Google launches AI Research Lab in Bengaluru; To Launch WiFi in Gujarat Villages

Google at its 5th edition of ‘Google For India’ event announced the opening of ‘Google Research India’, an artificial intelligence (AI) research lab in Bengaluru, to "tackle big problems", the technology giant announced on Thursday during its fifth edition of Google for India event.

The newly launched lab will be led by Manish Gupta, a SEM (Society for Experimental Mechanics) fellow, and Professor Milind Tambe, who is Director of Harvard Centre for Computation & Society, will serve as director of AI for social good.

According to Google, Professor Tambe will build a research programme around applying AI to tackle big problems in areas like healthcare, agriculture, or education.

All aboard for Google Research India? AI, AI.
🔊Jay Yagnik talks about how the Bangalore-based center aims to deliver world-class research and bring the benefits of AI to everyone. #GoogleForIndia

▶️ https://t.co/2xqmGyuQBL pic.twitter.com/eLH7TMHVcK

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) September 19, 2019

The team at Google Research India lab will focus on two pillars -- 1) advancing fundamental computer science and AI research by building a strong team and partnering with the research community across the country; 2) applying this research to tackle big problems in fields like healthcare, agriculture, and education while also using it to make apps and services used by billions of people, more helpful.

#ICYMI here are the key announcements from the 5th edition of #GoogleForIndia.

▶️ https://t.co/4CI0mJzfuO pic.twitter.com/1pKBDm3WDy

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) September 19, 2019

Fast Public WiFi in Gujarat Villages

Google in its flagship event also announced the partnership with BSNL to bring "fast, reliable and secure public WiFi to villages in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bihar" and with National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) for their Skill India programme to make entry-level jobs easily discoverable online.

Google has also launched an initiative to help millions of Indians who use 2G phones get the information they need, without requiring data or an internet connection. The Vodafone-Idea Phone Line -- supported by the Google Assistant -- enables Vodafone-Idea users to call a single number free of charge (000 800 9191000), at any time, and ask for everything -- from sports scores, traffic conditions and weather forecasts or get help with homework. Starting 19th September, Google has expanded the service to all English- and Hindi-speaking Vodafone-Idea customers across India.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was a guest at the event, said, “Digital India was designed to ensure digital inclusion... I don't have a slightest doubt that Google has a crucial role in helping India achieve its goal of a trillion dollar digital economy.”

Talking about Bolo, a speech-based app that helps children learn to read, that Google launched in March 2019, Sapna Chadha, director of marketing, Southeast Asia & India, said, “Bolo has already helped 800,000 young Indians read stories more than three million times, and speak half a billion words.”

Bolo was already available in Hindi and English and now it has been expanded to five new Indian languages -- Bangla, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Google has also partnered with publishers like Chota Bheem and Katha Kids to provide more Indic-languages content.

Nobody Knows But Facebook’s Wi-Fi Has Been In India For Over A Year

Last week, we reported how Facebook has decided not to bring its unmanned solar-powered drone, Aquila, to the Indian subcontinent, leaving quite a few people disappointed. In order to pump up their spirits and improve the company's position in the country, Facebook decided to divert the focus from Aquila to its Express Wifi project by spreading news in the media that the social media giant has now started testing the service in India. But, here's the real news, Facebook has already been testing the service in rural India since last year. This was right around the same phase that the Mark Zuckerberg led competition was facing the flack in India for its Net neutrality initiative.

What is Express Wifi project?

Express Wifi is going to allow users to purchase internet from local data providers. So, it isn't a free Wi-Fi service like tech giant's Google’s free WiFi service at the Indian Railway Station. In order to make the Express Wifi project a success in India, Facebook is making use of the old cable operator model. The main aim of the project is to bring WiFi to areas in the country where even in the year 2016 the connectivity is very scarce.

Currently, Facebook has implemented the model in over a 100 rural villages all across India, where the users have to come to a particular community area in order to access the internet. The social networking giant has developed the commercially available Wi-Fi access point technology with their software. A local entrepreneur of that particular area can help people electronically buy internet for a price as low as ten rupees.

