Google comes up with new emoji to better represent working women

In an effort to better represent the “pivotal roles women play in the world,” a four-member team at Google has proposed 13 new emoji depicting women in various professional roles. The Unicode Consortium added a broader spectrum of skin tones last year, but the team from Google is now pushing for equal representation of men and women:

We suggest decoupling the gender-neutral representation of emoji from this proposal. We would encourage other members of Unicode to join us in creating a system of emoji design that can accommodate a broader gender spectrum.

From the proposal submitted to the Unicode Consortium (via TNW):

Google wants to increase the representation of women in emoji and would like to propose that Unicode implementers do the same. Our proposal is to create a new set of emoji that represents a wide range of professions for women and men with a goal of highlighting the diversity of women’s careers and empowering girls everywhere.

To come up with the job categories, the team looked at the sectors that contribute to the global GDP:

To make our final selection, we looked at the primary, secondary, and tertiary categories that compose global GDP — Agriculture, Industry and Services — and further broke them down categorically based on global popularity, growth, and overall representation. We additionally added in concepts from popular media campaigns such as #likeagirl, global influencers, and the ongoing support to promote women in STEM. The final
determination of the new emoji set was a combination of these above data categories.

From the primary sector we selected farming, for the secondary sector, we chose a representation of industry and manufacturing, and for the tertiary sector, we have included healthcare, technology, business representation (lawyer, financial worker, etc), education, food service, and of course, an aspirational rockstar.

The new emoji also include male emojis for the same categories. The team is made up of Rachel Been, Augustin Fonts, Nicole Bleuel, and Mark Davis, who is also the co-founder and president of the Unicode Consortium; and is looking to get the emoji approved by the end of the year.

Expanding Emoji Professions: Reducing Gender Inequality

EU blocks Three’s £10 billion takeover bid for Telefonica’s O2

The EU has blocked the CK Hutchison — owner of Three UK — bid to take over Telefonica’s O2 operations in the UK due to concerns that the merger would limit customer choice and increase prices. As reported by the BBC, the deal was to be worth around £10.3 billion, reducing the number of major operators to just three — EE, Three and Vodafone.

CK Hutchison has stated the company is considering a legal challenge to the decision. Europe’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, explained the decision made by the EU:

“The goal of EU merger control is to ensure that tie-ups do not weaken competition at the expense of consumers and businesses. We want the mobile telecoms sector to be competitive so that consumers can enjoy innovative mobile services at fair prices and high network quality.”

The EU found that concessions offered by the Hong Kong company, which included a five-year price freeze and investment worth billions of pounds, were insufficient. Interestingly, the EU has issues with two companies merging together within the industry but had absolutely no issue at all with EE having exclusive access to 4G when the company launched in the UK back in 2012.

Hilton’s HHonors app now taps into Google Maps to help you select the best room

Hilton has teamed up with Google to make it possible for you to inspect and book your ideal room on Google Maps. Exclusively available to HHonors members, Google Maps has now been integrated into the company’s app, allowing guests to see details on hotel surroundings as well as what view their selected room will have before making the booking.

Digital floor plans are present within the app that allows guests to almost visualize where their rooms will be in relation to nearby points of interest. Don’t wish to have your room window located next to noisy public transportation links? Simply browse for a different room within the same hotel away from the line.

The map feature is now available on the Hilton HHonors iOS and Android apps, and will be available on websites this summer. As noted above, you’ll need to be an HHonor member to take advantage of this new tool.

Press Release

MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–More than 13 million times, Hilton HHonors members have used the award-winning HHonors app to choose the exact room they want. Now, in a new benefit available exclusively to Hilton HHonors members, Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) has integrated Google Maps into the app, giving members the unprecedented ability to see more details about the hotel’s surroundings and their room’s potential view before making a room selection. With the updated room selection feature, you can now be your family’s hero by choosing the room at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Downtown that faces Busch Stadium, or by picking a room at Hampton Inn Marquette/Waterfront that looks out at Lake Superior.

“Guest preferences continue to evolve and, thanks to our digital innovations and category-leading partners like Google, we’re providing even more personalized experiences for our Hilton HHonors members. By continually evolving our Hilton HHonors app, we’re empowering our members with more control over their stay experience,” said Mark Weinstein, senior vice president and global head of Loyalty and Partnerships, Hilton Worldwide. “Everything we do from a technology standpoint starts with the customer – both the feedback they provide and the experiences we observe. We invest in, anticipate and deliver what we know our Hilton HHonors members most need and want, hopefully delighting them along the way.”

