Data-friendly YouTube Go comes out in beta in Southeast Asia

Google has released its data-friendly YouTube Go app in some of Southeast Asia, and Africa's new markets.

Available now in beta for Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, the app is a way to get video to users in countries where data availability might not be as complete as it is in other countries.

SEE ALSO: Now you can play YouTube videos right inside WhatsApp

One of the app's key features tackling the data issue is an offline viewing mode, allowing users to first download video over Wi-Fi before hitting the road.

Users can also choose to stream video in lower resolutions or high quality, controlling their data spend.  Read more...

More about Videos, Google, Youtube, Philippines, and Malaysia

http://ift.tt/2AkAzDj from Tech http://ift.tt/2kaXXgf
via IFTTT

Google Translate might have a gender problem

So much of our life is determined by algorithms. From what you see on your Facebook News Feed, to the books and knickknacks recommended to you by Amazon, to the disturbing videos YouTube shows to your children, our attention is systematically parsed and sold to the highest bidder.

These mysterious formulas that shape us, guide us, and nudge us toward someone else's idea of an optimal outcome are opaque by design. Which, well, perhaps makes it all the more frustrating when they turn out to be sexist. 

SEE ALSO: Google's AI has some seriously messed up opinions about homosexuality

Enter Google Translate, the automated service that makes so much of the web comprehensible to so many of us. Supporting 103 languages, the digital Babel Fish directly influences our understanding of languages and cultures different than our own. In providing such an important tool, Google has assumed the responsibility of accurately translating the content that passes through its servers.  Read more...

More about Google, Gender, Sexism, Translation, and Google Translate

http://ift.tt/2zT3Vtl from Tech http://ift.tt/2AgJRzU
via IFTTT

The Google Pixel Buds mistranslated the word salad 4 times

The Google Pixel Buds claim to be able to translate up to 40 languages. We brought in 2 interpreters to put the buds to the test. To our surprise, the earphones had trouble with the word Arabic word for salad... multiple times. Read more...

More about Google, Salad, French, Russian, and Headphones

http://ift.tt/2nnK3c7 from Tech http://ift.tt/2Aufg2n
via IFTTT

UK tech investor shunned by EU fund secures backing from British Business Bank

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J from Technology http://ift.tt/2AgKJoo
via IFTTT

Tesla switches on the world's largest lithium ion battery

Tesla's hit the switch on the world's largest lithium ion battery.

After winning a bet to build the huge battery in 100 days, Musk and his team, along with the South Australian government, completed the installation of a Powerpack system with 100 megawatts of capacity on Nov. 23.

And now, it's up and running.

SEE ALSO: This isn’t the first time Elon Musk made big promises

Representatives from Tesla, French renewable energy company Neoen, and Adelaide engineering firm Consolidated Power Projects will join South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill on Friday, local time, to officially launch the battery, although it was technically turned on Thursday, according to ABC.  Read more...

More about Australia, Tesla, Elon Musk, Power, and Energy

http://ift.tt/2i7vjZr from Tech http://ift.tt/2zUfSyQ
via IFTTT

Super confident GM says its driverless cars will hit city streets by 2019

General Motors President Dan Ammann made a rather bold statement today: In less than two years, autonomous Chevy Bolts will be driving around busy city streets.

“If we continue on our current rate of change, we will be ready to deploy this technology in large scale in the most complex environments in 2019,” Ammann said at a press and investor event in San Francisco, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.

SEE ALSO: Lyft now has permission to test self-driving cars on California's roads

To help realize its driverless dreams, General Motors purchased the autonomous driving company Cruise Automation in 2016, and there are now some 1,200 GM employees working in the auto manufacturer's self-driving division.  Read more...

More about Tech, General Motors, Autonomous Vehicles, Self Driving Cars, and Bolt Ev

http://ift.tt/2i2XpEV from Tech http://ift.tt/2nfZhzu
via IFTTT

This new FDA-approved Apple Watch band measures the electricity in your heart

The Federal Drug Administration just cleared a new band for the Apple Watch that monitors the electrical rhythms in your heart. 

