Google Home and Google Home Mini could make their way to India in April

Google’s smart home products are ready to make their debut in India.

Google Home made its debut back in 2016, and Google introduced the mini variant late last year. Both smart home products are available in select markets around the world, and it now looks like they’re making their way to India. Information received by Gadgets 360 suggests both the Google Home and Google Home Mini will be introduced in the subcontinent in April.

The timing makes a lot of sense, considering Google Assistant picked up Hindi compatibility earlier this month. Allowing users to converse with the Assistant on their Google Home or Home Mini will be a huge advantage for Google as it tries to take the fight to Amazon on this front.

Amazon rolled out its Echo family in India, and while Alexa has been thoroughly customized for the local market, for now, language compatibility is limited to English. Amazon has also added a ton of local skills — all designed to make the smart home speaker that much more useful for Indian consumers.

I’ve been using two Google Homes for over a year, and the overall experience is similar to what you’d find in the U.S. As the product hooks into Google services, it didn’t have any issues detecting my location and tailoring weather updates and traffic routes, local restaurant and movie recommendations based on my locale.

Pricing will be an interesting factor, as that’ll ultimately determine how successful the Google Home and Home Mini will be in the subcontinent. The Google Home retails for $129 in the U.S. (₹8,400), and the smaller Google Home Mini is available for $49 (₹3,190). Google’s products command a significant markup in the country — with the Pixel 2 XL still costing over $950 — and it’s likely we’ll see a similar bump for the Google Home and Home Mini.

With the launch slated for sometime next month, we should know the pricing and availability details in the coming weeks.

Tesla: Autopilot was engaged in fatal Model X crash

After a fiery crash in Mountain View, CA last week killed the driver of a Tesla Model X, the company provided an update on the incident with a blog post. It did not name the driver, identified by ABC 7 News as Apple engineer and former EA programmer Walter Huang, while confirming that its Autopilot feature was engaged at the time of the crash.

Tesla:

In the moments before the collision, which occurred at 9:27 a.m. on Friday, March 23rd, Autopilot was engaged with the adaptive cruise control follow-distance set to minimum. The driver had received several visual and one audible hands-on warning earlier in the drive and the driver’s hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision. The driver had about five seconds and 150 meters of unobstructed view of the concrete divider with the crushed crash attenuator, but the vehicle logs show that no action was taken.

It reiterated a statement from its first update, noting that a crash attenuator safety barrier intended to mitigate the effect of a collision in that spot was missing due to an earlier crash. While it noted that the driver had time and unobstructed view of the divider before the crash, it didn’t mention what action the automated systems took at the time. The driver’s brother told a reporter that Huang had previously complained the car would swivel toward that exact barrier and had complained to the Tesla dealership about it, but that they could not replicate the issue.

Tesla also went on to cite stats from the government showing Autopilot reduced crash rates by 40 percent, and suffered far fewer fatalities per mile than other cars.

In the US, there is one automotive fatality every 86 million miles across all vehicles from all manufacturers. For Tesla, there is one fatality, including known pedestrian fatalities, every 320 million miles in vehicles equipped with Autopilot hardware. If you are driving a Tesla equipped with Autopilot hardware, you are 3.7 times less likely to be involved in a fatal accident.

Tesla Autopilot does not prevent all accidents – such a standard would be impossible – but it makes them much less likely to occur. It unequivocally makes the world safer for the vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists.

No one knows about the accidents that didn’t happen, only the ones that did. The consequences of the public not using Autopilot, because of an inaccurate belief that it is less safe, would be extremely severe. There are about 1.25 million automotive deaths worldwide. If the current safety level of a Tesla vehicle were to be applied, it would mean about 900,000 lives saved per year. We expect the safety level of autonomous cars to be 10 times safer than non-autonomous cars.

The National Transportation Safety Board already said it’s investigating the crash, to look at the fire and steps to make the car safe for removal from the scene. However Bloomberg reported that it’s also looking into another crash earlier this year where a Model S ran into a fire truck parked on the highway, where the driver claimed Autopilot was engaged at the time. In 2016 a driver blamed Autopilot for a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but the company said data showed the feature was not in use at the time. And last year the NTSB found fault with both driver and technology in the case of a fatal Florida crash.

Source: Tesla

Hasbro got 5,000 pre-orders to build a massive replica of Jabba’s barge

The huge Jabba the Hutt barge replica Hasbro showed off at Toy Fair this year will soon become a real item making its way to backers’ homes. That’s because the toymaker’s first HasLab project, a program that takes a leaf out of Indiegogo’s and Kickstarter’s books, is a raging success. It has raised over $2.7 million in funds from over 5,500 backers (as of this writing), eclipsing its original 5,000-pre-order goal. And it has the potential to make more: The campaign still welcomes Star Wars fans willing to shell out $500 for a four-foot-long Khetanna with impressively detailed decks until April 3rd.

