Google to build quantum computing processors

Google has partnered with scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara to build new processors for use in quantum computing systems.

Quantum computers aim to use properties of subatomic particles to perform calculations millions of times faster than conventional computers, although there are lots of obstacles to overcome for that to happen.

Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence team will work with researchers at UC Santa Barbara to build new quantum information processors to help make quantum computers a reality.

Today’s computers use electrical transistors to represent the ones and zeros of binary computing, but quantum computers will use qubits, or quantum bits, which rely on laws of quantum mechanics to achieve various states.

And while a transistor can only be in one of two states—on or off, representing a 1 or a 0—quantum bits can hold multiple states simultaneously, meaning they can be a 1 or a 0, or both at the same time. That could allow them to perform multiple calculations in parallel, vastly increasing their processing power.

Qubits are also highly unstable, however, and can alter their state at the tiniest change in temperature or magnetism. Physicists at UC Barbara are on the forefront of trying to solve those problems, so it’s easy to see why Google wants to work with them.

The two groups will work on processors based on superconducting electronics, Google said in a blog post. That involves cooling materials to a point near absolute freezing where electrical resistance and magnetic fields are minimized.

Microsoft is also researching quantum computing and published a paper and a video recently that explain in plain English how it works.






Source : pcworld.com

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Google brings Slides to iPad, adds Office functionality

The iPad is great for productivity, that much is certain. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he gets about 80% of his work done on an iPad, and now you might be able to as well. Google has rounded out their suite of productivity apps for iPad, bringing Slides to the tablet. There is also some new functionality for those who may be using the Docs or Sheets apps as well.

Google’s Slides app compliments their Docs and Sheets apps, already available for iPad. The trio reach into Drive, which is Google’s effort at productivity anywhere. By starting, continuing, and finishing work in the cloud, you can access your stuff anywhere.

Slides may have been held out to work on functionality, too. Google is also announcing their three apps now work with Microsoft Office documents. At Google I/O this year, Android and Chrome boss Sundar Pichai told us that Drive would be a lot more friendly with Office in the near future. An update gave us that functionality, so perhaps getting the Slides app to work with Office presentations was among the final steps in that process.

The app is available now, and is free to download. It does require a Drive account to be set-up, but if you’ve got Gmail, you already have that. For being productive on the go, Drive is hard to beat in many circumstances — especially if you’re using multiple OSs, and multiple types of devices.






Source: slashgear.com

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Google buys city guides app Jetpac, support to end on September 15

Google has acquired the team behind Jetpac, an iPhone app for crowdsourcing city guides from public Instagram photos.

The app will be pulled from the App Store in coming days, and support for the service will be discontinued on September 15.

 Google buys city guides app Jetpac, support to end on September 15Jetpac’s deep learning software used a nifty trick of scanning our photos to evaluate businesses and venues around town. As MIT Technology Review notes, the app could tell whether visitors were tourists, whether a bar is dog-friendly and how fancy a place was.

It even employed humans to find hipster spots by training the system to count the number of mustaches and plaid shirts.

Interestingly, Jetpac’s technology was inspired by Google researcher Geoffrey Hinton, so it makes perfect sense for Google to bring the startup into its fold. If this means that Google Now will gain the ability to automatically alert me when I’m entering a hipster-infested area, then I’m an instant fan.

Jetpac also built two iOS apps that tapped into its Deep Belief neural network to offer users object recognition.

“Imagine all photos tagged automatically, the ability to search the world by knowing what is in the world’s shared photos, and robots that can see like humans,” the App Store description for its Spotter app reads. If that’s not a Googly description, I don’t know what is.



Source : thenextweb.com

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Google, H-P Discuss Android Assistant for the Workplace

As the smartphone battle between Google and Apple moves into the corporate world, Google’s Android unit has been talking to Hewlett-Packard and others about enabling the Google Now “virtual assistant” to be used as a new type of search tool for corporate data, according to three people who have been involved or briefed on the talks.

