Google Cloud Platform News

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  Making it easier to control your data, directly in Google products
  search safety and security • • sorangutan  

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  We’re always working on making it easier for you to understand and control your data so you can make privacy choices that are right for you. Earlier this year, we launched a new Google Account experience that puts your privacy and security front and center, and we updated our Privacy Policy with videos and clearer language to better describe the information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can control it.

  
  

  Today, we’re making it easier for you to make decisions about your data directly within the Google products you use every day, starting with Search. Without ever leaving Search, you can now review and delete your recent Search activity, get quick access to the most relevant privacy controls in your Google Account, and learn more about how Search works with your data.

  

  Control your data, directly in the Google products you use every day

  
  

  When you use Google products, you generate data about your activity. For Search, this data includes the terms you search for, links you interact with and other information like your current location when you search.

  Before today, if you were searching on Google and wanted to review or manage this data, the best way for you to do that would have been to visit your Google Account. Now, we’re bringing these controls to you – from directly within Search, you can review or delete your Search activity and quickly get back to finding what you were searching for.     

  We’re also providing quick access to the privacy controls in your Google Account that are most relevant as you use Search. For example, to control the ads you see when you search, we give you access to your Ad Settings. Additionally, you can access your Activity Controls to decide what information Google saves to your account and uses to make Search and other Google services faster, smarter and more useful.

  

  If you want to learn more about what data is being generated as you use Google services and how we use data to improve your experience, you can now find a short video that helps explain this information.

  

  We’re launching this improvement in Google Search on desktop and mobile web today, and in the Google app for iOS and Android in the coming weeks. Next year, we’ll expand this to Maps, followed by many other Google products. Having access to relevant and actionable privacy controls directly from the Google products you use every day is just one way that we are continuously working to build privacy that works for everyone. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/making-it-easier-control-your-data-directly-google-products/
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  Building a more accessible map thanks to Local Guides from around the world
  diversity and inclusion accessibility maps • • sorangutan  

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  Navigating the physical world is one of the most challenging problems for the more than one billion people who have disabilities. It is also a hard technical problem to solve. Google Maps is trying to make the world more accessible with the help of Local Guides, a community of more than 50 million people around the world helping to contribute information to Google Maps.
  

  Since launching our campaign one year ago, Local Guides worldwide have worked tirelessly adding accessibility information to Google Maps. Using local knowledge, they answer questions like "Does this place have a wheelchair accessible entrance?”, “Is there an  accessible restroom?” and many more.
  

  In that time, seven million Local Guides answered more than 500 million of these questions. Thanks to their hard work, we can now provide accessibility information for more than 40 million places on Google Maps. (And to help people get to those places, our Maps  accessibility team launched wheelchair accessible public transportation routes this Spring.)
  
  

  

  151 Local Guides from 59 countries pose for a photo with their home flags during Connect Live 2018 in San Francisco.
  

  For both Google and Local Guides, this is just the beginning. At last week’s Local Guides Connect Live, Local Guides from all over the world shared their insights and thoughts on how the program could be improved to promote ever more inclusion in their home countries.
  

  Here some ways leading Local Guides were discussing accessibility:

  • Ilankovan Thushyantha, this year’s Meet-up Superstar award winner at Connect Live, is a top Local Guide from Sri Lanka. Ilankovan recently hosted his 48th meet-up, teaching millennials in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka the importance of mapping tools (You can watch Ilankovan's journey or check out his recap report here). He also created a Worldwide Meet-up for Local Guides to host accessibility-themed events this month. During Connect Live, Ilankovan shared that in rural areas, existing questions about places (like if there are elevators) can feel irrelevant, leading us to discuss how upcoming features will allow Local Guides to submit free-form accessibility information more effectively.
    

  

  Ilankovan Thushyantha receives the  Meet-up Superstar award.

  • Emeka Ulor won the award for Outstanding Accessibility Contributions, and he even organized an accessibility meet-upduring his trip to San Francisco. At Connect Live, he shared that accessible entrances in Nigeria are often poorly marked—even at government buildings. In addition to improved signage, we brainstormed ways to indicate alternate entrances.
    

  

  Emeka Ulor receiving Outstanding Accessibility Contributions Award from Googler Brittany Miller.

  • Paul Gerarts, a retiree from Belgium who is currently living in Malaysia, shared insights from his work in creating audio descriptions of videos and tours for people with vision impairment. Paul challenged us to explore adding questions that help those with “invisible” disabilities such as blindness and hearing impairment.
    

  

  Paul Gerarts (on the left) with Google Software Engineer Sasha Blair-Goldensohn.

  With the help of transit agencies around the globe, Local Guides like these and 50 million more worldwide are contributing local knowledge and making progress toward a more accessible world for everyone.
  
  

  • LocalGuides_Accessibility_1.jpg

    Twelve Local Guides and two Googlers pose for a photo after an Accessibility Breakout sessions during the Connect Live 2018.

  • LocalGuides_Accessibility_2.jpg
  • LocalGuides_Accessibility_3.jpg

    Celebrating another great major event for top Local Guides!

  Learn more about the Local Guides community, sign up to be a Local Guide and help answer accessibility questions within Google Maps today.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/accessible-map-local-guides-around-world/
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  Tools that aim to reach all types of learners, wherever they are
  education accessibility g suite chromebooks • • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: Before joining Google’s Education team, Morgan Weisman was a kindergarten teacher. Today she is sharing how one of her students inspired her to help build products that aim to meet the needs of all types of learners.

  The first time I met six-year-old Jeremiah, he clung to his mom’s leg as he peeked into my kindergarten classroom. Soon he came alive as he talked about his favorite superhero: Spiderman. He ran around the colorful classroom, touched everything in sight and chatted aimlessly. However, when he realized my attention had shifted to his mom, he threw himself on the floor in a tantrum. That’s when his mom told me that they suspected he had autism, but were hopeful that the routine of school would help him focus.

  This began a year long journey of giving Jeremiah the educational support he needed, while also teaching 24 other students with 24 different learning styles. Seventy-two percent of classrooms have special education students, and teachers have to work to keep them all engaged and invested in school. For me,  I leveraged technology to create differentiated lessons and support each student, especially Jeremiah.

  Jeremiah lit up when he had a computer in front of him and headphones on. He could listen, engage and learn without distractions. We had him fitted for glasses, and he learned how to use the screen magnifier to make the words pop on his screen. He learned sight words, numbers and simple addition through songs and videos. Best of all, his social skills developed as he learned to share and take turns with devices.

  As I learned what worked for Jeremiah, I started using the same strategies with other students. As my instructional coach used to tell me: “What works for kids with special needs works for everyone. The strategies that work, just work.”

  Since joining Google, I’ve seen even more ways that educators use technology to help students succeed. We strive to support teachers, and one of the ways we are doing that is through built-in accessibility features in our products that aim to support the diverse needs of all students.

