Google Translate: 110 New Languages Are Added

On June 27, Google announced that support for 110 new languages is added to the Translate feature. In this case, special thanks should go to its PaLM 2 large language model. A quarter of the total languages that have been added already originated in Africa. Besides, the company added support for five Philippine languages, including—Bikol, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, and Waray. Additionally, it supported translations for Cebuano, Ilocano, and Tagalog, which is known as Filipino on the service.

With the wide availability of languages, Google Translate helps to break down the language barriers while allowing people to connect as well as understand the world in a better way. The company is applying the most recent technologies to permit more people to access the tool. Google already added 24 new languages with the help of Zero-Shot Machine Translation in 2022. In this technology, an ML model learns how to translate into another language without viewing an instance. The company even took an initiative to generate AI models which will be compatible with 1000 languages which are spoken mostly across the globe.

Google Translate support for more than half a billion people:

These new languages, from Qʼeqchiʼ to Cantonese, enable over 614 million speakers (8% of the entire population) to communicate with each other. A few languages have more than 100 million speakers. Besides, there are other languages which small communities of Indigenous people speak. In addition, a few languages do not have any native speakers. But they do have active revitalization efforts. A lot of new languages originated from Africa and represent the largest expansion of the African Language to date; Fon, Kikongo, Luo, Ga, Swati, Venda and Wolof are some of these languages.

Google Translate: 110 New Languages Are Added

We have given here some languages which are newly supported in Google Translate:

Afar: It is a tonal language which is spoken in Eritrea, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. This language had the most volunteer community contribution among all languages that were launched.

Manx: It is the Celtic language of the Isle of Man. In 1974, after the death of its last native speaker, this language had almost gone extinct. However, all credits go to the island-wide revival movement, because of which a lot of speakers now use this language.

Cantonese: Most of the people have requested this language for Google Translate. In this case, you have to know that the language often overlaps with Mandarin in writing. So, it may be difficult to find data and training models.

NKo: This is actually a standardized form of the West African Manding languages. NKo is capable of unifying multiple dialects into a common language. In 1949, people invented the unique alphabet of this language. This newly supported language has an active research community. This community helps to develop technology and resources for it at present.

Tamazight (Amazigh): North African people used to speak the Berber language. You can find multiple dialects of this language. But still the written form can be mutually understandable. Tifinagh and Latin script are used to write this language. Google Translate supports both of these scripts.

Tok Pisin: This is an English-based creole. Besides, it is the lingua franca of Papua New Guinea. Suppose you speak the English language. In that case, you can try to translate it into Tok Pisin — it can help you to understand the meaning.

How Does Google Translate Work?

Translating all these languages is not as simple as it looks. In order to power the Translate feature, the company uses AI which requires enough written data like text from books, articles, and websites.

After that the data feed algorithms that are inspired by the human brain known as neural networks. It lets the system analyze context. Besides, the system needs to analyze linguistic structures and patterns to offer natural-sounding translations.

How Language Varieties Are Chosen:

While adding new languages to the Google Translate, the company needed to consider a lot of things. Languages are available in a huge variation, including- Regional varieties, dialects, and different spelling standards. You can even find multiple languages without one standard form. As a result, it becomes challenging to go with the right one. Google aims to put importance to those varieties of languages which are most commonly used. For instance, there are a lot of dialects available of the Romani language throughout theEurope. Google Translate creates the text closest to Southern Vlax Romani.

PaLM 2 is a language model used by Google Translate to learn languages which are closely related to each other. Technology is getting new advancements regularly. Tuning with the updating technology, Google is partnering with native speakers and expert linguists. In this way, the company is trying to offer support for more language varieties and spelling conventions.

Benefits Of Incorporating These New Languages:

The company emphasized how the volunteer community helps to identify new languages and add them, especially in regions with limited digital resources. By adding support for 110 new languages to Google Translate, the company is trying to break down the language barriers, while making information accessible to a wide range of audiences.

In order to learn more about the newly supported languages, you need to visit the Help Center. Then, you can start to translate any language at the translate.google.com website. Otherwise, it is possible for Android and iOS users to use the Google Translate app.

The Bottom Line:

Artificial intelligence can deliver better performance in the English language because of the wide availability of training data. However, apart from Google, Microsoft is also interested in rare languages and launched Microsoft Language Bank in 2022, highlighting that 40% of all available languages worldwide are endangered. The Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages made a partnership with Shure (an audio company) for a campaign that is known as "No Voice Left Behind", which aims to spread awareness of preserving languages used in remote regions.

Google Axion Processors

Google is pushing the computing boundaries constantly, while trying to explore the possibilities for grand challenges, which include global video distribution, information retrieval, and generative AI. In order to do so, it is required to rethink the system design by collaborating deeply with service developers. This rethinking resulted in their significant investment in custom silicon. Google Axion Processors is the first custom Arm®-based CPU of Google designed for data centers. Axion can offer excellent performance and energy efficiency and is going to be available to Google Cloud customers in the later phase of 2024. 

Things You Need To Know About Google Axion Processors:

It is the most recent launch in the line of custom Google silicon. Since 2015, Google has launched five generations of TPUs or Tensor Processing Units. After three years, Google launched the first VCU or Video Coding Unit. This unit was up to 33 times more efficient in video transcoding. Google invested in "system on a chip" (SoC) designs in 2021 and doubled down on custom computing. For mobile devices, Google launched the first of three generations of Tensor chips.

Remember that general-purpose computing is vital for the workloads of customers. Excessive computing power is necessary for information retrieval, analytics, ML training, and serving. Several customers want to reduce infrastructure costs and want to fulfil sustainability goals and boost performance. According to them, the rate of CPU improvements has slowed recently. As per Amdahl's Law, accelerators are improving continuously. Therefore, general-purpose computing could dominate the cost price, while limiting the capability of their infrastructure unless they make commensurate investments for keeping up.

More Information About Google Axion Processors:

Axion processors are capable of combining Google's silicon expertise and Arm's excellent CPU cores. The purpose of it is to offer instances with up to 30% better performance than the quickest general-purpose Arm-based examples. Also, it aims to provide up to 50% enhanced performance and up to 60% more energy efficiency compared to current-generation x86-based instances. This is the reason the company has already begun to deploy different Google services, which include BigTable, Spanner, BigQuery, Blobstore, Pub/Sub, Google Earth Engine, and the YouTube Ads platform. Google also aims to scale and deploy these services and more on Axion soon.

The company's tensor processing units are some viable alternatives to Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence chips. It helps to open a new tab. However, developers are able to access them only via Google's Cloud Platform. They cannot purchase them directly. The company is planning to provide the Arm-based CPU, which is known as Axion via Google Cloud. As per Google, it can offer superior performance to x86 chips and general-purpose Arm chips in the cloud.

Unrivalled Performance And Efficiency, Underpinned By Titanium:

Axion processors are made using the Arm Neoverse™ V2 CPU. These are useful for usual workloads and can deliver a significant performance. Such workloads include open-source databases, web and app servers, containerized microservices, in-memory caches, data analytics engines, media processing, CPU-based AI training and inferencing, etc.

