Sometimes it is great to hear what others are saying and that is exactly what TechTalk is all about, a conversation about the tech that matters to you and us.
Fouad is in the house this week and we are all rock and roll!
And here are the show notes including what we did not get to!
Followup on the New Surfae Pro
-pen still had a bit of lag
The keyboard is great BUT there is some give to the cover
-LOVE the idea of it being great on the road and at meetings and then dock on the desktop to a monitor and perm keyboard.
Suggestions Social Media is still growing:
Pinterest said today it now has 200 million monthly active users, up from 150 million a little under a year ago.
In April, the company said it hit 175 million monthly active users, so it seems it’s been able to grow pretty methodically in the past year or so. That’s going to be a good sign for the company, which set some very ambitious targets in early 2015 but has since had to recalibrate it. Pinterest recently raised a $150 million financing round at a $12.3 billion valuation. With that financing round, Pinterest was making a full-court press into visual search, which it is trying to pitch as its core competency.
Pinterest crosses 200 million monthly active users
Twitter Lite is a faster, data friendly way for people to use Twitter to see what’s happening in the world.
Note that social media users this year had passed the 3 billion mark
Twitter Introduces lite
Instant access to Twitter:
- Accessible via the web — Because Twitter Lite is on the mobile web, it works on most smartphones and tablets without an App Store or Google Play account. You won’t need an email account or credit card either.
Fast to install, space- and data-friendly:
- Quick and light — At under 1MB, Twitter Lite loads quickly (even over poor networks) and takes up less space on your phone.
- Automatic updates — Twitter Lite automatically updates to the latest version.
- Control your data — Turn on data saver mode to use even less data by downloading only the images or videos you want to see.
It works just like the App:
- One-tap access from your home screen — Add Twitter Lite to your home screen to access it at any time with one tap.
- Push Notifications — Push Notifications keep you informed whether or not Twitter Lite is open.
- Offline access — Keep reading loaded content even if your network cuts out.
- Safe browsing — Safe web browsing gives you privacy and peace of mind.
See more of what’s happening even with unreliable networks, expensive data plans, or limited device space.
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- Love this idea Project Loon!
Google expects Project Loon to be profitable in the next couple of years, stating that “helping out” is important “but that’s not the reason we exist”.
Project Loon, part of Google’s X division, launched in 2012, and uses helium filled balloons to provide internet access to some of the world’s most remote locations or in cases of disaster, with a recent example providing connectivity to areas in Peru.
During trials in the country, Westgarth said his team was able to turn on a live network, covering a landmass the size of Switzerland, to provide internet access to thousands of people that were disconnected after severe flooding.
In doing this, the Google Loon team worked with Telefonica to provide access to areas in which the operator was not present, while both collaborated on spectrum.
Speaking to Mobile World Live, Westgarth opened up on how exactly the partnership model with operators worked.
He said when the unit first started out, “people”, presumably referring to operators, “were quite nervous” that Project Loon was Google’s attempt to try to build an over the top network.
“We were absolutely not doing that,” he said. “We’re not our own MNO, we’re not our own ISP.”
He said Project Loon was now talking to “dozens and dozens” of operators around the world, and there was a long-term vision to build a durable business and an eventual revenue driver.
“We exist to build a durable business model, and underneath that if we can help people and on occasion provide relief during a strenuous situation, a disaster situation, that’s great,” he said. “But we believe in the next couple of years we will be flying and providing service in a commercial context in partnership with the operators.”
During the interview, Westgarth also opened up on how artificial intelligence technology could be leveraged further to control and monitor balloons in flight
2. Check this startup! Happy Scribe!
Our Start-up of the Week is Happy Scribe, creator of a transcription-as-a-service platform for the research and media communities.
“Everything started three months ago in our living room when André was too lazy to transcribe a few interviews for an academic research project in DCU,” explained Happy Scribe co-founder Marc Assens.
