Google Voice Search Records and Keeps Conversations People have around Their Phones

Google Voice Search – Records Conversation of User

Google voice search tends to record all that the user has said around it for years and they can also listen to it. The company tends to unobtrusively record several of the conversations which people seem to have around it products. The feature seems to work as a means of enabling people search with their voice and storing these recordings could probably help Google to improve its language recognition tools and the outcomes it provides to the people.

However it also seems to come with a simple way of listening and deleting all the information it tends to collect that is done via a special page which tends to bring the information together which Google has regarding the activity of the user. This is found by going to Google’s history page and viewing the list of recordings.

A specific audio page has been provided by the company and another for activity on the web that tends to portray the records that Google has recording your activity on the internet. The new portal had been introduced in June 2015 and has been active for the last one year which means that now it is possibly full of the things said that the user would be under the impression of it being private.

Recordings – Form of a Diary with Reminders

These recordings could work as a form of a diary, with reminders of the many places as well as the situations which the user and the phone had been engaged in. Moreover it could also be a reminder of how much information has been gathered by the user and how intimate the said information could be. An Android phone would get to see more on activating by just saying `OK Google’.

The recordings will be available on whatever device the user may have interacted with Google. One can listen through all the recordings on the pay and can also see information regarding how the sound had been recorded, if it was through the Google app or any other app. Moreover one can have any transcription of what could have been said if Google had turned it into text successfully.

To Stop Google from Recording – Turn Off Virtual Assistant

But probably the most valid reason for visiting the page would be to delete all that is there, if one desires it, which can be done by selecting specific recordings or delete all in one go. In order to delete certain files, one could click the check box towards the left and move back to the top of the page selecting `delete’.

To delete all that is recorded, one can press the `More’ button and select `Delete options’ and then `Advanced’ and click through. The simplest means of stopping Google from recording everything is to turn off the virtual assistant and on no occasion use voice search.

 However that solution also tends to get at the vital problem of ample privacy as well as date use, presently. In doing so, it tends to cut off one of the most useful thing regarding the use of Android phone or using Google search

Google Daydream VR phone

Virtual Reality Plans of Google

Google’s Vice president of virtual reality, Clay Bavor, though not worried with perfection but desires to develop virtual worlds which tend to look and feel like real ones. He seems convinced that Google and the others would surely get there ultimately. While they labour on it, the main objective of Bavor is to put a VR headset on everyone he could find. Why VR seems to be cool and exciting is difficult to explain in words, according to him and tech reporters all over the world sense his pain though as soon as one tries it, you tend to get it.

 Hence the virtual reality plans of Google have always been about giving as many people, access as possible while perfections tends to come later. Recently on stage, at Google I/O, the annual developer conference-show-and-tell of the company, Bavor had announced his next step of the process. Google has been developing the next form Android precisely with focus on virtual reality in order that all smartphones running its operating system would be a VR headset. It has been working with partners on non-cardboard headset and controllers which would be coming later in the year.

Daydream – Standard & a Brand

This would extremely enhance the quality of the entire experience and a set of the specs of the phone which would permit optimum VR experience in Android. It has developed Daydream which is a standard as well as a brand which tends to encompasses everything that Google has been working on with VR. Daydream does not seem to be a custom version of the operating system like the Android TV or android Wear but is a part of Android just the way texting and notification are a part of Android and is a VR mode.

 When the phone is docked, one will launch Daydream Home that enables you to open apps from Netflix, Hulu and IMAX, or games from EA, Ubisoft and much more. It seems to be comfortable and clean, similar to Oculus Home. Bavor states that there are some really neat things in the works but considering how much is there already in Cardboard, the ecosystem of Daydream is going to be big from day one.

VR Listeners/VR Helpers

The Android N code tends to detect apps as `VR listeners’ or `VR helpers’, which means that any app would be able to launch a VR mode. One would get notifications while you are in VR just like one in Samsung’s Gear VR. VR is not a solely separate thing in Google’s view, hidden in its own app with its own app store. It is something which every developer, every app could tap into and any `Daydream-ready’ phone is basically any high-end-phone.

 Bavor states that phones from Huawei, LG, Samsung, Xiaomi and others are in workings and can run VR mode in Android. Other apps could do the same just the way YouTube enables instant switching and watching any video in a virtual reality theatre. Presently VR has been facing difficulties and the best VR experiences tends to be time consuming as well as expensive to produce.

Google Chrome will Start Blocking Flash by Default

Google Chrome Stop Support to Adobe Flash Player

Chrome browser of Google will stop its support to Adobe’s Flash Player on almost all websites by the end of this year. Staff member, Anthony LaForge while posting to Google groups, had defined the plan of the company to stop automatically permitting Flash to run on websites. The plan intended to be implemented by the fourth quarter of 2016 would be seeing HTML5 replacing Flash as a much integrated media experience with quicker load times and less power consumption.

LaForge had mentioned that `if a site offers an HTML5 experience, this change would make that the main experience’. They will continue to ship Flash Player with Chrome and if a site really needs Flash, a prompt would be appearing at the top of the page when the user first tends to visit that site, providing the options of allowing it to run for that site. But the top ten website utilizing Flash would not have it disabled, according to Google. Presently the ten biggest website as per Google are Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, V.K.com, Yahoo, Live.com, Yandex.rv, OK.ru, Twitch.tv and Mail.ru, though these may be changing towards the end of the year.

Proposal Document Outlining Change

Whitelisted websites would be having their Flash use secured for a year though it will also be reviewed during a period of 12 months. Proposal document outlining how the change would take place had been online by LaForge:

• Flash would still be bundled with Chrome though would not be advertised by default 
• If HTML5 is provided by a website, Chrome would automatically default to it 
• If Flash Player is essential, a user would be prompted 
• When a user accepts the page will get refreshed and Flash will appear on any following visits to the domain

Latest Backlash against Adobe Flash

The move is said to be the latest in on-going backlash against Adobe Flash and the platform was used to create animations, web pages as well as games from the early 2000s. However, it has been slowly replaced with more open web standards. Adobe had said, in November, that it was time for developers to move away from using Flash. The company had mentioned in a blog post that they encourage content creators to build with new web standards and would continue to focus on offering the best tools and services for designers as well as developers in creating amazing content for the web.

