Google has finally added the ability to share files with Allo and make audio-only calls with Duo

Google said on Wednesday it would offer an audio-only option on its Duo video calls service to help users communicate using poor-quality connections, and was adding a feature to permit file sharing in group chats on its Allo messaging App. The company launched Google Duo in August, providing video calls for users on Android and iOS, pitting it against Apple Inc’s FaceTime, Microsoft Corp’s video-calling app Skype and Facebook Inc’s Messenger.

Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, said audio-only calls on Duo would be available from Wednesday in Brazil, and would be rolled out to users around the world in the coming days. The audio-only calls would work well on all connection speeds and be data efficient, Google Vice President for Product Management Mario Queiroz said in a blog post after he announced the moves at a Google conference in Sao Paulo.

With more than 139 million people online, Brazil ranks among the top five internet populations in the world. In response to requests from users in countries like Brazil, Google said that Android users everywhere would be able to share documents and other files (.pdf, .docs, .apk, .zip, and mp3) with friends on Allo in group chats.

It also said it was rolling out two new features for Google Photos on Android and iOS to make backup and sharing easier on low connectivity. “Now your photos will back up automatically in a lightweight preview quality that’s fast on 2G connections and still looks great on a smartphone,” Queiroz said in the blog post announcing the new features.

When a stronger Wi-Fi connection becomes available, backed up photos would be replaced with high-quality versions, he added. Google also said it was adding a new location sharing feature in Google Maps to allow users to let friends and family know where they were and when they would arrive at their destination. Users can stop sharing that information at any time, Queiroz said.

Reuters

Publish date: March 23, 2017 12:05 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 12:05 pm

EU has planned a new security draft which will put strict restriction on WhatsApp and Skype

Image Credit: WhatsApp

  13 Dec 2016 , 12:35

Messaging services such as Microsoft’s Skype and Facebook’s WhatsApp face stricter rules on how they handle customer data under new security laws due to be proposed by the European Union, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. The EU executive wants to extend some rules that now only apply to telecom operators to web companies offering calls and messages using the internet, known as “Over-The-Top” (OTT) services, according to the draft.

Web services will have to guarantee the confidentiality of communications and obtain users’ consent to process their location data, mirroring similar provisions included in a separate data protection law due to come into force in 2018.

“Moreover, it generates an uneven playing field between these providers and electronic communications service providers, as services which are perceived by users as functionally equivalent are not subject to the same rules.”

A European Commission spokeswoman declined to comment on the draft but said the aim of the review was to adapt the rules to the data protection regulation which will come into force in 2018 and simplify the provisions for cookies. Telecom companies, barred by current rules from using customer data to provide additional services and make more money, will be able to use customer data with their consent, according to the proposal.

It would also remove the obligation on websites to ask visitors for permission to place cookies on their browsers via a banner if the user has already consented through the privacy settings of the web browser. Cookies are placed on web surfers’ computers and contain bits of information about the user, such as what other sites they have visited or where they are logging in from. They are widely used by companies to deliver targeted ads to users.

“If browsers are equipped with such functionality, websites that want to set cookies for behavioural advertising purposes may not need to put in place banners requesting their consent insofar as users may provide their consent by selecting the right settings in their browser,” the draft said.

Many have questioned the effectiveness of such cookie banners which appear every time a user lands on a website because people tend to accept them without necessarily reading what that entails. “While such banners serve to empower users, at the same time, they may cause irritation because users are forced to read the notices and click on the boxes, thus impairing internet browsing experience,” the draft said. The proposal is set to be unveiled in January and may still undergo changes.

Reuters

WhatsApp announced staged rollout of Video Calling feature for everyone in coming weeks

By tech2 News Staff /  15 Nov 2016 , 13:38

WhatsApp will start the roll-out of ‘Video Calling’ in coming weeks in stages. The company was working on the video calling featured behind in closed beta test since last 4-5 months. It launched the features as a hidden feature for Android Beta users last month and we tried the quality and reliability of the feature as soon as it was rolled out. This rollout will be for everyone across Android, iPhone and Windows Phone devices.

WhatsApp video calling

The company detailed that the feature has been frequently requested by users all across the world. This comes as a natural step in the feature evolution for WhatsApp after the introduction to Group Chats, Voice calling and most recently the launch of web and Windows client for users. WhatsApp users can converse with each other using the feature without having to go to any other VoIP platform like Skype or Viber.

Mr. Neeraj Arora, Head of Business, WhatsApp and Mr. Manpreet Singh
Image Credit: WhatsApp

“Video calling is one of the most requested features from people in India. We’re proud to have the opportunity to launch this feature in India, where we now have 160 million users, and we look forward to seeing people use WhatsApp to talk to their friends and loved ones face to face,” added Jan Koum, CEO and Co-Founder for WhatsApp. The company is working on additional features like ‘Two-Step Verification‘, GIF search inside the app and a new Snapchat ‘Snaps’ like ‘Status’ feature that will allow users to share distructable images or videos to the contact list or individual WhatsApp contacts.

