Google Keyboard for Android now has a one handed mode

Updated Google Keyboard for Android

Google Keyboard for Android has received substantial update inclusive of a one handed mode, some designs have tweaked and the capability of resizing the keyboard’s height to one’s own inclination. There is now an option to display borders around the keys so one can be certain of which one they would be tapping. The one-handed feature enables the user to choose if they prefer the keyboard tailored for the right or left hand while at the same time also tends to offer a quick way to toggle back to the full-sized version.

New number icon near the spacebar tends to open up traditional phone-style number pad which is quite easier to thumb at, rapidly. Users have the option of sharing `small snippets’ of input with Google for improving Google Keyboard for all. Apparently that ties into the keyboard suggestions as well as making word prediction smarter. The height of the keyboard can now be accustomed between five various options which ranges from short to tall, with `normal’ as the middle point between them.

3D Touch Cursor Control of Apple

Besides this, there are also more additions like some neat gesture. For instance of just tapping and holding on the spacebar and moving left or right to move the cursor around quickly which sounds like Google’s answer to the handy 3D Touch cursor control of Apple. It is also a trick that is seen earlier in third-party keyboards. Users can now delete complete words rather than single characters. This can be done by sliding left from the delete key which is a strange update if one is a fan of Google’s keyboard over other choices on Android.

The new feature came up after the report Google has been working to bring its keyboard to iPhone. Google Keyboard 5.0 is rolling out now and with patience one can download it directly from Android Police. One Handed Mode essentially makes the normal keyboard to shrink down, forcing it over to one side or the other, making it easier to type with one hand. To check out One-Handed Mode in the latest version of Google Keyboard, version 5.0 of the keyboard need to be installed.

Chrome’s Omnibar Symbol – Backslash instead of Comma

Being new, Play Store update tend to roll out in stages to users and some may already have it, if not one could wait for a few days or get it from APK Mirror, directly, which is a trusted and reliable site for downloading free Play Store apps. While doing this, ensure to grab the right version since there are 32-bit as well as 64-bit versions.

Once the keyboard is installed, one needs to long press on the comma key, sliding the thumb over to the left icon, the one which tends to look like a little hand over a square which in GoogleLand means `make the keyboard smaller’. Another thing worth mentioning is that if one is attempting to do this by utilising Chrome’s Omnibar as the text input field, then this particular symbol will be a backslash and not a comma. The keyboard will be made small and forced to one side. In order to switch side, one could hit the arrow. To make the same bigger again, you could hit the maximize icon.

Facebook Pays $10,000 to 10-year-old Instagram Hacker

Youngest Recipient of Facebook’s `Bug Bounty’

A 10-year old Finnish boy has been rewarded a sum of $10,000 by social media giant Facebook for locating a malfunction in its picture sharing app Instagram. The last name of Jani has not been revealed for privacy reason who is the youngest ever recipient of Facebook’s `bug bounty’ paid to users who tend to find bugs or flaws in its platforms. Jani had informed Finland’s Iltalehti newspaper that he wanted to see if Instagram’s comment field could stand malicious code and it turned out that it could not.

Facebook stated that the malfunction had been fixed in February and the reward had been paid in March. Jani who is yet too young to have a Facebook or Instagram account of his own, informed that he learned coding from Youtube videos and identified a way to delete user comments from Instagram accounts. He informed Iltalehti that he could have deleted anybody’s comment from there. He stated that he was thinking about a career in data security though for the moment his plans comprise of buying a new bike and a football with the reward money.

Not Unusual for Teenagers to Submit Reports to Program

Since 2011, Facebook has been running its `bug bounty program, which had been rewarding hackers when they report problems of tech and security. Since its launch, Facebook’s bug bounty had awarded over $4.3 million to more than 800 researchers across the world where the program tends to determine the pay-out based on the risk of the bug instead of how complex it could be. In 2015 alone, 210 researchers had received $936,000 with an average pay-out of $1,780.

A Facebook spokesperson informed CNNMoney that it is not unusual for teenagers to submit reports to the program. Several tech companies tend to offer similar programs to hackers who seem to report cyber-security susceptibilities. Uber had recently started offering $10,000 rewards for every critical problem which were identified by the hackers. AT&T payments range from $100 to $5,000, while Google tends to pay between $100 to $20,000.The Finnish boy has become the youngest recipient of cash from Facebook for hacking its products.