In July 2015, Mozilla had blocked all the versions of Flash in its Firefox browser. During the time Mozilla had said that Flash would stay blocked till Adobe releases a version which was not being actively exploited by publicly known susceptibilities and the block had been lifted few days thereafter. The death of Flash had been slow and painful with Google now planning to deal with another blow.

Google has plans to begin blocking most of Flash content with Chrome and the changeover is targeted to the end of the year. Under its existing vision, almost every website would be having Flash content blocked by default and visitors will still be capable of enabling Flash content on a site-by-site basis though would have to specially opt to do so. Flash has been a threat on battery life and is constantly found to have severe security errors and hence its ultimate disappearance would be accepted.

Google built a tiny radar system into a smartwatch for gesture controls

Google’s Tiny Radar Chips in Electronics – Controlling Digital World

In a conference room at an important tech corporation like Google, Ivan Poupyrey who works at Google’s ATAP research lab had posed a question on `How are you going to interact with an invisible computer? Poupyrey a technical project lead for Project Soli which has been designed to prove that we can embed tiny radar chips in electronics so that minute hand gestures could be utilised in controlling the digital world around us.

Advanced Technologies and Projects – ATAP is a division within Google which is at crossroads. Formerly led by Regina Dugan of DARPA recognition together with her influence had led the division to stream technologies which would range from modular phones – Project Ara, to real time 3D mapping- Tango, to cinematic, live-action virtual reality movies – Spotlight Stories.

Earlier in the year she had left for Facebook and hence it was a question whether the project left behind by her would continue. Tango had progressed into Google while Ara seemed stuck in the muck. However, the Jacquard touch-sensitive fabric project together with the Soli is yet at ATAP whereas Soli has at least a new and a remarkable goal, creating the industry as well as the project language for radar-enabled consumer electronics.

Radar to Work in SmartWatch

For this reason, Poupyrey had engaged his team to prepare for more than just experiment so as to ascertain that radar can work in a smart watch. Poupyrey had commented that if one can put something in a smartwatch, you could put it anywhere. So ATAP had redesigned the Soli chip in order to make it smaller and pull less power. It then redesigned it to do the same thing again and again.

Eventually according to Hakin Raja, lead hardware and production engineer of Soli, the team developed the smallest of the chips which is a tiny sliver one could balance on the pinky toenail, with four antennas which tend to offer full duplex communication in sending and receiving radar beeps. The first duplication of Soli shipped in a development kit, drew 1.2w of power while this one tends to draw 0.054 w x 22x reduction. But developing a chip which is small tends to have some setback. Radar had been designed to identify massive flying metal objects from miles away, not tiny millimetre movement from finger just inches away.

Logical to Convert Spatial Signal Radar into Temporal One

Till recently, no one was concerned about the power draw at this scale and no one had to deal with believing what the signal would look like when it had shrunk down. Lead research engineer for Soli is Jaime Lien and it is her task to tune the machine learning procedures which get hardwired in the chip. Her main understanding was that it was logical to convert the spatial signal radar provided into a temporal one, tends to make sense on a computer.

But the same was nothing when compared to noise pollution and one would run into these small scales. She portrayed a vast set of screenshots of all types of impenetrable noise which her processes need to locate signal and at these scales it seems impossible to do any kind of beam forming. Moreover the electrons running through the chip need to be accounted for.

Smart Home Speaker, VR system, Chat service from Google

Google’s Virtual Reality System/Chat Service

Google has come up with a new smart home speaker, known as Daydream a virtual-reality system and a chat service called Allo. Over 7,000 people would be attending the showcase of Google in Mountain View California and in an effort to overtake Apple, Google has been adding in some more features to the next version of its Android operating system, comprising of a security method which tends to enable one to encrypt specific files instead of the complete phone. In a shot at Amazon, the company had declared Google Home, an Internet-connected speaker which tends to listen to your voice commands to play music or to control lights as well as thermostats in the home.

It is significant of Amazon’s Echo and would be made available later in the year for an unexpected price. The chat service, in the meanwhile would be using the computers of Google to predict how one would prefer to respond saving the typing stress. Allo would be competing with the popular chat services like Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp which are also owned by Facebook. Google Home and Allo would be tapping into the computing ability of Google. Artificial intelligence, is a term used in describing efforts in developing software that acts and behaves like humans, has been a central point of Google for several years.

Android Powers 80% of World’s Smartphones

Development made in the field has assisted the search engine of Google in understanding the intent of the inquiries of people much faster and vastly improved the understanding and responsive of its voice recognition services. Reporters as well as bloggers from across the world are attending to make sure that whatever the company reveals will also be featured in pictures, stories and videos that will be delivered to the massive audience of consumers.

The three-day showcase tends to attract thousands of computer programmers, providing Google with an opportunity of convincing them on why they should design applications and other services which tend to work with its gadgets together with an array of software that include the Chrome Web browser as well as Android operating system for mobile devices. Android tends to power around 80% of the world’s smartphones, mainly since Google gives away the software for free to device manufacturers. Google can manage to do that since it designs Android to feature its search engine, maps together with other digital services, providing more opportunities to portray the digital ads which tend to generate most of its revenue.

Google – Distributing Guidelines for Latest Controller

Apple iPhone tends to carry more importance with affluent consumers and present features which Android tends to copy. Apple would be holding same conference in June to reveal its fall software plans.The entry of Google in the still-emerging field of virtual reality came two years back when it had revealed a cheap headset that was made of cardboard. The company is said to be poised to get more thoughtful considering far more sophisticated option available for sale.

Together with Daydream, other manufacturers comprising of Samsung, HTC and Huawei would have smartphones adept in handling it. These tend to be more comfortable and immersive than the cardboard headset. Google would also be distributing guidelines for the latest controller together with few buttons, a touchpad as well as sensors in tracking its orientation and where it would be pointing.

Google Patents ‘Sticky’ Cars to Save Pedestrians hit by Driverless Vehicles

Google’s Driverless Cars – Safer than Humans

Google has stated that its driverless cars would be several times safer than humans vividly reducing the millions of road accidents which are seen every year. However, it does not mean that they will not hit someone and many times accidents could be inevitable. Google has patented a design for sticky layer on the front of a car which would tend to defend pedestrians when they get hit by a vehicle. Google’s self-driving vehicles would soon be catching pedestrians like flies which as per the patent granted recently tends to act like flypaper and instead of bodies bouncing off a car and resulting in further injury when hit; they would stay stuck to the vehicle till it slows down and stops.