The updated digital floor plans include detailed geographical information about the hotel’s surroundings. Hilton HHonors members can visualize where available hotel rooms are located in relation to city streets, public transportation, parks, bodies of water and other markers. They can see if an expressway is outside their window or if their room faces east toward the sunrise, for example. Additionally, members will soon be able to see where additional points-of-interest like landmarks or attractions are in relation to their selected room.

“We are the only global hotel company offering this game-changing technology and it is one of the most popular features on the Hilton HHonors app. Our guests love having the ability to choose their own rooms, but they have asked us to provide more detail about the hotel’s surroundings, and we have delivered,” said Geraldine Calpin, chief marketing officer, Hilton Worldwide. “By working with Google, we’re making our guests’ feedback reality by providing an exciting, in-app experience that lets our Hilton HHonors members pick their perfect room.”

“Google Maps want to make it as easy as possible for people to get the information they need in a simple and intuitive way,” said Megan Boundey, Google Maps Product Manager. “With Hilton’s spirit of constant innovation, combined with the Google Maps API technology, together we were able to enhance the guest experience by changing the way travelers plan and prepare for their hotel stay.”

The feature is a benefit available only to Hilton HHonors members who book direct through Hilton’s brand websites, award-winning mobile app, reservation call centers or preferred corporate travel partners and professionals. The map feature is now available on the Hilton HHonors iOS and Android apps and will be available on Hilton’s brand websites this summer.

To select a room, Hilton HHonors members can sign into their account via their mobile device, tablet or computer beginning at 6:00 a.m. the day before a booked stay. Upon selecting their arrival time, they are shown a floor plan of the hotel with a green circle denoting available rooms. Along with the enhanced maps, guests can view photos and details of their hotel room, ensuring the room they select matches their preferences. During digital check-in, Hilton HHonors members can also request a Digital Key at participating hotels and head straight to their room upon arrival, using their smartphone as their key.

Digital check-in with room selection is a benefit for Hilton HHonors members, available at more than 4,500 hotels around the globe via the Hilton HHonors app – Hilton Worldwide’s 4.7 star mobile app that is the highest rated hospitality app on the Apple App Store. Hilton HHonors is free to enroll and available to all guests. For more information and to join, visit the HHonors site here.

WhatsApp desktop app: What is it, how does it work and how do you use it?

Instant messaging service WhatsApp has announced a desktop app, offering yet another way to make it as easy as possible to keep up to date with all your WhatsApp messages throughout the day.

The desktop app works in exactly the same way as WhatsApp web, which launched in January 2015 and it is available to download now for Windows 8 and above, and Mac OS 10.9 and above.

Here is a brief guide to the new WhatsApp desktop app and how to make sure you get the most out of it.

WhatsApp desktop app: What is it?

The WhatsApp desktop app is an extension of your smartphone. It mirrors all the conversations and messages you have on your phone and allows you to see them all and reply to them all on your desktop using your computer’s keyboard instead of the tiny keyboard on your smartphone.

The WhatsApp desktop app also means you can see exactly what is going on in your WhatsApp world while working on a Word document or replying to an email, without needing to take your smartphone out of your pocket.

WhatsApp desktop app: How does it work?

Just like the WhatsApp web platform, the WhatsApp desktop app initially requires you to scan a QR code using your mobile phone in order to access your messages and conversations. Once you’ve done this though, you can put your phone in your desk drawer or pocket and forget about it.

The desktop app will pull up all of your conversations, deliver any new messages and allow you to start new chats or search your current conversations. You’ll also get access to your profile, along with some basic settings and any archived chats.

The WhatsApp desktop app doesn’t offer exactly the same functionality as the smartphone app when it comes to settings but responding to messages and starting new chats is exactly the same, just easier and faster as you have a bigger display and better keyboard functionality.

WhatsApp desktop app: How do I use it?

You’ll need to download the WhatsApp desktop app first, then scan the QR code on your computer screen using your smartphone, as we mentioned. To do this, open the WhatsApp app on your smartphone, go to Settings then WhatsApp Web and the box will appear ready to scan your desktop screen.

Your messages and conversations will then appear on your computer screen. You can change the size of the window, as well as minimise it if you want to. On Mac, any new messages will appear in the top right of your display, as they do with other applications such as Mail and Slack.

