Alphabet Has New Talent Onboard For YouTube

Mr, Broock will now help Google in bolstering its VR domain

Alphabet Inc. is trying hard to bolster its virtual reality (VR) goals. The company wants to move beyond Google Cardboard as it has recently taken Scott Broock, a virtual reality expert onboard. Mr. Scott Broock was initially rendering his services to Jaunt- a startup.

He is now given the responsibility to head the virtual reality project at YouTube. It is now his job to push developers to churn out more virtual reality support film content that can thus be aired on the online video platform.

"Thrilled to plug in with the team @YouTube as Global #VR Evangelist, hitting fast forward on the future of immersive content. VR everywhere." Scott Broock (Twitter ID: @ScottBroock) published on January 22, 2016.

YouTube has finally come up with its virtual reality video service earlier in November, 2015. The search engine giant integrated Google Cardborad with the YouTube application. The job of Mr. Broock is to encourage a diverse group of companies to come up with virtual reality supported content that will add more value to the service.

Earlier, the tech behemoth has added depth to the Hunger Games Experience when the company launched its VR service. Mr. Brook considers him to be the new Global VR Evangelist for YouTube is focused and will ensure that content of such nature gets developed.

This is a reflection of his initial role while rendering his service to Jaunt. Jaunt is also a VR establishment that has skills in the production of original file content featuring virtual reality. The company develops NEO camera systems that can be used for 360 degree recording of videos. Mr. Broock achieved various milestones during his tenure at jaunt where he collaborated with big networks like ABC News and Nickelodeon and is now going to come up with such agreements for YouTube.

However, the ideology of Google at this point of time is to penetrate virtual reality supported content through broadcasting on YouTube. TrendForce came up with sales projections according to which the gaming sector has the potential to bolster sales of apps and devices that support VR. Most of the initial virtual reality supported apps have now narrowed down their focus on gaming other than movie content since coming up with games is relatively cheaper than coming up with movies.

Hence in a nutshell, virtual reality has immense growth potential which can become the next big thing in the online world. Mr. Broock is well learned in the VR sector and can take the company to newer heights.

Google Makes Relevant Changes To Android

Google modifies Android permissions to make signing up easier

Alphabet Inc. has completely transformed the mechanism of the operating system for Android that deals with the permission for gamers with a hope that it becomes easier for the masses to sign up players for transaction purposes.

Alphabet which is the parent company of Google recently claimed that it is tweaking permissions for its app store namely Google Play. This will result in the alteration of the app gaming model programming interface. The company is now coming up with ways to deal with “friction” which is a unanimous issue faced by developers.

Developers complain that there are several steps involved whilst signing players which make it difficult to deal with transactions.

Apple Inc. is certainly better when it comes to this in contrast to GOOG since it has already signed consumers to the iTunes platform since more than a decade.  The users thus have their sign in credentials and credit cards already on file which makes it relatively fast to make in app purchases during games. However, the direct history mechanism of Google Android is comparatively shorter resulting in friction.

As per the new model, the players will be asked to login only once for every account in contrast to one for each game. The players do not need to have their Google+ account upgraded to make use of Play Games service. Once these players have logged in for the very first time, there will not be any need to sign up again whatsoever.  Their details will be saved and they can sign in automatically.

According to Wolff Dobson, the advocate for developers mentioned in a blog, “Once a user signs in for first time, new games will generally be able to sign in without any user interaction.” He further added, “There is no consent screen required for signing in on any particular game. Sign-in will be automatic to each new game. In order to respect user’s privacy and avoid revealing their real name, we also have to change the way player IDs work.”

The users that already exist will thus continue to get their hands on the Google+ ID when they log in. thus, the new players will get a new player ID which will be different than the IDs used previously. Majority of the games will not encounter any massive changes altogether. However, in certain cases, changes will be required for a better and dynamic user experience. The initiative is very sane and might just churn in revenues for Google.

Google Chrome Gets Big Speed Boost With Brotli

Google Chrome Gets Big Speed Boost With Brotli

Alphabet Inc. has come up with a data compression algorithm, named as Brotli, which will assist in loading websites quickly. In the times to come, Google Chrome users are likely to embrace a boost in performance since the company to boost the loading time has derived a new technology.

The search engine giant’s latest compression algorithm is expected soon. Once the update is released for the next version of Chrome, the feature will pave its way to the masses. Ilya Grigorik, the Web performance engineer posted on Google+ recently. Initially, the company unveiled this service in September. However, they did not provide any details regarding the availability of it then.