These vehicles are fitted with sensors, clever lane mapping and networking in order that the vehicles can stay away from obstacles much better than human and also park accurately. The patent reads that `in case of an accident between the vehicle and the pedestrian, injury to the pedestrian takes place not only due to the impact of the vehicle as well as the pedestrian but also by the secondary impact between the pedestrian and the road surface or any other object. The adhesive bonds the pedestrian to the vehicle in order that the pedestrian remains with the vehicle till it stops and is not thrown from the vehicle’.

Work as Human Flypaper

The technology which has been awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office – USPTO tends to work as human flypaper wherein the front bumper, hood and the side panels of the car would be enclosed with the sticky coating. Whenever a pedestrian is hit, the protective layer would break apart and trap the pedestrian and save the person from be sent skywards which could cause injuries.

It is said that the adhesive layer would cover the complete front area of the car, though would itself be underneath a special coating only activated in case of a collision, preventing bugs, leaves and other deposits from getting stuck to the car.Google’s fleet of 57 self-driving cars had covered over 1.5 million autonomous miles and had been involved in many collisions, most of which have been other drivers rear-ending the vehicles.

Bryant Walker Smith, self-driving car expert and Affiliate Scholar with Stanford Law School’s Centre for Internet and Society informed The Mercury News that there is another issue utilising sticky cars – What if the person tends to obscures the view of the driver thereby resulting in them crashing into another surface or vehicle?

Company Has Targeted 2020 for Public

However, Smith admired Google for its solution. He said that the idea that cars need to be safe for people other than the ones in them is the next generation of automotive safety and I applaud anyone for thinking as they should about people outside the vehicle. As a target date for being made available, the company has targeted 2020 for the public though they still tend to have many technical as well as legal challenges to overcome. Apple, Tesla, Uber together with other has been involved in driverless car research with many trials underway in the UK. Members of the public now can sign up to the first trials to be in London.

Google Patents Computer That can be Injected Directly into the Eyeball

Google’s Patent – Device injected in Eye to Improve Sight

Google has been working on a computer which can be injected into the eyeballs of individuals. A new patent filing indicates plan for a device which can be stuck into the eyes of people to improve the sight but also tends to provide extra powers. Though the technology in the patent may not actually be released, it is another example of Google’s obvious interest in getting computers onto and in the eyes of individuals.

The injectable machine is said to be just behind the visible area of the eye, focusing light so that it can rectify poor vision. As described in the patent dated April 28, 2016, the device is said to be injected in fluid which then tends to get solidified to couple the device with the eye’s lens capsule, which is the transparent membrane surround the lens. Injection tends to take place, `following the removal of the natural lens from the lens capsule’.The injected device in the eye contains various tiny components such as storage, sensors, radio, battery as well as an electronic lens. The eyeball device tends to get power wirelessly from an energy harvesting antenna.

Placing Technology onto Eyeball Instead of External Visual Aid

The antenna would enable it to get connected to other device outside the eye which would help in processing the information. The patent defines what appears like an external device to interface with eyeball computer and the two tend to communicate through a radio. The interface device has the process to do the needful computing. As per the patent, the electronic lens would be assisting in the process of focusing light onto the retina of the eye.

This is not the first time that Google has worked on technology where one could stick it right in the eyeball. Earlier, Google had made attempts in creating an eye-linked computer with Google Glass spectacles, though that idea faced problems and is now being re-launched as a product precisely for the workplace. Since then, patents seemed to show that Google is making attempts in placing technology onto the eyeball instead of just an external visual aid. It had filed another patent for smart contact lenses in 2014, which could display information as well as monitor their wearer’s glucose levels.

It had begun talking about the Google Contact Lens which measured glucose levels in tears to help individuals with diabetes. The glucose measuring contact lenses have now been a part of Verily which is the division under the new Alphabet organisation dedicated in life sciences and most probably this type of eyeball device is being worked on by Verily. Andrew Jason Conrad has been listed as the inventor and is the head of Verily. He was connected with Google Contact Lens project.

An article last month in Stat News had described adeparture in talent from Verily due to difficulties working with Conrad. Earlier to Google, he had been the co-founder as well as the Chief Scientific Officer of Laboratory Corporation of America. He also had a PhD in cell biology from the University of California in Los Angeles. The work on the technology in that patent seems to be in progress and the company has been collaborating with a healthcare company in developing similar technology. However, several technology patents do not really make it to the market and hence the injectable computer could not actually be in the eyes of the people in the future.

Google Keyboard for Android now has a one handed mode

Updated Google Keyboard for Android

Google Keyboard for Android has received substantial update inclusive of a one handed mode, some designs have tweaked and the capability of resizing the keyboard’s height to one’s own inclination. There is now an option to display borders around the keys so one can be certain of which one they would be tapping. The one-handed feature enables the user to choose if they prefer the keyboard tailored for the right or left hand while at the same time also tends to offer a quick way to toggle back to the full-sized version.

New number icon near the spacebar tends to open up traditional phone-style number pad which is quite easier to thumb at, rapidly. Users have the option of sharing `small snippets’ of input with Google for improving Google Keyboard for all. Apparently that ties into the keyboard suggestions as well as making word prediction smarter. The height of the keyboard can now be accustomed between five various options which ranges from short to tall, with `normal’ as the middle point between them.

3D Touch Cursor Control of Apple

Besides this, there are also more additions like some neat gesture. For instance of just tapping and holding on the spacebar and moving left or right to move the cursor around quickly which sounds like Google’s answer to the handy 3D Touch cursor control of Apple. It is also a trick that is seen earlier in third-party keyboards. Users can now delete complete words rather than single characters. This can be done by sliding left from the delete key which is a strange update if one is a fan of Google’s keyboard over other choices on Android.