Titanium underpins Axion. It is a system of custom silicon microcontrollers. Networking and security are some platform operations which remain under the care of Titanium. As a result, the Axion processors come with enhanced capacity and deliver better performance for customer workloads. Hyperdisk is the new block storage service which is capable of decoupling performance from instance size. Titanium can offload storage I/O processing to this service.

What Did Rene Haas, CEO Of Arm Say About Axion Processors?

Rene Haas said that the announcement of Google regarding Axion has marked a significant milestone in offering custom silicon, which is optimized for the company's infrastructure as well as made on the top-quality Arm Neoverse V2 platform. Decades of ecosystem investment, company's ongoing innovation and open-source software contributions confirm the best experience for the workloads which will matter most for those customers who run on Arm everywhere.

While customers are willing to have better performance, they want to fulfil their sustainability goals. Google Cloud data centers come with 1.5 times more efficiency compared to the industry average. Besides, these can offer computing power three times more with the same amount of electric power than the last five years ago.

Google has already planned to operate its campuses, offices, and data centers on carbon-free energy. The company is willing to help people in reporting on carbon emissions by providing tools. With the new Axion processors, customers will be able to optimize for more energy efficiency.

Axion - Out-of-the-box Application Compatibility And Interoperability:

Google also brings a significant history of multiple contributions to the Arm ecosystem. Kubernetes, Tensorflow, and the Go language are working closely with Arm and the industry partners. Thus, they can optimize these for the Arm architecture.

You need to know that Axion is made on the standard instruction set and Armv9 architecture. The most contribution from this company was made to SystemReady Virtual Environment (VE). This one is the hardware and firmware interoperability standard of Arm. It can ensure that the basic software packages and OSs are capable of running VMs and Arm-based servers. It becomes simpler for the customers who want to deploy Arm workloads on Google Cloud. This collaboration helps to create an ecosystem of multiple cloud customers who are deploying workloads already. These customers can leverage Arm-native software from several open-source projects and ISVs.

As a customer, you will be capable of using this processor in multiple Google Cloud services, which include Google Kubernetes Engine, Google Compute Engine, Dataproc, Dataflow, Cloud Batch, etc. You can get the Arm-compatible software and solutions on the Google Cloud Marketplace. Google has recently launched the preview support in the Migrate to Virtual Machines service for Arm-based instances migration.

The Bottom Line:

The vice president and general manager of the compute and machine learning infrastructure of Google Cloud is Mark Lohmeyer. He said that their purpose is to make everything simple for the customers who are willing to bring their existing workloads to Arm. Although Axion is produced on open foundations, customers using Arm anywhere are able to adopt Axion. And the interesting thing is that there is no need to rewrite or re-architect their apps. The company is aiming to use the processor in order to power services like YouTube Ads in Google Cloud very soon.

5 Chrome Address Bar Updates To Speed Up Your Search

The most used web browser — Google Chrome, is getting a few important updates, which focus on the address bar. Google has announced five address bar updates that let you efficiently use the address bar of the browser.

If you look for any site, this browser lets you find it even when you make typos. Besides, Chrome helps you find the website you want though you forget the URL or you require suggestions.

 The address bar of Chrome is getting upgraded with several new updates like "smarter" autocomplete, typo correction, bookmark search, etc. These new changes might help to reshape the way people discover websites as well as land on them. Fortunately, with the help of these five latest improvements, you can browse faster.

5 Chrome Address Bar Updates To Speed Up Your Search:

Let's have a look at these new address bar updates:

1. Smarter Autocompletion:

Previously, when you typed the starting of any site correctly, the browser would autocomplete the links in the address bar. For instance, therefore, you should know one thing: the Google Flights site begins with google.com. Starting in Chrome on your desktop, users can now see the address bar auto-completing the URLs, depending on any word used earlier by the user to search a site. Suppose you type “flights,” and then you can see that Chrome will autocomplete to “https://www.google.com/travel/flights.”

2. Automatic Typo Corrections:

Have you misspelt a URL name in the address bar while typing? Now Chrome can identify those typos. In addition, it is capable of showing you suggestions, relying on the websites you visited earlier. People using Chrome now can use the new feature on desktop, Android & iOS.

3. Searches Within Bookmark Folders:

As a Chrome user, you are capable of searching within bookmark folders from the address bar on desktop and mobile. You only need to add the name of the folder in your search. Then, you can see the available suggestions from the collection.

This update will be a game changer for those who depend on bookmarks for tracking their favorite web pages. Now, Chrome will permit you to search within your bookmark folders, and you are able to find those tucked-away pages easily. If you have an extensive collection of bookmarks or wish to access any particular page, you should use the feature to stay organized. Thus, you can find what you need easily. You should keep in mind that adding a bookmark folder name is essential in order to search bookmarks via the address bar.

4. Suggestions For Popular Sites:

Suppose, your friend has recommended a website to you, but you can't remember its name. Now, when you use this browser on your desktop and mobile, it will suggest popular websites despite the fact that you have not visited the website or you have mistyped the URL.

Suppose one of your friends has told you to check out Google Earth to scout how hard the hiking trail is. If you are going to type “Google Earth” for the first time in this browser's address bar, you will see Chrome is suggesting the Google Earth website in the drop-down.

5. Simpler-to-read Results:

It is possible to read the Chrome desktop address bar easily, and all credits go to an improved visual layout. As this one is very responsive, you will get faster outcomes once you start typing.

While typo correction, autocomplete, & folder search features are available, a few features are yet to roll out, including popular site suggestions and visual updates. According to Google, these latest changes would save time for those who are using Chrome, and also help to reduce frustration when they navigate the web.

The Bottom Line:

As per Statcounter, Chrome has 63.45% of the global browser market share. Overall, Chrome is the most popular browser. After seeing the new updates to the browser, you can easily understand why Safari & Edge have got the 2nd & 3rd position, respectively.

2023 Google I/O 2023

Google I/O  2023 conference is almost there and it indicates that the highly anticipated Pixel Fold & Pixel Tablet will launch very soon. This conference, which is organized annually geared toward developers. It can hold a keynote that reveals the latest things. If you are willing to watch the keynote live without attending the event, this article is for you. Go through the entire article to know everything about the event, like when & where to stream it, and which things you can expect.

When is the main 2023 Google I/O keynote?

This annual event begins on May 10th, 2023, at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT. Google CEO Sundar Pichai will introduce the event. In 2023, the event will take place in person live with a limited audience at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

It seems like Google is encouraging people to tune into the event online. Previously, conferences of developers usually took up to three days. It appears as Google is willing to de-emphasize this event. Besides, the company is willing to remain there for Android and web developers through other channels. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the 2021 event was online. However, people can still access the opening keynote and multiple expected panels online, as previously.

How to watch 2023 Google I/O:

If you are willing to participate on Google's website, you should register for the event. However, it is essential to use a Google account. Whether you desire to watch the main keynote, it is expected that you can get this on YouTube without registering yourself.

What can we expect at 2023 Google I/O?

The company released the event's schedule on April 27, 2023. Generally, this planned event is more condensed as the developer conference takes place only one day this year. It is categorised into four sections: mobile, web, AI, and cloud. These inform us what the theme of this year's I/O will be.

