Google swears it won’t phase out Chrome OS
That talk of Google merging Android and Chrome OS, effectively killing Chrome OS as you know it? Google would rather that you forget about all that. In a follow-up to its early rebuttal, the search firm acknowledges that it’s working on ways to “bring together” the two platforms, but insists that there’s “no plan to phase out” Chrome OS. The web-focused software is still popular in classrooms and offices, Google says, and there are plans to upgrade it with everything from a more substantial Material Design makeover to a new media player. There are “dozens” of Chromebooks launching in 2016, the company adds.
Source: Google Chrome Blog
Google app contest winners show what Project Tango can do
Sure, Google and crew can put together some nice tech demos for Project Tango’s advanced depth sensing and motion tracking, but what happens when everyday developers take a crack at it? You’re about to find out. Google has announced the winners of its Project Tango App Contest, and most of them aren’t what you’d expect given the technology. The overall winner is HeroicArcade’s WeR Cubed Tango, a 3D puzzler that relies more on motion than the usual screen taps.
Source: Google Play (1), (2), (3), (4)
Google’s self-driving cars have the ability to detect children in costumes
Google today in a post on Google+ said that its self-driving cars this Halloween had a chance to learn to become more cautious around children. Kids, as we all know, are unpredictable compared to adults, and so, Google’s self-driving cars are programmed to detect and be more cautious around kids. You might think children wearing costumes, particularly on Halloween, might confuse Google’s vehicles’ recognition system, but that wasn’t the case.
The search giant ended up having a bunch of children in costumes come hang out around the self-driving cars so that their sensors and software could get some additional practice at recognizing children in costumes. Here’s the official statement from Google:
“This week, lots of little ghouls, superheroes and even robots were running around Google with their families, so we asked them to hang out around our parked cars. This gives our sensors and software extra practice at recognizing children in all their unique shapes and sizes, even when they’re in odd costumes.”
Once a sensor detects a child, dressed in costume or not, the software responds accordingly by being much more cautious, whether that means moving down to slower speeds, ready to come to a complete stop on a dime, and so on.
Certainly the most interesting thing about Google’s self-driving car project is the vehicles’ abilities to learn and adapt to real-world situations. While there’s still a lot of skepticism surrounding driverless cars, Google’s project is shaping up nicely, and it’s only getting better. The search giant even has a dedicated team to come up with odd and unpredictable situations so that the self-driving vehicles will know what to do in almost any situation they come across.
Google recently announced that not only was it expanding its self-driving car project to the streets of Austin, Texas, but that it was also beginning to increase production of its autonomous vehicles.
source: Google (Google+)
Come comment on this article: Google’s self-driving cars have the ability to detect children in costumes
Google thinks it can make translated apps fail less
While often hilarious, mistranslations can be embarrassing or even dangerous. Google, which is no doubt responsible for a large number of those, has come up with a way to help developers ensure their apps make sense in other languages. The problem is that machines don’t understand context — as an example, Google cites the word “auto,” which can be translated to French either as automatic or automobile, depending on how it’s used. That prompted the search giant to develop the Language Quality Survey (LQS), consisting of 10 questions that developers can pose to foreign users.
Source: Google
Who’s Down is Google’s latest app to make meeting up easier
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Google has recently announced (with surprisingly little fanfare) a new app called Who’s Down. As the name of the app might suggest, Who’s Down is kind of a simplified version of Doodle – when sent an invite, all you do if confirm whether you’re down or not, and everything else goes from there. There is chat functionality in the app to facilitate things that require words, but it’s main function is to work out who’s coming to an event and who’s not.
