Archives January 2024

Google Assistant has gone through a myriad of changes lately. Just days after the tech giant announced mass layoffs that affected “hundreds” of employees across the Bay area, it revealed that it is removing 17 features from Google Assistant, most of which are claimed to be underutilized. However, Google is not done with the changes. In fact, it could get a new breath of life soon as Google is planning to integrate its AI chatbot Bard into the Google Assistant, giving it an AI makeover. Know what’s coming.

Google Assistant – Bard integration

According to the Google News Telegram channel, Google Assistant with Bard could be just around the corner. The rollout is scheduled for March, reports hint. In anticipation, Google has reportedly created a special page within the Pixel Tips app to demonstrate the features of the Bard-integrated Google Assistant. However, it isn’t accessible to users yet. While we weren’t able to find the page, the shared video also has a demo of the Google Assistant UI in action. It will reportedly run on the new Gemini family of Large Language Models (LLMs) that Google unveiled last year.

As per the report, Bard-enabled Google Assistant can be invoked the same way as the existing version – by saying ‘Hey Google’ or double tapping the side buttons. 9to5Google previously reported that the Bard-enabled Google Assistant displays the following welcome message:

“You can still say “Hey Google” to get hands-free help. I’m learning some classic Assistant features, but I know lots already.”

When woken up, the Bard-enabled Google Assistant will reportedly have 3 methods of input:

1. Enter a query using the keyboard.

2. Speak the query with your voice.

3. Insert an image and complete it with a query.

Google announced that it was bringing Bard to Google Assistant last year. However, no specifics have been revealed till now, and only information about it has surfaced courtesy of leaks.

Also read other top stories today:

AI on Apple devices? Apple is working on making AI models that can work on devices alone by making them smaller. But we may have to wait a few years for these to work to circumnavigate the “memory wall”. Know where things stand here.

AI leaders on the rise! Businesses are scrambling to appoint AI leaders with the recent boom in technology, leaving metaverse leaders in the lurch. Instead, AI is taking their place. Find out more about this shift here.

Saviour against AI! Taylor Swift’s deepfake photos went viral on X during the weekend but they’ve since been taken down. Can the Time’s Person of the Year save humanity from the dark side of AI? Know all the details here.

One more thing! We are now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us there so you never miss any updates from the world of technology. ‎To follow the HT Tech channel on WhatsApp, click here to join now!

Acer has refreshed the Swift Go 14 model in India with Intel’s latest AI-backed Core Ultra processors that are equipped with Neural Processing Units (NPUs) aimed at improving on-system AI functions. It is an Intel Evo Edition platform model that is claimed to offer faster charging and rapid wake capabilities, among other improvements. The North American version of this laptop, unveiled in December 2023, comes with slight variations compared to the Indian one including a 2.8K (2,880 x 18,000 pixels) OLED panel variant.

Acer Swift Go 14 price in India, availability

The Acer Swift Go 14 (SFG14-72T), offered in a Pure Silver shade, is priced in India at Rs. 84,990 for the Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU option, while the Core Ultra 7 variant is listed at Rs. 99,990. Both options are available for purchase in the country exclusively through Flipkart.

Acer Swift Go 14 features, specifications

The refreshed Acer Swift Go 14 sports a 14-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 12,000 pixels) IPS LED touchscreen with a 90Hz refresh rate, 16:10 aspect ratio, and 400nits peak brightness. It is available in two processor options – Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with Intel Arc GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage.

Intel’s new Core Ultra chipsets come with integrated AI engines that are claimed to offer users a 47 percent performance boost over older models. The laptop is also equipped with features like Acer AlterView which uses “AI-generated depth maps to convert 2D images into animated wallpapers with 3D effects that can be viewed from multiple angles.” It also has an Acer AI Zone tab which helps users locate AI features and updates on the laptop easily. It is also compatible with Microsoft Copilot that assists users in all AI-related activities.

The updated Acer Swift Go 14 comes with a 1440p QHD webcam, incorporating Acer’s PurifiedVoice technology and Acer PurifiedView to eliminate undesired background noise while ensuring an improved video conferencing experience. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Intel Bluetooth LE Audio connectivity.

A three-cell 65W battery is packed the the Acer Swift Go 14 and is claimed to provide a battery life of up to 12.5 hours. The laptop supports 100W charging via a USB Type-C port, weighs 1.32kg, and measures 312.9mm x 217.9mm x 14.9mm in size.

