Google Confirms End of Internet Drone Project

In the past five years internet penetration has boomed all across the globe due to rise in the cost effective technology and equipment. In a bid to empower users with internet connectivity Google has designed a project wherein drones will be used to offer internet. However Google has terminated its ambitious internet drone project named Titan after gradually running it for last three years. Google has specifically designed these drones to beam internet to the users in the remote and rural areas. This project had a number of similarities with its Loon project wherein aim was to bring internet connectivity through hot air balloons.

Technical difficulties cited as the reason

Google cited two major reasons for pulling the plugs from its drones program. The droned used in the Titan in order to provide internet were solar powered devices and it has run into a wide variety of technical difficulties which seriously limited the potential of the Titan. Another reason was to bring necessary funding to enlarge scope and technological expertise for the success of the Titan. Google finally confirmed just a few days ago that it has officially shut down the Titan program in the early 2016 which came as surprise for most of the technology experts but its demise was not mourned to a great extent.

The quick history of the Titan Program

Google X division was responsible for the Titan Program and it was brought this division’s control during 2015. This division performed the exploration of the high altitude areas with unmanned aerial vehicles in order to provide the internet access within few weeks of getting Titan at hand. Over the a year of research has shown that the economics related to the use of drones and technical feasibility associated with Project Titan was still high and it offers the best solution at the given time to connect remote and rural areas in the simplest fashion.

The rise and fall of Titan

In the beginning of the 2014 Titan Aerospace was acquired by Google to develop drones and necessary technology for providing internet through it. This was done specifically to counter the attempts from Facebook to provide internet through unmanned aerial vehicles. During the early days Google has famously stated that atmospheric satellites will be right instrument in bringing internet to millions of people round the globe.

These drones will be extremely during disaster relief and it will play a vital solving a number of major problems such as deforestation and other environmental damage. Soon after the test flights in 2015 Titan started facing a large number technical of difficulties along with funding issues which eventually derailed the project within a year.

Google X division has released a statement wherein it officially confirmed the demise of Titan and the reassignment of various staffs to its different part of business which includes Project Loon and Wing. In similar fashion Facebook ambitious attempt at beaming internet from the drones took a backseat when its drones ran into various technical difficulties.

Waymo: Detroit Auto Show Reveals a Google Designed Self Driving Van

Google has been developing Waymo a self driving vehicle for quite some time and it isn’t secret as a number of reports about its testing have emerged in the past. However we have been for a long time to see this vehicle in live action finally that moment arrived at the Detroit Auto Show. This edition of Detroit Auto Show was filled with a slew of sport utility vehicles, flashy and sleek deans and robust pickup vehicles. But Google unveiled an odd-looking and quite classic minivan Waymo which has the self driving capability infused in it. This particular minivan has been designed and manufactured by Google which comes with its indigenously developed autonomous driving capability.

Google shift its self driving vehicle development under new business

Just a month ago Google’s parent company Alphabet has did away with the driverless car project to a new business company. Now the self driving vehicles developed by the Google will be made under Waymo but it will still have the Google branding on it. The point of creating a whole new company to cater to the self driving vehicle segment is that it will help in commercializing the vehicle in short period without much needless scruples of gaining authorization. The first minivan showcased by the Google Waymo is simply the first vehicle in series of vehicles which will launch in upcoming years.

An elegant old design with modern driving capabilities

Tesla and BMW has shown futuristic autonomous vehicle in the past and they are going to make their way in the market by 2020. On other hand Google has gone with a traditional and conventional design model with it minivan but it is equipped with Google’s indigenously developed self driving capabilities. This Waymo minivan makes use of self-driving sensors and advanced vision system which has been exclusively developed for this vehicle. Google has partnered with Fiat Chrystler to manufacturer the van which showcases the collaboration between a true automobile maker and tech firm at its best.