According to the statistics generated by the company, the service will be 20 to 26% better than the present compression algorithm used. Currently Zopfli is used for this purpose; the small compression size will make it easier for the pages to load faster. Those who use Google Chrome on mobile devices will get access to better features such as minimal battery usage and low data transfer fees.

Data compression is the mechanism of minimizing data, which makes it use less space with convenience in transferring. Data tends to be compressed more densely through this manner. It makes it easier for the Internet to travel fast with the use of minimal resources. At this point of time, the platform by the company is open sourced thus other tech giants can amalgamate the algorithm for other browsers.

“We hope that this format will be supported by major browsers in the near future,” a software engineer belonging to the compression team of Google, Zoltan Szabadka, mentioned in September. Before this Mr. Patrick McManus, the head at Mozilla claimed that the organization would soon offer support for Brotli. However, it is quite unclear at this point of time when it would come up with this update.

It is evident now that the company is now devoted to make the waiting process for websites relatively easier. It will make websites loading faster and user-friendly. The tech behemoth also came up with a new venture known as Accelerated Mobile Pages, which is a unique way of it to offer mobile search results faster and enables users to load them quickly.

Hence, this great move by Google attracts the masses that are fed up with spending time and staring at a boring screen taking ages to load.

Google Might Just Bid Farewell To The Play Store

Google might just bid farewell to its Play Store

The way technology is evolving, tech giants are trying to come up with ways that makes them one of a kind. These companies are always experimenting with new technologies to stand out. These days, rumors are circulating in the industry according to which Alphabet Inc. might just bid farewell to its Play Store.

So in the times to come, Google Android users who wish to download any application might just not need to get their hands on any app store at all. Instead, the user can just simply Google the app they need.

Thus, if any application is searched on Google, a download option will appear with the search results which will allow the user to download the app with ease. the company has not really revealed this new feature to all at this point of time.

It needs to be noted that the feature is only available through the Google app and not Chrome. So far the AndroidPolice has reported that the ability to download the application is from the app has started to reach certain users.

The procedure is extremely simple and very easy for users. All you need to do is search for the application, and then tap on the result bar, a card will then flash asking the user to download the application.

Google has a different approach when it comes to apps installation in contrast to Apple. Apple believes that the only and best possible way to download apps is via the company’s official App Store. However, this does not imply on those iPhone that have been jailbreak-ed.

According to Business Insider, “Some users have found ways to circumvent the App Store and side-load apps, but the process is cumbersome and requires connecting your phone to a Mac if you're running iOS 9. Even apps that you’ve already managed to side-load aren’t safe, which users of the popular blue-light reducing app F.lux have recently learned.”

This is a relatively smart initiative since it minimizes the chances of side loading the application. Many a times, several malicious apps have been downloaded by consumers which they had no idea about, so this will curb the chances of such incidents. Moreover, some users do not really enjoy using the Play Store in the first place thus this is an added advantage for them.

Hence in a nutshell, the tech giant has come up with an intriguing method that is likely to roll out to the masses soon.

IBM Comes Up With Dynamic Pricing

IBM unveils Dynamic Pricing to assist in E-commerce

As per the cloud computing giant, Dynamic Pricing is an extremely simple concept. The new service by IBM is designed in a manner that enables the corporate entities and retailers to keep an eye on the changes in pricing made by competitors so that changes can be made accordingly. Moreover, insights will also be given to the seller along with reasons why buyer did not proceed to the checkout after filling the cart.

Dynamic Pricing offers services that are extremely diversified. The service makes use of cloud computing that enables it to analyze, respond and then add discounts. Moreover prices can also be lowered in case competitors do.

The International Business Machines Corp. makes use of the Dynamic Pricing which is a pre-configured performance data tool that makes use of various analysis and combinations. This platform ensures price stability, browsing history, inventory management, sales stats and competitive pricing.

The company made use of an example to show the potential of Dynamic Pricing so that they can acknowledge users in case the competitor decided to come up with a promotion that will result in the price deduction of a particular product line. In such scenarios, the Dynamic Pricing which is a cloud based technology will react aggressively.

“At any given moment, a retailer is no more than one click away from losing a customer online. IBM Dynamic Pricing executes real-time pricing recommendations at the scale and speed needed to ensure competitiveness in a volatile shopping environment,” stated Stephen Mello, the Vice President, of the E-Commerce and Merchandising business of IBM. “This intuitive and dynamic pricing system improves visibility into what’s happening in the market, allowing retailers to make decisions that are best for their businesses and customers alike.”

