Use your smartphone to check-in and open your hotel room at certain Starwood properties

You know the drill. Once you arrive at the hotel, you have to wait in line at the front desk, fill out some paperwork, and hand over a credit card. Totally exhausted from the traveling, you would rather be crashing in the nice soft bed in your room. The good news is that those choosing to stay at a Starwood Hotel can complete the entire check-in process in advance using their smartphone.

Slowly rolling out across Starwood properties, a smartphone app becomes a virtual key for guests, allowing quick entry into their room. Starwood believes that this will become the new standard in the hotel business. And while the front desk will remain at Starwood properties for guests who would rather deal with a human, the virtual key and mobile check-in will be launched this year at W Hotels and Aloft hotels. Currently representing 123 properties in Starwood's portfolio, these are luxury hotels that draw a younger, mostly tech savvy crowd, according to the hotelier.

Other hotels have been adding mobile devices to their check-in process, but it still requires a trip to the front-desk to receive a key. For example, some Hyatt hotels have a floating greeter with an Apple iPad who will take information from guests as they arrive. Some Marriott hotels allow for guests to check-in using a smartphone, but keys must be picked up at the front desk.

Starwood seems to have everything covered. The door locks that connect to a smartphone key are powered by a battery, and if the battery gets low, the hotel staff is alerted via an email.

Read More »

Samsung's first Tizen smartphone shown off in leaked photo, revealing 4.8-inch HD display

Samsung's first Tizen-based smartphone has been revealed in leaked photo.

Korean website MovePlayer posted a leaked image of the ZEQ9000 Tizen smartphone from Samsung, though the website's unnamed source said it could launch with the name Zeke, because Samsung allegedly filed that brand name in August.

PhoneArena noted that the leak could be a fake, but the smartphone's design is very familiar and could therefore be authentic. The smartphone's display also echoes Tizen 2.1 screenshots that surfaced in December.

The Tizen operating system is set to be an alternative to Android, just like the Firefox OS launched by Mozilla in 2013. A version of the software was shown on the Galaxy S4 in September 2013 featuring a clean user interface with a Windows Phone feel to the tile layout. The strong colour variations and notifications gave it a hint of Android crossed with iOS 7.

Moveplayer also leaked some specs: the Zeke will allegedly launch with a 4.8-inch HD display and 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU. As for the smartphone's size, it'll be marginally smaller than the Galaxy S4.

Both Samsung and Intel have revealed that a new wave of devices running the Tizen operating system would unveil on 23 February 2014 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This news came after Samsung delayed a planned 2013 release for the Tizen smartphone.


Via: PhoneArena
Source: MovePlayer

Read More »

GTA: San Andreas finally out on Windows Phone 8

Rockstar Games has finally published GTA: San Andreas for Windows Phone 8. The $6.99 game is officially compatible only with the Nokia Lumia 1520, 1320, 822, 820, 810, and the HTC 8XT. However, every WP8 handset with at least 1GB RAM should be able to run the game. The WP8 version includes everything the successful Android and iOS ports have to offer, including adjustable high-resolution graphics, customizable controls, the three in-game cities and countryside, and over 70 hours of gameplay. The game can be played in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.

For the few among you who don't know what GTA: San Andreas is about, the game is set in a virtual state based on California and Nevada during the early 90's. The protagonist, Carl Johnson, has returned to his hometown of Los Santos after a five-year absence, and is immediately framed for murder by corrupt cops. He's been left no choice, but to go back to gang life, turn the entire state of San Andreas upside-down, save his family, and take control of the streets once again. The intense dialogue, the dozens of colorful characters, the borderline-absurd to impossible missions, the huge in-game world impregnated with the authentic feel of early 90's America, make San Andreas a classic that demands to be played, even in 2014.


With the Grand Theft Auto 3D trilogy now complete on all leading mobile platforms, all that remains is to see how long it will take for smartphones and tablets to run the epic GTA IV and V. In the meantime, you can head to the Windows Phone Store from the link below to download San Andreas.


Download: Windows Phone 8
San Andreas for WP8 screenshotsFullscreen

Read More »

Microsoft buys Gears of War franchise, new game in development

Microsoft now owns another major franchise tied to its Xbox game consoles: Gears of War. That includes "rights to all existing and future games, entertainment experiences and merchandise," and it looks like a new game (likely for Xbox One) is already in production at Black Tusk Studios in Canada (Microsoft actually teased that news back at E3 2013 during the company's press briefing). The franchise's former director of production, Rod Fergusson, will take on oversight.

