Yahoo Mail mobile apps get extra sharing and sync features
Yahoo continues to improve its Mail app for mobile devices. After adding support for Google Drive files and GIFs last month, the company is bringing more sharing and sync features to iOS and Android users. If you’re on Apple’s platform, Yahoo Mail now lets you show links in emails as previews, with a quick snapshot of information from any site. Additionally, you can start sharing pictures directly to Yahoo Mail, thanks to a new iOS share button for the app.
Android owners are getting a couple things to help them keep better track of contacts. The People Smart View tab, for example, allows you to see a list of folks you’ve been in touch with recently through Yahoo Mail. With this update, the Android apps also syncs your Yahoo and Android contacts, something that probably should’ve been there from the beginning.
And for those of you interested in testing features like these before the public, Yahoo Mail has opened up a beta program for Android — opt-in for that starts today.
Source: Yahoo
Everything’s ‘sweet’ on Android N naming site
During its I/O keynote, Google announced that it would accept user ideas before announcing the official name for the upcoming Android N. The obvious front runners are foods like Nutella and nougat that carry on the confectionery theme. Even if you offer jokes like “Never coming to your phone,” Google’s website still responds with “sweet.” In fact, that’s the response for any suggestion. It didn’t take long for people to notice that they could submit racist terms and the website would offer that same reply. Obviously Google doesn’t think Nazis are sweet, but its a painful oversight that’s already making the rounds on Twitter.
While the activity may be intended for laughs, it still allows you to give some awful suggestions. Of course, the company already said on stage it will select the final name and that the website is meant only “for entertainment purposes.” Back in March, it was a matter of hours before the internet turned Microsoft’s AI chatbot Tay into a racist and sexist Twitter account. It seems like Google didn’t learn much from that ordeal, even if it is vowing to not review any of the submissions for Android N.
Oh man, @google, you really didn’t think this one through. “Nazi” is also allowed! #io16 pic.twitter.com/xVNR8lCnqP
— Patrick Lucas Austin (@patbits) May 18, 2016
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
Source: Google
The After Math: Google I/O 2016 Edition
Google unleashed its 2016 developers conference on Mountain View, CA this morning. The company debuted a bunch of new products including its answer to Amazon’s Alexa, dubbed Google Home; a new VR headset called Daydream (along with a new VR section for Play) and two new messaging apps, Allo and Duo. Google also showed off some of the new features we can expect in the upcoming Android N operating system, a full-blown overhaul of the Android Wear ecosystem, updates to Android Auto and some new tricks for Google Pay. Did I miss something? Yeah, probably. So check out our comprehensive coverage of the event here.
GM is already testing self-driving Chevy Bolts
That didn’t take long. Just weeks after GM bought Cruise Automation to give its self-driving car initiative a boost, the spy photographers at SpiedBilde have spotted multiple Chevy Bolts roaming around San Francisco with autonomous driving sensors on their roofs. In fact, one of the drivers is Cruise Automation co-founder Kyle Vogt — clearly, he’s taking the hands-on approach in this collaboration.
GM wouldn’t comment when The Verge asked about the testing. However, the photos suggest that the automaker isn’t waiting for Lyft before it starts testing its ideal combo of an electric car with self-driving technology. The company sees self-driving vehicles (specifically EVs) as crucial to its future, and it likely wants to master the fundamentals of driverless tech in its cars before it starts integrating with ridesharing services.
Source: The Verge
Google built a processor just for AI
Google is no stranger to building hardware for its data centers, but it’s now going so far as to design its own processors. The internet giant has revealed the Tensor Processing Unit, a custom chip built expressly for machine learning. As Google doesn’t need high precision for artificial intelligence tasks, the TPU is focused more on raw operations per second than anything else — it’s an “order of magnitude” faster in AI than conventional processors at similar energy levels. It’s space-efficient, too, fitting into the hard drive bays in data center racks.
The fun part? You’ve already seen what TPUs can do. Google has been quietly using them for over a year, and they’ve handled everything from improving map quality to securing AlphaGo’s victory over the human Go champion. The AI could both move faster and predict further ahead thanks to the chip, Google says. You won’t get to buy the chip yourself, alas, but you might just notice its impact as AI becomes an ever more important part of Google’s services.
Source: Google Cloud Platform Blog
Snapchat’s content feed could go algorithmic
Snapchat’s main content feed could soon get an algorithmic shakeup, Digiday reports. According to sources, Snapchat has been working on updates to its platform that would affect professional or brand accounts and re-arrange the chronological flow of content you see from the accounts you follow.
