Alphabet’s DeepMind AI Beats Humans in Multiplayer Shooter

DeepMind, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has designed automated "agents" that taught themselves how to play a competitive first-person multiplayer video game shooter, and became so good they consistently beat human beings.

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Google apologises for accidentally spamming Duo users worldwide with video ad from Indian cricket team

Google accidentally spammed users of its video calling app, Duo, with a message from the Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. Many users reported receiving an unexpected video message from someone who wasn’t on their contact list. On opening the notification, they were greeted with Kohli, who thanked them for their wishes and asked them to “Keep cheering for Team India on Duo”. While some people speculated that Google Duo might be starting to show ads, the company has acknowledged and apologised for the message which was accidentally pushed out to users worldwide. 

In a support thread, a Google employee states that the video message was sent accidentally to unintended recipients. “This was not an ad -- it was a message that users in India were intended to receive as a thank you if they chose to participate in an upcoming Duo promotion,” says the Google employee. Additionally, it is confirmed that Kohli was not added as a contact and as soon as one deletes the received video, one will no longer see it in Duo. Some users also complained about being unable to clear the notification of receiving the message. They can long press on the Duo app icon to see a menu show where swiping left or right will remove a notification.

Anyone else get this random #duo message from @imVkohli? #googleduo #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/3COS3VxaeK

— Laura Eileen (@Rawr_b4_coffee) May 30, 2019

While the message was intended for select Indian Google Duo audience, AndroidPolice notes that users in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand have reported receiving the above promotional video message. While it’s good news that Google Duo is not jumping on the ads bandwagon, this ‘accident’ of pushing a video ad did cause some worry for users. Google might not have any current plans of making ads a norm on Duo, but WhatsApp will start showing ads from next year. Olivier Ponteville, the Head of Media at Be Connect Agency who tweeted out the announcement along with a photo. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2IamIl9

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare releasing for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25, new trailer revealed

Call of Duty Modern Warfare isn’t a sequel to 2011’s Modern Warfare 3. The game is a sequel and a soft reboot of the 2007 game with the same name. In Modern Warate, there will be a single player campaign where players will “take on the role of highly-skilled Tier One operators in an incredibly raw and gritty narrative affecting the global balance of power.” The campaign of the game will be split in two, to give players a diverse perspective on the story. In one half, players will play as a Tier 1 operator, a special forces soldier. In the second half, players will take on the role of a rebel fighter in the Middle East.

According to the Activision Blog Post, “The new Modern Warfare delivers an emotionally charged and intense campaign that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Expect a single-player experience that is edgy, culturally relevant, and thought-provoking. Players will fight alongside a diverse cast of international special forces and freedom fighters working within the grey area of their rules of engagement, in a number of heart-pounding covert operations set throughout iconic European cities and into the volatile expanses of the Middle East. Missions include close-quarter, stealth operations and long-range combat that puts tactical decision-making to the ultimate test.” You can watch the trailer for the game below:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was a genre-defining game bringing FPS war based games in a modern era. Call of Duty has itself been a fan favourite franchise when it comes to FPS games booth with single-player campaigns and online multiplayer. However, games like Halo, Battlefield, Bioshock, Metro, Titanfall and more have given the Call of Duty franchise a run for its money. Maybe it’s time the series went back to the roots that made the franchise so desirable. 

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

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 wont have headphone jack, physical buttons: Report

Samsung generally launches its Note series flagship in August, which means this is the time that rumours and leaks about the phone start to crop up in numbers. In one such rumour, the Note 10 is reported to launch without any physical buttons and 3.5mm headphone jack. Android Police reports that the phone won’t have the power, volume and Bixby buttons, and they would be replaced by capacitive or pressure-sensitive areas. According to the report, these pressure sensitive areas will likely be highlighted by some kind of raised ‘bump’ and/or texture on the edge.

This is not the first time that reports have pointed about a button-less design of the Note 10. Previously, a Korean media outlet had reported that Samsung could have “mechanisms, gestures, and touch-based inputs” to enable functions like summoning the AI-powered virtual assistant Bixby, power on/off the phone and increase/decrease volume. There is no information on whether Samsung intends to carry over the same design to next year’s Galaxy S11 devices.

As far as the 3.5mm headphone jack is concerned, Samsung is probably the last company to get rid of the tech from its flagship phones. Arguably, the 3.5mm jack was one of the key reasons why people chose Samsung devices over others. Premium smartphone makers including, Apple, Google, OnePlus and even Xiaomi (Mi 9) have removed the headphone jacks from their devices, and are offering adapters instead to complement their devices. Samsung's decision to remove the headphone jack is likely to make space for a larger battery.

The displays are becoming more vibrant and its seems that OEMs are now understanding the need for large batteries in the phones. For example, Redmi K20 and OnePlus 7 Pro ship with 4,000 mAh batteries. Samsung Galaxy S10+ houses a 4,100 mah battery pack. Rumours have suggested that a variant of the Galaxy Note 10 might come equipped with a 4500 mAh battery, which is similar to the Galaxy S10 5G phone. Reportedly, the Note device will come with charging “faster than 25W”.

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

Google rolls out Popular Dishes feature on Google Maps created using crowdsourced images

You clicked it, tagged it and Google created a feature thanks to your contributions. For months, Google has been asking Google Maps users to tag restaurant dishes by clicking pictures and adding names to them. Through this, Google created a bank of information to offer a new feature called Popular Dishes in apps. Google Maps will now show popular dishes from a restaurant, based on the images clicked, tagged and reviewed by users. This is an approach Google has used since a long time to train its image recognition algorithms. Remember identifying street signs in reCAPTCHA? That probably helped Google create image recognition features for lens or event its autonomous cars.