  

  There was never a dull moment in my classroom!

  The ABC’s of Chromebook accessibility

  Accessibility settings are built in to all Chromebooks, and more are available through Chrome extensions and apps. No need to change settings when you switch devices because they sync to each student by default. Here are a few useful accessibility settings to get you started:

  • Visual aids: Increase the size of browser content by pressing Ctrl + Plus to increase, Ctrl + Minus to decrease, Ctrl + 0 to reset. The rest of the desktop is unaffected. You can enable high contrast mode by pressing Ctrl + Search button + H on the Chromebook keyboard. Adjust your font face and size, and install Chrome extensions for custom color support.

  • Mono Audio:For users who have limited hearing in one ear, there's a Mono Audio option to play the same sound through both speakers. Turn this feature on in Accessibility settings.

  • Spoken feedback: For users who need synthesized speech on occasion, we offer Select-to-speak. When enabled, press and hold the Search key, then click or drag to select content to be read aloud, and press Ctrl to silence. Change the word-by-word highlight color in Select-to-speak settings. We also have the ChromeVox screen reader that reads all text aloud, a free, browser-based screen reader that users can access from any device and built directly for ChromeOS.

  • Acapela text-to-speech voices: Now you can purchase and use more than 100 Acapela voices to read aloud text in 30+ languages on Chromebooks, including a variety of childrens’ voices.

  

  The 123’s of G Suite Accessibility

  G Suite is a set of tools that help students and teachers collaborate in real time and give personalized feedback. It’s also paperless and accessible from anywhere. Built into our G Suite tools are many accessibility features:

  • Slides: Turn on closed captions in Slides to support students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or ENL. Simply use  Ctrl + Shift + c in ChromeOS/Windows or⌘ + Shift + c in Mac.

  • Voice typing, editing and formatting: Use the mic and enable the feature to use voice typing in Docs and Slides to write and edit without a keyboard.

  • Visual aids:Enable high contrast themes in Gmail and browsing, and use powerful keyboard shortcuts for those who can’t or don’t want to use a mouse.

  • Collaboration:G Suite works on all different platforms including Windows, Android, iOS devices and even multiple devices at one time. You can all be on different devices and still collaborate in real time.

  • Braille: Use a Braille display to read and edit Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings.

  • Screen reader & magnifier:Turn on the features in accessibility settings to zoom in or use the screen reader in Docs, Calendar, Sites, Classroom and even in other browsers.

  

  What else is new?

  We’re supporting teachers through our own tools as well as strong partnerships with organizations who share our mission. One such organization is Don Johnston, a company that builds tools for people with all types of learning styles and abilities. We’re excited to announce them as a Google for Education Premier Technology Partner, with new integrations using our Drive API, Classroom API and Google single sign-on. Try out their core products in Chrome, Co:Writer, for word prediction, translation, and speech recognition, Snap&Read for screen reading, & their newest product, automatic quiz generator Quizbot with Google Forms. See how one Indiana teacher uses Chromebooks and Don Johnston tools to improve reading independence in her classroom.

  

  Ready to make your teaching more accessible for all learners?

  We have many resources to find out what’s new, and how to turn on and use features included in our Chrome browser, Chromebook settings, and G Suite products:

  • Learn more about Accessibility at Google, and check out our announcements from ACB & NFB 2018.

  • Visit our G Suite and Chromebook Help Centers. If you’re a G Suite admin, check out this page.

  • To customize your Chromebook settings, navigate to Chromebook Settings > Manage Accessibility Features on your Chromebooks.

  • Attend a free workshop with Don Johnston to learn more about tools for student-led learning.

  At Google for Education, we're passionate about building tools that make teaching and learning better for everyone. We love hearing stories of how technology is changing students’ lives, so please share ways that you’re using accessibility tools to support all types of learners.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/tools-reach-all-types-learners/
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  More 4K, more fun with Google Play Movies & TV
  • sorangutan  

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  Movie nights just got better! Now you can enjoy your favorite movies in the highest quality possible on Google Play Movies & TV—without ever leaving your couch. 

  
  

  Check out the full scoop on what’s new in the U.S. and Canada:

  Movies you own will automatically be upgraded to 4K, on us:When 4K titles are available from participating Hollywood studios, we’ll upgrade your past movie purchases so you can stream in 4K, even if you originally bought the movie in SD or HD. It’s all on us, just open the Play Movies & TV app and we’ll let you know which titles have been upgraded.

  Pay less for 4K movies:Starting today, most 4K movies on Google Play will cost you less, so you have more options to enjoy upgraded movies. Get started by browsing our top 4K titles.

  Bring 4K to your TV: You shouldn’t need to buy an additional device to watch your 4K movies on the 4K TV you already own. In addition to 4K Sony Bravia TVs, you can now watch in 4K using the Play Movies & TV app on most 4K Samsung Smart TVs, and we’re working on adding support for LG as well.

  Enjoy updated designs to our smart TV app:We’ve updated our app for Samsung, LG and Vizio TVs with a modern look and feel to provide a better experience.

  We think watching in 4K should be a no brainer, so we’re continuously working to make that a reality. With Google Play, it’s now easier than ever for you to watch movies in the best quality possible, no matter which device you're using. And it doesn't stop here, we'll continue to make improvements so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your favorite movies, whenever and wherever.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-play/more-4k-more-fun-google-play-movies-tv/
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  Gartner's analysis on the progress of Android security
  • sorangutan  

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  With mobile security always being a hot topic, it is imperative to evaluate the relative strengths of different platforms and how they stack up against a set of predefined security requirements. Gartner’s “Mobile OSs and Device Security: A Comparison of Platforms” is a comprehensive report that assesses how today’s mobile OS and device platforms are supporting the increasing needs to effectively secure company data based on Gartner’s recommended security criteria for enterprise IT and users.

  Gartner analyst Patrick Hevesi reviewed the security capabilities of Android, iOS, and Windows 10. The report also analyzed specific hardware implementations with Samsung Knox devices, Microsoft Surface Pro, and the Google Pixel family. The report details 28 distinct categories of security capabilities, diving into topics like core OS security features and device security controls.

  In the video below you can hear about some of the results of the report, how Android security has evolved over the years and how Android is working to protect billions of users.

  

  Take a look at the video and see what’s unique about Android security, and why transparency and openness around the platform is critical for security conscious enterprises. These principles underscore how Android is a top choice for mobile security.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/android-enterprise/gartners-analysis-progress-android-security/
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  Opening up opportunities in the UK
  • sorangutan  

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  Today alone, you may have used Search at home to check the weather; your kids may have used YouTube to help learn something new at school; and you may have used Google Ads to seek out new customers at work..

