The Silver Ink

Friday, March 5, 2021
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Facebook likely to add 20 third-party app support to its Messenger

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Social networking giant Facebook is reportedly introducing new features to its Messenger in order to enable third-party app support.

The social networking site has not made any official confirmation in this regard, but is likely to announce the same soon at its F8 Developer Conference in San Francisco.

According to the sources, Facebook is going to integrate nearly 20 third-party services with its existing Messenger application.

Following the rollout, the Messenger service is expected to expand the capability to more developers.

The upcoming roll out will be the latest move by the social media site in a series of initiatives that has highly boosted and expanded the reach of Facebook Messenger in 2014, when the service was pulled out by the company as a separate app from the main Facebook app.

Even though the main motive of Facebook behind the large-scale integration of the third party is unclear till the official announcement is made, the analysts believe it is a step to offer its users with similar facilities provided by rival apps such as Line and WeChat, which also support third-party services and apps.

With such updates, the California-based social network is attempting to position its messaging app as a “separate messaging platform” which will be somewhat autonomous to the main website and provide tough competition to the rivals messaging apps.

Facebook has recently introduced friend-to-friend payment service, enabling easy transaction of funds between the Facebook friends.

 

 

Google’s ‘on-body detection’ keeps Android phone unlocked

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androidFinally it is time to get rid of hazels of unlocking the phone several times when the user is operating the phone. Google is soon coming up with the new Android feature known as ‘on-body detection’ for its smartphones.

This new feature will make sure that once if the phone is unlock then it will stay unlock until the owner is holding the phone or keep it in pocket but once the phone is not within the user’s reach then it will get locked and so the user need to unlock it again to operate it and this is solving the problem of unlocking the phone several times.

How it works? Most of the cell phones have accelerometer fitted within it, so the lock feature can feel when the gadget is in the grasp and when it isn’t by figuring out whether the phone is consistently in move.

Android police who gave the detailed report on this new feature added that the motive behind the phone getting locked once it is out of reach of the user is to save the data from potential threat and to maintain privacy and security of data. If the phone is left somewhere then the phone gets locked and no other user can check on it.

But if the phone is handed over to other person when the phone is unlocked then the phone will not get locked because the phone cannot sense users touch or which pocket it is in.

Google rolls out smart lock ‘on-body detection mode’ for Android devices

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Search engine giant Google Inc. is rolling out a new feature, initially for some Android users, which will allow locking of phones when not in use by its owner.

“If your device detects that it’s no longer being held, your device won’t stay unlocked,” according to a Google note.

As per the screenshots, the locking feature is known as “the new on-body detection mode”.

The screenshot further reads the mode “uses your device’s accelerometer to detect whether your device is still being carried on the body.”

The one thing that may confuse technocrats is exactly who gets to play with the new settings by Google. Currently, the company is rolling out the new locking feature slowly for its various Android users, but there’s still no official word from the company as to just what actually is needed for accessing this new feature: Android version, any certain smartphone, Google Play Services version.

The new feature is going to help almost every Android user as everybody wants to make their phone inaccessible for the third party when they are busy in other stuffs and not using their phones.

The automatic “smart lock” feature will use the accelerometer of the mobile device for determining when the user set the gadget down and is not in use. This will offer protection to the users’ data if the device is stolen.

The smart lock keeps the phone device unlocked while it’s with the user, such as if the user is holding the device in his/her hand or carrying it in the pocket. But as soon as the user set the device down, it will get automatically locked.

The feature intends to secure the data by making it inaccessible to thieves targeting a lost, or temporarily set aside or dropped device.

Swiss watch makers are now into smartwatches

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smartwatchesThe challenge posed by the smart watch makers and companies like Apple Inc is finally accepted by the Swiss watchmakers after ignoring it for years. It is a marketing tactic where they have ignored to embrace the wearable revolution.

Deloitte reported that 44% of the Swiss watch company executives have understood that the nest big thing would be smartwatches.

