Google Duo for iPhone and Android takes on Skype and FaceTime
During its keynote at this year’s Google I/O developers conference the company announced Duo, a simple video calling app for iOS and Android.
It is designed to take on Apple’s FaceTime and Microsoft’s Skype by making the system as easy as possible.
As well as featuring end-to-end encryption, Duo will work on even slow, low bandwidth internet connections. It also sports an innovative new feature Google is calling Knock Knock.
This enables Duo to show live previews before a call has even been answered. That way users can see what the caller is up to before they pick up.
Not only does this help conference style calls, to give the recipient an idea of whether they need to answer if they are already busy, it can help start the conversation with family members immediately.
Google has ensured that the technology is super quick and that there is no lag before picking up a call.
We will test it when it’s officially launched, but it certainly sounds interesting in comparison to rivals.
Google Duo will be available on Android and iOS “this summer”, as will Google Allo, the company’s messaging app rival to WhatsApp and Messenger.
Android N will be called… you decide
Google today took to the stage at Google I/O 2016 to announce that anyone will be able to contribute to the name of the next version of Android.
Unlike previous years, with the Android N release, Google released the developer beta to the general public very early, meaning that everyone can get involved with testing the new software.
We’ve already spent a fair amount of time playing with the next version of Android and you can read all about our findings in our Android N preview.
READ: Android N preview: Everything you need to know about Android 7.0
However, the name for that next version of Android is still a mystery, and Dave Burke, VP engineering at Android, said that they were really struggling to come up with a dessert name for Android N.
So, to help you get involved, you’ll be able to send in your own suggestions. Head to Android.com/n and you’ll be able to submit your suggestions.
Go on, you know it wants to be called Android Nutella.
Google announces Daydream, the future of Android virtual reality
Clay Bavor, VP virtual reality at Google, took to the stage at Google I/O 2016 to add flesh to the bones of Google’s future VR plans.
Evolving the VR offering beyond that of Cardboard, Bavor confirmed that Android is working on a new platform called Daydream.
Daydream is a platform for VR content, and it’s designed to address the limitations with Cardboard, offering a three-pronged approach.
The first aspect is with the smartphone that the VR content is played on. There will be a optimal spec for VR, leading to Daydream-ready phones, with Bavor confirming that big companies like Samsung, HTC and LG will have Daydream-ready phones, some available by Autumn 2016.
The second aspect is the headset and hardware. Google has come up with a reference design for a Daydream headset, taking lessons learnt from Cardboard, which should result in a standard for a comfortable headset.
This reference design has been shared with manufacturers with models due to come to market later in 2016.
But adding to the Daydream hardware universe is a controller, with Google coming up with design so that this will also be available in Autumn 2016. This controller will allow interaction with VR apps, and with Google outlining the specifications, it will allow a variety of working hardware to be produced.
The third element of the Daydream universe is something called Daydream Home. This is a home for your VR content, a lobby taking a similar approach as Samsung does with Gear VR.
This will make it easier to find and install VR app, as well as letting you switch and search for content without having to leave the VR world – this was a major limitation of Google Cardboard, and it looks like Daydream will completely change the VR experience.
When it comes to content, Google confirmed that YouTube would be easier to navigate, with the ability to watch any movie in VR. You’ll also be able to watch Play Movies, as well as experience your Google Photos through VR. We’ve also spotted Netflix on the list, so it looks like Daydream is going after the immersive VR movie experience.
The timeline for Daydream, the next evolution of Google’s VR experience, targets autumn/fall 2016. Daydream will be part of Android N and with the launch of N later in the year, we should see a wide range of Daydream-ready hardware too.
Google shows off Android Wear 2.0 update: standalone apps, handwriting keyboard, and more
Google is in Mountain View showing off its latest developments at Google I/O, and it has revealed a major update to Android Wear is on the way.
Called Android Wear 2.0, the new software for Android wearables will bring a Material Design-themed overhaul, standalone apps, and improvements to watch faces, messaging, and fitness. Keep in mind Google has released three major updates to Android Wear since it launched two years ago, but this version brings a number jump that can only mean big changes are coming.
