Smart home
Google I/O 2021 Recap: All the Major Announcements
In this article, we break down the key announcements that went live at Google I/O 2021 keynote in Mountain View, California, US, to give you a brief recap of the virtual event.
Android 12
Just like the past I/O keynotes, one of the most anticipated announcements of this year’s I/O conference was for Android 12. The new operating system that Google initially brought to developers in February and is currently live through a public beta release comes with an all-new interface. Google has also offered new privacy controls — some of them are similar to what Apple provided to its iPhone users through iOS 14 last year. Additionally, Android 12 carries elements based on design language Material You, which will also be used for designing the interfaces of Google’s wearables, smart displays, and other hardware in the future.
New Wear OS
After Android 12, the next major announcement that Google announced at the I/O 2021 keynote was the next Wear OS update. The company calls it the “biggest update to Wear ever”, with a fresh consumer experience. Google has partnered with Samsung to bring the best of Wear OS and Tizen into a single platform. The new Wear OS also includes features such as support for third-party Tiles and the ability to switch between apps by double tapping on the screen. Further, there are updates to Google Maps and Google Assistant for Wear OS with new interface and improvements. Google’s latest operating system for wearables also includes health and fitness tracking updates that are coming from the house of Fitbit.
Better multi-device experience
At this year’s I/O keynote, Google revealed that there are over three billion active Android devices around the globe. These devices are not just limited to smartphones but also include smartwatches, smart TVs, and others based on Android. Google is now on a move to make communication among multiple Android devices easier by offering new multi-device experiences. One such addition is wider rollout of Fast Pair to devices such as Beats headphones as well as cars from BMW and Ford. Android phones will also get an inbuilt remote control for smart TVs based on Android TV and Google TV. Chromebook users will also get a control centre to adjust a connected Android phone. Features such as to receive notification on Chromebooks and unlock cars using an Android phone will also be available in the coming days.
Smart canvas in Google Workspace
Google showcased the smart canvas in Google Workspace to ease collaboration of teams on Google Docs, Sheets, and other productivity tools. It will allow users to have a video call with their colleagues while working on their next assignment using Google Workspace. Users on Google Docs and Sheets will also be able to communicate with their teams using built-in Google Chat rooms. Google also announced some other productivity-focussed developments, including smarter meeting notes template and pageless Docs, as well as Google Meet integration within Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Google Maps safer routing
At the I/O 2021 conference, Google announced the arrival of safer routing on Google Maps that will suggest routes to help you avoid hitting brakes. It will combine artificial intelligence (AI) with navigation information to identify hard-braking events on your route. Google is also expanding its detailed street maps to 50 new cities by the end of this year. Detailed street maps were introduced in August and are designed to provide details about sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands. Google Maps will also start highlighting busy areas to help people avoid crowds.
Google Chrome with better password management
Google Chrome is getting an updated password manager that will let you change your passwords with a single tap, Google announced at I/O 2021. Google Assistant on Chrome will show a ‘Change password’ button when the browser finds a potentially compromised password on a particular website. Users just need to tap that button to change their password. Google also announced that by using the password manager of Chrome, users will now be notified about creating a strong password for certain sites and apps.
Google Photos with Memories, Cinematic moments, Locked Folders
Alongside Google Maps and Chrome, Google Photos has received a handful of new features that were all announced at the I/O 2021 keynote. One of them is the new types of Memories that will be around the moments a user has celebrated — whether it’s Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Hanukkah. Additionally, there will be controls to rename a Trip highlight or remove it completely, or able to remove a single photo from Memories. Google Photos will also create moving images from their still versions by filling the gaps in nearly identical photos. This is called Cinematic moments. The last major change that Google Photos will get is Locked Folders that will work as a passcode-protected space and will require users to either use their fingerprint or a PIN to unlock the folder each time they want to look at some of their memories.
LaMDA and MUM
Google at its I/O keynote announced LaMDA as its new language model for dialogue applications. It is claimed to be designed to converse on any topic and is available as an open domain, which means it can be customised for any conversations. Google demonstrated the scope of LaMDA by showcasing a communication about Pluto. The language model is limited to be trained on text. However, Google also talked about multimodal models (MUM) that will allow people to offer natural responses by sharing images, text, audio, and video. Both LaMDA and MUM could help Google enhance its search engine and uplift Google Assistant over time.