The new feature came up after the report Google has been working to bring its keyboard to iPhone. Google Keyboard 5.0 is rolling out now and with patience one can download it directly from Android Police. One Handed Mode essentially makes the normal keyboard to shrink down, forcing it over to one side or the other, making it easier to type with one hand. To check out One-Handed Mode in the latest version of Google Keyboard, version 5.0 of the keyboard need to be installed.

Chrome’s Omnibar Symbol – Backslash instead of Comma

Being new, Play Store update tend to roll out in stages to users and some may already have it, if not one could wait for a few days or get it from APK Mirror, directly, which is a trusted and reliable site for downloading free Play Store apps. While doing this, ensure to grab the right version since there are 32-bit as well as 64-bit versions.

Once the keyboard is installed, one needs to long press on the comma key, sliding the thumb over to the left icon, the one which tends to look like a little hand over a square which in GoogleLand means `make the keyboard smaller’. Another thing worth mentioning is that if one is attempting to do this by utilising Chrome’s Omnibar as the text input field, then this particular symbol will be a backslash and not a comma. The keyboard will be made small and forced to one side. In order to switch side, one could hit the arrow. To make the same bigger again, you could hit the maximize icon.

Google, Fiat Chrysler Working on Self Driving car Deal

Google & Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV – Developing Self-Driving Cars

Google together with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are almost on the point of agreeing on a partnership which could break barriers between Silicon Valley and the auto industry in competition of developing self-driving cars, according to sources familiar with the discussion. The announcement of the partnership deal would be out soon as disclosed to Reuters on condition of anonymity by three people familiar with the situation, since the discussions seemed to be private.

The talks at first were reported on Thursday by blog AutoExtremist.com. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. as well as Fiat Chrysler, refrained from commenting on this issue. Google has stated that it does not desire to build self-driving vehicles on its own and has explored deals with auto companies though none have been confirmed. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive stated recently that the company was in talks with an advanced technology company, though had not offered any details. The executives at the other auto makers, together with Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Daimler AG, have shown wariness regarding alliances with Alphabet or other technology companies which could demote them to the role of hardware suppliers.

Marchionne Interested in Partnership with Google/Apple

Auto executive had informed that they do not want to stand by while Alphabet gains richer profits from the data created by vehicles and their passengers. GM has indicated that it intends to go its own way on driverless car technology, going ahead in buying self-driving vehicle start-up, Cruise Automation. After Fiat Chrysler had issued quarterly earnings on Tuesday on a conference call, Marchionne had repeated that he was interested in partnerships with Google or Apple Inc. Marchionne had stated in response to a question regarding working with non-traditional automakers that `dialogue continues with people who are interested in exploring their relevance in the automotive world and would continue to help them find their way out’. A former auto executive, John Krafcik, who tends to head Alphabets’ self-driving car project, at a conference in Detroit in January, had made a public pitch for partners. Fiat Chrysler officials in Michigan as well as Italy had refrained to comment on assumption that the technology of Google would ultimately be offered on the new Chrysler Pacifica minivan launched in February.

Self-Driving Vehicles, Minivans – Ride Sharing/Shuttle Fleets

Marchionne together with the other FCA officials are scheduled to visit the Windsor, Ontario plant which builds the Pacifica on May 6. The auto as well as the technology industry executive had stated that the self-driving vehicles, probably the minivans would hit the roads first in ride-sharing or shuttle fleets. Among the models which Alphabet has been utilising in its self-driving project, is the Lexus RX450h, which is a hybrid sport utility vehicle, manufactured by Toyota Motor Corpn. Alphabet intends to have the first driverless minivans on the road by this end of this year but has not commented on a timeline for all 100 vehicles. On increasing the test fleet, the agreement would be helpful to Alphabet’s mission to automate the world’s vehicles. Its present fleet of 70 self-driving cars has driven over 1.5 million miles in California, Washington, Texas and Arizona.

Why Google Would Care About Making a Keyboard for the iPhone

Google Developing Software Keyboard on iPhone/iOS Devices

According to reports of Casey Newton, Google has been developing a software keyboard on the iPhone and other iOS devices but it is not known if the same has been released to consumers. Google has not made any comment on why the company is keen in making a keyboard for its arch-rivals.

Google tends to make several apps for the iPhone right from maps to its various Google Drive applications which feeds directly into well-known service that millions of users have already been using. As per Newton, the keyboard is said to serve an identical purpose by incorporating Google’s search engine directly in the keyboard which would be convenient for the many people who desire to use Google for searches.

Moreover it would also provide the company with another point of contact with the consumers. Google has been leading in the search game though it is changing considerably since people have begun utilising their phones to search instead of their computers. Google has been feeling the effect of it in some ways, for instance, mobile ads do not tend to cost much as desktops ads and delivers lower returns for Google.

Use of Apps – Increased Tremendously

Though the firm is not in trouble, with most of the $21.3 billion pulled in by way of revenue than its parent company Alphabet, reported last month, this shift seems to be a point of concern for Google. The other problem is that the use of app has increased tremendously, thereby decreasing the overall mobile searches.

As reported by Newton, people tend to turn to more apps, and seems to use search engines less. It is quite normal for some users to search for `Twitter’ or `Facebook’ instead of navigating directly to the site on a desktop. However if someone is on the phone, there is a possibility that they will only tap on the dedicated app instead of going through the mobile Web version of those sites.

The same is applicable for review sites like Yelp or travel sites like Expedia. Constructing search straight in the keyboard could help Google increase mobile searches by making a search greatly convenient. Newton’s report that Google has also been looking into incorporating other features like GIF as well as image searches would add more value to the program.

Search Button on Mobile Keyboard – Helpful

Apple began permitting third party keyboards on the iPhone from iOS 8 opening its user base to various other smaller companies that tend to make keyboards with features which Apple does not seem to offer in its stock of keyboard.

With the addition of new keyboard, users would have to do a bit in exploring their settings though several companies like Swype have informed a significant increase in users since the change in policies of Apple. Keyboard with built-in search feature would support Google in making money, since it is said that people do not use Google searches on their mobile as much as they tend to do on their desktop.

Without the search pages which tend to sell ads, Google would be losing money and as the mobile internet seems to get bigger and bigger, it could get worse. Sticking a search button on a mobile keyboard would be of great help.