The idea is for employees to be able to ask their Android device for company information such as financial data or product inventory information in the same way they do routine personal searches for weather, traffic or restaurant locations. Google search doesn’t currently offer any such integration with corporate databases and software applications, but it’s an area Google has looked at as it tries to chip away at the iPhone’s lead among business customers.  






Source : theinformation.com

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Google buys chat app that spies on you to serve ads

Google just bought another online communications channel it can fill with ads.

The tech giant confirms it has acquired Emu, a startup that offers a kind of instant messaging tool. The price was not disclosed, but Google's interest in the company isn't hard to divine: Emu has built a system that can monitor chats, infer what people are talking about, and insert relevant links -- including ads.

Emu, which has been subsisting for two-and-a-half years on venture funding, doesn't insert such ads today. Instead, it uses its monitoring tools to identify certain other information that might be helpful to you. For example, if you're chatting on the Emu service and the other person types something about getting lunch, Emu might suggest nearby restaurants or show the mid-day schedule from your calendar. But it's a very short leap from such information to commercial promotion. A nearby cafe might pay for ad to appear every time the word "coffee" comes up in your chat.

The Emu buy is part of a much larger trend to monitor and thus profit from new chunks of people's lives. Foursquare just rolled out a new version that, by default, tracks your movements continuously, negating the need for a "check in" button. Google, meanwhile, isn't just interested in chats; the company has said that it may eventually show ads on internet-connected home devices, such as thermostats.

Emu fills a growing hole in Google's ad offerings. Google mines search terms and emails for advertising purposes, but not yet chats. As people shift their computing to smartphones and other mobile devices, chatting -- short, immediate, and part of phone culture for decades -- has become more popular.

Google's popular "Hangouts" app seems a perfect home for Emu's monitoring algorithms, particularly once the Emu chat service shuts down on August 25. The fit between Emu and Google looks even better when you consider that Emu co-founder and CEO Gummi Hafsteinsson spent five years at Google before founding Emu.

Google's Android mobile operating system could also benefit from the deal. Emu's technology could monitor not just Hangouts but also incoming text messages on Android phones and use the phone's full capabilities -- its calendar access, contact list, location data, and so forth -- to be even more helpful to users. Hafsteinsson designed such a system in his two years at Apple, when he was a manager on the Siri virtual iPhone assistant.

Though Emu could help Google smartphone users, it is also poised to further erode their privacy, putting one-on-one communication under centralised monitoring by a third party. Once upon a time, chats were considered too humdrum to deeply analyse, even if they were easy to intercept. Those days are gone.




Source : wired.co.uk

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Gmail is autoscanned for child abuse images

Google's automatic email-scanning tech has been hard at work -- toil which has now resulted in the arrest of a man who had been looking at sexually explicit images of children.

After discovering images, Google reported the Texan man who was already a registered sex offender to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Khou.com reports. The Centre proceeded to inform the police who acquired a warrant and upon searching the man's other devices discovered more incriminating images and messages.

In case you weren't aware or had totally forgotten that Google was scanning your emails for evidence, let's just take a moment to acquaint -- or reacquaint -- ourselves with the updated terms of service Google announced earlier this year. In April Google added the following sentences to its privacy policy to make it clear that all of your content -- and that includes anything you upload -- is fair game for scanning:

"Our automated systems analyse your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customised search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored."

Google chairman Eric Schmidt spoke out late last year to emphasise the effort that the company was putting into preventing the spread of child abuse images. In June 2013 Google also published a blog post reinforcing its commitment to tackling child exploitation and saying it would take any incriminating evidence to the NCMEC as well as the Internet Watch Foundation. The company uses "hashing" technology to tag known child sexual abuse images, which allows it to identify duplicate images elsewhere. This means that each image gets its own unique identification number so that humans don't have to look at them twice.