However, if you want to download Who’s Down right now, it looks like the app is currently region locked, presumably to the US – all I know is I can’t get it in Australia, but let us know in the comments if you can download it. Once you have the app, you’ll still need an invite as Who’s Down is operating with an invite system for the time being. There’s no word on how long Who’s Down will stay in this locked down state, but presumably Google is trialling this app in the short term only – the Google Play Store page is currently titled “Who’s Down – Fall 2015” as if to suggest the app may change with the seasons. If you are lucky enough to fulfil all the above criteria, we’ve got the download link for you below:
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js
What do you think about Who’s Down? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: engadget
The post Who’s Down is Google’s latest app to make meeting up easier appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Let’s celebrate George Boole’s 200th birthday. Or not.
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If you’re a programmer of any kind, today might be one of the more significant days in the calendar that you might not know about. According to Google‘s latest doodle which can be found on Google’s search page, today is George Boole‘s 200th birthday – if that name sounds familiar, that’s because he is the logician who had the ‘Boolean’ data type named after him. Boole was born in England and the mathematician and philosopher was best known for his work in The Laws of Thought.
Unfortunately, Boole died in 1864 after becoming ill after walking home in the rain. Boole might have survived if his wife hadn’t poured more water on him when he was lying in bed, believing that the cure to illnesses would be similar to how the illness came about – something we now know is highly illogical. All the same, Boole’s contributions to mathematics and logic live on and continues to influence our lives everyday without us even realizing it.
What do you think about George Boole’s 200th birthday doodle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google
The post Let’s celebrate George Boole’s 200th birthday. Or not. appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Pre-order the OnePlus X now at Gearbest.com
OnePlus has been shaking up the smartphone market and has just released its OnePlus X which looks to add to their success. For the incredibly affordable price of $250, you get a phone with a Snapdragon 801, 1080p AMOLED display, Android 5.1, 16GB of memory, 3GB of RAM, and a 13MP rear camera.
Our own Josh Noriega, a phone snob, is even excited with the release of the OnePlus X. The only downside to ordering a phone from OnePlus is their invite system which can be a pain in the rear. You have to register on their site, request an invite, and once you get the invite you have a very limited time in which you can use it. You don’t even know when you’ll get that invite too. It could be today or it could be two months from now.
Gearbest.com looks to help you solve that problem by offering the OnePlus X on their own site for $295.99 with free shipping. Gearbest.com does not charge tax so the premium price you pay is not much more than what you would pay if you were to order this phone direct from OnePlus. You can check out the specs below and head on over to Gearbest.com to pre-order your X now by following this link. Gearbest.com also offers a 45-day return to ensure you are happy with your purchase.
Specifications
| Basic Information | Brand: ONEPLUS Type: 4G Smartphone Service Provide: Unlocked OS: Android 5.1 Languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Italian, Portuguese SIM Card Slot: Dual SIM, Dual Standby SIM Card Type: Dual Nano SIM |
|---|---|
| Hardware | CPU: Snapdragon801 Cores: Quad Core, 2.3GHz GPU: Adreno 330 RAM: 3GB RAM ROM: 16GB External memory: TF card up to 128GB (not included) |
| Network | Wireless Connectivity: 4G, WiFi, GSM, 3G, A-GPS WiFi: 802.11b/g/n wireless internet Network type: FDD-LTE+WCDMA+GSM 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz 4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz |
| Display | Screen type: Capacitive Screen size: 5.0 inch Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 (FHD) Pixels Per Inch (PPI): 441 |
| Camera | Camera type: Dual cameras (one front one back) Back camera: 13.0MP Front camera: 8.0MP Aperture: f/2.2 Touch Focus: Yes Auto Focus: Yes Flashlight: Yes Video recording: Yes |
| Media Formats | Picture format: PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP Music format: AAC, MP3, WAV Video format: MP4, 3GP, AVI MS Office format: Word, Excel, PPT E-book format: TXT Live wallpaper support: Yes Games: Android APK |
| Other Features | I/O Interface: TF/Micro SD Card Slot, Micro USB Slot, 3.5mm Audio Out Port Sensor: Gravity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor Google Play Store: Yes Sound Recorder: Yes Additional Features: Light Sensing, Bluetooth, Browser, Gravity Sensing, MP4, Calendar, People, 3G |
| Battery | Battery Capacity (mAh): 2450mAh Built-in Battery Battery Type: Lithium-ion Polymer Battery |
| Package Contents | Cell Phone: 1 Power Adapter: 1 USB Cable: 1 English Manual : 1 |
| Dimensions | Product size: 14 x 6.9 x 0.69 cm / 5.50 x 2.71 x 0.27 inches Package size: 16 x 12 x 7 cm / 6.29 x 4.72 x 2.75 inches Product weight: 0.138 kg Package weight: 0.500 kg
|
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Android Authority this week – November 1, 2015
Android fans, this week brought us a glimpse into the future of Android and Chrome OS, which will reportedly be merging starting next year. Android is coming to PCs and that means some big changes are afoot. In other news, Motorola launched the Droid Turbo 2, with its shatterproof screen, the Droid Maxx 2, and the international Moto X Force. OnePlus released its second device this year, the affordable, but stylish OnePlus X. And Samsung showed us once again that it thinks big, with the 18-inch Galaxy View.