Gmail Will now Warn You if You’re Being Targeted by the Government

Gmail Security Warning

Apple is not the only company that has been combating against government backed cyber-attacks. While Apple and the FBI dispute over the security of the user, Google has been bringing security in focus in a different way, by telling you what is going on. The company would be increasing the perceptibility of Gmail security warning in an attempt to help people in protecting themselves while sending and receiving emails.

One of the changes seems to be the expansion of the `safe browsing’ notifications that tells the user when they are about to open a suspicious link from an email. The warnings could appear when a link has been clicked but before the link really opens, it presents the user with a last option to withdraw instead of visiting the page. Earlier a warning was only shown before a link was clicked though no block seemed to appear if the user had not seen the warning or clicked it.

Google expects that this new additional warning would be helpful in stopping users from visiting malicious sites. Google also tends to continue the fight against state-sponsored attacks, portraying a full page warning when one is being targeted by a government-backed hacker.

Gmail Accounts Targeted by Government-backed Attackers

In a blog post, Google had mentioned that less than 0.1% of Gmail users would be receiving this kind of warning, but it highlights the importance of the warnings due to the fact that those often receiving them seem to be journalist, policy-makers and activists.

 The new warning of the state-sponsored attacks could be portrayed in addition to or instead of current warnings which Google tends to have in place for state-sponsored attacks. Google has been complaining of Gmail security a bit recently and last month had made an announcement that it would be warning users who seem to send email to recipients who were not utilising TLS encryption.

As per Google, after adding this message, the number of emails that were sent over encrypted connections had increased by around 25%. In an update in the manner that Gmail intends to be more secure, Google revealed that around 1 million Gmail accounts could have been targeted by government-backed attackers so far.

Striving to Improve Safe Browsing/Enhance Email Encryption

Google did not disclosethe precise number and did not provide any explanation on how it knows when these hacks tend to take place. When a hack is identified, a pink Warning tab tends to appear on top of Gmail prompting affected users to protect themselves.

 The company also made an announcement recently that besides the bar, users would also get the full page warning with instructions on how to stay safe. This is what will be seen if a government is trying to hack into a Gmail account. Google, in its security update, mentioned that is striving to improve its Safe Browsing warnings which appear in Gmail each time a user clicks on what is believed to be a shady link which could lead to malware or phishing attacks.

Google intends to further enhance email encryption and the company has partnered with Comcast, Microsoft and Yahoo in submitting a draft IETF specification for `SMTP Strict Transport Security’, and Google together with its partners desire to ensure that encrypted email remains encrypted all along the complete path from sender to recipient.

Google Makes its Machine Learning Platform Available to Developers

Google has taken everyone by surprise when it announced to open its machine learning platform for the developers. It is worth noting that Google has gradually advanced its Cloud Machine learning Platform which was made to be used by the set of apps like Google Photos, Inbox and Translate. This machine learning platform has been detrimental in the popularity of the Google apps as it provided various features to the apps such as speech recognition and reply capabilities in the Inbox app.

At this conference Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has stated that the machine learning in next big thing in the field of technology and opening the door to the developers will help in bringing more powerful features to the end users.

Breakdown of Google’s Cloud Machine Learning Platform

Cloud Machine learning platform principally has two parts wherein one offer an opportunity to the developers for building machine-learning replicas based on their personal records and another brings a pre-trained replica for the developers.

Google will be providing wide range of tools such as Google Cloud Datalab, Google Cloud Dataflow, Google BigQuery and Google Cloud Storage from which data can be harnessed to train the machine learning models.

Once the data has been fed by the developer then all the necessary aspect of creating models will be taken by the Cloud Machine learning on its own. As Google opens its platform, any kind of application will be able to get benefits of the deep learning methods to increase its potential.

On other hand, Google even offers pre-trained models which come loaded with existing API such as Cloud Vision API & Google Translate API. Apart from these two API developers will be able to make use of the coveted Google Cloud Speech API. Google has made it clear that with opening up the cloud platform for the developers it is aiming at bringing the great technologies, which it has developed within, to the developers. This will allow them to embed new features and improve the functionalities of the apps in a more complex manner. It is worth mentioning that Cloud Speech API has been powering its voice search along with speech enabled apps for a really long time which has translated into huge popularity of the apps.

Google isn’t the first to open up its cloud platform

Google is simply following the footsteps of Amazon and Microsoft as both of these companies launched their own cloud based platform namely Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services in 2014 and 2015. Amazon Web Services has become quite popular among the commercial segment due to its great services and products at a competitive price points. Microsoft Azure has also found great success with its cloud platform which brings as much as twenty percent of the revenue. Google is simply bringing an edge over its competitors by opening up the platform for the developer who will actively help in improving the features along with feature rich apps to the consumers.

Google’s Computers Paint like Van Gogh, and the Art Sells for Thousands

Google’s Alphabet – Art Show/Auction, Works by Computers/Humans

Google’s Alphabet Inc. had put on an art show and auction in San Francisco recently displaying the works that were created by computers with some assistance from humans. The displayed images comprised of psychedelic seascapes, van Gogh inspired forests together with fantastic landscapes of castles and dogs and a professional auctioneer sold the six largest works for about $8,000.

Head of Google’s machine intelligence group in Seattle, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, stated that he `used to think art was some peculiar thing which humans do, but now he thinks that when one meet the alien, they will have something just like it’.

The tech and art worlds prevailed with little overlap in the Bay Area and tech entrepreneurs have not become big art collectors as well as galleries. The art fairs in Silicon Valley have dithered. According to one theory, the tech industry is inhabited with engineers who did not learn humanities and do not appreciate art.Google engineers had applied a system to the artistic process providing art quantitative and mathematical attributes.

Computers with human helpers utilised technology known as neural networks to make 29 works of art for the show.

Four Techniques Utilised

Google had initially created it in order to help recognize objects in photos though for the sake of art, engineers turned it on its head, serving the images of random shapes into computer procedures which later reported what objects the images seemed like, such as faces, dogs and trees. The procedures thereafter incrementally altered the images making them look more like the object reported.

Some of the artists who are Google engineers and others who tend to be independent artists, utilised four techniques like `DeepDream which involved running the process thousands of times for the creation of unique image, `Fractal DeepDream’ which ran the process and various sized versions, producing fractal images, `Class Visualization’ zeroed in on an individual image and `Style Transfer’ which created new images imitating a famous aesthetic, states Vincent van Gogh’s `Starry Night’.