To view your profile, change your status or change your profile picture, click on your picture at the top of the desktop app. Next to your picture is the symbol that will allow you to start a new chat, while the small arrow next to new chat symbol will bring up a drop down menu.

The drop down menu is where you will find your archived chats, another way to get to your profile and status, as well as the option to start a new group. The settings are also within this menu, consisting of access to any blocked contacts and notification preferences, including turning sound on or off, as well as choosing whether or not to show previews.

Hovering over each individual chat in the main screen will also bring up a small arrow for that particular chat, offering a couple more options. You can archive a chat, mute it, delete it or mark it as unread from here.

There are also more options in each individual chat. At the top left of a particular chat, you’ll see their name and when they were last online, if they have this feature activated. In the top right, there is the paperclip symbol for attaching any media, along with another small arrow that brings up another drop down menu. Within this menu, you can select messages within that particular chat, mute the chat, clear it and delete that particular chat, as well as see contact information for that person.

Emoticons and audio notes are also available on the WhatsApp desktop app. You’ll find these in the same place as you would on the smartphone app, either side of the message typing box. To send an audio message, press and hold the microphone symbol in the bottom right with your mouse and chat away to your computer. You won’t look strange at all in an office full of people.

WhatsApp desktop app: How do I log out?

Don’t worry, just like the WhatsApp web platform, it’s easy to log out of the desktop app so no one will be able to access to your messages from your computer when you aren’t there.

There are a couple of ways to log out. You can do it through your smartphone by opening the WhatsApp app, heading to Settings > WhatsApp Web > Log out from all computers. Alternatively, you can do it on the desktop app itself by clicking on the arrow in the top left next to the new chat symbol and selecting log out from the menu.

WhatsApp desktop app: Where do I get it?

To download the WhatsApp desktop app, head to http://www.whatsapp.com/download from your desktop browser and hit download. Warning: You’ll get absolutely no work done once you’ve done this but your social organising skills will greatly improve.

EE Jay is a fun and budget-friendly 4G tablet for summer travelling

EE has introduced an entry-level tablet to its range that offers decent spec for a budget price.

The Jay from EE, as it is called, is a 7.85-inch 4G device with Android 5.1 Lollipop, a quad-core 1GHz processor, 16GB of on-board storage and microSD card slot for expansion.

The tech won’t win awards in the power stakes, but EE prices it at just £120 on a pay-as-you-go plan. It is also available on a pay monthly data plan starting at just £16 a month. A £18.50 a month play, for example, gives you 10GB of data with the tablet being around £30 up-front.

Its screen resolution is 1024 x 768, there’s a 5-megapixel camera on the rear, with a flash, and the 3600mAh battery is capable of lasting up to seven hours between charges.

READ: Your EE 4G phone will work “everywhere you go” by 2020

The Jay’s biggest selling point though is its 4G connectivity, which is ideal for outside use during the upcoming summer.

“With double speed 4G on our superfast network, it really does offer one of the best value tablet experiences that will keep users connected on the move,” said Sharon Meadows, EE’s director of devices.

The Jay from EE is available from EE stores on the high-street and online now.

Garmin Vivomove hands-on preview: Step-tracking gets stylish

Step-trackers are nothing new, but it’s taken some time for them to succeed on the style front. Garmin isn’t exactly known for its elegance – more for sporty, practical designs with great features – but the Vivomove is here to change that perception. And boy does it do a good job of that.

Shown off on the show floor at CES Asia, in Shanghai, we got to handle and wear the black and white versions of the Vivomove, testing out both the sporty and leather straps. And we think Garmin has the metal-bodied look of this step-tracker locked down.

But if you’re thinking the Vivomove looks more than a bit Withings Activite Steel then you wouldn’t be wrong. Both products are priced starting at £140, making the competitive intentions here clear (the Garmin price does increment to £240 with the leather strap and stainless steel body though).

The primary function of the Vivomove is to act as an analogue watch; a device that you’ll want to wear all day long. We can totally see that – it’s one of the best looking wearables we’ve seen, without oversizing the design like so many more complex wrist-based wearables (Huawei Watch being a prime example).

Pocket-lint

In addition, however, the Vivomove will track your steps and show progress towards your daily goal via the small digital bar to the left of the watch face. The bar to the opposite side, which fills red to act as an alert when you’ve not moved for too long, is a subtle visual cue to get you moving rather than a wild alert – the Vivomove doesn’t vibrate or anything like that.