Founded by Assens and André Bastié, Happy Scribe is a transcription platform where researchers, journalists, students or writers can upload their interviews and get them automatically transcribed from speech to text in just a few minutes.
‘Don’t be afraid to engage with your users – this enables you to build the product that they need and not the product that you think they need’
– MARC ASSENS
“Transcribing audio files is a problem for many researchers and journalists who conduct interviews on a regular basis,” said Assens.
“From our personal experience and the discussions that we had with research and journalist communities, it was evident that this process is extremely time-consuming. Research has found that it takes approximately five hours to transcribe a one-hour interview.”
The market
“Since day one, we’ve mainly focused our work on trying to provide the best experience for researchers, students and journalists,” Assens continued.
“However, the more we discuss with our user, the more we realise that transcribing is a problem faced in a lot of industries.
“One application of our product that we want to work on is dyslexia. We are currently meeting some people to see how we could adapt our current solution to help dyslexics in their day-to-day routine.”
3. Google makes a buy but why?
Google's $1.1 billion talent buyout means you should expect more high-quality hardware products from the company.
It’s official: Google has agreed to acquire a select team of engineers from HTC’s smartphone division for $1.1 billion in an all-cash deal. Under the terms of the unusual arrangement, the search giant won’t get a direct stake in HTC — instead, it’ll gain “non-exclusive” licensing rights to HTC’s current and future intellectual property. The engineers are people who have already worked with Google to develop its Pixel smartphones, and they will soon become “fellow Googlers.”
But analysts seem confused about the real purpose behind the deal.
4. A last gasp for amazon tablets?
How to revive a stagnant tablet market? Make the gadgets more like those fast-selling, voice controlled speakers. That looks like Amazon's strategy with the launch of its latest flagship tablet.
The company debuted a new version of its Fire HD 10 tablet on Tuesday that has a high-definition screen for watching video, up to 64 GB of storage, a lower price and a processor that runs 30 percent faster, Amazon said.
The most significant new feature is hands-free voice control, which lets users ask questions and do other things like play music and listen to the news by saying "Alexa" without touching the device. Along with audio-based responses, the tablet will display information, like weather and calendar appointments, on special cards on the screen like the Echo Show speaker introduced earlier this year. This only works when the tablet is hooked up to Wi-Fi. (Last year, Amazon added Alexa to its Fire tablets but the digital assistant had to be summoned with the touch of a button).
This feature will be added to Fire HD 10 tablets through a software update starting Oct. 11, and more Alexa capabilities will be added to the device in the future, Amazon said.
The company debuted a new version of its Fire HD 10 tablet on Tuesday that has a high-definition screen for watching video, up to 64 GB of storage, a lower price and a processor that runs 30 percent faster, Amazon said.
The most significant new feature is hands-free voice control, which lets users ask questions and do other things like play music and listen to the news by saying "Alexa" without touching the device. Along with audio-based responses, the tablet will display information, like weather and calendar appointments, on special cards on the screen like the Echo Show speaker introduced earlier this year. This only works when the tablet is hooked up to Wi-Fi. (Last year, Amazon added Alexa to its Fire tablets but the digital assistant had to be summoned with the touch of a button).
This feature will be added to Fire HD 10 tablets through a software update starting Oct. 11, and more Alexa capabilities will be added to the device in the future, Amazon said.
5. Innovation that is high/low tech Ink that only appears outdoors
The ad was made with something called photochromic ink, which is colorless indoors but turns different colors when exposed to ultraviolet light, usually from the sun or a black light. VIA partnered with CTI Inks in Colorado to bring the idea to life.
Teddy Stoecklein, executive creative director at VIA, said the agency had written the manifesto and was looking for a creative way to present it to the world.
6. KFC old school to get people to their place!
KFC and Wieden & Kennedy's latest Colonel-themed stunt revolves around a cassette (yes, remember them?) of Sanders' voice giving GPS directions. Beginning in KFC's hometown, Louisville, Kentucky, and ending at its Big Chicken restaurant in Marietta, Georgia (which recently featured in an animated film by the brand), the tape narrates a rambling drive through the part of the country responsible for its Georgia Gold Honey Mustard BBQ and Nashville Hot. It includes a stop in Corbin, Kentucky, where Colonel Sanders invented his Original Recipe.
