Nest’s first home camera will look familiar, but its app won’t
If you’ve been wondering what kind of home monitoring camera Nest would make after buying Dropcam… well, don’t expect a revolution. Droid-Life has posted leaked details revealing that the companies’ first joint product, nicknamed the Nest Cam, looks similar to earlier Dropcam models. The biggest hardware changes should be 1080p video streaming and simpler pairing through Bluetooth. This last part might have been confirmed in a recent FCC filing.
The biggest change may be an overhaul to Nest’s mobile app. On top of a brand new, decidedly more modern-looking interface, the software will treat these cameras like other Nest devices — you could check both the temperature and your living room security in one place. As for when you’ll see all this? Nest is known to be holding an event on June 17th, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a camera shows up for the occasion.
Filed under: Cameras, Household, Google
Source: Droid-Life
Google’s plan to fix big cities starts with Sidewalk Labs
Google wants to do more than just simplify privacy for its users and put autonomous cars on the road, it wants to “improve city life for everyone.” Cofounder Larry Page writes on G+ that with Mountain View’s Sidewalk Labs, the company intends to do just that. The plan is to tackle cost of living, transportation efficiency and energy usage by creating and fostering what he calls urban technologies — stuff Sidewalk says is a bit harder than just relaying traffic conditions or apartment prices. He likens the size of Sidewalk to that of the X lab responsible for Project Loon in terms of investment.
The former head of Bloomberg LP and New York City’s Deputy Mayor of Economic Development Dan Doctoroff is leading the project as CEO, from New York. As The New York Times reports, he provides the experience and knowhow from his time working with New York City, while the search giant brings the cash and tech know-how. Sidewalk will achieve those aforementioned goals by building the tech itself in addition to buying it and making investments.
It sounds sort of similar to the Hudson Yards neighborhood project in New York, too. Doctoroff tells NYT that Sidewalk will work toward technology platforms that “people can plug into” for monitoring energy use or changing their commuting routines. As a specific example, he gave Gotham’s bike-sharing program. He also notes that Sidewalk will occupy the chasm between what he calls civic hackers and large-scale tech outfits. So long as actual hackers can’t gain access, this could work out pretty well. Here’s to hoping SIdewalk casts its gaze toward Google’s backyard in the relative near future.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Source: Larry Page (G+), Sidewalk Inc.
Duolingo valued at $470 million after new $45 million investment round
Duolingo, the free app that helps you quickly learn a new language, has announced that they’ve received a new round of investor funding led by Google Capital. This round ended up at around $45 million, bringing the company’s total funds raised to $83.3 million. Duolingo says its valuation now sits at around $470 million.
The service has more than 100 million global users, and Duolingo claims that more people are using its app to learn new languages than the entire US public school system. That’s a pretty impressive feat.
During the announcement, Duolingo didn’t announce how they were planning on scaling their business to actually begin turning a profit. A spokesperson did say that the company sees itself as more of an educational tool than a business, however, and bringing an easy way for people to educate themselves and learn a new language was their primary goal right now.
Duolingo is frequently featured in Google’s top picks section of the Play Store. Have any of you had an experience with the service?
source: TechCrunch
Come comment on this article: Duolingo valued at $470 million after new $45 million investment round
Apple WWDC 2015 vs Google I/O 2015 – Who came out on top?
N
ow the dust has settled from the two biggest developer conferences of the year and time has passed enough to digest the products and features that were released, just who came out on top in the battle between Apple and Google?
To evaluate this very question, data has been pulled from around the web and social networks and analytics performed on the hype created by the announcements at WWDC 2015 and Google I/O 2015.
Google I/O 2015 vs Apple WWDC 2015
- Overall WWDC was the event generating far more online visibility on the web, mobile, and social media. There was 154% more digital consumption around WWDC on June 8 than there was around Google I/O on May 28.
- Looking at Twitter, there was 674,120 Tweets around Google and concepts and hashtags relating to Google i/O on May 28. On June 28, there was 1,146,672 Tweets around Apple and concepts and hashtags relating to WWDC. There was 70% more real-time interest around the WWDC keynote than there was around the Google I/O keynote.