Google I/O's official schedule reveals the expected large themes:

In this event, you will get a clear overview of all details which Google will introduce during I/O, along with the largest announcements. The company is expected to use its AI announcements because it wants to win a few excitements around its projects in the department.

People will learn more about what the company has planned for Android 14 and the next versions of ChromeOS. Google also plans a few extra specialized panels such as Google Pay and Google Wallet, Material Design, Google Home, and the web. As it is a developer conference, it is possible to look forward to deep dives into languages (Dart, Flutter, Firebase, and machine learning) & other programming topics. The company has also planned to reveal some hardware-related announcements— the budget Google Pixel 7a or the Google Pixel Fold. The company might have also planned to introduce a few Android 14 features as well as explain to developers how they can benefit from these.

Focus on AI at 2023 Google I/O:

After the launch of ChatGPT 4.0 and Bing's chat-based search, the company activated code red internally. Google also reacted with a Live from Paris event where Google Bard, a chat-based search engine, is displayed. In March 2023, the chatbot was launched as a limited beta in the U.S. and U.K. According to a recent leak, it can come to the Pixel phone as a widget.

Google Bard is the beginning of its grand plans for AI-powered search. As per a report, for the services, Samsung may ditch Google as the default search engine. Whereas Google is working on the next stage of the search engine that may integrate a chatbot.

Developers can get an opportunity to experience new tools. A new Colab option can become a part of Android Studio that is also known as Google's developer environment. It is beneficial for developers to resolve the code. With the help of this tool, you can write code depending on prompts from programmers.

Google Pixel 7a and the Google Pixel Fold:

People learned about the Google Pixel Tablet at the previous developer conference, and it has been almost a year, but still, Google didn't make this available to the public. The company is expected to change it in 2023 Google I/O. While the launch date is almost confirmed, the price can be guessed due to the leaks.

The company will launch Google Pixel 7a at this event after teasing a new phone launch for the day after May 11. According to the leaks, the Pixel 7a will be almost identical to the Pixel 7. It is because the model will have the same Tensor G2 chip, camera setup, and display refresh rate. The difference is that the side of the model may be smaller, and it can consist of less premium materials. Although the Pixel 7a will launch after its predecessor, the Google Pixel 6a was announced in May 2022. However, it is going on sale at the end of July.

On May 4, 2023, the company revealed the Pixel Fold in a launch page on its Google Store website and in a tweet where it promised to announce more details on this Google I/O. You might glimpse the Google Pixel 8 lineup, which is expected to arrive at year's end. The same was applicable to last year's Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.

About Android 14:

Android 14 is currently available for developers and those who are eager to use beta software. The previous builds look exactly like Android 13. Mishaal Rahman has found several other features. So, the company is expected to make them official in this event and release Android 14 Beta 2 soon after.

Conclusion:

Google I/O is almost there and we also learnt about a few things and what to expect before it happens. It will be better if you try to catch up on things that happened at the previous event.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How To Register to Attend the Event?

It is free & open to all. Once you register yourself here, you can save content and chat in I/O Adventure, a virtual event of 2021.

Q. How Much Is Google I/O?

Since 2021, this online event has been free.

Q. Where Is Google I/O Held?

It is held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. Being the hometown of Google, the city is approx forty miles south of downtown San Francisco.

Discover More Than 800 Free TV Channels with Google TV

Google recently announced that it is going to introduce a new live TV experience to browse over eight hundred free television channels across several providers in the Live tab. With the help of Google TV, you can get all these free TV channels in a single place. Google is going to add these channels to the Google TV software on the Chromecast streaming device and can choose televisions from Sony, CL, Hisense, and Philips. April 11 is the launch date of Google TV's new live TV guide part.

To differentiate the streaming operating interface from the competitors such as Roku, Apple, Amazon, Google has taken this move which is its aggregation of various existing free TV services such as Tubi, Paramount Global's Pluto TV, and Haystack News. People who are unwilling to spend their money on any streaming service can use Google's platform.

Nowadays, there are multiple ways for streaming movies and television shows. Fortunately, the number of free TV options is increasing that can offer everything like famous shows, local news, hit movies, etc. However, as several options are available, it is tough to know what is available and how to find them. Google TV is very useful in this case.

Availability of free TV channels in one place than other smart TV platforms:

Google has started integrating access to all the free channels available from Plex, Tubi, and Haystack News. In addition, it has an existing line-up of the channels available on Pluto TV. This Google TV comes with free default channels. People are capable of watching Google TV without downloading or launching any application.

It is possible to browse more than eight hundred channels & premium programming like news channels from NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. You are capable of tuning in to channels in over ten languages like Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese. Whether it comes to watching breaking news or blockbuster movies - it offers different choices for everyone. As there, doesn't exist any fee or subscription, you just need to jump in and start watching.

Find what you're looking for with ease:

All the new free channels are available in this new TV guide that organizes them so that you can enjoy a faster browsing. If you are willing to experience a true crime show, classic TV reruns, cooking shows you like, or anything else, you can get almost everything here. Additionally, saving your "Favorites" is possible to the guide top for quick access.

Have you subscribed to a premium live TV from YouTube TV or Sling TV? Can you access over-the-air channels? If it is the case, it is possible to use the Live tab for watching them also. People can get all live channels in a single place now. All users will get a wonderful experience of new live TV on Google TV devices like Chromecast with Google TV in the United States.

Conclusion:

Google plans to come up with a new TV guide & free channels in the year 2023. According to the Alphabet unit, free channels are integrated into the "Live" tab containing content from NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX channels. In the United States, the service is launching on all Google TV devices. If there is any eligible Android TV device, it can access the new TV guide and free channels later this year.

Magic Eraser Plus More Google Photos Features Coming to Google One

Google is making its Magic Eraser tool available originally for Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 users. There are many photo editing tools that Google will offer for all Google One subscribers. As a result, users of the Google One plan can use the tool on the Google Photos app. These new features will be available to the Pixel mobiles before being introduced to Apple or Samsung.

People can easily find their images and organize them along with editing & sharing with the help of Google Photos. Google has added some AI-powered editing tools. This feature represents a new HDR video effect. Using these tools is possible to store your memories.

How to use Magic Eraser:

You can use the tool in several ways. Once Google's AI detects any obvious object that can be deleted, these will be outlined as suggestions. Users can delete them with a single tap of a link. In addition, users can draw a circle around an area to erase. After that, artificial intelligence deletes the area and fills this with the surrounding background.

How to be benefitted from Magic Eraser:

Remove photobombers:

Finding distractions in the background is quite frustrating if you think it is a perfect shot. With the help of this feature, you can detect distractions in your images, such as photobombers or power lines. Therefore, removing these is possible with only a few clicks. It is possible to circle or brush other things to erase anything. You only need to use the tool to disappear them. Additionally, the feature has a Camouflage, which can change object colors in the image and help to blend the color naturally with the rest of the image.

Improve Video Quality with the HDR effect:

The HDR effect helps to balance dark foregrounds and bright backgrounds on images. Therefore, soaking is possible in each detail. It allows you to increase brightness & contrast across your videos.