Created Test Instagram Account

The earlier record had been set by a 13 year old way back in 2013 which means that his latest young hacker is the first person to crash a Facebook product which are not technically even able to utilise considering that it is supposed to be limited to below 13s. The company had informed Forbes that while poking around where he should not have been, Jani found that he could change code on Instagram’s server and force deletes the posts of users.

This had been confirmed by Facebook utilising a test account and had patched it in February. It is not clear how Jani had identified the vulnerability. Iltalehti had reported that Jani together with his brother had a habit of watching videos regarding computer security on YouTube. The bug was a problem with Instagram’s application program interface of API, on how the app tends to communicate with the server.


If one has to erase a remark from Instagram, the API seems to check that you have the authority to delete the comment. After Jani had informed Facebook regarding the problem, the company had created a test Instagram account and had posted a comment. Facebook had then asked him to go ahead and delete the comment.

Google, Fiat Chrysler Working on Self Driving car Deal

Google & Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV – Developing Self-Driving Cars

Google together with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are almost on the point of agreeing on a partnership which could break barriers between Silicon Valley and the auto industry in competition of developing self-driving cars, according to sources familiar with the discussion. The announcement of the partnership deal would be out soon as disclosed to Reuters on condition of anonymity by three people familiar with the situation, since the discussions seemed to be private.

The talks at first were reported on Thursday by blog AutoExtremist.com. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. as well as Fiat Chrysler, refrained from commenting on this issue. Google has stated that it does not desire to build self-driving vehicles on its own and has explored deals with auto companies though none have been confirmed. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive stated recently that the company was in talks with an advanced technology company, though had not offered any details. The executives at the other auto makers, together with Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Daimler AG, have shown wariness regarding alliances with Alphabet or other technology companies which could demote them to the role of hardware suppliers.

Marchionne Interested in Partnership with Google/Apple

Auto executive had informed that they do not want to stand by while Alphabet gains richer profits from the data created by vehicles and their passengers. GM has indicated that it intends to go its own way on driverless car technology, going ahead in buying self-driving vehicle start-up, Cruise Automation. After Fiat Chrysler had issued quarterly earnings on Tuesday on a conference call, Marchionne had repeated that he was interested in partnerships with Google or Apple Inc. Marchionne had stated in response to a question regarding working with non-traditional automakers that `dialogue continues with people who are interested in exploring their relevance in the automotive world and would continue to help them find their way out’. A former auto executive, John Krafcik, who tends to head Alphabets’ self-driving car project, at a conference in Detroit in January, had made a public pitch for partners. Fiat Chrysler officials in Michigan as well as Italy had refrained to comment on assumption that the technology of Google would ultimately be offered on the new Chrysler Pacifica minivan launched in February.

Self-Driving Vehicles, Minivans – Ride Sharing/Shuttle Fleets

Marchionne together with the other FCA officials are scheduled to visit the Windsor, Ontario plant which builds the Pacifica on May 6. The auto as well as the technology industry executive had stated that the self-driving vehicles, probably the minivans would hit the roads first in ride-sharing or shuttle fleets. Among the models which Alphabet has been utilising in its self-driving project, is the Lexus RX450h, which is a hybrid sport utility vehicle, manufactured by Toyota Motor Corpn. Alphabet intends to have the first driverless minivans on the road by this end of this year but has not commented on a timeline for all 100 vehicles. On increasing the test fleet, the agreement would be helpful to Alphabet’s mission to automate the world’s vehicles. Its present fleet of 70 self-driving cars has driven over 1.5 million miles in California, Washington, Texas and Arizona.

British Inventor Builds Incredible Working Hoverbike

Colin Furze’s incredible Working Hover-bike

Colin Furze, Lincolnshire plumber, garage inventor and YouTuber, has developed a working hover-bike, which is an unhinged flying bike/human blender which unbelievably tends to get off the ground and truly flies, as per Furze. Furze’s YouTube video that shows his attempts at flying the bike had been posted on Thursday which has been viewed already almost 1.7m times in less than 24 hours.

The self-taught engineer who features on the Sky 1 program Gadget Geeks had built the machine in his garage. It does not have brake or seat but has two accelerators and can be navigated. As mentioned in the video, Furze does not have any formal engineering qualifications and has never flown before and that makes the achievement all the more appealing.

When the hover-bike tends to be manoeuvrable, it evidently seem to have trouble landing and Furze has to use his feet in order to stop the vehicle and jump off to avoid being injured by the whirring propeller blades. The bike seems to have gone through a range of various prototypes that have been featured in the video. Furze constantly tends to break and mangle many earlier models since he tries to land unsuccessfully.

