Digital Indian Gov

The “technology of the future” is constantly changing. Remember when Google Glass was the future and venture capitalists launched huge funds dedicated to financial Glass app developers? Remember when chat bots were the future and every tech company on the planet burned time and money developing Facebook Messenger bots? Yeah, most “technologies of the future” end up being little more than silly trends that vanish almost as quickly as they arrived.
This time around, however, things feel like the might be a bit different when it comes to the latest “technology of the future.” Why? Because artificial intelligence really is the tech of the future. Tech companies large and small have hopped on the AI bandwagon, but this time for good reason. AI and machine learning are integral to technologies of the future, potentially giving computers capabilities that we can’t even imagine right now. And Google has found a new role to play by equipping budding engineers with the tools they need to learn about AI and build their own AI solutions. No, this isn’t the start of the robot uprising. It’s the start of a new “AIY” initiative at Google that will offer comprehensive DIY kits for people — mainly students — who want to experiment with and learn about different AI solutions.
Google just announced two new “AIY” (it’s like DIY, but for artificial intelligence) kits that build upon the ideas the company set forth with its first-generation kits. This time around, however, the new kits ship with everything a student might need to build AI solutions, including a Raspberry Pi Zero WH board. “We’re taking the first of many steps to help educators integrate AIY into STEM lesson plans and help prepare students for the challenges of the future by launching a new version of our AIY kits,” Billy Rutledge, Director of AIY Projects at Google, wrote in a blog post. “The Voice Kit lets you build a voice controlled speaker, while the Vision Kit lets you build a camera that learns to recognize people and objects. The new kits make getting started a little easier with clearer instructions, a new app and all the parts in one box.” He continued, “To make setup easier, both kits have been redesigned to work with the new Raspberry Pi Zero WH, which comes included in the box, along with the USB connector cable and pre-provisioned SD card.
Now users no longer need to download the software image and can get running faster. The updated AIY Vision Kit v1.1 also includes the Raspberry Pi Camera v2.” This is a very cool example of a tech company taking some initiative to help encourage communities to enhance their STEM programs in schools. Google’s new AIY Voice Kit and Vision Kit are already available online at Target.com and in Target stores across the country, and Google hopes to offer them in other regions in the coming months. The Voice Kit is available for $49.99, while the more complex Vision Kit costs $89.99.

Google recently confirmed it is working on redesigning its popular Gmail service. However, it’s not just the design that will be new as it looks like the service will get new features as well. One of the features has been unearthed by TechCrunch. The report says that Gmail will also be getting the ability to self-destruct an email.
As seen in the screenshot shared by the report, the email after a specified time becomes unreadable. Users can send an email with an expiry date by clicking on the small lock icon seen while composing an email. The icon called as ‘confidential mode’ suggests that the recipient won’t be able to share the content inside the email with someone else as he/she won't be able to copy the content, download or print it.
However, a screenshot can be taken as it has been shared by Techcrunch. The self-destructing email’s time limit can also be specified by the sender. The time limit options include one week, one month or multiple years. It is also possible for the sender to confirm the recipient's identity with a passcode via a text message. It is not for sure if this feature will be compatible with those recipients who are using a different email service.
Furthermore, the report says that Gmail didn’t mention the mail is encrypted anywhere. Whatever might be the case, we may hear more about it at the upcoming Google IO 2018 conference where Google is also likely to reveal the resigned Gmail UI. The revamped Gmail service is said to let users directly access the Google Calendar via Gmail.
The redesign might also include the option to snooze emails so they later appear in the inbox. It is also expected that the company might introduce an offline email storage option. The new design is said to be available as part of early adopter plan and will be later rolled out to regular users.

Tech giant Google is gearing up to revamp the look of Gmail. As reported by The Verge, the company is working on a redesign of Gmail. The company has started sending out emails to the customers who pay for its G Suite services. One such email was obtained received by the The Verge, which talks about the redesign of Gmail for the web.
Apart from the new look, the company will also be introducing some new features to the service. After the revamp, users will be able to directly access the Google Calendar via Gmail. The redesign might also include the option to snooze emails so they later appear in the inbox. It is also expected that the company might introduce an offline email storage option.
A Google executive said in the email, “We're working on some major updates to Gmail (they're still in draft phase)," a Google representative said in an email. "We need a bit more time to compose ourselves, so can't share anything yet -- archive this for now, and we'll let you know when it's time to hit send." This will be one of the major updates received by Gmail in years.
The email also informs that initially the redesign will be available as part of early adopter plan and will be later rolled out for the regular users. Recently, Google announced that will soon start pushing its AMP project in a big way and has plans for extending it to its emailing service Gmail. The project will enable emails to feature continuously updating information and greater interactivity. Users could see automatically updated flight information in a booking confirmation email. They could fill out surveys without leaving a message or review close-up shots of products in a marketing pitch without opening a browser window.