Excellent Collage Editor Designs:

Google is offering some updates extra to the college editor to provide more options at the time of putting collages together in Google Photos. Styles can be added by Google Photos users to a picture in the collage editor. Besides, Google One members and Pixel users will soon enjoy many new Styles. Therefore, when you make your collages, you will get more designs to choose from.

Free Shipping On Print Orders: Google One members can enjoy free shipping on orders from the print store. But this offer is available only for people in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. Custom photo books, photo prints, and canvas prints can bring memories to life. People who are not Google One members can sign up for free with a trial in Google Photos.

Conclusion:

Although every feature is not worth paying for, the combined package has become very attractive to Google One subscribers in the app stores. Google One app was the sixth non-game app based on consumer spending. According to Google, these features have been rolled out but will not reach all users globally in the upcoming weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Is Magic Eraser available on Google Photos?

You need a mobile to remove the unnecessary objects from the pictures using Magic Eraser without a fuss. This new feature is available in Google Photos on iOS and Android devices.

Q. Will Magic Eraser come to older pixels?

This feature starts rolling out quickly to the older Pixel mobiles and Google One. Other features of Google will soon be available broadly. Google brings image features and all of which were exclusive to recent Pixel mobiles to more devices.

Q. Is Magic Eraser coming to Google One?

Google is bringing Magic Eraser and other improved editing features. Pixel users and Google One members (on iOS & android) can enjoy the feature. The extra benefit that Google One members will get is free shipping on print orders.

Next Generation of AI for Developers and Google Workspace

For many years, Google has been continuously invested in AI and offered advantages to individuals, businesses, and communities. Artificial intelligence, accessible to all, can help you to publish state-of-the-art research, build handy products or develop tools & resources.

You should know that at present, we are at a pivotal moment in our AI journey. The new innovations in artificial intelligence are making changes depending on our interaction with technology. Google has been developing big language models to bring these safely to the products.

For starting building with Google's best AI models via Google Cloud and a new prototyping environment named MakerSuite, businesses as well as developers are trying new APIs and products so that it can be safe, easy and scalable. The company is introducing new features in Google workspace that will help the users to harness the generative AI power for creating, collaborating, and connecting.

PaLM API & MakerSuite:

It is an excellent way for exploring and prototyping with generative AI applications. Many technology and platform shifts, including cloud computing, mobile computing, etc., have given inspiration to all developers so that they can begin new businesses, imagine new products, and transform the way of creation. People are now in the midst of another shift with artificial intelligence, which profoundly affects each industry.

If you are a developer who does experiments with AI, the PaLM API can help you a lot because it allows you to build safely on top of the best language models. Google is making an efficient model of a certain size and capabilities.

MakerSuite is an intuitive tool in th API, allowing you to prototype ideas quickly. Later, it will come with different features for prompt engineering, synthetic data generation, and custom-model tuning. In this case, you should know that safety tools support all of these. Some specific developers are capable of getting access to the PaLM API and MakerSuite in Private Preview. The waitlist will inform the developers who can access them.

Bring Generative AI Capabilities to Google Cloud:

As a developer, if you are willing to create your apps & models and customize them with generative AI, you can access artificial models (like PaLM) of Google on Google Cloud. New generative capabilities related to artificial intelligence will be available in the Google Cloud AI portfolio. Therefore, developers can access enterprise-level safety, security, and privacy and already integrate with Cloud solutions.

Generative AI Support in Vertex AI:-

Vertex AI of Google Cloud is used by Developers and businesses for the production & deployment of ML models and AI applications at scale. Google offers foundation models only to create text & pictures and over time with audio & video. As a Google Cloud customer, you can find models, make & modify prompts, fine-tune them with their data, and deploy apps using new technologies.

Generative AI App Builder:-

Nowadays, governments & businesses are seen to have the desire to make their AI-powered chat interfaces and digital assistants. Therefore, to make it happen, Google comes with Generative AI App Builder used to connect conversational AI flows with out-of-the-box search experiences and foundation models. These models help organizations to generate AI apps in minutes or hours.

New AI partnerships and programs:-

While Google has announced new Google Cloud AI products, they are committing to remain the most open cloud provider. They also expand the ecosystem of artificial intelligence and unique programs for technology partners, startups, and AI-focused software providers. From 14th March 2023, Vertex AI with Generative AI support and Generative AI App Builder became accessible to reliable testers.

New generative AI features in Workspace:

In Google workspace, AI-powered features are available and it has already benefited over three billion people. For instance, if you use Smart Compose in Gmail or auto-generated summaries in Google Docs, you will get benefited from this. Now Google wants to take the next step where it will bring some limited trusted testers to make writing procedure simpler than previous.

When you type in a topic in Gmail and Google Docs, you can see a draft made instantly for you. Therefore, Workspace saves time and effort for managers onboarding new employees. You can abbreviate the message from there or adjust the tone to become more professional. Everything is possible with some clicks. According to Google, they will roll out these features to testers very soon.

Scaling AI responsibly:

Generative AI is actually an awesome technology which is evolving rapidly and comes with complex challenges. It is why external and internal testers are invited to pressure test new experiences. Google users who use Google products to create and grow their businesses take these principles as commitments. Improving the artificial models is the primary target of Google being responsible in its approach and partnering with others.

Conclusion:

Generative AI has given a lot of chances like to help people to express themselves creatively, help developers to make modern apps, and transform how businesses & governments engage their customers. People should wait for more features which will be available in the months ahead.

Bard AI

The most renowned technology available today in the market is artificial intelligence. It is useful in every field, like helping doctors to identify diseases, letting people access information in their language, and so on. Besides, it helps businesses in unlocking their potential. You will be glad to know that it can open new chances for the improvement of a billion lives. It is why Google re-oriented the company around AI 6 years ago.

Since then, the company has been investing in artificial intelligence across the board. Whereas Google AI and DeepMind are the future of it. In every six months, the scale of the biggest AI computations doubles. Besides, advanced generative AI and big language models try to catch people's imagination worldwide. Let's know about bard AI like what this is thi, the advantages we can get from it, and so on.

What is Google BARD AI?

BARD is the abbreviation of Bidirectional Attention Recurrent Denoising Autoencoder. Google developed this machine learning model to create top-quality natural language text. We can say this is a deep learning-based generative model also. It can make coherent text that is contextually relevant and perfect for different apps in natural language processing, including text generation, language translation, and chatbots.

It can create text of both types, coherent and contextually relevant. Remember that it can be achieved via the use of bidirectional attention mechanisms. BARD follows this mechanism to consider a word's old & future context at the time of text generating. Moreover, this model employs the denoising autoencoder architecture, with the help of which you can decrease the sound and irrelevant information in the generated text.

Due to its flexibility and customizable nature, you can make this fine-tuned for specific apps & domains. You can train the model on domain-specific text data for generating text that is more appropriate for apps like a medical or legal text. In addition, it is possible to add this to other machine learning models like language models or dialogue systems. Thus, you can generate more advanced conversational AI systems.

It can also handle multiple languages. As it is possible to train the model on text data from different languages. It lets you make text in various languages with high fluency & accuracy. As a result, you can use this in multilingual apps and for those companies that want their business to improve globally by reaching international markets.

It is also efficient and scalable, because of which it becomes suitable to deploy in large-scale production systems. People can use it on different hardware, like GPUs and TPUs. Besides, if you want enhanced performance and quicker response times, it allows you to parallelize this across several devices.