Coming back to Google Maps, now when you search for a restaurant on the app, you can head over to its Menu tab (not available for all restaurants) to see the Popular Dishes section right on top. The section features user clicked images in square tiles, with options given for the number of pictures and reviews for that dish at the bottom. Tapping on the dish will present all the user reviews in a list, accompanied by the names of these users. Some of these reviews are also generated by Google’s Local Guides, people who share reviews, photos, and knowledge about the places around them on Google Maps. Local Guides are also rewarded with points for tagging and reviewing dishes on Maps.

There’s also an option to edit reviews and mark changes like wrong dish names, inappropriate dish name and dish not served here. Moreover, Google Map users can tap the + button to add their own images of dishes as well as tag them to help Google better its Popular Dishes recommendations.

“At the end of the day, this feature is  made possible because of contributions from people around the world who want to help others using Google Maps. So if you want to pay it forward to the next diner, simply take a photo of your meal (before you’ve scarfed it down!) and add a dish name so others can know what’s good on the menu,” Google noted in a blog post.

Popular Dishes is now live on Google Maps for Android devices worldwide and will be rolled out to iOS users in the coming months.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VYiy4I

Microsoft Xbox Game Pass comes to PC: All you need to know

One of the best things to happen to the Xbox two years ago was a little service called Xbox Game Pass. It gives gamers access to more than a hundred games for a monthly fee. The service includes all Xbox first party games at launch. Game Pass is now making its debut to the PC. Rather than being called the PC Game Pass, Microsoft is still calling the service Xbox Game Pass, which leads many to think that their service from the console could be carried forward to the PC. Whether this is the case or not isn't clear as the release doesn't detail a price for the service nor a launch date. It also doesn't highlight whether the PC version of the Xbox Game Pass will be bundled with Game Pass Unlimited. For those unaware, Game Pass Unlimited gives users Xbox Live Gold subscription and Xbox Game Pass subscription in one roof. More information about the new service will come at E3 2019.

Coming back to Xbox Game Pass for the PC, the service will give players unlimited access to a curated library of more than 100 PC games on Windows 10. The list of developers that will support the service includes Bethesda, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Paradox Interactive, SEGA, and more. Microsoft has said that titles from newly acquired studios like Obsidian and inXile will also be available to Game Pass subscribers on the PC and the consoles. Microsoft says, “We’re working with over 75 developers and publishers to bring PC content to the service and we’ll ensure the library remains curated and full of great PC titles across a variety of genres, with new games added every month.”

Xbox Game Pass for PC members will also receive the benefits enjoyed by console players. Gamers will get discounts in the Microsoft Store on Windows of up to 20% on games currently in the library and up to 10% off related game DLC and add-ons. Microsoft has also said that they are bringing cross-platform play and cross-network play across Windows 10 PCs and console. Microsoft says, “Building communities across all of those players, regardless of the store or platform they’ve chosen (console or PC), is also vitally important because it helps bring players together, allows games to find their largest audience and allows gaming to deliver its true potential of uniting people around the power of play.”

Microsoft has also said that their first party games will be available in multiple stores, including the Microsoft Store on Windows. The company has said that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will come to PC later this year, launching on Steam in addition to the Microsoft Store on Windows. “We will continue to add to the more than 20 Xbox Game Studios titles on Steam, starting with Gears 5 and all Age of Empires I, II & III: Definitive Editions. We know millions of PC gamers trust Steam as a great source to buy PC games and we’ve heard the feedback that PC gamers would like choice. We also know that there are other stores on PC, and we are working to enable more choice in which store you can find our Xbox Game Studios titles in the future.”

You can read the announcement in details on the Xbox News website here. 

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

Moto Z4 goes official with Snapdragon 675, 48MP camera, Moto Mod support and more

After an ‘accidental’ listing on Amazon and being leaked in its entirety, the Motorola Moto Z4 smartphone is finally official. Moto Z4 is the smartphone manufacturer’s latest mid-range handset, which runs on the Snapdragon 675 platform. As is the tradition with company’s Z-series of phones, the Moto Z4 also comes with Moto Mod support and ships with a moto 360 camera mod in-the-box. While the specifications of the device clearly show that it is a mid-range handset, its pricing suggests otherwise. The Moto Z4 has a price tag of $499.99 MSRP (Rs 34,893 approx), which is in the same price range as the OnePlus 7, and it will be available via Verizon for a cheaper price. 

Moto Z4 specifications

The Moto Z4 features an updated design as compared to its predecessors. The overall display bezels are thinner and there’s a waterdrop notch on the top that houses the front camera. The smartphone comes equipped with a 6.39-inch Full HD OLED display with a 2340x1080p resolution with a 19:9 aspect ratio. As mentioned earlier, it is powered by the Snapdragon 675 SoC, which is coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The phone also supports memory expansion of up to 512GB via a microSD card.  It runs on stock Android 9 Pie and is backed by a 3600mAh battery that is touted to deliver up to two days of battery backup. 

In terms of optics, the Moto Z4 is equipped with a single 48MP sensor on the rear, which is capable of delivering 12MP output using Quad Pixel technology. The sensor has 1.6um pixel size and is paired with f/1.7 aperture lens with OIS, PDAF, and Laser Autofocus support. The phone’s camera features different modes such as Cinemagraph, Portrait / AI Portrait Lighting, Night Vision, Spot Color, AR stickers, Panorama, Live Filter, and Google Lens. On the front is a 25 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens. The Moto Z4 features a headphone jack as well, is compatible with all moto mods and gets an in-display fingerprint sensor. 

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