That technology can excite, mesmerise and fascinate is a well-known facet. At the same time, like with most other things, there is a dark side to it which can be scary. Considering the times we live in (read the whole Facebook privacy invasion debate), sharing more information with all-things tech has become a part of the discourse.
At such a time, Google has launched its Google Home smart speakers in India. It’s an intriguing device and yet the more you use it, there’s a sense of scepticism about what all you share that rises up every time you use it. Keeping the fear and scepticism aside, we spent some time with the Google Home smart speaker and here is our first impression. There’s no denying the fact the Google Home is a device that grabs your attention. It’s a conversational piece (pun unintended) and the minute you switch on, it has all your attention.
Almost a cylindrical shape, Google Home comes in a neat box with an all-white cable. To switch it on, you need to have the Google Home app installed on your phone and a reliable Wi-Fi connection. To connect and install the speaker is a breeze and the whole process is self-explanatory as you start using it. “Hey Google, how was my day” we asked the Google Home. It tells you your name, the time of the day, how the weather is outside and even where you just commuted from. All these settings can be customised.
For example, the default setting is that how your day command would end with Google telling you the top news of the day. At the top of the Google Home, there are touch-capacitive buttons and four LED lights which flash in Google-themed colours. It’s lovely to look at and easy to use – that’s two pluses to begin with. What did come as a surprise is that there's no Bluetooth connectivity in the Google Home and also that it runs only on a power adapter. We used the Google Home to play some music. “Ok Google, play some Pink Floyd” and Wish You Were Here was immediately played. Bored in the middle of any song? Just say, “Ok Google, that’s enough” and it will stop on cue. As a standalone music speaker, this is a good device. The volume levels aren’t really exceptional but will meet the needs of most average users. You can also tell Google Home to reduce and increase the volume and does follow the command.
Since it works with Chromecast, we also used Google Home to play YouTube videos on a television. You do get a bit fatigued by saying "Ok Google" and "Hey Google" to the Google Assistant before each command. With the review unit, Google did send us a couple of smart home devices like Philips Hue bulb and smart controller. We haven’t had the time to review those products in detail but we will be writing about it in our complete review. There’s a lot Google Home can do for you but the key for it being a supremely smart speaker is simple: information. The more information you share, the smarter the device becomes. Sometimes there’s a very thin line between a gimmicky product and a product high on functionality.
In the case of Google Home, it seems like that currency is money and information. Spend more on smart gadgets and get the full functional value of Google Home. Give it more information and it becomes your truly smart assistant. In the next couple of days, we will be doing both. Read our detailed review soon to find out if Google Home is worth the hype and hoopla and does it have to take it on Amazon and its Alexa and Echo range of devices.

Earlier Google used to partner with smartphone makers in order to launch its smartphones. The company has worked in Samsung, HTC, LG and Huawei in the past in order to launch its Nexus devices. But in the year 2016, this equation changed and the company dumped its brand name Nexus and introduced Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones.
However, earlier this week, some report surfaced online suggesting that Google is planning to launch a mid-range Pixel smartphone this year. Now, a Chinese blog Qooah has reported that the company will be launching three smartphones this year called Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL and a third mid-range Pixel smartphone.
The blog reveals that the mid-range smartphone is codenamed as ‘Desire’ and it will run Android Go operating system. It is noteworthy that Google acquired HTC’s smartphone engineering team and the Taiwanese company’s mid-range smartphone product portfolio is also called Desire. If this is true then many of the Android fans will rejoice as the Nexus lineup of smartphones got a lot of appreciation. The Google Nexus smartphones were liked for their high-end specifications, stock Android operating system and lower price tag as compared to the other Android flagship smartphones.
Apart from this, another report has popped online suggesting the Google has accidentally revealed the name of its next generation flagship smartphone. The name was first spotted by XDA Developers in a commit. titled “Cherrypick ‘Add device config to decide which Auto Selection Network UI to use”.
The commit reads, “This change added the config because the HAL V_1_2 only supports Pixel 3, and the new Auto. Selection Network UI is based on HAL V_1_2. So we set the flag to decide which Auto Selection Network UI should be used based in the device type. This thread reveals that the upcoming Google flagship smartphone will be called as Google Pixel 3 and as always it's bigger screen variant will be known as Pixel 3 XL.