Project Sponsored by Ford – Unlearn Campaign

This does not seem to be the first outing as a mad stuntman of Furze but he has utilised his plumbing experience to build several machines, inclusive of the world’s longest motorbike, the world’s fastest stroller made with turbojet engine as well as a jet-powered motorcycle made with pulse jet engines.

His latest project had been sponsored by Ford as part of the Unlearn campaign that tends to motivate innovation by telling people to try entirely new things. As part of the same campaign, in January, he had asked the public to recommend their craziest ideas for new kinds of transportation and had promised to build the winners.

He had received around 10,000 suggestions in less than 24 hours from Britons comprising of a heli-helmet, a turbine-powered quadcopter as well as a hovercraft-helicopter hybrid. Furze who had shared the video of his latest innovation had gone viral on social media. It is a metallic hoverbike which tends to use propellers to float a few inches off the ground level.

Bike without Seating/Brake/Steering Mechanism

Most of the people would have left it half way but not Furze who used rotor blades and two engines to make his glider. He states that it is the most outrageous thing ever ridden. Feeling it lift for the first time was a strange experience. It only just seems to lift a person off the ground.It had taken him four to five weeks in constructing the prototype.

But the bike is without proper seating, brakes or a steering mechanism, since all these substances would have made the vehicle too heavy to fly. It is incredible that Furze seems to be a plumber and not an engineer, considering that he has never created any kind of flying machines earlier.


Furze has said that his invention was intended to show that a person does not need advanced tools and degree in creating marvels. He had mentioned on his website that `the things he make are made with tools that proper engineers would laugh at but he is proof that one does not need an expensive lathe and huge welder in creating something amazing’.

LG's new Fingerprint Reader Sits Under a Smartphone Screen

Fingerprint Readers – Abundant in Smartphone Designs

Fingerprint readers seem to be abundant in the designs of smartphone with queries like, whether they should include them or where to accommodate them. While some of the manufacturers have opted in adding readers in the button on the front or raised area on the back of the devices, LG Innotek has come up with a latest idea of putting it under the screen of the phone.

The LG associate had announced that it had created a new fingerprint sensor which has been inserted into a small 0.01 inch space cut in the underside of smartphone glass cover enabling the designers of the device to include fingerprint reader without committed button, pads or other exposed components. LG has stated that the fingerprint recognition rates on the under-glass module are comparable to button-kind sensor and could reduce any kind of smartphone malfunctions, together with bonus of enabling phone to be waterproof as well as scratch-resistant or only designed to appear sleeker.

No announcement has been made yet by the company whether it would be utilising this new module in any of the upcoming phone. However a spokesperson of LG had informed the Korea Times that the company is in talks with some smartphone manufacturers in order to commercialize the new sensors, within the year.

LG’s Fingerprint Sensor under the Display

Few years ago, Apple had begun pioneering smartphone fingerprint sensors in its smartphone with the iPhone 5s and since then various manufacturers had introduced fingerprint sensors on their smartphones. Presently, LG is pioneering and is touting its new fingerprint sensor which tends to sit under the display which means that when one tends to place their finger on the cover glass of the display, the under glass fingerprint sensor module seems to automatically identify your fingerprint.

As announced by Jongseok Park, CEO of LG Innotek, the under glass fingerprint sensor module will eliminate dedicated buttons, pad or other elements for fingerprint recognition and will also help in making the smartphone more water resistant by decreasing the number of openings. This could also be the cause of slimmer devices in the near future.

 LG Innotek has mentioned that it has cut 0.01-inch slot towards the back of the cover display glass and has set up a fingerprint sensor in it with `supreme precision and combination technology’.

Fingerprint Sensor Module – False Acceptance Rate – FAR

It has also been stated that the fingerprint sensor module tends to have a false acceptance rate – FAR of 0.002%. Besides this, LG also informs that the adherence side of the glass as well as the fingerprint sensor is 0.0098-inch thick, with the capability of resisting the impact of a 130 gram steel ball dropped from 7.9-inch. Changhwan Kim, Head of Research and Development Centre LG has mentioned that they are concentrating on all resources to the development of the differentiated technology based on the creation of customer value and will continue to provide convenient, safe and pleasant user experience by launching innovative product.

LG has not disclosed when precisely we would start seeing this technology in smartphone or the other devices. In December last year, the company had been tipped to supply Oled displays for their forthcoming iPhone models.