model in having a CEO running each business. Sundar Pichai, Android and Chrome’s leader, is being elevated to CEO of Google and YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki will remain in her role. Omid Kordestani, Google’s Chief Business Officer, will shift into an advisory role with both Alphabet and Google.
Larry Page spoke on what Alphabet represents:
“For Sergey and me this is a very exciting new chapter in the life of Google—the birth of Alphabet. We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity’s most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that it means alpha‑bet (Alpha is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for! I should add that we are not intending for this to be a big consumer brand with related products—the whole point is that Alphabet companies should have independence and develop their own brands.”
All shares of Google will be converted automatically to the same number of shares of Alphabet.
Come comment on this article: Google restructures to become a subsidiary of a parent company called Alphabet
Samsung’s 256-gigabit chip puts multi-terabyte flash drives in your PC
Think that Samsung’s 2TB solid-state drives are pretty capacious? They’re just the start of something bigger. The Korean tech giant has started manufacturing the first 256-gigabit (32GB) 3D vertical flash memory, doubling its previous capacity record. The new tech should turn multi-terabyte SSDs into practical options for your home PC, and help phone makers cram more storage into tight spaces. You might get more bang for your buck, to boot — Samsung’s manufacturing is 40 percent more productive, so you likely won’t pay twice as much for twice the headroom. The company plans to make this 256-gigabit flash through the rest of 2015, so you’ll probably see it crop up in a lot of products (from Samsung and otherwise) over the months ahead.
Source:
Samsung Tomorrow
Tags: flash, samsung, ssd, storage, v-nand, vnand
AIVAnet 