Google phone cameras will read heart, breathing rates with AI help

Cameras on Google Pixel smartphones will be able to measure heart and breathing rates starting next month, in one of the first applications of Alphabet Inc's artificial intelligence technology to its wellness services.

Health programs available on Google Play's store and Apple Inc's App Store for years have provided the same functionality. But a study in 2017 found accuracy varied and adoption of the apps remains low.

Google Health leaders told reporters earlier this week they had advanced the AI powering the measurements and plan to detail its method and clinical trial in an academic paper in the coming weeks. The company expects to roll out the feature to other Android smartphones at an unspecified time, it said in a blog post on Thursday, but plans for iPhones are unclear.

Apple's Watch, Google's Fitbit and other wearables have greatly expanded the reach of continuous heart rate sensing technologies to a much larger population.

The smartphone camera approach is more ad hoc - users who want to take a pulse place their finger over the lens, which catches subtle color changes that correspond to blood flow. Respiration is calculated from video of upper torso movements.

Google Health product manager Jack Po said that the company wanted to give an alternative to manual pulse checks for smartphone owners who only want to monitor their condition occasionally but cannot afford a wearable.

Po said the technology, which can mistake heart rates by about 2 percent, requires further testing before it could be used in medical settings.

The new feature will be available as an update to the Google Fit app.

Google consolidated its health services about two years ago, aiming to better compete with Apple, Samsung Electronics Co and other mobile technology companies that have invested heavily in marketing wellness offerings.

-reuters-

Google in smartphone push with motion-sensing Pixel 4

NEW YORK — Google stepped up its smartphone ambitions Tuesday with updated Pixel handsets, touting a move toward computing with a simple hand wave or spoken command.

Pixel 4 models boasting features including gesture and face recognition debuted at a "Made by Google" event showcasing new hardware infused with artificial intelligence to respond to motion and voice.

The Pixel 4 handset with a 5.7-inch display has a starting price of $799 in the United States and will be available globally starting October 24. A larger 6.3-inch Pixel XL will start at $899.

The new devices aim to ramp up Google's challenge in the premium smartphone segment dominated by Samsung and Apple, which recently unveiled an iPhone 11 starting at $699.

Google also updated its Nest smart home cameras and speakers and announced its streaming game service Stadia would launch November 19.

While Pixel smartphones have struggled for traction in the smartphone market, they provide an opportunity to showcase the Android operating system's capabilities and the Google Assistant digital aide.

Pixel 4 features improved camera capabilities, using artificial intelligence to boost optical zoom and take better photos taken after dark, with a feature devoted to capturing images of the heavens at night.

Motion-sensing technology that Google has been working on for some time is built into Pixel 4 and will allow for some basic controls, such as silencing alarms or skipping to the next song, by holding up or waving hands. The handsets also include a "face unlock" feature similar to those on iPhones and other devices.

Amid antitrust reviews on both sides of the Atlantic over its online dominance, Google is seeking to diversify its business by adding more devices and services.

STADIA READY TO GO 

The California-based internet titan will launch Stadia streaming game service on November 19, hoping to send console-quality play soaring into the cloud.

Stadia allows video game play on any internet-connected device, eliminating the need for game consoles.

Google updated products across its hardware line, from Nest smart home devices to Chromebook laptops and wireless ear buds.

A common theme was making it more natural to use Google to tap into the internet and digital assistant capabilities naturally with voice or gestures at any time.

The notion of online services and machine smarts being all around and always ready to serve people instead of needing them to tap at smartphones or keyboards is referred to as "ambient computing."

"Our vision for ambient computing is to create a single, consistent experience anywhere you go," said Rick Osterloh, head of Google's hardware division.

Google also built digital assistant capabilities into smart home products from its Nest unit in a move that shrewdly extends its reach, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.

"I really felt the bigger message today was about ambient computing and how the different products work together to highlight Google's AI," Milanesi said.

Google spotlighted product design and user privacy at the event, hitting on themes stressed by Apple as well as Microsoft, the analyst added.

BUILDING IN PRIVACY 

Google emphasized privacy enhancements in its line of products, which kept more personal data and computing functions on devices instead of sending it to data centers in the cloud.

"Privacy is built in," Google director of product management Sabrina Ellis said while introducing Pixel 4.

"New Google Assistant can respond to day-to-day requests on-device."

Data processed on Pixel 4 handsets is "never saved or shared with other Google services," she added.

The smartphones still need to reach into the cloud for requests such as checking whether flights are delayed or commute traffic troubled.

Pixel 4 users will be able to tell their devices to delete anything said to it that day or week, according to Ellis. A chip in the handset is also designed as a secure digital vault for personal data.

"More and more of Google's story today is about on-device AI capabilities... it opens lots of possibilities for faster performance and better privacy," Technalysis Research chief analyst Bob O'Donnell said in a tweet.

Google also said it is ramping up investments in renewable energy, aiming to offset all the power required to make its hardware with green power.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Google Pixel 4 with multiple cameras unveiled on Twitter

MANILA -- Google on Thursday beat internet leaks and posted an official photo of its fourth generation Pixel flagship smartphone that was not expected to launch until October.

The image suggested 3 rear cameras and a flash housed in a square module on the upper left side of the Pixel 4's back. All 3 generations of Pixel phones only had one rear camera.

"Well, since there seems to be some interest, here you go! Wait 'til you see what it can do," Google said in a Twitter post, adding the hashtag #Pixel4.

In May, Google released a less expensive model of its Pixel 3 line which ditched the glass back for plastic and downgraded some internals but kept the camera tech of the pricier version.

Pixel phones have been renowned for photography, even as the competition added more lenses. Sales, however, lagged behind Apple, Samsung and Huawei.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Google Pixel 3 smartphones expected in Oct. 9 event

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google on Thursday sent out invitations to an October 9 event at which it is expected to unveil the third generation of its Android-powered Pixel smartphones.