The Gears of War franchise was exclusive to the Xbox 360 (and later on PC as well), and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games used the third-person shooter series to show off its engine's graphical chops. Beyond being a graphical showcase, however, Gears of War developed a loyal following among online console gamers -- last year's Gears of War: Judgment was the first entry in the franchise co-developed by Epic and Bulletstorm dev People Can Fly, and it was expected to be the final entry in the series.

Beyond a new entry in the massively popular shooter franchise, we expect re-issues (perhaps prettied up re-issues) will happen at some point (a la Tomb Raider's "Definitive" Edition). At very least, Gears fans can rest assured that more tales of meaty space marines taking down locust are on the way care of Microsoft.

Read More »

Deal alert: Microsoft posts a sweeping Windows 8 tablets sale, Dell Venue 8 Pro goes down to $229

Microsoft's Windows Store has a bunch of Windows 8 tablets on sale, starting at just $229 for the Dell Venue 8 Pro 32 GB, or for $20 more you can get the new Lenovo Miix 2 8. Dell's 8-incher sports a 1280x800 pixels display, and quad-core BayTrail Atom, which ensures it will run a full working day on a charge.

The 64 GB version is also slashed down fifty bucks, but the largest $350 discount in absolute sum goes to Samsung's ATIV Smart PC500T tablet, which sports an 11" display, and can run Windows 8.1, with its legacy program support and all device drivers you'll ever need. Razer'g gaming Edge tablet with Core i7 processor also gets under a grand, after a hefty $300 shave. It's not clear how long this sale will last, or if it will be a permanent discount offer, so if you are interested in any of those, hit the Store's link below. Here's a list of the devices on sale so far:

Dell Venue 11 Pro - $499 (save $50)
Dell Venue 8 Pro 32GB - $229 (save $70)
Dell Venue 8 Pro 64GB - $299 (save $50)
Lenovo Miix 2 - $249 (save $50)
Toshiba Encore WT8-A32M Touchscreen Tablet - $249.00 (save $70)
Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T - $349 (save $350)
Samsung ATIV Tab 3 XE300TZC-K01US Tablet - $499 (save $200.99)
Razer Edge - $999 (save $300)

Read More »

Massive vending machine offers electric car for $3 an hour

The Kandi Machine -- China's Sweet Pollution Solution (by Aaron Rockett) KNDIAaron Rockett

If you find yourself in need of a ride in Hangzhou, China, you can waltz up to a multi-story garage, punch a few buttons, and have a fully charged electric vehicle deposited in front of you.

It's a new car-sharing scheme launched by Kandi Technologies that takes the hyper-successful bike-sharing model in China and puts it onto four electrically powered wheels.

For a little over $3 (£1.82) an hour, these ultra-compact, Chinese-made EVs can get about 75 miles on a charge and max out at 50 mph, and when the driver is done, they can drop off their rented ride at another Kandi station near their destination.

Since its launch last year, Kandi has two EV vending machines in Hangzhou, a city of 10 million people about an hour outside of Shanghai. The company has plans to add another 10 this year, while expanding to China's most populous cities: Beijing and Shanghai.

Of the 1.35 billion people in China, only 10 percent of the population owns a car, and that's set to massively expand in the next decade. Since it's impossible to reduce the demand for transportation, Kandi believes the key is to reduce the demand for privately owned cars. And even better, make them EVs to reduce carbon emissions.

Bike sharing has taken off in China, with 2,700 stations -- the most in the world -- sprinkled throughout the country, so people are familiar with the concept. And with the Chinese government pledging 400 billion yuan (over $66 billion (£39.9 billion)) to get two million EVs on China's roads by 2020, the Kandi Machine solves the problems of getting people into cars and keeping smog in check.

This story originally appeared on Wired.com

Read More »

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition review

4.5 out of 5
£500

For

Great design, amazing screen, S Pen interface keeps getting better, microSD expansion

Against

Expensive, slow charging times (no USB 3)

Samsung is doing a good job for many of its devices. The Note 3 is one of our favourite phones, and the Note 2 10.1 was a tablet that we expected not to like, but ended up adoring. A new year must bring a new Note, and that is the updated Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

What does the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition offer that might tempt you? It houses more powerful hardware, delivers some new specs and hangs on the hope that it will be chosen for its inclusion of S Pen for multiple input options over the other typically hands-on-only options on the market. There's also a new design and, of course, more up-to-date software - although, not the latest Android KitKat operating system at launch.