If you're wondering how anyone could actually listen to this, given that no car has a tape deck these days, fear not. Instagrammers Bound For Nowhere and Cameron Fuller will be trying it out for you. They'll pit traditional GPS against the cassette tape GPS as they spend the next two days embarking on the Louisville to Marietta roadtrip, and will be posting social content under the hashtag #GPSCassette.
7. Best Augmented reality apps and IKEA is still on this!
Anticipating poor design choices before you ever make them can be key to ensuring that you never again bring an ugly couch into your home. With a new app with Ikea, you can use augmented reality to “see” potential pieces of furniture in your home before pulling out your credit card, and save yourself a whole lot of consternation when it comes to (re)decorating your home.
Thanks to Ikea Place, customers will be able to experience and experiment with furniture from the retailer. You can place chairs, desks, and just about anything else in your kitchen, backyard, or heck, on the street, just to see how it all looks.
“Ikea Place makes it easier to make buying decisions in your own place, to get inspired and try many different products, styles and colors in real-life settings with a swipe of your finger. Augmented reality and virtual reality will be a total game changer for retail in the same way as the internet. Only this time, much faster,” Michael Valdsgaard, Leader Digital Transformation at Inter Ikea Systems, said in a release
8. The Levi smart Jacket
Earlier this year, we discussed how Levi's was working on a smart jacket in connection with the Google Advanced Technology and Products group's Project Jacquard. Now, after much anticipation, the jacket is ready and will be available on Levi.com (and in some Levi's stores) on October 2nd. If you're really eager to take a look, you'll find it in some boutiques on Wednesday. It will set you back $350.
The question is whether this jacket is really worth the cost -- after all, that's a lot for denim. The key for the Levi's Commuter jacket lies in a snap tag on the left sleeve cuff that allows you to interact with your phone right on the jacket using gestures, LEDs and haptic feedback. It's not fully unobtrusive -- from the pictures, it appears to protrude from the sleeve quite a bit -- but it's pretty small. But if you want a low key and simple way to interact with your phone (and you love denim jackets), you may want to check it out. You can see our early review here.
9. Twitter and a lightweight app for places with slow internet
It's not just Facebook and Google who are slimming down their mobile apps for the sake of regions where data is slow or spotty. Twitter has confirmed to TechCrunch that it's testing a native Android equivalent to its Lite website in the Philippines, where slower phone networks and limited phone storage make the standard app less practical. While many of the core Twitter functions are still there, the focus is on cutting out all the media that chews up valuable bandwidth. There's a "Data Saver" mode that avoids displaying pictures and videos unless you opt to see them, and Twitter says it can use up to 70 percent less data overall. Even the app itself occupies just 3MB of space.
This is an "experiment," Twitter says, and it's not clear if or when the Lite app will be available in other countries.
10. Would you play this game?
Developer Accidental Queens is returning to its spin on modern voyeurism with a followup to mobile game A Normal Lost Phone. But though Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story follows many of the same rules as its predecessor — the entire game is played on a smartphone that mirrors the one in your hand — many of its improvements are a direct reaction to backlash from the previous title.
In Another Lost Phone, players assume the role of a person who’s picked up a wayward phone. Inside, they’ll find a slew of texts, emails, and photos that act as breadcrumbs to the game’s greater mystery: what happened to Laura, and why she seems to have gone missing. It’s the same premise as A Normal Lost Phone, but the game’s developers say they’ve taken criticism of that game — and how it handled a very serious transgression — to heart. “We think that a lot of this criticism was justified,” says co-founder Elizabeth Maler.