Dynamic Pricing is expected to be used by commercial companies that are also using the Internet for online services. This will assist them in keeping their pricing virtually along with merchandising simultaneously on the same price.  Moreover, the online operators will also be enabled to make use of Dynamic Pricing in the best possible manner. The predictive intelligence technology can be used to adjust the pricing, along with boosting the consumer demand and bolster the revenues.

Hence in a nutshell, when shopping online has become part and parcel of our everyday life such a tool is extremely important to understand the dynamics of the industry and then design your offering accordingly. This will assist sellers to remain on par with the constantly evolving market. 

VLC Makes Its Debut On Apple TV

VideoLAN unveils the VLC media player on Apple TV

For the first time in the history of Apple Inc. VideoLAN has revealed its VLC media player on the Apple TV. The news surfaced recently where new features have been added such as video playback. The news based application has the ability to go through video content that requires support from multi formats. VideoLAN also has plans to offer support to various storage services which are cloud based. This includes OneDrive and Dropbox to the Apple TV in the times to come.

The software was being tested by the company since a while now which allow the Apple users to gain access to all types of videos and files in their original format. So now users will not be concerned about going through the monotonous mechanism of converting the videos to a particular format to ensure playback. Moreover, they will also be given the liberty to make use of the Remote Playback functionality. So the application will thus generate an IP address for the Apple TV through which files can be transferred from alternate locations.

Many analysts believe that the reason behind coming up with a VLC app in Apple TV is to expand the reach of the Apple product. This initiative will help the masses to get more comfortable with the company’s offering.

Considering the company’s ongoing campaign, it is quite evident that they now wish to offer an integrated smart home experience to the consumers. So now VLC has finally surfaced on the Apple TV, thus it is now likely that the users will be more interested in investing in the variant that vouches to offer a connected experience by making use of media technology. Once the test phase gets completed, other services like Dropbox surface on the platform, then the company’s experience will be far more successful.

Since the application enables the television to be connected to various services through a single local network, it now seems that the tech behemoth’s efforts to offer a distinct experience for its TV users have actually become public. Moreover, by integrating the ability to sync the iPhone through the login credentials and the power to manage media playback through desktop and web will ensure that all Apple users get a sound and complete experience whilst using this platform.

Hence in a nutshell, the advent of VLC on the Apple TV is a massive breakthrough for the company as it will help the tech giant to lure audience who are acquainted to the platform.  

IBM Crowned As Innovation Champion For 23 Consecutive Years

IBM leads the innovative tech market for 23 consecutive years with highest number of patents.

International Business Machines Corp. is convinced by the fact that consumers will always demand for such services that need some type of machine learning technology. This will give them new ways to make its business functions better and encourage them to spend heftily for such services.

In FY15, the company succeeded in securing the most number of patents within the United States for the 23^rd time in a row. Thus, it has again proved to be the king of innovation. It visited the US patent office quite frequently and collected almost 7,335 patents on its own.

A segment of Fairview Research LLC, known as the IFI Claims Patent Service, compiled data. According to the data, several companies followed IBM league, including Samsung Electronics Company, Canon, Qualcomm, and Google respectively.

The recent list clearly indicates that the masses today are more inclined towards cognitive and cloud companies. This assists businesses to streamline their operations and predict the course of future happenings. The system has the potential to perform various functions by making use of various combinations of data analytics and machine learning technology. Most of the services are used currently as an integral component of IBM Watson.

IBM Watson started as an artificial intelligence service that gradually gained popularity due to the fame it garnered through the television show, Jeopardy. Chief Innovation Officer at IBM, Bernie Meyerson, recently told Bloomberg that amongst the 7400 patents received by the company, 2000 at least belonged to the cloud and cognitive computing domain.

IBM has been working on this technology since a long time and continuously striving to improve it. He also seized the opportunity to highlight the importance of the patents since they form the foundation for future endeavors. He believes that a volume of the upcoming products and services relies on these patents.

IBM has succeeded in attaining a high number of patents, which is a massive achievement for it considering the policies that have now been revised, reviewed and are far stricter. Over the past couple of years, a steady decline is observed in the number of patents that have been approved by the authorities. It is observed that the organization’s solutions and software have the highest ratio of refusal as well.

Hence, it is a massive achievement for IBM where it is a pioneer in terms of innovation. Analysts regard it as the champion of innovations and improvements in the tech industry. 

Alphabet Inc, Trying To Improve Google Maps By Adding New Features

Google is experimenting with Driving Mode on Maps

Alphabet is trying its best to improve its offerings and the company now wishes to add more features to its navigation app namely Google Maps.