But all this comes at a price. And one of the bigger questions is whether the Note 10.1 deserves its fairly hefty price tag. We've been playing with one to find out.
Design update

One of the things we noticed about the new Note was the updated look Samsung has given the device. It's a lot more modern now. On the old device, everything was quite chunky and rounded. The opposite is true now, it feels more slimline and the edges are square now, giving it a look very much like the Note 3 smartphone.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review

Also carried over from the Note 3 is that faux leather rear cover, complete with faux stitching, all made out of plastic. We don't mind this look, but some people absolutely hate it. It's also worth remembering that you can't change it on this device, unlike on the Note 3.



The usual array of Samsung controls are on the front - the large home button, alongside the "back" and the context sensitive menu control. In this updated Note, it's interesting that the speakers have moved from forward-facing to side-mounted, which potentially reduces the quality of the sound, and does make them liable to be interrupted by your hands.
S Pen improvements

We've always loved the pen input on the full-sized Note devices. After all, it makes a lot more sense on a device this size, especially if you're a graphic designer or artist. We use it most for writing notes, because we have roughly the same artistic talent as a chewed bone. Even so, drawing with the kids or just doodling is a massive amount of fun on this device. While Apple has shown the world how to make devices that work brilliantly with the finger, there are some things where the pen is just mightier.



Like the Note 3, the Note 10.1 2014 also offers advanced "hover-over" features too, so now when you have the S Pen near the glass pressing the button on the side of the stylus will bring up a quick shortcut menu to jump to the relevant tool. Hovering gives it a new scope, as it can also be context sensitive based on which app is open as to which tools are offered - although for the most part, the functionality doesn't change from app to app. This might be something that improves in the future.

The Note 10.1 has improved no end in its note conversion and handwriting recognition stakes, which is a similar trend the one we've seen on the Note 3, versus the older Note 2. Writing on this latest tablet is utterly brilliant. The S Pen and screen work beautifully together, and mistakes are rare enough that, with a little training, this can become a really good way to make notes.

We also find that just handwriting can be a nice way to use the device. This just gives you notes as if you were using paper, but also gives you more creativity, and the option to doodle when your mind wanders.



You can also use the S Pen to make a note of names and numbers to add to your contacts list. This already works on the Galaxy smartphones, and is handy in the tablet form for managing your contacts, or calling people with, say, Skype. We didn't have the 4G tablet for this test, but that bump in over-the-air speeds would be good enough to make calls on the go, which adds more use again to this feature.
Screen

The Note 10.1 now has an almost ridiculous resolution, in common with a lot of newer tablets. This is, in some ways at least, a blessing. In others, it might be less so. For example, higher resolution screens can use more power. In a tablet, that might not be a problem because the space for batteries is large, but it can attribute to a very long charge time.



Ignoring the downsides though, the Note's screen is amazing. It's incredibly bright - so much so you can see it in strong, outdoor lighting, although we're not getting too much of that in the UK at the moment - and is very detailed. As a matter of trivia the 2560 x 1600 pixel screen here is higher resolution than Apple's 2048 x 1536 panel in the iPad Air, and boasts more pixels-per-inch too, even though the Note has a slightly larger screen.

High resolution screens are all well and good, but without some high resolution video or games to play there might not be much point. Video will, as the coming years roll on, become 4K and so we will see a benefit on these screens. Right now everything still looks amazing, but most apps and video is not optimised for these screens. This is noticeable on apps in particular, as they look soft when increased in size and resolution to fit this panel. It's a small grumble, but the Android ecosystem has been slower to move to tablet-optimised versions of apps than iOS developers seem to have been. There are, for example, frustratingly few high-resolution, tablet-ready Twitter apps.
Things of Note

It's a oddity, really, but the Note 10.1 2014 Edition doesn't have the same USB 3.0 socket that's found on the bottom of the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone. It makes almost no sense because the tablet is bigger and you're almost certain to want to move stuff on and off your tablet for travel purposes.

It's not the end of the world of course, but we're just slightly baffled as to why you'd make a move to the new USB standard on one device in the range, but not others. That said, USB 3.0 on the Note 3 smartphone isn't as brilliant as it could be and using it is hardly a hassle free experience, so perhaps Samsung just decided that it would be better to ignore it on this year's model tablet.