As stated earlier Google isn’t the only one which is keen on developing safe, reliable and robust self driving vehicles. Some of the established automakers like General Motors and Ford Motors are also aggressively working towards developing their own self-driving vehicle and both of these has showcased plan of having a manufacturing unit in Michigan in upcoming months
.
Google plans to turn every mainstream vehicle into autonomous vehicle

However Google has some other plans for itself driving technology. It is gearing up to offer ready made packages of its self-driving equipment which can be easily integrated to any kind of mainstream vehicle to turn it into an autonomous vehicle.

An official from Google has stressed upon the fact that Google has invested a huge sum in developing all the self-driving sensors in-house which allows it to add new functionalities and to remodel it to work with other vehicles with ease. Google self-driving technology has one important goal at its core which is to bring full autonomy to the vehicles without undermining the safety quotient of the vehicle.

Google Says New Version of Google Voice Coming Soon

Seeing as how 2016 saw various new administrations from Google, including Duo and Allo, it's anything but difficult to disregard the old yet helpful Google Voice application. Since its reconciliation with Hangouts in late 2014, the Google Voice application hasn't seen any noteworthy overhauls. Nonetheless, Google uncovered recently that you might just observe a shiny new form of the application this year with a new update and modification.

About-

Google Voice is a helpful application that offers call sending and phone message administrations, voice and test informing, and universal call application. A lot of individuals still utilize it yet Google hasn't precisely made the experience charming. Some new applications have prevailed to some degree by concentrating on versatile clients – a region where Google Voice has fallen behind, having not redesigned its android applications and iOS since the main portion of a year ago. Google has essentially left Voice to sit and gather tidy, dismissing it as it doesn't exist. What these new elements involve stays indistinct, yet hopefully the holdup is justified, despite all the trouble.

Google's fairly maturing VoIP calling administration, Google Voice, is get ready to reveal a huge overhaul, the organization has affirmed. A few Google Voice clients this week detailed seeing a redesigned interface touting "the new Google Voice" on the web adaptation of the administration, alongside a connection that would give them a chance to give it a shot. Plainly, the message was posted too soon in light of the fact that the update didn't come through when the connection was clicked.

Update features-

Be that as it may, its reality has been an empowering sign for Google Voice clients, a number of whom have felt as though the administration has been surrendered for Google's numerous more current endeavors in the interchanges space, including Hangouts, and all the more as of late, informing applications like Allo and Duo. Google didn't share any further points of interest on its arrangements, however, a redesign to Voice is long past due. Its versatile applications were last upgraded in the second quarter of 2016, and still, after all, that, the redesigns included only 'bug fixes'.

The overhaul will probably involve a modified UI particularly for its desktop form, which still games the plan dialect of the old Gmail. It is likewise anticipated that would arrive with fabrication that will be firmly incorporated with Hangouts, and additionally, other related Google informing administrations, for example, Google Allo and Duo. Put something aside for the advertisement, Google has not discharged any official proclamation about the approaching Voice overhaul. Knowing the organization, nonetheless, we can expect a point by point log of new components particularly if the upgrade ends up being colossal.

Google's procedure as to its correspondences applications has been muddled, so it will enthusiasm to perceive what the new Google Voice involves. The organization has various correspondence items, which appear to be in a consistent condition of flux. The organization expressed the move did not flag the finish of Hangouts, but rather would basically be accessible as a discretionary application. Be that as it may, Hangouts' destiny is significantly more unverifiable after Google uncovered a week ago that it would close down its Hangouts API by means of an upgrade in the Hangouts site.

Amazon Flying Warehouse That Will Deliver Your Stuff By Drone

Amazon’s new flying warehouses will dispatch products using drones

The e-commerce market has been rapidly developing in the past few decades, and Amazon being one of the pioneers is devising new methods to expand their grounds. This mega internet retail store has recently broken the news of using giant airships to serve as flying warehouses. These mobile warehouses will make the process of delivering goods to consumers easier and faster. The concept is a ground breaking one, and till date no other online retail store has even thought of using a drone as a means of making faster deliveries.