Google has confirmed that they will be adding a new feature to its Maps service for Android which will make the software even smarter. The feature namely “Driving Mode” will be added to the service which will take the navigation experience to a whole new level. The app will take your history and present location into account and on the basis of that will determine your destination reports the Android Police.

The mechanism is said to be similar to the algorithmic suggestions generated in Google Now cards. So it won’t matter if you know the destination or not since Google will predict and navigate you to the place. Google Map’s users will be able to switch on the Driving Mode through an app icon shortcut or via the in app side bar present in Maps.

This is the 9.19 version of Google Maps that has been enabled with the Driving Mode which is all set to be rolled out on the company’s Play Store. However, it will initially be offered to a selected number of users by the search engine giant.  the version can thus be installed manually, however, it is not that easy to activate this feature since there is some technicality involved. Android Police has been successful in getting the information and has also experimented with it. So far they were able to initiate the process, run it on two devices but is still trying to figure out ways to run it on the third one. It is now being speculated that one GOOG comes up with its general release then this issue might get resolved. However, users might have to wait for another upgrade to experience the Driving Mode completely.

Google Maps is a well acclaimed app by the company and is considered to be a safe bet for navigation related uses. The company has now come up with another feature that will telepath the destination making it sound cooler. Although, this feature will not make the driver more comfortable but it will eventually save time and the hassle of adding the destination.

Moreover, you can always boast to the people around you regarding the smartness of this application.

For all those who don’t have digital assistants, this will serve the purpose for the time you spend in your car. 

Apple Launches An Apple Store In Mexico

Apple has confirmed rumors regarding the establishment of a new Apple Store

Apple Inc. on Friday announced that it is all geared up to establish its first retail store in Mexico. The tech behemoth has now started to accept job applications for its new flagship store that will be housed in a shopping arcade in the heart of Mexico City. Sopitas, a local publication house has published a statement regarding the matter where they have confirmed that the company will launch its brick and mortar store in the region. The mall that has been chosen for the purpose is Santa Fe Mall and now hunting for employees.

According to the tech giant, “We are very excited to begin the process of hiring the team that will open our first Apple Store in Mexico, a country rich in art, culture and history. We are excited to provide our valued customers in Mexico City service, training and entertainment that Apple customers around the world love.”

Several rumors, speculations and reports were circulating regarding the Apple iPhone maker for paving its way to border’s across. The company has been trying its best to make a mark globally and this seems to be part and parcel of the expansion plan. The rumored has been confirmed by the company itself and we will soon see many more flagship stores in Latin America.

The company recently wanted to become a global flagship and after establishing a new store in China has now targeted Mexico City. This is quite similar to the initiative taken by the company in United States. Moreover, another outlet has already been established by the tech giant in San Francisco.

As per the reports, the company is all set to establish two more Apple Stores. These locations are Monterrey and Guadalajara. Apart from that, the company will target other regions to such as Argentina, Chile and Peru. Presently, there are two flagship stores in Latin America and that only in Brazil. So far the company only functions online in the region and there are country specific stores in the continent.

So far AAPL has not come up with an exact date for completion and no official launch date in Mexico City has been garnered. So far it is estimated that it will almost take a year to come up with two stores.  Apple is trying its best to make its presence heard all over the globe and Mexico has immense potential to garner sales for the company. The initiative will bear fruit for the company.

Google Announces Partnership For Android TV And Chromecast Audio

Google has joined forces with new partners to empower Android TV and Chromecast Audio

Alphabet Inc. initially came up with Android TV that failed to garner traction. The venture was said to be a breakthrough in the television industry. However, the company did not have much expertise in this particular domain that resulted in their downfall.

You cannot really be blamed if you do not recall the Android TV. The search engine giant came up with this venture a year back which was said to be the successor of Google TV venture. The initiative by the company is still active however, the executives at Google are now trying to breathe in a new dimension of growth to it.

Google has recently announced about having several new hardware partners on board for the Android TV along with other partners who will assist in the building of Chromecast Audio. An audio version of Chromecast was launched recently which can be plugged directly to the speakers.

So now the company is all set reposition the Android TV all over again by collaborating with various brands like Bang & Olufse, Arcelik, RCA, Vestel and Hisense. The company has also joined forces with broadband and Indonesian cable provider “Linknet” who will be responsible to come up with a set top box which will be Android TV based.  Initially, the only companies that catered to a set top box were Sharp, Sony and Philips.

Chromecast Audio has a relatively different past where LG and Sony are the only companies that have joined forces to deploy the technology. So now other giants like the Harman Kardon, Raumfled, Onkyo, B&O Play, Pioneer and Philips are joining forces as well. Moreover, StreamUnlimited and Frontier Silicon are also geared up to come up with software and hardware that is Chromecast enabled allowing others to incorporate this technology with their product and services.

