Google Photos will animate your videos too
The latest AI-powered upgrade for Google Photos brings four tricks. In a blog post today, we learned about four new features for the service, including the simplest one, which autodetects sideways pictures and prompts you to correct them. Two others dig into its talent for facial recognition, as it will detect people in your new photos, and offer to “rediscover old memories” of those same people in older pics, or, it can pop up a highlight reel showcasing the best pictures of a frequent subject.
Finally, the Assistant could already animate series of similar photographs, but now it’s ready to loop up repeating segments from videos too. You should see the new features available on Android, iOS and the web, and if it’s just a little too creepy, you can go into settings to disable face grouping or its assistant prompts.
Source: Google Blog
Microsoft was working on a Band that tracked your swimming
Just because Microsoft axed its Band wearable doesn’t mean that there wasn’t another Band in the works. Windows Central forum goer FUD Hater has posted what he says are details and images of a third-generation Band. Reportedly, the activity tracker’s star attraction would have been watersport — much like the latest Apple Watch, you’d have had water resistance and a swimming workout mode. Microsoft would have one-upped its rivals through an EKG sensor with blood pressure monitoring, however, and there’s also talk of RFID support.
It’s still not certain why Microsoft appears to be pulling the plug on Band hardware, assuming it isn’t planning a surprise revival at its October 26th event. However, it may be due to a combination of demand with Microsoft’s ultimate goals. Although Band did flirt with success (there were times when it sold out), its sales didn’t hold a candle to those of either dedicated activity trackers like Fitbit or to smartwatches. And ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley argues that Band was really meant to help Microsoft Health get a user base for its services, not to conquer the market — the company may simply be happy that you’re using its apps.
Via: Windows Central, The Verge
Source: Windows Central Forums
The Galaxy Note 7’s death creates an environmental mess
Samsung’s decision to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 and recover remaining units isn’t just a blow to smartphone fans… it’s not so hot for the environment, either. Experts speaking to Motherboard point out that phone recycling is still a very young field, and that many of the rare earth elements (such as cobalt and indium) won’t be recycled at all. There’s going to be a significant amount of e-waste when all is said and done, in other words. And while the waste from about 2.5 million barely-used Note 7s isn’t going to trigger an ecological disaster, it’s considerably worse than refurbishing those phones.
And yes, as you might have gathered, Samsung’s decision to seal in the battery isn’t helping. It couldn’t just have users toss out their old batteries and wait for replacements, provided batteries are the cause — it had to ask everyone to return the phones themselves. While these kinds of calamities aren’t widespread among phones with sealed-in batteries, the Note 7 incident is a reminder that removable power packs can be friendlier to the environment, not just convenient.
Source: Motherboard
Verizon now says the Pixel will get Android updates immediately
Since it was announced that Verizon was the only US carrier selling Google’s new Pixel smartphone directly, there’s been some confusion about what that’ll mean for Android updates. Originally, it sounded like the Verizon version of the Pixel wouldn’t get Android updates at the same time as the unlocked versions, which meant Verizon customers could end up waiting for the carrier to approve the updates — something that has historically slowed things down significantly. (To refresh your memory, just look at how badly things with when Verizon sold the Galaxy Nexus way back in 2011 and 2012.)
But Verizon now says that it won’t make Pixel owners wait. According to a statement received by Ars Technica, all versions of the Pixel will be updated simultaneously. “First and foremost, all operating system and security updates to the Pixel devices will happen in partnership with Google,” Verizon’s statement reads. “In other words, when Google releases an update, Verizon phones will receive the same update at the same time (much like iOS updates). Verizon will not stand in the way of any major updates and users will get all updates at the same time as Google.”
Verizon also noted that its version of the Pixel is carrier unlocked, and it included three pre-installed apps, all of which can be uninstalled by the user. That’s about as good as we could possibly hope for when talking about an Android phone on Verizon — historically, they’ve been full of uninstallable apps and Android updates could be delayed for months. In fact, this might be the first time Verizon has offered an Android phone that’ll get updates at the same time as unlocked phones sold directly by Google.
Google also confirmed that the Verizon Pixel would get updates simultaneously, saying that “OS updates and monthly security patches will be updated on all Pixel devices (Verizon and non-Verizon versions) simultaneously.” Both of these statements from Verizon and Google are pretty unambiguous, so we’re hoping both companies live up to their words here. Previously, we would have recommended all interested Pixel buyers purchase the phone directly from Google — but if Verizon makes good on its promise, it’ll be hard to fault anyone for buying the phone directly from them.
Source: Ars Technica
Apple will build an R&D center in China’s Silicon Valley
Apple needs China a little more than China needs Apple, which is why the company is bending over backwards to show some love to the Middle Kingdom. VentureBeat is reporting that the iPhone maker will open a research and development center in Shenzen, the Silicon Valley of Hardware. The site quotes Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock saying that the facility will help Apple’s engineers work “even more closely and collaboratively with our manufacturing partners.” Given that Shenzen is home to Foxconn City, the site where several Apple products are assembled, it makes sense that Apple would push for an official presence in the region.