"We're in the business of making information widely available, but there's certain 'information' that should never be created or found. We can do a lot to ensure it's not available online -- and that when people try to share this disgusting content they are caught and prosecuted," said Google's Jacqueline Fuller.

While this implied that Google was making sure that people were unable to come across sexually explicit images of children through search, it never quite made it clear where its commitment to preventing the spread of illegal images stopped. Needless to say, Google always had the capability to extend this to its various products, including Gmail and Google Drive, and now we know for sure that it does.


It's likely that this this latest revelation comes as a result of an individual being careless and much illegal activity goes on well beyond Google's reach. Whether or not you agree with Google's attitude towards privacy, at least this sad story serves as a warning to others who may be tempted to do the same.



Source : wired.co.uk

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Google Glass prescription frames official in four styles

Google has revealed its prescription frames for Google Glass, the much-anticipated accessory which will make the wearable computer more user-friendly to those who already wear glasses. Dubbed the Titanium Collection and offered in four styles - Thin, Classic, Bold, and Split - all are made from lightweight titanium, like the original Glass band, and will be supplied with non-prescription lenses suited for those who don't need their vision corrected, but can be optionally fitted out to suit a prescription.

The four options - all internally designed by Google's Glass team - fit broadly into the basic style categories. Curve has a more oversized look, with thick, round lenses, while Thin has thinner frames and rectangular lenses. Bold is a thicker version, also with rectangular lenses, and then Split is thin on top and rimless on the bottom.


Unfortunately, just as we suspected, the frames aren't designed to be truly modular: you can't snap on and off the Glass assembly, to suit times when you might not want - or be allowed - to wear a computer on your face. Instead, the single screw on the inside of the Glass band is removed and the hardware then screwed onto the prescription frames instead.

It looks to be a relatively straightforward process, but it does mean that if you need glasses to actually correct your vision then you're either going to have to carry a spare pair or get used to wearing Glass all the time.

Google has partnered with VSP (Vision Service Plan) to get ECPs (Eye Care Professionals) in the US up to speed on the lens and fitting requirements of the new Titanium Collection frames. There'll be a list of those trained up, and - as long as the Glass Explorer has a prescription issued within the past year - they'll be able to go straight to an ECP and have the optics prepared and installed.

Exactly how many ECPs have been trained so far is something Google isn't saying, but there are apparently already people in New York, San Francisco, and LA - coincidentally all places with Glass Basecamp centers - ready to go.

Google also has two new sunglasses styles, Classic and Edge, to go along with the rimless sunglasses snap-in accessory that comes with the wearable as standard. They also twist-clip into place, rather than requiring Glass be screwed in. They'll both be offered at $150 each.

The new Titanium Collection frames will go on sale from Tuesday, January 28th, priced at $225 apiece. That obviously doesn't include Glass itself or prescription lenses, though Google says that those with VSP vision insurance should find their policy will cover or part-cover having those fitted.

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Google Video Quality Report to grade how well ISPs deliver YouTube

If you've ever tried to use YouTube as a practical measure of how fast your Internet connection is, then you might be in for a surprise. Apparently, Google has the same idea and has launched its Video Quality Report service to gauge an Internet Service Provider's performance based on how well they are able to stream videos from YouTube.

It might seem almost strange for Google to offer such a kind of service that would virtually pit ISPs against each other. After all, it can turn into a virtual hall of shame really quick. But Google's motives are more or less benign and want users to have a more understandable criteria for evaluating an ISP's offer, as well as making sure they're getting their money's worth.

Being Google, there is a bit of science and math behind the service. For sure, it isn't going to rely on users' feedback or comments, which will be very subjective. It also won't simply base its results from a single person's Home connection. Instead, it analyzes how fast billions of hours worth of YouTube videos are slurped over a span of 30 days. This is then categorized by service provider and location. It also properly considers the density of users on that network per region and adjusts the scores accordingly.

