Google Chrome now enjoys 2 billion active installs in desktops and mobiles

For many Internet user, Google Chrome is the most favourite browser because it’s speedy, includes leading standards support, strong security features, and a clean interface. And now at the Chrome Dev Summit that it currently taking place at San Francisco, Chrome Engineering VP Darin Fisher has revealed that currently 2 billion Chrome installs are in active use across desktops and mobiles. This information was revealed in a keynote delivered by Chrome Engineering VP Darin Fisher.

According to a Tech Crunch report, Google, however, didn’t reveal how many people are currently using chrome. “I wanted to make this point that there are a lot of Chrome browsers out there. What’s exciting about this to you all is that when you think about building for the web, there’ a lot of browsers out there that implement the latest web standards — that implement the latest and greatest web features,” the report quotes Fisher as saying.

In April this year, Google came out with a blogpost where it had revealed that Chrome had crossed 1 billion monthly mobile users. Besides this, the post had also informed that 771 billion pages load each month, which is pretty much same the number of pages in over 821 million dictionaries. It was also showcased that Chrome helps users with the option to search autocomplete, which saves one from 18,6528 years of typing for users.

As of October 2016, StatCounter estimates that Google Chrome has a 63% worldwide usage share of web browsers as a desktop browser. Its success has led to Google expanding the “Chrome” brand name on various other products such as Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox and Chromebase.

Google quickly clarifies the security tech in Android Nougat after the Pixel hack

After the Pixel phones were hacked in less than 60 seconds by a team Chinese dudes, Google has rushed to clarify the kind of security the smartphones come with. In its official Keyword blog, Google has outlined the improvements in security in Android Nougat as well as in the Pixel phones, which includes File-based Encryption, Direct Boot and TrustZone security. Google had earlier said that Android is now as secure as iOS. The company now has explained what exactly is going on behind the scenes to secure the devices. 

Android Nougat comes with file-based encryption which basically encrypts different files with different keys which are unlocked independently. This allows the rest of the files to remain uncompromised even when one file has been hacked. Earlier, Android used Full Disk Encryption which didn't do much good to the security. File-based encryption separates the data into device encrypted data and credential encrypted data, keeping the important credentials in a separate container.

Direct boot in Android Nougat uses the file-based encryption to keep the user experience seamless after a device reboots. For instance, applications like alarm clocks, accessibility settings and phone calls are available immediately after boot.

What's more, Anroid Nougat comes with TrustZone security tech that executes system-level codes in a mode that is secure even when the main kernel is compromised. It also stores the disk encryption keys and when it detects the operating system has been modified, it won't decrypt the keys to keep the data inside secure.

To prevent brute force attacks, TrustZone comes with a waiting period that gets longer each time a wrong sequence of the pattern is made. With over 162 valid four-point patterns and the ever growing waiting period, brute force attackers will need four years to hack into an Android Nougat phone.

In addition, the Pixel phones come with an inbuilt hardware encryption engine that provides hardware level encryption all the while maintaining the I/O performance.

This Blog was first published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Google-quickly-clarifies-the-security-tech-in-Android-Nougat-after-the-Pixel-hack/articleshow/55494872.cms 

How to install the Android 7.1 developer preview on your device

Android 7.1 marks the first time Nexus owners aren’t getting the full suite of upgrades from Google. The Pixel phones have some exclusive features, including built-in Google Assistant, the new Pixel Launcher, and fingerprint sensor gestures. However, not all of this is an arbitrary decision to add value to the Pixel. In the case of some features (e.g. fingerprint sensor gestures), there are hardware limitations in existing devices that prevent the feature from working. So, it’s not technically a Pixel-exclusive; there just aren’t any other phones that support it right now.

As for what you can expect in the developer preview, there will be a handful of noticeable changes. For one, touch display responsiveness had been boosted. There’s also a new storage manager that helps you clear old files from your device to get more space for new stuff. Android’s launcher shortcuts, which were previously demoed in the 7.0 preview, are coming back. Although, now they are called “app shortcuts,” which might be the least descriptive name ever. They’re long-press shortcuts that app icons can produce to specific functionality in an app. For example, the camera icon includes links to take a video and take a selfie.