Inside AA HQ
The Wall Street Journal report from last week about the lack of relevance that the dual-OS approach now has inside Google sparked a lot of interesting conversations about the future of Android. Google is planning to “fold” Chrome OS into its much more popular mobile operating system, and on face value, that seems like a sensible decision. Android is on 1.4 billion devices. The sheer size of this user base gives Android a real fighting chance against the stalwart Windows.
But having a chance is one thing, seizing it is another, and looking at how the Android ecosystem has yet to realize the potential of tablets, Google definitely has its work cut out for it. Competition isn’t sitting idle either. Microsoft might be dead in the water when it comes to phones, but Windows 10 is a powerful, extremely mature platform, that’s deeply entrenched into the market. It will be very interesting to see how Google approaches this problem, and we at Android Authority definitely look forward to extending our coverage to yet another class of devices.
This week we’re giving away a OnePlus X! This sleek and compact device can be yours – if luck is on your side – if you throw your name in the hat right here.
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Review: One A9 is definitely controversial – but how good is it? Josh weighs in.
- Comparison: Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X: we help you make up your mind.
- Review: The Nexus 5X is the Google phone for the people – is it worth your money?
- Review: Josh reviews the excellent Nexus 6P – see his thoughts here.
- Comparison: Mid-range showdown: Nexus 5X vs Moto X Style
Top news of the week
OnePlus X
- OnePlus X officially announced: what you need to know
- OnePlus X hands-on and first impressions
- OnePlus X will be temporarily sold invite free in these cities
Droid Turbo 2, Droid Maxx 2, and Moto X Force
- Motorola announces Moto X Force with iPhone and Galaxy S6 drop test
- Motorola Droid Maxx 2 officially announced: everything you need to know
- Droid Turbo 2 officially announced: what you need to know
- Motorola Droid Turbo 2 vs Moto X Style quick look
- Motorola Droid Turbo 2 hands-on and first look
- How does Motorola’s new ShatterShield technology work?
- Motorola Droid Maxx 2 first look
Android and Chrome
- Report: Google to fold Chrome OS into Android by 2017
- Android + Chrome OS: four big questions
- Android boss says Google is still “very committed” to Chrome OS
Galaxy View
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Google’s self-driving cars are more cautious around kids
If you’ve got spawn traipsing through the streets of Mountain View in search of sweets tonight, you needn’t fear Google’s self-driving cars… much. While there’s something a little unsettling about an autonomous car — even a cute one — coming at you on Halloween, Google says they’re at least programmed to act differently around children. In the days leading up to this most creepy of holidays, the company’s self-driving car team had parents trot their tots in front of parked vehicles to give their sensors and software more experience detecting “children in all their unique shapes and sizes, even when they’re in odd costumes”. Good idea — your author used to dart in the street for really no reason at all, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Google’s cars are already “jittery” in their cautiousness, but a little extra practice couldn’t hurt, especially when they’re still not great with people on bikes.