The speakers to be launched are also likely to get assistance for the Chromecast Audio’s multi-room sync. So in case you possess several speakers that can be attached to Chromecast Audio, then you can simply pile them up with this functionality so that the song can then be streamed by making use of a single click.

Hence, the company is all set to make a difference in its Android TV. The initiative taken by the company will assist in luring users back to the venture. The company has now collaborated with local brands, but will soon also join forces with other tech giants who can make a difference to the products and services rendered by the tech giant.

Apple Teases With A New Band For Its Wearable Tech

Apple teases with a Space Black Milanese Loop band

It is now believed that Apple Inc. has ventured out to add an accessory band to its wearable tech, Apple Watch. As per a report by Mac Rumors, the webpage of the company’s official website for Czech Republic teased about the launch of a 'Space Black Milanese Loop band’. A similar happening was observed on the Hungarian and Portuguese Apple Store recently.

The company was successful in launching the Apple Watches and since then the sales have gained momentum considerably. The company has been trying its best to experiment with its wearable tech by coming up with stylized trendy bands for its watch. The tech giant made use of Hermes leather strap bands and also launched several colors to attract the masses.

The webpage of AAPL showcases an image of the band and gives an insight of the Milanese strap which will be extremely comfortable and would ensure smooth wrist movement. It is assumed that the strategy deployed by the company to come up with a new version of the Apple Watch during the start of FY16 indicate that the company would launch more accessories and variants in the times to come.

The images of the Apple product have now been removed from the company’s store. It now seems that the company was toying with the user mind. So far, no details have been revealed by the company regarding the launch or pricing details of the Milanese Loop Band. Moreover, the status of availability of the bank is currently unavailable on the website, however, speculations suggest that the band will soon make its debut.

Moreover, the tech behemoth has also confirmed about its plans of coming up with a range of smart watches for its users in Czech Republic, Malaysia and Portugal. It is now being assumed that the teaser was to actually create anticipation amongst the masses and breathe in life to the accessory trend once again.

So far the buy option for the 38 mm model wearable tech is not available, moreover, the description bears striking similarity with the band launched earlier. It is likely that the initiative is to simply spur in traction for the promotion of the wearable tech.

Apple Watch is the brain child of Mr. Tim Cook that disrupted the wearable tech industry. the company si known for smart tactics for the promotion of its products and services and this now seems like a very attractive strategy to popularize its product before actually launching it.

IBM Comes Up With IBM Alert Notification Service

IBM to make network performance and critical app alerts better through  IBM Alert Notification Service

International Business Machine Corp. recently made an announcement regarding IBM Alert Notification Service. This is a new service launched by IBM Cloud that empowers the DevOps teams to receive the critical alerts rapidly along with responding to them quickly. The idea is to deal with the potential problems regarding the apps before the users get affected by the bugs and errors.

The service presently available in beta on Bluemix- the Cloud Platform of IBM. It is claimed that the IBM Netcool Operations Insight will work with IBM Alert Notification Service. Both the services will collaborate to offer network analytics in real time. Across the various networks and operational platforms, the tool will result in a consolidated, coherent perspective. The tool will enable the operators and developers to get the notifications whenever it is required. The notification can be acquired through SMS, emails or voice as suitable. REST API can be used by developers to link the service so that the notifications are generated to the concerned department/team. In order to ensure protection against the downtime, the service can be configured in a manner that escalations are possible, this will help in reducing the time needed to identify and then respond to the issue.

To make sure that the team never misses out on any important alert, the IBM Alert Notification Service is designed in a manner to allow the concerned team to come up with notification policy that is customized. This will route the alerts immediately to the team members so that the visibility of the alerts is made possible.

The tool allows the users to receive the updates through voice calls, text and emails as per need. The IBM Alert Notification Service is working quite well to offer solutions for consumer who wishes to install it at various hybrid scenarios.

The IBM Alert Notification Service can be found in the Bluemix catalog. Moreover, it can also be viewed through a video present on the Community blog of IBM Bluemix Developers.

As per The British Journal, “IBM launched Bluemix with a $1 billion investment in 2014, growing rapidly to become the largest public Cloud Foundry deployment in the world. The open-standards-based Bluemix catalog includes over 120 tools and services spanning categories of big data, mobile, Watson, analytics, integration, DevOps, security and Internet of Things.”

The company has constantly made efforts to make sure that its product offering result in efficiency and safety of all its users.