US military shelves Google robot plan over 'noise concerns'

The US army says it has mothballed plans to deploy a robot developed in conjunction with Google because it is "too loud". The Legged Squad Support System - referred to by some as "the big dog" - is capable of carrying 400lbs (181.4kg) of equipment over rugged terrain. But the US Marines now say its petrol-powered engine is too noisy for them to use in battle. Google has long said it planned to move away from its military contracts. 'The big dog' The LS3 was developed by Boston Dynamics - a robotics firm acquired by Google in 2013 - as part of a tie-up with the Pentagon's research arm, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The robot can follow troops on foot through rugged terrain, carrying their gear. It can also interpret verbal and visual commands. However, after a major field trial in 2014, flaws in the robot also became apparent, according to Kyle Olson, a spokesman for the Marines' Warfighting Lab. "There was the challenge of seeing [its] potential... because of the limitations of the robot itself," he told Military.com. "They took it as it was: a loud robot that's going to give away their position.

An ex-employee explains top challenges facing Google India –and how to tackle them

 Despite having over 90% smartphone market share in India, Google is lacking a big consumer app in the country. Facebook has WhatsApp (and Messenger), both of which are massive in India, and Google is getting anxious that it could lose out. Google CEO Sundar Pichai made his first official trip to India in mid-December as the company looks to expand in the country. Pichai announced a partnership with the Indian government to bring more of India's 1.2 billion population online. Business Insider spoke to Keval Desai, an ex-Google employee turned investor, about the problems Google is having in one of the fastest growing markets on Earth. (He was keen to stress that his views are not based on inside knowledge, but an understanding of Google's culture and businesses.) Problem 1: India is a mobile-first country Unlike the US or Europe, the majority of internet users' first experiences of technology and the internet are on a mobile device (most likely a smartphone) rather than a PC. "Google has to re-architect its product [and] business model to this new mobile era," Desai said. "Google faces a completely new ecosystem in mobile that is similar to the old PC era of the '80s-'90s and not the web era of 2000s when Google was born." This change is not specific to India but the whole of Google's business and the company has been working hard on creating mobile apps for all platforms while expanding beyond search and advertising, which make up 90% of Google's revenues.

Google,NASA shows off D-Wave 2X quantum computer

 The era of quantum computing appears to be getting nearer. Quantum computing company D-Wave Systems recently announced that it has entered into an agreement covering the installation of a succession of D-Wave systems located at NASA's Ames Research Centre in California. This agreement supports collaboration among Google, NASA and USRA (Universities Space Research Association) that is dedicated to studying how quantum computing can advance artificial intelligence and machine learning, and the solution of difficult optimisation problems. The new agreement enables Google and its partners to keep their D-Wave system at the state-of-the-art for up to seven years, with new generations of D-Wave systems to be installed at NASA Ames as they become available. "The new agreement is the largest order in D-Wave's history, and indicative of the importance of quantum computing in its evolution toward solving problems that are difficult for even the largest supercomputers," said D-Wave CEO Vern Brownell in a statement. "We highly value the commitment that our partners have made to D-Wave and our technology, and are excited about the potential use of our systems for machine learning and complex optimization problems," Brownell said. Since 2013, when the previous generation 500-qubit D-Wave Two system was installed at NASA Ames, scientists at Google, NASA and USRA have been using it to explore the potential for quantum computing and its applicability to a broad range of complex problems such as web search, speech recognition, planning and scheduling, air-traffic management and robotic missions to other planets.

Google working on smarter messaging app: WSJ

 Google, part of Alphabet Inc, is building a new mobile messaging application to better compete with rival services such as those offered by Facebook Inc, The Wall Street Journal reported. The new service would tap into Google's artificial intelligence know-how, integrating chatbots, or software programs that answer questions, inside a messaging app, the Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The new app will enable users to text friends or a chatbot, which will search the web and other sources for information to answer a question. Top Comment They will need to beat whatassp hands downRomes Spartcus It is unclear when the service will be launched, or what it will be named, the report said. Google declined to comment. Popular messaging apps include Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger services, and Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, while Google has a service called Hangouts.

Google to partner Ford to build self-driving cars: Report

Google is said to be in talks with automaker Ford Motor Co to help build the internet search company's autonomous cars, Automotive News reported, citing a person with knowledge of the project. The contract manufacturing deal, if finalised, is expected to come during the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during the first week of January, Automotive News said. A Google spokesman told Automotive News that the company would not comment on speculation, although Google officials confirmed that the company is talking to automakers. Earlier this year, Google began discussions with most of the world's top automakers and assembled a team of traditional and nontraditional suppliers to speed efforts to bring self-driving cars to the market by 2020.

