Google to unveil Voice Actions at I/O: control any app with just your voice
We’ve already found out that a new version of Android will be unveiled at Google I/O, but the conference schedule contains more clues about Google’s plans for the close future. Among them, Voice Actions, a new accessibility feature that will let developers add voice controls to their apps with minimal effort.
References to Voice Actions are found in a sandbox session scheduled for the first day of the conference called “Your app, now available hands-free.” The session’s description hints at a completely touch-free way to interact with apps. Presumably, this will be something like Google Now’s voice commands, but available for all apps, not just Google’s. Control playback in Spotify? Change the filters in Instagram? There’s no limit on what developers can do with Voice Actions, provided the feature can really be implemented “with little to no development overhead.”
Mobile hardware has adopted the touch screen as the primary mode of input. And with 1 billion active Android users, there’s no sign of this slowing down. What if you could provide users with a new method of access to your apps with little to no development overhead? In this talk, we will discuss ways to give anyone access to their Android device through voice alone.
From the sound of it, the feature will be dependent on Android M, though there’s a chance Google will make it available through a Play Services update, in which case Voice Actions may run on older versions as well.
With three weeks to go to our favorite time of the year, more details about Google’s plans are bound to leak out. What do you hope to see in Android M?
Google’s Project Fi cancels your Google Voice account, at least until you cancel Project Fi
When Google announced Project Fi, there were some concerns over its compatibility with Google Voice. It was clarified that if you ported your GV number over to Fi, you’d keep all of your texts, call logs, and other Voice settings, but you were going to lose tons of functionality that many users were probably familiar with, especially when it came to Google Talk and Google Voice apps.
So, this puts users in a tough situation. Signing up for Project Fi effectively kills your Google Voice account, so you’d end up with a new phone number (or your old Voice number) with none of the functionality Voice had. You could argue that Google was trying to replace parts of that with their carrier service, but it’s not all there. If you really wanted to keep the number and your functionality, you’d have to port the number out to another carrier or another Gmail account, neither of which are perfect solutions.
On the bright side, though, it turns out that if you cancel your Fi account, you’ll get your Google Voice account back to how it was before you changed anything. So at least if you jump on board Google’s pseudo-network and have some buyer’s remorse, there’s an easy way to jump back out.
Still, you’d think Google would have sorted this stuff out. Maybe in the next few years.
source: Android Police
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Google will intro Voice Access service at I/O for controlling apps without touching your phone
Google I/O 2015 is shaping up to be pretty exciting, and the latest news from the conference only adds to that. Google will apparently be showing off a new Voice Access service that will allow developers to easily add ways for users to control their apps completely hands-free. Google has been pushing for voice activated stuff ever since the Google/Motorola collaboration that turned out to be the 2013 Moto X, and we’ve seen voice control make its way into other Google apps since then.
The listing for the event seems to note that this service should be fairly easy to implement, and it will go beyond just letting users launch apps. Being able to control apps by saying commands sounds pretty interesting to me, if it works well. We’ll find out at I/O this year.
source: Google I/O
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FAA will consider rules that allow drone couriers
American airspace regulators might be having a change of heart about rules that ban robotic couriers. Sources for the Wall Street Journal are hearing that the Federal Aviation Administration will announce studies for drone flights that go beyond the operator’s sight, paving the way for automated deliveries and other services where a nearby pilot just wouldn’t be practical. Officials aren’t commenting, and one WSJ tipster suggests that there likely won’t be any reform until after the initial rules are finalized in 2016. Don’t expect to see corporate drones zooming overhead anytime soon, then. Even so, this is a big step forward for Amazon’s Prime Air or Google’s Project Wing, both of which would stay grounded in the US if the FAA maintained its status quo.
Filed under: Robots, Transportation, Internet, Google, Amazon
Source: Wall Street Journal
Chrome add-on helps you see the web if you’re color-blind
The web isn’t always a great a place to visit if you’re color-blind — in fact, you may not properly see the Chrome logo above. Thankfully, Google may have a way to fill in some of that missing picture. It recently released a Chrome extension, Color Enhancer, that tweaks the browser’s colors to help overcome partial color blindness. All you do is walk through a basic calibration process, and the add-on does the rest. This isn’t the most complicated addition in the world, but it could make a big difference if it helps you spot web objects that would otherwise go unnoticed.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: Francois Beaufort (Google+)
Source: Chrome Web Store
In not so shocking news, Android M will be announced at I/O
Earlier today when Google released its schedule for I/O 2015, the search giant accidentally — and in subtle fashion — let loose that they would be announcing Android M. While this may sound like big news, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; as the company tends to announce such things at I/O each year.