Google is back with its list of top Android apps. Termed Android Excellence apps, the curated list has Android apps and games that Google claims set the bar for high quality, great user experience, and strong technical performance. Android users, here's over to the list of 24 apps that Google wants you to download ...
1. ​ Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC (Photography and editing app) : Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC is a free app. It allows users to capture, edit and share photos. The app also lets users capture images in RAW format, giving them more creative control. There's also an HDR mode which automatically expand the range of exposure, allowing users to capture images in both darkest and brightest tones. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom comes with editing tools using which users can change the colour, exposure, contrast and tone.
2. ​ Dashlane (Password Manager app) : The Android app allows users to keep their passwords safe and encrypted on their smartphones. Users can store their various passwords in the app and lock them with one master password. The app uses AES-256 security encryption to secure the user data. Dashlane also has a digital wallet.
3. Hostelworld (Travel app) : If you love to travel, then Google has a must-have app for you. Hostelworld can search and compare 35,000 hostels, hotels in more than 170 countries around the world. Users can select from private rooms to shared dorms and can also catch up with like-minded travellers using the app. In case a user is unable to find his/her booking, then the app promises to refund the entire booking amount along with additional $50 for future bookings.
4. iCook (Cooking app) : iCook app helps users to hone their cooking skills. The app offers over 150,000 recipes along with cooking tips, videos and photo steps. Users can also upgrade to the premium version and use features like 'view recipes by popularity', get info on calorie count of various recipes, search recipes they have saved before, view exclusive recipes, meal plans and more.
5. ​ Keeper Password Manager (Password manager app) : The Keeper Password Manager app offers digital vault which protects passwords. The app comes with a secure and encrypted vault and offers support for fingerprint and facial recognition. The app also has an Emergency Access feature that enables users to select up to 5 people who can access the app in case of an emergency.
6. ​ Keepsafe Photo Vault (stores photographs and videos) : Keepsafe Photo Vault app allows users to store their photos and videos and then secures it with a PIN or fingerprint authentication. The app developer claims that the app offers military grade encryption. You can select the photos you wish to keep in the app and once imported you can delete those from the smartphone's gallery. In case anyone tries to break into the app, it will take his or her picture for your reference.
7. MobiSystems OfficeSuite (Office and PDF editor app) : MobiSystems OfficeSuite app allows users to edit, view and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and do various advanced PDF functionalities. The app offers support for 68 different languages.
8. ​ PhotoGrid (Photo editing app) : PhotoGrid is a free video collage and photo editing app. It offers features like GIF maker, video collage, pic collage, scrapbook, camera effects, crop, AR face filters, stickers, blur, retouch and others. Once the user is through with the editing, he/she can share the photo on various social networks as well.
9. Runtastic Results (Fitness app) : Runtastic Results is a fitness app that claims to transform your body in 12 weeks with its home fitness bodyweight training programme. The customized 12-week bodyweight training plan is said to be customized as per the user's fitness level. There are 180+ home exercises in the work-out app.
10. Seven - 7 Minute Workout Training Challenge (Fitness app) : Here's another fitness app lin the list. The 7 Minute Workout Training Challenge app offers personalised exercise plans of seven minutes each which help the users to get back in shape. You just have to set a goal and fitness level and the the app will create a workout for you. The app has about 200 different types of exercises.
11. ​ SoloLearn (Education app) : SoloLearn offers collection of free code learning content, from beginner to advanced level. Users can choose from thousands of programming topics, and can also get in contact with the other coders. The app allows users to write, run and share real code right from their smartphones without any additional setup or installation required.
12. Tube Map (Route planner) : Tube Map is a navigation app that allows users to travel around London underground with ease. If required, the app can also work offline.
13. WPS Office (Microsoft Office app) : At 35MB in size, WPS Office is claimed to be lightest Office app. The app offers supports Microsoft Office's all programmes like Word, PDF, Presentation, Spreadsheet, Memo and Docs Scanner. WPS Office allows users to create, view, edit and share Word documents.
14. Angry Birds 2 (Game) : Angry Birds is among the most popular Android games. In the game, the players use slingshots to fling birds at the piggies’ towers and bring them crashing down to save the precious eggs. It is a multi-level game and users can choose their birds. The game also offers daily challenges.
15. ​ Azure Lane (Shooting game) : Azure Lane is a shooting game which revolves around a girl who is globetrotting on a ship.
16. CodyCross (Crossword Puzzles) : CodyCross is a word game. Users can join CodyCross, a friendly alien that has crash-landed on Earth and counts on their help to learn about the planet. Users travel across space and time as they unveil "planet's history and humanity’s accomplishments" through themed puzzles.
17. Into the Dead 2: Zombie Shooter (Action game) : This is the sequel to the famous Zombie action game, 'Into the Dead'. The game is a journey through zombie apocalypse to save his family. Players need to arm themselves with an arsenal of weapons to fight and survive.
18. ​ Little Panda Restaurant (Cooking game) : Little Panda Restaurant game takes players inside a kitchen where they can choose the recipe they want to make. Players have to make the dish, sell it and then use the 'money' they earn to make more dishes.
19. ​ Sling Kong : Sling Kong allows players to bounce and swing the Kong, but they need to watch out for deadly tarps in the way.
20. Sky Dancer Run (Action game) Sky Dancer Run requires players to Run and Jump across hazardous cliffs from one flying island to another, while evading large boulders.
21. Rooms of Doom (Minion game) : Rooms of Doom app offers a collection of mini games. The story revolves around a scientist called Dr Doom who is creating a perfect minion to take over the world. Players are required to help him discover the most powerful minion combination.
22. ​ Orbital 1 (Skill-based game) : Orbital 1 is a skill-based, real-time multiplayer game that offers beautiful 3D graphics. The game allows players to collect and upgrade fighters and weapons to build their squad for quick battles and new daily quests.
23. MARVEL Contest of Champions (Action game) : The game allows players to play with their favorite Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villians at iconic locations from Marvel Universe.
24. ​ Soul Knight (Shooting game) : Soul Knight is a shooting game. The game with dungeons allows players to collect crazy weapons, dodge bullets and shoot.

