Thursday, 18 May 2017

The Morning After: Google's AI-powered visual search engine

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Thursday, May 18, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Google’s annual conference touched on all the zeitgeisty terms you’d have expected: More voice assistant features, artificial intelligence, visual search powered by deep learning and a whole lot more.

Here’s what you missed

Google I/O 2017 recap

The opening day of Google’s developer event focused on putting more AI everywhere -- in your camera with Google Lens, in your phone/car/TV/speaker with Google Assistant -- and connecting virtual reality to mixed reality with Daydream. It probably sounds like a lot, because it is, but we boiled down the speech to a 15-minute video with all the highlights, so click here and get acquainted with the Google-y new world we’re living in.

Its latest search engine knows what's in your photos.

Google Lens is a powerful, AI-driven visual search app

Google Lens is a broad term that encompasses all kinds of vision-based computing skills. It can recognize what’s going on in photos or videos and offer up clever shortcuts you might want to use. For instance, point your phone at a flower and Google Lens will tell you, on the screen, which type of flower it is, or aim the camera at a restaurant sign to see reviews and other information pop up. The least sexy application we saw on stage might be the most useful: Point the camera at a WiFi router’s name and password, and Google will apparently do the connecting for you. The new system will arrive in Google Photos and Assistant first, later this year.

Practice saying ‘ok Google’

Google Assistant gets smarter and lives in more places (like your iPhone)

For all the talk about artificial intelligence, most of us will experience Google’s work in the area via Google Assistant. The smart helper is opening up to app developers so it can do more things -- like take a conversational delivery order -- and accept typed input for your more private inquiries. iPhone owners can give it a spin outside of Allo, thanks to a new standalone app that (at least so far) narrowly edges out Apple’s Siri in terms of usefulness.

You just want to be in the beta

All about Android O

We still don’t know what the “O” is for, but we do know a lot more about what Google is concentrating on this time around. Other than accelerating boot time, Android O has new limits for apps that are supposed to keep them from draining your battery and wasting resources while running in the background. There’s some AI secret sauce in there, with hardware-accelerated neural network APIs that can figure things out without shifting your private data to the cloud, and a smart copy-paste feature that easily figures out which text is important. Also, new notification dots bring alerts out of the top panel, and there are big emoji updates.

The most important news, though, is that you can try it out right now on various Nexus and Pixel devices.

The smart speaker is getting smarter.

Google Home is getting proactive assistance and visual responses

Google Home was a decent first stab at taking on Amazon's Echo, but there's clearly room for improvement. Today, the company revealed that its smart speaker will soon be able to give you proactive notifications, like alerting you to traffic delays ahead of upcoming appointments. Google Home will light up to let you know it has an alert for you, so it thankfully won't just start talking without any prompting.

"Elon spent the rest of the call convincing me that it’s too far out," said the Uber boss.

Tesla turned down Uber’s self-driving partnership offer

A new book on Uber by Fortune's Adam Lashinsky is coming out soon, but Bloomberg has revealed one juicy anecdote ahead of time. CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly called up Tesla boss Elon Musk to propose a partnership on self-driving cars, but Musk rebuffed the offer and even tried to talk him out of it. Kalanick stated in the book. "Elon spent the rest of the call convincing me that it's too far out, and it's not realistic, that I should just stick to what we do best and be focused, or I'm going to fuck it all up. That's when I knew Tesla was competing."

Yes, the Galaxy S8 doubles as a desktop, but most people can stay away.

Samsung DeX review: The impressive, unnecessary, phone-powered PC

If you already own a Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus, then Samsung's DeX dock is a fascinating proposition. For $150, you could cobble together a system that acts an awful lot like a PC. Mobile Editor Chris Velazco says the interface is familiar and overall performance is pretty impressive. The experience isn't without its problems, though. There are a limited number of apps optimized for DeX and gathering up all the requisite parts could get pricey too, if you don't already have a spare keyboard, mouse and monitor lying around. DeX blurs the line between smartphone and PC better than any other attempt he has seen -- he’s just not convinced that many people will find it genuinely useful.

The Fire 7 gets a new body, the Fire HD 8 is $10 cheaper.