To compete with Apple’s smart watch the Swiss smartwatch project and TAG Heuer are collaborating with Google Inc and Intel.

Apple is setting its legs in more expensive ranges like the gold watches where they are priced at more than $1000 and this is potentially not a risk to small watchmakers.

According to Deloitte, Swiss watch makers have explained that watch of 2015 is a steel chronograph which is prized at 5,000 francs. If the customer behavior is seen in the past few years it came out that they prefer steel over the gold.

The main problem is not that they are facing any loss in the low cost category watches. Swiss is using the quartz time watches to attract the first time buyers, like the student or the young professional who will go with this, but the real problem is when their income increases the probability of them going for a costlier watch increases.

Cadillac 2016 CT6 equipped with 400HP twin-turbo V6 engine

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CadillacThe next new release of Cadillac is 2016 CT6 powertrain. Cadillac has given detailed information on this model where it is said that CT6 will be powered by a pair of rand new twin-turbo v6 engines 3.6 liter twin-turbo engine and 3.0 twin turbo engine.

The decision is made by Cadillac to equip the 2016 Ct6 brand with the new v6 engine deviating from its tradition of fitting the sedan with v8 engine. This 2016 CT6 model is packed with the most effective methods for the optimization of vehicles performance and its efficiency.

Romulus factory will be manufacturing the new V6 engine for the 2016 Cadillac CT6.

The 3.0 liter v6 twin turbo engine will only be available for the top-line all-wheel-drive CT6 model and the base CT6 engine will be with the 3.6 liter V6 powertrain.

The change with the traditional method and fitting the upcoming CT6 model with the new V6 powertrain is because the new 2016 CT6 will be a full sized car and which will be competing with the Merceded-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8.

The 3.0 liter twin turbo engine will be capable to produce 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque and the 3.6 liter twin turbo engine will be capable to produce 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque

2016 Chevy Malibu with Teen Drive system forces teenagers to drive safe

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2016-Chevy-Malibu-Teen-DriveThe 2016 Chevy Malibu is for all the worried parents of the teenagers out there. This car will be made available later this year. It will come along with the pre-installed and permanent Teen Driver system which will allow the parents to keep monitor on their kids and prevent them from doing unsafe things.

This Teen Drive feature allows parents to view a detailed report on their kids driving and highlight all the point in the report  and check them if there are violating any safety norms like driving speed, distances and whether the system’s safety features are activated or not. There is one more awesome feature where the parents can switch on the safety features when Teen Drive is on, this will force the kids to learn safe driving.

Some of the features of this system are that the radio stay mute until the front safety belts are fastened, all the smart car features are automatically added when the Teen Driver is on like forward collision alert, rear park assist etc, parents can also set the radios max volume to a lower level.

“We developed this system so parents could use it as a teaching tool with their kids—they can discuss and reinforce safe driving habits, as a mother of two, I know anything that has the potential of keeping one’s family safer is of great value to parents.” said General Motors safety engineer MaryAnn Beebe, explaining why the 2016 Malibu will come with Teen Drive.

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is set to debut at the New York Auto Show in April and will be released toward the end of the year.

Mercedes F 015 a self driving car : luxury in motion

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mercedes-benz-f-015Imagine sitting comfortably in a luxurious car, with ample space, conversing with friends face to face with leg room spare, checking email or finishing up that work project, while the car you’re taking to your work is cruising along with no driver at the wheel.

Yes the imagination is going to be true with Mercedes offering all these features with its next F 015 Luxury in Motion vehicle. There is no more a driver needed to travel to places rather for transportation. But it would be more a place to relax, work and do everything wanted, socialize and don’t need to pay any attention towards the road, road safety, driving, speed limit, safety lights.

This is going to be the third place where people will be spending their time after home and office as stated by Holger Hutzenlaub, a member of Mercedes-Benz’ Advanced Design team. According to him in future cities are going to be more crowded, bigger and chaotic, and people will want some privacy and time.They will also be creating personal retreat.