  
  

  Millions of people across the UK choose to use Google tools every day, but traditional economic measures do not take their value into account since many of these products are free. We wanted to explore the real value people unlock by using Google tools. Research firm Public First investigated how Google helps people work more productively, learn more, and have more fun across the UK. Here are a few of their key findings:

  • At home.Families have fun with our products and use them to free up time. Every year, two thirds of adults use YouTube to figure out how to do DIY projects, and 60 percent use it to help them cook. People value online search so much that the average household would rather give up an hour of sleep each night than give up access to online search.
  • At school.Parents and teachers alike use our products to support learning as part of the British education system. Parents of more than half of the school kids in the country said they use Google and YouTube to help their kids with their homework. 
  • At work.Google services help enable the growth of startups and scaleups via Google for Startups Campus London. They also help a new generation of small businesses, like independent app developers and YouTube creators, reach new global audiences and be more productive. Public First found that 88 percent of British adults use a search engine at least once a day to help get things done, which creates a time saving equivalent to an extra bank holiday every year. 

  The report uses a variety of methods to quantify the value of Google services to families throughout the UK. his includes looking at the value of time saved by using Google products and also what these free services are worth to those who use them. For consumers, the analysis shows that Google services provide at least £37 billion in consumer surplus.

  Public First also calculated the business economic activity supported by Google services like Google Ads, Adsense, and Android. By combining third party estimates of the UK’s share of the revenue of these services with other work looking at the average Return on Investments they enable, the report estimates that Google’s services are conservatively supporting at least £55 billion in economic activity. And the combined value of all free internet services could boost GDP by 0.75 percentage points annually--or the equivalent of adding an industry the size of pharmaceuticals or agriculture every year.

  Regardless of age, education, income or location, our products aim to benefit everyone. To make sure that everyone has access to these opportunities, all sorts of people, with various personal and professional ambitions, are attending Google Digital Garage sessions throughout the UK to up-skill in digital literacy. No matter what people want to do today or where they want to go next , Google is committed to helping open up possibilities for them.

  We are proud of the findings in this report and invite you to read them in full here.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/opening-opportunities-uk/
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  We’re opening the final round of applications to the DNI Fund
  news google in europe • • sorangutan  

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  Three years ago, we launched the Digital News Innovation Fund (DNI Fund) to stimulate innovation within the European news industry by providing no-strings-attached funding to companies or individuals looking for some room—and budget—to experiment. Since then, the DNI Fund has supported over 559 ambitious projects in digital journalism—whether it is to help investigative journalists with tools to collaborate at scale across borders, create open-source software that enables independent journalism business models to thrive or use VR to help others combat their own empathy-walls. In total, we have granted more than €115.2 million to news organizations across 30 countries. Today, we’re opening the sixth and final round of applications—the deadline to apply is December 3, 2018.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4CK99EI3Ww

  How can you effect change when no one is listening? This war correspondent created a VR platform, supported by the DNI Fund, so that people could experience the depth of the issues first-hand.

  How the Fund works

  The Fund is open to established publishers, online-only players, news startups, collaborative partnerships and individuals based in the EU and EFTA countries. We’re on the lookout for great ideas and welcome any brilliant plan for which applicants (especially new ones) need some time, space and budget to bring it to life. There are three categories of funding available: Prototype (up to €50k of funding), Medium (up to €300k of funding) and Large (between €300k and €1 million in funding). For more information on eligible projects, criteria and funding, see our website.

  
  

  For this round, we’re looking for creative approaches that seek to build sustainable business models for news—whether that’s diversification of revenue streams, creative applications of technology to save costs, boosting all aspects of reader revenue (e.g. subscriptions, memberships, contributions, etc.) or designing new ways of thinking around monetisation through products and user engagement.

  
  

  Applicants whose project falls under the medium and large categories will need to ensure their proposal comes with clearly identified monetisation opportunities. The prototype track does not have this requirement and can remain focused on innovation only.

  Apply now

  See the DNI Fund website for full details and application forms. Applications must be made in English by Dec 3, 2018 at 23.59 CEST. We’ll announce recipients in March 2019.

  
  

  New approaches have never been more needed so it’s time to experiment and try something novel. We’re ready and waiting to help you bring your ideas to reality—submit your applications now.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/were-opening-final-round-applications-dni-fund/
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  All Kiwi schools get the license to Chrome
  education chromebooks • • sorangutan  

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  Schools tell us that Chromebooks fill three big needs: they’re easy for students and teachers to use, they’re easy to share and they’re easy to manage. Today, we have some exciting news about the management of Chromebooks that will make the Chrome Education license—our cloud-based device management console—more accessible to schools across New Zealand.  This follows on theannouncementlast year that Chromebooks are the number one device used in New Zealand schools, and is great news for schools and families using Chromebooks or considering investing in them.

  
  

  Starting on November 1, as part of an agreement with Google and the New Zealand Ministry of Education, all state and state-integrated schools across New Zealand will be able to start claiming Ministry-funded Chrome Education licenses to manage new and existing unmanaged Chromebooks. The Chrome Education license was developed to make device management in schools a breeze, so that teachers and students can focus on what’s most important—teaching and learning. Equipped with the Chrome Education license, schools can utilize essential education features to better support the many ways Chromebooks are used in the classroom.

  
  “This is fantastic news for the Manaiakalani Schools,” says Mrs. Dorothy Burt, Education Program Lead in the Manaiakalani Innovation team, “we have been using Chromebooks since they first became available to New Zealand schools in 2013 and have relied on the devices having the Chrome Education license to ensure the focus remains on learning and teaching.”  
  
  Schools of all sizes can benefit from the Chrome Education license, as Mrs. Burt points out— “the positive impact of the license to schools is experienced in our big schools, with large fleets of Chromebooks to manage, and equally in our very small rural schools where the sole charge teaching principal has more important matters to focus on than the status of learner devices.”

  Point England School, part of the Manaiakalani community of learning, have been using the Chrome Education License to manage their Chromebook fleet since 2013.

  Most importantly, quality teaching and learning is safely brought to the forefront, underpinned by our commitment to providing the best security measurements protecting teacher and student privacy “With this in place we have the confidence that our move to having young people learning on personal devices in a digital environment is well managed and safe. Expectations of whānau are easily applied across all devices. Teachers can spend their time where it counts—on children and their learning—rather than managing devices.”

  
  

  The Chrome Education license allows schools to update any number of Chromebooks (once they are enrolled)—without touching a single one. In the simple cloud-based management console, there are over 200 policies that schools can apply to manage their fleet of Chromebooks.  You can learn more about them here, but for now, here are three of them that are sure to be the teacher’s pet!

  
  

  Give teachers and students confidence that during class, they’re all the on same webpage!

  The Education license lets school admins and teachers customize the user experience. This is a handy feature that can automatically load frequently used websites—such as Google Classroom, Khan Academy—on boot-up, as well as adding custom bookmarks, pinning apps and extensions, and blocking distractions.

