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8
Oct

Lyft partners with Hertz to offer its drivers affordable rental rates


If you’ve been trying to become a driver for Lyft, but your car doesn’t have four door or is too old, the company has a solution. It’s partnered with Hertz car rentals for what it’s calling “affordable” daily, weekly, and monthly rates. In addition to giving new drivers a chance to earn some extra cash, the partnership is also meant to help current drivers whose cars may be in the shop or is otherwise unavailable. The partnership has already launched in Las Vegas and should be rolling out to other cities by the end of the year. At driver event this morning, the ride-sharing platform also announced a partnership with Shell for gas rewards. Drivers get a unique PIN code that offers discounts fuel depending on how often you fill up. The more gas you use, the cheaper your fuel. Power drivers could earn free gasoline with the system. It’s launching in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston and will be available at all Shell stations nationwide by the end of the ear.

Just to keep the driver love going, the company also announced a product for immediate cash out of funds. Express Pay will transfer funds immediately from a driver’s account into their bank account if they have a minimum balance of $50. The new insta-cash feature will launch at the beginning of November.

Source: Lyft

8
Oct

DirectTV launches first VR app for boxing fans


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In its first ever attempt at virtual reality (VR), DirectTV has launched a new app that would take boxing fans directly to the ringside during matches.

The Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) VR app is available for Google Cardboard as well as Samsung Gear VR headset-compatible smartphones. While live boxing fights are not available on BKB yet, you can catch the immersive VR highlights after downloading the app from Google Play, the App Store or Oculus™ Store.

To provide immersive experience through the app, DirectTV filmed the fight by a five-camera system designed to capture the event from the audience’s perspective earlier this summer. DirecTV is also making 360-degree footage of the fight available on Samsung’s Milk VR.

“We know that VR can be a deeply engaging entertainment medium. It delivers a compelling sense of ‘being there’ that’s unmatched by any other technology. We believe that much of VR’s growth will be mobile driven. As the technology evolves, we hope to find new ways to use VR to enhance not just BKB, but all sports experiences,” DirectTV vice president Jon Molod said.

Full Press Release

DIRECTV Launches First Virtual Reality App

New Big Knockout Boxing Virtual Reality App Delivers Immersive, 360 Degree Sports Experience to Consumers; Now Available for Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition and Cardboard Viewers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — DIRECTV, now part of the AT&T* family, is taking its first jab at Virtual Reality (VR). We’re giving boxing fans a ringside seat with the new Big Knockout Boxing (BKB) VR App.  

The new app delivers highlights from the June 27 BKB fight event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. You can experience the blows and knock downs on your VR ready smartphone as if you were actually at the fight.

The BKB VR app is now available for Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition and Cardboard (Android and iOS) headsets.  You can also watch immersive BKB fight highlights in Samsung Milk VR, a premium virtual reality service. With the BKB VR app on the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, you can select different fight highlights and close up camera feeds. Download the BKB VR app now from the Oculus™ Store, Google Play, and Apple App Stores.

“We know that VR can be a deeply engaging entertainment medium. It delivers a compelling sense of ‘being there’ that’s unmatched by any other technology,” said Jon Molod, vice president of Digital Entertainment Products Group, DIRECTV, part of the AT&T family. “We believe that much of VR’s growth will be mobile driven. As the technology evolves we hope to find new ways to use VR to enhance not just BKB, but all sports experiences.”

The BKB VR app was designed as a short form immersive experience focused on presenting a selection of the most exciting fight moments. The app’s immersive content was filmed by a five- camera system designed to capture the event from the perspective of a fan in the audience. 

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We’re the world’s largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. In the U.S., our wireless network has the nation’s strongest 4G LTE signal and most reliable 4G LTE. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider*. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

Come comment on this article: DirectTV launches first VR app for boxing fans

8
Oct

Amazon launches new Handmade at Amazon store


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Amazon announced today the launch of a new store within their ecosystem called Handmade at Amazon. The new storefront features genuine handmade items sold directly from the artisans who create them. All of the products are guaranteed to be factory-free and will be available from artisans in more than 60 countries around the world.