F 015 would be a self driving car or more appropriately a driver less car.

People love to drive this technology and the car would give them what they wanted but with less traffic issues and driving would be fun according to one of the expert more described as Mercedes’ future studies and ideation guru, Alexander Mankowsky

Mankowsky said “We’re nowhere near being able to re-create humans with artificial intelligence. Cars like this one are simply machine intelligence that are making our lives easier”

Apple drops Boot Camp support for Windows 7 on MacBook Air, Pro models

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Tech giant Apple Inc. has upgraded its MacBook Air, Pro models and dropped the Boot Camp support for Windows 7. This means it will only work with Windows 8 and later operating systems.

Boot Camp is an Apple software which allows the installation of Microsoft Windows on the Mac machines. With the new update, Boot Camp will no longer support the older versions of Windows Operating Systems on its revamped Mac lineup.

According to the report, the Mac computers that were released last year continued to offer installations of Windows 7. However, 2014 MacBook Air and Pro models will be the last Apple notebooks that will support the Windows OS.

Boot Camp is Apple’s software designed to allow its Mac users to install Microsoft Windows on their machines.

The users of refreshed Macs with virtualization software such as Parallels and VMware Fusion can still use Windows 7.

Among all the Windows operating system, Windows 7 is the heaviest one. Microsoft is all set to release its latest Windows 10 with biometric authentication support this summer. The company will be offering a free upgrade for the users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.

Tesla self-driving cars: Elon Musk promises autopilot sedans this summer

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The self-driving cars have become a largely talked topic in the auto industry. Almost every driver commuting at long distances want to have a special autonomous driving facility in their cars.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has taken a major step in this direction when on Thursday he announced introduction of autonomous technology in the vehicles by this summer.

According to the company, the autonomous technology would allow the drivers to hand over the control of their cars on “major roads” such as highways.

The maker of high-end electric cars said that there will be a software update and not a mechanical change after which Tesla’s Model S sedans will be able to start driving themselves in a hands-free mode, for at least part of the time. The company terms the autonomous driving mode as autopilot.

In the meanwhile, some industry experts have raised serious objections about the legalities of such autonomous driving technology. Moreover, they are also skeptical that Model S owners attempting the autopilot mode would not run afoul of the current regulations.

Addressing the concerns, Tesla spokesperson Alexis Georgeson said, “There was nothing in our autopilot system that is in conflict with current regulations.”

According to Georgeson, the system has been designed in such a way that it can be used by an alert driver.

“We don’t intend to get rid of the pilot. This is about releasing the driver from the tiring tasks so that they can focus more and provide better input,” she said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has earlier said that “any autonomous vehicle would need to meet applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. The agency will have the appropriate policies and regulations in place to ensure the safety of these types of vehicles.”

 

Graco has finally agreed to pay $10 million to settle claims

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gracoGraco Children’s product has agreed to pay the fine of $1o million in civil penalty for failing to inform the customers about the defect in the company’s car seat.

The defect being that the buckle in more than 4 million car seats stuck and traps the child inside.

“Parents need to know that the seats they trust to protect their children are safe, and that when there’s a problem, the manufacturer will meet its obligations to fix the defect quickly. Today’s action reinforces that responsibility in a way that will make our kids safer for decades to come.” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

U.S investigation was started last year, finding out whether they have delayed in informing the customers about the defect after many complaints were made by the customers that they are facing difficulty in getting their children out of the jammed seat and pleaded to get the seat fixed.

This settlement finally closes the investigation. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this is the largest recall of child seats.

Graco must pay $3 million immediately to the U.S. government and the remaining $7 million in the next five year unless it will use that money to create a new safety procedures and new plans to address and improve the child safety.

And it would also need to get an additional third party certificate that compling to the U.S. laws to the other half of penalty.

“We have worked closely with NHTSA throughout this process and regret that we fell short of NHTSA’s expectations for data collection and reporting procedures,” Graco president Laurel Hurd said.

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