Here’s what’s new: Android 2.0 will enable some watches to do more without a phone attached, thanks to standalone apps. With this new capability, apps can communicate directly over the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular, meaning some watches will be able to do more without having to be tethered to a phone. Google said this will result in a “faster, richer on-watch experience.”
Watches with cellular support, for instance, can let you make calls and get help from Google – no matter where your phone is located. The ability to take advantage of this feature depends on your watch and the features it supports. Early Android Wear watches don’t have Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, but recent watches and new watches can now be less dependent on phones.
So, with AndroidWear 2.0, apps on your watch can be standalone and have direct network access to the cloud. As for those watch face improvements, there are several third-party faces available, but a new Complications API will now let developers include data from other apps on their watch faces. You’ll be able to tweak these watch faces, too, and choose which data you want to show.
Google said any watch face will be able to show data from any app. They can show, for instance, your calories burned, steps taken, incoming messages, or whatever. Also, tapping on individual complications will launch the full watch app for more information. Speaking of incoming messages, Wear 2.0 adds two new input methods: a swipe-style keyboard, and handwriting recognition.
The handwriting mode will let you draw out letters on your watch’s screen in order to write messages. You’ll also have access to new Smart Replies. And finally, Google has improved fitness in Android Wear 2.0. It is getting automatic activity recognition and a Google Fit API so data can sync with like a running app. Google’s also expanding the ways you can listen to music.
Not only will apps will be able to now detect when you begin walking, running, or biking, but because apps can now be installed right on the phone, Android Wear watches with built-in LTE support like LG’s latest Watch Urbane can start Spotify and stream music from the cloud right to your Bluetooth headset without you having to be tethered to a phone.
Google said the Android Wear 2.0 preview is now out for developers, and that these new experiences will launch for consumers this autumn.
Google’s Allo puts AI in a messaging app
Google has introduced a new messaging app today called Allo. It’s not a Hangouts replacement, but a completely standalone app that looks kind of like Facebook Messenger. Indeed, it follows Facebook’s model, complete with some machine learning, courtesy of Google’s newly announced personal assistant. As Google engineering director Erik Kay explained on stage during today’s I/O keynote, Allo is a smart messaging app that “learns over time” to make conversations easier and more productive.
Like a lot of messaging apps, Allo has something called Expressions. These look to be an amped up version of emojis and stickers. For example, Kay demonstrated something called Whisper Shout — sliding your finger down will result in a small-text “whisper” while sliding it up will prompt a large-text “shout.” You can also send full-bleed photos, with the ability to doodle over it like you can on Snapchat. Interestingly, Allo is based on your phone number — you sign up with it. Connecting Allo to your Google account is completely optional.
Another neat feature is something called Smart Reply, which utilizes some of that machine learning mentioned earlier. So if someone says “Dinner later?” it’ll automatically suggest options like “I’m in!” or “I’m busy,” anticipating what you want to say next. The more you use it, Kay says, the better the app will be. Smart Replies can include emojis and stickers too.
The really cool part is that Smart Replies even works in response to photos. Allo builds upon Google’s computer vision capabilities to understand the context and content of images. It’ll understand that your friend just sent a photo of a dog, and even the breed of it. So an automated Smart Reply would be something like “Cute dog!” It’d suggest “Yummy” or “I love clams!” to a photo of clam linguine.
Google Assistant also plays a role here. It functions similarly to the chatbot idea espoused by Microsoft and Facebook, but appears to be a lot more automated. So if someone says they want Italian food for dinner, a Smart Reply will automatically show up suggesting to make a dinner reservation. Tap that and you’ll see a restaurant reservation card that’ll show a list of restaurants nearby. From there you can tap links to see info like Opening Hours and Location. Then you can select “make a reservation” and it’ll do so via OpenTable.
You can also just call up Google Assistant just by hitting “@google” while you’re chatting, to bring up search, so you can share funny GIFs with friends, for example. You can also just chat with the Google Assistant directly if you want deeper information. On stage, Google demonstrated an example of someone looking up the scores of Real Madrid, instantly recognizing that the person using it was already a Real Madrid fan. It brought up scores, the roster and also the profiles of each player.
If you like, you can also play games with the Google Assistant in Allo. “Emoji Games” is one where you’re to guess a movie based on a string of emojis. There are also more games to come, depending on what developers come up with.