  Lead students right to most used apps and extensions, such as WeVideo, Khan Academy, Pixlr, and the Google Classroom extension

  The multi-tasker for school and family use
  The “off-hours device policy” feature is particularly helpful for Chromebooks that are used at school and as the family device. For example, school admins can set a weekly schedule so that school settings are in place when students are using Chromebooks in class but, these same settings can be scheduled to turn off after school hours so they don’t apply when a parent might be using the device.

  
  Spark school spirit
  You can use the Education license to display digital signage, keeping students and parents informed. It’s simple to set up school-wide displays on computers in the library and monitors around the school to advertise of key school events and moments, like parent/teacher evenings, carnivals and assessment times.

  
  

  We’re excited to see the growing number of countries like New Zealand partnering with Google to support teachers, schools and families to improve the use of technology in education.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/all-kiwi-schools-get-license-chrome/
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  A new approach to enabling abundant wireless connectivity
  • sorangutan  

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  The ability to connect with people and services—whether that’s sending a message or streaming a video—has become part of our daily lives. Yet, far too often, we encounter situations where the connection is just too slow to use—or we have no connectivity at all.

  
  

  In the U.S., while mobile Internet access is widely available, download speeds are among the slowest in the developed world. Why? You can think of wireless networks like a highway, and they’re getting congested as demand continues to grow, leading to slowdowns. So if we increase available wireless spectrum, it’s like adding lanes on a highway to carry additional traffic.

  
  

  Together with a multitude of industries including mobile, cable, IoT and more, we’ve worked closely with the U.S. government to foster policies for a new shared spectrum approach to wireless connectivity. The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is a successful example of this approach. CBRS allows a wide array of business models to use shared spectrum—from mobile carriers to rural broadband providers to venue owners—without having to spend significant resources to acquire usage rights. A cloud-based Spectrum Access System (SAS) intelligently manages sharing between new and incumbent users. By sharing underutilized portions of spectrum, CBRS adds capacity, lowers barriers to commercial entry and paves a path to 5G.

  
  

  Unlike today’s wireless networks, CBRS will consist of densely packed radios from multiple providers all sharing the same spectrum, and sometimes even the same network. This completely changes the way you plan, deploy and operate your network. We are bringing the best of Google, such as our geo-spatial insight, network infrastructure and computational capabilities to deliver a suite of products to enable CBRS networks, starting with Google’s SAS.

  
  

  It is genuinely exciting to see the wireless ecosystem embrace CBRS and ultimately enhance wireless Internet for everyone. We’ve been at this for a long time, going back to a Presidential study that proposed the framework behind CBRS. Now, CBRS is rapidly approaching commercial availability with first deployments expected this year.

  
  If you want to get started with CBRS, we’d love to hear from you.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/infrastructure/new-approach-enabling-abundant-wireless-connectivity/
• 

  Celebrating a Sweet Decade of Android
  • sorangutan  

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  Ten years ago, we introduced the first version of the Android operating system with the T-Mobile G1, and launched Android Market (now Google Play) the very same day. Android has grown up a lot since then—there are now more than 2 billion active Android devices around the world.

  The operating system itself has gone through some major transformations, too. The G1 ran on Android 1.0—a version so early, we didn’t even name it after a dessert. The debut included features that you know and love today like pull-down notifications, sharing content across apps and multitasking between apps. But it didn’t have more advanced features like voice search, turn-by-turn navigation or NFC. 10 years later, we’ve come a long way! Our latest release of the operating system, Android 9 Pie, has all of those features and harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to make your phone smarter, simpler and more adaptive.
  

  On the occasion of Android’s 10th birthday, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to look at the earliest versions of Android, the major improvements of each release and how far we’ve come:
  

  Cupcake (Android 1.5) added virtual keyboards, customization options and easy ways to share.

  

  With the introduction of virtual keyboards, Cupcake opened the doors to full touchscreen Android devices. And with home screen app widgets, you had more ways to customize your device, a defining feature still used today, alongside app folders. Sharing directly from your smartphone became easier with more ways to copy and paste and the ability to capture, share and upload videos.

  Donut (Android 1.6) gave you one easy place to search across your phone and the web.

  Donut introduced Android’s Quick Search Box, which lets you get search results from both the web and across your phone, from a single box on the homescreen. Even in these early days, the system was designed to learn which search results were more relevant, getting you to the right results faster the next time you typed in a relevant query. We also introduced support for different screen densities and sizes, laying the foundation for the very high density screens and variety of phone sizes we see today.
  

  Eclair (Android 2.0+) changed driving forever with Google Maps navigation and speech-to-text.

  

  Google Maps navigation made Android smartphones, well, smart. Turn-by-turn directions using Google Maps data included many features found in a typical in-car navigation system: a forward-looking 3D view, voice guidance and traffic information—all for free on your high resolution phone. Eclair also added speech-to-text transcription, which lets you input text like emails and messages with your voice.

  We also introduced a fan favorite feature: live wallpapers.
  

  Voice Actions in Froyo (Android 2.2+) helped you do even more hands-free.

  

  Froyo took Android voice capabilities to the next level with Voice Actions, which let you perform key functions on your phone—searching, getting directions, making notes, setting alarms and more—with just the sound of your voice. Sounds familiar…

  Gingerbread (Android 2.3) added early battery management capabilities.

  

  Gingerbread helped you get the most out of your battery life by knowing exactly how your device was using it, from screen brightness to any active app. With Android 9, we’ve taken battery life management to a whole new level with Adaptive Battery, which uses AI to learn the apps you use most and prioritize battery for them.

  Honeycomb (Android 3.0) extended Android to more shapes and sizes.

  

  Honeycomb’s new Holo design language, along with larger layout and rich animation support, made the most of your tablet’s screen. This was the first version of Android that was intended for different form factors, laying the groundwork for more robust and flexible platforms introduced later, like Android TV, Android Auto, Android Things and Wear OS by Google.

  Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) introduced smooth moves

  Ice Cream Sandwich introduced a simplified and streamlined design to help you get things done on your phone faster. New features like app folders, a favorites tray and widgets made it easier to find and use your favorite apps. The addition of NFC didn’t just pave the way for mobile payments—it also made “beaming” of maps, videos, links and contacts easy by placing two phones together.
  

  Navigation became more intuitive with the arrival of quick settings and the ability to swipe to dismiss recent apps and notifications, features first introduced in tablets with Honeycomb, brought to phones. This release reflected a renewed focus on creating fluid experiences in Android—an effort that continues to this day with intuitive gestures in Android 9.
  

  Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) brought personalized and intelligent assistance to the palm of your hand

  

  A precursor to the Google Assistant, Google Now in Jelly Bean helped you get the information you needed at just the right time—like the daily weather as you got dressed and commute times before you walked out the door. Notifications became richer, allowing you to expand them to show more content and immediately take actions, such as liking a post, archiving an email or even blocking future notifications.

