Friday, March 30, 2018
ADS SPACE
Google Play Audiobooks get Smart Resume, Bookmarks, and greater speed controls
For many months, rumors stated that audiobooks would launch soon in Google Play. Recent versions of the Google Play Books app contained strings referencing them, and Google finally launched audiobooks in the Play Store in January. At launch, Google stated that audiobooks were available in 45 countries and nine languages.
Now, Google is adding more features to audiobooks in Google Play. The first feature addition is Smart Resume. Google states that “interruptions happen all the time”, and it’s common to need to pause an audiobook in the middle of a sentence or word. Although pausing reading a book is easy, the same can’t be said for pausing and resuming an audiobook. Up until now, when users have resumed the book, the resume feature hasn’t been intelligent enough. Now, Smart Resume will “intelligently rewind [users]” to the beginning of the word or sentence when they pick their audiobook again, so they will be able to jump to the exact place where they left off.
The next addition is Bookmarks. This is a basic feature, but it’s important nonetheless. Users can save their favorite moments in audiobooks by tapping the bookmark icon to save this spot in the Google Play Books app on an Android or iOS device.
Audiobooks are now integrated with the newly launched routines on the Google Assistant. Users can, for example, start an audiobook for their commute to work routine hands-free. After adding audiobooks to their routine in the Google Home app, users need to say “Ok Google, tell me about my day” to start their routines.
Google has also added greater speed controls. Users can listen at 3x speed (which is the fastest), or choose to slow books down to 0.5x speed to go over things slowly.
Finally, users can now share audiobooks and ebooks using Family Library with up to five family members for free in 13 new countries. Shared books can be read on Android, iOS and the web. The new countries include Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Mexico, Japan (audiobooks only) and South Africa.
The new features are now being rolled-out on Android, iOS, and on devices with the Google Assistant.
Source: Google
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LG trademarks the LG Q7 name
The LG Q6 is a mini G6, the LG Q8 is a mini V20. So, what would the LG Q7 be like? We will find out soon as the company has filed a trademark with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).
The rumor mill is coming up empty on the matter – there’s nothing on the Q7. It doesn’t make a great amount of sense, but if the Q-series continues to imitate LG flagships, the LG V30 could be its next target.
We could at least try to frame the price. The Q6 launched in Korea for the equivalent of $475, the Q8 launched at $545. So, call it about $500 for the Q7.
Pics: Anita Hassanandani Poses As a Runaway Bride In Her Latest Pics Donning a Heavy Maroon Lehenga
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Anita Hassanandani, along with hubby Rohit Reddy and the whole cast of ‘Ye Hai Mohabbatein’ is currently in London for the shoot. The whole tea of the show is having a gala time in the city as they keep posting the beautiful pictures from London.
While Anita, who plays the character of Shagun in the popular daily, is enjoying the shoot and vacation in a unique way. The actress who is known for her trendy outfits, particularly stylish blouses in the show, took some time out from her hectic schedule to have a photoshoot for an Indian wear boutique in the capital city of the United Kingdom.
In the pictures, Anita has donned a heavy maroon coloured lehenga and interestingly, she has paired it with the sneakers, which makes her look as a runaway bride and we are totally loving her unique avatar.
Check out the pictures here:
Meanwhile, Anita celebrated her darling husband’s birthday recently along with the whole cast of Ye hai mohabbatein in London. She also shared a post for Rohit on his birthday and wrote, “Falling in love with you is easy. Staying in love with you is much easier. Happiest Birthday to my LIFE my WORLD.”
Talking about Rohit, Anita had earlier said, “Even today, he makes it a point to thank me, whenever I do anything for him, that’s very lovable. I think that generally a woman brings in luck for her husband after marriage but in my case my husband is lucky for me.”
Published by Shruti Kumari on 30 Mar 2018
ZTE Tempo Go becomes first Android Go phone to be available in US
ZTE’s new Tempo Go has become the first Android Go smartphone to be released in the United States. It’s a low-end device that’s powered by the Snapdragon 210 SoC, and sports a 5-inch FWVGA (480x854p) display.
The Tempo Go has 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory. In terms of camera, the handset features a 5MP main unit and a 2MP front shooter. The phone runs Android Oreo Go edition and packs in a 2,200mAh battery. Its most attractive feature is certainly its $79.99 price tag.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
FCC approves SpaceX plan for 4,425-satellite broadband network
SpaceX has a green light from the FCC to launch a network of thousands of satellites blanketing the globe with broadband. And you won’t have too long to wait — on a cosmic scale, anyway. Part of the agreement is that SpaceX launch half of its proposed 4,425 satellites within six years.
The approval of SpaceX’s application was not seriously in doubt after last month’s memo from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who was excited at the prospect of the first U.S.-based company being authorized to launch a constellation like this.
“I have asked my colleagues to join me in supporting this application and moving to unleash the power of satellite constellations to provide high-speed Internet to rural Americans,” he wrote at the time. He really is pushing that “digital divide” thing. Not that Elon Musk disagrees:
SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell echoed the sentiment in a statement provided to TechCrunch:
We appreciate the FCC’s thorough review and approval of SpaceX’s constellation license. Although we still have much to do with this complex undertaking, this is an important step toward SpaceX building a next-generation satellite network that can link the globe with reliable and affordable broadband service, especially reaching those who are not yet connected.
The proposed service, which will be called Starlink, was opposed by several existing satellite operators like OneWeb and Spire. They’re rightly concerned that another operator in space — especially one that wants to launch thousands of satellites — will crowd both spectrum and orbit.
Illustration of SpaceX satellite coverage from the FCC application
OneWeb, for example, said that SpaceX satellites shouldn’t be allowed to be deployed within 125 kilometers of altitude of its own. You do want to avoid interference, but really, it’s too much to ask for a 150-mile buffer zone around your gear.
One objection that did carry water, however, was the request for an extensive orbital debris mitigation plan.
The unprecedented number of satellites proposed by SpaceX and the other [non-geostationary orbit fixed-satellite service] systems in this processing round will necessitate a further assessment of the appropriate reliability standards of these spacecraft, as well as the reliability of these systems’ methods for deorbiting the spacecraft.
So SpaceX will have to provide more studies on this by the time it finalizes its designs and starts launching.
And that will have to be fairly soon. To move things along, the FCC requires SpaceX to get underway in a hurry or else, presumably, it will have to be reauthorized:
SpaceX must launch 50 percent of the maximum number of proposed space stations, place them in the assigned orbits, and operate them in accordance with the station authorization no later than March 29, 2024.
The company has already launched test versions of the satellites, but the full constellation will need to go out more than two at a time.
The Falcon 9 carrying SpaceX’s test Starlink satellites launches on February 22
Commissioner Rosenworcel, in a separate statement, also called for a general revisiting of regulations around commercial space.
“This rush to develop new space opportunities requires new rules,” she writes. “Despite the revolutionary activity in our atmosphere, the regulatory frameworks we rely on to shape these efforts are dated. Across the board, we need to prepare for the proliferation of satellites in our higher altitudes. In short, we have work to do.”