At the top of the tablet there's a small, reddish window. This is infrared, known as an IR Blaster, that allows the tablet to act like a TV remote, or control pretty much anything that has infrared. For example, your DSLR might have an IR trigger, which allows you to use the Note to fire the shutter.

Most people will use it as a universal remote for TV, if it's used at all, and for that it works just great. Don't throw away your controls though, as the tablet needs to be charged, switched on and in the same room to work.
Battery

As we mentioned the Note 10.1 has a big, high-resolution screen and that will use a fair amount of juice if you leave it on a lot. But in terms of stamina, we certainly think it's fair to say that the Note 10.1 will last a decent amount of time with "normal use". Although we always make a point of saying that there is no such thing as "normal" use. In our tests, we tended to use the tablet for a bit, then put it down for a while, then use it again. In that pattern, the battery lasted days as there's more than enough battery power here.



If you watch video constantly, you should expect the battery to deplete the power a lot quicker. Games, too, are a good way to drain it into oblivion because they draw so much more on that quad core 1.9Ghz processor and 3GB of RAM. Other chipset configurations are available for the 3G and 3G+LTE models, we're testing the Wi-Fi only UK model here.

However charging the tablet from flat can take a long time. The 8220mAh battery has a large capacity, and although the charger supplied delivers 2amps, it still takes as long as 8 hours to charge. And that's interesting, because it uses a Qualcomm chipset that supports fast-charging, something we've seen on some phones, and is mind-blowing when it works. In theory, the Note could support this - but it would need a 4amp charger that USB 3.1 would be able to deliver. But Samsung has missed that physical feature out, so perhaps another argument for its inclusion?
Camera

As with all tablets, there's a pair of cameras included in the Note 10.1 for 2014. The rear-mounted one has an 8-megapixel sensor, and the front-facing one offers 2-megapixels. Both are capable of shooting video at 1080/30p. Not bad specs either of them.



Just like the Note 3 and Galaxy S4 smartphones the software is great. There are lots of shooting options, the camera app itself is well laid out, very logical and easy to use. You can touch to focus and there are HDR (high dynamic range), panorama, best photo, best face and beauty face modes that will help you have a bit of fun with images. You can also remove moving objects too, based on five single images.

The problem is - other than using a tablet as a camera looks plain silly - that the cameras don't really produce brilliant images. Things have improved compared to the last generation, but in normal, indoor light during the day the pictures lack any punch in colour and are generally quite grainy. This is a bit of a disappointment, but we do come back to the truth of tablets, which is they make hopeless cameras from an ergonomic point-of-view. Put simply, use the front camera for Skype, and forget about anything else. And never, ever use the damn thing at a gig. Please.
Verdict

Once again we find ourselves loving a Note device. The 10.1 2014 Edition tablet is a steady leap forward from the previous generation model. Aesthetically, we much prefer this new design to the old model, and while the faux leather back is a bit tacky, we can live with it for the smaller dimensions and general improvements in style.

The S Pen input remains the strong advantage here over most competitor tablets. If you work with a tablet, we think this beats everything else on the market. You can get capacitive pens for a wide range of touchscreens, but Samsung's stylus and screen combination are something much better. Factor in the brilliant software, and this becomes a real advantage over any other 10.1-inch device out there.

But price remains an issue. Nearly £500 for the 16GB model is hefty. Our Android tablet of choice remains the Nexus 7 (2013) because it's a nice size for use at home, costs £200 and works beautifully. We do love the Note, but the high price will put some people off. Perhaps think of this as a laptop replacement - and it is good enough - and you might feel that it's worth the cost. Ultimately, you will decide if it's right for you, but we promise you'll love it as a tablet.

Read More »

Pinterest more popular than email for sharing content online

Sometimes, the tech startup world can make your brain hurt. This tends to happen, for instance, when a website where people share pictures of their favourite hairstyles, cars, and historical moments is valued at nearly $4 billion (£2.4 billion).

But this particular site, Pinterest, has become a potent force on the internet. According to a new study, it's now one of the primary ways that people share stuff online. It even tops email.

The study comes from ShareThis, makers of a ubiquitous website widget that lets you share stuff in myriad ways. The company found that in the fourth quarter of 2013, Pinterest raced past email to become the third-most popular way to share online. It was topped only by Facebook and Twitter.

"In a sign of how quickly social media has changed the digital landscape, consumers are now 'pinning' things like articles, photos and recipes to share with their friends more often than emailing links," wrote Kurt Abrahamson of ShareThis in a blog post.