Popular Location Tracking Apps

Google Maps: This Android app serves not just for tracking routes but also for sharing your whereabouts with friends and family. It provides complimentary GPS tracking services, allowing users to benefit from real-time location monitoring. Additionally, it alerts users about the estimated time of arrival at their destination.
Find my Phone – Family Locator: This GPS tracking application proves valuable for Android devices. Alongside location monitoring, it offers functionalities like personalised text alerts to inform friends and family of your current movements in real-time, enabling them to stay updated on your whereabouts continuously.
WhatsApp: The application owned by Meta incorporates built-in location sharing functionality. Users can share their locations with chats and groups for durations ranging from 1 to 8 hours. This feature offers one of the most efficient methods for real-time location tracking. However, consistent internet connectivity is necessary for location updates to occur.
Also Read | AI-Powered HR: A Comprehensive Look at 11 Must-Have AI Tools
Life360: Elevate security for your loved ones with Life360, a reliable app for family safety and location sharing. This application streamlines safety measures by providing features like Real-Time Location Sharing, Crash Detection, SOS Alerts, Roadside Assistance, Identity Theft Protection, and many others. It allows you to maintain seamless communication with your family members and easily keep track of important belongings whether you’re at home, on the road, or on the move.
Glympse: This application facilitates users in effortlessly sharing their current location with family and friends in real-time. Leveraging GPS functionality for precise tracking, it generates a link that can be shared with others for location monitoring. Moreover, it allows users to establish private groups dedicated to location sharing, specifically tailored for family use.

How IBM will monitor employee attendance

The memo states that badge-in data will be used to monitor individual office attendance. This information will also be shared with managers and human resources.

Companies mandating return-to-office policies

Over the past year, many companies across industries have been reinstating office attendance requirements and have replaced earlier incentives with stricter policies.
Despite these policies, data from Kastle Systems office occupancy rates remained around 50% of pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023. Apart from IBM, other tech majors like Amazon and AT&T also asked their remote workers to relocate near offices.
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PlayStation has announced the year’s first State of Play games showcase event, set to stream January 31. The 40-minute showcase will feature extended looks at Shift Up’s action-adventure title Stellar Blade and Team Ninja’s action-RPG Rise of the Ronin, both of which will arrive on the PS5 this year. The State of Play event will cover over 15 games in total, providing more details on PS5 and PS VR2 titles releasing in 2024 and beyond. The event will be livestreamed on PlayStation’s YouTube, Twitch and TikTok channels, starting Wednesday, January 31 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm GMT, or 3:30am on Thursday in India.

PlayStation announced 2024’s first State of Play showcase on its blog Monday. “The broadcast will be over 40 minutes long, and feature guest appearances from some of the most talented minds in gaming,” PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst said. “Among many other updates, we’ll feature extended looks at Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, two great games coming to PS5 this year.”

While Sony has not provided more details on the games that will feature at the event, the longer runtime of the stream suggests a host of announcements and reveals. Prominent leaker Billbil-Kun claimed last week that a second announcement for Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 — first revealed at The Game Awards 2022 — was imminent. The leaker also said Monday in a Dealabs report that Concorde, a PlayStation exclusive title will be announced soon. Both DS2 and Concorde could thus feature in the State of Play showcase.

XboxEra’s Nick Baker (@Shpeshal_Nick), too, posted on X Monday ahead of the State of Play announcement, hinting at soon-to-arrive updates on Rise of the Ronin, Death Stranding 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a new Sonic game, Silent Hill 2 remake, an Until Dawn remaster, a new VR Metro title and more.

PlayStation last hosted a State of Play event in September where it showcased gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and provided updates on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Foamstars, Helldivers 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and more.

The two confirmed games for this week’s State of Play have already received trailers detailing gameplay and story elements. Stellar Blade could receive a concrete release date at the event, while Rise of the Ronin is set to launch March 22.

Jio Brain has been announced by Jio Platforms as an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platform for enterprises. The 5G-integrated service will enable telecom networks, enterprise networks, and industry-specific IT environments to implement ML tools in regular operations. One of the big highlights of Jio Brain is an enterprise and mobile-ready large-language model (LLM) as a Service feature that will allow its clients to leverage generative AI features. The cloud-native platform has more than 500 REST APIs and data APIs to allow companies to create customized ML services as per their need.

The announcement was made by Aayush Bhatnagar, Senior Vice President, Jio, on LinkedIn, who stated that Jio Brain was created after a research period of two years that involved hundreds of engineers. A document attached to the announcement highlighted the platform as the “Industry’s first 5G-integrated ML platform.”

“Jio Brain will help create new 5G services, transform enterprises, optimise networks, as well as set the stage for 6G development – where ML is a key capability,” Bhatnagar said.

In essence, the platform is an AI and ML-powered system that offers both automation and likely generative AI features for enterprises to enable them to conduct operations faster and more efficiently. Calling itself “industry agnostic,” the service claims to offer a wide range of features. Some of the notable offerings by Jio Brain include LLM as a Service, advanced AI features for images, videos, text, documents, and speech, a cloud-native solution with a plug-and-play architecture, data integration capabilities, multiple AI/ML embedded mobile and web apps, and more.

Enterprises can use Jio Brain for natural language processing (NLP) and AI generation tasks such as image-to-video generation, text-to-music generation, text-to-image and video generation, speech-to-speech translation, speech-to-text translation, etc. For coding, the platform enables the generation, explanation, optimisation, and debugging of codes. Additionally, it also has core ML capabilities such as ML chaining, hyperparameter tuning, feature engineering, and others. All of these services can be taken together or as separate services.

The company also stated that it is open to collaborating with AI and ML researchers to scale up the platform and add more value to it. Jio did not reveal any launch date for Jio Brain.

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