The show was held in a historic movie theatre in hip Mission region. It was said that the attendees had collected around small tables eating purple cauliflower and broccoli, sipping a local IPA beer.

Proceeds of Event – Gray Area Foundation for Arts

Towards the front area of the room, a well-heeled crowd in fashionable, long dresses and boots sent champagne corks flying on the stage floor. The large standing crowd towards the back of the room was controlled by bouncers. The gathering at the back whispered, talked and pointed at the time of the auction. The professional auctioneer, Emily Quinn, leading the sale had to send reminders that if they did not have money to spend they could still give their time and attention stating `thank you all of you …. Shh’.

The main works went for $2,200 to $8,000 and the proceeds from the event had been sent to Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, which is an organization that tends to promote art and technology. Poorna Omprakash, a software engineer at Amazon.com Inc. AMZN-0.14% who had studied machine had never attended an art event before, like several members of the audience.

Ms Omprakash commented that she was there since she wanted to know how they made the art but her second reaction was that it was beautiful.

Google self-driving car effort expands hiring, posts manufacturing jobs

Google’s Self-Driving Project–Advertising Jobs on Manufacturing  Expertise

Self-driving project of Alphabet Inc. has been advertising dozens of jobs with special focus on manufacturing expertise on its website. Jobs related to the Google X car project of around thirty six had been listed comprising of engineers working on display, motion control, robotics and sensors together with managers charged with operations, materials and marketing.

Google who had refrained from commenting had denied earlier that it had any interest in the making of cars. Several industry experts were of the belief that the tech giant would be partnering with established carmaker, supplying the software which would invent the fully autonomous vehicle. However, the job listed offers insight on how much hardware has been built by Google in its contribution to the future cars. A key priority of traditional carmaker, technology companies like Apple Inc. Uber Technologies Inc. and auto suppliers,is developing self-driving cars.

A manufacturing process engineer job listing has mentioned that the post is responsible for designing factory assembly stations, automating critical manufacturing process, optimizing production floor layout and approve fixture designs utilised in the assembly of electronic modules for self-driving cars.

Hiring May Continue to Increase

The manufacturing supplier quality engineer would be creating and approving `manufacturing inspection processes, mechanical components, mechanical assemblies, tools gauges and fixtures for raw materials. The mechanical global supply chain manager will be responsible for manufacturing development execution besides other tasks.

In January, the president of Google self-driving car project, John Krafcik, had mentioned that he wanted to form partnerships with established carmakers and suppliers to speed up work in 2016. When Krafcik had been hired in September, his earlier experience at Hyundai and Ford had driven speculation that Google had plans to build its own cars.

Other jobs were also posted by Google beyond the manufacturing which provided hints as to the scope of the developing project. The position of marketing manager posted nine days back needed someone to shape-go-to-market strategy and storytelling in order to win hearts as well as minds of community members, governments and influencers.The company is also on the look-out for a head of real estate and workplace services recommending that the hiring may continue to increase.

Google Achieved Landmark Victory

The hiring rampage tends to reflect Google’s aspiration to join the driverless car manufacturing trend and though the Silicon Valley based tech company had denied rumours of driverless car manufacturing several times in the past, the recent adverts posted by its secretive X division indicates the possible plans of bringing Google branded driverless cars to the market very soon.

Google had achieved a landmark victory on 4th February when US federal authority The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA had agreed to consider the tech firm’s AI system as the legal driver under federal law. The decision had been a main boost to leading tech and automobile manufacturing companies who had been vying to bring driverless cars in the US and international markets in past.

Google is presently testing its autonomous car in US though the company had recently received an appeal from London transport authorities to expand testing to British capital too. Google has yet to remark on its plans for the future for its driverless car division.

Google Will Launch a New VR Headset This Year

Google to Launch a New Virtual Reality Headset

Later in the year, Google would be launching a new virtual reality headset for Android smartphones, according to reports. It is said that the headset would be sturdier as well as sophisticated than the Google Cardboard, the £10 virtual reality headset which had been shipped around five millions units since its launch in 2014.Different from its flat pack predecessor, the new headset of Google is will be having plastic casing and improved sensors together with lenses according to the Financial Times and Google has refrained from commenting on the reports.

Rumours have given further evidence that Google would be taking the growing virtual reality market seriously. Augmented reality firm, Magic Leap which Google has invested greatly, has closed recently, a round of funding which valued it at around $3.7 billion. In January 2016, setting up a virtual reality division, Google CEO Sundar Pichai had informed that beyond early efforts, there would be lot more from them as well as their partners.

If the reports tend to be true, the new headsets of Google would be identical to Samsung’s Gear VR, collaboration between Samsung and Oculus which had gone on sale to consumers late last year.

Replacement to Cardboard – Better Sensors/Lenses/Solid Plastic Casing

Though Google tends to continue focusing on its budget Cardboard headset, there are others in the industry that has developed more high spec-virtual as well as augmented reality technology. The new headset would be a replacement to Cardboard, which Google had launched in 2014, featuring better sensors, lenses together with solid plastic casing.

It is said that Google would be releasing its rival headsets together with new Android VR technology, this year. Similar to the Cardboard and Gear VR, the new headset would be using an existing smartphone inserted in the device, for display as well as most of its processing power. Google Cardboard depends mainly on sensors that are built in modern smartphones to sense the position of the head of the user, while Gear VR tends to be more strongly built, featuring extra motion sensors.

 As the Alphabet unit attempts to bring the technology to a bigger audience, the latest Google headset would be well-suited with a much broader range of Android devices than the Gear VR that would only work with a few of the recent Samsung Galaxy smartphone models.

Enhance Quality of Mobile VR Viewing Experience

Google hopes to enhance the quality of the mobile VR viewing experience, by implanting new software directly in its Android smartphone operating system instead of depending only on traditional app as with Cardboard.

The issue with several present smartphone-based VR viewers is that users tend to feel dizzy or unwell which is due to the virtual images displayed that could lag behind slightly behind the user’s head movement in the real world which is known as latency or unconsciousness. Cardboard has been more successful than expected, with deliveries over 5m units till date, when it had launched the low-cost goggles in 2014.