Artisans will be able to sell their goods through several product categories like Jewelry, Home Décor, Artwork, Stationery and Party Supplies, Kitchen and Dining, and Furniture. Amazon says they are providing artisans who sell through the program a profile that describes how products are made. In a statement Amazon says, “knowing an item has a unique story behind it creates a personal experience that customers have told us makes owning handmade items special.”

Amazon customers can access the new store using the Handmade link in the Shop by Department navigation menu. Prime members will find there are already more than 600 items that are Prime eligible and more will be added from the catalog of over 80,000 items offered.

You can read Amazon’s full press release below and if you are interested in checking out what is available, head on over to amazon.com/handmade.

Debuting the Home for Artisans: Handmade at Amazon

Handmade at Amazon items are factory-free, handcrafted

Shop for handmade items from more than 60 countries around the world

Artisans are adding thousands of new items daily

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced today the launch of Handmade at Amazon (www.amazon.com/handmade), a new store featuring genuinely handmade items crafted and sold directly from artisans. With Handmade at Amazon, customers can discover artisans from around the world, and shop local from artisans based in their community with the familiar Amazon experience they know and trust. Handmade at Amazon was designed to provide customers and artisans a tailored store specifically for handcrafted items. All products available on Handmade at Amazon are factory-free and must be made by hand. Handmade at Amazon features a variety of product categories including Jewelry, Home Décor, Artwork, Stationery and Party Supplies, Kitchen and Dining, and Furniture.

“We have designed a custom shopping experience for customers looking for handmade items by bringing together many of the best artisans in the world, and they’re adding thousands of items daily”

“We have designed a custom shopping experience for customers looking for handmade items by bringing together many of the best artisans in the world, and they’re adding thousands of items daily,” said Peter Faricy, VP for Amazon Marketplace. “Knowing an item has a unique story behind it creates a personal experience that customers have told us makes owning handmade items special. Handmade at Amazon offers customers more than 80,000 quality handcrafted items from around the world, and over 30 percent can be personalized by artisans to delight customers.”

Handmade at Amazon offers customers:

  • Genuinely Handmade: We only approve artisans whose products are handcrafted. We are factory-free. Customers will enjoy on-trend jewelry like modern earrings, interlocking rings necklaces and tassel statement earrings.
  • Explore the World: Shop by country to find products from artisans in more than 60 countries. International items include walnut cufflinks from Australia and handcrafted wooden lamps from Italy.
  • Discover the Artisan: Every artisan has a profile that describes how their products are made. Shop locally by finding artisans in all 50 states. Customers can experience music-themed artwork from a New York artisan that’s been playing music and doing art for over 25 years, to adorably cute heirloom quilt, bib and burp cloth baby collections from a Wisconsin artisan initially inspired to make handmade heirloom treasures that would forever remind her of the first precious months with her children.
  • Shopping Made Easy: What you love about Amazon, now for Handmade. We’re bringing the friendly experience, convenience and value you love and trust about Amazon to the world of handmade items. To start, more than 600 handmade items are Prime eligible with more being added each day.

Every Handmade product page contains a location icon identifying where the artisan is based, along with a link to the artisan’s profile. To find the Handmade at Amazon store from the Amazon.com homepage, customers can click on the “Handmade” link in the “Shop by Department” navigation or type in terms including “handmade,” “handmade home décor” or “handmade jewelry” into the search bar.

Handmade at Amazon features a growing collective of artisans. Here’s what artisans are saying:

“Handmade at Amazon will change the customer shopping experience because Amazon has made the artisan profile personal, and customers like personal. Feeling like they know who made the item, the process behind how each piece is made, and how much time and effort went into every item will bring customers back to shop for even more Handmade items!” – Carlee, AmazziRoots

“Amazon will know how to do handmade right.” – Chuck, Down to the Wire Designs

“I think that Handmade at Amazon is a really great platform to put our products in front of a big audience, a big diverse audience.” – Eve and Kristen, Bright Beam Goods

To explore products and view highlighted artisan videos on Handmade at Amazon, click here.

About Amazon

Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

Come comment on this article: Amazon launches new Handmade at Amazon store

8
Oct

Google Play Movies & TV crosses one billion installs


google_play_movies_tv_material_design_app_icon

Another app made by Google itself has generated more than one billion installs.

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Head over to the Play Store and you’ll see that Google Play Movies & TV has between 1,000,000,000 and 5,000,000,000 installs.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Play Movies & TV comes pre-installed on many devices.