Facebook remained the most popular way to share, according to ShareThis. But Pinterest's sharing stats are growing the fastest. Its popularity took a 58 percent leap, while Facebook came in just behind at 57 percent. LinkedIn's growth was 40 percent, while Twitter topped out at 15 percent. Use of email, meanwhile, declined by 11 percent.

ShareThis says that the rise of Pinterest was driven in large part by women, a trend also identified by a recent Pew survey, and by users in the Midwest. The West Coast leaned toward Facebook and Google+, while the Northeast preferred Twitter and LinkedIn.

Giving advertisers exactly what they want
Given Pinterest's apparently massive popularity, it's hard to imagine the company will have difficulty getting advertisers on board, especially because its users are so eager to share their consumer preferences.

On Facebook, you're more likely to share pictures of your kids than the next pair of shoes you want to buy. On Twitter, you're probably linking to Justin Bieber's mug shot. But Pinterest is perfectly tailored for aspirational consumerism. "I covet this" is the subtext of innumerable pins. For advertisers seeking to target a relevant audience, it looks like a pretty efficient way of spending their dollars.

The question is how Pinterest users will react to seeing ads among their pins. As with Twitter before Promoted Tweets or Facebook before Sponsored Stories, Pinterest feeds enjoy a certain commercial-free purity, even though much of what people share and see through the site amounts to free advertising for whatever is being pinned.

Pinterest must design its ad streams carefully to avoid alienating its users. So far, its design instincts have been spot on, judging from the figures from ShareThis. If it can extend this to ads, that $4 billion valuation won't make our heads hurt quite so much.

This story originally appeared on Wired.com

Read More »

Google and Samsung reach a patent license accord

Samsung and Google's lawyers have been busy bees over the weekend. Now the two companies have announced a global patent license agreement that will extend 10 years into the future in the hopes of fostering innovation and perhaps to also shield themselves from patent litigation.
Buying patents and making patent agreements are already familiar ways companies can protect themselves against the patent portfolio of rival companies. And perhaps no other company needs such protection right now than both Samsung and Google. Both companies have been the target of patent lawsuits, both jointly and individually, which seem to be escalating recently.

Perhaps the most prolific patent litigation that Samsung has been and continues to be involved in is the one brought upon it by Apple. Although one chapter of that saga has been closed with Apple emerging victorious, it is far from over and the two will meet again in court in March should the mediation session scheduled next month fail. Google is also in hot water as it has been named as one of the defendants in a lawsuit brought by the Rockstar consortium. Interestingly, other defendants in that lawsuit include Samsung and other Android device manufacturers.

It not hard to imagine that Google and Samsung are trying to get their patent ducks in a row to strengthen each other's portfolios. Of course, the official press release points to this move a way to help them focus on innovation instead of expending resources in courts and legal fees. After all, it's easier to come up with new ideas and products when you don't have the threat of patent suits breathing down your neck.

The details of the actual patents involved are a bit murky at this point, save that they cover a broad range of technologies and business areas, we can probably safely assume that a good number of these would be related to mobile devices and Android. The coverage of the patent agreement is also quite exhaustive, including both companies' existing patents as well as those that will be filed for the next 10 years.

SOURCE: Samsung

Read More »

Kantar's data shows worldwide decline in iOS market share during Q4, Android and Windows Phone gain

The fourth quarter market share numbers from Kantar are out, and the whooshing sound you hear is BlackBerry circling the drain. The period from October through December included the failure of the Canadian manufacturer to complete the $9 a share privatization bid from its largest stockholder. As a result, BlackBerry had to settle for $1 billion in capital and the replacement of CEO Thorsten Heins with turnaround expert John Chen. In the fourth quarter in the U.S., Kanter shows BlackBerry losing 55% of its market share from the same period in 2012. BlackBerry finished the year with a .4% slice of the U.S. smartphone market, down from the prior year's .9%.

Android and Windows Phone were the big winners in Q4

Even in regions where BlackBerry had a fairly good share of the smartphone market, things collapsed during the final three months of the year. In  Latin America, where BlackBerry controlled 10.3% of the smartphone market at the end of 2012, the company saw a huge decline to 2.8% at the end of 2013. Incidentally, Android had a monumental quarter in that very area, as Google's open source OS finished the period with an amazing 83.5% of the market compared with 61.6% the year before.

