Knowledge Signs is a blog about knowledge and only knowledge. Any type of knowledge including fiction, science, technology, social, literature, professional and religious.
Here it is folks, the long-awaited name reveal of Android 8.0 and without a surprise it’s Oreo. Google unveiled the statue of the Android at 14th Street Park and the event was also available on Youtube through a livestream where 30,000+ people joined in for the action. Google had selected 21st August because of the total eclipse in the U.S or Corvallis. The significant changes coming in the next version of Android are highlighted below:
Android phones will now boot up 2 times faster.
Android Oreo will limit background usage for the apps you use least for power efficiency as well as increase performance.
Autofill now remembers your login passwords in apps for quicker sign in.
Picture-in-Picture mode allows you to work with two apps at the same time. Meaning you can talk on Hangouts and check your memos at the same time.
Notification Dots – Easily check your notifications on an app and quickly swipe them away.
Instant Apps allow you try an app without installation directly from your browser.
Project Treble allows hardware makers to easily update their phones to the latest version of Android.
Wi-Fi Assistant can help connect you to open Wi-Fis but with added security through a VPN back to Google.
Check out the reveal trailer below:
Google has announced Android Oreo will be rolling out in phases to Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C tablet, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Nexus Player. More information on Oreo can be found here.
When you are watching a video on a slow internet connection and after the equal interval of times your video starts to buffer, it bothers you, isn’t it? However, this is all going to change as researchers from MIT have developed an AI system named “Pensieve” to solve the buffering problem while maintaining the quality of the video. The system uses machine learning technology to pick algorithms while depending on the network conditions. The system allows video to buffer less and give good streaming experience to those who are watching the video. The Pensieve AI technology, developed by MIT researchers, stream video with 10 to 30 percent less rebuffering than other approaches such as YouTube’s adaptive bitrate (ABR) algorithms approach. The technique YouTube is using is not so bad either. However, if one is using slow internet connection, YouTube will downgrade the quality of video automatically to let it stream. Read also: Researchers make a phone which can make calls without a battery According to MIT Professor Mohammad Alizadeh, “Studies show that users abandon video sessions if the quality is too low, leading to major losses in ad revenue for content providers.” Moreover, Pensieve AI technology works well even where connectivity is bad, it said to cut rebuffering by up to 30 percent. Featured Image Source: Shutterstock
Windows 10 will soon have built in eye tracking. This will help users with neuro-muscular diseases like ALS to use the PC easily with their eyes, without the need of a keyboard and mouse. The new feature will let users launch apps by gazing at the icons and they will also be able to type by launching an on-screen keyboard and gazing at the keys. How cool is that? This new eye tracking feature, called Eye Control, is inspired by a Microsoft hackathon project. The Hackathon held back in 2014 when Steve Gleason, a former NFL player, and an ALS patient, wrote a letter to Microsoft to develop a technology for people with the diseases which limit their mobility. Some people at the hackathon also developed a wheelchair which allows anyone to control the chair with just the gaze of their eye.
Image — TechCrunch
Here’s what Steve said in the letter: “I realized pretty quickly after my diagnosis that technology would have to become an extension of myself. Until there is a medical cure for ALS, technology will be that cure”. Microsoft will partner with Tobii, a company focused on making eye-tracking products, to develop the Eye Control and for their hardware support. The feature will require certain hardware to work on PCs. The feature is available in the beta version of Windows and will soon come with stable builds. You can sign up for the Windows Insider program if you want to test the feature right now.
