Android Q gesture navigation to be mandatory for all OEMs: Report

Apart from new features like Dark Mode and Focus Mode, Google will also introduce new navigation gestures with Android Q. What’s interesting about these gestures is that they work just like the ones that iPhones have, and will be mandatory for smartphone makers to implement them. The company will also allow the third party navigation gestures along with the two types it will bring in the next iteration of the Android OS.

As mentioned, Android Q will have two types of navigation gestures: the original three-button navigation, and a new iPhone-like one. “In the future for Android, we’re going to be supporting 2 nav modes moving forward. The first one is 3 buttons, you know Android users love 3 buttons. We know that it’s super usable and it also addresses a lot of accessibility needs that gestures just cannot. On the other hand, we also know that there’s a lot of desire for gestures, so we will be supporting 1 gesture mode, which is what you saw, moving forward in Android – and only that one,” XDADevelopers quoted Ronan Shah, Product Manager at Google on the Android System UI team as saying.

According to the tech news platform, the latter will no longer have any buttons for the user to press, the bottom bar is thinner. In simpler words, the latest nav gestures look a lot like the ones in the iOS. The company also asking the developers to make changes to accommodate the new gestures. “Users increasingly want immersive experiences in Android, and one thing that device makers have done is try to approach this from a software side. And what they’ve done is built their own gesture nav,” Shah said.

“And every device maker has a different impression of how gesture nav should work. What we recognize on a platform side is that kind of gets insane for a developer. Thinking about N different gesture navs when you’re trying to develop, design for, test for, your app, it just kind of gets insane. So with that in mind, we introduced this gesture nav in Q and we’re going to be standardizing the ecosystem as of Q on 3 buttons and our model moving forward,” Shah noted.

This shouldn’t be seen as a compulsion because Google says that it won’t explicitly disallow third-party gestures. According to AndroidAuthority, Google sees third-party gestures “as a power user option.” This means that OEMs will be forced to offer Google’s traditional 3-button navigation and new gestures, and they can also include their own navigation gestures, giving users more options to choose from.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VWuzvB

India now has 400 million active internet users: Google

In 2018, internet penetration in India accelerated “like never before,” reaching an average of 40 million new users every year, Google said in its annual “Year in Search - India” report. Thanks to low-cost smartphones and affordable data packages, there are 400 million Indian consumers that are now online. The report also notes that there are 350 million connected smartphone users in the country, and they are consuming an average of 8GB mobile data per month, which is on par with the levels of developed markets.

Google says that the searches in non-metros are growing faster than the metros through smartphones. “Consumers in non-metros are searching for products related to international travel destinations, beauty, and life insurance more frequently than their counterparts in the metros. They are no longer restricted by the lack of information or access to technology,” the report said. This is facilitated by Indic languages and voice search in the country. India saw 270 percent  growth on year-over-year basis in voice searches.

According to the report, online video is becoming the go-to way consumers are now gathering information and make purchase decisions. “There is growing interest in audio-visual content across verticals, as watchtime on mobile phones rises rapidly. About 1/3rd of all searches for online video are entertainment related, and categories like lifestyle, education and business have shown 1.5x - 3x growth in the last two years. Online video audience in India is expected to grow to 500 million by 2020,” Google said in the report.

When it comes to technology, over 70 percent of all smartphones-related searches come from India. Interestingly, Google has seen 2x increase in Hindi queries related to laptops and PCs, and witnessed a 2.3x jump in Hindi queries about smartphones and mobile phones. YouTube has come out to be an important medium for tech product research. The watch time for Consumer Electronics videos in India doubled year-over-year in 2018, and Unboxing related searches saw 163 percent growth in 2018.

Gaming is also going big in the Indian market with 78 percent growth in gaming laptop queries, and a 2x jump in mobile gaming searches. Google says that the industry is likely to hit $1billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 28 percent, and add 190 million gamers in two years.