#StarWars fans, you #BackedTheBarge!! Jabba would be proud! #HasLab #BackTheBarge pic.twitter.com/RczPpqj7Qe

— Hasbro (@HasbroNews) March 30, 2018

The barge’s replica is the biggest Hasbro-branded Star Wars toy yet, much bigger than the company’s Millennium Falcon replica that measures 2.6 feet in length. Hasbro will bundle the barge with a 3.75-inch Jabba the Hutt and Yak Face figures that can fit inside the toy. Speaking of its interior, the barge has a two-person cockpit, a galley, an armory and a lounge inside, all of which are as detailed as the toy’s exterior. Hasbro plans to ship the toy’s 64-page booklet companion as soon as April 4th this year, but the barge itself won’t sail its way to backers until February 28th, 2019.

Via: io9

Source: HasLab

Twitch layoffs affect around two dozen employees

Despite the continued rollout of new features and highlights like a recent record-breaking stream of Fortnite, Polygon reports that Amazon-owned Twitch laid off around 25 employees today. In a statement, the company said it “conducted team adjustments in some departments” but still has plans to increase headcount by 30 percent this year. Some of the people leaving include well-known names in the Twitch community like VP of community Justin Wong and director of content marketing Ben “Fishstix” Goldhaber.

Twitch:

Coming off the record-setting numbers shared in our 2017 Retrospective, Twitch is continuing to grow and advance with success stories from Overwatch League to Fortnite’s milestone-setting streams. In order to maintain this momentum, we have an aggressive growth strategy for 2018 with plans to increase our headcount by approximately 30%. While we’ve conducted team adjustments in some departments, our focus is on prioritizing areas most important for the community.

I’m overwhelmed by everyone’s messages of support 😭 I appreciate each and every one of you more than words can describe.

As for me, pls don’t worry. I’ve got two months to figure out what’s next, and turns out esports is doing pretty great in 2018. I’m gonna be fine.

— Ben Goldhaber (@FishStix) March 30, 2018

So long, and thanks for all the memes. pic.twitter.com/WIVhGRVnyk

— Justin Wong (@JustinWong) March 30, 2018

Source: Polygon

‘Fortnite’ wants to put your dance in the game

The free-to-play Fortnite: Battle Royale has become a cultural sensation with a wide-ranging playerbase. How do we know? Because professional sports players won’t stop mimicking the game’s weird dances in real life. Maybe one day they’ll be doing one of your dances — because Epic Games just launched a contest for players to submit video of their smooth moves, with the best one making it into Fortnite.

From today until 11:59pm on April 10th, fans can upload one (and only one) dance or gesture they think would be a great emote in the game. Each will be judged on fun, originality and creativity. Obviously, dances have to be family-appropriate and uploaded to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Only one boogie will be added to the game, but the top one hundred entries get in-game currency and funky cosmetics. The top five get the recently-removed Boogie Bomb.

Tragically, the competition is only open for adults, per the rules here, so minor players will have to satisfy themselves with harassing their classrooms and teachers.

Source: Epic Games

AI predicts your lifespan using activity tracking apps

Researchers can estimate your expected lifespan based on physiological traits like your genes or your circulating blood factor, but that’s not very practical on a grand scale. There may be a shortcut, however: the devices you already have on your body. Russian scientists have crafted an AI-based algorithm that uses the activity tracking from smartphones and smartwatches to estimate your lifespan with far greater precision than past models.

The team used a convolutional neural network to find the “biologically relevant” motion patterns in a large set of US health survey data and correlate that to both lifespans and overall health. It would look for not just step counts, but how often you switch between active and inactive periods — many of the other factors in your life, such as your sleeping habits and gym visits, are reflected in those switches. After that, it was just a matter of applying the understanding to a week’s worth of data from test subjects’ phones. You can even try it yourself through Gero Lifespan, an iPhone app that uses data from Apple Health, Fitbit and Rescuetime (a PC productivity measurement app) to predict your longevity.

This doesn’t provide a full picture of your health, as it doesn’t include your diet, genetics and other crucial factors. Doctors would ideally use both mobile apps and clinical analysis to give you a proper estimate, and the scientists are quick to acknowledge that what you see here isn’t completely ready for medical applications. The AI is still more effective than past approaches, though, and it could be useful for more accurate health risk models that help everything from insurance companies (which already use activity tracking as an incentive) to the development of anti-aging treatments.