Overall, all these exceptional features offer this model the potential to revolutionize the way of interaction for businesses with clients & users. You can use the model for text generation, language translation, or chatbots. You can experience high scalability from this BARD AI model if you are a Developer.

Introducing Bard:

This company translates deep research into products. LaMDA stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications. The company unveiled next-generation language and conversation abilities which LaMDA powers.

This LaMDA-powered experimental conversational AI service is called Bard. Before making this broadly available to all users in the future, the company has opened it up to a few trusted testers.

It is the combination of global knowledge, power, intelligence, and innovations of the large language models. The model can draw on information from the web so that it can offer fresh, top-quality responses.

Initially, Google released this with the lightweight version of LaMDA. You should know that the model needs very less computing power. As a result, it helps you to scale to more users and get more responses as feedback. So, add the external feedback with the internal testing to ensure the model's responses can fulfil the requirements of quality, safety, and groundedness. Google is excited for testing the phase as it may help people to learn more about the quality and speed of Bard.

Why is Google working on BARD AI?

Google has been working on this model to enhance the user experience and offer better results for the users. This one is a leading technology company that is part of the ongoing effort.

It also works to improve the accuracy and relevance of search results. While the system can realize the context, it can also create coherent text that is related contextually. Thus, the company can offer more accurate and relevant results. As you can use this model to handle many languages, the company helps to reach international markets. Thus, the outcomes will be available with high fluency and accuracy.

The company works on this also to offer a better user experience. What generates the system unique is that it can create human-like text. It allows Google to offer more natural language interactions.

The model can learn and adapt new things over time very easily. Using the advanced machine learning algorithm, the system basically improves the performance which needs to be fine-tuned in such a way so that it can meet the needs and preferences of the users. As a result, Google can offer a more personalized experience to the users.

Is Google Bard AI a competitor to ChatGPT?

Each large tech company works to develop artificial intelligence. So, we can say that all are competitors of each other, whereas the target of all of them is to deliver the ultimate experience to the users. Therefore, the competition is very hard as service quality matters. In addition, the AI model must be advanced to handle different types of user behavior.

The Bottom Line:

Google especially works on BARD AI to improve its capabilities of searching and to offer people more relevant results. Google incorporates AI into its offerings and makes itself the market's boss in artificial intelligence. Thus, they can set the standard for the industry.

What is the New YouTube Emotes Feature?

As a YouTube user, we all have noticed a dramatic transformation in recent years because of the user engagement level. As it is essential to carry on the user-centric approach, the website has rolled out a new feature named 'YoutTube Emotes.' With the help of this feature, you can express your thoughts through fun images at the time of live streaming. You can use these images also while commenting on any post or video.

People already have used emojis on YouTube videos and streams while commenting. Now, the app has included a massive collection of custom emojis which you can send through comments. Like the stickers in Emoji Kitchen stickers, you can paste the static images into the conversation. But you should know that it will not appear like the animated stickers that you can find in Telegram.

This feature also has a little bit of similarities to the specification that Twitch offers for livestreams. When it comes to Twitch, you will get custom-created emoji from the streamers. But if it comes to talk about YouTube, you should know that the emotes are available sitewide.

But according to YouTube, the emotes are generated mainly for gaming. However, a lot of designs will be added to the platform. You should know that this feature is currently unavailable for mobiles. It seems that there will be approximately 60 emotes available for a chat.

What is the new YouTube Emotes feature?

Sometimes, it happens that we are unable to express our feelings through words. Then, we need emojis to add interest to the chat. So, to make the chats more interesting, YouTube has introduced this new 'YoutTube Emotes' feature.

Using this specification, you will be able to see a few fun images that you can use while live streaming or commenting. YouTube Emotes is actually a collection of several fun images which can be used to create a community on the app. This new feature lets you see all the emojis and emotes located under any channel membership custom emojis. Like emotes on Twitch, YouTube has introduced its own emotes. In this regard, you should know that Twitch is a famous platform for interactions of live-streaming content.

The main intention of launching this feature is to provide several emojis which you can use to communicate or comment to express your thoughts properly. Another fact that you should know is that Abelle Hayford, Guy Field, and Yujin Won made gaming Emotes. YouTube is expected to add more categories and themes. But YouTube didn't indicate whether the platform is testing this new feature in selected regions Or with small groups. Therefore, it seems that the platform will offer this new feature to all the users.

How to use YouTube Emotes:

If you want to use emotes, your first task is to hit the icon in comments or live chat. Therefore, you get to see all emojis and emotes. Whereas the YouTube emotes can be found under any channel membership custom emojis. You can insert emotes in live chat using particular names. For example, you need to type ":smile:'' to autocomplete the smile emoji. In chat, you have to type the name of emote while watching a stream. According to YouTube, Emotes are especially for gaming, but the platform will bring more emote themes.

Conclusion:

The company YouTube introduced the "Live Q&A" feature in November. With the help of this feature, it is possible to create Q&A sessions and manage them in the live chat when the streaming continues. People are able to access the feature via the "Live Control Room".

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How to use or access YouTube Emotes?

You should hit the icon only during the live chat or comments. Then, it will display all emojis and emotes.

Q. What was the new feature for the Live Q&A YouTube feature introduced last month?

It will allow you to create Q&A sessions and manage them too during streaming, and live chat.

Google Family Link

Want to know what is Google Family Link for parents? It is getting a redesign to deliver a streamlined experience for guardians (parents). In this case, it helps to bring control to the forefront, Material You, and a web app.

It begins with a profile carousel at the top, which enables you to switch between accounts. You can see it available in "Highlights" and "Controls." Hence, the first tab can offer an overview of app usage.

In addition, a grid of cards shows various stats. For instance, it displays apps you have used recently, average screen time, and other recommendations. The company will provide more valuable insights soon. They are adding resources from Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, and the Family Online Safety Institute. Thus, you can navigate conversations at your home around online safety.

Regarding the Controls tab, it is possible to set up screen time limits. In addition, you can view all logged-in devices and a Bedtime schedule. Moreover, it is possible to adjust content restrictions and application data permissions.

What is Google Family Link?

Google Family Link is a Google service for family parental control. It enables parents to manage parameters for the devices of their kids. Besides, if you are a parent, you can restrict content, approve or disapprove apps, and set screen times using the app.

About:

It supports Android 10 and above. Besides, it is available in thirty-eight languages. In March 2017, it was released first to the public. Later, the company announced at I/O 2019 that it would add the feature to Android 10. It has recently been available in 38 nations, including the United States, Australia, and Japan.

An updated "Today only" feature allows you to set temporary screen time limits. Sometimes, you might need to change screen time settings temporarily. It happens when your kid requires some more time. Suppose you are traveling somewhere on a trip. In such cases, your child may need some additional time.

There is a Material You bottom bar rounding it out represents a Location with a map. For instance, we experienced sharing of Google Maps Locations in June. Thus, you can get notifications when your kid arrives at school or leaves there.

