Rumor: Google and Ford will announce self-driving car hookup at CES
While Google’s doing well developing driverless cars on its own, it’s still teaming up with Ford for a new self-driving vehicle venture, according to Yahoo Autos. Since neither corporation has confirmed the information yet, we still don’t know the exact details of the partnership. Yahoo, however, says the two are building cars using Google’s technology and describes the collab as “a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing.” If you recall, Bloomberg reported a few days ago that Google wants to spin off its self-driving car division and turn it into an Uber-like business (without the driver) under Alphabet.
This might not be the only Google driverless car partnership in the works, as well: Yahoo says Mountain View is negotiating with more automakers and convincing them to use its self-driving car system. While this info hasn’t been verified yet, we don’t have to wait too long to know for sure. The two companies are reportedly planning to announce the joint venture at CES 2016 a couple of weeks from now.
Source: Yahoo
BMW and Nissan roll out dual-plug EV chargers across the US
In some says, Tesla’s Supercharger network is its ace in the hole — you can buy one of the company’s electric cars knowing that you’ll have speedy charging when away from home. BMW and Nissan aren’t going to let this competitive edge go unanswered, though. They’re launching a network of 120 dual-format fast chargers (both CHAdeMO and CCS) across 19 US states, any of which should bring most EVs up to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes. The stations should be available now, and you can find them in the automakers’ respective mobile apps.
The team-up is mostly meant to spur sales of the i3 and Leaf, of course, but the brands are also aware that this could help the EV industry as a whole. Right now, many public charging stations are still the slow variety that won’t help much when you’re eager to get home. Having even a modest network of (mostly) universal fast chargers could boost the confidence of buyers worried that the hassles of owning an EV could outweigh the environmental and financial advantages.
Via: SlashGear
BMW and Nissan roll out dual-plug EV chargers across the US
In some says, Tesla’s Supercharger network is its ace in the hole — you can buy one of the company’s electric cars knowing that you’ll have speedy charging when away from home. BMW and Nissan aren’t going to let this competitive edge go unanswered, though. They’re launching a network of 120 dual-format fast chargers (both CHAdeMO and CCS) across 19 US states, any of which should bring most EVs up to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes. The stations should be available now, and you can find them in the automakers’ respective mobile apps.
The team-up is mostly meant to spur sales of the i3 and Leaf, of course, but the brands are also aware that this could help the EV industry as a whole. Right now, many public charging stations are still the slow variety that won’t help much when you’re eager to get home. Having even a modest network of (mostly) universal fast chargers could boost the confidence of buyers worried that the hassles of owning an EV could outweigh the environmental and financial advantages.
Via: SlashGear
Pink color variant of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 is now up for sale
The Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 has been out since last month but has only been available in gold and silver. Now, a pink version of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 is up for purchase via the company’s website.
The new pink-colored version contains all the same specifications found in the original gold and silver Mi Pad 2 models. The tablet is one of the hottest sellers in China and can be purchased for RMB 999 or approximately $189 (16GB model). Specs are mostly mid-range keeping the price from high heights. If you’re in the market for such a tablet, and you love the color pink, this tablet is meant for you. Unfortunately, if you live outside China there’s no telling whether the newly colored handset will make it to your location, but there’s still hope. You can find all the details at the link to the company’s website down below.
Source: Xiaomi
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Listen to this: Microsoft drops “Hey Cortana” hotword from Android app
As of the latest update, “Ask” means type.
There is a war of words going on right now, but it’s not political or even personal. It’s digitial. While Google had voice assisted functionality from very early on, Apple’s introduction of Siri into the mobile market arguably pushed voice in a more pronounced way, at least to the general public. While Google’s own assistant doesn’t have a name per se, it is nonetheless an integral part of the Google Now experience and features quick response times and a less “synthesized” voice. Microsoft, too, has its own assistant named Cortana, taken from its cash-cow Halo videogame series.
Recently Cortana was released to the Google Play store and with it Microsoft’s move to migrate millions. Or at least attempt to. This past weekend however, it updated the app and removed what some might consider to be a key feature: “Hey Cortana” hotword support. While the feature was essentially limited to a shout out on either a device’s home screen or within the actual Cortana app itself, support for it has been removed entirely for those in the USA.
What gives (and was taken)?
While Microsoft has yet to state what prompted the sudden about face, those looking for answers on the removal decision may be able to get an idea from posts on reddit in response to the news. User shamrock013 writes:
Good. Using “Hey Cortana” broke the microphone across the whole OS. It barely worked during phone calls. It broke the “OK Google” hotkey. To top it off, the feature barely worked to begin with, so it was half-baked from the start.