Source: MIPT, Nature (PDF), App Store

Oakley challenges amateur cyclists to ride like the pros

On April 8, one of pro cycling’s most revered spring classics will take place in northern France, where the annual Paris-Roubaix race takes place. Dubbed the “Hell of the North”  because if follows a demanding route that passes through an area of the country that was hardest hit during World War I, the race has long been a rite of passage for pro riders looking to leave a mark on the sport. The race is so tough that it prompted cycling teams to develop more durable frames and components just to survive the rigors of the road.

To celebrate this year’s race, eyewear and sports apparel manufacturer Oakley is throwing down the gauntlet in the form of a Strava challenge for amateur cyclists. The challenge tasks riders with covering 257 kilometers (about 160 miles) between April 2 and April 8. That is the same distance that the pro cyclists will cover in a single day while taking part in the Paris-Roubaix race.

Participants in the Oakley Paris-Roubaix Week challenge must sign up for the event ahead of time and need to log all of their miles in the Strava app (iOS/Android). And while the competitors in the actual race will only face about 250 other riders, this challenge will pit thousands of amateurs from around the globe against one another. As of this writing, more than 38,000 people have already signed up for the ride, which will require each of them to cover nearly 37 km (23 miles) every day for the week.

After the challenge ends, Oakley will pick one winner from all of the participants who have successfully covered the required distance. That lucky rider will win a prize package that will include an Oakley ARO helmet, an Oakley JB cycling kit that includes top-of-the-line cycling clothing, as well as cycling-focused eyewear. This is the same equipment that Oakley sponsored athletes on Team Katusha–Alpecin and Team Dimension Data will use while competing in the race on April 8, as well as the entire cycling season.

Following Paris-Roubaix, Oakley will offer three more weekly challenges designed to get more cyclists on their bikes. Each of those challenges will be available in Strava as well, with more prize packages to be awarded to winners. A Strava account is required, of course.

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Here’s how to use split-screen mode on your Android phone

Steven Winkelman / Digital Trends
Steven Winkelman / Digital Trends

Do you like to use Twitter and Google Maps simultaneously? Prefer to watch Netflix while you’re checking your email. Well, if you use an Android phone, you’re in luck: Newer versions of Android allow you to easily multi-task with split-screen mode.

Split-screen mode basics

Android has officially offered a split-screen mode for smartphones since Google released Android 7.0 Nougat in 2016. Sure, some smartphone manufacturers offered the option earlier but many of those methods were clumsy and didn’t work well.  The introduction of Android Nougat brought a standardized method for a split-screen mode that works across most smartphones and tablets.

That said, some themes and manufacturers’ interfaces will interfere with split-screen mode. This tutorial will show you the standard ways to use split-screen on Android. If you’re having problems, you may want to make sure your phone is running Android 7.0 or later before checking to see if your smartphone manufacturer has created a different method to open split-screen mode.

It’s also important to realize that split-screen mode doesn’t work with all apps. If the app is not compatible with split-screen mode, you will see a message at the top of the screen telling you as much.

How to turn on split-screen mode

There are two ways to enable split-screen mode on your Android phone. While both methods yield the same results, you may prefer one over the other.

Drag and drop

To use the drag and drop method, simply open the apps you wish to use in split-screen mode. Tap the app switcher icon (it’s usually a square on the right side of the navigation bar) and select the first app. Drag the app to the top of the screen to drop it into place. Once your first app is in place, simply tap the second app and it will appear in the bottom half of the screen.

Once you have your apps in split-screen mode you can make size adjustments. To adjust the size, simply drag the divider line that sits between the two apps.

Long-tap 

The second way to enable split-screen mode tends to be a little easier if you’re already in an app and wish to open another one without leaving it. If you’re in an app, just long-tap the app switcher icon. The primary app will minimize to fill the top half of the screen and you’ll see the other open apps at the bottom of the screen. Tap the second app you wish to use and it will automatically resize to fill the bottom half of the screen.

Again, it’s pretty easy to adjust the size of each app in split-screen mode by dragging the divider line between the two apps to your desired location.

How to end your split-screen mode session

While split-screen mode can come in handy, it’s definitely not something you want to use all the time. There are a few ways to get out of split-screen mode.

The first, and probably most simple, way to end split-screen mode is by long-tapping the split-screen app switching icon. This method automatically closes the secondary app at the bottom of your display.

Another way to end your split-screen mode session is simply by dragging the divider line all the way to the top or bottom of your display. This method allows you to select which app you prefer to keep open, as opposed to automatically selecting the app at the top of your screen.