- The introduction of Android Pay was definitely the biggest headline of Google I/O as the service generating 76,400 Tweets in May 28. Android M, the latest version of the Android OS generating 32,600 Tweets on May 28, while Google Photos, a new photo sharing service received 28,200 Tweets on the day. Brillo, a new Internet of Things operating system, generated 10,900 Tweets on May 28; with Google Play generating 6,530 Tweets in part around the announcement that it would be supporting HBO Now.
- Meanwhile over the entire June 8, iPad ended up being the WWDC announcement generating the most interest, with the device, largely around the introduction of multitasking, receiving 145,782 Tweets on the day. That edged out, Apple Music, the new music streaming service which generating 111,519 Tweets on June 8. The upcoming iOS 9 was mentioned in 60,822 Tweets; while the new and improved Siri accounted for 28,422 Tweets. The new X El Capitan Mac OS generated 22,626 Tweets on the day.
We can also look at the Twitter activity that Google I/O 2015 generated around the various features that were announced, with the clear winner being Android Pay as generating the most buzz.
Whilst the numbers speak for themselves in demonstrating that WWDC 2015 was the more hyped event, this is often the case of Apple events but not necessarily correlated to the significance of the features announced, which Google arguably prevailed.
But we want to hear from you, the creators of the hype – Are the numbers of social activity of Google I/O 2015 simply not as high as WWDC 2015 because everyone was busy watching and digesting it than tweeting about it?
Sound off in the comments below.
The post Apple WWDC 2015 vs Google I/O 2015 – Who came out on top? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Facebook Messenger crosses 1 Billion downloads on Playstore
Facebook has recently announced that the Android version of their Messenger app has been downloaded over 1 billion times. Facebook’s VP of Messaging Products commemorated this landmark in a Facebook post yesterday.
“Happy to make it to the very exclusive Android 1 billion+ downloads club.” – David Marcus
Facebook Messenger has provided us with a indispensable replacement for text messaging, phone calls, video calls and picture sharing as well. We can send gifs or voice clips just like the other hoards of messaging apps like Whatsapp and Viber. Recently, Facebook also integrated an improved location sharing option in the app.
These new features and the constant improvement in the app have played a big part in Messenger’s reach to 1 billion downloads. This clearly shows how Facebook has become such a routine part of our lives by keeping us connected to so many people.
Still not using Messenger? Grab it from the link below.
The post Facebook Messenger crosses 1 Billion downloads on Playstore appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google’s voice search helps you ask about nearby places
One of the biggest problems with voice search is that, for consistent results, you have to use specific words and phrasing. The process often feels unnatural, and you spend most of your time trying to second-guess the sort of sentence Google will interpret properly. Well, Google is making it a little easier now with location aware queries. It means that your Android or iOS device will take your current position into consideration and pair your questions to nearby points of interest. So If you ask “how big is this lake” or “what’s the name of this park,” Google should know what you’re referring to and provide the relevant information. The feature was shown off at the Search Marketing Expo in Paris and appears to be live right now for some iOS and Android users. If nothing else, it should keep you amused until Google releases Android M and its ambitious Now on Tap service.
Location Aware Search is live unannounced feature in Google Search App. Ask about things nearby without naming them pic.twitter.com/ML7APC6Msc
– Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015
Filed under: Cellphones, Google
Via: Search Engine Land
Source: Danny Sullivan
YouTube has an 8K video (that almost no one can watch)
The equipment to shoot it might not exactly be widespread, and the displays needed to view it at home are even less so, but 8K video has made its way to YouTube. It’s a feature the outfit announced way back in 2010, but only just recently did a clip surface that actually uses all of those lines of resolution. The clip’s called Ghost Towns and it’s a slow-panning journey through what looks like a recently abandoned mining settlement. Mountain View told 9to5Google that the 8K label was added earlier this year, but 4320p footage has only appeared pretty recently. The video description notes that Ghost Towns was shot using a RED Epic Dragon 6K camera in portrait orientation and to hit the higher resolution, some of the footage was upscaled or stitched together with Adobe’s After Effects suite.