On improving resolutions as well as latency, the combination of the improved Android software as well as the new headset would enable users to devote longer in VR and also enable developers in creating more sophisticated apps.

Google Now Blocking Websites That Show Fake Download Buttons

Blocking Deceptive Content/Ads through Google’s Safe Browsing

As reported by online source, Google will be helping more users in avoiding sites which post deceptive ads and content has begun blocking website that tend to do so, to ensure that users do not indulge in fake download button.

This may appear right near the real download button or pup-ups, challenging phone tech support to remove million malware infections which may be deceptively found on the computer. The blocking would take place through Google’s Safe Browsing tech that one would have perhaps seen earlier. It is the big red interstitial which seems to appear when one clicks on a dodgy search result.

Safe Browsing has been for some time though it only prevents the user from visiting sites which were serving up malware or sites which Google had considered unsafe. However, in November, Google had begun blocking sites that utilised `social engineering attacks, in order to get the user to install unwanted software or to reveal sensitive information.

Presently Google has been expanding that to websites which tend to serve up deceptive embedded contents. The new block, specially is against deceptive embedded content which translates to `deceptive ads’.

Google to Display a Big Red Warning

When searching for something, the sites with the shady misleading ads which tend to claim that you need to install a certain type of plugin, product or a toolbar would generate a big red scary unfriendly STOP screen, misleading the user to a deceptive button.

 This is a development to a change which Google has made to search returns back in November when it began blocking sites it envisaged were utilising some type of social engineering attack to make you divulge information which otherwise one would not reveal. As Google had explained on its Online Security Blog, sites that have any kind of ads which deceptively attempt to imitate actual site functionality would now be considered as `social engineering’.

 This would comprise of fake download buttons, cautioning that software that one has is `out of date’ and fake notifications to update like Flash player. Whenever a site tends to use this tricks, Google would be displaying a big red warning prior to the visits of the site by the user. This would discourage shadier sites from utilising underhand attempts to trick users on clicking on ads or make attempts in preventing them from getting tricked.

Essential to Refresh Page Prior to Viewing Social Engineering Ads

For the webmasters, this change would be especially difficult. Hosting of deceptive content on the site is one thing though deceptive third party content served by casual ad server would be a bit difficult to police. Webmaster knowledge base of Google does not seem to provide much help, though to note that `ad networks could be rotating the ads shown on the site’s pages.

 Hence it could be essential to refresh a page a few times prior to viewing any social engineering ads that appear. For the others, this would be a longed-for change. Though the usage pattern seem to be unstable, Google Search tends to drive billion of website clicks each day and several of these websites tend to still depend on Google traffic to stay afloat and this could be the start to an end for fake download buttons.

Gmail be Replaced By Inbox Smart Email Tool As Main Google Email System

Gmail Rolled out New Tabbed Interface for Inbox on Mobile/Desktop

Gmail has rolled out a new tabbed interface for inbox on mobile as well as desktop. On first glance it seems good for email organization but on further inspection, these latest tabs seem to be confusing. According to the official Gmail blog, one can select which categories can be enabled as tabs that will show you how many new emails one may have for each category offering another option in organizing the inbox.

One can drag and drop messages between tabs and set certain senders to appear always on certain tabs. This feature is rolling on the desktop gradually and will soon be coming to Android as well as iOS apps shortly.

The tabs will slide in from the side in the case of mobile. Google has added the unsubscribed button to Android version of Gmail also and the feature that had been offered on the web enables users to get rid of newsletter together with other subscriptions which the users do not read or could have never intentionally signed up. Both the options are available in the same dropdown menu which is utilised in the selection of `Reply’ or `Forward’ options. Updates of the web are available already and the Android ones would be available very soon.

Beginning of the End for Gmail

Users have been encouraged to utilise its `Inbox by Gmail’ service by the company, in the intention which some have stated could be the `beginning of the end’, for Gmail. Inbox had been introduced last year, though Google had been focusing its interest on the app, analysing emails to group one which could be interesting together with other features that smartly organises emails. Google has described it as `the inbox which works for you’. Users of the app on their phone are now being redirected to Inbox instead of the normal Gmail.

When a user tends to click through on Gmail, they are greeted by a pop-up informing them that they may want to use Inbox instead. When the user logs in, a message pops up stating `Thanks for trying Inbox. To make it easier, we have updated Gmail to redirect you here’. The tool also provides the choice of heading back to the normal Gmail screen with a large button stating `turn it off’. Moreover it also enables user to turn it off at any point of time in the future through its settings.

Gmail Alive & Well

However, some users have recommended that the change could signal the beginning of the end for Gmail in its present form and the inbox could eventually be the default way of reading emails. Google has stated that Gmail was very much alive and it was simply making it easy to get Inbox as a default. A spokesperson had commented that `Gmail is alive and well and that they want to provide a seamless way for Inbox users to reach the Inbox site from Gmail.com without memorizing a new URL.

The possible redirect makes it easy to access Inbox often, according to the user and it could be turned off with a single click under `settings’. Inbox has been considered to complement the old Gmail view, enabling users to keep their old Gmail address. However the old way of organizing email, like long list of subject lines and senders, ordered by date, seems to be mostly unaltered since Gmail had first introduced it around eleven years back.

Google Wants to Suck the Blood from Your Body

Google’s Patent for Needle-Free Blood Draw System

Google has filed a patent for a `needle-free blood draw’ system which could act as a wearable or a hand held device in order to draw a small amount of blood from the body. Unlike the traditional needle to draw blood, the proposed method is gas-based which tends to suck the blood in a very small barrel.

It tends to work by sending a surge of gas in a barrel containing micro particles which pierces the skin and when the blood is released from the skin, it sucks up into the negative pressure barrel. The patent which seems to be still pending indicates that the device could be utilised for testing blood sugar levels and also to take blood automatically or manually.

An example presented by Google portrayed a small cylindrical device being utilised on a person’s fingertips or as a wrist worn device, recommends a future version of Android Wear which could have enhanced biometric potentials. Google states that when the skin tends to be broken `a resulting micro-emergence of blood could be drawn into the negative pressure barrel’.