  Ok Google, tell me about KitKat (Android 4.4)

  KitKat built on the earlier Voice actions, uniting the helpfulness of Google Now with improvements in voice technology and letting you launch voice search, send a text, get directions, or play a song just by saying “Ok Google.” KitKat also brought lighter colors and transparency to Android’s design, setting the stage for Material Design in Lollipop.
  

  Android 5.0’s Lollipop brought great design to Android

  

  With Lollipop, we brought Material Design to Android, introducing an entirely new look and feel that made it easier to navigate your device. Material Design is a visual language that combines the classic principles of good design with the innovation of technology and science. Lollipop also made it more seamless to transition across the devices that you use throughout the day, so that you can pick up where you left off across Android phones, tablets, TV and wearables.

  Help was on tap in Android 6.0 Marshmallow

  Marshmallow represented another next step in the journey to the Google Assistant we know today. With Now on Tap, you could simply tap and hold the Home button to get contextual help—customized to your task at hand, without having to leave what you were doing, whether in an app or on a website.
  

  To help save your juice for the things that matter most, Marshmallow brought some new battery saving features: Doze, which automatically puts your device into a sleep state when it’s at rest, and App Standby, which limits the impact of less frequently used apps on battery life.
  

  We also introduced run-time permissions, which help users better understand and evaluate requests for apps to have access to certain data.
  

  N was for Nougat (Android 7.0) and new emoji

  

  Nougat focused on improvements to the ways you were already using your phone—adding multi-window to let you run two apps side by side, instant reply within notifications, adjustable display size for improved accessibility, and Data Saver which limits how much data your devices uses on background. We also introduced VR mode to enable high-quality VR experiences for apps, and 63 new emoji that focus on better gender representation—in all six skin tone options. 🙌

  The world’s favorite cookie became the world’s favorite new Android release—Android 8.0 Oreo

  

  Oreo introduced ways to navigate tasks on your phone more seamlessly, like picture-in-picture, and Autofill, which helps you log into your apps faster. Oreo also continued to simplify the Android experience with more visual cohesion and easier gestures—like swiping up from the homescreen to see all your apps.

  And with Oreo (Go edition), we built our first-ever configuration of Android specifically optimized for entry-level devices, ensuring that first-time smartphone users get a fast, powerful experience.
  

  Android 9 Pie serves a slice of Digital Wellbeing

  

  The way we use our phones—and how much time we spend on them—has changed a lot since the days of Cupcake. So one of the biggest changes in Android 9 Pie is the introduction of new ways for you to take control of your digital wellbeing, including a new app timer and a dashboard that lets you see how much time you spend in various apps. With Android 9, your phone also changes the way it works by learning from you—and working better for you—the more you use it. Artificial intelligence now powers core capabilities of your phone, from predicting your next task so you can jump right into the action you want to take to prioritizing battery power for the apps you use most and the ones it thinks you are going to use soon.

  From the early days of Voice Actions with speech-to-text to an increasingly helpful smartphone with AI at its core, Android has continued to evolve over the past 10 years. And thanks to our open-source platform and the passionate community of users, partners and developers, Android has empowered innovations and given people access to the power of mobile technology.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/android/celebrating-sweet-decade-android/
• 

  Seeing art in a new way: VR tools let characters jump right in
  google ar and vr jump • • sorangutan  

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  We all know you’re not supposed to touch the pieces of art in a museum, but what if you could jump inside them? In YouTube creator SoKrispy’s latest VR video, Do Not Touch, the characters do just that: they literally dive into the artwork and become part of the scene.   

  

  A scene From SoKrispyMedia’s “Do Not Touch” VR Video

  Visual effects this advanced usually require physical equipment like green screens that can be costly and difficult to set up. SoKrispy, however, was able to achieve many of the effects in post-production with Google’s Jump VR Video suite, along with Adobe Creative Suite, Unreal Engine, and Autodesk 3DS Max.

  To make it look like the actors were actually inside the pictures, SoKrispyMedia used Jump’s "high-quality stitching" option, a feature that lets creators achieve a green screen effect without needing a physical screen. They also utilized this feature in one of their earlier works, “Video Game Vehicle,” after discovering in post-production that the physical green screen they had used while filming wasn’t big enough. High-quality stitching let them “fix it in post” with a few clicks, rather than spending days reshooting with a wraparound green screen.
  

  

  Jump’s high-quality depth maps allow creators to get a green screen effect without a physical green screen

  So how does this feature work? In addition to producing higher quality stitches, it lets creators generate razor-sharp depth maps that estimate the distance (or depth) of every pixel in the scene. This enables the use of editing software like Adobe Premiere or After Effects to extract elements or even composite a new scene in the background, all without a physical screen or meticulous manual rotoscoping. And in the latest release of After Effects, our partners at Adobe have made it even easier to leverage Jump's depth maps in post-production.

  

  Generating depth maps in Jump Manager gives you more flexibility in post-production

  In addition to using depth maps, SoKrispyMedia used Jump’s high-quality stitches to realistically light computer generated (CG) objects with Image Based Lighting. Instead of having to capture separate light probes, creators can get the same effect with Jump’s high bit-depth 360° stitches. This saves valuable time on set and gives creators the ability to seamlessly integrate CG into live action footage with accurate lighting and reflections.

  

  Side by side still of CG object’s from Video Game Vehicle with and without image based lighting

  SoKrispyMedia also utilized a third, software-based post-production tool to enhance their Jump footage. Using a technique detailed on the Google AI blog called “style transfer," they applied artificial intelligence to their footage to transform the look of each character into the style of the painting they’ve jumped into.  

  

  Another scene From “Do Not Touch”

  Taken together, these software-based features—high-quality stitching, Image Based Lighting and style transfer—provide creators with new ways to share their vision with the world. As SoKrispyMedia’s Director and VFX supervisor Sam Wickert explains, “The most important aspect of these projects is to make VR content that is really worth watching in a headset, and these tools let us do that.” For audiences, this means we can look forward to traveling to all sorts of new destinations in the virtual world … from a video game environment to a museum where you actually jump into the paintings to wherever creators take us next.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-ar-vr/seeing-art-new-way-vr-tools-let-characters-jump-right/
• 

  Google for Startups: bringing the best of Google to startups everywhere
  • sorangutan  

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  Startups look at the world through the lens of opportunity—they see problems and take action to fix them, building never-before-seen solutions. When they succeed, they move us all forward. Helping startups is a key part of Google’s DNA, and around the world Google employees train and mentor people in their local startup communities. That's why we launched Google for Entrepreneurs in 2011, bringing the best of Google's resources to 50+ startup coworking spaces, accelerators and diversity-focused groups in 125 countries (and six of our own bustling Campuses, from Sao Paulo to Seoul).