Very few of us will be able to watch this on our everyday machines thanks to the sheer amount of system resources it takes to handle a video of this magnitude, but those who can should be happy to know it apparently runs in Chrome and Safari. Of course, you can peep it in lesser resolutions below as well.
Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Neumannfilms (YouTube)
Dropcam successor from Nest inbound according to FCC documents
Nest is holding a press conference on June 17th, and it’s looking increasingly likely that they’ll announce their first new Dropcam model since being acquired by Google early last year. An FCC filing for a new wireless camera from Nest Labs Inc. hints at some of the hardware that’ll be in the device.
The filing details support for Bluetooth 4.0, plus the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard that Nest offers in their Dropcam Pro model. Aside from that, the listing does also seem to indicate that the camera will have a circular, flat base, which is typical for Dropcam as it’s capable of being mounted to a wall.
We won’t know any more concrete details about the new Dropcam until it’s actually announced, but fortunately, we don’t have long to wait.
source: 9to5 Google
Come comment on this article: Dropcam successor from Nest inbound according to FCC documents
Google Location Aware Search now live, lets you ask questions about your current location without naming it
While Google Now on Tap isn’t coming to devices until the full launch of Android M, it looks like a few new enhancements to Google Search will help tide us over until then. At an event in Paris, Google just unveiled a new feature called “Location Aware Search” that actually takes into account your current location and gives you results about landmarks, locations and businesses around you. This is similar to when Google Search began understanding pronouns instead of making the user repeat the name of the subject about which they were searching.
Here’s how it works – No matter your location, you can ask Google anything about a particular landmark, business, tower, etc., and Google will be able to answer you depending on where you are. For example, when you’re standing in a park and say “What’s the name of this park?”, Google will be able to answer you. Take a look at the video below for a demonstration:
Location Aware Search is live unannounced feature in Google Search App. Ask about things nearby without naming them pic.twitter.com/ML7APC6Msc
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015
It doesn’t stop there, though. In this next example, the user was talking to Google about the Empire State Building. After asking Search simple questions like “How tall is it?” and “Who built it?”, the user then simply asked the question “when”, and Google responded accordingly. Take a look for yourself:
Personally most amazing to me because understated. Watch how Google gives relevant answer just for word “when” #SMX pic.twitter.com/wlR3PynuO2 — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015
According to a user on Reddit, here are a few more examples on what you can ask Google:
- What is this museum?
- When does this restaurant open?
- How tall is this? (when standing next to a tower)
- When was this built? (for monuments)
- What’s the name of this church?
- What’s the phone number for this pharmacy?
Like I said before, this feature still has yet to be announced by Google. It’s currently working on my device, and a number of other Reddit users say it’s working on theirs, as well. Since we’re kind of low on details at the moment, feel free to test it out and see what you can make it do. And be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Google Play starts showing ‘Family’ category
At I/O 2015, Google announced that the Play Store would see a ‘Family’ category offers friendly content to users depending upon their age. That new category went live this afternoon and displays apps, games, movies, television shows, and books away from everything else in the Play Store.
Apps filters:
- Ages 5 & Under
- Ages 6-8
- Ages 9 & Up
- Action & Adventure
- Brain Games
- Creativity
- Education
- Music & Video
- Pretend Play
Movies & TV filters:
- Ages 5 & Under
- Ages 6-8
- Ages 9-12
- TV
- Action & Adventure
- Animation
- Classics
- Comedy
- Education
- Music
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Books filters:
- Ages 5 & Under
- Ages 6-8
- Ages 9-12
- Action & Adventure
- Comics
- Early Learning
- Education
- Fiction
- Growing Up
- History & Biographies
- Mysteries
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
The filters are in place to allow parents to pinpoint content that will be a fit for their children. Parents can even filter by popular characters and find solely content involving Elmo, Disney Princesses, LEGO, Minions, and Power Rangers.
Google Play does still need child accounts. As it stands, children have to use either their own unwatched accounts or share one with parents. And there are plenty of parents that do not want to share an account with children.
[Apps] [Movies & TV] [Books]
Come comment on this article: Google Play starts showing ‘Family’ category
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