Now, 'air-write' emails to your loved ones via new smartphone tech

Now, a new technology has been developed that would allow users to draw letters in the air with their hand to write messages and emails. Computer scientists at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have created an innovative 'air-writing' glove system that replace the 'thumb-typing' texts or emails on keyboards or touch screen smartphones.
The glove, created by Christoph Amma and colleagues, is equipped with accelerometers and gyroscopes that detect hand movements, the Discovery News reports.
The system then identifies which letters are being drawn and converts them into digital text, which can then be wirelessly entered into an email, text message or other mobile apps.
The system uses pattern recognition software to interpret gestures and is capable of recognizing approximately 8,000 words, along with complete sentences.
Currently, the model has an error rate of 11 percent, but that drops to three percent once it identifies the user's air-writing style, the report said.

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Facebook to take on Snapchat with its new app

Facebook is all set to contend against the photo sharing service Snapchat that allows users to send impermanent photo messages to one another. Your chat partner can view the photo for an alloted amount of time.
According to a report from AllThingsD, the social networking giant is testing its built-in-house version of a Snapchat-like app.
It further says that Facebook plans to launch the app in the coming weeks, sometime before the end of the year. However, AllThingsD does not have any information about the name of the app.

"After a user opens the new app, they're presented with a list of their current message threads between them and their friends. Hold your finger down on one of the threads, and a timer comes up to ask how long the message should be viewable. From there, you're able to send the message which, just like on Snapchat, will only be viewable for a fixed period of time," said AllThingsD.

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Google Maps is now available for iPhone

People around the world have been asking for Google Maps on iPhone. Starting today, Google pleased to announce that Google Maps is here—rolling out across the world in the Apple App Store. It’s designed from the ground up to combine the comprehensiveness and accuracy of Google Maps with an interface that makes finding what you’re looking for faster and easier.

The app shows more map on screen and turns mobile mapping into one intuitive experience. It’s a sharper looking, vector-based map that loads quickly and provides smooth tilting and rotating of 2D and 3D views. The search box at the top is a good place to start—perhaps by entering the name of a new and interesting restaurant. An expandable info sheet at the bottom shows the address, opening hours, ratings and reviews, images, directions and other information.

At the heart of this app is our constantly improving map of the world that includes detailed information for more than 80 million businesses and points of interest. Preview where you want to go with Street View and see inside places with Business Photos to decide on a table or see if it’s better at the bar. To get you there, you’ve got voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation, live traffic conditions to avoid the jams and if you want to use public transportation, find information for more than one million public transit stops.

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Google updates Flipboard rival Currents

Google has brought a host of new features to Currents, the social reading app available on Android and iOS that sorts through news, blogs and digital magazines. This was revealed by Mussie Shore, the group product manager for Android in a post on the official blog for the company's mobile operating system.

In his post, Shore said:

"Today, we're revamping Currents to make it even easier to scan through all your favourite categories and specific editions with just the swipe of a finger." The changes introduced with the latest update include categories, customisation of breaking stories according to geographical location and easier scanning through subscribed news, blogs and magazine sources.

According to the blog post, the update has already been released for Android and will soon be seeded for Apple iOS. The post also said that Google has used the same technology that it utilises in compiling search results into categorisation of content in Currents. The introduction of category-based segregation and selection of content makes it easier for users to sift through news. Users can pick the publications they want on top of teh category by assiging favourites and "swipe through the entire category and dive into editions with articles of interest."

Scanning through headlines in any edition has also become easier with the latest Google Currents update. After users read any article, the app will mark the same as viewed and present fresh content to them thereafter. Google also uses the Search technology to show the breaking news to readers, as per Shore's post. 

Click The Link to Download Android or iPhone Application https://www.google.com/producer/currents

Source : Times of India

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