  
  

  We are inspired every day by the startups solving real problems in these communities. Founders like Army veteran Tim Horan, who returned from Afghanistan to find many of his fellow veterans struggling to translate their skills to their next chapter. Tim and his cofounder Brian Abrahamson sought out the help of American Underground, our partner tech hub in Durham, North Carolina, and together they launched Veteran Capital. Their veteran-in-residence program has built a powerful pipeline of former service members at Fort Bragg, and connects them with job opportunities at tech startups in North Carolina’s thriving Research Triangle.

  
  We're equally inspired by founders like Temie Giwa-Tubosun in Lagos, Nigeria, who saw that every year tens of thousands of people in her country die waiting for blood, not because of supply, but because of inefficient transportation systems connecting donor blood to those in need. She used the power of blockchain and artificial intelligence to launch her startup, Lifebank, an app and motorcycle network that connects blood banks to hospitals in urgent need of blood. LifeBank can now deliver 10,000 pints of blood in a single hour and is expanding to more countries across the developing world.

  Temie’s startup, Lifebank, helped save over 1,300 lives in their first year of operation.

  We want to help founders like Tim and Temie do what they do best. And that’s why we bring the best of Google's resources for startups all in one place at startup.google.com. There you can find Google's products, connections and best practices for growing startups.

  Google's products

  We know one of the most important things for early stage startups is to get started quickly.  That’s why Google Cloud for Startups helps early stage companies get up and running by providing technical mentorship and training, community events and access to Google products at a discount including Google Cloud Platform (“GCP”), G Suite, Maps, Hire and Qwiklabs.

  
  Soon-to or recently launched app-based startups can apply to Start on Android, which helps developers test, iterate, optimize and launch their app on Google Play.
  

  Google's connections

  We've seen one of the best ways we can help startups is to connect them to our network of communities, mentors, investors, educational programming and opportunities. Launchpad Accelerator is a program for startups of all stages that empowers them with customized Machine Learning training, equity-free support and mentorship from Google engineers and Launchpad's global mentor network. The Sand Hill program provides custom support and connections to different Google teams for startups on the cusp of rapid growth.
  

  Google's best practices

  To share Google's own best practices on innovation, we provide in-person workshops, online training videos, and other resources to help with everything from goal-setting to hiring to rapid prototyping. We want to make connections for diverse and underrepresented founders, so we partner with groups like Astia, Aging2.0, AfroTech, CodeFirst Girls, and Tech Inclusion. We work with our partners to host founder immersion programs for Black founders in the U.S, with the goal of creating more inclusive startup communities everywhere. We’re working to make our own communities more inclusive, too—over 50 percent of participants in our programs at Google for Startups Campuses are women.

  A new start

  Our mission has remained the same since 2011, but today we’re updating our name to Google for Startups to better reflect our users--tech startups and startup communities. Next month, we’re also opening an expanded Google for Startups Campus space in Tel Aviv. This will give Israel's vibrant "startup nation” a space to pursue their ideas and run their businesses— whether that means connecting with other startups, attending product training workshops or taking advantage of Google resources.

  Beginning today, startups can also apply to Google for Startups Residency. Participating startups receive tailored mentorship and workspace for 5-6 months at a Google for Startups Campus in London, Madrid, São Paulo, Seoul, Tel Aviv or Warsaw.

  
  

  To follow the latest from Google for Startups, visit startup.google.com, or follow us on Twitter at @GoogleStartups.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/google-startups-bringing-best-google-startups-everywhere/
• 

  See how the Night King uses Chromebook
  • sorangutan  

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  “Winter is coming.”

  You’ve heard it countless times. But what you don’t hear much about is the effort that goes into planning the attack on Westeros during the winter—it’s a real operation. There are new recruits to onboard, wargs to avoid, and 700-foot walls of ice to break through. Under these circumstances, a little organization and a Chromebook go a long way.

  The Game of Thrones' army of the dead is collecting everything new recruits need to know into a single Google Slides presentation made with Chromebook. Now you can learn a few things about collaboration from the way they work.  

  Disappointed with your team’s performance? Tell them exactly where they fell short with a comment in Google Slides. Stuck in another meeting about scheduling an invasion? Start doodling alternate routes in Evernote. Need your headshots to look professional, yet terrifying? Make photo adjustments in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC to give yourself that icy edge. You can do it all on Chromebook.

  Here are a few especially important slides:

  • New recruit orientation

    Job candidates are on the rise, you can be one of them.

  • Values

    Who are we? What do we stand for?

    
    

  • map

    Map it out with diagrams and charts in Slides.

  • Benefits

    There are real benefits to joining the army of the dead.

    
    

  • New Recruit Orientation

    The Night King does it all on Chromebook.

  The army of the dead had a few thousand years to learn these tips, and now you can discover them all here: chromebook.com/whitewalkers

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/chromebooks/whitewalkers/
• 

  Adding three new colors to the Nest Thermostat family
  • sorangutan  

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  Your home is your space. It’s also a place where you can express your style with color and personal touches. And we want our products to reflect your aesthetic while giving you the help you need. So we recently introduced three new colors to the Nest Learning Thermostat lineup (bringing the total to seven) to give you more options to fit your style.  

  
  

  These new finishes—black, brass and polished steel—are part of the new Artists Collection, inspired by the work of industrial artists who create beautiful pieces using various metals. Just like the original Nest Learning Thermostat that comes in copper, black, stainless steel or white, these new thermostats are designed to look beautiful in your home while also keeping you comfortable and helping you save energy.

  
  

  • Polished steelis a high-end, highly polished design for those who like to keep things timeless and classy.

  • Mirror black is striking and bold, with the deep lacquered black look of a grand piano.

  • Brass is warm and subtle - it can act as a pop of color for your home or blend in with other metal accents you may have.

  They can program themselves to create a personalized schedule and turn down automatically to save energy when you’re away. You can control your thermostat from a phone, tablet, Google Home Hub or even an Android Watch or Apple Watch with the Nest or Google Home app. And, you can use your smart speaker or display to change the temperature with your voice—just say, “Hey Google, set the temperature to 68.”

  These new Nest Learning Thermostats are available in the US (and the polished steel finish is also available in Canada) for $249.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/home/adding-three-new-colors-nest-thermostat-family/
• 

  Robbie Ivey’s story: how technology removes barriers
  developers google home diversity and inclusion accessibility • • sorangutan  

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  At Google we believe in the power of technology to make a difference in people’s lives. And for 19-year-old Robbie Ivey from Michigan, that certainly rings true.

  
  

  Robbie has duchenne muscular dystrophy, which has left him able to control only his eyes, head and right thumb joint. Among the many challenges Robbie and his family face, nighttime is one of the key ones. For years, Robbie’s mom Carrie has set her alarm every few hours to get up and change his position in bed so he doesn’t get bed sores or infections. Earlier this year, a sleep-deprived Carrie put out a message to the Muscular Dystrophy Association asking for help to try and find a better way.  She got a response from Bill Weir, a retired tech worker, who thought he could set up Robbie’s bed to be controlled by voice activation. While working on the bed, Bill had an epiphany: if he can control the bed this way, why not everything else in Robbie’s bedroom universe?