The result is a grading system, indicated by none other than badges, that Google believes can help users and service providers communicate better with each other. A "YouTube HD Vertified" badge tells users that the ISP in that area is able to load videos in 720p HD most of the time. "Standard definition", on the other hand, is given to those that can load at least 360p 90% of the time. And "lower definition" is reserved for those that cannot guarantee even standard quality or, worse, a stable connection.

The website for Google's Video Quality Report is already up but currently only contains informational material on what Google is trying to accomplish and how. For the moment, Google's first test subject is Canada, since Google considers the ISPs there to be exemplars of quality YouTube streaming. Google is so far keeping mum on when it plans to start rolling out to other regions as well. It will be interesting to see how much its badges will be adopted as a way of measuring quality of service in the future.







SOURCE: Financial Post

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Google Glass Explorer developing apps for firefighters

Google Glass Explorers come in all varieties and Glassware of many sorts is in development, all of it aiming to augment our existence in a new and functional way. One of the more altruistic developments-in-progress are the apps being created by developer and firefighter Patrick Jackson, who sees a future in the technology for his fellow firefighters.

The specifics of Jackson's projects weren't detailed, though in the video there are various examples of how Glass can be used by Explorers. The idea is that firefighters could wear Google's wearable when on the job and have the ability to pull up needed information hands-free, giving them the opportunity to focus on the task of hand while getting the details needed at the same time.


One example is the ability to pull up instant extraction schematics for the needed vehicle when responding to an auto accident scheme. This builds upon the idea set forth by Mercedes-Benz early last year, when the auto maker started including QR code stickers for first responders. The idea behind that was the ability to use mobile technology to scan and instantly retrieve the details needed to free trapped drivers. A comparable app for Glass would build upon this, eliminating the need to pull out a smartphone or tablet -- instead, one could speak the make and model as a command, or perhaps scan an included QR code with Glass's camera if available.

Said Jackson on Google+: "When I got Google Glass I had no idea that this would happen! Very cool experience with Google and they capture what I am doing and plan to do with Glass for firefighters. Thanks to all those who supported my indiegogo campaign to make this possible and to my wife for being the best wife ever and supporting me!"






SOURCE: Google+

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Nest not giving Google data access, still supporting iOS and Android

Nest's $3.2bn acquisition by Google won't see the search giant immediately get its hands on the smart home firm's user data, founder Tony Fadell has insisted, and nor will it see products like the Nest thermostat ditch iOS support, despite Google's vested interest in Android. Chatter of Google gaining insight into when Nest thermostat owners were home and which rooms they were active in being factored into services like Google Now began almost immediately after the cash deal was announced, with many concerned that Google's hunger for more contextual information would overrule Nest's privacy policy.

Not so, Nest CEO Tony Fadell told The Verge. While the founder wouldn't say that Nest's privacy policy would "never" change, he did maintain that "our privacy policy stays exactly our privacy policy, that doesn't change" and that "at this point, there are no changes to our terms of service."

Fadell will report directly to Larry Page, Google's CEO, and his title will remain CEO of Nest, he told USA Today. Although the news of the acquisition only broke today - and is still yet to be approved by regulators, of course - the connection between the two companies has been there for some years.

In fact, Google Ventures - the company's venture capital arm - invested in Nest back in 2011, followed by a second investment after that. The financing followed Fadell demonstrating the original Nest thermostat to Google's Sergey Brin, during a TED 2011 meeting, where the smart home tech obviously made a sizable impression on the Google co-founder.

According to Fadell, talk about today's deal has been underway since the summer of 2013, and is more about access to Google's technology, infrastructure, and certain expert teams than it is the cash. "This is about scale and this is about vision," Fadell says.

That vision will continue to include iOS and Android apps for the Nest thermostat, and Fadell hopes that the product will remain on its coveted spot in Apple Stores. As to whether the Cupertino firm was a potential bidder, Fadell can't say. Google, meanwhile, has its own underwhelming smart home projects, including Android@Home which failed to materialize after a 2012 reveal.