Apple today started rolling out the much-awaited iOS 11.3 software update to the supported iPhones, iPad devices which bring new features to both these devices. In addition, Apple has also rolled out watchOS 4.3 and tvOS 11.3 with new features and improvements. The iOS 11.3 is a major update with a long list of features which Apple has been promising for months. The update addresses the controversial battery-based performance throttling issue as Apple received public backlash over deliberately slowing down iPhones to conserve battery life. Here are the major features in iOS 11.3:
Battery Health Apple’s iOS 11.3 update brought a new feature to show battery health of an iPhone or iPad and recommended if the battery needs to be replaced. The new feature can be found in the Settings app, nested under “Battery,” called “Battery Health”. And the feature has been made available for iPhone 6 and later iPhones. If you visit this on an iPhone with a battery Apple deems healthy, it shows the “maximum capacity” of your battery along with a link to the webpage for more details. In addition, there is the new power management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns.
This is listed under section Peak Performance Capability. If your phone has never experienced an unexpected shutdown due to low battery health, it will simply say: “Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance.” On iPhones with poor battery health, there is now an option to disable the performance-management feature. Users can turn off this feature as Apple promised, but there’s risk of unexpected shutdowns.
Notably, the feature isn’t visible unless your device has shut down unexpectedly and you can’t turn it on unless you have run into the problem. This feature is available for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Health Records iOS 11.3 also includes a new feature inside the Health application called Health Records, which lets iPhone users access medical information from multiple institutions right on their device. The feature is still in beta and available only in select few countries. The health records data are encrypted and protected with a passcode.
Business Chat Business Chat in iMessage is another new feature in iOS 11.3. It allows users to chat directly with businesses for support, to purchase products, to schedule appointments and more. The conversation can be triggered by tapping the Messaging icon that appears when searching for a business in Maps, Safari, Search or Siri on iPhone/iPad. Users can then contact the business to ask questions about product and services, or make purchases using Apple Pay. These conversations can be continued on Mac or Apple Watch.
Apple claims users can control whether they want to share any contact information with the businesses. This feature, however, is US exclusive.
New Animojis Apple also adds four new Animoji in iOS 11.3 for iPhone X, including a dragon, a bear, a skull and a lion. There are a total of 16 different characters now. These new Animoji don’t add any new functionality but are created using iPhone X’s TrueDepth sensor that records facial expressions of the users. Animoji is animated emoji videos that are created using the facial recognition Face ID technology built into the iPhone X.
Apple Music The new iOS version also brings along an updated Apple Music app with the ability to stream music videos without any ads and access the all-new music video playlists.
How to download the update? Apple’s iOS 11.3 is available as over-the-air (OTA) update. To manually start the update, unlock your iPhones and go to Settings > General > Software update. You will see the iOS 11.3 software update, a big update with 2.18GB size. Connect your device to Wifi and wait for few minutes as it takes some time to download the update.
Post download, the installation takes around 15 minutes. The iOS 11.3 update is available for the iPhone 5S and later, iPad Air and later models, the iPad mini 2 and later, and the sixth-generation iPod touch.