Amazon's Fire tablets get a little thinner and a little faster

There's nothing too drastic coming with Amazon’s Fire tablet update: the Fire 7 gets a thinner and lighter chassis and an improved 7-inch IPS display. Battery life and chip performance have also been improved, not to mention the addition of voice assistant Alexa. Amazon's done even less to the Fire HD 8, throwing in faster, more power-efficient internals but leaving everything else the same. The device's biggest new feature may be the $10 reduction compared to the last model.

But wait, there's more...

1. Qualcomm sues iPhone suppliers to get to Apple's money

2. Google launches a massive open AI division

3. The first 'Star Trek: Discovery' trailer is here

4. AMD's 16-core 'Threadripper' CPU is built for ultra-high-end PCs

5. 'The Witcher' will come to Netflix, not movie theaters

6. Record labels are pushing Apple Music to have fewer exclusives

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Wednesday, 17 May 2017

ECT News Network Weekly Newsletter

ECT News Network Weekly Newsletter: Wednesday -- May 17, 2017

ECT News Network -- Where Business Meets Technology
http://www.ectnews.com
E-Commerce Times | TechNewsWorld
CRM Buyer | LinuxInsider

This Week's Top News Headlines From the E-Commerce Times

Massive Ransomware Attack Reaps Meager Profits
(Posted 17-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84537.html

Federal First Responder Project Presents Juicy Telecom Opportunity
(Posted 16-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84533.html

Microsoft Bashes NSA Following Massive Ransomware Attacks
(Posted 15-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84531.html

Charter's Wireless Play
(Posted 15-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84530.html

British Hospitals, FedEx Among Thousands Hit by Ransomware
(Posted 13-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84529.html

Consumer WiFi Use: No Letup in Sight
(Posted 11-May-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84520.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From TechNewsWorld

HPE Unveils Huge Single-Memory Computer Prototype
(Posted 17-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84536.html

Nintendo Readies Mario for E3 Spotlight
(Posted 16-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84534.html

Dell's 'Alice' Will Guide Women Through VC Wonderland
(Posted 15-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84527.html

Nvidia Embraces Deep Neural Nets With Volta
(Posted 12-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84528.html

Microsoft Debuts Smarter Cloud at Build
(Posted 11-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84524.html

Gadget Ogling: Amazon Gives Fashion Advice, Snacks Get Musical, and
Coffee Tables Get Smart
(Posted 11-May-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84515.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From CRM Buyer

E-Commerce Gets the Einstein Treatment
(Posted 17-May-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84539.html

3 Ways Your Sales Organization Should Prepare for AI
(Posted 16-May-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84532.html

Veeva Offers Cross-Stack Customer Insights
(Posted 12-May-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84526.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From LinuxInsider

Crate.io Packs New Features, Services Into DB Upgrade
(Posted 17-May-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84538.html

Google's New Mobile OS Will Have a Distinctly Non-Linux Hue
(Posted 16-May-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84535.html

The IoT's Scramble to Combat Botnets
(Posted 11-May-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84523.html

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The Morning After: What to expect from Google's I/O conference

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, May 17, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to Wednesday. We’re in peak developer conference season. Microsoft wrapped up last week, Apple is coming soon, and Google is, well, today! We’ll be reporting live from the I/O keynote, which starts this afternoon. We also take a look at the origins of the sex robot.

Nexus Q 2?

Google I/O 2017 preview

This year’s Google developer event kicks off today. We’re expecting to learn more about the future of Android, Chrome and other projects. Follow along with our live blog of the keynote speech starting at 1 PM ET, and if you can’t wait that long, get an early preview of what we’re anticipating right here. Android O and Google Assistant are sure bets, while a “Fuschia” preview or the return of Google Glass (with a skydiving entrance) appear to be less likely.

Customers can get a Powerwall for $15 a month or a flat fee of $1,500.

US utility offers clients cheap Tesla batteries for grid backup

Vermont's Green Mountain Power (GMP) is not only installing Tesla's industrial Powerpacks on utility land, it's also subsidizing home Powerwall 2s for up to 2,000 customers. Rather than firing up polluting diesel generators, the utility can use them to provide electricity around the state. At night, when power usage is low, they're charged back up again. This is the first time a power utility has teamed up with Tesla to use its battery packs for extra grid power during peak usage times. GMP believes the Tesla batteries are not only less polluting than regular generators, but more economical too.

Even the aging MacBook Air could get a much-needed speed bump.