More recently, Google is said to have been experimenting with a smart thermostat of its own, which would give homeowners a better insight into their energy use.

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HTC One X+ KitKat update unofficial, Android updates are over

According to the UK office of HTC, the more powerful of the two USA-based HTC One X devices will no longer be receiving Android updates of any kind. This is the HTC One X+, a device which works with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, one available from AT&T, one which will not be seeing KitKat. This comes after a short rumor period in which it was affirmed that HTC’s One X+ would be getting this update - now HTC confirms that this is not true.

According to HTC UK, the HTC One X+ “will not receive further Android updates”, and furthermore, it “will remain on the current version of Android” for the foreseeable future. This means that if you do plan on updating to a new version of Android in the future on this device, you’re going to need to hack.

While this wasn’t the most popular phone in its category - by a long shot - the HTC One X+ does still have a dedicated set of developers working in the wild that’ll help you make with the change-up at your leisure. Of course that sort of modification of your smartphone will result in a break in your warrantee.

The HTC One X+ update cut was also confirmed by the HTC office in the Netherlands, all the way back on the 8th of January. We had a review of this device back in December of 2012 where, regardless of the original having been released in April of that year, we still found the X+ to be an impressive handset to behold. Will this device remain a worthy competitor with the rest of the mid-tier now that its software has been halted? If its price remains shockingly low, yes.

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Sony Xperia Z1 Compact hands-on

In the announcement of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, the company made a rather pointed suggestion - our best doesn't have to be our biggest. Working specifications that closely match those of the Sony Xperia Z1, this miniature device works with high-end processing power and a 20+ megapixel camera. Right next to the Xperia Z1, the Xperia Z1 Compact also looks like it's working with a display that's just as brilliant - as you'll see below.

This device has impressed us in a way that's not only based in the device itself, but in the idea that it'll open up a new trend for smaller smartphones through 2014. While users have been asking for smaller devices - like the Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini - to work with top-level power for some time, Sony delivers. They deliver in a variety of colors to boot!

This machine works with the ability to pair with the Sony Smartwatch 2, it's got a matching set of peripherals if you wish, and it's made with metal and glass. While we're still not too impressed with the fingerprint-magnet this device appears as right out of the box, we still come away impressed with the overall feel of the machine.

Below you'll find a number of example shots from this smartphone's back-facing camera. While you could keep in mind that we might not be working with final software here if you want, the photos already look pretty superior here before release.

When you've got glass and metal making up the vast majority of the build of a smartphone, the smartphone feels expensive. Better than expensive, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact feels like the company that made it took the time to perfect it, sculpting it to their own best-possible look and feel for release later this year. We'll be waiting to trade in our Z and Z1 right out the gate - not because they aren't awesome, but because this size is just about as ideal for our palm as it gets.

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Omate TrueSmart smartwatch hands-on: SIM-toting shooter in the wild

After months of waiting and watching for the Omate TrueSmart smartwatch to appear in the wild, it’s finally appeared here at CES 2014. What we’ve got here is a smartwatch that takes the dream of a stand-alone device in smartwatch form and makes it a reality - there’s a SIM card in here. That center bit between the two massive physical buttons on the side of this watch is a camera, too - and not a half bad one, at that.

In this smartwatch you’ve got the ability to 3G/2G calls and data - a first for a smartwatch - making this device what Omate suggests is the “world’s smallest wearable smartphone.” While we’ve not had the opportunity to test out call quality or data speed - we’re in the middle of CES 2014, after all - we have gotten to take a few photos home from this machine’s 3-megapixel camera (upscaled to 5-megapixels by the software).

Below you’re seeing three examples of photos taken by the Omate TrueSmart. Keeping in mind that the software may not be finalized on this unit and that we’re certainly not in an optimal photography environment, this camera isn’t the worst we’ve ever seen. We’ll expect to see some improvement over the slightly dark/hazy results shown here before the final product arrives.