Google notes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are assisting businesses in enhancing customer experience and improve return of investment (ROI). “AI and Machine Learning are helping businesses simplify processes and improve efficiency. Brands across various categories, such as CPG and travel, have started integrating voice assistants with their customer service to help customers,” the report said. Google has seen a7x increase in number of active users for Assistant in India.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2LBuARL

PUBG Mobile Season 7 Leak Tips New Skins, Weapon, Royale Pass Rewards, and More

PUBG Mobile’s Season 7 is set to kick off next week, but details about new items, skins and Royale Pass have already been leaked.

from RSS Feeds | GAMES - RSS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com http://bit.ly/2Vgxyui

Apex Legends latest update crashing on PS4 due to Lifelines glitchy Pick Me Up banner

Apex Legends quickly rose up the ranks of battle royale games to establish itself as a worthy title. However, the game is not entirely bug-free and the latest bug is causing PS4 crashes. As per the game devs, the new bug is due to Lifeline’s "Pick Me Up" Banner Frames, which is said to be calling up a file that doesn’t exist. This is causing the game to crash when a player looks at Lifeline’s banner and while hovering over it in the customisation menu. This is also said to happen while viewing the banner card of any player who has Lifeline’s banner. 

Respawn games’ community manager on Reddit says, “We are aware of the crashing reports on PS4 since downloading the update today. For some context, this patch was only meant to update the PS+ skin rewards in the PlayStation Store, no changes were made to the game and this was pushed on Playstation 4 only.” The crash also happens when one views their own, their squad mate’s or the champion’s banner card in the outro or on the in-world screens. Additionally, viewing someone who has the card equipped by “by right-clicking a friend in the lobby,” will also result in a game crash. 

The game devs have released a partial fix for the problem by disabling the banner. However, the crash will still occur when unlocking the banner or when it is equipped. The game developers are working on a fix, which should be issued soon. 

In other Apex Legends news, in its earnings call, EA said that “We are in advanced negotiations to bring Apex Legends to China and to mobile, and we will update you on time frames when those negotiations are concluded.” Even though the company previously said it is not inclined towards releasing a mobile version of its title, it’s now looking into getting in on the scene. PUBG and Fortnite are present on phones and the latter supports crossplay as well. You can read more about this here.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/3060uJj

Amazon Alexa transcripts stay even after you delete voice records: Report

When you ask queries from Amazon’s Alexa, the AI-powered virtual assistant stores them as voice recordings and saves a transcript of that audio command. You can delete those voice recordings, however, a report has claimed that the corresponding transcripts are never deleted and can be accessed by Amazon. It says that this is the reason users see text next to the recordings when you check Alexa dialogue history.

“Amazon lets you delete those voice recordings, giving you a false sense of privacy. But the company still has that data, just not as a sound bite. It keeps the text logs of the transcribed audio on its cloud servers, with no option for you to delete them,” CNET said in a report. Amazon says that it erases the text transcripts from Alexa's “main system,” and it is also working on removing them from other areas where the data can travel.

“When a customer deletes a voice recording, we also delete the corresponding text transcript associated with their account from our main Alexa systems and many subsystems, and have work underway to delete it from remaining subsystems,” an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying. Amazon Echo dominates the market with about 70 percent of the global market share. It nearest competitor is Google Home with nearly 24 percent share and the Apple HomePod is at the third spot with 6 percent.

Meanwhile, Google and Apple said they don't keep transcript data indefinitely. According to Google, both the audio and text entry is removed when a person deletes that data. Apple says that the voice recordings are never associated with a person or an account, and are tied to a random identifier that you can delete.

In a related news, a group of 19 consumer and public health advocates have filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission claiming that the Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition was retaining children's data even after parents deleted the voice recordings. Reportedly, the data stored on Alexa's “Remember” feature was not deleted and parents had to call customer service to delete the profile. On this, Amazon said the Echo Dot Kids Edition is compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VaSjaU

Oppo Reno, Reno 10X Zoom edition might launch in India on May 28

Oppo launched its new Reno series in China last month and it seems like its new phones could soon make their way to India. 91Mobiles claims to have obtained a launch teaser of the Reno smartphone from a retail source, which states that the Oppo Reno phones will debut in India on May 28. The smartphone maker announced two phones under its Reno series, the Oppo Reno and the Reno 10X Zoom and as per the report, both the handsets could be launched in India. The Oppo Reno 10X Zoom is the company’s current flagship device, while the Reno is a mid-range handset. 