Source: Google+
Looking to buy something unique and support the little guy? Check out Etsy.com
With the holiday season ready to kick into high gear, we are all going to be bombarded with advertisements as it is the time for the giving and receiving of presents. Some people are really difficult to shop for as they just have everything.
I took some time to look for a few presents for friends and family, as I like to get a head start, because presents really should have thought behind them. At least, that is what my mom taught me. Although my research started out to look for gifts for everyone but myself, that’s not how it ended.
In comes Etsy.com, founded in 2005, to save the day. Etsy.com is a marketplace for creative entrepreneurs who use their unique talents to create one of a kind items that you cannot find in mass market stores.
In order to test out the Etsy app and website, I browsed for unique items using the Android app, that I literally could not find anywhere else. There are thousands of items to browse – from gadgets, jewelry, vintage items, paintings and so much more. In the beginning it was a research project to see if it would be a good site to recommend to you, the readers, as an option for unique items related to Google and Android. At the end of my research I had made a few purchases, with lots more items to purchase later as gifts as Etsy really does have items you cannot get anywhere else.
The Etsy app connects you to the purchaser and takes care of making the entire transaction very “professional”. Once you make a purchase, using a credit card or Paypal, a receipt is sent to your email with packaging and shipping updates. In the case of the items I bought from individual sellers, I instantly received feedback from both of them instantly, which is something you don’t necessarily get anymore these days from larger marketplaces.
The first items I purchased were Android stickers made from real 22k gold, from JnM Vinyl Studio Inc. These stickers can be applied to any of my gadgets to give them a unique appearance. In addition to the Android stickers I also asked if JnM could could make custom Androidguys.com labels in which they literally replied to my request within minutes, stating customs labels would be roughly the same price as the production cut Android stickers ($6). Once I placed my order, the Etsy app notified me that JnM had shipped my labels from New York, and within three days, the stickers arrived in my mailbox all the way to San Diego, CA. The service was absolutely incredible and the product matched the service. If you have a small business or just want custom labels or stickers, check out the JnM shop at Etsy.com and you won’t be disappointed.
The second purchase I made was in honor of my chubby cat, Poi. She’s named Poi because she is a mash-up of all kinds of breeds of cats, and Poi is a Hawaiian dish made from smashing taro root. Not to digress too far from this story, but the dog I adopted later is suitably named Taro.
Poi arrived on my doorstep when I was vacationing in Maui as a stray skinny kitten. Just like any other kitten, she was bouncing off the walls once I fed her. In fact, she was such an active kitten I thought she had rabies or some other disease in my irrational mind. My love for animals runs deep and I had to buy Poi a plane ticket home because I absolutely fell in love with her. Eight years later, she is apart of my family and is no longer skinny.
I am not some crazy cat lady, but when I came across Pottery by Misurie, I instantly adored her work. Misunrie is based in North Carolina and she offers unique, hand-made pottery that caught my eye. I purchased a couple of mugs, one was a black mug with a cat face on it, and the other was a white mug with a super cute upside down black cat face. I also added a similar type bowl which will serve as Poi’s dinner bowl. Once the purchase was made, Misunrie contacted me and said, ” Thanks for your purchase, you must be a cat lover just like me!” Not only did I get lovely pottery, but I also got to connect with someone who has a love of cats just like me. My shipment came wrapped in multiple layers of bubble wrap, ensuring the high-quality items I purchased were protected from the hazards of shipping across the country. It has been quite a while since I have been really excited to get get a package.
In many cases, us writers get many items for free to review, but in these cases I couldn’t be happier to support the individual entrepreneurs like JnM and Misunrie. There are thousands of other entrepreneurs like JnM and Misunrie, but my bank account cannot afford to buy everything my eyes desire. I will be using Etsy to not only supprt the “little guy” but also will be making purchases to buy gifts for my friends and family. Check out Etsy.com by following this link. Or you can also download the Etsy app here from the Google Play Store. You won’t be disappointed.
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AIVAnet 