This watch works with a dual-core MediaTek processor inside clocked at 1.3Ghz (MTK6572), and we’ve found it to move relatively swiftly. Certainly not as instant a jerk left and right moving through each home screen as a smartphone from 2013, but certainly just as swift as this device’s competition.

The build quality on the Omate TrueSmart is quite nice. Nicer than we expected, for whatever reason , bringing a solid body and hefty watch strap to boot. You’ll certainly not be disappointed by this wearable’s heft, given its steel alloy casing and sapphire glass up front. The TrueSmart does seem relatively large compared to your average non-smart watch, but certainly no more bulky than the Samsung Galaxy Gear.

You'll also see the charging case for this device here - a solution we heard about before, here appearing very similar to the solution offered by the Galaxy Gear. This charging accessory sends power to the smartwatch through several pins, allowing the watch to keep its waterproof and dustproof grading by doing away with USB ports of any and all kinds.

Have a peek, and stay tuned as we check the final product out early this year - sooner than later, we hope!

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Google Glass prescription frames revealed by Rochester Optical

The first prescription lens option for Google Glass has been revealed, with Rochester Optical sneaking in ahead of Google's own official frames with a custom carrier that can be slotted into the Android wearable. The system, which consists of a set of frames - Rochester Optical calls it the Glass Prescription Lens Carrier (GLPC) - that clip into the bridge of Glass and cost from $99 for the single-vision lenses and $129 for the GLPC itself.

That way, there's no need to unscrew the eyepiece section of Glass - as we're expecting to have to do with Google's own frames - and Rochester will offer eight different colors ranging from black and white, through to bright red, orange, cyan, royal blue, silver, and grey.

As well as the cheapest lens option, there'll also be various options and more expensive lenses to choose between, such as bi-focals and transitions. Rochester will also be offering tinted lenses for sunglasses along with scratch-resistant coatings.

In addition, Rochester will also have eight different shapes of GLPC to choose between, ranging from curved to square and several in-between. We're still not clear on what shapes Google will offer, nor how much its frames will cost.

The first GLPC orders will be taken in late January, Forbes reports, with initial deliveries expected from early February. Google has promised more on its system later in 2014.

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HTC Q413 brings Beats-based gain, smaller operating loss

This week we're having a peek at a bit of mixed news from HTC, with their final quarter of 2013 being wrapped up with both a gain and a loss. Speaking from an operating loss perspective, the group lost NT$1.56 billion - that's $52 million in USD. This is a relatively healthy cutback, so to speak, from the operating loss in Q3 2013 when HTC spoke up about a drop of NT$2.97 billion - that's $101 million USD.

On a more positive note, HTC reported that the selling of their remaining shares of Beats this season allowed them a cool net profit of NT$310 million - aka $10.3 million USD gained this quarter. The company also saw a quarter in which they've released the HTC One Max, the significantly larger relative of their hero phone for the year, the original HTC One.

This marks the end of a rather exciting year for the company after they'd moved in a rather pointed way toward a real hero smartphone strategy. Calling the device "One", to be extra clear about it, HTC made it clear that they were going to put the most massive bit of their efforts into a single handset that'd aim to rule them all. Given social networking feedback in customer satisfaction and the ample amount of positive reviews the handset received, they'd done all but make sales of the device.

While this quarter's reported earnings certainly aren't the major turnaround the company was hoping for, things do appear to be looking up for the company. If this trend continues, HTC will be shooting for a positive set of wins through 2014 with the release of their next wave of handsets. Have a peek at the latest rumor mill gush on this code-named "HTC One 2" right this minute!





VIA: HTC

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Lumen TL800 Bluetooth 4.0 light bulb hits Amazon on way to CES 2014

In the battle of the smart bulbs, it would appear that the Lumen TL800 is about to be a big contender starting here in 2014. There's been little damage done to the likes of Philips Hue's efforts in the smart light bulb business since inception, but all that may be about to change now that the Lumen TL800 arrives at Amazon online before being given a full showing at CES 2014. This light bulb is both multi-colored and smart enough to know when you've walked in the room.