Although it is currently unclear when the changes could be implemented, an update like this would bring Snapchat’s platform in line with Facebook’s News Feed, which ranks the content you interact with based on a number of factors and shows you more of the same. While the setup can often make it easier sort through the flood of content in your feed, it also offers ways for advertisers and publishers to buy a more visible location.
Snapchat currently boasts around 100 million daily active users, most of whom fall squarely in the coveted youth demographic, but only stories posted by partner publishers on the Discover tab are allowed to carry ads. In order to get in front of that audience, other brands and publishers run private accounts and attempt to grow their audiences organically by jumping into your Snapchat stream right alongside your friends.
As Digiday points out, an app update in March that allowed users to quickly flip through updates from all the accounts they are following might hint at what the future of Snapchat’s content stream might look like. According to Snapchat ad tech platform Delmondo, however, that update led to a 40 percent increase in views, but a 20 percent decrease in completion rate — meaning more people saw the content, but it was much easier to ignore.
Google I/O 2016: Assistant, Home, Allo, Duo, Android N, and More
Google hosted its annual I/O developers keynote at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California today, announcing multiple new products and services related to Android, search, messaging, home automation, and more.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is described as a “conversational assistant” that builds upon Google Now based on two-way dialog. The tool can be used, for example, to ask who directed the movie Avatar, and to ask which other movies he has directed, and Google should be able to isolate the questions from the conversation and provide answers.
The new Siri and Alexa rival, compatible with both voice and chat, will be widely available on Android, iOS, in the home, and elsewhere later this year.
Google Home
Google Home is a new Wi-Fi-enabled personal assistant device for the home that enables people to ask Google search queries, manage everyday tasks, enjoy music and entertainment, and more using hands-free “OK Google” voice commands.
The Amazon Echo rival features a clean, color-changing design with no buttons, a speaker on the bottom, multiple room support, remote control of Chromecast and other speakers, compatibility with Nest and other popular home automation platforms, and more.
Google Home can be used to make general searches, check flight statuses, track shipments, set dinner reservations, turn on lights or play music in certain rooms, receive real-time traffic and routing information, check your appointments, and more.
Google Home will be available later this year. Pricing was not disclosed.
Allo
Allo is a new intelligent messaging app for Android and iOS, based on machine learning, computer visioning, and assistive technologies.
The app integrates with your phone number and features resizable message bubbles, emojis and stickers, smart reply suggestions for messages and photos, mini games, and more. There is also an Incognito Mode with end-to-end encryption, Snapchat-like expiring messages, and private notifications.
Allo also features Google Assistant built in, which can provide proactive suggestions such as nearby restaurants and sports results based on Knowledge Graph results. The suggestions will appear automatically based on the context of the conversation. OpenTable and YouTube will be two of many linked services.
Allo will be available this summer.
Duo
Duo is a standalone FaceTime-like HD video calling app for Android and iOS with a “Knock Knock” feature that shows live video of the other caller before answering.
The app features a clean user interface, encrypted video transmission, and proactive network quality monitoring with seamless switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data.
Duo will be available this summer.
Android N
Android N was announced prior to Google I/O, so today’s keynote mainly provided a recap of new features and security enhancements.
One all-new feature Google announced today is a new VR platform called Daydream, allowing for high-quality VR experiences on smartphones this fall.
“Daydream-ready” smartphones from Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, and others running Android N will feature a new VR mode that is optimized for VR viewers.
Google is also accepting submissions for what to call Android N. Past versions have been based on desserts such as Marshmallow, Lollipop, KitKat, Jelly Bean, and Ice Cream Sandwich, and it appears likely that trend will continue.
The name unsurprisingly must start with the letter N. Google will accept submissions until June 8, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Android Wear 2.0
Google unveiled a major new version of its wearable software platform today. Android Wear 2.0 will feature standalone apps, smart reply suggestions, improved handwriting recognition, a miniature swipe-based keyboard, customizable watch faces, Google Fit integration, and more.
Android Wear 2.0 launches in developer beta today, followed by a public release this fall.
Tags: Google, Google I/O, Android N, Allo, Duo, Google Assistant, Google Home
Discuss this article in our forums
Casual Games: If you’re Not Mobile, You Don’t Even Exist
The impact smartphones had on our way of life is comparable to that of the automobile, or even television. Smartphones managed to connect us in ways we never thought possible. They put miniature computers in our pockets, and brought the world within reach through the internet. Today you can sit on top of a mountain in the US, and watch a Finnish volcano erupt through a live stream. But the biggest impact smartphones had was on the gaming industry, especially on gaming destinations like the All Jackpots online casino.