The social networking company, which enjoys its second largest user-base in India, is targeting entry-level phones with this project. There will be no restrictions whatsoever on the websites that can be accessed on the Wi-Fi network. It is important to note that Facebook is just creating Wi-Fi access points for users wanting to access the net, and it still makes use of local Internet service providers for the data. So, Facebook’s technology provides a helping hand in providing last mile connectivity where it is not yet available. To make it simpler to understand, the social networking giant is just acting as a technology enabler when it comes to Express Wi-Fi project.

The Express Wi-Fi project is actually an integral part of Facebook’s much talked about Internet.org mission. Through this mission, the Mark Zuckerberg led company aims to bring internet connectivity across the whole wide world, especially in the rural pockets. In addition to the Indian villages, Facebook has also been testing its Express Wi-Fi in some other parts of the world. Facebook’s Free Basics, which was banned by India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) earlier this year for violating the principles of net neutrality, was also a part of the Internet.org mission.

[Top Image: Munish Seth, Country Manager-Connectivity Solutions India region shows off how Express Wi-Fi will work. Credits: Indian Express]

6 New Things Google Has Just Announced In Its Jam Packed Event

Tech biggie Google had quite a few announcements to make in its live event in San Francisco yesterday. While the centre stage was occupied by Artificial Intelligence, the event also saw the unveiling of a new virtual assistant and a number of new hardware.

The 90-minute long event was a treat for tech enthusiasts from start to end. Google's New Pixel smartphones, a virtual reality headset made of microfibres, and a speaker designed to give competition to Amazon's popular product Echo were some of the new items that Google announced to the world.

Google's CEO Sundar Pichai began the much-awaited event by announcing Google Assistant, an AI capable of fighting neck to neck to its much popular competitors like Siri, Alexa and Cortana. He described this as Google's move "from a mobile-first to an AI-first world."

1.Pixel Smartphones

Coming in two different sizes-- 5 and 5.5-inches, the Pixel Smartphones are the first Smartphones in the market to come integrated with Google Assistant. The Android phone will run a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor.

The phone comes in two storage sizes : 32 GB or 128 GB and three colours: really blue, quite black and very silver.

Starting at $649, the phone's are already available for pre-order in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Germany. The official launch date of the Smartphone is October 20.

2. Google Home

Priced at $129, Google's new intelligent speaker - "Google Home" is an Amazon Echo killer which will hit the market at November 4 this year. The Google Home gives its users the luxury of harnessing the power of the Google assistant without ever picking up their phones. The speaker is capable of doing everything from playing songs to telling one the steps to get rid of a mustard stain.

According to Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management, Google, the main objective behind Google Home was to make entertainment very easy at home.

You can customize your Google Home with a choice of 6 bases, in fabric or metal. #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/qVWaneFlOK

— Google (@google) October 4, 2016

3. Google Assistant

The Artificial Intelligence is capable of doing whatever its users ask it to do. From remembering the code of your ATM to booking tickets for a late-night movie show to playing the song which saw the debut of Salman Khan as a singer- Google Assistant can do it all.

The AI gets smarter the more its user use it. While Google Assistant was included in the Allo messaging app that Google launched late last month, it will now also come integrated with the tech giant's new speaker and Smartphones.

Google Assistant is very easy to use as it understands natural language. One can speak to the Assistant the same way they would chat with a friend/acquaintance.

4. Daydream View

Google's first VR headset is extremely light in weight and is made of soft fabric, making it extremely comfortable to wear. The virtual reality headset is designed to work with Google's Daydream VR platform that is scheduled to launch in November. The headset will go on sale next month at a price point of $79.

The Daydream controller lets you point, swing and aim. And when you're done, it tucks right back into the headset. #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/IoTdQfZP5w

— Google (@google) October 4, 2016

5. Chromecast Ultra

Google's Chromecast Ultra, which supports 4K video, is the tech giant's new addition to its streaming devices.

According to Google, the new Chromecast Ultra is capable of working fast, and load videos at a rate which is nearly twice as fast as other Chromecasts even if a user doesn't own a 4K television.

To be launched next month, the Chromecast Ultra at $69 per device costs nearly twice as much as an older Chromecast.

6. Google Wifi

The new 'fast' Wi-fi router will give parents the capability of limiting the WiFi use of their children with just a click of a button. Coming at a price point of $129, the modular WiFi router keep its users connected devices running smoothly. If one wants better coverage, they can add another speaker to support their WiFi. A three-pack will come at $299.