Project Starline
Pichai at the I/O 2021 keynote showed off Project Starline as Google’s next ambitious development to enhance video conferring. It uses high-resolution cameras and custom-built depth sensors to capture shape and appearance of users from multiple perspectives, and then fuses them together to create an extremely detailed, real-time 3D model. This brings a hyper-real form of video conversations that could be quite useful especially at the current times when people are avoiding physical meetings due to the coronavirus spread.
Google also unveiled its AI-powered dermatology tool that is designed to help people find answers to as many as 288 skin conditions — directly using the camera of their smartphones. It will launch as a pilot later this year, starting with Europe. Similar to the AI-powered dermatology tool, Google showcased a deep learning system that could help detect active pulmonary tuberculosis. It is claimed to help save up to 80 percent of the cost per positive TB case detected. Google is planning to work with Apollo Hospitals in India and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) to bring its research work into reality.
Smart home
Samsung Introduces Vision AI Features for Its 2025 Smart TV Lineup
Samsung Introduces Vision AI Capabilities
In a newsroom post, the tech giant announced Vision AI and the different devices that will support the new AI-powered features. Samsung said the new technology will transform smart TVs from a “one-directional device for passive consumption” to “interactive, intelligent partners” that can adapt to users’ needs.
Samsung also revealed the new AI-powered features users will get with the Vision AI integration. Click to Search will let users quickly look up information about the content being displayed on the screen. It can identify actors, locations, objects and more. A Live Translate feature is also being added that offers real-time subtitle translations. The company is using an on-device AI translation model for this.
Apart from this, Vision AI will also let users generate wallpapers to turn their idle screens into art canvases. The South Korean tech giant has also integrated the AI system with the SmartThings ecosystem letting users use the screens as the central hub for several smart home features. With Home Insights, it will provide real-time updates about various smart home devices as well as safety alerts and daily updates.
Further, Pet and Family Care uses Vision AI to keep an eye on family members and pets. The technology can automatically adjust room settings depending on what the loved one is doing. For example, if a child falls asleep, the AI feature can automatically dim the lights and set the AC unit to a comfortable temperature.
Additionally, Vision AI will also upscale the picture and sound quality by dynamically analysing each frame. The new smart TVs in the 2025 portfolio will also feature Copilot AI assistant, as a result of a collaboration between Samsung and Microsoft. The tech giant also revealed that it is planning to work with other AI companies such as Google to expand Vision AI’s capabilities.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2025 hub.
Smart home
Qubo Q600 Smart Air Purifier Review: Minimalistic
The Q600 Smart Air Purifier from Qubo is an ideal option for a two-room setup and costs Rs. 14,990. But is it the air purifier to choose this winter, or should you look at other options? Let me answer that in this review.
Qubo Q600 Smart Air Purifier Design: Simple but Efficient
- Weight – 5.2 kg
- Max noise – 55db
- Dust sensor – Yes
- Coverage area – 600 sq feet
The Q600 Smart Air Purifier is a great example of how to keep things simple. It features a basic design that houses the HEPA filter in the lower half of the purifier and the upper half housing the fan. The air outlet is towards the top, while the rear panel can be opened to clean or change the filter. In fact, the Qubo Q600 is one of the purifiers with a plug-and-play type HEPA filter setup. Convenience over complication is always preferred.
The air purifier packs a bunch of touch-sensitive buttons on the top, which feature power, fan speed, auto mode, timer, and QSensAI. A small colour LED screen on the front panel displays the surrounding AQI with colour coding where red is higher pollution levels and green is under control.
Qubo has smartly fitted multiple indicators in this small screen, including filter life, child lock, and Wi-Fi indicators. For someone unfamiliar with the app ecosystem, the Q600 Smart Air Purifier can function without a proper app setup. Just plug the device after unboxing. However, one important thing to note is that Qubo air purifiers have a polybag around the HEPA filter. Users have to remove this polybag before they start using the air purifier.