Google doodles ode to Ludwig van Beethoven

Search giant Google has doodled a musical ode to history's greatest artist Ludwig van Beethoven. One of the finest and most influential music composers, Beethoven is best known for his nine symphonies, described as the "cornerstones of Western civilisation". It's unclear when Beethoven was actually born, but December 17th marks the 245th anniversary of his baptism. The interactive doodle has an interesting puzzle with beautiful music, drama that tests your knowledge of the German legend's work. Latest Comment good onebharat asija Beethoven's father, a middling singer in the Elector's court and a man too often in his cups, pulled the little child out of school at the age of ten in hopes of earning some money on the shoulders of his talent as a result, his handwriting was so bad that musicologists still struggle to authenticate his signature, says Google on its doodle page about the composer. He lost two siblings prematurely, had to assume full responsibility for his family as a teenager, fell madly for unrequiting lovers twice, and, most famously, began losing his hearing at the peak of his career. Beethoven's Doodle is another of Google's more innovative ones, and follows a long line of interactive art that replaces the company's traditional logo.

This is what the world searched most on Google in 2015

Terror attacks in Paris topped the global ranking of Google searches in 2015 -- alongside the transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner and the downfall of ex-NBA star Lamar Odom. The single most popular overall search was for Odom, the former basketballer and estranged husband of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian found unconscious in a Nevada brothel in October. But the city of Paris -- traumatized by deadly attacks in January and November -- dominated search queries across categories, according to the Google trend ranking released for the 15th year. "Charlie Hebdo," the French satirical magazine attacked by Islamic extremists in what triggered a global outpouring of solidarity, was the second most frequent global search overall, while "Paris" came fifth. For news, Charlie Hebdo and Paris were also the top two queries. "Within two minutes of the deadly attack on Paris in November, the French capital was searching for information on the assault underway in their city," Google said on its blog. "Less than 10 minutes later, the rest of the world started searching. As of today, we've seen more than 897 million searches about the city as the world came together to 'Pray for Paris.'" Paris was followed in news searches by the record-breaking storm Hurricane Patricia, ISIS (an acronym for the Islamic State organization), and by Nepal. Third on the overall list was the Agar.io online action game, and fourth came "Jurassic World," the science fiction thriller film released around the world in May and June. For individuals, Odom was followed by the martial arts star Ronda Rousey -- and Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner. "Across the globe, she (Jenner) was searched more than 344 million times, and her story helped give a new voice to the transgender community," Google said. The number four celebrity search was for pop singer Adele, and fifth was actor Charlie Sheen, who revealed last month that he was HIV-positive. The top global sporting event searches were about the Copa America football tournament, Wimbledon tennis championship, the Tour de France cycling race, the Rugby World Cup and the American football Super Bowl. For consumer technology, the iPhone 6S released this year was the top item, followed by the rival Samsung smartphone Galaxy 6S, the Apple Watch, iPad Pro and the LG G4 smartphone. Latest Comment Within two minutes of the deadly attack on Paris in November, the French capital was searching for information on the as... Read MoreVikash Jha In music, Adele was followed by the Australian singer Sia and the Eagles of Death Metal -- the US rockers who were performing at the Paris club that attacked by jihadists last month. Fourth and fifth, respectively, were British singer Sam Smith and American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Top film searches were for "Jurassic Park," action film "Furious 7," war picture "American Sniper," erotic drama "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the animated 3D movie "Minions."

If not Google CEO, I would still build software: Sundar Pichai

 Google CEO Sundar Pichai said even if he was not the chief executive of the internet search giant, he would still have been building software products. India-born Pichai revealed this in response to a question asked by a student during a Q&A session at SRCC in Delhi University. He is on his first trip outside the US since becoming the CEO of Google. Talking about where Pichai sees Google in next 30 years, he said he hopes that the company is still working on products that solve problems for the whole of humanity. He added this ethos of helping humanity using technology is why he was drawn to Google in the first place. Responding to a question on how his vision for Google differed from that of company co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Pichai said that he shares the same aspirations for the company as the two founders. Therefore, he shares most approaches in problem-solving with them than not, even though there are some differences of opinion. Answering why Google has never named Android after an Indian dessert (all Android versions are named after desserts), Pichai jokingly said the company may hold an online poll while naming the next version of the mobile OS. Also Read: Google CEO Sundar Pichai writes open letter supporting Muslims 9 things CEO Sundar Pichai said at Google for India event Responding to host Harsha Bhogle's question about how Google plans to stay relevant in this time of change, Pichai said everything changes at a fast pace in the world of technology and there is a need to keep reinventing to remain relevant. He said the PCs were just getting underway in the 1980s, while internet as we know it came into being 10 years later. A decade later came smartphones and Android was not even in the market at the time. So reinventing itself and keeping abreast of change will help Google remain relevant in coming times. Top Comment Good you have that in you, you can still do whatever you have learnt so far.Shabir Maghar Talking about the current startup scene in India, Pichai said he had been waiting for this change in the country for many years and finally felt it when he visited India last year. He said the quality of ideas by Indian startup founders is the same as that of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and that India is well positioned to become the Silicon Valley of the East. Pichai added that failure is not to be ashamed of and should be taken as a learning instead. He said failed startups in Silicon Valley are considered a badge of honour due to the lessons the founders learned from the journey.