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Google to Integrate Digital Assistant Technology With Android TVs

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Google Assistant on TVs

Owners of Sony Bravia, Sharp Aquos and other Android powered TVs will soon be able to interact with devices via voice commands using Google Assistant.

Owners of Android powered TV’s will soon be able to interact with their systems using voice commands.Google this week announced plans to bring its voice-activated Google Assistant to Android TVs in coming months in keeping with the company’s commitment to integrate the digital assistant technology in virtually all of its products over the next few years.The integration will allow owners of Android powered TVs such as the Sony Bravia, Sharp Aquos and Xiaomi Mi to do things like search for TV shows, browse channels and play content from places like Netflix and YouTube using voice commands.When Google makes Assistant available on set top streaming devices like the Nvidia Shield, owners of Android TVs will be able to do things such as controlling the smart lighting system in their homes via voice commands.

 “No more typing or struggling to get to what you’re looking for,” said Sascha Prueter, and Gummi Hafsteinsson, Google’s director of Android TV and product lead of Google Assistant respectively, in a blog. “Just ask the Google Assistant for help and you’re off to the races.

Google’s plans call for the Assistant to become available on all Android TVs in the U.S. running the Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat versions of the operating system in coming months. The company has not disclosed when the digital assistant will become available on Android TVs in other regions of the world.Google Assistant is similar to Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. It is designed to give users a way to interact with their phones, apps, tablets, computers and other devices in an intuitive manner using conversational speech. The technology is a product of Google’s investments in technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence over the past several years.When Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced Assistant last October he described it as technology that is central to the company’s efforts to better position itself in an increasingly AI-centric world.The company has already integrated the technology into its Google Allo smart messaging app and more recently into its Amazon Echo-like Google Home voice-activated speaker. The latter integration enables users to check local weather conditions, make reservations at restaurants and shows or to conduct searches on Google Search via voice commands.Going forward Google has said it will use Assistant to enable voice-command capabilities in many of its hardware and software products. As examples, Prueter, and Hafsteinsson pointed to Google’s plans to integrate Assistant into smartwatches running Android Wear 2.0 and Android power infotainment systems installed inside vehicles.Google last month opened up the development platform for Assistant to third party application developers as part of its effort to allow more apps and services to be accessed directly through Assistant. The goal is to let developers create interfaces that allow users to interact directly or indirectly with their applications via voice commands.For example, the developer of a food ordering application or a ride-sharing application can use the platform to build interfaces that enable interaction via Google Assistant.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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Internet

Google Assistant Gets IFTTT Support; Makes Voice Commands on Pixel, Google Home More Powerful

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Google Assistant Gets IFTTT Support; Makes Voice Commands on Pixel, Google Home More Powerful

Google unveiled its smart home speaker called Google Home at its Made by Google event on October 4. The speaker, like the Google Pixel smartphones, is powered by the Google Assistant. At the time of launch, Google Home did not have many integrations to work with, but that should change when the Assistant SDK becomes available. Now however, IFTTT has rolled out the Google Assistant channel, bringing hundreds of new products and services the voice-based virtual assistant can interact with, be it from Google Home or a Pixel smartphone.

Users can now create ‘recipes’ to IFTTT to connect Google Assistant with a number of products and services, like Facebook, Philips Hue etc. IFTTT is a web automation service that works on the principle of If This, Then That – a fancy name for the simple If-Then loops used in algorithms that anyone with basic programming knowledge would understand. If a certain condition is met, a certain action will be carried out. These are also called recipes. It connects to a number of other Internet services as well as apps (via the IF apps for Android and iOS) like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram etc. to allow users to form some chains of simple commands. It then operates the first command if the condition is met as per the instructions given by the user. The company touts integrations with as many as 376 services.

To add IFTTT integration to their Pixel smartphone or Google Home speaker, users will need to go to www.ifttt.com/google_assistant and connect their associated Google account. IFTTT has detailed some of the recipes that will be supported by Google Assistant – you can add a task to Todoist by your voice, ask Philips to change the lighting of the room, post to Facebook and Twitter through your voice, send a Slack message, or add a contact on Google. A very crucial feature to locate your smartphone is also supported by IFTTT. You can read the entire set of commands on IFTTT’s website.

