Google Glass vs Microsoft’s HoloLens headset

At the end of April, Microsoft wowed developers and the media with yet another demo of its new HoloLens headset.

The headset was announced alongside other new features offered as part of Windows 10, including DirectX 12, Cortana voice control, and more XBox games coming to PC.

The HoloLens is essentially a computer you wear on your face. But instead of interacting through a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen, the HoloLens projects 3-D images in front of you that you can reach out and touch. And based on the demos we’ve seen so far, it looks really cool.

Microsoft is far from being the first big tech company to explore the idea of computers that we wear in front of our eyes. Google unveiled Google Glass back in 2012 — a head-mounted computer that’s a lot smaller than HoloLens and doesn’t project images in 3-D.

But the device never really took off, and Google has yet to officially release a version of the gadget for everyday consumers. Now, reports suggest that Google is pivoting Glass to focus solely on enterprise and industrial-use cases, rather than as a cool gadget for adventurous early adopters.

Facebook is also heavily invested in the Oculus Rift; it bought Oculus VR for $2 billion in March 2014.

Although Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are all making big bets on computerized eyewear (even Snapchat bought a Google Glass-like startup, Vergence Labs), there are significant hurdles to address. Not only do you have to create something so incredible that people will be compelled to strap it to their faces, but Glass was slammed by privacy advocates too.

We talked to a few people who worked on Google Glass to get their thoughts on the HoloLens and what it would take to make these kinds of devices succeed.

Here’s the gist of what they said:

• People still aren’t comfortable wearing these things in public. One of the biggest hurdles with wearable displays is that they don’t look natural — Google Glass and the current version of the HoloLens both look like computers strapped to your face rather than eyeglasses or sunglasses. “I think people in general will be uncomfortable with it for now just because it brings attention to them, and sometimes people don’t like that attention,” Beau Hanley, who worked as a marketing specialist for Google X until December, told Business Insider.
• Microsoft should have learned its lesson from Google. Based on recent reports, it seems like Google has been rethinking its strategy regarding Glass. One former Googler thinks Microsoft should have picked up on this. “I’m fascinated that Microsoft has not learned the lesson that Google spent so much money teaching the world,” Margot Boyer-Dry, head of marketing at Poncho who previously worked in marketing and business development for Google Glass, said. “They had a massive case study sitting right in front of them.”

Android at the wheel: Google’s OS for cars

Google’s next iteration of it’s Android operating system could be made for cars.

Google’s latest venture could turn your car into a smartphone for the road.

The search giant is laying the groundwork for a version of Android that would be built directly into autos, sources have said, allowing drivers to enjoy all the benefits of the internet without even plugging in their smartphones.

The move is a major step up from Google’s current Android Auto software, which comes with the latest version of its smartphone operating system and requires a phone to be plugged into a compatible car with a built-in screen to access streaming music, maps and other apps.

Safaricom enters TV market with ‘The BigBox’ decoder

Telecommunication solutions provider Safaricom has launched a decoder that will enable access to TV content and the internet.

CEO Bob Collymore said ‘The BigBox’ will serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot connecting up to 10 users and support data-heavy applications.

“It will give you access to HD TV Channels and allow you to watch content through online video services like YouTube,” Collymore said during the launch at Sarit Centre on Friday.

The decoder’s first payment option will see subscribers pay an initial cost of Sh4,999 following by six Sh999 monthly installments.

The Big Box will have a discounted price for its data:

Price	Bundles	Validity
Kshs. 999	6 GB	30 days
Kshs. 1,500	10 GB	30 days
Kshs. 2,000	20 GB	30 days
Kshs. 4,000	50 GB	30 days

Users can buy the bundles for the decoder in various ways:

• Dialing *422# from their mobile phones and entering the decoder number after which they’ll be prompted to select their preferred bundle.
• Using M-PESA . This uses the *422# USSD. Dial it from the mobile phone number used to register the decoder upon purchase, enter the decoder number, select the preferred data bundle, enter the PIN and you’ll get the relevant notifications
• Online purchase. Through your computer, smartphone or tablet, safaricom.com/bundles will still work
• Sambaza. We are not so sure how this one is supposed to work since Safaricom has capped data bundle sambaza to just 20 MB and surely 20 MB can never be enough on a media streaming box. Anyway, you can sambaza data bundles to your Box decoder using your primary line i.e. line used to register it. However, it is not possible to sambaza the Big Box’s data to your other devices.
• Directly from the Box decoder itself. From the decoder’s internet home page, select the ‘My Account’ icon on the applications menu, go to TV option and choose preferred data bundle.

The Big Box decoder is available throughout the country in all Safaricom shops.

“This package includes access to free-to-air TV stations and an allocation of up to 6GB a month in data bundles in addition to free YouTube viewing,” Collymore said.