Google has announced that users in the US would be able to send or request money from the contacts on their Android device or iPhone just by giving Google Assistant a voice command that starts with "Hey Google". "You can ask your Google Assistant to pay your friends back with Google Pay.
You can easily send or request money from your contacts for free - using the Assistant on Android and iOS phones in the US," Sam Kansara, Product Manager, Google Pay, wrote in a blog post late on Thursday. "To get started, just say 'Hey Google, request $20 from Sam for the show tonight' or 'Hey Google, send Jane $15 for lunch today' and let your Google Assistant do the rest," Kansara added. Users who do not have a Google Pay account would be prompted to set one up the first time they want to send money.
Google said that in the coming months, users will be able to send money on voice-activated speakers like Google Home as well. Transactions made via Google Assistant would require authentication beyond just your voiceprint to send money, either with their Google password or fingerprint, according to The Verge.
The tech giant has not made clear if the new feature would be rolled to other countries, including India. Meanwhile, Facebook-owned WhatsApp is also testing a new payments feature in India that aims to allow people to send money to their friends on the app. The feature is currently in beta, but has not been publicly announced because it is not widely available at this time, TechCrunch had reported.

Like everyone else, I’m a pretty busy person. I’m also surprisingly impatient for someone who is otherwise very laid back. Combine those two things with the fact that I live in the most populous county in the most densely populated state in America, and you’ll understand why I have grown to hate going to dinner. Even with a reservation, you often still have to wait to be seated at popular restaurants in my area. What’s more, there’s a trend at some of the most popular places where they take limited reservations, leaving most of the restaurant’s seating reserved for walk-ins.
At these places, wait times for a table can be as long as 2 hours. For these reasons, I feel like the latest update to Google’s wildly popular Google Maps app was made just for me, because it has a feature I’ve been dreaming about for as long as I can remember. At more than 1 million restaurants worldwide, the newly updated Google Maps app for iOS and Android will display average wait times. Anyone who lives in or around a major metropolitan area where congestion is a part of life is going to appreciate this new feature.
Here’s a peek at what the new restaurant wait times feature looks like in action on the iPhone X: As you can see in the image on the left, the restaurant page in the Google Maps app still shows a graph representing how busy the establishment is on average from open to close. But now you can tap on the bar at any time during the day to see how long the wait will be, based on average wait times. I tested it for a few popular restaurants in my area, and results were mixed — it was accurate for a few places, but way off for other restaurants. It’s a brand new feature though, so I expect accuracy to improve over time as Google collects more data. Restaurant wait times are great, but that’s not the only new feature Google added in its most recent update for iOS and Android. Here’s the full change log:
Thanks for using Google Maps! This release brings bug fixes and awesome new features to help you discover new places and navigate to them:
– See average wait times at over a million restaurants worldwide.
– Search and sort through reviews of a place.
– Get transit directions that tell you exactly which entrance you need to go into. This feature is available now in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev, and Budapest, with more on the way!
If for some reason you don’t already have Google Maps installed on your phone, here are the download links: iOS, Android

Google Maps is one of the main services by the search giant that is used by millions of users across the globe. Being one of the key apps it is obvious that the company is introducing new features every now and then making it easier for users to navigate and reach their destination. India is one of the key markets of Google Maps and to make it easy for people, there are several India-first features in Google Maps which you may not be aware of. So, we have compiled all the recent India-first features, revealed by Google to Gadgets Now. Here they are.
1. Two-wheeler mode Google launched the two-wheeler mode in its Maps app for Indians last year. The biker-based feature comes in addition to other existing options such as driving, walking and public transit modes. The two-wheeler mode shows some ‘shortcuts’ as well, something four-wheeler vehicles are not capable to take.
2. Offline mode Google Maps offline mode entered India back in 2015. This feature was announced keeping in mind the patchy network connectivity across the country. As a part of this feature, Google lets users download the entire cities and countries to see the routes even while there is no internet connection.
3. Landmark-based navigation Landmark based navigation is something not many may have noticed. At times, while using the navigation mode, the app says ‘turn left from [landmark name]’ instead of ‘turn left after [distance]’, which is quite helpful in India.
4. Smart Address Search Smart Address Search is one of the recent features introduced in Google Maps. In case you don’t know the exact location, searching for it in Maps will show you a nearby landmark. The aim for this is to make you reach as close to the destination as possible.
5. Add an Address Add an address is also a recent feature in Google Maps for India. The feature lets you add an address for millions of other users to see. This also comes with a filter. Google doesn’t allow users to put personal information for that location.
6. Customized home screen Last year, Google Maps in India got a custom home screen for easier navigation. The new home screen brings all the important features up front for users so they can quickly look at directions and download an area for offline use.
7. Schematic metro/rail maps Google last year partnered with metro and railway authorities in India to give users something more than routes – fares, connectivity, timings and more. This gives users complete information on travelling without the need to open a different app.