After a two-year process to satisfy the FDA's stringent requirements, AliveCor announced today that the Kardia Band is now available for purchase for $199. It's a mobile electrocardiogram (EKG), which measures a heart's electrical activity and has traditionally been used by doctors to identify abnormal cardiac rhythms. 

"It’s a regulated measure of physiology by the FDA. Doctors can recognize over 100 conditions when they see an EKG," AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra told Mashable.  Read more...

More about Health, Artificial Intelligence, Apple Watch, Deep Learning, and Heart Rate Monitor

http://ift.tt/2kbBPm3 from Tech http://ift.tt/2iuXmWw
via IFTTT

Google just launched Datally, an app to save your data

Google wants to help you conserve your data. 

The company has launched Datally, a free app to help you understand and curb your data usage. The app is primarily intended for users in India and Southeast Asia, where it is common to use prepaid SIM cards with a limited amount of data. 

SEE ALSO: Google's trying to make your job search less difficult

Datally is free on the Google Play Store, and is available for all Android devices. It shows you graphs of how much data you're using on a daily, monthly, or weekly basis. You'll also see which of your apps have used the most data, both recently and over the course of the past day.  Read more...

More about Google, Android, Android Apps, Data, and Google Play

http://ift.tt/2AriGmt from Tech http://ift.tt/2nhbXpQ
via IFTTT

Apple and Stanford team up for app that looks for irregular heart rhythms

With this new app, your Apple Watch might save your life. 

Apple launched the Apple Heart Study app on Thursday, which will collect data on your heart rhythms using the Apple Watch, and send you a notification if you may be experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib). 

SEE ALSO: Sony's robot dog is back and better than ever

To track your heart, the Apple Watch's sensor uses flashing LED lights and light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood pumping through your wrist. Apple is partnering with the Stanford University School of Medicine to conduct the study. 

If your watch discovers an irregular heart rhythm, Apple will provide a free consultation with a study doctor, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) patch to continue monitoring your heart rate. Read more...

More about Apple, Iphone, Iphone 7, Iphone 6s, and Apple Watch

http://ift.tt/2zTh31o from Tech http://ift.tt/2zQH6X1
via IFTTT

Apple may make its own iPhone power management chips in 2018 - CNET

The news from Nikkei hit Apple supplier Dialog Semiconductor hard.

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J from CNET http://ift.tt/2jBa1nk
via IFTTT

Apple may make its own iPhone power management chips in 2018 - CNET

The news from Nikkei hit Apple supplier Dialog Semiconductor hard.

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J from CNET News http://ift.tt/2AlNfHP
via IFTTT

This micro drone flies upside down, shoots in HD, and is on sale

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.

Who would have thought that a gadget purchased by the military would someday become a bestselling holiday gift? OK, so the toy drones you can buy at your local department or electronics stores are slightly different than the ones wielded by the U.S. government, but the capabilities of some toy drones would still probably blow your mind. 

SEE ALSO: Save $150 on this foldable, self-flying camera drone

With many modern models boasting advanced features suited for activities like aerial photography and stunts, it's no wonder the Consumer Technology Association gave toy drones a spot on its list of the Top 10 Tech Gifts of 2017. Read more...

More about Drones, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Stackcommerce, Shopping Solo, and Micro Drone 2.0

http://ift.tt/2i4TFmc from Tech http://ift.tt/2zTcAvE
via IFTTT

Artificial intelligence could create a big change on Wall Street

We spoke with Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, a cybersecurity firm based in New York City, about how the markets could potentially change as a result of artificial intelligence. He's got a surprising perspective when it comes to how they could potentially stabilize the prices of major equities.  Read more...

More about Tech, Business, Technology, Mashable Video, and Cybersecurity

http://ift.tt/2Ai6G6z from Tech http://ift.tt/2kaDJTX
via IFTTT

Meet the next big thing in the world of artificial intelligence

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.

If you've ever trained a puppy before, you know just how valuable food rewards can be. After little Sparky realizes that the act of rolling over instantly earns him a mouthful of peanut butter, he starts performing the trick with increased enthusiasm and speed. (Good boy, Sparky!)