Of course you'll need a device working with Bluetooth 4.0, that being the sort of Bluetooth that works with Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) and Bluetooth Smart. With this sort of technology, Lumen is able to make their lightbulbs turn on when you've arrived in-range. For Bluetooth 4.0, that means as far as 50 meters away.

There's a single Android app and an iOS app for use with the Lumen TL800 range, this app making simple work of the full functionality of the bulbs. Tapping hot or cold brings you a range of colors as such, and (supposing you've got your lightswitch set to power) you'll be able to tap on or off whenever you please.

    The TL800 provides various modes for different occasions. Features include:

    - Call Alert Mode: Notifies users of incoming calls by flashing when the phone rings.
    - Music Sync Mode: Visualize your music by synchronizing your music and lighting effects. Music Sync Mode is customizable, allowing users to choose desired color combinations.
    - Party Mode 1 and 2: Transform any space into a dance floor with pre-programmed flashing beats that match the music.
    - Wake Mode: Mimics the sunrise in the morning, gradually brightening until it reaches maximum intensity at the stipulated wake up time. Users can customize how long the brightening process should take, from 5 minutes to 15 minutes.
    - Romance Mode: Creates the perfect condition for a romantic date or quiet evening at home with a warm atmosphere.
    - Relaxation Mode: Simulates calming moonlight, creating a relaxing ambiance.

For those of you worrying about power consumption - when off, this bulb consumes negligable power due to its use of Bluetooth LE. Put simply - you're not going to run up your power bill to monstrous levels just because you've got your switch set to on when this bulb is screwed in. Right this minute you'll be able to pick a single bulb up for a cool $69.99 USD. Have at it!

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Samsung Galaxy S 5 tipped (by Samsung) to arrive at MWC 2014

In just a few weeks, it would seem, the next-generation Samsung Galaxy S 5 will appear to the world in a public announcement at Mobile World Congress 2014. This sort of announcement was commonplace for Samsung a few years ago - back when the Samsung Galaxy S, then the Samsung Galaxy S II, knocked out their own MWC-based announcements. Since then the company has taken to their own unique event releases.

As Samsung has only released very, very few devices on the large tech convention circuit over the past couple years, an announcement at the Barcelona-based event would be odd indeed. Word of this announcement's possibility comes from South Korea publication inews24 who say they've spoken with Samsung design director Dong-hoon Chang.

It's Chang, they say, that suggests that the next Samsung hero phone will appear at MWC with code-name "Milky Way Galaxy S5". That'd be some interesting flare to add to the series as well, to be sure.


We've also seen some rather wild-looking visions of what this device could be delivered as in pre-production drawings from Samsung itself earlier this week. What it would appear to be bringing is a device not all that different in size from the Samsung Galaxy S 4, but with a bit of curved glass up front and along the back.

It's likely the Samsung Galaxy S 5, whatever package it arrives in, will not be working with a curved display - only curved glass, if any curves are to be included at all. Meanwhile rumors of metals and plastics included in two separate versions of the handset also persist - keep tuned as we head to CES 2014 first, starting this weekend!






VIA: CTech

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'YouTube' 4K demo to launch Google play to control Ultra HD

YouTube will demonstrate 4K Ultra HD video using a new codec Google hopes will corner the streaming market, VP9, at CES 2014 next week. The royalty-free codec is Google's alternative to H.265 - what's currently one of the most prevalent 4K standards - with YouTube's involvement just one of a number of companies intending to support VP9, the site told GigaOm. That's in an attempt to avoid a re-run of the last streaming codec Google tried (and for the most part failed) to launch.

That was VP8, which Google billed in 2010 as its solution to making video streaming headache-free by removing the need to force users to install plugins. Google even used VP8 itself, in its Hangouts video conferencing, but failed to get any significant traction with other companies.