Google has announced “Google Play Instant”, a new and faster for users to try out apps and games within the app store for Android. This allows users to discover new apps and games that can launch instantaneously without the need to install or download them.
In its blog, Google said, “With Google Play Instant, you can just tap and try a game without having to download it first—whether you’re looking to storm a castle on Clash Royale or become a word master with Words with Friends 2.” With this feature, you will now see a “Try Now option” available with select apps and games.
This button will replace the previous “More Info” button just next to the Install option on Play Store. Tapping it leads to a brief downloading process and then the app loads online. This part will be stored in the Play Store. So if users open the same app/game for the second time, they won’t have to wait for the Instant version to load again. Announced at the ongoing Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018, with Play Instant Google aims to make it easier for users to choose among the thousands of games available on the Play Store.
Users can experience the Google Play Instant in the Google Play Store and the Google Play Games app, or wherever the game links are shared. Play Instant is currently a beta program, and only eight games are available on it right now. In addition, a fresh set of updates made to the User Interface (UI) of the Play Store will give users better access to images and screenshots. The company also launched a new version of Google Play Games with a new “Arcade” tab.
The tab is meant to help users discover new games and includes game trailers. It also comes with tags like “New” or “Action” to help users search for games on Play Store. Google will also show more information about games such as news related to a particular game, YouTube videos related to the games, which will allow users to learn more about the game. Also, all the latest developments by game developers will be available.

Those who have been following the app industry must be aware that Google keeps testing new features and brings some major/minor, cosmetic changes in its apps. This time, the company’s Maps app is found to be testing a new search bar.
This new change spotted by 9to5Google is nothing major though but still has several minor tweaks. The new search bar is found in Google Maps stable version 9.73.3 on Pixel 2 XL. Unlike what is seen in other Google apps such as Play Music, Google Play and others, this new bar is more rounded from the corners has ‘Google Maps’ logo placed in between instead on one side.
There are also some variances noticed in the box’s text. Some see “Where to?” while others see “Search here” written inside the search bar. Google seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on its search bar across web, apps and other services. Recently, the company’s video sharing platform, YouTube, was also found testing a new full-width search bar UI on Android. However, the design still has the rectangular look.
Besides the look, nothing else is changed on how the new bar functions. Surprisingly, the full-width search bar removes YouTube branding from the main screen. The search giant is moving more towards the rounded look. It already had a rounded search bar in the stock Android Oreo UI. In Android P Developer Preview 1, the firm is making the notifications also rounded from the corners, matching it with the rest of the design language.
Earlier this month, the search giant was spotted testing a redesigned mobile site with an address bar placed at the bottom of the screen. As a minor change, the rounded search bar is seen with a ‘G’ logo on the side and the categories below the search bar are not boxed like what we see now.

Over the years Google has introduced lot of tools and features which enhance the security features of Android and at the same time offer seamless user experience. In 2013, Google introduced Device Manager service which helps in locating lost devices. Then last year the company released some more features for the same and named it as Find My Device.
The Find My Device feature is default enabled on Android devices running on Android KitKat and above. Any Android smartphone or device must have a working internet connection and Google sign-in with location enabled for feature to work. The company said that Android users found the Find My Device feature quite useful. Taking the feedback the tech giant introduced some features to both the app and website for better user experience. The features added include:
Display last known location In case you lost your phone and it is not connected to the internet and it cannot display the current location, then Find My Device will display the last known location from the Google Maps location history. Users will also have the ability to launch Maps' location timeline from the Find My Device app so they can retrace their steps.
Display last connected Wi-Fi access point The app will also display the last connected Wi-Fi access point. This will enable users to determine the location of their lost device even if the location can’t be reported.
Display battery level The Find My Device tool will also tell the amount of battery left in the device. This will allow users to estimate the time they have to reach their smartphone.
Improved usability It’s now easier for users with multiple devices to select the one they’re looking for and perform common actions, such as ring, lock and erase.
Android Wear and Google Home also support Find My Device Users can find their watch with their phone and their phone with their watch (as long as both devices have location enabled) or ask their Google Home to find their device by saying, "Ok Google, where is my Phone?"

