Amazon has begun selling the Apple TV again, ending a two year standoff between the retailer and Apple, though supplies of the set-top box are already constrained. The two companies found themselves at loggerheads in late 2015, when Amazon announced it would be pulling the Apple TV from its virtual shelves. Ironically, the reason it gave to justify the decision … Continue reading
Well, that happened faster than expected: Amazon has begun selling the Apple TV 4K. And just as quick, both the 32GB and 64GB versions are already out of stock. Hopefully you got one overnight if you had some extra Prime reward points to burn. Two ye…
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Whether we’re aware of them or not, algorithms affect a huge part of our lives. Now, in a US-first, New York is taking steps to address potential algorithmic biases in services provided by municipal agencies. City council has passed a bill that would…
This isn’t the first time that we’re hearing something like this. It has been reported yet again that Amazon might be developing a YouTube competitor. The timing of this report is no coincidence given the recent troubles between Amazon and Google over YouTube on the Echo Show. Two new trademark requests filed by Amazon have been spotted which suggest that the company might be working on a YouTube rival.
YouTube is the world’s largest online video website. There are competitors but YouTube is in a league of its own. Even if Amazon does go ahead with this, it won’t be easy to overtake YouTube right out the gate.
Amazon has filed two trademark requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “Amazontube” and “Opentube.” If the name itself isn’t a good indication, the description describes them as services that provide “non-downloadable pre-recorded audio, visual and audiovisual works via wireless networks.”
One might be concerned that the name could invite legal trouble for Amazon but if this service is ever supposed to see the light of day, perhaps Amazon might go with a different moniker for its YouTube rival.
The description makes it sound like this is going to be a proper YouTube competitor. The mere application for a trademark isn’t enough evidence to be completely sure that this is going to happen, though. Amazon hasn’t said anything about its plans to launch a YouTube rival so far.
Amazon May Be Developing A YouTube Competitor , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
In a bid to improve app security and performance on the Google Play Store for years to come, Google today announced some new guidelines for Android app developers. The company has said that all Android apps will have to support 64-bit code by August 2019. The company isn’t ditching 32-bit compatibility, but it’s making it mandatory for apps to support 64-bit code starting August 2019. Google has offered an explanation for this.
The company explains that there will eventually be Android-powered devices that only support 64-bit code. Apps that rely on 32-bit code will not work on these devices. To prevent compatibility issues a few years down the road, it’s making it mandatory for apps to support 64-bit starting August 2019.
There are some other requirements as well. Starting August 2018, all new apps will have to target the Android Oreo programming interface. The apps won’t necessarily require Oreo, this will just ensure that they don’t skimp on the newer features. Google says that this is to ensure that apps are built on the latest APIs that are optimized for security and performance.
Google Play Store is going to start adding a small amount of security metadata on top of each APK starting early next year. This will help verify app authenticity by proving that the app was indeed distributed through the Play Store.
Just because Google is making support for 64-bit code mandatory doesn’t mean that all apps will now be faster and more powerful. They will, however, be more polished.
Android Apps Must Support 64-Bit Code By August 2019 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Magic Leap has been working on an augmented reality device for a few years now and the company has finally shown it off today. The company today revealed the “creator edition” of the Magic Leap One, it’s much anticipated augmented reality system. The Magic Leap One system features a pair of AR goggles paired with a small external computer called the Lightpack. A handheld controller is included as well.
The Magic Leap One is said to support multiple input modes that include voice, gesture, eye tracking, and head pose. It will be able to map persistent objects onto the environment, meaning that users will be able to “place a virtual TV on the wall over your fireplace and when you return later, the TV will be right where you left it.”
Today’s reveal refutes recent rumors that the company was facing problems in shrinking its technology to fit the goggles without having a negative impact on the performance. A report mentions that the Magic Leap One Creator Edition doesn’t seem to suffer from any of those feared performance issues.
The goggles will be available in two different sizes with customers having the option to choose custom nose, forehead, and temple pads. The company is reportedly working on having prescription lenses built into the goggles.
The Lightpack can easily be clipped on a belt or shoulder pad. It’s said to be similar in power to a MacBook Pro or an Alienware gaming PC with a dedicated graphics card. The goggles have a separate low-powered computer that handles tasks like world detection and machine learning. There are four built-in microphones and six external cameras.
The Magic Leap One Creator Edition is going to ship at some point next year. Pricing has not been confirmed.
Magic Leap One Augmented Reality Goggles Finally Revealed , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Google started to get serious about competing in the market as a hardware company last year. The company has since released a handful of smartphones and smart devices. It shows no signs of slowing down. According to a new report, Google has put together a new hardware team that’s going to be based in Shanghai. It has reportedly hired ex-Apple and Amazon employees to man this team.
The Information reports that Google is building up this new hardware team which is going to be based in Shanghai. The company had close to 20 engineers in Shanghai at this time last year and now it has nearly 150. The team is reportedly going to develop new smartphones and Home products.
The ex-Apple and Amazon workers that have been hired by Google are said to have “experience in hardware and supply chain management.” Both are crucial key focus areas for a hardware company. The report mentions that this team is also going to work on devices like the Pixelbook, Daydream VR headsets as well as wearable devices.
Even though this team is going to be based in Shanghai, Google doesn’t have plans to sell its hardware in the country for now. It’s reportedly using Shanghai as a base to develop relationships with manufacturing companies in the area in order to effectively expand its hardware business globally.
Google’s New Hardware Team Will Be Based In Shanghai , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Waymo, the self-driving car division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will soon be expanding its public tests of autonomous cars. In order to build trust with the people who will be placing an enormous amount of trust in cars that can drive themselves, Waymo has announced that it’s going to team up with an insurance startup to provide coverage to riders who use its ride-hailing service.
Waymo recently announced that its entire fleet of self-driving vehicles have racked up 4 million miles to date. The data that it has gathered has enabled the company to focus on varied and complex driving scenarios which has gone on to make the technology even better.
The company will eventually launch its driveless ride-hailing service early next year in a Phoenix suburb. Riders who hail one of its autonomous cars can now rest assured that they will be provided with insurance.
Waymo has teamed up with Trov for this purpose. Passengers will be insured for lost and damaged property as well as medical expenses related to the trip.
There’s no catch involved. Waymo won’t require passengers to pay for this insurance. Most of them won’t even know that insurance coverage is being provided by Trov, a five-year-old insurance tech startup that’s based in Danville, California.
Riders In Waymo Self-Driving Cars Will Be Insured , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
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