Just like Chrome, Allo has an Incognito mode if you want your messages to be private and secure. It has end-to-end encryption, private notifications and expiring chats. If you delete an incognito conversation on Allo, it’s gone forever.
Allo will be available for both Android and iOS later this summer.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
Source: Google
Google Assistant will talk to your favorite services
Google Assistant won’t just be helpful for talking to Google itself — it’ll tap into a wide array of services, too. The search firm has revealed that it’s working on a “comprehensive way” for third parties to tap into the AI-powered, conversation-oriented helper. You’ll have to wait to hear more about it in the “coming months,” but there are already some big partners lined up, like OpenTable, Spotify and Uber. On the I/O stage, Google also anticipated developers writing trivia challenges and other games. In short: as with Facebook Messenger and Skype, you may find yourself chatting up all kinds of services in the near future.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
The new Android N preview is more stable and updates itself
Google surprised us all with an Android N developer preview two months before we landed at I/O, and updated it with new performance-enhancing features just a few weeks back. Now, as revealed during this morning’s I/O keynote, there’s a new update for you bold souls who crave bleeding edge software.
While Google refers to Preview 3 as an “incremental update” on its developer site, there’s still enough here to get excited about. Unlike the last two versions of the preview, Google says this third build is the first “beta-quality” candidate — in other words, you’ll run into fewer headaches if you try to use it as your daily driver on a Nexus 5X, 6P or other compatible devices. We haven’t played with the new N preview ourselves so we can’t confirm how much more stable it feels, but we’ll follow up with impressions as soon as we can.
Beyond that, this new update also brings with it a new software-updating scheme inspired by (surprisingly enough) Chromebooks. When an update is available, Android N can download the system image in the background and can automatically install it the next time you reboot your phone.
“There’s no ‘Android is upgrading’ [pop-up], no delays,” VP of Android Engineering Dave Burke told us. “It’s just a really nice, seamless way to do it.”
It’s a smart move; especially with respect to security updates like the ones Nexus devices get every month. When it comes to those more timely, crucial security patches, Android N lets you know the update will happen ahead of time and will then just install it upon reboot. Meanwhile, you’ll be alerted to “dessert” updates — the big ones with the delicious new names — in the new suggestions section in settings, where you can choose to install it now or apply it later.
If you’re interested in giving Preview 3 a shot on your phone, it’ll be available today.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/0 2016 follow along here.
Android N gets a high-performance VR mode
Even the most stubborn fence-sitters have to admit it: Virtual reality is worming its way into our the fabric of our culture. Part of VR’s growth is because we can now just strap phones to our faces and see other worlds, but that typically requires lots of work from phone makers like Samsung and LG to get their VR hardware and software working just right. The software side of that equation might have just gotten way easier to figure out though, thanks to Google’s announcement of VR mode for Android N.
In a nutshell, think of VR mode as a special high-performance mode for your smartphone. As Google’s VP of Engineer for Android Dave Burke puts it, a phone that meets certain criteria and conforms to “lots of rules” can declare itself “VR-ready”. From there, apps like virtual reality games and YouTube can fire up VR mode to unlock extra power and — crucially — drive down the latency between the moment you move the phone mounted to your head and the moment you see your environment change on-screen. Too much latency means you don’t get the sort of persistent, “I’m actually somewhere else” feeling as you spin around with a phone on your face.
We’re told getting to this point required work on just about every level of Android N’s software stack. When VR mode is on, it changes how Android interprets information coming from its sensors. Graphics have to be drawn differently, too. Usually, Android uses a double graphics buffer where one set of images is drawn on the screen and then swapped with another set stored in memory. With VR mode on, though, apps can use a single buffer mode where images are replaced much faster, on a scan line-by-scan line basis.
Oh, and curiously enough, Burke also mentioned in a blog post that developers would have access to an “exclusive CPU core for VR apps” — we’re still trying to figure out how that works. Still, it’s hard to argue with results. To put things in perspective, Samsung and Oculus managed to get motion-to-photon latency to under 20 milliseconds with the Gear VR. Google’s work seems to have matched that ultra-low latency: the Nexus 6P with VR mode inside Google Cardboard also comes in under that 20 millisecond bar, compared to the 100 millisecond latency without VR mode.