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom specifications

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom comes equipped with a 6.65-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and is touted to sport a 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio. It runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, coupled with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6 and is backed by a 4,065mAh battery that supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging support. Game Boost 2.0 acceleration engine and Dolby Atmos support is also included as well. The phone is equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor. 

Coming to the optics, the smartphone features a triple camera setup on the back. It consists of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.7 aperture, an 8MP secondary sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a periscope telescopic lens that is paired with 13MP sensor. On the front, the handset sports a pop-up module that is designed like a shark fin. It houses a 16MP sensor that gets a f/2.0 aperture lens and an LED flash.

Oppo Reno Specifications

The standard Oppo Reno smartphone features a slightly smaller 6.4-inch full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, along with up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of storage. Instead of dual cameras, the phone comes equipped 48MP and a 5MP sensors on the back. The phone features a 16MP pop-up camera on the front. It also runs on ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie, and Game Boost 2.0, and Dolby Atmos support. The handset is backed by a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2Hg5945

Paytm Mall offers cashback on select Apple MacBook models

If you've been saving up to buy your first Apple MacBook laptop or upgrade your aging MacBook Air, now's your chance to crack a good deal. Paytm Mall is offering a cashback offer on select MacBook models. The online retailer's offer includes Paytm Mall Vouchers going up to Rs 8,000 in value, Paytm Cash worth over Rs 4,000, movie tickets worth Rs 2,500, and flight ticket offers up to Rs 750. The cashback offer may vary with the model purchased. Here's a list of MacBook models you can consider upgrading to:

Apple MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air is a much-needed and much-awaited upgrade over the long-standing original model. The variant we think is a good buy is the one with an Intel 8th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal solid-state storage. Rendering graphics is handled by an Intel UHD Graphics 617 GPU. The new MacBook Air has a Retina display and weighs 1.25 kilogrammes. Such a variant of the Apple MacBook Air is currently selling on Paytm Mall for Rs 1,34,845.

Apple MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro is the laptop of choice for many creators. The new 15-inch model comes with Apple's proprietary Touch Bar. The variant in question is the fully-loaded one. It is powered by an Intel 8th Gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB solid-state drive. The discrete GPU inside gets 4GB of vRAM for better image and video processing. The MacBook Pro comes with a total of four Thunderbolt 3 ports. This variant of the Apple MacBook Pro is currently selling on Paytm Mall for Rs 2,64,900.

Apple MacBook Pro

Maybe you don't want to spend so much on your next MacBook Pro. Maybe you don't need all that processing power of a Core i7 CPU and the Touch Bar. Here's another variant of the same MacBook Pro. It has an Intel 8th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive. The 15.4-inch display has a resolution of 2560 x 1600. The MacBook Pro comes with a total of four Thunderbolt 3 ports. This variant of the Apple MacBook Pro is currently selling on Paytm Mall for Rs 1,69,745.

Apple MacBook Air

If you don't store too many files on your laptop, you could take a look at the cheaper variant of the new Apple MacBook Air. It has the same Intel 8th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, but 128GB of internal solid-state storage. The Thin and Light laptop also comes with an Intel UHD Graphics 617 video card and Touch ID. Such a variant of the Apple MacBook Air is currently selling on Paytm Mall for Rs 1,14,695.

Apple MacBook Air

If you don't need the latest generation of processor from Intel and are comfortable with an older model for a lower price, consider the previous-generation Apple MacBook Air. Refreshed in 2017, the laptop has an Intel 5th Gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. The MacBook Air does not have a Retina display but weighs 1.35 kilogrammes. This variant of the Apple MacBook Air is currently selling on Paytm Mall for Rs 73,489.

If these models don't suit your requirement you could check the other models available with a cashback offer here on Paytm Mall's website.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2YimrD5