by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Technology
Google Home Mini
San Francisco : Google has decided to “permanently remove” the feature that led its smart speaker ‘Home Mini’ accidentally record several times a day without being given any command from the user.
The company said that it has made the decision because it wants people to have complete peace of mind while using Google Home Mini. The update will be completely rolled out by October 15.
The ‘Home Mini’ shipped with a feature that let owners activate the Google Assistant and control music by tapping the top of the speaker.
Some units had an issue that led the speaker register touches even when no one was around, leading the units to start recording repeatedly.
“The Google Home team is aware of an issue impacting a small number of Google Home Mini devices that could cause the touch control mechanism to behave incorrectly. We immediately rolled out a software update on October 7 to mitigate the issue,” Google said.
With the top button gone, ‘Home Mini’ will now be activated entirely by voice. The volume rockers will work for adjusting the volume.
“Say ‘Ok Google’ or ‘Hey Google’ instead of pressing and holding the top of Mini to start a request. Say ‘Ok Google’ or ‘Hey Google ‘ to control music, alarms and timers,” added Google.
The company removed activity/queries that were created by long pressing the top of a ‘Google Home Mini’ between October 4 and October 7 with a software update.
Google launched ‘Home Mini’ on October 4 for $49 at an event in San Francisco.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Investing, Large Enterprise, Markets, Technology
San Francisco/New Delhi : Betting big on artificial intelligence (AI), software and hardware, Google has launched Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones and a refreshed Daydream View Virtual Reality (VR) headset that will be available in India in November.
Pixel 2 is priced at Rs 61,000 for the 64GB variant and Rs 70,000 for the 128GB variant. Pixel 2 XL (64GB) will cost Rs 73,000 and Pixel 2 XL (128GB) will be available for Rs 82,000.
The pre-orders commence from October 26. The devices will be available in over 1,000 stores across the country and on Flipkart, starting November 1 (Pixel 2) and November 15 (Pixel 2 XL).
“Computing will now be conversational, ambient and contextual. It’s a unique moment in time, when Google can bring AI, software and hardware together. The rate at which we are seeing progress in AI is amazing,” Indian-born CEO Sundar Pichai told the gathering at the San Francisco event.
Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch and Pixel 2 XL with a 6-inch Full-HD OLED displays with Portrait Modes on both rear and selfie cameras.
Rated 98 by independent camera testers DXO, the rear camera comes with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Electronic Video Stabilisation (EVS) technology to remove shaky photos and videos.
The camera can also click “Live Photos” by recording up to three seconds of footage.
It also has AR Stickers and Pixel users would get free unlimited storage on Google Cloud to store photos and videos in the original quality. The devices have IP67 rating making them water and dust resistant.
Both phones come with “squeeze” interaction technology called “Active Edge” that opens Google Assistant, USB-C charger and front facing stereo speakers. The company claims it has the fastest fingerprint scanner in a smartphone.
The devices have Google Lens — a new set of visual features that help you learn more about the world around you and get things done.
Currently, in its early stages, Google Lens builds on Google’s advancements in computer vision and machine learning, combined with Google knowledge graph which underpins Google Search.
At the start users can look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, right from Google Photos on your Pixel.
Both phones have Snapdragon 835 processors and 4GB RAM. Though there is some bad news as the headphone jack is gone.
The phone will support an “Always On Display” this year, to show the notifications and time.
Google also announced a refreshed Daydream View VR headset which can be paired with Pixel 2 or any Daydream-ready phone. It sports a premium fabric that makes the headset soft and light and will be available in Charcoal colour for Rs 7,999 on Flipkart.
The company also launched smaller smart speaker “Home Mini”, a larger version called “Home Max”, high-performance convertible Chromebook called PixelBook and “Google Clips” action camera.
Google Home Mini is priced at $49. Reimagining the sound, it also launched Google Home Max, with 2-inch tweeters and 4.5-inch woofers for amazing audio with ‘SmartSound’ powered by Google Assistant that automatically tunes sound.
It supports Chromecast, AUX and Bluetooth 5.0 and will be available in December for $399.
The PixelBook is 10mm thin and weighs a kilo. It has 12.3-inch Quad HD LCD display, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and i5 and i7 processors.
The device has multiple layers of security, automatic updates and it is the first laptop with Assistant built-in.
The Pixelbook Pen, priced at $99 can help users get information of whatever they have on the screen. Write and draw with Pixelbook Pen that has 10ms of latency and 2,000+ levels of pressure sensitivity.
Google also launched a small, wearable camera called “Clips” for $249. The device is packed with AI to make some cool images.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Networking, Technology
By Faisal Kawoosa,
The era of 5G of mobile networks will not simply be about more throughput and speeds. These are obvious outcomes. The real power of 5G will be in unleashing connectivity among the unconnected — and “unconnected” will not primarily mean people. 5G will not be providing solutions to reach out to the lowest strata of society that remains to be “connected”. So, do not expect 5G to help widen the user base.
The essence of 5G is about creating a mesh between humans and things. While it will continue to enhance the communication experiences of humans with humans, the main focus of the technology will be on creating channels of communication for things-to-things and humans-to-things. This is why Internet of Things (IoT) is the centrepiece of the 5G era.
There is already a lot of literature from technology creators like Qualcomm, Ericsson and others on the characteristics of 5G as well as IoT. And India too will follow the global trend where the initial 5G technology implementation will mean integrating and connecting objects with humans.
Smartphones will undeniably retain their relevance in the 5G era. They will remain the default interface between humans and the connected environment around. However, what will excite the entire value chain, in terms of displaying of technology innovations, business opportunities and creating value out of the communications infrastructure, will predominantly be other connected and smart devices and gadgets.