In its last part, you can see the company placing access to the bell icon in the top right corner. Thus, you can view requests that your kid makes. For instance, your child may want to download an app, access any blocked websites, etc. Hence, the top tabs help you to view alerts by your account in one view. The company introduces a Family Link web app for both parents and kids. Parents can access controls, whereas kids can realize their settings and access levels. We expect that the redesign of this service will be available soon.

Google Family Link Features:

Set Screen Time Limits:

You can view suitable screen time for your kid. Besides, it allows you to set downtime for their device. In addition, you can limit the time for apps. Thus, you can easily let your kid have a healthy balance.

Guide to Age-Appropriate Content:

You can approve any app which your kid is willing to download. In addition, if you want to block any app, you can do so. Besides, it lets you select the proper YouTube experience for your kid. For instance, you may choose a supervised experience on YouTube or YouTube Kids.

Protect Privacy:

You can choose wisely about the data for your kid using Permissions management. Besides, it is possible to see and adjust permissions for websites & extensions. You can access these via Chrome. Moreover, you can access apps downloaded on your kid's device.

Secure Account:

You can access your kid's account by managing it and data settings. Besides, you can help your kid to reset their password or change it when they forget. In addition, you can edit personal information or delete your kid's account when required.

See Where They Are:

You must want that you can easily find your family members while traveling. The Family Link app helps you to find your kid's location on the map. However, remember that you can locate them till they carry their device.

Get Notifications and Alerts:

The Google Family Link for children and teens can offer important alerts like when your kid arrives or leaves a location. It is possible to ring devices and see the remaining battery life of your device.

Conclusion:

The company has announced recent updates to the app. It can provide several options and keep your family members safer online. These current features have been rolled out and will be available very soon. Regarding a new update to the "Location tab," you can monitor your kid on a similar map using the device location. Besides, you can enable notifications. It will alert you at the time of arrival or departure from a location. The company said this in the blog post.

In addition, the "Highlights tab" enables you to monitor the use of your kid's device. Hence, it displays a snapshot where you can see the screen time, usage of the kid's app, and current apps. It will be available for parents and kids on the internet. Thus, you can access online features while your kids are away from their mobiles or don't have the app. With the help of the Family Link web experience, kids can understand the parental control settings more precisely.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Q. What does it do?

It enables parents to remain in the loop because their kids explore on their mobiles. In addition, you, as a parent, can set specific digital ground rules for your family.

• Q. Can a child disable it?

Whether you have added supervision to the Google Account that your child is using, your kid can disable it. Once they disable this without your permission, you will get alerts. After that, the supervised mobiles will lock temporarily.

• Q. Can you see your child's text messages on Family Link?

It lets you view your child's text messages, SMS text, and social media texts. In addition, if you are willing, you can block a few activities.

Chromecast with Google TV

Google has recently released its most updated streaming device, the Chromecast with Google TV, on 23rd September, 2022. This device can provide HD streaming. Now, it is expected that the company might update its older Chromecast with Google TV unit.

Although the company did not give any Chromecast with Google TV update officially, it stated that it would update the two-year-old used Chromecast With Google TV to provide new life with Android 12. This device can bring you the entertainment you prefer, even in up to 4K HDR.

Besides, it supports the Dongle feature and comes in Black, Charcoal, Sky, Snow, Sunrise, and White colors. It's capacity includes 4 GB, 8 GB, 64 GB, 2 TB. Let's dive into the article to learn about Chromecast with Google TV review.

What is Chromecast with Google TV?

It is a device which can bring you entertainment in up to 4k HDR.

Price and Availability:

It usually costs $49.99. But you can buy it for $39.99 at the Google Store. In addition, major retailers are selling it.

Design Like other streaming devices, it is a dongle that connects to your television's HDMI port. In addition, you can control it using a small remote control. The dongle can easily fit in your palm due to its oval shape, making it ideal for skipping across a lake.

While HDMI output is on one end, a USB-C port is on the other. Besides, there exists a USB cable and plug. Remember that the device requires additional power than the power delivered by your television's HDMI port.

This included Chromecast With Google TV Remote is somewhere between the Apple TV and the Roku remote. Like Roku, this remote is curved at the top and bottom. Besides, it has a rounded rear. The remote is available in a single color, except for the Google Assistant button.

You can see a circular d-pad at the top. Besides, eight buttons beneath include Back, Google Assistant, Home, Mute, YouTube, Netflix, Power, and Input.

In addition, there are two small volume control buttons on the right hand. Like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, it is possible to plug the Chromecast into Ethernet. The company will offer a power/Ethernet adapter soon after launch.

Interface:

Nothing is radical about the interface, but it works. While there are tabs for Search, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library at the top, beneath are thumbnails of content relevant to that menu.

Suppose you have subscribed to YouTube TV. Then, you can see a Live tab in the top menu displaying shows airing through that service. In the Sub-categories section, you will get Top Picks depending on your viewing history from the streaming services connected. In addition, it lets you see Trending on Google and Recommended Videos depending on what you have seen on YouTube.

You can see the content bought from the company on the Library tab and DVR content from YouTube TV.

Once you tap on a thumbnail, you can view the services on which it is streaming. In addition, you can see a trailer, save to a Watchlist, rate it, and watch additional details.

Streaming Services:

The device supports YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN, Sling, HBO Max, CBS All Access, Starz, Peacock, Peloton, Tubi, PBS, and many other streaming services. In early 2021, the device added the Apple TV app. Now, Google TV might get fifty free live television channels.

It is possible to install Apps and services directly from the device. Instead, you may head toward Google Play on your mobile and send new software to it remotely.

It can stream content at resolutions up to 4K/60 fps. Besides, it can support HDR, HDR10, and HDR10+. In addition, it is compatible with Dolby Vision. Regarding audio, it can support Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos.

Performance:

Users said that it is quick and responsive. In addition, it can offer excellent video quality. While streaming your content, you must be impressed with the details and colors.

Search:

With the help of a Google Assistant button on the remote, you can search for movies and TV shows by name, genre, actor, etc. In addition, it can leverage this search engine for more general inquiries.

Remember that it is impossible to see the menu, look up directions, etc. In addition, you can not choose the mobile number to call the establishment. Whether you ask the Assistant to get you directions, it will provide an overview on the television. Thereafter, it will send directions to the mobile. This search engine is better than Alexa too.

Smart Home Features:

Do you have a Nest Hello video doorbell, a Nest Cam, or another supported home security camera? If yes, it is possible to ask the Assistant to display a feed from that device on the television. This feature is similar to what Amazon provides with its Fire TV devices. In this regard, you should know that Ring and Blink are incompatible with the device.

With the help of this Assistant, you can control other smart home devices on it. For example, you can control smart lights and smart thermostats. It is helpful to turn on and off things on command.

Pros: 

• Sensible layout 
• Many streaming services 
• Remote is available 
• Smart home features

Cons:

• Continue Watching list is buggy

Conclusion:

We appreciate the Android 12 update, but it will not provide much for the Chromecast with Google TV. You can expect it will support a higher resolution menu UI and added privacy features with some other minor changes.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What does it do?

It can be cast from multiple supported Android and iOS apps directly from a mobile, laptop, or tablet. Besides, it can mirror your Chrome browser tab to your television. If you are a new user, you will get up to 3 months of YouTube Premium. Therefore, enjoying your favorite videos and music ad-free with your voice is possible.