In Another Lost Phone, players assume the role of a person who’s picked up a wayward phone. Inside, they’ll find a slew of texts, emails, and photos that act as breadcrumbs to the game’s greater mystery: what happened to Laura, and why she seems to have gone missing. It’s the same premise as A Normal Lost Phone, but the game’s developers say they’ve taken criticism of that game — and how it handled a very serious transgression — to heart. “We think that a lot of this criticism was justified,” says co-founder Elizabeth Maler.
11. I would love a coding robot!
There’s an economic forecast that, by the year 2050, 40 percent of all jobs will require skills in the development, coding, and management of robotic systems. Whether that’s accurate or not, one thing is certain: technology will play an even bigger role in the job market. To get kids ready for that inevitable future, we’ve seen a number of STEM toys that look to get kids comfortable with coding and robotics. The Wonder Workshop Cue is the latest of those bots.
Designed for kids aged 11 and up, it’s billed as an “incredibly clever robot” that you can interact with like many robot toys today. Instead of voice interactions, however, everything is done through text chat via the app, which is probably going to be a little less engaging, although its deep vocabulary of over 170,000 words should make it somewhat interesting. Kids can use the chat function to ask the robot how to use it, by the way, so it’s definitely a more engaging alternative than having to read through an instruction manual.
The Wonder Workshop Cue looks like four balls fused together, with three going on the bottom and the fourth sitting right at their intersection serving as the head. It’s an odd look. Three wheels at the base allow it to zip through floors, tables, and other flat surfaces, so you can have it running around the room and chasing your pets like a stalker robot. Its movement can be controlled manually via the app, although it also comes with three autonomous modes that has it behaving in different manners (seek, avoid, and explore).
Like many modern gadgets, the robot is fitted with a good load of electronic components. That includes three proximity sensors, Bluetooth, infrared, dual motors, two potentiometers, three microphones, a speaker, LEDs, and buttons, each of which you can access and control via the app, so there are plenty of elements here to mess with.
The coding portion of Wonder Workshop Cue’s app leads you through a series of coding challenges, starting from the basic to intermediate to more complex code that has you interfacing with the robot’s various sensors and electronics. For the visually inclined, they offer a block-based coding interface that’s way less intimidating than traditional scripts. There is, however, a text mode that uses JavaScript for kids who want to get their feet wet in real-world coding. According to the outfit, an update will also add Apple’s Swift programming language onto the list of options come November.
12. Sony Cube Camera
Most action cams come with either a 1/2.3-inch or a 1/3-inch sensor – they work well enough, although, as expected, they pale in comparison to larger cameras when it comes to image quality. That’s what makes Sony’s Cybershot RX0 such a significant release, as it finally gives consumers a one-inch sensor inside an action cam form factor.
That’s right, there’s finally a one-inch image sensor option in the action cam market, allowing you to enjoy better image quality and improved low-light performance while still benefiting from its rugged and compact build. Whether you want to use it to film your downhill biking sessions, your kayaking adventures, or just your usual day in the city, this thing should help you get better-looking footage at any time of the day.
The Sony Cybershot RX0 pairs the 1.0-type stacked 15.3MP5 Exmor RS sensor with 24mm equivalent lens (a Zeiss Tessar f/4.0 to be exact), which is twice the width of 12mm equivalents you’ll normally find on action cameras. That combo leaves it powerful enough to shoot uncompressed 4K UHD video, although you’ll need to hook it up via HDMI to an external recorder (because the darn thing will likely overheat if it stores the feed locally), all while recording 1080p at 60 fps straight into the loaded storage media. For the same reasons, expect the camera to deliver better dynamic range, improved clarity, and less noise at low ISOs, with much fewer rolling shutter artifacts.
It does all that while measuring just 2.4 x 1.6 x 1.2 inches and weighing 3.4 ounces (it's just barely bigger than a GoPro Hero4 Session), allowing you to easily integrate it into your gear and sporting equipment. From your helmet and handlebar to your backpack and wherever else you need to attach the camera, this thing should mount without causing any disturbance that can affect your performance.
13 some new Facebook!
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