Gmail is undoubtedly one of the most used email service today. And while most of us may find it indispensable and immensely useful, there is one problem that mostly everyone encounters with it -- managing storage. It’s hard to keep a track of when we end up using the 15GB of storage space that it offers, and the next thing we know is Google asking us to pay to get more storage. If you have been considering to do that, wait before you read this, as here we tell you ways to manage the limited storage on Gmail more effectively.
Step 1: Open Gmail
Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see how much storage you have used. Select ‘Manage’ written below it.
Step 3: On clicking it, you’ll be taken to a page called Drive Storage. Here, you’ll see a pie chart of how much storage you have used and various plans to buy additional storage.
Step 4: Press ‘View Details’ below the pie chart.
Step 5: On doing this you’ll see the exactly how much storage you have used in Google Drive, Gmail and Photos.
Step 6: Select the option of ‘Learn More.’
Step 7: This will take you to a page called Google Drive Help. Here you’ll find a number of instructions on how you can manage your storage.
Step 8: If you have too many items in your trash then go to drive.google.com. After this, click Trash on the left. Click 'Empty Trash' one you are sure that your trash folder doesn't have any files you would want to recover.
Step 9:Google Drive Help also has a link Under the section ‘Option 1: Clear Space’ which lets you see which of your files take up the most space. On seeing this list you can decide which files are not of your use and delete them.
Step 10: If your photos are taking to much storage, then go to ‘Learn more about photo storage’ in Google Drive Help. You’ll be taken to a new page which will have the links to adjust the quality of images saved. Step 11: Clear out Trash and spam folders in Gmail as they take up space too, and regularly delete the emails that are not important.

Google on Tuesday announced that it is adding captions to images shown in search results. With captions in Google Images, the search giant aims to provide "better visual discovery with more context" on the image results page. The image captions will start to roll out globally this week on the Google app (Android and iOS) as well as on mobile browsers.
However, there is no information on whether the feature will roll out to desktop browsers in future. Last year, Google had started to show badges, such as "recipe" or "product", on particular results to help people discover images easily. Later, it also added the website's domain URL for each result to show where the image is coming from.
However, with the latest announcement, Google is adding captions to image results, that will show users the title of the webpage where the image is published. This extra piece of information, Google says, provides more context.
It essentially means that you can find out what the image is about and if a particular website would contain relevant content. "Whether you're searching for ideas for your next baking project, how to tie shoelaces so they stay put, or tips on the proper form for doing a plank, scanning image results can be much more helpful than scanning text. Today, we're sharing more about new changes to Google Images to provide even better visual discovery with more context on the image results page," said Google in a blog post.
In the example provided in the blog, Google showed image results of "fruit that looks like a star". Google says that though the image results provide visual confirmation that the user found the right fruit, the captions make results instantly more useful with additional context. For instance, a user will now know that the searched fruit is called carambola or starfruit, and that it's popular in China without even clicking on one of the links. It also helps the users to select which pages they should click to explore further.
To recall, Google has been making quite a few changes in its image results. Recently, in a move to curb the lifting of copyrighted images from its platform, Google had removed the "view image" button from its image search results. It has also been making some announcements when it comes to search results on mobile. For instance, it recently announced some new tools to help mobile sites better their user experiences.

One of the easiest way to save our photos is to do it on Google Photos. The app enables the users to keep the photo organised and also saves up a lot of space on their mobile device. However, we often have some private photos and videos, which don’t want to show up in the main album.
Most of the time we don’t want the photos to be seen by anyone so hiding them would disappear them from the main scrolling feed. So, if you want to hide your photos and keep them separate then you can follow this simple hack and hide your private photos. In order to hide your private photos, you can use the Archive feature of Google Photos.
The feature is available for all the Android, iOS and web users using which they can easily segregate their private photos and videos from the main album. To use the feature, make sure that you have Google Photos version 2.15. To archive a photo or video you have to open the app and select the particular photo or photos. Then you have to tap on the menu button placed on the top left corner of the app. Once the menu is open, you will see an Archive option there.
Once you have archived a photo or video it will then disappear from the mail album. Don’t worry the photo will not get deleted it will just hide. The images and videos archive will move to any other previously assigned folder and can be searched whenever you want. The feature comes really handy and also saves you from a lot of embarrassment.