Get your crap together, Microsoft.
Another user, bfodder, added:
Oh shit, I couldn’t even use the microphone by tapping on it on the Google Now widget at the top of the home screen. Now it works. And now I know why.
Finally, anthonyvardiz posted:
That explains why I couldn’t “Okay, Google” on my Nexus 6P. Just tried it and it works again!
Based on these responses, it would seem that hotword detection created interference with the normal functioning of a user’s microphone. It is currently unknown as to just how prevalent this issue was, or what devices may have been affected – though clearly the Nexus 6P was one of them. It is also unknown as to the status of “Hey Cortana” on Cyanogenmod builds, which have OS-wide integrated hotword detection.
The question now is if or when Microsoft plans to restore the feature to its fledgling Android app. Part of the draw of virtual assistants is the ability to make use of them effortlessly. By requiring manual triggering of Cortana, the app has arguably lost some of the appeal it might have had, or at least some feature parity with Google Now.
Does it even matter?
Perhaps the larger issue is if hotword removal matters at all. While some love and live by it, others feel enabling the feature drains battery life due to the “always listening” approach. It is similar to criticism raised about LG’s now-heavily cloned “Tap to Wake” display functionality wherein the digitizer must always remain on so as to detect tap input. As for how much effect on battery life this actually has, that’s a different story.
Reviews that have already been posted on the Play Store indicate that yes, this is a big problem. Pedro Ramos wrote:
Hey Cortana?? C’mon Microsoft…stop screwing with us…I really love Cortana. Unless ur doing it so that pc’s Cortana doesn’t get confused then I forgive you.
Chad White’s review goes even further however:
Uninstall Without Hey Cortana there’s no reason to use this app over Google Now why do I have to actually open the app when I could just: “Ok Google, uninstall Cortana” First Microsoft screws up with Windows, then they kept messing up the Skype app for a while, let’s see if they actually listen the the people for once the make at least one good product this year.
The other issue at large is how many Android users want Cortana in the first place. As of right now, the Play Store data lists Cortana installs between 100,000-500,000. While there are other ways to get it (such as an APK file), suffice to say the app has apparently yet to hit a multi-million milestone, or even the one million mark.
Those who want a more seamless Windows 10 experience will no doubt be interested in using Cortana, but it remains to be seen how many Android users will be interested in having a second voice assistant running on their phone, especially since many are probably unsure of how to disable Google Now’s listening in the first place.
Wrap Up
There are a variety of ways to take in this news. Some might be angered and perhaps uninstall the app. Some might be pleased Microsoft has suffered an apparent setback of sorts. Some might not care at all. Whatever you are thinking, however, we want to hear it.
Has Cortana become less relevant without the hotword detection or are you still inclined to use it? Did you even know Cortana was available for Android to begin with prior to reading this story? Leave your comments below and share your thoughts for all to see!
Matías Duarte is anxious for the future
Google’s vice president of design, Matias Duarte, recently sat down with Beautiful Pixels and talked about what he thinks of the current state of mobile computing and what he sees happening in the future.
Duarte told Beautiful Pixels he’s happy mobile experiences are “no longer second class computing citizens” and said the “aesthetic sophistication we’ve seen also across software design in general is also really inspiring.”
But not everything about the current state of mobile computing makes Duarte happy.
“I’m really antsy and frustrated waiting for the future,” he said, adding that he feels mobile computing has plateaued in terms of innovation. “I can’t wait for the messiness and awesomeness of the next paradigm shift.”
Duarte also said he believes mobile and desktop computing have begun to merge, citing the fact that Microsoft makes tablets that run Windows and Apple makes iPads that can be used with keyboards as evidence. But what form that “mobile/tablet/laptop/desktop convergence thing” will eventually take is unknown, he added.
“We know it’s going to happen. We know most of its attributes, but we don’t have consensus yet on the exact right solution,” he said.
Duarte had kind words for his competitors, as well, when he talked about the state of mobile design across platforms.
“I’m impressed and excited that we are in a world where so much great digital design is happening — and not just in terms of the platforms, but also the apps and web pages on those platforms,” he said.
Source: Beautiful Pixels
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Ford will build Google self-driving cars
Ford and Google are teaming up to build self-driving cars. Google plans to use their technology combined with Ford’s auto manufacturing skills to build cars for a self-driving ride sharing service. Nothing official has been said yet, but Ford will announce the partnership at CES 2016 this January.