To install the developer preview, you need to have a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, or Pixel C. Other Nexus devices like the Nexus 9 and (maybe) Nexus 6 will be added next month. The easiest way to to go to the beta site and sign in with your Google account. There, you’ll be shown eligible devices. Once you choose to enroll one, an OTA update to the developer preview will be pushed down in a few minutes. Doing this will not erase your data, but it’s a preview. Things could go wrong, so back everything up to be safe.

If you want to handle the process manually, there are full system images available for download. This doesn’t require joining the beta, and you can install them even if you’re running a third-party ROM. You will need the Android SDK working on your computer, and your device’s bootloader needs to be unlocked. This will delete everything on your device, by the way.

While this is technically for developers, plenty of enthusiasts are installing the beta too. It’s a pretty smooth process, and you can get a look at Android 7.1 before almost everyone else. Google is planning to have a final version of Android 7.1 available on Nexus devices by late this year or early next.

This blog was first published on: http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237995-how-to-install-the-android-7-1-developer-preview-on-your-device

Microsoft: 'Apple can no more secure your iPhone than Google can secure Android'

Microsoft thinks the recent discovery of the Trident malware for iPhones should be a wake-up call for the enterprise to stop unquestioningly trusting Apple's ability to protect corporate secrets.

Microsoft corporate vice president enterprise and client mobility Brad Anderson argues the case for reconsidering trust in Apple in a blogpost entitled 'What we can learn from the Trident/Pegasus iOS vulnerability'.

The Trident malware was discovered in August by researchers at mobile security firm Lookout and Canadian rights group Citizen Lab, prompting Apple to issue an emergency security update.

The malware, which used three previously-unpatched iOS vulnerabilities, was developed by Israeli-founded pen-testing vendor NSO Group and sold as a surveillance product called Pegasus. It was used by a government in the Middle East to target human rights activists.

Lookout called it the "the most sophisticated attack we've seen on any endpoint". As Anderson notes, NSO Group had deep pockets, having been acquired in 2010 by US VC fund Francisco Partners Management for over $100m.

NSO Group sold Pegasus for $8m for 300 licenses, with the price indicating it would have been reserved for high-value targets, such as political dissidents or senior execs from top firms.

With well-resourced opponents such as these operating in the open, organizations need to stop blindly trusting Apple's ability to keep their iOS devices secure, according to Anderson.

"Over the last two years, I've had senior executives tell me countless times that they have unwavering implicit trust in the iOS platform. In these discussions it's been pretty common to hear a comment like, 'I don't trust Android because it is like the wild, wild west, but I have tremendous trust in iOS because it is a controlled and procured ecosystem'," he writes.

"I'm not attempting to throw stones at Android or iOS but there is a dilemma with this perspective: I know for a fact that all the providers of mobile operating systems go to superhuman lengths to harden their platforms and do everything they can deliver the most secure operating system possible but this fact also exists in our modern era of digital threats that produce consistent successful attacks despite the incredible efforts of the organisations building these platforms."

Of course, while Microsoft has all but bowed out of smartphone hardware, it is still focusing on enterprise mobility via Intune, its mobile-device management product, which it recently partnered on with mobile security firm Lookout for malware protection.

The other lesson Anderson draws from Trident/Pegasus is that it highlights the commercialization of cyberattacks, which makes it easier for opponents to exploit weaknesses in mobile devices.

For example, attackers that don't have the skills to compromise your systems can simply rent them from NSO Group or numerous other firms in the business of developing, selling and brokering so-called zero-day exploits.

"This is the very scary fruition of something that cybersecurity experts have been heavily emphasizing for the past few years. The work behind corporate hacks, online theft, cyber espionage, and cyber-terrorism is a commercial business and not only an underground effort," Anderson writes.

"If you, as an organization, have intellectual property that is of interest to another company or a state organization, that company does not have to have the expertise to build a sophisticated attack like this, they just have to have the money to buy a license."

This Blog was first published on: http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-apple-can-no-more-secure-your-iphone-than-google-can-secure-android/

Google Pixel: Leaked Again, more details now

There’s just a day more to go for the much-awaited Google phones to launch, but an UK retailer has played the spoilsport and leaked the design and specifications of the upcoming Pixel phones from Google.