Q. How does it connect to TV?

You should connect your Chromecast to an HDMI input on television or any display device you have. Thereafter, you should switch the television to the HDMI input. Next, wait till the remote is not paired. Usually, it pairs automatically.

Q. Is there a monthly fee for it?

No, you don't need to pay monthly fees for these devices.

Google Little Signals

When it comes to notifications, LEDs or any ding sound are the things that come first in our minds. We can get notifications due to the arrival of a new message or a reminder from a shopping app of a long-forgotten item on the wishlist. However, people choose sensory cues differently, and Google is experimenting with that. They are searching for new methods to signal attention subtly. Google's target of Ambient Computing or the idea of technology in the background for assistance was for a long period. Let's know what little signals are.

What do you know about Little Signals?

Little Signals is the latest Google experiment providing us with the concept regarding the shape of Ambient Computing devices that could take in the future. It is a "series of interaction experiments" made by the Google Seed Studio and Map Project Office. The experiment is available on the list of experiments with Google under the Digital Wellbeing Collection. 

It provides us with the advanced concepts for Google hardware devices. London-based studio Map Project Office designed the experiment in collaboration with Google's Seed Studio. To find the best way to balance technology, it has developed six conceptual devices— Air; Button; Movement; Rhythm; Shadow; and Tap. Every device has a different function, but these can explore a more subtle approach together with household gadgets. 

These six objects allow you to subtly use various sensorial cues to signal attention. Besides, these move from the background to the foreground as required. Every object is unique for its communication method, like puffs of air or ambient sounds.

 

Besides, the small movements or simple controls help to bring the objects to life. In addition, these make the objects responsive to changing surroundings and needs. Little signals let us know how we should stay updated with digital details while maintaining moments of calm.

What are the six objects of Little Signals?

The six conceptual objects with innovative ways are as follows: 

Air: 

It interacts with its close surroundings. Like the plant leaves, pulsed air can move nearby items to attract attention. 

Button: 

The object helps to combine scale and sound to communicate and offer control. Its right button is for more details whereas the left one is for less. While full, it can play a tone. 

Movement: 

This object offers seven pegs offering details graphically like a calendar or timer via the height and motion. These pegs usually work individually or as a group. 

Rhythm: 

It creates ambient sounds. The melody qualities convey the qualities of details as to their importance, urgency, or tone. If a wave is over the object or turns it over, it mutes it. 

Shadow: 

It can communicate via the movements of the shadow it casts. These display the status of the object. For instance, it shows slow breathing while active or stretching in response to presence. 

Tap: 

It uses the surfaces to make sounds acting as notifications. If you tap strongly, it indicates more pressing news.

 Conclusion:

According to a recently exposed Google patent, Google has been working on a 'skin interface' that means gesture control via the user's skin. You can apply it to a range of products like smartwatches and earbuds.

Is The Google FI VPN The Best?

Google has come out with their own ' VPN' (Virtual Private Network) on all Fi phones to eliminate this. Let us discuss is the Google FI VPN is best or not?

Our dependency on the mobile phone has exceeded all limits, and we are highly dependent on them for many important things. In this process, we are unaware of what repercussions are expected to happen as we pass on vital information.

They may include credit card numbers, passwords, etc., which hackers can conveniently pick up in transit and use for their gains.

What is Google Fi VPN?

Using Google Fi VPN, there are no changes that would affect the process of browsing, streaming, and downloading, with the connection being encrypted and private. In other words, you are given a free run despite the fact you are using insecure networks.

The most significant advantage is that none can locate your IP address, and hackers will have no clue that you even exist.

Found below are improvement made to this process of Google Fi VPN after its introduction:

• It enables double-layer protection against your Phone number. 
• Provides complete privacy and more security. 
• Personal information is completely protected. 
• Performance improvement but may slow down the existing speed. 

The new Fi VPN does promise this, but are there doubts regarding these claims?

1. Anonymity and protection:

The argument of using the Google Fi VPN is to:

• Protect ourselves from hackers 
• Preventing ISP's from collecting all our data and selling to organizations who will benefit from them. 

This is a valid argument provided you want anonymity from your ISP and is justified. But one should never forget that you cannot stay hidden from Google itself.

They would track every movement of yours and bomb you with advertisements in all the products or sites you show interest in!

2. User identifiers and Google's claim:

Google states that any data browsed cannot be traced back to the user. Such a disclaimer does cast doubts because:

• All your activity is passing through Google. 
• Google knows where the activity has been initiated 
• There is no assurance from them that they would not use the information to their advantage 
• They have the ' know-how' on how to collect your data. 
• The question then is how much you trust Google. 

3. Speed and performance compromised:

Various VPNs state they aim to provide complete security but not sacrifice the speed or performance you have experienced before. Google, on the other hand, through their Fi VPN, says:

• All the data will flow through their one channel 
• There would be increased mobile data which is not less than 10 % 
• Due to this, the users would' experience slight slowdowns.' 
  

This is actually in direct contrast to the statement made by other VPNs!

4. Ability to Bypass:

Fi VPN from Google is expected to do wonders on its ability to bypass all restrictions. However, it remains non-committal on bypassing geo-restrictions and blockade from many countries.

The fact is that the Fi VPN cannot change the country of origin, thus allowing the region to block you. The traditional VPN does not suffer from this issue.

Learn to Code with Grasshopper

Ever wanted to learn how to code but found it too difficult or maybe you didn’t know where to begin? Well now you can throw all those excuses away with Google’s new Grasshopper. With Grasshopper, Google allows novices to learn how to code. Recently Google even made Grasshopper available as a desktop app to better reach those novices who preferred a desktop to work on. Grasshopper was initially released back in 2018 as a mobile app. Since then millions have downloaded it on both compatible platforms of Android and iOS. With a larger screen space to work on, learning to code with grasshopper becomes easier and that’s what you can do now with grasshopper for desktop.

Googles whole Grasshopper initiative:

Grasshopper was created by Google back in 2018 to allow people access to coding education and also to give people a head start in career opportunities dealing with coding. Initially Grasshopper was started on mobile phones and millions have accessed it through that. But to reach a more wider audience, aka those who prefer larger screens, Google decided to bring Grasshopper to the desktop as well.

Since its initial release, more than 2 million people have installed grasshopper. These include but are not limited to those who have no coding experience at all. Grasshopper is aimed at those who need to know what the nut and bolts of coding are before they go on to more ambitious projects.

Google already provides a number of tech education tools and grasshopper is the latest to join this group. Besides grasshopper, there are also other tools to help you learn coding, not all by Google of course.

Learn to code with Grasshopper on a desktop PC:

Having a larger screen and a keyboard at your disposal makes learning to code much easier. Google capitalized on that fact and started Grasshopper for desktops now too. Now with the desktop app available Google is able to fit in columns for instructions, results, code- editors all side by side.

Google has also added more classes to its Grasshopper school- in addition to learning the basics you will also be able to learn how to use a code editor and a more advanced- how to make your own webpages. These classes will teach you more about CSS, HTML and Java Script.

Why is using a Code Editor a Separate Class?