This will trigger an upgrade in terms of specifications of smartphones so that users actually use the technology embedded in the infrastructure and other bits. What will excite everyone down the value chain will be the integration of technology and intelligence running over it through artificial intelligence (AI) and other such interventions.
This will mean greater excitement around the launch and display of what is referred to as “ConnectedX” (a bouquet of devices that would get connected in due course of time).
In the Indian context, smartphones have been exciting the market for around a decade now. However, in the coming decade, smartphones alone will not steal the limelight. There will be more connected devices and gadgets — including some that we have not even visualised yet — and all of them will be propelled by the underlying 5G power.
This means that companies showcasing solutions around IoT based on 4G connectivity will actually have to speed up to launch their 5G-based solutions in the next couple of years.
We saw the smartphone trend eventually leading to 4G and becoming the default cellular connectivity in just a span of three years; it is highly likely that “IoTification” will predominantly happen through 5G, and 4G connectivity may remain relevant for just a couple of years in that era.
While the media and other channels of promotion in future will not see the same interest in the launch of smartphones, the ecosystem in India — especially home-grown handset makers — have to align their strategic roadmap to remain in the business for the next decade.
The R&D capabilities of these brands in smartphones were limited and restricted. However, it is time for them to prepare for the long-haul and get set for the coming 5G opportunity.
(Faisal Kawoosa is the General Manager-Research & Consulting with CyberMedia Research [CMR]. His core areas of research include Telecommunications and ESDM. The views expressed here are personal. He can be contacted at releases@cmrindia.com)
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Markets, News, Politics, Technology
Piyush Goyal
New Delhi : With the kind of technology, talent and innovation which are currently available in the country, India will leapfrog the learning stages the developed countries have to go through towards realising their digital goals, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said here on Thursday.
Addressing the gathering on the second day of the ‘India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2017’ here, Goyal said: “We have to expand the level of technology for growth. The telecom industry and Railways are helping India expanding it to benefit the masses”.
“Connectivity is the key to growth and development as we bring mobility to the people across the country to bring a comfortable experience,” Goyal added.
Similarly, the experience of using mobile phones will take us to the next level of engagement, he added.
The three-day event that started on Wednesday is the first of its kind in India. Led by the Department of Telecommunication as the nodal ministry, the India Mobile Congress has been organised by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)
It has housed 300 exhibitors along with 60 start-ups and eight embassies as participants.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Networking, Online Marketing, Social Media, Technology
By Nishant Arora,
New Delhi : As governments the world over realise the urgent need to tame the anarchic world of the Internet — dominated by a couple of tech giants — and begin to write new rules pertaining to users’ rights, data privacy and spread of false news and extremist content, India too must shun archaic regulations and implement New-Age cyber laws.
The debate is now growing about exercising some form of control over the web when billions are communicating daily over social media platforms, smartphone use is on the rise and data consumption is breaking all previous records.
Look at how the Unites States has brought Facebook under intense scrutiny over Russian ads on its platform during the 2016 US presidential election, or how the European Union in June slapped a record $2.7 billion fine on Google after it found that it “abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors”.
Speaking at the United Nations last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May said technology companies must go “further and faster” in removing extremist content from their platforms.
In the meanwhile, there is widespread criticism across the world, including in India, over sharing of user data between WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook.
Like the Western world, the time is ripe for India to wake up from its slumber in terms of cyber regulation and come up with appropriate strategies to tighten its cyber policies vis-a-vis the Internet, say experts, adding that the existing cyber law is not adequate to deal with current realities.
“India does not have any detailed legislation on data privacy on Internet/social media platforms. India also does not have a data protection law. The Information Technology Act, 2000, which got amended only in 2008, is neither a data privacy law nor a data protection law,” Pavan Duggal, the nation’s leading cyber law expert, told IANS.
According to him, Indians are slowly beginning to discover that they have no effective remedy once they are targeted in the anarchic system on Internet, including social media platforms.
Data intermediaries and data repositories need to be made responsible for ensuring data privacy of their customers, stressed Duggal, also a Supreme Court advocate.
“India can come up with dedicated new legislation on data protection as well as data privacy. The Supreme Court has already expressed the hope in the landmark judgment of Justice K.S. Puttaswami vs Union of India that the Government would take into account the fundamental principles concerning privacy which have been laid down by the Supreme Court and enshrine them in new provisions of law,” Duggal informed.
According to The New York Times, in the last five years, more than 50 countries have passed laws to gain greater control over how their people use Internet.
“India is woefully under-prepared to address issues of data protection and cyber-security. We need a data protection law that protects citizens from misuse of data by the government and companies with strict liability and extremely high statutory damages that must be awarded within a strict period of time,” noted Mishi Choudhary, President and Legal Director of New Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC.in), a non-profit setup.
“In addition, we need a citizen’s privacy charter against surveillance. But overall, we need simplicity in communications in terms of use, law and not an overload of legal jargon and over-regulation,” Choudhary told IANS.
According to Duggal, it appears that governments at times do tend to get intimidated by Internet giants.
“However, every country provides a fertile market for big Internet players and, hence, the country can rely upon its intrinsic strengths to regulate the big ones. Just because an Internet player is a big player, that does not mean that the said player is not amenable to regulation,” Duggal emphasised.
With a nearly 1.3 billion population — and most of it now connected — India represents a huge market for web players who can’t afford to ignore its potential.
“If big Internet players want to have access to the India market, they have to comply with Indian regulations,” Duggal added.
With a growing chorus for digital India and realising a billion dreams, a new legal cyber framework should be the first and foremost step by the government.
“The onus is now on the government. It will be interesting to see what approaches the government would want to adopt in this case,” the experts noted.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
—IANS