  
  As part of our efforts to spotlight accessible technologies throughout National Disability Awareness Month, we hear directly from Robbie about how technology has helped him gain more independence in his life as he starts off on his first year at Oakland Universityin Rochester.
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/robbie-iveys-story-how-technology-removes-barriers/
• 

  A better way to share your ETA with Google Maps
  • sorangutan  

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  Getting where you need to go is important, but making it to your destination safe and sound is the most important thing of all. Today, Google Maps is improving journey sharing on Android and bringing it to iOS, making it easier to share your ETA with loved ones so you can keep your hands off your phone and your eyes on the road. Here’s how it works:

  After you’ve started navigating to a destination, tap on the ˄ button and then on “Share trip progress.” From here you’ll be able to share your live location, route, and ETA with all your favorite contacts. Today’s update also allows for sharing across 3rd party apps like Facebook Messenger, Line, WhatsApp, and more—so you can communicate with friends on the platforms you prefer. Once your journey ends, you’ll automatically stop sharing your location.
  

  
  

  Improved journey sharing is now available for driving, walking, and cycling navigation on Android and iOS. To get started, make sure to update Google Maps from the Play Store or App Store.

  
  
  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/better-way-share-your-eta-google-maps/
• 

  A new course to teach people about fairness in machine learning
  • sorangutan  

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  In my undergraduate studies, I majored in philosophy with a focus on ethics, spending countless hours grappling with the notion of fairness: both how to define it and how to effect it in society. Little did I know then how critical these studies would be to my current work on the machine learning education team where I support efforts related to the responsible development and use of AI.

  
  

  As ML practitioners build, evaluate, and deploy machine learning models, they should keep fairness considerations (such as how different demographics of people will be affected by a model’s predictions) in the forefront of their minds. Additionally, they should proactively develop strategies to identify and ameliorate the effects of algorithmic bias.

  
  

  To help practitioners achieve these goals, Google’s engineering education and ML fairness teams developed a 60-minute self-study training module on fairness, which is now available publicly as part of our popular Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC).

  

  The MLCC Fairness module explores how human biases affect data sets. For example, people asked to describe a photo of bananas may not remark on their color (“yellow bananas”) unless they perceive it as atypical.

  Students who complete this training will learn:

  • Different types of human biases that can manifest in machine learning models via data
    
  • How to identify potential areas of human bias in data before training a model
    
  • Methods for evaluating a model’s predictions not just for overall performance, but also for bias

  In conjunction with the release of this new Fairness module, we’ve added more than a dozen new fairness entries to our Machine Learning Glossary (tagged with a scale icon in the right margin). These entries provide clear, concise definitions of the key fairness concepts discussed in our curriculum, designed to serve as a go-to reference for both beginners and experienced practitioners. We also hope these glossary entries will help further socialize fairness concerns within the ML community.

  
  We’re excited to share this module with you, and hope that it provides additional tools and frameworks that aid in building systems that are fair and inclusive for all. You can learn more about our work in fairness and on other responsible AI practices on our website.
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/new-course-teach-people-about-fairness-machine-learning/
• 

  Strike a pose with Pixel 3
  pixel • • sorangutan  

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  With Pixel, we want to give you a camera that you can always trust and rely on. That means a camera which is fast, can take photos in any light and has built-in intelligence to capture those moments that only happen once. The camera should also give you a way to get creative with your photos and videos and be able to easily edit and share.

  To celebrate Pixel 3 hitting the shelves in the US today, here are 10 things you can do with the Pixel camera.

  1. Just point and shoot!

  The Pixel camera has HDR+ on by default which uses computational photography to help you take better pictures in scenes where there is a range of brightness levels. When you press the shutter button, HDR+ actually captures a rapid burst of pictures, then quickly combines them into one. This improves results in both low-light and high dynamic range situations.

  2. Top Shot

  Get the best shot on the first try. When you take a motion photo, Top Shot captures alternate high-quality shots, then recommends the best one—even if it’s not exactly when you hit the shutter. Behind the scenes,Top Shot looks for those shots where everyone is smiling, with eyes open and facing the camera. Just click on the thumbnail when you take a picture and you’ll get a suggestion to choose a better picture when one is available. You can also find top shots on photos whenever you want by swiping up on the photo in Google Photos. Top Shot works best on people and is getting better all the time.

  

  Top Shot on Pixel 3 

  3. Night Sight

  In low light scenes when you'd typically use flash—but don't want to because it makes a big scene, blinds your friends, and leaves harsh, uneven lighting—Night Sight can help you take colorful, detailed and low-noise pictures in super low light.

  4. Super Res Zoom

  Pixel 3 lets you zoom in and still get sharp, detailed images. Fun fact: this works by taking advantage of the natural shaking of your hand when you take a photo. For every zoomed shot, we combine a burst of slightly different images, resulting in better resolution, and lower noise. So when you pinch-zoom before pressing the shutter, you’ll definitely get a lot more details in your picture than if you crop afterwards.
  

  • Full FOV

    Full field of view 

  • Super Res

    The same scene with 1.63x Super Res Zoom

  • Super Res 2

    The same scene with 2.15x Super Res Zoom

  5. Group Selfie Cam

  If you’re having trouble fitting everyone in shot, or you want the beautiful scenery as well as your beautiful face, try our new wide angle lens that lets you get much more in your selfie. You can get up to 184% more in the shot*, or 11 people is my own personal record. Wide angle lenses fit more people in the shot, but they also stretch and distort faces that are on the edge. The Pixel camera uses AI to correct this, so every face looks natural and you can use the full field of view of the selfie cam.

  6. Photobooth

  You spend ages getting the selfie at precisely the right angle, but then you try and reach the shutter button and lose the frame. Photobooth mode lets you take photos without pressing the shutter button: simply smile, poke your tongue out, or pucker those lips.

  7. Playground

  Bring more of your imagination to a scene with Playmoji— augmented reality characters that react to each other and to you—and add animated stickers and fun captions to your photos and videos. Playground also works on the front camera, so you can up your selfie game by standing next to characters you love, like Iron Man from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  

  

  Playground on Pixel 3 helps you create and play with the world around you

  8. Google Lens Suggestions

  Just point the Pixel 3 camera at contact info, URLs, and barcodes and it’ll automatically suggest things to do like calling the number, or sending an email. This all happens without you having to type anything and Lens will show the suggestions even when you’re offline. It’s particularly helpful with business cards, movie posters, and takeout menus.
  

  9. Portrait Mode

  Our improved Portrait Mode on Pixel is designed to give you even sharper and more beautiful images this year. Plus we’ve added some fun editing options in Google Photos—like being able to change the blurriness of the background, or change the part of the picture in focus after you’ve taken it. Google Photos can also make the subject of your photo pop by leaving them in color, while changing the background to black and white.