Aid Diabetics in Monitoring Blood Sugar Levels

Specific medical application for the needle free process that could be used has not been included by the company, though it could be the latest of the company’s work to aid diabetics in monitoring their blood sugar levels. The patents states that `such an application might be used to draw a small amount of blood, for example, for a glucose test’.

Patents, generally do not lead to direct development of commercial products and hence it is not known if the same would reach the market in the future. The team working at the Google’s Life Sciences, as part of the recently created parent company, Alphabet had already developed various items designed in helping diabetics.

 The lab had unveiled smart contact lenses which included circuitry to monitor glucose levels in 2014. Moreover, according to the report of Verge, it has also developed bandage sized glucose monitors that could detect sugar levels which could be disposable. Other diabetes work outside Google has seen bionic pancreas developed which could stop those with the disease and have the insulin levels monitored at all together with holographic sensors which can measure the relevant data.

Health Data – Next Big Arena

The World Health Organisation had estimated that 9% of adults above 18 years tend to live with diabetes with a total of 1.5 million deaths due to chronic disease in 2015. Google is not the only tech giant making attempts in the healthcare market.

 There are other companies who are also interested in identifying more elegant solutions to living with the condition. A company by the name of Tasso, supported by Darpa, had already developed an almost painless blood withdrawal method which does not utilise needles. Similar to the design of Google, the device of Tasso draws blood on using a vacuum.

Health data seems to be the next big arena among the tech companies with the new generation of wearable gadget enabling users in measuring heart rates, exercise activities and sleep patterns. Google seems to hold patents on various different ideas and not all would make it to the production. But the needle free blood draw device could be a big success taking into account that lots of people are very uneasy with the sight of injection being inserted into their skin.

Ford in Talks with Google to Build Self Driving Cars

Google is going all guns blazing to get its self-driving cars a better car manufacturer. It should be noted that last year Apple had talk with BMW to assess the manufacturing capabilities of self-driving cars. Apple wanted to get manufacturing support and assistance from the automotive major rather setting up whole manufacturing line but the talks went sour and some elite BMW officials lost their jobs.

Google is now initiating talks with the automaker Ford Motor Co. in order to secure help in building autonomous cars. As per the source, if the deal gets finalized then it might be revealed in the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Google keeps mum on its talks with Ford

Google spokesperson has kept mum and declined to give any comment on this initiation of talks with Ford. But it should be noted that Google has increased its efforts in roping in new partners for the automobile world to give proper shape to its aims of bringing self-driving cars to the market by 2020.

Ford is an ideal partner for Google

It is quite logical for the Google to partner with an established automaker as it offers a remarkable way of building cars. It wouldn’t be feasible for the Google to ensure that tens of thousands of parts to be used in the cars could abide by the strict federal guidelines. Google will have to spend huge amount on developing plants and competencies, which are involved in building cars. But having Ford as the partner will help Google in leaving the manufacturing related decisions in the hands of seasoned car maker and it can lend its time towards improving the various aspects of the automation technology.

Ford looking for partners for its autonomous driving research

In the past year, Ford has been vocal about its autonomous driving research and it was actively looking for new partners. Ford was hoping to get some new startup and bigger companies to work together in order to improvise and revolutionalize the automotive industry on a bigger scale. The coming together of Ford and Google is a right as most of the automakers are planning the self-driving gradually by adding one feature at a time. But Google has aimed of bringing the first self driving car with complete automotive controls and devoid of any steering wheels or pedals.

Ford will benefit from partnering with Google

It is worth noting that Ford has been lagging behind most of its competitor and it has revamped its pace for developing the self-driving cars last year in order to get better of them. Ford has expanded its advanced safety technology, which includes a number of features from the automatic braking, hands free operation of cars and much more. Ford will be implementing most of its automotive functionalities and features in its global line over the next five years. Partnering with Google will benefit both the companies on a whole new level.

Google Gets in on the Star Wars Fun with Clutch of Interactive Easter Eggs

After almost a decade Stars Wars saga comes live to the theatre this weekend and it has captivated the fans like cultural celebration frenzy. Google has even jumped the Star Wars bandwagon by rolling out the Easter eggs which offers an interactive way of fighting stormtroopers on the computers. Google has even gone further with overwhelming fan frenzy seen throughout the world by bringing Search text crawl with words –“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.

Google brings Stars Wars fun to browser

Google has introduced Lightsaber Escape on Wednesday, which is an old fashioned ‘rail shoooter’ style app which can be played in the Chrome browser. In order to play this highly interactive and simple game one has to have a fast internet connection.

Google has also launched a large Cardboard VR module specially designed for the Star Wars where users can interact with droids, watch the spaceship crashes like never and even receive about various alien worlds. It should be noted that this new Star Wars movie will reveal a new desert planet named ‘Jakku’.

Google has ascertained that marketing partnership during the run up for the Star Wars Force Awaken poses just minimal hardship to its staff. Clay Bavor, the vice president of product management at Google even said that their hall in data centers are filled with people dressed like Darth Vaders, stormtroopers and dogs dressed like Yoda, which shows the height of Star Wars frenzy.

Disney brings marketing push for Star Wars

Disney has launched a marketing blitz for Star Wars Force Awakens, which ranges into millions of dollars in expenses. It should be noted that Paramount has launched a similar marketing blitz to promote the Iron Man 2 where more than $100 million dollars were spent in marketing. Disney is known for utilizing its own platforms for cross-promoting the movies. Disney has launched the Star Wars promo and every Marvel trailer on its own TV network and on ABC during the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

Disney gets together with Google for marketing push

Disney is feeling pressure of the shareholders after making $4 billion acquisition payout for the Star Wars. Disney is bringing some strategic advertising integration to make money out of the fan frenzy surrounding the Stars Wars saga new movie. The partnership with Google is a longstanding one which has been present since the launch of early smartphone Droid with branding partnership between Google Lucas Film and other popular hardware manufactures HTC and Motorola.

Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, has revealed in May that it will recruiting new fans along with some famous celebrities as a part of its adverting strategy for the film. Disney has justified its adverting and marketing spree around the Stars Wars by stating that a whole generation of people are not as much stepped in the Star Wars lore as the older generation. Hence, this marketing spree will help in connecting with the younger generation and it will educate them about the cultural significance of this incredible Star Wars franchise.