You can't accuse the firm of not learning from its mistakes, however, and now it has a group of display and chipset companies lined up with support already pledged for VP9. That includes Samsung, Toshiba, and Sharp on the screen side, and Intel, ARM, Marvell, and Broadcom on the silicon side. IN fact, there are now nineteen hardware partners already onboard.

According to a YouTube spokesperson, the big benefit from VP9 is a significant reduction in how much data is transferred during streaming, and not just with 4K content. Compared to existing codecs used for HD video, in fact, VP9 is said to cut the data demands in half, leading to a significant reduction in buffering.

It's not the first time YouTube has offered 4K content. In fact, the streaming video service added 4K support all the way back in 2010, though videos actually taking advantage of the higher-resolution were relatively rare.

That's changed a little over the intervening years, though finding good 4K content to watch on Ultra HD displays and projectors still remains the primary limiting factor of the technology, beyond of course cost.

YouTube expects the changes to still be relatively gradual, predicting VP9 hardware decoding in PCs and mobile devices initially, followed by TVs with support for the codec by around 2015.

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Google patents process for turning chats into comic strips

If you're a Bitstrips aficionado or a fan of flicking open an old-school newspaper funnies section, a patent Google has been awarded might be right up your alley: turning conversations into digital comic strips. The information turned up in a patent detailing a process that, in terms of the social element, at least, sounds very similar to the aforementioned Bitstrips: the ability to share on social networks, with at least two users being involved in the comic.

The patent details a process that uses pre-existing conversations, such as chats, and turns them into comic strips. This conversion process can be manually initiated, it would seem, or it can take place automatically, and it must involve at least two individuals (hence, the conversation conversion aspect of it). The strip can then be opened to editing by other parties to further its life span, so to speak.

There's a bit social aspect to the comic generation idea, with Google's process detailing ways to socially share the created comics: over instant messaging, on a social network a la Facebook, a profile page, perhaps like one's Google+ profile page, or over email. The image above is one example of a sample generated chat by the process -- hopefully if this comes to fruition, the resulting creations will be of a more entertaining persuasion.

Of course, this may never actually surface. There's no information about whether this is something that Google plans to create and bring to its users or just have tucked away silently in its I-own-this-patent folder, which arguably seems more probable. What do you think? Does the patent bring up flashbacks of the last batch of Bitstrips cluttering your Facebook feed, or do you look forward to sharing your knee-slapping conversations with the wider world?




VIA: Engadget

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Moto X scores perma-price cut with the dawn of 2014

 As everyone awakens bleary-eyed from a celebratory night of ushering in the new year, Motorola has announced a permanent price cut for its no-contract Moto X flagship handset. Whilst a bit too late for those of you who grabbed one of these customizable phones for the holidays, the holdouts among us who have been waiting for a price drop can get the device for $399 USD off contract.

Motorola is inviting all to "ring in the new year" with a sans-contract Moto X, the price of which is now $399, with the handset maker promising it applies to any color combination. This under cuts some of Motorola's competitors' handsets, with the company taking a direct jab at the iPhone 5s and GALAXY S 4 pricing -- both are higher than the new Moto X pricing.

This contrasts with yester-year's $499 pricing, and brings it closer to the Nexus 5, financially speaking. You'll still need to drop another $100 if you want to get the fancy wood backing, and this price drop applies to the 16GB model. If you want to get the no-contract 32GB model, you're going to be shelling out $449.99 instead.

At the end of the day, the price drop gives consumers another solid handset option -- off contract -- that doesn't break the bank. Whether buyers will be jumping aboard the Moto X ship this new year or going with the slightly-less-expensive Nexus 5 is yet to be seen, but for those dreaming of a special color scheme or some polished bamboo goodness, Motorola has used the dawning of the new year to make its wares a bit more attractive.





SOURCE : slashgear

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