Carphone warehouse, which is a UK based retailer has put up an ad on its website to start pre-orders for the phones, leaking a very clear idea of what the phones are going to look like.

Based on the leaks, it is now clear that the phones made by HTC come with rounded edges and a half cut glass panel at the back, which houses the fingerprint scanner.

Larger among the two, the Pixel XL is going to sport a 5.5-inch quad-HD AMOLED display with a 2560x1440 pixels resolution. The smaller Pixel will have a 5-inch Full HD display with 1920x1080 pixels resolution, all underneath a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.

The AMOLED displays, apart from producing vibrant colors and deep blacks, can also power Google's Daydream VR platform.

Both the devices are expected to be powered by the new Snapdragon 821 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM. They are going to come in two storage variants- 32GB and 128GB solid state storage. This would mean that these become the first mass produced devices with Qualcomm’s new processor.

As for the camera, both phones are likely to feature a 12-megapixel shooter at the back with f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization (something that was missing from the previous Nexus devices) and an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.


The Pixel will be powered by a 2,770mAh battery and the Pixel XL will have a 3,450mAh battery.

But the hardware apart, what will make Google's Pixel phones stand out will be the infusion of Google Assistant into every bit of the operating system. Google Assistant is a heavily integrated artificial intelligence-based digital assistant, much like Apple's Siri.

Google is also expected to release the 4K Chromecast dongle on October 4th, along with Google's Smart Home speaker that the company first teased in its I/O conference this year. Along with this, Google may also tease Andromeda- a lovechild of Chrome OS and Android operating system.

This Blog was first published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Google-Pixel-Leaked-Again-more-details-now/articleshow/54654966.cms

IBM, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon form enormous AI partnership

On Wednesday, the world learned of a new industry association called the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, and it includes some of the biggest tech companies in the world. IBM, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon have all signed on as marquis members, though the group hopes to expand even further over time. The goal is to create a body that can provide a platform for discussions among stakeholders and work out best practices for the artificial intelligence industry. Not directly mentioned, but easily seen on the horizon, is its place as the primary force lobbying for smarter legislation on AI and related future-tech issues.

Best practices can be boring or important, depending on the context, and in this case they are very, very important. Best practices could provide a framework for accurate safety testing, which will be important as researchers ask people to put more and more of their lives in the hands of AI and AI-driven robots. This sort of effort might also someday work toward a list of inherently dangerous and illegitimate actions or AI “thought” processes. One of its core goals is to produce thought leadership on the ethics of AI development.

So, this could end up being the bureaucracy that produces our earliest laws of robotics, if not the one that enforces them. The world “law” is usually used metaphorically in robotics. But with access to the lobbying power of companies like Google and Microsoft, we should expect the Partnership on AI to wade into discussions of real laws soon enough. For instance, the specifics of regulations governing self-driving car technology could still determine which would-be software standard will hit the market first. With the founding of this group, Google has put itself in a position to perhaps direct that regulation for its own benefit.

But, boy, is that ever not how they want you to see it. The group is putting in a really ostentatious level of effort to assure the world it’s not just a bunch of technology super-corps determining the future of mankind, like some sort of cyber-Bilderberg Group. The group’s website makes it clear that it will have “equal representation for corporate and non-corporate members on the board,” and that it “will share leadership with independent third-parties, including academics, user group advocates, and industry domain experts.”

Well, it’s one thing to say that, and quite another to live it. It remains to be seen if the group will actually comport itself as it will need to if it wants real support from the best minds in open source development. Below, the Elon Musk-associated non-profit research company OpenAI responds to the announcement with a rather passive-aggressive word of encouragement.

The effort to include non-profits and other non-corporate bodies makes perfect sense. There aren’t many areas in software engineering where you can claim to be the definitive authority if you don’t have the public on-board. Microsoft, in particular, is painfully aware of how hard it is to push a proprietary standard without the support of the open-source community. Not only will its own research be stronger and more diverse for incorporating the “crowd,” any recommendations it makes will carry more weight with government and far more weight with the public.

