Tech Roundup: Google Gboard, Didi Chuxing & More

Emoji search on Gboard

All I want for Google I/O is a new Chromebook Pixel. Please make it happen! But seriously though I can't wait to see what Google has in store for its famed annual developers conference scheduled to start this Wednesday. Android VR? An Amazon Echo rival called Chirp? A smarter instant messenger with chatbot integration? Official unveil of Material Design-themed Google Calendar and YouTube? Speaking of the latter, it so appears that the world's largest video-sharing platform is gearing up for a new in-app messenger like feature that lets users share videos with their social circles and have conversations around them. But if you are thinking "why?", here's why. And it makes perfect sense too. After all we share the videos we like on Facebook, Twitter, Hangouts, Messenger and any number of social media services out there, but by adding a social layer atop YouTube (admittedly seems better than the forced Google+ integration at any rate), Google appears to be aiming to undercut the very reason you would want to share them on other social media platforms. Subtle, yet clever! Head to Android Police for a complete walk-through.

Alphabet/Google:

• Updates Google Translate to work inside any Android app for instant translation (while handy, why not add it to Now on Tap instead?); adds offline language support for iOS.
• Releases a new Gboard keyboard for iPhone (U.S. only) with built in search features (places, images, gifs and emojis) and glide typing (yes!)
• Adds Evernote integration for Google Drive for two-way export and import of files between the two productivity services.
• Open-sources AI-backed tool Parsey McParseface which it uses to understand language constructs better.
• To possibly face record fines in the European Union for abusing its search monopoly to favour its own services in search results, reports The Telegraph.
• Second Oracle vs. Google trial commences in San Francisco, with the former alleging the search giant of copyright infringement of 37 Java APIs in Android OS.

Apple:

• Confirms issues with iTunes that causes music from personal collections to be permanently deleted; to address it in a future update, although it hasn't been able to reproduce the problem.
• Hit with a $2.8 billion USD lawsuit from VoIP-Pal over infringement of VoIP patents on its iMessage chat service.
• Shortens app review times from more than a week to less than two days as part of a broader push to increase revenue from services and keep developers loyal to iOS, reports Bloomberg.
• Invests $1 billion USD in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing as it possibly prepares an alternative route to enter China.
• iPhone manufacturer Foxconn said to be opening a new facility in India, reports Economic Times.

Facebook:

• Says it found no evidence of political bias on its Trending Topics; adds that there are rigorous guidelines in place to ensure consistency and neutrality, while admitting that human editors play a key role in selecting trending news stories.
• Rolls outs dynamic retargeted ads for Instagram, so that users "browsing an umbrella on your website may see a product ad for umbrellas or a selection of related products the next time they come back."
• Releases WhatsApp desktop app for Windows PCs and Macs.
• Launches photo sharing tool Moments in Europe, Canada, but without facial recognition features due to strict privacy laws.
• Unveils a new logo and design for Instagram, while giving the icons of Layout, Boomerang and Hyperlapse (all from Instagram) a new look.

Others:

• Over one fifth of wild plant species under risk of extinction due to destruction of habitats for purposes of farming and land development; also reveals 2,000 new species are being discovered every year.
• Destructive wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta caused due to global warming, say scientists, as sea level rise is blamed for complete loss of five reef islands in the Solomon Islands.
• NASA's air-borne observatory Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) detects oxygen atoms in the mesosphere of Mars for the first time in the last 40 years.
• Zika virus-infected mice give birth to babies with brain damage, in what's the first experimental proof that the virus causes congenital birth defects.
• Live suicide Periscope broadcast by a 19-year-old unnamed woman prompts investigation in France; comes on the heels of a similar incident last month wherein a woman in Ohio was charged with live-streaming the rape of a teenage girl via the app.
• Opera browser gets serious about ad blocking; releases VPN and ad-blocking app for iOS.
• Music streaming service Spotify says it's growing at a faster pace since Apple Music launch; touts 30 million paid subscribers and 100 million total active users.
• Xiaomi announces Android-fork MIUI 8 along with an Xperia Z UIltra successor, a 6.44-inch Mi Max with a 4850 mAh battery; rakes up 8 million pre-orders.
• Office chat tool Slack becomes the latest to offer Sign ins for websites after Facebook, Google, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Microsoft-acquired Sunrise calendar app to officially shut down on August 31 this year after baking its features into Outlook.