SEE ALSO: Get $50 off the Sphero R2-D2 droid on Amazon

This type of behavioral psychology — getting something to act a certain way so that it maximizes its rewards — has inspired a new approach to artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning. Named one of the 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2017 by the MIT Technology Review, this revolutionary kind of machine learning allows computers to learn new things without human intervention through the mere act of experimenting.  Read more...

More about Robots, Robot, Artificial Intelligence, Ai, and Online Learning

http://ift.tt/2AucudC from Tech http://ift.tt/2AsbOp0
via IFTTT

You can now download Microsoft's Internet Explorer followup for your phone, if you're into that

Microsoft's Edge browser is finally making its way to your phone.

SEE ALSO: Official, full-featured Microsoft Office apps just arrived on Chromebooks

The company announced the mobile version of its Internet Explorer successor has passed through the preview stage and is now available for download on Android and iOS. The browser was released for public testing back in October, giving "hundreds of thousands" of users a chance to put the app through its paces and give feedback to Microsoft. 

The big draw for Edge is that the app allows users to work seamlessly between Windows 10 devices and their smartphones with a Continue on PC feature, which jumps between mobile and desktop browsing.  Read more...

More about Microsoft, Windows 10, Microsoft Edge, Apps And Software, and Browser

http://ift.tt/2AmjBSU from Tech http://ift.tt/2ArukxV
via IFTTT

Vine creator is working on a 'follow-up to Vine'

Read more...

More about Vine, Vine App, Tech, Consumer Tech, and Big Tech Companies

http://ift.tt/2zFckwl from Tech http://ift.tt/2AqVGnV
via IFTTT

Snapchat Draws Bright Line Between 'Social' and 'Media'

Snap aims to combat fake news on Snapchat by separating content from professional creators from postings by friends and family. Stories and Chats from friends will appear on the left side of the camera, while Stories from content creators, publishers and other members of the community will appear on the right side of the camera. Snapchat aims to disentangle "social" from "media," according to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, by offering users a personalized content feed tailored to their own behavior rather than basing it on what their friends post.

http://ift.tt/1uHVlTi from E-Commerce Times http://ift.tt/2AIAXME
via IFTTT

Google's secret weapon against Amazon has been here all along

Google might soon reverse one of its biggest hardware decisions.

The company is reportedly thinking about bringing Nest, and its portfolio of smart home devices, back into Google, in an effort to beat out Amazon's increasing dominance in the space.

SEE ALSO: Google finally fixed its horrendous excuse for a burger emoji

The potential move, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal, would bring Nest closer to Google's other hardware teams.

If it goes through, and it's not clear if or when it will, the move would essentially reverse the company's 2015 decision to separate Nest from Google and instead put the smart home gadget makers under parent company Alphabet. Read more...

More about Tech, Gadgets, Google, Nest, and Google Home

http://ift.tt/2j4b67m from Tech http://ift.tt/2AtnoAo
via IFTTT

This intelligent voice assistant gets to know you over time

San Francisco-based startup Fin wants to replace your digital assistant. The company has built an artificially intelligent app that functions on voice commands alone and learns your habits over time.

Fin is essentially a new iOS app that can accomplish all the tasks a human personal assistant would, according to the company. Upon request, the app can schedule plans with friends, pay your bills, search restaurants in your area, remind you of events on your calendar, and more. 

SEE ALSO: Sony's robot dog is back and better than ever

But what differentiates Fin from Alexa, Siri, and the other voice assistants you may already be using is its ability to learn your habits. "We have an internal principle: 'AI' means 'Always Improving,'" wrote Andrew Kortina, Fin's cofounder, in a blog post.  Read more...

More about Startups, Artificial Intelligence, Her, Fin, and Tech

http://ift.tt/2zS2ETg from Tech http://ift.tt/2it9cAb
via IFTTT

Elon Musk wants to dig a Boring Company tunnel in Chicago

Read more...

More about Chicago, Hyperloop, Boring Company, The Boring Company, and High Speed Train

http://ift.tt/2AgG5GU from Tech http://ift.tt/2i5g0As
via IFTTT