As a part of the tech in Techstory, we bring you the latest in the technology from around the world under “TECH THIS WEEK!” every Sunday! This week we saw Microsoft aggressively working on raising expectations for Surface and Google finally announcing its latest version of Android as Nougat. We also saw Google testing an Internet speed test tool and Facebook helping you automatically translate your status. In case, if you’ve missed any of those, along with which country became the first ever to set up a nationwide Internet of Things network, don’t worry just keep reading!
Microsoft Working On A Surface All-in-one Desktop PC
Microsoft already offers a nice variety of 2-in-1 Surface devices, but its next hardware product could push the company into new territory. A fresh report claims the firm is cooking up an all-in-one PC to compete with Apple’s iMac series along with other OEMs like Lenovo, HP and Dell.
Digitimes reports that the second-generation Surface Book unveiling has been shifted from the second half of 2016 to first half 2017 due to delay in CPU shipments by Intel.Microsoft is therefore launching the Surface AIO PC as a consolation of sorts.
Microsoft’s alleged decision to wade into the desktop PC market seems a bit odd considering that the product category is currently in decline. DigiTimes notes that shipments are expected to drop to 12.6 million this year from 14 million in 2015. We’re still waiting for the company’s rumored Surface Phone, but in the meantime we’re curious to see what an all-in-one Surface might have to offer.
Microsoft is also expected to launch the Windows 10 Anniversary update for all its device platforms on August 2. All those who have Windows 10 pre-installed will get the update for free, but those who have older versions, will have to pay to upgrade.
Source: techstory.in
Google Is Testing An Internet Speed Tool Built Right Into Search Results
Searching Google using the phrase “speed test” has become a common practice for internet users looking to double check their Mbps rate, typically by surfacing a link for the free web product provided by analytics firm Ookla. To take advantage of the common behavior, Google appears to be building its own internet speed test function right into search. That way, when someone types “check internet speed” into the search box, Google can do it for them. The feature may be in response to Netflix’s new Fast.com website, which lets you check your internet speed by just typing in the URL and waiting a moment. As others have pointed out, Microsoft’s Bing has a similar feature.
The search engine test was first noticed by Twitter user Pete Meyers, who posted a screenshot of the feature and unearthed a Google Support webpage detailing how it works. The page says Google relies on Measurement Lab to perform the tests. The organizatiTheon, which was founded in 2009 and studies global internet performance, is composed of academic researchers, industry professionals, and Google employees Vint Cerf and Stephen Stuart. We don’t have any images of what Google’s speed test actually looks like, as the feature does not appear to be widely available just yet. When reached for comment a Google spokesperson said, “We’re always experimenting with the look and feel of Search but have nothing to announce at this time.”
Source: theverge,com
First Ever Nationwide Internet of Things Network Across the Globe in Netherland
A long range (LoRa) network for the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) is now available across the Netherlands, making it the first country in the world to implement the IoT system nationwide.
The Netherlands, which is about the same size as Connecticut and Massachusetts combined, is now completely covered by telecom KPN’s LoRa wireless access.
The Internet of Things is widely seen as the next technological revolution, in which Wi-Fi-connected devices are able to communicate directly, coordinate their activity and increase efficiency and productivity while saving time and energy.
IoT is usually associated with smart homes and smart power grids but also smart road signs or smart baggage handling at airports.
After initial implementation in Rotterdam and The Hague in November 2015, the KPN LoRa network is fully active throughout the country as of June 30.
There are currently about 1.5 million objects hooked up to KPN’s network, but now that the full system is ready that number is due to rise quickly, due to the nature of IoT.
Facebook Experiments With Letting Users Translate Posts Into Other Languages
Facebook is announcing today that it’s giving some users the ability to automatically translate their posts into two or more languages and to freely edit those translations if they so choose, as part of a new experiment. Facebook rolled out this capability for Pages earlier this year, and now some individual users can try it.
Other people will only see the post in the language that’s most relevant to them, based on their language preferences, their location, and the language in which they most frequently write, Facebook software engineers Don Husa, Shawn Mei, and Necip Fazil Ayan wrote in a blog post. If that information isn’t conclusive, Facebook will just serve up the original post. And if that’s not relevant, well, there’s always the See Translation button to switch text into a different language.
About 5,000 Facebook Pages have started using the new tool for writing posts, and on average, it’s used around 10,000 times every day. The resulting posts get 70 million views, and 25 million of them are in one of the additional languages. So clearly, these translations have been useful thus far.
Facebook produces the translations using artificial intelligence. Previously, Facebook relied on Microsoft’s Bing to provide machine translation, but now it’s all done in-house. Facebook will use these “multilingual posts” in order to improve its own translations in the future, wrote Husa, Mei, and Ayan. If you’ve been chosen to participate in the test, you can turn on the new feature by going to Settings and opening up the Language section.
Source: venturebeat.com
Android N is Officially Named Android Nougat
Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and Marshmallow; Yes, we’ve seen it all! And the obsession with sweets continues as Google named it’s latest andriod version as Nougat.
It was announced today via Snapchat.
Android Nougat will be the final version of the N developer preview, which has been with us since March. The final release will come sometime during the third quarter of this year. Nougat will bring a redesigned notification panel, support for side-by-side apps, VR enhancements, and a ton of other improvements.
Source: techstory.in
For regular updates on Tech, check out Techstory’s Technology Space!
(Image Credits : feature Image From Freepik)