Apple reportedly announcing a slew of MacBook updates next month

Apple's annual developer conference hasn't had a big product reveal in a few years, but this year might be different. Bloomberg sources hear that Apple is planning to upgrade at least the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro line when WWDC kicks off in June. The Pros would get updated 7th-generation Core processors with little to no external changes, while the 12-inch system is only said to be getting a "faster Intel chip" The biggest news may be an update to the left-for-dead MacBook Air. There's no mention of a Retina Display or other more dramatic upgrades, however. The rumors point to a maintenance update, not an overhaul.

It integrates live TV channels and multiple input devices.

The first television with Amazon Fire TV built in is just fine

Sure, you can get a Fire TV stick with an Alexa remote and plug it into your existing television set to make it smart. But that setup can't pull in streams from all the devices you have connected, like your PlayStation, antenna and whatever else you have stuck in your HDMI ports. Nor can it integrate all those inputs seamlessly. If a central hub for all of your streaming content is important to you, and you have money just laying around, consider the new Element Fire TV Edition. It's the first television with Fire TV OS built in, and prices start at $449 for a 43-inch version.

Designed for people who want a TV that doesn’t look like one.

Samsung's The Frame TV blends in with the art on your wall

In 2015, Samsung took a minimalist approach with its Serif TV, a 4K television designed to blend in with your furniture at home or office.It was all part of the company's efforts to make TVs look and feel less obtrusive, all without losing their main functionality: the whole “being a TV” part. Revealed in March, the Frame TV takes that subtlety to the extreme, looking like nothing more than a picture frame. The statement set will be available in 55- and 65-inch models when it starts shipping in early June, though Samsung hasn't said just how much it'll cost yet.

Think outside the box.

Computer Love: Blow-up dolls, vibrators and the sex robot’s uninspired origins

Our latest episode of Computer Love covers the history of the vibrator and the inevitable march towards sex robots.

Humans need only virtually perform a task once for the ‘bot to fully learn it.

OpenAI’s new system lets you train robots entirely in VR

OpenAI’s “one-shot imitation learning”, requires humans to demonstrate a task just once in VR for a robot to learn it. This training model is only a prototype, but teaching robots entirely in simulation could allow researchers to train them for complex tasks without needing physical elements at all. Researchers could safely and easily approximate extreme environments like arctic waters, areas soaked in nuclear radiation or even other planets.

But wait, there's more...

1. Olympus' TG-5 rugged camera has 4K video in a compact body

2. Rumor claims Apple will discontinue the iPad mini

3. IBM unveils its most powerful quantum processor yet

4. Elysium Space will send your ashes into orbit on a SpaceX rocket for $2,500

5. UploadVR sued for 'rampant' sexism, general awfulness

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Tuesday, 16 May 2017

Editor's Pick: Federal First Responder Project Presents Juicy Telecom Opportunity

Federal First Responder Project Presents Juicy Telecom Opportunity

John K. Higgins May 16, 2017 11:43 AM PT
	Competition in telecom price and service packages has been getting a lot of attention lately. However, network providers also have been pursuing other opportunities that consumers might miss if they're exposed only to traditional advertising. AT&T's cooperation with the U.S. government in developing a national emergency responder network is a case in point. [More...]

More Picks:

Dell's 'Alice' Will Guide Women Through VC Wonderland
One of the interesting things at Dell EMC World came from Karen Quintos, the most powerful woman at Dell. Karen is responsible for its Entrepreneur in Residence program, which focuses on equipping and helping woman entrepreneurs. Dell Technologies apparently has created "Alice," a female-focused artificial intelligence focused on helping support and drive innovative firms backed by women. [More...]

3 Ways Your Sales Organization Should Prepare for AI
AI is a trend, and it's always nice to be trendy, but as great as CPQ is, it's still only one source of data. Without sufficient data, AI is extremely limited. It's like allowing your toddler to learn only about colors: The kid might be a whiz with colors, all right, but without context -- in other words, more data -- that information won't make any sense. [More...]

Microsoft Bashes NSA Following Massive Ransomware Attacks
Microsoft this weekend unleashed its wrath on the National Security Agency, alleging it was responsible for the ransomware attack that began last week and has spread to thousands of corporate, government and individual computer systems around the world. Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith launched a blistering attack on the NSA and governments worldwide. [More...]

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