In the first few classes which are more about the basics, you just learn how to create a few snippets of code and how to put them in the right order. But to learn how to create something from scratch you now have a new class- using a code editor.

What do you get after you learn to code with Grasshopper?

At the end of your course with Grasshopper you’ll be able to build a simple webpage. Besides that you will have your fundamentals down to learn the more advanced stuff. Once you have the background down you can then take on further courses on other platforms such as codecademy.

Google Bug Bounty to provide security for Android Apps

Many apps on Google Play Store have malware which have been discovered recently. In order to increase security of the apps, Google is seeking help from the public too. Google is regularly improving their security and privacy of their products. The Google Bug Bounty provides security for Android apps.

What is Google Bug Bounty?

Google is offering a wide range of vulnerability reward programs to encourage the people and developers to improve security for everyone. As part of the Google Bug Bounty program there are changes to the Google Play Security Reward Program (GPSRP). In addition to the Google Bug Bounty program, they are also launching the new Developer Data Protection Reward Program (DDPRP).

How does Bug Bounty offer changes to the (GPSRP)

Google Play Security Reward Program offers rewards to the developers who find any security breach on the apps. Earlier, there were only eight top apps which were included in the program. Now, any app from Play Store that has more than 100 million installs come under this program.In case a developer comes across any security breach in an app, they need to report it to Google. They can then claim a bounty of up to $20,000.

As part of Google Bug Bounty program under the GPSRP, all these apps are eligible for rewards. This is even in the eventuality of the app developer not having their own vulnerability disclosure or bug bounty program. Google will disclose the vulnerabilities to the concerned app developer. In this way the security researchers help the app developers to identify and fix the malware in their apps.

In case the developers have their bounty programs, the researchers can collect their rewards from the developer and from Google. From GPSRP, which is a part of the Google Bug Bounty Program, vulnerable data can be identified. With this Google can create automated checks to scan all the apps in Google Play for any malware.

The app developers who are affected will then be notified through Play Console. Play Console is part of the App Security Improvement (ASI) program. This program gives information on the malware and how they should fix the problem. Till date, ASI has helped over 30,000 developers fix more than 1,000,000 apps on Google Play. According to the Bug Bounty program, GPSRP has paid over $265,000 in bounties.

Launching of Developer Data Protection Reward Program as part of Google Bug Bounty

DDPRP is a Bug Bounty program which is in collaboration with HackerOne. It will help to identify and fix malware in Android apps, OAuth projects and Chrome extensions. Here, rewards will be given to those who can give complete evidence of data abuse in a similar model as Google’s other vulnerability reward programs.

In this Bug Bounty program, it aims to find out situations where the user data is being used illegitimately, without the consent of the user. There could be a breach related to an app or Chrome extension. That app or extension will be removed from Google Play or Google Chrome Web Store. In case an app developer is involved in data abuse, their API access will be removed. As per the Google Bug Bounty in the DDPRP, a single report could net $50,000 reward.

FIDO2 Enabled Log In: Google Services using Your Fingerprint?

Apparently to sign in to Google Services all it takes will be your fingerprint. Google plans on allowing users to sign in to their Google accounts using their fingerprint or the screen lock on their phones. Of course, this will be available to Android devices only that are maybe initially. Normally when trying to log into one’s account you need your user ID and password. But now all that is going to be done away with. Google has rolled out this new feature with its Pixel range of phones at present. Other Android enabled devices are not too far behind either. Google plans on rolling out this new feature on Android 7 devices and above shortly or in the next few days.

More Security with FIDO2 Enabled Log In: 

Google’s new feature has been years in coming with the tech giant collaborating with the FIDO Alliance and the W3C to get things on the road. And things are now finally on the road with this new feature coming to Pixel smartphones.

This new method of logging into your Google accounts is supposed to be more secure and of course simpler to use.

In Google’s blog they mention newer methods of technology surpassing the need of the traditional logging in using your password kinda thing. With this new method of logging in coupled with the tech giants already present automated protections; this method is pegged to be more secure and easy to use.

The Point in Using FIDO2 instead of Normal Android APIs: 

According to Google’s blog the whole idea in using FIDO2 standards as opposed to your average APIs on Android is that the biometric system made with FIDO2 standards are now used on the web too. This means that various other accounts can be synced using the same biometric on different platforms as opposed to making a separate one for different log ins.

Note to Users: 

While you fingerprint maybe used across all platforms, your fingerprint will never be sent to a Google server. It will remain on the device itself, this is according to a blog posted by Google. The only thing that will be sent to Google’s Server is cryptographic proof that the user has correctly scanned their fingerprint using biometrics.

This remains an essential part of the new feature built on FIDO2 standards.

For Further Security: 

If that’s not enough there’s always Titan Security Keys as well as Android phone’s own built in security key for added protection.

These security keys as well as the new method of logging in, using biometrics, are all based on FIDO2 standards. However, the two methods are meant for different things, while one is used for bootstrapping a new device to make sure it’s the same owner logging into their account but from a new phone, the other that is verification based on biometrics, is done after bootstrapping a device and is all used for verifying the identity of the already signed in user during step- up flows.

Gallery Go: Latest App to Join the Go Series!

The whole idea behind Google’s Go option is to be able to use apps with low data packs. As a new addition to the pack, Google has recently launched Gallery Go. Again, this app just like its siblings does not require much data or storage to work. The Go app, launched at Google’s third Google for Nigeria event, is available on devices running Android 8.1 and later. Another sore point is that management of photos will be available to users only in certain markets and not everywhere. As a side note Google is also planning to bring Bolo, a reading tutor app, to Ghana and Nigeria.

More about Google Gallery Go-

Gallery Go as revealed by Google in a blog post will use machine learning to organize your photos and will also work offline too. This makes it an excellent substitute for the normal Google photos app, especially on low powered devices.

The app may also appear as a pre- installed app on Google Go edition phones, even if there are only two of them at present- Itel S15 AndItel A55.

Gallery Go is meant to do all that the normal Google Photos app can do such as help you easily locate photos, edit them and manage them, all with the added bonus of using less data or cloud backup.

For first time users, the great thing about Google Gallery Go is that it plays well with SD cards making it easy to transfer photos between phones to memory cards.

As for the editing options- all the basic ones such as crop and rotate are present with some auto enhanced features as well. For low powered phones the icing on the cake is that the app is only 10 MB in size, leaving plenty of room for other things. Other things such as more room for your own photos.

A thing with low powered phones is just that – they’re low powered, any apps will slow down the phone as they take up a lot of space. But an exception is the Google Gallery Go app weighing in at only 10 MB.

Availability of Google Gallery Go: 

Google Gallery Go is only available on Android devices running on 8.1 OS and later. You can get your hands on the app or install it from the Google Play Store.

Apparently users aren’t happy with the 8.1 OS compatibility thing. Many whose phones run on earlier versions don’t have the space to install Google’s photos app and the new Google Gallery Go app is not backward compatible as well.

Even though Google seems to be targeting Go apps for their Go phones, they seem to have forgotten about smartphones running on version older to 8.1 or other low powered Android devices.

To put everything in numbers, as per Google’s very own dashboard (last updated 7th May) only 25.8% of Android devices run on 8.1 OS or later. What about the rest 74.2%?