Play Store Download Link

Come comment on this article: Google Play Movies & TV crosses one billion installs

8
Oct

How beefy is the IntoCircuit Power Castle Power Bank?


We all know and understand the struggle of trying to keep your devices charged throughout the day. Some of us have the luxury of being close to a charger all day long. Whether it’s at your desk at work, in the car, or when you get home, you never really have to worry about charging your devices.

When we hit those desperate moments where we need to make sure we are going to have a charge because we know that we won’t be near a charger, is when things get hairy. At AndroidGuys we look at and review a wide variety of portable chargers. Something we haven’t really looked at before is a portable charger that can also charge your laptop.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the IntoCircuit Power Castle Power Bank. This bad boy has a 26000mAh battery packed into it, and can literally charge anything that needs a charge.

Features

  • 26000mAh capacity, provides one full charge to most laptops, or approximately 12 charging cycles for most smartphones.
  • AAAA Li-Polymer battery ensures reliability and safety and will last over 1000 recharge cycles over the life of the battery.
  • If the output ports are not connected to any device, or the device is already fully charged, the Power Castle will shut down automatically and will go into a sleep mode to conserve power.
  • Output ports:
    • 1 – USB Port; rated at 5V/2.1A
    • 1 – DC port; rated at 12V/4A, 16V/3.5A or 19V/3A
  • Stylish quality design with aluminum alloy body, safer and more sturdy than plastic
  • Package includes:
    • Intocircuit PC26000 Battery
    • 12 connectors for most laptops
    • 10 connectors for phones and other devices
    • 1 DC power wire/ 1 USB spring power wire
    • 1 – 18.5V 2A AC Adapter (A full charger only takes 5-6 hours using the provided charger)

Design

In the box you get the Power Castle, a carrying case, and 22 different adapters for your wide variety of devices. There are twelve different connectors, depending upon what your laptop/Chromebook will take, and the rest are for those random charging options for your devices.

IMG_0022

Upon first inspection of the Power Castle, you will notice how heavy this bad boy is. Weighing in at almost 1.5 pounds, this is heavier than some Chromebooks and laptops that can be found nowadays. Granted, none of those devices have a battery that nears 26000mAh but it’s still worth noting nonetheless.

The Power Castle features a brushed aluminum alloy finish that contributes to the heavy weight. On the top there are three LED lights which let you know what voltage the battery is using to charge your devices. To the right of those three are five other LED lights which serve as a battery life indicator and a single button to turn the device on and off.

Charging Capabilities

The switch on the side serves to change the voltage output on the battery.The voltage required to charge your laptop is not the same as the voltage required to charge your smartphone.The different voltage outputs are 12V, 16V, or 19V. Normally, you’ll use either 12V or 16V when charging your mobile devices, depending on if you need a fast charge. The 19V option is primarily for charging your laptops and your higher powered tablets.

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IMG_0032
IMG_0033

On either side of the voltage switch, there is a USB 2.0 port, and two round ports. The USB port is used for what you would expect, plugging in your USB cable to charge your lower powered mobile devices. The two round ports on the opposite side are for charging the Power Castle and for charging your higher powered laptops or Chromebooks.

Compatibility

Laptop compatibility requirements(All must be met), Please check to ensure compatibility before purchasing:

1) Voltage input: 11.5-12.5V, 15.5-16.5V or 18.5-19V

2) Current input: 4A max(12V), 3.5A max(16V), 3A max(19V)

3) A laptop connector that fits your device’s power input port, see the below detailed tip size(outer x inner diameter in mm)

A – 6.00×4.25 – Sony VAIO

B – 6.25×3.00 – Toshiba Satellite A105, M35

C – 5.50×2.10 – Toshiba T1950, T4700

D – 4.75×1.70 – ASUS Eee 900, 1000

E – 5.50×1.70 – Acer Aspire One AO722

F – 5.50×2.50 – Toshiba Satellite C650, Asus A52

G – 4.00×1.70 – HP Mini 1000/1100

H – 5.00×3.25 – Samsung R519 RV510 RV511

I – 7.40×5.00 – HP Pavilion DV4 / HP G60 / HP Compaq CQ60 / Dell inspiron PA-12 1525