This could not of been any better for Ford. They don’t have any self-driving cars, and only plan to start testing some on the roads this month. However, Google has been leading the way in this area with 53 test vehicles in California and Texas, and over 1.3 million miles with them. This obviously benefits Google as well since they no longer have to set up factories, order parts, or anything to do with making the cars themselves.
Also, the partnership technically is between Google and Ford, however, Ford will list it under a different name. This will be used as a legal separation from Ford in case something goes wrong, AKA, can’t sue Ford if one crashes in to you.
As I mentioned earlier, Google plans to use the cars for a ride-sharing program similar to Uber. This won’t happen right away, but that is the end goal. I also find it funny that Google invested around 250 million into Uber and will now be using their profits to destroy Uber with their own service.
Source: Yahoo
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Samsung shared a live concert with Gear VR owners
The Samsung Gear VR is a pretty cool device as is, but made even better since Samsung sometimes broadcasts live events in VR. They have already done a CNN debate and a football (soccer) match, but added to their list by airing a rock concert.
The concert was for The Gift, which happened December 19th in Lisbon, Portugal. The reason Samsung felt this concert was right for VR was because it was for The Gift’s 20th anniversary, and also to be Portugal’s first VR transmission.
Samsung filmed the concert with a two camera system, you could either watch in the front row, or right on stage. People from all over the world were able to watch as long as they had a Gear VR and the IM360 VR app from the Oculus Store.
Source: Samsung
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BlackBerry Priv might get permanently discounted in February of 2016
BlackBerry’s $699 price tag for the Priv handset is a bit steep for some, however, that may change time come this February.
According to John Chen, the CEO of BlackBerry, the price for the Priv handset will be cut down early next year. The handset is expected to get permanently discounted near the upcoming Mobile World Congress expo taking place in Barcelona. The expo is already set to take place between February 22 and the 25. A number of manufacturers will be introducing new handsets there so it only makes sense for BlackBerry to lower its prices. At this point in time, there’s been no indication on how much the handset’s cost will be reduced, however it’ll likely be a good amount. So if you’re hesitant on buying BlackBerry’s new Android-powered Priv handset, you might want to consider waiting.
Thanks to Seeking Alpha we were able to obtain Chen’s statement regarding the price of the BlackBerry Priv. The following statement took place in a conference call following the release of the company’s third quarter earnings report:
Good question. So we have a model obviously, of pricing. I think the pricing will hold pretty strong for the next quarter in Q4. We already have seen some of the POs coming in. Especially in new introductions, margin is usually pretty strong. But I’m not — but you all know the market very well.
In about Mobile World Congress time, we will see introduction of new technology from our competitors. We have maybe a midlife kicker coming in around that time, but I expect ourselves to have to reduce our price to be competitive.
We do have some unique features at PRIV, as being well-received especially in the security world, in the privacy world. But we obviously won’t fool ourselves to expect that they will continue to maintain the high prices that we could get today. So we have our natural trend and a model that goes through 12 months out and then after 12 months, we’re going to have to reexamine that.
Source: Seeking Alpha
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The Elephone Vowney is the best Android phone you can get for $300
$300 dollars will get you everything you want in an Android device, including free shipping. The Elephone Vowney is one of the most fully loaded phones of 2015, and best of all, is the unlocked price of $300 from Gearbest.com.
For your money, you get Android 5.1 Lollipop with a 5.5″ 2k display, an ultra powerful processor in the Helio X10, 4GB of RAM for ultimate multitasking, and 32GB base memory expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card. The Vowney also comes with a 21MP rear camera for ultra clear pictures and an 8MP front camera for those selfies we just can’t get enough of. There really isn’t much more you can ask for in a smartphone, and it comes fully unlocked without a contract or monthly fee.
Gearbest.com offers free shipping with every order and guarantees your satisfaction up to 45-days no questions asked.
Vowney Android 5.1 4G Phablet MTK6795 Octa Core 1.9GHz 2K Screen 4GB RAM 32GB ROM 8.0MP + 21.0MP Camera
Main Features:
Display: 5.5 inch 2K LCD Screen, 2560 x 1440 pixel
CPU: Helio X10 Octa Core 1.9GHz
GPU: PowerVR G6200
System: Android 5.1
RAM + ROM: 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM, Micro SD Card up to 128GB
Camera: Rear camera 21.0MP with LED flash and auto focus + front camera 8.0MP
Bluetooth: 4.0
Features: NFC, OTG
GPS: Yes
SIM Card: Dual SIM dual standby, one is Micro SIM, the other is Nano Card
Network:
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz
Gearbest.com LINK
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