Most of the Google Hangouts API is Being Killed on April 25th

The Google Hangouts API has been available for a while, and it's enabled various services to popup around Google's messaging platform. We've seen apps that let you draw on your face, letting you play a game of ping pong during a conference call, and more. However, these services and more will be shut down on April 25th as Google has announced they will be killing the API that powers them.

Many were shocked last year when Google announced the "replacement" apps for Hangouts known as Allo and Duo. It just seemed strange that instead of working to enhance their popular Hangouts messaging service, they decide to switch their focus to mobile-first ones. Once announced, Google informed the world that Hangouts would be relegated to an enterprise-centric solution from the company.

This week, while most people have their attention on CES products, Google has announced that they will be killing off the Google Hangouts API. Interestingly enough though, they won't be getting rid of it completely. The company's FAQ says the few exceptions to this rule will be for things like the ability to dial into a Hangout via DialPad and RingCentral, integrations with popular chat tools like Slack and then Hangouts on Air tools like Toolbox, Control Room and even Cameraman.

This is just the latest move from Google that allows them to focus more on enterprise consumers with Hangouts. This also gives more people motivation to use applications like Allo and Duo (as well as some other non-Google messaging platforms too).

What do you think of the new direction Google is taking Hangouts in? Do you wish they would have kept it as is (even if it meant less updates), or would you rather see Google kill Hangouts completely and focus on newer, more streamlined services?

Source: TechCrunch

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Huawei Says They’re Adding Amazon Alexa to the Mate 9

At the start of November, Huawei officially announced the Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro, and the Mate 9 Porsche Design phones to the world. We had seen multiple rumors of this device leading up to the official announcement, so it wasn't a complete surprise when it was shown off to the public. Recently, Huawei announced they would be releasing the Mate 9 in the United States, and they were even at CES this year to show it off to the press.

At the electronics expo, Huawei revealed some interesting details about the device's launch too. While we have seen Amazon Alexa launched in a number of products lately, and it was a ton of products at CES this year, it hasn't been used in a smartphone that didn't carry the Amazon brand. Huawei wants to change with this with Mate 9, and says they'll be updating the software in the near future to add the service.

This is really interesting as we've seen reports recently that claim manufacturers are upset with Google for giving their own hardware preferential treatment when it comes to Google Assistant. Sure, you can use it in the Allo messaging application, but it's not baked into the OS like it is with the Pixel and the Pixel XL. So this could very well be the reason why Huawei has opted for Alexa with the upcoming release of the Mate 9 in the United States.

Amazon Alexa on the Huawei Mate 9 is said to compete head to head with the likes of Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and Google's Google Assistant. Although, it's not known if it will be built into the core OS, or if it will just be a 3rd-party application loaded onto the phone. The report from FierceWireless says Huawei will be pushing the app to the device in an upcoming OTA update, so that suggests the integration won't be thorough.

It seems the personal AI assistant market is getting crowded these days, and even Samsung is rumored to launch their own soon as well. We would like to know which one you like the most in the comments section below!

Source: FierceWireless

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OxygenOS 4.0.1 Developer Preview is now Rolling Out for the OnePlus 3

XDA Member Nishidh, along with several other members on our forums, is reporting that OxygenOS 4.0.1 Developer Preview is rolling out to the OnePlus 3. Follow the thread for the change log and download links as soon as they are retrieved!

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Google Acquires Limes Audio to Improve Online Voice Quality

Voice has been at the forefront of interpersonal communication in the digital age since traditional mobile phones, and now video is growing even further through services like Hangouts, Skype and Facetime. Our reliance on video and voice will only grow stronger through the proliferation of faster and more reliable internet connections.

Google realizes the importance of voice quality in such communication scenarios. And rightfully so too, as two of their products, Google Hangouts and Google Duo, incorporate audio-video communication as their main product features. To improve the online voice communication systems, Google has announced that it has acquired Limes Audio.

Limes Audio focuses on solutions that aid in voice communications. The goal is for the person you are talking with to hear you as clearly as possible, and to make it so that you can hear them clearly as well. Audio quality is of paramount importance in video communications and conferencing, so seeing Google focus on a great audio experience makes a lot of sense.

One of the biggest challenges that Google faces in many of its products like Google Hangouts, Google Duo and YouTube Live is audio quality. The variable nature of the presenter, the audience and their accompanying environments hamper the acoustics and echo scenarios. Further, poor internet connections can add in additional lag and interruptions in the audio experience. The team behind Limes Audio has been working on building solutions that remove the distracting noise, distortion and echoes that affect online video and telephony meetings.