The site quotes local news sources as saying that Tim Cook held a meeting with Shenzen officials while at a Chinese innovation event, and was joined by Foxconn chief Terry Gou. It’s not the first time that Apple has pledged to build facilities in the country this year, with Cook pledging cash for a research and development building in Beijing back in August. That project is designed to increase cooperation with a country that’s been increasingly wary of Apple’s presence.
China very quickly became a key driver of iPhone growth for Apple, but as the smartphone market has stalled, those figures have begun to droop. The firm wants to demonstrate that it’s in for the long haul, however, and is using its financial muscle to put down roots in the country to assuage twitchy regulators. As well as pledging to build two facilities, the company pumped $1 billion into Uber-rival Didi Chuxing (which subsequently merged with its frenemy). That sort of cash should go some way in easing the fears of officials who want to protect local companies, which is one of the reasons China banned the iTunes Movie and iBooks stores earlier this year.
Source: VentureBeat
ZTE’s crowdsourced gadget competition is down to five
Since August, ZTE has been running an American Idol-style contest where, instead of singers, people are asked to judge the firm’s future product development. Users were asked to suggest plausible ideas that the company could create and sell within the next rough year, that folks could then vote on. ZTE took three of those offerings, added a further two from a concept phase, and will now put all five to a very public final vote. Between now and October 19th, you’ll be able to select which of the potential candidates you’d like to see built — and hopefully will buy once it hits shelves.
The final five options are:
- An eye-tracking, adhesive smartphone that you can stick to a wall and control with just a glance, which is ideal for reading e-books in the bath.
- A series of intelligent smartphone covers that expand the utility of your smartphone, much like Alcatel’s Magic Flip cases.
- A power glove that would control your fingers for use in rehabilitation or to teach you how to undertake dextrous tasks, like playing the piano.
- A stock Android flagship phone that would take on the Nexuses and Pixels of this world.
- A VR diving mask that’ll let you swim in a pool and make you think that you’re swimming in the ocean.
Since there are already intelligent smartphone covers and stock Android devices, we’re more excited for some of the other options ZTE Is pushing. The notion of a powered glove for rehab and learning, much like the one Georgia Tech devised back in 2012, seems like it has plenty of potential. Then again, the idea of being able to go diving in VR, too, seems like it deserves further exploration. Still, we can’t tell you what to vote for, so you can head over to ZTE’s website and make your own choice.
Source: ZTE
Samsung’s Note 7 crisis will cost at least $2.34 billion
Do you know what’s really bad for your business? Selling a smartphone with a tendency to explode in your customer’s pockets. That’s why Samsung has revised its quarterly profit guidance, suggesting that it’ll lose out on $2.34 billion in the current three-month period. That loss is all down to the Note 7 and its propensity for self-immolation that has so baffled the company’s engineers.
It’s worth pointing out that this is a profit forecast for the quarter, and so that figure won’t be the real, total cost of boomgate. For a start, the company will have spent millions on developing, manufacturing and marketing a device that it can’t now sell. Then there’s the potential financial fallout from any sort of fines or lawsuits that arise in the wake of the product’s cancellation. Not to mention the angered carriers who will have been looking to sell this device and will now have to deal with customers.
It’s also a worry for Samsung’s brand itself, since it’ll need to run a highly-visible recall to prevent any further injuries. For the average consumer, that means that Samsung may quickly come to mean fire-prone in popular consciousness. Don’t forget it only took a few months for self-balancing skateboards to go from the hip toy of the year to a fire hazard that Amazon refused to sell. Then again, market researcher Ban Bajarin believes that the damage to Samsung’s reputation is “not as bad as you may think.”
Early indication from our fall smartphone sentiment study (US and UK markets) is brand fallout for Samsung not as bad as you may think.
— Ben Bajarin (@BenBajarin) October 11, 2016
It may be several years before we know the true cost of boomgate to Samsung’s business, but at least we’ve got a figure that’ll do for the next few months.
Source: Bloomberg
Amazon’s standalone music streaming service is finally here
Based on a string of rumors that began circulating in January of this year, it was only a matter of time before Amazon rolled out its fully fledged music service. And today is that day. Enter Amazon Music Unlimited, a standalone offering set to rival the likes of Apple Music and Spotify. It is, of course, a complement to Prime Music, the free streaming service for people who are part of Amazon’s $99-per-year membership. Naturally, Prime subscribers get the benefit of paying less for Music Unlimited: $8 monthly compared to $10 for everyone else.
Now, the service is even cheaper if you own an Echo speaker. Amazon has a $4-per-month tier, dubbed “For Echo,” which gives you full access to the service on one Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap device. The company says “tens of millions of songs” are part of its catalogue, including over two million that were already available on Prime Music, but it did not share specific numbers when asked. That said, Director of Amazon Music Ryan Redington tells Engadget that all three major labels are onboard — Sony, Universal and Warner.