Qubo Q600 Smart Air Purifier App, Features and Performance: Decent, Overall
- App Compatibility – Qubo App
- Works with Alexa
- Hepa Filter – H13
- Number of Filters – 4
For Q600 Smart Air Purifier, the Qubo app is the primary key. You get additional features alongside some functionality-related features that are not physically available on the purifier. The one-time setup is quick, and Qubo has added a nice touch by sending users a proper Quick Start guide on WhatsApp when signing in.
The app interface is user-friendly and has most features a few taps away. The Qubo app’s home screen will show you PM2.5 current levels in the room, and you can enable QSensAI, which automatically senses PM2.5 levels in the room and springs into action when needed. In the app, users can set it when they want the device to turn off, like once PM2.5 levels drop below 25 and turn it on when the level goes above 50. You also get Silent Mode in the app, which basically mutes the air purifier’s fan sound. The app also lets you adjust the light intensity of the LEDs on the buttons on the Q600, which is a neat touch.
Additional features like child lock can be enabled using the app alongside a scheduling option where users can choose a routine for the air purifier to start and shut automatically. Moreover, users also get a countdown option that lets them set the time when the air purifier should shut down, for example, in an hour, two hours, four hours, and more. Users can manually adjust this. Of course, the app also offers filter life in terms of the total number of hours remaining. It’s worth noting that Qubo claims up to 15,000 hours of filter life on its Q600 Smart Air Purifier, which may slightly differ depending on fan speed.
The best thing is that the Qubo app offers deep insights into PM2.5 levels in the last 24 hours or the last seven days or more. Thanks to Alexa integration, I could start the Q600 Smart Air Purifier with voice commands to my smart speaker at home.
Coming to raw performance, the Qubo Q600 Smart Air Purifier is an efficient and silent (comparatively) operator for everyday use. From a situation of over 200 AQI levels in the room to bringing it below 80, the Q600 took about 1.5 hours in auto mode. Compared to similarly priced air purifiers, the Q600 fares well. I set a schedule for the Q600 air purifier, which worked from 7am to 10pm with QSensAI enabled. Every time PM2.5 levels go below 25, the purifier automatically shuts and restarts when it goes over 30. Without anyone noticing, the purifier worked flawlessly.
Qubo Q600 Smart Air Purifier Review: Verdict
The Q600 air purifier from Qubo is ideal for a flat with two rooms and can efficiently keep air quality at home in check. However, apart from being a silent operator, this is also a slow operator, so do not expect this to do some magic in a jiffy. At Rs. 14,990, the Q600 Smart Air Purifier is slightly expensive, especially considering that similar models are available at lesser price points. One such example is the Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite, launched recently and is available at Rs. 10,999.
Price: Rs. 14,990
Pros
- Silent and efficient operator
- Decent purification performance
- Qubo app offers plenty of customisations
Cons
- Only the basic buttons on the purifier
- Overall, the package is slightly expensive
Ratings (out of 10):
Design: 7
Performance: 7
Value for money: 7
Overall: 7
Smart home
Samsung’s Smart Fridges Will Soon Use AI to Suggest Groceries to Buy
Samsung to Use AI to Help Users Order Groceries
In a newsroom post, the tech giant announced the new feature that offers an easier way for consumers to shop for groceries directly from the screens of their Samsung Bespoke refrigerators. This new feature will only be available in the US with the 2025 series of Bespoke refrigerators with screens.
Samsung highlighted that the AI feature will be added to both the 32-inch AI Family Hub screen and the 9-inch AI Home screen. The new feature draws on the capabilities at both Samsung and Instacart’s end. The tech giant’s AI Vision Inside feature will be able to monitor and identify whenever the user is running low on a particular grocery item.
Then, with Instacart’s product-matching application programming interface (API), the recognised inventory items will be automatically added to the user’s cart. Once added, the user can place the order directly from the Bespoke Smart Refrigerator’s screen.
The South Korean tech giant highlighted that the new Instacart experience will roll out to existing Bespoke refrigerators with AI Family Hub screens via an over-the-network (OTN) update. However, the company did not specify when it plans to release the feature to older devices.
There are some caveats as well. The feature will only work in areas serviced by Instacart. Currently, AI Vision Inside can recognise up to 37 food items, so the names and expiration dates of non-recognisable food items will have to be added manually. Additionally, the AI feature cannot identify or list any food items that are placed in the refrigerator’s door bins or kept in the freezer.
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