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Snapchat hides a million Easter eggs on the Snap Map in a geocaching game

Cue that inner child because Snapchat just launched a grownup Easter egg hunt with more than a million eggs. Only instead of elbowing out other kids for candy-filled plastic eggs, Snapchat wants you to compete with friends to find the unlock the most World Lenses in an augmented reality geocaching game.

Snapchat has hidden eggs all over the Snap Map in the U.S. and Canada (from the home screen, pinch to zoom out to enter the map). Eggs are scattered throughout public locations. Once you are close to that egg on the Snap Map, tapping the egg will unlock a new World Lens, using the rear-facing camera and not the selfie one.

Plain eggs are worth one point, while the harder-to-find golden eggs are worth five points. And Snap Maps will be keeping track of those scores so egg hunters can try to beat out their friends or even the entire Snapchat community.

The hunt launched Friday, March 30, and will continue until the end of the day on Easter, April 1, at midnight ET. Unlike a real egg hunt, however, you and your friends can go find the same egg and tapping on that egg won’t prevent other egg hunters from also “scooping” up that same egg. All the eggs will remain in place until the end of the hunt.

Of course, any Snap Map feature usually comes with privacy concerns, but Snapchatters can still play the game while in Ghost Mode. Without sharing your location with friends, you won’t share your score with friends, however. Sharing the location with friends only or publicly is required to display your score to friends.

While Snapchat is a network focused, in part, on augmented reality, the Easter egg hunt is the first time the platform has launched a holiday hunt. The game mixes augmented reality with geocaching, similar to the popular Pokémon Go app. With the app’s augmented reality features and Snap Map, a virtual scavenger hunt game could make a lot of sense for the app if users decide to participate. Who knows, maybe if enough Snapchatters find those virtual eggs, other similar games could roll out too — but that is speculation since Snapchat hasn’t released an official statement about the game yet.

Now if only there was a way to get chocolate inside a virtual egg…

Nvidia CEO maintains that cryptocurrency mining “is not their business”

With interest in cryptocurrency and crypto mining at an all time high, some were surprised that NVIDIA didn’t focus on that segment at its annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC). The company has had a rocky relationship with crypto-miners, who have in recent years intensified demand for NVIDIA’s GPUs. While this is good for the bottom line, it also makes it hard for NVIDIA to keep its graphics card in stock for gamers and other users.

After noting that cryptocurrency mining represents only a small fraction of NVIDIA’s GPU business, CEO Jensen Huang distanced himself from the Bitcoin market, stating, “We’re not involved in Bitcoin at all. Bitcoin [mining] is done largely by ASICs today.” Unlike the GPU, which can handle a range of high-level computing power from deep learning to artificial intelligence, ASICs are efficient application-specific integrated circuit designed for a single task.

It is estimated that cryptocurrency mining accounted for at least six percent of GPU sales last year, and that number is poised to grow this year. Where NVIDIA has a prominent role in the cryptocurrency market is Ethereum, a competing type of cryptocurrency.

“What uses our GPU is Ethereum,” Huang said. “Ethereum ‘ether’ was designed as an algorithm to ensure that no singular entity or a few entities has the power to control the ether. It was designed so that the algorithm requires the type of computing capabilities — the type of processing capabilities — that are made possible by the use of GPUs in a distributed system.”

Huang didn’t bother with a mention of cryptocurrency at the company’s keynote earlier this week, despite that many gamers assume mining is to blame for the rising prices of GPUs.

“The reason why the GPU is so popular with Ethereum is because the GPU is the single largest distributed supercomputer in the world,” he said. “It is the only supercomputer that is literally in everyone’s hands. And as a result, no single entity can control currency.”

Ahead of the start of GTC earlier this week, a Susquehanna market analyst raised some concerns that NVIDIA and rival AMD may encounter increase competition in the cryptocurrency mining market as Bitmain may soon release an ASIC that is capable of mining Ethereum.

However, Huang appeared unphased. While promoting the benefits of GPUs for the cryptocurrency market, he maintains that cryptocurrency mining is not NVIDIA’s business. Instead, GTC’s major focus is to leverage the power of the GPU in systems like the newly launched DGX-2, Tesla, Drive, and GV100s to make advancements in gaming, workstation, artificial intelligence, healthcare and cloud computing.

“Quite frankly, I prefer that our GPUs are available to be used in those areas,” Huang stated, referring to AI and gaming. “And the reason is that there is so much shortage of GPUs at the moment. It’s hard for us to keep it in stock.”

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