That’s why it’s so notable that some major players are absent from this early roll coll — most notably Apple and Intel. Apple has long been known to be secretive about its AI research, even to the point of hurting its own competitiveness, while Intel has a history of treating AI as an unwelcome distraction. Neither approach is going to win the day, though there is an argument to be made that by remaining outside the group, Apple can still selfishly consume any insights it releases to the public.

Leaving such questions of business ethics aside, robot ethics remains a pressing problem. Self-driving cars illustrate exactly why, and the classic thought experiment involves a crowded freeway tunnel, with no room to swerve or time to brake. Seeing a crash ahead, your car must decide whether to swerve left and crash you into a pillar, or swerve right and save itself while forcing the car beside you right off the road itself. What is moral, in this situation? Would your answer change if the other car was carrying a family of five?

Right now these questions are purely academic. The formation of groups like this show they might not remain so for long.

This blog was first published on: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/236459-ibm-google-facebook-microsoft-amazon-form-enormous-ai-partnership

8 Amazing Things Google Is Going To Launch At Its October 4 Event

Short Bytes: At its upcoming October 4 event under the tagline “Made by Google”, the company is expected to launch a wide range of new hardware. It’s being speculated that Google will show off its new Pixel smartphone, Pixel tablet, Google Home, a new OS named “Andromeda”, and a lot more.

Move over Apple, it’s Google’s turn to open its pandora box. On October 4, the tech giant is going to expand its hardware range by launching new smartphones, tablets, home automation devices etc. Google has even created a dedicated website for the event.

Google October 4 Event: What to expect

1. Pixel and Pixel XL phones

The company is calling the October 4 event “Made by Google”, suggesting that it’s going to launch lots of new hardware. It’s being speculated that Google is going to leave behind the Nexus brand and produce Pixel-branded smartphones.

The media reports suggest that Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will be manufactured by HTC. Pixel, the smaller of the two phones, will feature a 5-inch display. Pixel XL will come with a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display. They are expected to run Android N and offer support for Google Daydream VR platform.

2. New Pixel tablet

According to the renowned phone leaker Evan Blass, Google is looking to release a Huawei-made tablet that’ll feature a 4GB RAM.

3. Daydream VR

Virtual reality is one of the fastest growing technologies at the moment. Google plans to go beyond Google Cardboard and leave a mark with its new Daydream VR platform. It’s expected that Google will showcase Daydream VR running on its new hardware. Google has also confirmed that it’s working on its own headset and controller.

4. 4K Chromecast

It’s expected that Google will refresh Chromecast in the form of Chromecast Ultra or Chromecast Plus. Introduced at ~$70, it’ll support HDR and 4K. It’s also expected to arrive with updated design, refreshed app, and improved internals.

5. Google Home

Google aims to compete with Amazon Echo by launching Google Home. It’s like Google Now for your home. It’ll activate with “OK Google” prompt and let you interact with different home automation systems.

6. Google Wi-Fi

Google is also expected to release a new Wi-Fi device named Google Wi-Fi. The reports suggest that it’ll let you mesh multiple networks and enjoy a better internet connection. It’ll be similar to previously released OnHub router. Google Wi-Fi is expected to feature dual band and 2 ports, AC1200 speeds, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4 radios.

7. Andromeda OS

Last year, we came to know that Google is willing to kill Chrome OS and merge its best features into Android. This will be followed by a unified operating system by 2017.

Now, the October 4 event is expected to mark the official debut of this merger in the form of a new OS named Andromeda. We expect it to follow the open source philosophy.

8. Pixel 3 Laptop

The launch of Andromeda OS is expected to accompany a new laptop in the form of a new Pixel 3 laptop codenamed “Bison”. The company expects to develop an actual rival to Windows and Mac.

Pixel 3 laptop will come in an ultrabook form factor, featuring Intel processors, 32GB/128GB storage, 8GB/16GB RAM, and a battery life of 10 hours. It’s also possible that Google might skip the Pixel 3 launch and unveil it next year.

Did you find this article interesting? Don’t forget to drop your feedback in the comments section below.

This Blog was First published on:- https://fossbytes.com/8-amazing-new-things-google-is-going-to-launch-at-its-october-4-event/