The use of digital integration is handled subtly, too, primarily because of the small scale. So with each black blip that appears in the progress bar you won’t feel like you’re staring at a crude screen. However, Withings uses an all-analogue approach with an additional watch hand for the same task, which makes for a more classic looking device.

To pair the Vivomove with a smart device you’ll need to download the Garmin Connect app, which is the base for any other Garmin devices you may own (we use an Edge 1000 cycling computer as it happens). A press-and-hold of the watch dial to the right side begins pairing via Bluetooth – that digital bar showing an animation to confirm, acting as a useful visual cue – and then you can tailor your step goals and measure daily statistics over a period of time. Garmin is known for a decent enough software setup, so you’re in good hands here.

In addition to step-tracking the Vivomove can also monitor sleep, but that’s as far as it goes – there’s no GPS, so it’s not an all-singing all-dancing device with thousands of features, but not everyone wants a device like that. However, year-long battery life (it takes a li-ion cell which can be replaced) and water-resistance to 50-metres means you’ll rarely need to take this watch off.

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Good job it’s comfortable then. The white silicon sports strap felt comfy around the wrist, plus it’s interchangeable if you want to swap out for the swankier looking leather (only one strap comes in the box, others are sold separately – £46 for leather, £23 for silicone).

Talk about a warning to Withings. We think the Garmin Vivomove looks like a great entry to the stylish step-tracking market – you only need to check out our pictures to see that. It’ll be available later this May, with a rose gold model (that we didn’t see) joining the sleek black and white options.

Huawei P9 Lite hands-on preview: Low-calorie diet

When the Huawei P9 launched earlier this month it went big on its dual Leica cameras feature; that was what really sold it above and beyond its considerable competition. But if that’s the gold-topped pint of milk then, well, the Huawei P9 Lite is red-top skimmed by comparison, as its solitary standard camera attests.

Thing is, the P9 Lite isn’t pretending to be anything other than what it is: it’s a stripped-down version of the company’s flagship after all and, having handled the device at CES Asia, in Shanghai, we have to give kudos to Huawei for carrying off pretty decent build quality in this mid-level format. Not that the P9 Lite is the very same phone as the P9 proper, the latter phone which we’ve handled for a number of weeks in use as our day-to-day phone.

The first thing that struck us about the Lite is that it feels bigger. “It can’t be”, we thought. But, sure enough, it is: admittedly only a mere 0.5mm in thickness (of 7.5mm total) and a couple of millimetres in length and width – but being tuned to it we could feel that difference.

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That therefore adds a few grams to the weight, but at 147g this metal-clad phone is certainly not heavy. It’s well made too, aping the design of the P9 proper, not scrimping on the materials front or chamfered edges. Sure, it still has the not-so-nice white plastic “bars” that intersect the frame, but you’ll not be staring directly at them.

Another difference is the fingerprint scanner to the rear: in the Lite it’s more square and higher up the body than the P9’s circular offering, nor is it recessed into the body, so doesn’t feel quite as immediate in use. Still, maintaining such a feature in a mid-level phone shows the importance a fingerprint scanner has these days.

With the P9 only just arriving in UK stores, there’s still no confirmation as to whether the P9 Lite will follow for a UK audience. We got to see the last-generation P8 Lite, albeit quietly, so that approach may be much the same this time around.

Price-wise, it’s anyone’s guess, but we’d expect it to fall between the £160-200 mark. The reflects the feature set: 2GB RAM, the mid-spec Kirin 650 (it’s still octa-core, mind) and a single 13-megapixel camera to the rear. How that will come together to use we can’t specifically tell you, having only dabbled in the Chinese version of Huawei’s EMUI on the show floor, which isn’t reflective of what would arrive in the UK, Android and full Google love included.

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Lower spec ought to mean higher performance from the 3,000mAh battery that’s tucked away in this slender shell, though. And with a 5.2-inch 1080p screen to power – which isn’t quite as dazzling as the P9’s – it’s not touching next-level resolution either, not that it needs any more in our view.

So while it might be a low calorie take on the P9, sometimes the skimmed option does everything that you want: which is exactly the point of the P9 Lite. Fair price, fair performance and more than fair design lead the way here, the big difference being the shedding of those dual Leica cameras to the rear.