From what we see, Android M will bring the “power of Android” to workplaces. From 2:30 – 3 p.m. on May 28, Android for Work will showcase what Android M has in store. Not only that, but there’s a What’s New in Android session at 1 p.m. that day that also adds some weight to the fact that a new version of Android is upon us.
Given people’s lack of love for Lollipop and the issues it’s been plagued with, this could very well be a bug fixing update with a few added benefits. What would you like to see from Android M?
source: Android Police
Come comment on this article: In not so shocking news, Android M will be announced at I/O
New ‘blow your socks off’ wearables coming to I/O 2015
From what we’re seeing so far, it appears that I/O 2015 is shaping up to be a good time. Not only will we see the announcement of Android M, but it looks like Google will be showcasing something else as well. That’s right, coming from Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division, will be new wearables that are geared to “blow your socks off.”
On May 29, Google will be having an I/O session with a description of “Badass and beautiful. Tech and human. Love and work. ATAP.” It will take place at 9 a.m. that day and last for about 75 minutes. In that session we’ll see Project Ara, a new Spotlight story filmed in 360 degrees — complete with 3D sound, and other wearables.
“We mean this more literally than you might think,” Google adds. “Our goal: break the tension between the ever-shrinking screen sizes necessary to make electronics wearable and our ability to have rich interactions with them. Why can’t you have both?”
We’re not sure just what they mean, but one thing is for certain, I/O 2015 is shaping up to be one hell of an event.
source: Cult of Android
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Google I/O 2015 schedule now available
Google on Wednesday released the preliminary schedule for its annual Google I/O conference. Head to the website today and you’ll find a wide range of sessions to choose from. Touching on just about every fact of Google, the calendar is full of Android, Chrome, wearables, Project Tango, and much more.
It’s worth noting that the schedule is subject to change and that Google has not revealed everything. They do, of course, have to keep a few things secret until after the keynote address on day one.
Not attending the developer conference in person? Not to worry, there’s plenty of livestreamed stuff to watch from the comfy confines of your home or office.
The post Google I/O 2015 schedule now available appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google will use robot-crane hybrids to build new Mountain View HQ
“Crabots” will help build Google’s sprawling Mountain View campus. According to Architects Journal’s latest report, these robot-crane hybrids will play a specific role in the construction of the Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Heatherwick designed structure. The UK publication is privy to detailed planning documents that the tech giant submitted to the City of Mountain View Council in Silicon Valley. The papers include mock-ups of the machines that will lift and shift the block-like “pre-fabricated” components inside the structure. The objective, according the report, is “to create a solution that can be assembled efficiently and economically within pre-erected canopy structures by means of small, easily manoeuvrable cranes.”
As opposed to the dense corporate headquarters that have been the norm, initial plans of the campus reveal a light and airy structure that is covered with a massive see-through canopy. “Crabots” are expected to move freely inside the covers to help set up the insides of the four buildings on site. As expected, precise plans of the campus have been under wraps until now. But the report reveals specifics of the sprawling structure, which is said to be flexible, even “hackable”, so the space will be one giant, customizable office space for about 20,000 Google employees.
[Image credit: AJ]
Source: Architects Journal
Google now bigger on mobile than desktop, company says
As the mobile industry grows, so does Google, it seems. The search giant announced that users are now searching more on mobile than desktops in ten countries. The company mentioned that the US and Japan were on the list, but refuses to reveal the other eight.
Smartphones are certainly a major part of this statistic, but tablet searches are included as well. Adapting to this new change, Google will be rolling out a new smartphone-friendly ad format that will be richer and more engaging than the traditional mouse clicks of AdWords.
The highlight of this new format are automotive and hotel ads. Automotive ads will feature a beautiful gallery of a car, and tapping on it will reveal more information, such as estimated MPG and local dealerships, all in a single ad. Similarly, hotel ads will show availability, users reviews, prices, pictures, and even take you to a partner’s website to seamlessly book a room.
One thing is for certain: mobile is quickly reaching new heights. Could traditional computers go the way of the dinosaur? What do you think of this new ad format for mobile devices? Let us know in the comments.
Come comment on this article: Google now bigger on mobile than desktop, company says
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