To recall, Google Home is still in infancy with only a few partners like Philips Hue and Samsung SmartThings to allow users to seamlessly use their voice for multiple actions. Google Home is slated to go on sale in upcoming weeks.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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Android P to Support Notch Design, Offer Deeper Google Assistant Integration: Report

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Android P to Support Notch Design, Offer Deeper Google Assistant Integration: Report

While the tech world is anticipating the next Android version at Google’s I/O 2018, a new report has surfaced that reveals some of the next-generation features that are heading to the new Android iteration. The new version, which is so far in the headlines as Android P, is said to support smartphones with a “notch”, similar to the iPhone X. It is also reported to have a tight Google Assistant integration as well as support for new designs, including multiple screens and foldable display panels, to ultimately convince several iPhone users to switch to Android devices. All this contrasts the next iOS version that is already reported to favour performance and stability instead of offering some major new features.

Google is building an overhaul of its Android platform to start supporting hardware notch natively to compress cameras and other sensors in a single cutout design, reports Bloomberg. The notch design received market focus with the arrival of the iPhone X last year, though Android co-founder Andy Rubin brought the Essential Phone even before the iPhone X launch, particularly in May last year, with a small notch for the front-facing camera sensor. Following the latest iPhone arrival with the notch, some Chinese companies imitated the Apple flagship and brought models such as the Oukitel U18 with a similar top covering. However, Samsung mocked the notch design of the iPhone X in a commercial.

Having said that, Google is now reportedly all set to add notch capabilities into Android. Huawei is likely to be among the first few manufacturers to start using the notch design. Similarly, Moto X5 was rumoured last month with an iPhone X-like notch.

Alongside the notch support, Bloomberg claims that this year’s Android update will expand Google Assistant integration. There are also plans to let developers integrate Google’s voice-based technology within their native apps. Google is also said to integrate the search bar on Android home screen with its personal assistant. However, the Google Assistant availability for developers and its presence in the search bar are yet to be finalised, as per the Bloomberg report.

It is additionally reported that Android P will come with a “dramatic redesign”. This suggests that Google could release Material Design 2 or the next version of its Material Design language to give a fresh look and feel. Moreover, the uplifted design would help the company attract more iPhone buyers to start preferring Android smartphones as their next pick.

Some earlier reports claimed that Android P will come features such as native call recording supportand the ability to allow carriers to hide signal strength. We need to wait until the I/O 2018 to understand what’s cooking up at Google’s labs. The developer conference is taking place between May 8 and May 10 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Meanwhile, you can expect some more rumours revealing the new features of the next Android version.

[“source=gadgets.ndtv”]

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Lenovo at IFA 2017: Yoga 920, Yoga 720, Miix 520, Explorer Mixed Reality Headset, Home Assistant Pack Launched

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Lenovo at IFA 2017: Yoga 920, Yoga 720, Miix 520, Explorer Mixed Reality Headset, Home Assistant Pack Launched

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Lenovo has launched two new Yoga 2-in-1 convertibles
  • Pricing for Lenovo’s Mixed Reality headset was also revealed
  • Home Assistant Pack is an Amazon Alexa-driven speaker

At IFA 2017 in Berlin, Lenovo took to stage on Thursday to launch a slew of products in its Yoga and Miix range of convertibles, apart from unveiling its mixed reality headset and a smart speaker. The Chinese company launched Yoga 920 and Yoga 720 2-in-1 convertible laptops, the Miix 520 detachable 2-in-1, Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality headset, and an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker called the Home Assistant Pack, an Alexa-powered device that’s meant to augment the Tab 4 series of tablets from the company

Lenovo Yoga 920 price, availability, specifications

lenovo yoga 920 1 Lenovo Yoga 920
The latest addition to Lenovo’s Yoga range of 2-in-1 convertibles is the Yoga 920. It boasts of a responsive far-field microphone to wake Microsoft’s Cortana up, even when the laptop is powered off, from a 4-metre distance. The Lenovo Yoga 920 convertible will start shipping from September in Europe, priced starting EUR 1,599 (roughly Rs. 1.22 lakhs). It will be available in standard Copper, Bronze, and Silver Platinum colours, in addition to limited edition Star Wars-themed designs protected with Gorilla Glass.

