Important announcements
WhatsApp finally launches video calling
WhatsApp has introduced a number of new features in recent months but perhaps the most eagerly awaited has been video calling. So starting today, video calling will go live for all 1 Billion+ users on Android, iOS and Windows. When the feature is activated, open a chat and select the phone icon. You’ll then be given an option to place a voice or video call. The video chat results look like the video chatting you’ve done before on FaceTime, Skype, Facebook Messenger, or Google Duo: two faces, one in a smaller window, with a handful of small features for changing the position of the chat windows or turning the camera around. The video automatically scales down to low resolutions in case of weak networks and when using a Wi-Fi or 4G it will be HD quality.
You can read more here.
Microsoft has officially joined the Linux Foundation
The news came as a surprise to many considering Microsoft has built itself on closed-source proprietary software, which stands as an antithesis to everything Linux has stood for. Microsoft has gone through a number of massive changes since it began transitioning from the Windows company to the “cloud-first, mobile-first” productivity solutions company. For one thing, it has gone cross-platform with its applications, supporting iOS and Android along with Windows. For another, it has embraced open source in a way that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. Today’s Microsoft is one of the biggest open source contributors around. Over the course of just the last few years, it has essentially built Canonical’s Ubuntu distribution into Windows 10, brought SQL Server to Linux, open-sourced core parts of its .NET platform and partnered with Red Hat, SUSE and others. As Zemlin noted, Microsoft has also contributed to a number of Linux Foundation-managed projects like Node.js, OpenDaylight, the Open Container Initiative, the R Consortium and the Open API Initiative.
More info are available here.
Thanks to Google Earth VR, virtual travelling is now a reality
The virtual whole-Earth model that Google has been perfecting for over a decade has finally reached its next big step: Google Earth is now available in virtual reality. For the first time, users can walk through real city streets, fly through canyons and teleport to anywhere in the world all in an completely immersive VR experience. Google Earth VR covers the entire 196.9 million square miles of the planet, so if you can’t decide where where to take your first virtual trip, Google has helpfully included cinematic tours and curated destinations through places like the Amazon River, downtown Manhattan, the Grand Canyon and the ruins of Rome. And once you’ve explored enough of the big blue marble, you can go check it out from space.
You can read more here.
Top new products
HP’s Z2 Mini mini-desktop can pack an Intel server CPU and Nvidia Quadro GPU into a box that can be held in a hand
Starting at $699, it will be available worldwide starting in December. The Z2 Mini is targeted at engineers and architects using applications like Autodesk or Solidworks. However, it isn’t meant for use with VR headsets like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, an HP spokesperson said. Nvidia’s Quadro M620 GPU isn’t designed for VR, and headsets typically need full-powered desktops like the Z840 with cutting-edge GPUs. The Z2 mini-desktop can be configured with Intel’s Xeon E3-1200v5 CPU, or Core chips. It supports up to 32GB of memory and up to 1.5TB of storage. An entry-level model will have three DisplayPort ports, two USB 3.0 ports and an Ethernet port. A fully loaded model will have two additional USB Type-C ports.
You can read more here.
DJI unveils a Pro version of its Phantom 4 drone
The Phantom 4 Pro has a top speed of 45 miles an hour in sport mode (and 31 mph in P mode with obstacle avoidance switched on), coupled with a battery that promises up to 30 minutes of flight time on a charge. The system also has a number of new flight modes like Draw, which let users traces lines on the control to create routes. The system has built-in ActiveTrack object recognition, which can distinguish and follow people and bikes. The on-board camera, meanwhile, sports a 20-megapixel sensor and is capable of capturing 4K video at 60fps. The system also sports a new safety feature that returns the drone to its last connected position after it loses a GPS signal.
More info here.
Vivo X9, X9 Plus, and Xplay6 launched
Chinese handset manufacturer Vivo unveiled three new Android smartphones, the X9, X9 Plus, and Xplay6 in its homeland. The highlight of the Vivo X9 and X9 Plus smartphones is that they sport dual front-facing cameras. Both the handsets feature a 20-megapixel camera alongside an 8-megapixel camera at the front. Both the phones also pack a 16-megapixel rear camera with PDAF (phase detection autofocus). For specifications, the Vivo X9 features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) Super AMOLED display and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953) clocked at 2GHz coupled with 4GB of RAM. It will be available in 64GB and 128GB storage models. The dual-SIM Vivo X9 runs FuntouchOS 3.0 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It sports a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button. It supports 4G with VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, and Micro-USB. The handset is backed by a 3050mAh battery which comes with fast charging support.
You can read more about the other two models here.
Top interesting info
Google Translate gets neural machine translation for better accuracy, fluency
The term “neural” has become a keyword in the field of artificial intelligence recently as the companies are realising the importance of the latest advancements in machine learning. Neural Machine Translation essentially allows Google’s translation tool to take entire sentences into consideration instead of just translating one word at a time. “It uses this broader context to help it figure out the most relevant translation, which it then rearranges and adjusts to be more like a human speaking with proper grammar,” the company said in its blog post. As each sentence is translated in a better manner, it results in articles that are “smoother and easier” to read, the company said. The use of Neural Machine Translation also means that over time, the system will learn and produce more natural translations, the company claims.
You can read more here.
Smartphone App tracks eyes to detect signs of autism in children
Scientists have developed a new smartphone app that tracks eye movement to determine, in less than a minute, if a child is showing signs of autism spectrum disorder. The autism tracking software, which can be installed in cell phones, tablets or computers, provides detection of the neurodegenerative disorder in children as young as two years old and can dramatically improve the benefits of treatment. Often the disability is not suspected until a child enters school, the researchers said, adding that the earlier the diagnosis, the better. The technology also crosses cultural lines, and language is not a barrier.
More info can be found here.
Facebook acquires FacioMetrics, an emotion detection start-up to push its AI research
Facebook has acquired emotion detection start-up FacioMetrics to push its artificial intelligence (AI) research into building facial gesture controls. FacioMetrics developed an app called Intraface that can detect seven different emotions in people’s face. FacioMetrics was founded in 2015 and specializes in using artificial intelligence to give facial image analysis capabilities to applications that run on smartphones. The technology has potential in a host of applications, including those focused on animation, measuring audience reactions, and virtual or augmented realities. Using FacioMetrics to let users of Facebook, or subsidiaries such as Instagram, have fun with photos or video could be a counter-move to those kinds of features offered in “filters” at vanishing message service Snapchat.
You can read more here.