Fastest method of making deliveries

This is not simply a concept, as Amazon had recently conducted a demo to prove the effectiveness of this drone delivery system in the United Kingdom. How is this method far more effective than the traditional delivery system? Imagine, you are at your football match practice and in need of a jersey or a ball. You could simply place your order and you will receive the item within a few minutes without even leaving your seat. Amazon will set up its ‘airborne fulfillment centers’, from which the ordered items will be dispatched soon after ordering, at will be delivered at the consumer’s doorsteps in a matter of minutes. After the product is dispatched the drone will glide or float most of the way and then use its propeller to navigate the route and fly itself to the consumer.

Spaceships to reduce costs

While these drones will make the delivery within 30 minutes, the use of airships will further cut down the time and make even faster product deliveries. One of the reasons as Amazon highlights for introducing spaceships is large gatherings like sports game or concerts which might require mass deliveries within short time. Moreover, this online retail store also believes that using airships instead of drones will actually increase profits by reducing the costs in general.

An incredible concept created by Amazon

While creating the concept of using airships, Amazon looked into the technological tradition used for creating the first self propelled dirigibles back in the 19th century. The filing stated that substantial energy was required for sending drones from ground based facilities. The reason being, the propellers of the drone have to spin constantly in order to stay aloft. Moreover, on the return trip the drone will not be loaded with any product and it would be a wasteful expense. Instead, using airships would be more efficient as it would remain still at a higher altitude. These airships would deploy drones which would glide or float towards the ground by way of gravity, and lesser use of power would result in reduced expenses.

These airships will float to an altitude of 45,000 and will be stocked with a variety of products. When an order will be placed, the unmanned aerial vehicles would fly down and make the delivery at the correct address using its in-built navigation system. Well, this step taken by Amazon definitely has proven the brand’s efficiency as a leading online retail store. Its constant endeavor to make faster deliveries has helped it become an international brand.

5 TV Trends to Expect at CES 2017

Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas is an important technology mega-event in the world which brings forward the best of upcoming gadgets for the rest of the year. Televisions happen to be stable and integral showcase of this event which has been making head turns since a long time. This year we will get to see TV manufacturers making huge inroads in the 4K ultra HD category. A new era of cutting edge TV design and viewing technologies will be brought to the consumer having the capabilities work in unison with ultra HD devices like cameras or double up as PC monitors.

4K is the new base for display in TVs

The display resolution has always played a vital role in the buying decision of the consumers. Currently it seems like 4K display resolutions has become the basic requirement in the televisions regardless of their shape, size, features and capabilities. Therefore at this year CES we will get to major players like Samsung, Sony, LG and others followed by emerging players to offers larger televisions in varied pricing range.

Television category is going through a highly competitive phase wherein revolutionary smartphone makers and technology firms are making their way with rapid strides by launching their flagship models in limited quantities. This includes the tech giant Apple with its Apple range of TV along with some rivals from Middle Kingdom namely MI and LeEco. It is expected that 4K resolution will feature 1080p Full HD on most of the model while selected few will showcase the 2160p Ultra HD resolution display.

HDR will become a must have feature in TVs

High dynamic range or commonly referred as HDR will emerge as a must have feature in the upcoming range of televisions from all the brands. It will feature not in the premium model but even in the highly affordable budget segment as well and with further possible expansions. This year premium television is expected to feature heightened level of display brightness and black levels and enhanced color performance than before with the utilization of the technology like quantum dots.

Advancement made in colour department

Over the years a large number of manufacturers have established their own remarkable way of enhancing the color performance on their own device. In CES 2017 TV manufacturers will not shy away from boasting about their dramatic improvement made in the real color coverage by past year. Black Level performance in the LCD display is less talked thing in the television corridors as no significant improvement has been made on this front so manufacturers will certainly keep mum on this fact.

Non-4k TV products are here to stay

2017 CES will bring the 4K camera models along with a splendid range of 4K UHD monitors which are almost at par with 4K televisions. Manufacturers are continuously enhancing the capabilities and features of the monitors to make working and designed a much memorable and exciting affair than before. 4K entertainment on the monitor screen is due to the HDCP 2.2 compatibility.