J – 7.90×5.40 – ThinkPad T60, X60, R60

K – 3.00×1.00 – Samsung Ultrabook: Chromebook Series 5, 7, 9

L – 2.50×0.70 – Asus Eee PC900 PC1000

Compatible Models:

12V /16V Optional Voltage Compatible With:

-Smart Phones/iPhones/iPads/Tablets/Digital Cameras/NDS, PSP and Laptops requires 16V output(65w max)

-Not Compatible with Samsung/Surface Tablets

Don’t OverCharge

Something pretty awesome about the IntoCircuit Power Castle is the technology built into it to protect your electronics. There are portable chargers that don’t take into account that your device actually stops charging when it is full. This can cause overcharging and cannot only heat up your device, but can also damage the battery. The Power Castle has the ability to recognize when your device has reached 100% and will stop charging even if you leave it plugged in.

Standby Time

From the day that we got the Power Castle, until the day of this review, the Power Castle has seen little drain. We have put it through its paces, which includes multiple phones, a Samsung laptop, and a Chromebook, and have yet to see any drop in capacity. Also, we have intentionally not touched the Power Castle for about a week, and there was no sign of the Power Castle losing any battery while in standby. So, from what we can tell so far, you’ll be able to keep this bad boy with you for quite awhile before having to recharge it.

Speaking of recharging the Power Castle, we haven’t been able to run this thing down to 0%, so we can’t really speak about how long it will take to recharge the Power Castle back to 100%. According to IntoCircuit, it will take about between five and six hours to recharge the Power Castle using the provided charger.

Testing

Now after all of that, how does the IntoCircuit Power Castle actually perform? We tested the Power Castle with a Series 5 Samsung laptop, and the Power Castle was able to keep the Samsung laptop at 100% without having to worry about the battery form your laptop draining. 

IMG_0038

Additionally, we tested the Power Castle with our brand new Samsung Galaxy Note5 and were able to charge the 3000mAh battery from 0 – 100% in about an hour and 45 minutes. This is about 15 minutes longer than it takes to charge the Note5 from 0-100% with the OEM charger that comes with the device. So we were generally happy with the charging capabilities that the Power Castle brings to the table.

Conclusion

All in all, the IntoCircuit Power Castle is a great option for those who need a lot of portable juice all of the time. Just be mindful of carrying this around in your computer bag due to how heavy it is. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can head over to the device page, and grab it from Amazon on sale right now. Usually, priced at $299.99, you can purchase the Intocircuit Power Castle for only $99.99 with free shipping.

What do you think about the IntoCircuit Power Castle external battery? Is it overkill, or do you think it can be useful to have a portable charger with this much power under the hood? Drop us a line in the comments below, and let us know what you think.

 

The post How beefy is the IntoCircuit Power Castle Power Bank? appeared first on AndroidGuys.

8
Oct

Samsung might ship three Galaxy S7 variants, all with different processors


The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have been out for more than six months now so rumors are heating up over their successors, the Samsung Galaxy S7. The rumor spreading around the web today is that Samsung could possibly release three different variants of the Galaxy S7, all with different processors.

In the past, Samsung has released two variants of their Galaxy S line with different processors focused on different areas of the world. Normally we’d see a version with an Exynos chip for Asia and Europe and a Snapdragon chip for China and The United States. The rumor is now that the US and China will see the S7 with a Snapdragon 820, India will see a version with the Exynos 7422 chip that was rumored for the Note 5, and Korea, Japan and European markets will see Samsung’s new Exynos 8890 (also referred to as the Exynos M-1).

We recently learned that Qualcomm is nearing the finish of their in-depth testing of the Snapdragon 820 which points to phones launching with it in early 2016. After the massive debacle that was the Snapdragon 810, they need a win or competitors like Intel are going to start eating into their market share. The Snapdragon 820 is rumored to have a new X12 LTE Modem that will boast the fastest WiFi and LTE speeds available on any mobile chip. The quad-core 64-bit chip will be clocked at 2.2GHz, have a next generation Adreno GPU and QuickCharge 3.0, which will allow customers to charge their phones from 0 to 85% in 30 minutes.