As part of the launch, Amazon redesigned its Music app for iOS, Android, desktop and Fire products from the ground up. Not only will it work for both Prime Music and Music Unlimited users (including offline), but Redington says every aspect of the application has been tweaked to be simpler and easier to navigate. But the most important part about Music Unlimited, he notes, is the integration with Alexa and Echo devices. For example, you can say things like, “Alexa, play the song of the day?” or “Alexa, play Greenday’s latest album?”
What’s more, Redington says Alexa is capable of playing tracks based on your mood, as well as tell you who sings a song even if you only know part of the lyrics. I was given a demo of these features and they worked seamlessly, but that’s not really surprising since Alexa has an excellent reputation as a virtual assistant. Redington claims Alexa will keep getting better with time too, as it learns more about your listening habits through Amazon Music Unlimited.
For Prime members, Amazon Music Unlimited seems to be a no brainer, namely because it only costs $8 per month. Apple Music and Spotify, for reference, are $10 each for a regular, non-student account. That said, it might be hard for people who already have a streaming sub elsewhere to jump ship — building a whole new library and set of playlists would be a tedious process.
Music Unlimited is only available for US customers right now, but the company says it “will continue to expand and enhance” the service. For starters, it’s expected to launch in the UK, Germany and Austria later this year, though no clear timeline was given by Amazon. A family plan is also going to be available soon, which will allow up to six people to stream music simultaneously for $15 monthly.
According to Redington, the long-rumored service was part of Amazon’s business strategy since the launch of Prime Music in 2014. Still, it wasn’t until this year that his team actually went all in on the idea, with the goal being to develop a “fun and engaging” product. And with Alexa and Echo in people’s homes now, he says, it felt like the natural time to introduce Music Unlimited. It sounds like a good start, but we’ll see if listeners are willing to give it a chance in the crowded music-streaming space.
NYT: Samsung engineers can’t replicate Galaxy Note 7 problems
Even though Galaxy Note 7 production has shut down and the phones should be on their way back to Samsung in fireproof boxes, the question of how everything went so wrong has yet to be answered. When it initiated a recall on September 2nd, the company said that “we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.” However, today when it announced a permanent end to manufacturing, there was no word on the problem. A report by the New York Times indicates that despite assigning “hundreds” of employees, they have not been able to reproduce the spontaneously smoky, blazing hot phones too many customers have experienced.
This video obtained by the Associated Press shows a woman in Honolulu with her Galaxy Note 7 as it began to smoke Sunday morning. The initial recall focused on phones with batteries built by Samsung’s SDI subsidiary and came alongside a software update to limit charging, but that has clearly not solved the problem. While some speculation has centered around USB-C cables or quick charging, there’s still no indication of exactly what is wrong.
In an interview with the Times, Park Chul-wan, the former director of the Center for Advanced Batteries at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, said that based on a review of regulatory documents and speaking to engineers “I think there was nothing wrong with them (batteries) or that they were not the main problem.”
That news may be bittersweet for another company: TDK. The Financial Times writes that it was contracted to provide batteries for the replacement models, and the decision to scrap the devices entirely may put a hold on any suggestion that its batteries were to blame. In response to the NYT report, Samsung pointed to its earlier statement about cancelling production, we will keep you updated if there are any new developments in this story.
Source: New York Times, Financial Times
Samsung ships fire-proof boxes and gloves to recover Note 7s
If you purchased a Galaxy Note 7 from a US carrier or retailer, you can (and should) return it to a store immediately. If you bought the phone straight from Samsung, though, the process was a little trickier — some customers complained early on about FedEx and UPS refusing to handle return units out of fears they would blow up. That’s why Samsung has adopted an elaborate recall box that allows affected phones to be returned to the company via UPS Ground. It’s… sort of a doozy.
The folks at XDA have received that new return packaging, and very quickly you get a sense of how big a headache this must be for Samsung. After powering off the affected phone, you’ll have to stick it in an anti-static bag, which goes in a cardboard box, which goes in another cardboard box, which goes in one last thermally insulated box lined with ceramic fiber meant to help to keep potential fires under control. Oh, and since there’s a chance that ceramic fiber could irritate skin, there’s a pair of blue latex gloves in there for good measure. According to Twitter, Samsung started using these more durable boxes in late September, just in time to accommodate people freaking out over multiple reports of burning replacement phones. (We’ve reached out to UPS and FedEx for comment on all of this, and we’ll update this story this if they have anything interesting to add.)
And another thing: how much must these things cost? Samsung and CPSC have worked to try and recall around 1 million Note 7s in the US, and whipping together specialized packaging for even a fraction of those devices must’ve set Samsung back quite a bit. Financially, things are starting to get pretty hairy — early analyst guesses pegged the cost of the company’s recall at about $1 billion, and it’s estimated that by completely stopping Note 7 sales, Samsung may have lost out on nearly $17 billion in revenue. Then again, the chaebol makes most of its money from other avenues, so don’t expect Samsung to up and disappear any time soon.
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