Invitations displayed little more than the internet titan's logo along with the time and place of the event, set for a studio in New York City.

The Silicon Valley-based company has a history of introducing new "Made by Google" smartphones in October, and there have been a flood of leaked photos and details about third-generation Pixel handsets heading for market.

The update to the Pixel line-up would also come on the heels of an Apple event next week that is likely to star new iPhone models.

Google took to making its own smartphones to showcase the capabilities of the Android operating system that it makes available free of charge to handset makers. Android smartphones have come to dominate the market.

Rumors buzzing include that Google plans to release new Pixel models and perhaps an updated Android-powered smartwatch to go with the handsets.

New Pixel phones are expected to be tuned to take advantage of advancements the company has been making in artificial intelligence.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

New Google Pixel smartphone debut expected October 4

Google on Thursday fired off invitations to an October 4 event at which the US tech giant is expected to field a second-generation Pixel as its new champion in the competitive smartphone market.

The internet giant behind Android software for powering mobile devices also launched a madebygoogle.com web page that featured a playful animation that asked "Thinking about changing phones?" and then suggested waiting until October 4.

Invitations to the event in San Francisco also advised the curious to follow its @madebygoogle account at Twitter. The phrase was rolled out with the original Pixel to refer to the fact it was the first time Google created both the software and hardware of a smartphone.

The Google event will come shortly after Apple begins shipping new iPhone 8 models unveiled this week at an event at the company's new "spaceship" campus in Silicon Valley.

Apple also announced a 10th anniversary iPhone X, touting the new flagship device as the next generation of mobile computing.

The Apple handset starting $999 will be available starting November 3 in more than 50 markets.

Samsung last month unveiled a new model of its Galaxy Note with a similarly high price tag as it seeks to mount a renewed challenge to iPhones.

Pricing on a Pixel 2 remained to be seen, but the original handset competes in the premium segment of the market.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Google takes on Apple, Amazon with new hardware push

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google on Tuesday announced a new "Pixel" smartphone and a suite of new consumer electronics products for the home, planting itself firmly in the hardware business and challenging Apple Inc's iPhone at the high end of the $400 billion global smartphone market.

The string of announcements - including the $649 Pixel, a smart speaker for the living room dubbed "Home," a virtual reality headset, and a new Wi-Fi router - is the clearest sign yet that Google intends to compete head-to-head with Apple, Amazon.com Inc. and even manufacturers of phones using its own Android mobile operating system.

Company executives, echoing Apple's longstanding philosophy, said they were striving for tighter integration of hardware and software.

"The thinking is that if we can work on hardware and software together, we can innovate much better," Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in an interview with Reuters, citing a recent reorganization that united once-disparate hardware teams.

Under the new structure, the company has begun to take a much more integrated approach to things like supply chain management and design, added Mario Queiroz, a vice president of product management.

"The learnings from one product are benefiting another product," he said.

Unlike earlier Google phone efforts under the Nexus brand, the Pixel devices are designed and developed by Google from the start, although Taiwan's HTC Corp will serve as the contract manufacturer.

SWIPE AT APPLE

Taking another page from the Apple playbook, Google said it would work exclusively with a single carrier in the United States, Verizon Communications Inc, on the Pixel, emulating Apple's agreement to launch the original iPhone with AT&T Inc. That deal gave Apple unprecedented control over the look of the phone and how it worked.

Shares of Alphabet closed up 0.3 percent, while Verizon fell 1.2 percent.

The phone comes in two sizes, and its high-end camera is one of few distinguishing features, analysts said. The phones come in black, blue and silver and will be able to get up to a seven-hour charge in 15 minutes. Pre-orders begin on Tuesday.

"Aside from the camera, the new Google Pixels are pretty undifferentiated compared to Samsung and iPhone seventh generation phones," industry analyst Patrick Moorhead said.

While the new phones are clearly aimed at competing with the iPhone - Google executives took several swipes at Apple in their on-stage remarks - analysts said Android rivals like Samsung Electronics could be the biggest victim if the Pixel takes off.

Google's strategy of licensing Android for free and profiting from embedded services such as search and maps made Android the dominant mobile operating system with some 89 percent of the global market, according to IDC.

But Apple still rules the high end of the market, and Google has long been frustrated by the emergence of many variations of Android and the inconsistent experience that has produced. Pushing its own hardware will likely complicate its relationship with Android licensees, analysts said.

ALL-PURPOSE ASSISTANT

Google kicked off the event Tuesday by touting the Google Assistant, the company's voice-activated artificial intelligence system and its answer to Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa. The presenter showed how a customers could make a restaurant reservation with a few phrases spoken into the phone.

The assistant will be embedded into the Pixel and Home products and is being positioned as the central feature in a family of integrated hardware and software products.

It is one of a handful of similar assistants that are vying for supremacy as more people search the web and make purchases online using voice commands, which may eventually supplant keyboards and touchscreens as the primary means of controlling digital devices.

While Google is often cited as the leader in artificial intelligence, Amazon stole a march on the company with its Alexa-powered Echo home speaker system, a surprise hit. The Home device and the Echo have many of the same features.

Google's "Daydream View" virtual reality headset, meanwhile, puts the company in competition with Facebook Inc, owner of Oculus. The device, which works with an Android phone, is far cheaper and simpler. It will be available in November for $79, in time for the end-of-year shopping season.

Home will also be available in November for $129, including a six-month trial of ad-free YouTube.

Google also unveiled a new version of its Chromecast digital media player and a router dubbed Google Wifi, both boasting the same sleek, minimalist design as the Home product.

"These look like products from a single company," said Queiroz, the Google executive.

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