The Exynos 8890, or M-1 has been using the codename Mongoose and it looks like Samsung is using an entirely new CPU architecture. Pictures and benchmarks have been leaking out on Weibo and even though they aren’t the most reliable of sources, there is smoke so there could be fire. According to the leaks, the Exynos 8890 is being clocked at 2.3GHz and scored an impressive 2,294 points in single core and 6,908 points in multi-core tests using the GeekBench benchmark test.

Source: SamMobile

The post Samsung might ship three Galaxy S7 variants, all with different processors appeared first on AndroidGuys.

8
Oct

Verizon aiming to price you out of your grandfathered unlimited data plan with a $20 price increase



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Unlimited data use on cell carriers is tricky business these days. Verizon and AT&T still have a lot of stragglers on the old grandfathered unlimited plans. While they all have their own way of handling the massive usage of some customers, it usually always boils down to throttling at a certain limit. Those living in highly populated areas that consume a lot of data are usually the ones that feel the effect the most. Rather than force a plan change for a new phone or special promo, it looks like Verizon is taking another route for the unlimited customer base that still exists, simply charge them more per month.

Verizon plans to raise the monthly line cost an additional $20 per month for those who are still sporting an unlimited plan. According to The Verge, the change will only hit those who are currently out of contract. Droid-Life is reporting that the hit to out-of-contract customers will start as early as November 15th. Customers under contract are safe, for now, but when your contract ends you will be subject to the same price increase.

The upside to the news is that Verizon will, once the change takes effect, all you to buy devices on the Verizon Edge program and keep the unlimited data. Where as currently you had to buy your device outright.


The question that some might have to answer is whether or not the increase is worth keeping your unlimited data and pay the extra monthly to do so. For many it won’t phase them a bit. For others, it will be the straw that breaks the camels back to either migrate to one of Verizon’s simplified data plans or switch carriers entirely. What will you do when the time comes?

Source: The Verge | Droid-Life

 

The post Verizon aiming to price you out of your grandfathered unlimited data plan with a $20 price increase appeared first on AndroidSPIN.

8
Oct

Deal: Power A Moga Pro Power controller for just $32


moga-control

Power A is one of the better-known players when it comes to Android-compatible gamepads, and with good reason. Back in 2013 we reviewed the Power A Moga Pro Power and liked what we saw. Now that the price has dropped down to just $31 on Amazon, we recommend it more than ever.

At sub-$35, the Pro Power is a heck of a controller and should be fully compatible with just about every Android device on the market today, with its built-in holder, capable of extending to 3.7-inches, making it possible to use the controller even with phablet-sized devices.


Moga Hero Power aa 3See also: Moga Pro Power and Hero Power review: Bluetooth controllers with a twist13

The Pro Power looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. That said, it is a bit weighty at 251 grams, and combined with your phone, it will have a good deal of heft. One of the reasons for this extra weight is the 2300 mAh battery that not only can keep the controller charged for a long time, but also can be used to charge up your phone while your play on it.

Are their better, newer controllers on the market? Sure, but it’s hard to beat this one at this price, especially if you are a fan of emulators or ports that simply work better with physical buttons (like many of Rockstar’s games). What do you think, this worth the buy at this price point? If not, what controllers would you recommend over it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Buy on Amazon

8
Oct

SwiftKey’s new Neural keyboard will offer better word predictions thanks to neural network technology


Swiftkey Neural

Back in April the SwiftKey team announced its new Greenhouse initiative that would act as a platform for which to debut experimental projects to the public. Among the first applications to come from the Greenhouse were a new Clarity keyboard which aimed to eliminate as many distractions as possible, as well as a smart hexagonal launcher for your home screen called Hexy Launcher.

Today we’re getting a first look at the next project to come from the Greenhouse, and it’s pretty awesome. SwiftKey’s new Neural keyboard is quite similar to the standard SwiftKey keyboard, but with a big twist. The software that powers SwiftKey Neural’s text prediction actually uses artificial neural networks to predict what it thinks you’ll want to type next. It does so by not only understanding more complex word relationships, but also analyzing longer sentence context.