While Google has not specifically stated which products will benefit directly with this acquisition, there is no doubt that the underlying technologies will creep out to many of their audio and video services. Whether Android gains something out of this on the OS level is something that will have to wait for Google to announce.

Source: Google's Keyword Blog

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Facial Recognition is Back with Honor Magic

The Honor Magic is one of the most exciting phones coming from Huawei right now. This phone was out on display at CES 2017 and TK did a hands on video. This video demos some of the many sensors that are used in the facial recognition system on this phone.

Facial recognition has been in a primitive state on Android for a while and it never took off as a security feature. The Honor Magic hopes to change this by actually having a fast and useful recognition system. This phone will be able to change your notification information based on who's looking at your device. A stranger picks up the Honor Magic and will see that you have a new text. The owner picks up the Honor Magic and will see the new text notification, who it's from and a preview of the content.

Watch the video to see it in action.

Thanks to Honor for sponsoring our CES coverage. Be sure to check out the new Honor 6X.

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LG Releases Tentative Earnings for Q4 2016, with an Estimated $29.5 Million Operating Loss

LG Electronics has announced preliminary earnings results for the fourth quarter of 2016. The revenue table below showcases consolidated revenues for Q4 2016, but still offers us insight into what to expect on the year-end balance sheet.

	Estimated Q4 2016 (in kRw Bn)	Estimated Q4 2016 (in USD Mn)	Q3 2016 (in kRw Bn)	Q3 2016 (in USD Mn)	QoQ	Q4 2015 (in kRw Bn)	Q4 2015 (in USD Mn)	YoY
Sales	14,781.9	12,356.1	13,224.3	11,054.1	11.8%	14,560.1	12,170.7	1.5%
Operating Profit / (Loss)	(35.3)	(29.5)	283.2	236	–	349.0	291	–

(South Korean Won to USD conversion at current exchange rates)

Revenue for Q4 2016 is estimated to be higher not only month-on-month, but year-on-year as well. The sales for LG Electronics for Q4 2016 is estimated at $12.3 Billion, which is an increase from the $11 Billion in sales from the previous quarter, and the $12.2 Billion from the previous year.

The catch here is that the figures indicated are consolidated revenues, including all sales from all divisions within LG Electronics. This does not immediately put the smartphone division in the red, but the Operating Loss of $29.5 Million despite the increase in sales indicates that there has been sizeable expenditure by the company.

From previous earning reports, like the report from Q3 2016, we know that most of the profits of that quarter originated from the Home Appliances and Air Solution division. The mobile division had an operating loss of $389.4 Million despite the $2.3 Billion contribution to revenue. So even though the division could bring in sales, they were not sizeable enough to set off the expenditure incurred in product development and marketing and advertisement.

With the LG V20 released in September, it will be interesting to see how the figures play out. Will the V20 have sizeable sales to cover the R&D and promotional expenditure? Or will it managed to disappointment despite the monumental failure of the competing Note 7 in the phablet segment? Only time and Q4 reports will tell.

What are your thoughts on LG's tentative earnings for Q4 2016? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: LG Newsroom

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Report: Samsung to Produce an Initial Output of 10 Million Galaxy S8 Units

Samsung may have stumbled during the second half of 2016 with the battery issues that plagued the Galaxy Note 7. Interestingly enough though, it didn't seem to have much of an effect on the company's profits for the last quarter of the year.

Naturally, they could have made more if the Note 7 didn't have its issues, but Samsung's recent earnings guidance said they were able to bring in $7.8 billion in operating profit for the quarter (which is up by around 50% YoY).

Samsung was able to keep things going thanks to their other divisions, on top of a refreshed focus on the Galaxy S7. We saw the Galaxy S7 take part in multiple promotions throughout the year, and Samsung even released the device in new colors as well. So to help keep the momentum going, Samsung is going to be betting heavy on the upcoming Galaxy S8. A recent report claims they're going to start with an initial output of 10 million units.

The report says 5 million units will be produced in March, followed by another 5 million units in April. They believe that once Samsung has finished with this second batch, the company will launch both of them simultaneously around the world. This might sound like a lot for some companies, but etnews says that Samsung's initial output of the Galaxy S7 was also 10 million units, so it shouldn't be hard for the South Korean tech giant to produce, distribute and sell this many.

The big question is whether or not Samsung will be able to win back customers they lost thanks to the Note 7 issues. The company tells us that the majority of the devices they recalled were simply swapped out with another Samsung device, but there has to be a segment of the community that is worried about safety with the Galaxy S8. Another report said Samsung SDI will be producing batteries for the S8, and that the company has put a bigger emphasis on safety this year.

Source: etnews

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