In the U.S., Android made it over the 50% mark, rising to 50.6% from 46.2%. Apple's iOS suffered a fairly large drop stateside, with a market share that declined from 49.7% to 43.9%. The combination allowed Android to leap frog over its major rival for the top spot in the U.S. But it wasn't only the states where iOS lost share. In Italy, Apple's mobile OS saw its share of the smartphone market crash from 23.1% to 12.8% with Android having nearly a corresponding rise. In five major European countries, iOS saw its market share decline from 23.7% to 18.5% while Android's share increased from 62.9% to 68.6%. 

Windows Phone showed momentum in the quarter. In Europe, Microsoft's mobile OS had 10.3% of the market, up from 5.6% a year ago. In the U.K., the figures showed Windows Phone with an 11.3% slice of the market at the end of 2013, up from 5.9% during the same time in 2012. And in the U.S., the platform took its 2.4% market share at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, and ran it up to 4.3% at the end of the fourth quarter in 2013.

via: WMPoweruser

Read More »

New Lenovo K7t with Quad HD display and Android KitKat appears in benchmark test, could be launched soon

Not long after it announced its first LTE-capable smartphone (the Vibe Z), Lenovo might also introduce its first handset with a Quad HD (1440 x 2560) display.

According to a leaked Antutu benchmark test result, the Quad HD Lenovo smartphone is called K7t (codename: Kingdom). It seems that the handset runs Android 4.4.1 KitKat, and features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM-8974 processor clocked at 2.26 GHz, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, 5MP front-facing camera, and a 13MP rear camera. The size of the handset’s display is not known, but we assume it’s of at least 5 inches (since a 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution wouldn’t really make sense on a smaller screen).

The name of the alleged new Lenovo smartphone suggests that it’s a successor to the K800 from 2012 and the K900 that was introduced in early 2013.

Of course, since it’s not that hard to fake a benchmark result, we can’t be certain of the K7t’s existence. What we are certain of is that China has already given us the world’s first Quad HD smartphone (Vivo Xplay 3S), and the second one might also come from China, thanks to Oppo. Will Lenovo become the third Chinese hardware maker to offer a Quad HD handset? Let’s hope we’ll find out soon!

source: GizChina

Read More »

LG G Pro 2 phablet officially launching in February, specs still remain a mystery

LG has made the LG G Pro 2 official, announcing on Monday the phablet will launch in February, presumably at Mobile World Congress.

LG didn't share any specific details about the handset, however rumours detail the LG G Pro 2 as being the company's first with fingerprint scanning technology. Additionally, it's expected to feature a 6-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat, and LTE Advanced.

LG's G Pro successor is set to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max, and Sony Xperia Z Ultra, at a time when phablets have become necessary in a company's product line. Research firm IDC noted phablets accounted for 21 per cent of smartphone shipments in Q3 2013, up from 3 per cent in Q3 2012.

Pocket-lint will be live from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain from 24 February to 27 February to bring you the latest.

Read More »

Google purchases DeepMind to augment its artificial intelligence portfolio

Google has just made an acquisition that is somewhat both puzzling and, on further analysis, feels quite natural. It has just bought DeepMind, a startup that focuses on artificial intelligence, for a rumored but unconfirmed amount of $400 million.

The London-based startup is just three years old, according to LinkedIn, and the company hasn't really made headlines in the tech industry. It's roster, however, includes some impressive names such as Skype and Kazaa developer Jaan Tallin and neuroscientist Demis Hassabis. The latter is considered to be a genius, a progidy in chess, and one of the best mind games player of late.

DeepMind's profile says it specializes in artificial intelligence for simulations, e-commerce, and games. At first glance, it might not make sense for a company more known for search, ads, and Android, but a closer analysis of Google's products and sometimes strange projects reveals that it could be a close fit.

Google has lately been making acquisitions and hires that reveal the company's new bent towards even smarter machines. Under Andy Rubin's guidance, the company has beenreported to have bought several companies and startups related to robotics and it isn't hard to imagine Rubin's team needing a bit of brains for those. And last December, Google was also reported to have hired a former Microsoft employee to work on machine learning.

A more down to earth application of artificial intelligence would actually be for Google Now. Google has been steadily selling Google Now as the personal assistant of choice that is able to predict what you want or need before you even ask it. Google and Apple are believed to be taking their rivalry to virtual personal assistants, and a dash of machine learning and artificial intelligence might go a long way in gaining the upper hand.

VIA: Re/code

Read More »