Take a look at the comparison below to get a better look:

Comparison-1-6

Because this new neural network model looks at entire sentences rather than only two or three words at a time, the keyboard will be able to better predict what it thinks you’re planning on saying. So with the current ‘n-gram’ model as laid out in the image above, the keyboard predicts that the next word you might say will be ‘look’, based solely on the two words ‘take a’ at the end of the sentence fragment. But with the neural network model, the keyboard will predict words based on the entire sentence.


keymonk keyboard how i android aa-9-3See also: 15 best keyboard for Android apps136

SwiftKey Neural is currently in the alpha stage, and we imagine it will stay in that form for quite some time. Of course there’s still a lot of work to do with this new text prediction technology, but so far after a few minutes of testing, it’s working really well so far. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, head to the Play Store link below for the download.

Download SwiftKey Neural from Google Play

8
Oct

SwiftKey’s latest keyboard is powered by a neural network


A new SwiftKey keyboard hopes to serve you better typing suggestions by utilizing a miniaturized neural network. SwiftKey Neural does away with the company’s tried-and-tested prediction engine in favor of a method that mimics the way the brain processes information. It’s a model that’s typically deployed on a grand scale for things like spam and phishing prevention in Gmail or image recognition, but very recent advancements have seen neural networks creep into phones through Google Translate, which uses one for offline text recognition. According to SwiftKey, this is the first time it’s been used on a phone keyboard.

To grasp how the new system works, we need to understand the old one. SwiftKey currently uses a probability-based language algorithm based on the n-gram model for predictions. There are some additional layers of learning on top of it, which is part of what makes SwiftKey so popular, but the basic implementation reads the last two words in a sentence, looks through a large database, and spits out what it deduces is the most likely word to follow. The two-word limit is a constraint of the n-gram model, and seriously hampers predictions. (Reading back three or four words would be very hard to implement with n-gram, as it would require a far larger database which would in turn be harder for the app to search).

The neural model approaches predictions from a different angle. SwiftKey trained the network with millions of sample sentences, and now each word is represented by a piece of code. This allows the app to better understand sentences in a number of ways. Words that can be used in the same way share similar code. As you’d expect, “Meet” is marked as similar to synonymous words like “met” and “connect.” Less obvious is the link with “speak” or “chat,” which mean something completely different but linguistically will slide into many of the same places. The same goes for days of the week, months, or any other word or concept really — one word can share similar code with thousands of others.

Because the model looks at entire sentences, it’s able to sequence together words as code to find more accurate suggestions. Going back to the “meet” example, let’s take a look at the sentence fragment “Meet you at the.” Using n-gram, SwiftKey typically looked at “at the,” and served you three suggestions: “moment,” “end” and “same.” Using the neural model, it looks as the sentence as a whole and services you “airport,” “hotel” and “office.”

SwiftKey

SwiftKey Neural is Android-only and still in alpha, for now. It’s part of the company’s Greenhouse program, which it uses as a launchpad for new ideas that may find their way into the regular app. It’s well worth checking out, but there are, as you’d expect, a few caveats to being on the cutting-edge of keyboard technology.

One of the things that draws users to SwiftKey is its ability to learn your typing style. The regular app can (if you allow it to) scan your emails and social networks for clues, and then monitor your usage of the keyboard itself to improve suggestions. It does this by editing or adding to the language database that the n-gram model uses. Because Neural taps into a different type of database, this personalization isn’t available in the alpha. That doesn’t mean it won’t ever be there — neural networks are a type of machine learning, after all — but for now, it’s not on the to-do list.

“The sooner you can get an idea out of the lab and into the public, the quicker you get feedback and the more useful it becomes,” Joe Braidwood, Chief Marketing Officer at SwiftKey, told Engadget, explaining the reasoning for releasing Neural as a separate app. There’s also the question of resources. Neural is a relatively small 25MB download, but it requires more power than the current SwiftKey, using your phone’s GPU to run the math. Braidwood says it runs with “no perceivable lag” on even modestly-specced smartphones, but there’s likely more optimization to be done before this is ready to replace the regular app.

Caveats aside, SwiftKey’s achievement here is impressive. As mentioned, neural networks are more typically found in giant server farms than on your smartphone, but with two apps released in just a few months, small-scale, focused applications of the tech seem to now be feasible. “We’re pretty sure that the future of mobile typing is going to use neural networks,” Braidwood explained. “Language is such a human thing that if you can build things that think more like humans than computers you’re inevitably going to make a more useful keyboard.”

Source: Google Play