  

  Portrait Mode and color pop with Pixel 3 and Google Photos

  10. Smooth video

  We’ve added new selfie video stabilization so now you can get super smooth video from the front or back cameras. And if you’re recording someone or something that is moving, just tap on them and the video will lock on the subject as they, or you, move—so you don’t lose focus.

  Finally, if you’re a pro photographer, we’ve added a bunch of new features to help you manage your photography from the ability to export RAW, to external mic support, to synthetic fill flash which mimics professional lighting equipment to bring a beautiful glow to your pictures.
  

  Once you’ve taken all those amazing photos and videos, Pixel comes with unlimited storage so you never get that “storage full” pop up at a crucial moment.^** 
  

  Share your pics using #teampixel so we can see what you create with Pixel 3.

  
  

  
  

  ^{*Compared to iPhone Xs}

  ^{**Free, unlimited online original-quality storage for photos/videos uploaded from Pixel 3 to Google Photos through 1/31/2022, and those photos/videos will remain free at original quality. g.co/help/photostorage}
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/pixel/strike-pose-pixel-3/
• 

  Open platforms like Android unlock potential
  developers android • • sorangutan  

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  As a scientist, educator and businesswoman, my goal is to engage as many young minds as possible to get them excited about science and technology. That’s why the explosion in affordable technology over the last few years has been so exciting for STEM evangelists like me. Technology is no longer available only to the affluent and the privileged; instead, computers, tablets and smartphones are in the hands of individuals across all income levels. Reaching such a diverse audience is critical to our society’s ability to design the next generation of digital technologies and train the workforce of the future.

  As a professor and the founder and Chief Technology Officer atZyrobotics, a company that develops interactive STEM games and learning tools for children, I want our company’s educational programs to be available to the greatest number of people in order to have the greatest level of impact. In order to be successful, companies like mine need to reach kids where they spend their time—on their tablets, phones and other electronic learning devices. That means we want our apps to be compatible with as many devices as possible, and it’s why we’ve chosen to use Android’s open platform for our development. I’ve been able to reach far more people by building upon open platforms like Android than I ever could by teaching in a classroom.

  As an app developer, I’ve benefited from Android’s ease of use, open coding platform, and popularity within diverse segments of the population. We've been able to expand our reach to all audiences, particularly those in disadvantaged communities. Many lower-income people (and many in developing countries) rely on more affordable or older Android devices, and because Android lets us update apps on older-model phones, we can ensure we’re providing the best experience to these users. Open platforms are also the main reason why most of our apps, including those that teach young children to code, are free.

  Zyrobotics would be far less successful without the app stores housed on Android and Apple and the number of users we are able to reach through those platforms. Both Google and Apple’s app stores have been especially useful in helping us maximize our apps’ exposure to the children and parents with whom we want to connect, and helped us introduce important STEM concepts to children as early as five and six years old through30 STEM-focused apps and games, such as our award-winning Turtle “Learn to Code” app.

  The United Statescontinues to lag behind other industrialized nations when it comes to preparing our children for STEM careers, and thattechnology workforce gap is partly a result of a lack of early engagement in STEM. Reaching children when their interests are just beginning to take shape is vital to building a more vibrant, diverse and successful STEM workforce for the future. Android helps us do that. I support smart regulation of technology companies that helps ensure that today’s technology be made even more widely available, accessible and unbiased.

  The benefits of technology to educate and empower the next generation are immeasurable. Open platforms create opportunities—for companies like mine, and the people we serve. Let's keep it that way.

  Ayanna Howard, Ph.D., is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Zyrobotics, an educational technology company, and the Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and assistive technology research has resulted in more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and a number of commercialized products.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/developers/open-platforms-android-unlock-potential/
• 

  Finding my way back to Antarctica with the help of Google Earth
  • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: This guest post comes from a rock climber and adventurer who used Google Earth to aid his quest to explore Antarctica's remote Queen Maud Land with other athletes from The North Face team.

  
  

  Nearly twenty-two years ago, my late friend Alex Lowe, Jon Krakauer and I huddled over a stack of tattered Norwegian maps from the“International Geophysical Year, 1957 - 58.” These were the first maps of Antarctica's remote Queen Maud Land, a stark glacial landscape dotted with impossibly jagged granite spires protruding from thousands of feet of ice. As we scanned the only detailed account of this faraway land, the complex and cryptic landscape made it blatantly obvious why these were some of the last unclimbed peaks on earth.

  
  

  Back in ‘98, our paper maps were a static window into this dynamic land. We peeked in with trepidation, knowing that once we arrived on the ice cap, our lives would depend on rough estimations and ballpark figures, which still left a lot to chance. How many days would it take to reach the towers from our base camp? What if a storm pinned us down? What if we were unable to cross a dangerously crevassed part of the glacier?

  
  

  Two decades later,  the same thirst for pushing limits in the face of the unknown is calling  me back to Queen Maud Land. This time the adventure began with my family in the comfort of our living room in Bozeman, Montana—our paper maps are replaced with smartphones and laptops. With Google Earth, my family was able to explore Queen Maud Land with me before my boots ever touched the ground. Together, we flew over snow covered glaciers and found our way up the massive granite walls I hoped to scale with my fellow teammates who are climbing with me as a part of an expedition put together by The North Face. We understood the complexity and enormity of the expedition together.

  

  I always tell my family that the most important part of the mission is coming home—a goal that requires obsessive preparation, planning and training. Google Earth allowed us to drop pins on potential landing zones suitable for the fixed wing aircraft we were going to travel in. With the ability to visually assess the landscape in 3D, we could better see hazards and challenges before embarking on the expedition. Climate change has dramatically altered the landscape of the Antarctica I explored in the nineties and looking at up-to-date satellite imagery helped me come up with a new approach to navigating the terrain.

  

  When we finally touched down on the ice, my fellow climber Cedar Wright aptly mentioned that “it was pretty surreal to recognize a place you had never physically been by your time spent exploring it remotely using Google Earth.” And he was right. After we got our bearings, we were able to confidently and strategically explore dozens of never-before-climbed peaks in this lunar landscape. The challenges of climbing in the frozen landscape were ever present, but the gift of being able to successfully put up so many stunning new climbs with a team of this caliber was an unforgettable privilege.

  

  Conrad Anker working his way up Ulvetanna, “The Wolf’s Tooth,” in the Drygalski Mountain Range, in Antarctica. Photo by Savannah Cummins.

  
  

  On expeditions like these we are reminded of why we explore. They’re a physical and mental challenge that demonstrate how we are capable of succeeding in places we never before thought possible. The spirit of exploration is alive and well across our society–and technology like Google Earth opens up even more possibilities to explore ... so, what will your next adventure be?

  
  

  Learn more about the expedition and check out all of the photos & videos from The North Face expedition to Antarctica.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/earth/finding-my-way-back-antarctica-help-google-earth/