The second option of a one-off fee of Sh9,999 allows access to free-to-air channels and up to 6GB in data bundles for a month and free YouTube access.

Subscribers who choose this option can also buy bundles of up to 50GB for Sh4,000.

Safaricom said customers will be able to top up their balances by buying monthly bundles using airtime or M-Pesa, on predefined USSD and WAP interfaces.

Collymore said the decoder will allow subscribers to leverage extensively on the 3G and 4G networks to access content.

“Technology has influenced our day-to-day interactions as well as how we consume content. This will make it easier for consumers to embrace the concept of edutainment and using internet to meet their needs,” he said.

The decoder which will be available in all major cities countrywide makes Safaricom the first telcom to venture into the TV business.

The company intends to reach the estimated 2.4 million households out of 3.2 million that have access to digital TV but are not using any of the set boxes available on the market.

“We have applied to the CA for a broadcasting license that will enable us to develop and host more content,” Safaricom said.

Speaking during the release of the company’s financial results on Thursday, he said the decoder “distributes the superfast connectivity via Wi-Fi to any existing Wi-Fi enabled devices”.

He further announced the distribution of the 4G network, currently available in Nairobi and Mombasa only, to 13 towns and cities around the country by the end of the 2015 calendar year.

Google will now help you order food directly via Search results

Google will now allow users to order food directly from its Search results. Whether you are craving a pizza or pasta, Google will now allow users to order food from some of their favorite restaurants with the help of a ‘Place an order’ option in Google Search results. After selecting this option, users can choose the delivery service and they will be taken to the website to complete the order.

According to a post on Google+, initially, users will be able to order via six providers in the US namely Seamless, Grubhub, Eat24, Delivery.com, BeyondMenu and MyPizza.com. The company looks forward to adding options in the future.

Food-delivery startups in 2014 attracted $600 million in venture capital funding, up from $25 million in 2012, but most people still prefer to place orders by calling restaurants directly, points out TechCrunch. Partnering with Google could help companies get more visibility.

By offering an ordering option, Google redirects those users to its main search site and is therefore able to see not only what kind of food and restaurants they are interested in, but also which delivery services they prefer, points out the report.

With FreeBrowse app, you can access all blocked websites at ease

Access Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc freely, even if they are blocked by national or corporate firewall. What’s more, the app is completely free!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.greatfire.free

Stop annoying ‘Candy Crush’ invites on Facebook with a few clicks

Already fed up of annoying app and game invites from friends on Facebook? There is some good news for you. You can now block all such irritating requests and reminders.

And that’s just a click of a few buttons away now, so let’s get started.

Invitations to install apps or join games are the number one most frustrating feature of Facebook. You could be bombarded with invites on a daily basis, and most apps make it quite easy to spam an entire friends list with annoying alerts.

Now you can put a lid on this nightmare.

Open your Settings screen on the Facebook Web client and click on the “Blocking” tab on the left sidebar.

Under the heading “Block App Invites”, type the name of the person on your friends list who has been pestering you for long enough now with unwarranted invites. It’s done!

You can use this same page to block specific apps from contacting you entirely, and even prevent your friends from sending you event invitations.

Android M: What is expected in the next Google mobile OS iteration

Though Google hasn’t officially announced Android M, the new leak gave a sneak peak  into the next iteration expected to be announced at the I/O to be held on May 28-29. The search giant has already announced the schedule, but the biggest highlight of the show is likely to be Android M. In fact, the leak has also triggered the guessing game regarding what the next iteration of the mobile OS could be named as.

Android Wear
Earlier, we’ve heard how Google is laying the groundwork of the next Android iteration that could be built directly into cars. However, we also expect a further integration of Android Wear into the next iteration. This would mean, one doesn’t require to download and install the Android Wear app to connect to a wearable. This would also ensure a seamless experience.

Fitness
With phones turning into fitness-focussed devices that work in tandem with wearables, it’s time Google could consider integrating its Google Fit platform into the new iteration.

Battery improvements
If there is one area that Android has been receiving flak as well as user ire is its battery. The previous Android iterations haven’t handled battery issues quite well. From battery drain to freezing apps, several reports point out at the issues caused by the new update.This is something many users hope will be rectified in the upcoming iteration of the mobile OS.

Faster updates
Google has also been rather slow at releasing updates for the OS. With the next iteration, Google could start releasing the updates and bug fixes faster.

Notifications
While notifications got a nifty update in Android Lollipop version, we hope to see Google take a step further and ensure better syncing on multiple devices. This will ensure that once you swipe off a notification on one device, it won’t show up again on another.

Uninstalling apps easily
This is wishful! It could be great if users could simply uninstall any app. Yes, any app including stock apps that come pre-installed with the OS.

Source: http://tech.firstpost.com