The Lenovo Yoga 920 convertible sports a 13.9-inch IPS touchscreen display with a choice of full-HD (1920×1080 pixels) or UHD (3840×2160 pixels) resolutions. It ships with up to an eighth generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM (up to 16GB), a 256GB SSD (up to 1TB). It comes with Windows 10, with support for Windows Ink and Windows Hello. Lenovo claims that Yoga 920’s display can rotate 360-degree at just 1.37kg weight. The convertible is coupled with Lenovo Active Pen 2 as a stylus. Other specifications include a 15.5-hour battery life, JBL speakers, Dolby Atmos sound for headphones, 2 USB Type-C ports (Thunderbolt and USB-PD supported), and 1 regular USB 3.0.

Lenovo Yoga 720 specifications, availability

lenovo yoga 720 12.9 inch Lenovo Yoga 720
The second entrant to Yoga series is the Lenovo Yoga 720 (12-inch) 2-in-1 convertible. This laptop already has two variants with 13-inch and 15-inch display sizes, but the new one bears a 12.5-inch full-HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS touchscreen display with anti-glare coating. The laptop can be paired with up to seventh generation Intel Core i7 processors, and comes with a 4GB DDR4 RAM (up to 12GB) and 128GB SDD (up to 512GB). The laptop comes with Windows 10 with support for Hello and Ink using Lenovo Active Pen 2, Harman Kardon speakers with digital microphone array.

The Lenovo Yoga 720 weighs 1.15kg and gives a battery life of up to 8 hours. It has one USB Type-C 3.0 and USB Type-A 3.0 ports each. It will be available in October, however the pricing details have not been given.

Lenovo Miix 520 price, specifications

lenovo miix 520 press Lenovo Miix 520
After debuting the Miix 510 detachable 2-in-1, Lenovo has launched its successor Miix 520. The Lenovo Miix 520 sports a 12.2-inch full-HD (1920×1200 pixels) display and runs Windows 10 with support for Windows Hello and Windows Ink. It is powered by up to an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processor with 4GB of DDR4 RAM (up to 8GB), and a 128GB SSD (up to 1TB). Apart from the regular version, Lenovo is also offering a cellular version of Miix 520 that has support for LTE connectivity.

In terms of features, the Miix 520 features far-field microphones, just like the Yoga 920, which can pick up your voice from a reasonable distance to activate Cortana. Lenovo has equipped it with one USB Type-C port, Lenovo Active Pen 2 stylus, adjustable kickstand, and a customised 3D-camera on the front. It features a full-size keyboard with 1.5mm key travel.

The Lenovo Miix 520 comes in Light and Dark Grey colours and will be available in Europe in November starting EUR 899 (roughly Rs. 68,580) with keyboard and stylus included.

Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality headset price, specifications

lenovo explorer headset Lenovo Explorer
Lenovo has a pretty niche range of virtual reality headsets, and its new wearable device aims to combine virtual reality with augmented reality. The Lenovo Explorer was originally showcased during the CES and makes the use of Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform. We know it will be priced at $349 (roughly Rs. 22,350) without controllers and $449 (roughly Rs. 28,750) with the controllers pack when it ships in October.

The Lenovo Explorer headset comes with dual cameras that allow VR motion tracking without the need of external motion sensors. But this doesn’t mean it will restrict your VR experience as there is a support for inside-out positional tracking along with a plenty of VR games and apps. You can use an Xbox controller as well.

You can also assign Microsoft Cortana for additional controls, in addition to the basic ones. The headset features two 1440×1440 pixel displays, one for each eye where you can even work on Microsoft Office apps if you want to stay away from distractions with support for keyboard and mouse.

Lenovo Home Assistant Pack price, specifications

lenovo home assistant pack Lenovo Home Assistant pack
Lenovo already unveiled its Alexa-powered Smart Assistant speaker back in January. Now, it has launched a similar smart speaker that only works in conjunction (attached via USB) with a Lenovo Tab 4 series tablet. “Visual information can be shared on the screen along with responses from Alexa,” the company said in a statement.

Called the Lenovo Home Assistant Pack, it is priced starting $79.99 (roughly Rs. 5,100) and will be available in October. The Alexa-powered speaker has two 3-watt speakers, and two built in mics that provide far field detection up to 3 metres. It weighs 300 grams.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]
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