In what could damage Twitter's popularity, Google is now allowing US musicians to post updates directly to its Search result pages. This update is an expansion of the Posts on Google feature that the company first rolled out for big companies and celebrities in 2016, and included local businesses last year. "Posting on Google is a new way to share relevant, fresh content with the people who are searching for you.
Use images, videos and even animated GIFs to engage your audience, and add inline links to drive traffic to specific content. This enhanced format allows searchers to hear directly from the primary source - you - and complements existing results from across the Web," is how Google describes the feature.
The updates would show up inside musicians "Knowledge Panel" - a card that pops up and displays information when a user searches for famous people in Google Search. Any musician, whose search result has a Knowledge Panel, meets the criteria to post the updates in the form of images, videos, GIFs and text.
When a user searches for a musician, Google automatically generates content like YouTube videos and biographical information. These posts would show alongside that information of the musician. Musicians can also get the "Blue Tick" that would verify that the posts are truly from the artist.

Google Duo is adding a useful tool which lets you reach out to your contacts even when they are not available. The video calling app has been updated with a new video messages feature that enables users to leave video voicemails whenever someone fails to pick up a call. This means the next time when you call someone via the Duo app and they do not answer, you can choose to leave them a video message.
Google says that if someone you are calling declines or misses the call, you can record up to 30 seconds of video as well as voice to send to the person to watch later. The messages in the Duo app are essentially a voicemail-like feature and engineered to send users that are currently unavailable, a video or voice clip.
The video messages feature has already started rolling out to Android smartphones and iPhones, with the feature widely available worldwide in the next few days. "Sometimes, your mom isn't free for a video call at the moment you're trying to show off your culinary masterpiece. The same goes when you're trying to catch your best friend to rave about your favourite basketball team's recent win.
But even if they miss your call, you shouldn't lose the opportunity to show them what you were calling about. Beginning today on Google Duo, you can leave a video message when the person you're calling can't pick up," says Google in a blog post. Notably, the clips automatically get deleted 24 hours after users first watches it. However, recipients can choose to download the message to their camera roll before the deletion. Also, like Duo calls, the messages feature is end-to-end encrypted.
Video messages in the Duo app can be played by tapping on the sender's icon. Additionally, a quick call back can be done through the "Call now" button available after watching a video message. Also to note, the received message can be accessed from the newly redesigned people view with play icons notifying when you have a new message.

Google said Friday its digital assistant software would be available in more than 30 languages by the end of the years as it steps up its artificial intelligence efforts against Amazon and others. Google Assistant, the artificial intelligence software which is available on its connected speakers, Android smartphones and other devices, will also include multilingual capacity "so families or individuals that speak more than one language can speak naturally" to the program, according to a Google blog post.
"By the end of the year (Google Assistant) will be available in more than 30 languages (including Hindi, Danish, Indonesian and others), reaching 95% of all eligible Android phones worldwide," Google vice president Nick Fox said in the blog post. The move aims to help Google, which has been lagging in the market for connected devices against Amazon's Alexa-powered hardware, ramp up competition in new markets.
While Alexa currently operates only in English, Google Assistant works in eight languages and the new initiative expands that. "In the next few months, we'll bring the Assistant to Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai on Android phones and iPhones, and we'll add more languages on more devices throughout the year."
The multilingual option will first be available in English, French and German, with support for more languages coming "over time," Fox wrote. The move comes amid intense competition for artificial intelligence software on smartphones and other devices by Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and others.
Amazon took the early lead with its Alexa-powered speakers and is believed to hold the lion's share of that market, with Google Home devices a distant second. Apple got a late start in the speaker segment with its HomePod, which went on sale this month in the US, Britain and Australia.

We all know that our phone contacts play a very crucial role and it keeps us connected with our friends and business associates. But many a times, we accidentally delete the contacts and then the real problem crops up of restoring the important contacts back. But worry no more as you can easily restore your deleted Google contacts with the help of Google by following some really simple steps.
Follow the below mentioned steps and retrieve all your important deleted contacts
Step 1: Open the new Google Contacts website in your browser and make sure that you have signed in through the same Gmail ID which is attached to your contacts.
Step 2: After opening the website just go to the menu placed on the left side and click on the ‘More’ button. Then you just have to select Restore Contacts.
Step 3: Now you can select the desired time frame to include the deleted contact and then click on Restore.
Once done then your deleted and edited contacts will be restored. But you will only be able to restore the contacts within the period of 30 days.