There’s still a lot to dissect here, and we’ll update this story as we learn more.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
Google needs your help naming Android N
Nougat? Nerds? Necco wafers? Nonpareils? We’d argue none of these treats sound cool enough to grace the next version of Android, and it turns out Google is having a hard time picking too. That’s why, for the first time ever, the search giant wants to know what you think the “N” in Android N should stand for. Google launched a website to take your suggestions, and could pick a winner if someone out there cooks up something seriously inspired.
There’s no shortage of inspiration out there, but we’re not yet sure what the winner — or winners — will get for their hard work. (If it’s not first crack at some new Nexus hardware, Google really needs to up their game.) Anyway, just remember Google gets to choose a favorite — if there is one — so don’t bother stuffing the digital ballot box with some dessert-themed take on “Boaty McBoatface”.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
GE PB911SJSS review – CNET
The Good The GE PB911SJSS knows how to make a meal. This $1,100 electric range cooks food better and boils water faster than similar products that cost twice as much.
The Bad There’s not a lot you can do with the oven’s built-in Bluetooth connectivity, especially if you don’t have one of GE’s over-the-range microwaves. The lack of burner knobs could irk some traditionalists.
The Bottom Line Your $1,100 would be well spent on this GE range.
First impressions have led me astray in the CNET Appliances Test Lab. There was the cherry red wonder that was more of a lemon, the stainless-steel tank that stumbled through cooking tests and the plain range that concealed just how impressively it deployed induction. I’ve been fooled into thinking that some appliances would be better (or in some cases, worse) performers just because of how they look. Now, I’ve added the GE PB911SJSS freestanding range to the list of products that prove how wrong first impressions can be.
On the surface, this $1,100 GE electric range looks like an appliance that would be easy to pass by. It doesn’t have any burner knobs to control the cooktop, a feature that’s sure to turn off traditionalists. It doesn’t stand apart from the glut of stainless steel ranges on the market. But the GE PB911SJSS is a reliable, consistent appliance that executes simple cooking tasks like roasting and baking while adding the right amount of flourish with components such as Bluetooth connectivity and a convection fan.
The GE PB911SJSS transcends first impressions — this is a simple range without much flash but with solid cooking chops. And it’s a better investment than more expensive, garish models that can’t live up to the initial promises their appearances make.
Here’s how the GE PB911SJSS electric range…
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Knob-free, yet easy to use
I gave this range a hard side-eye when I first cut away its cardboard box. The control panel is completely flat; it doesn’t have any knobs to control the five burners on the smooth cooktop. I documented my distaste for knobless ovens in my review of the Kenmore 97723 double-oven electric range, a decent product marred by complicated touchpad burner controls. When I saw a similar feature on the GE, I anticipated days hunched over the cooktop, frustrated and fiddling with counterintuitive controls.
I won’t go as far as to literally eat my words about knobless ranges (and besides, we’re an online publication), but I’m woman enough to admit how shortsighted I was to write off all ranges without knobs. GE showed me that it’s possible to deploy a streamlined look while making it easy for old-school cooks like me to adjust to a new design.
Rather than using a numbered scale to show a burner’s heat levels, the GE range uses a semicircle surrounded by lights to control each burner. You press the on/off button in the middle of this semicircle, then press the plus and minus buttons to set your burner temperature. The more lights go on, the hotter the burner gets and vice versa. It sounds complicated, but these had a much quicker learning curve than the similar Kenmore model.
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Bluetooth is a frivolous, but functional accessory
The lights and the fan on the microwave turn on automatically when you turn on a burner thanks to the Chef Connect feature.
Chris Monroe/CNET
GE uses this range to dabble in the world of smart large appliances without creating a product that is too complex or expensive. The company equipped this range with its Chef Connect feature (a proprietary way to say, “This oven has Bluetooth”) that syncs with GE over-the-range microwave ovens. Sync the two appliances, turn on a burner, and the microwave’s exhaust fan turns on automatically. The lights beneath the microwave that illuminate the cooktop also turn on when it detects that a burner is on.
AIVAnet 