The explosion of mobile gaming
Mobile games have come a long way since the first notable example, Snake, included into the software of the legendary Nokia 6110 in the late 1990s. The success of this simple game on a dumb phone with a monochrome, low-resolution screen, other game types made it to mobile, and Java games followed on slightly smarter phones. Casual ones, of course, as these handsets were not suitable for extended gaming. Real money game developers were among the first to realize these games’ potential – the first mobile casino games were launched as early as the mid-2000s, and smartphone games followed soon after the release of the first really smart phone as we know them, the iPhone, in 2007.
Where are we now?
Less than a decade after the release of the handset that would start the smartphone revolution, mobile games have surpassed console games when it comes to revenue. People want to play on the go, and smartphones prove to be a better device for this compared to handheld consoles. We’ve reached a point when both Nintendo and Sony have delayed the launch of their upcoming portable consoles, citing the competition from smartphones. And with today’s hardware, and the increased penetration of the smart devices, the mobile gaming industry is set to expand.
On the real money gaming front we see a lot of movement, too. The All Jackpots Casino gets new games every month, and all of them are released in parallel on desktop and mobile devices. The number of mobile games at the All Jackpots Casino keeps increasing – today it has a tad over 100 titles to choose from, but new ones keep appearing (and old ones are being adapted to the new platform). And with the improvement of services, more secure ways to handle real money transactions are added, turning the players’ gaming experience at the All Jackpots Casino into a smoother, more comfortable one.
What’s next for mobile gaming?
The number of serious gamers is large, but that of casual gamers is even larger. This is why the mobile gaming industry keeps growing its reach – and market value – year after year. Soon, people will stop craving for a console or a gaming PC, and start considering their smartphone to be the gaming device of choice. Traditional game formats, like first person shooters or real time strategy titles, might not make the perfect mobile games – but when it comes to casual titles, those not available on mobile will be as if they never existed.
Rocket VPN: Fast, Secure, Mobile (Review)
VPNs have their place in the world. They allow users to do many things, such as enter a secure network, emulate a physical location, and browse securely. A few days ago Jason reviewed SaferVPN. Today, I bring you Rocket VPN, by Liquidum Limited. Rocket VPN is a great tool for many of your VPN needs at an affordable price.
Opinions
Rocket VPN boasts some bold colors and a neat material design to fit right in with all your native Google apps. A hamburger menu houses a few options and the login options for those customers that choose to pay for the service.
Main Screen
Browser and App Launcher
The built-in browser allows you to surf the net worry-free. Right next to the browser option is a location selector that allows you to set a specific region for your browsing needs. if you want your searches to appear as if you are in the UK, no problem: simply set the location to London, launch, and you are surfing from London.
There is also a built-in app launcher that allows you to set specific locations for specifics apps that you may want to launch via VPN, such as Netflix, Hulu, or Pandora. This is very handy if you are trying to access content that may be restricted by region.
Data Used
Location
Options Menu
Unfortunately, there are very few locations to choose from when you compare it to other VPN services. That being said, the locations seem to work as intended. When I link to the UK, many Netflix shows available only in the US don’t show up. Also, while logged into UK, Pandora (which is not currently available in the UK due to licensing issues) does not work.
Conclusion
Admittedly, I am not a fan of personal VPN use. It has many professional uses and some niche uses if you want to emulate your location somewhere else or secure your communication data on an unprotected WiFi.
Rocket VPN is a great tool for those with limited need for VPN access. It is free (ad-supported) up to 500MB per month with no login required. If your VPN needs seem to be more intricate, I would recommend looking into a more robust client.
Download and install Rocket VPN from the Google Play Store.
Your future Fitbit might include NFC payments
Fitbit, the leading fitness wearable company, has announced that it has acquired Coin, who has a wearable payments system. You might not have thought that Fitbit was going to move in this direction, but future devices could well offer mobile payments.
In the announcement of the news, Fitbit says that the deal covers intellectual property and certain personnel involved in Coin’s payment platform. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how this might make for a pretty pairing.
Fitbit has so far concentrated on fitness tracking, from the humble Flex, to increasingly featured devices. Expanding its skillset by offering some form of mobile payments, means that you could, for example, be out running and decide to get the train home with a coffee, all paid for via your Fitbit.
Fitbit has said that there are no plans to integrate any of this technology into the 2016 portfolio, but that an “active NFC payment solution” can be developed for future devices.
“Coin has been one of the key innovators in advanced payment solutions. The inclusion of their payment technology into our offerings will further our strategy of making Fitbit products an indispensable part of people’s lives,” said James Park, CEO and co-founder of Fitbit.
On the Coin side of the deal, this marks the end of Coin 2.0. This isn’t part of the future plans of Fitbit, and existing cards will continue to work until their battery runs out. Not future Coin 2.0 products will be manufactured.
AIVAnet 