Skype lets you connect with others without creating an account

By tech2 News Staff /  15 Nov 2016 , 13:33

The newest announcement from Microsoft will let users easily connect with users, even without creating an account or downloading the client. So, you can simply join in as guest to access its features such as chat, voice and video calls.

To get started, one will have to head to Skype.com, tap to start a conversation and add your name. Skype will then provide you with a unique conversation link, something similar to how Google let you invite non-Google users to Hangouts. The link can be shared with contacts. You can do so using email and social media, and share with individuals as well as groups. On sharing the links, you can then join the conversation as well as as the guest.

Microsoft will let users invite up to 300 people to chat, while up to 25 people on voice and video calls. And, all of this for free. Skype for web supports several features which include one to one group instant messaging, voice and video calls, screen sharing, file sharing and more.

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Outage Report @ReportOutage

Skype is down since 08:46 AM ESThttps://outage.report/skype 
RT if it's down for you as well #skypedown

3:46 PM - 14 Nov 2016

 
•  22 Retweets
 
•  22 likes

There is another set of reports  circulating online that claim Skype suffered outage on 14 November. The reports furthermore add that some people are still facing difficulty sending messages on Skype chat. However, the engineers claim the problem has been ‘temporarily’fixed.

Skype launches Skype Insiders Program for beta-testing new features

By tech2 News Staff /  09 Nov 2016 , 12:45

Skype is a Microsoft owned video chatting application. Skype is free, but there are features for paid subscribers. It has now launched a program to improve Skype, based on feedback from its most dedicated users. Those who are interested in the program will have early access to the latest features and updates across all platforms, before a wider roll out. Skype Insiders will also be able to contribute to the direction the product goes in, as well as help the Skype team improve the user experience.

Planned new features include group video calls, one on one VoIP audio calls, and Emoji. Skype Insiders can get the latest updates on the desktop as well as mobile versions of the app. Skype is available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux based computers, as well as smartphone operating systems including Android, iOS and Windows.

Skype Insiders will be able to test the updates and provide feedback to Microsoft, to fix the issues before a wider roll out of the features. Users will also be able to submit suggestions to the Skype team, requesting of new features they would like to see in the product.

Users can sign up for the Skype Insiders program from here. There is a clause that prevents users from disclosing sensitive and confidential information about new updates for a period of years, and the clause holds even after the user discontinues the program, or Microsoft decides to terminate the participation by the user. The Skype Insiders program involves using a separate beta build of the application, which can be installed along with the  vanilla version.

How tech can help seniors 'age in place,' save money, and be independent

At the Louisville Innovation Summit, health and tech experts explored how big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things are helping older adults stay healthy and independent.

By Hope Reese | October 10, 2016, 11:57 AM PST

Laurie Orlov, principal analyst, aging in place, for Technology Watch, spoke at the Louisville Innovation Summit.


"Aging care is one of the most aggressive industries in innovation," said Keisha Deonarine, economic development manager for the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Deonarine, speaking at the third annual Louisville Innovation Summiton Monday, hit on a key point: The rise of big data, IoT, and AI have enormous implications for the improvement of the US healthcare system.

It's a system ripe for innovation—already this year, $6.5 billion has been invested in digital health startups.

And it's an industry with critical implications for seniors. In the US, there are 46 million people over the age of 65, and 20 million over the age of 75, saidindustry analyst and former CIO, Laurie Orlov. Where do they all live? Almost half (46%) of women over 75, live alone.

So how can we use technology to help those at home live well? It's becoming a "crisis," said Orlov. According to a 2013 AARP report, the caregiver gap is growing, and by 2030, there will be a 4:1 ratio of caregivers to older adults—a drop from today's 7:1 ratio.

And a major obstacle is that the assisted care industry is still private, said Orlov, and many aging Boomers don't have the funds to cover assisted living.



The telehealth market, which Orlov said is "hot, hot, hot," will grow to $1.9 billion by

Microsoft, Facebook or Google: Whose bot building platform developers prefer?

By tech2 News Staff /  03 Oct 2016 , 17:54

Microsoft went all out earlier this year saying that it is betting big on bots. Satya Nadella who believes that apps will replace bots recently revealed that 45000 developers are using the Microsoft Framework.

It should be noted that using the Microsoft Bot Framework is not limited to Skype, bots can be created for Facebook Messenger, and also other chatting platforms. According to VentureBeat, 34000 developers are building bots on Facebook Messenger. The reportfurther adds that Messenger VP David Marcus had

Skype update for iOS adds Siri integration, supports iOS 10 features

#SKYPE

By tech2 News Staff /  29 Sep 2016 , 14:33

Skype has announced an update for iOS users that claims to integrate the best iOS 10 features into the Skype experience.

The latest Skype version 6.25 for iPhone and iPad adds support for Siri integration, which enables users to use Siri to make Skype calls. Now you can simply say “Call James Archer” to start a call on Skype after confirmation on the right contact from Siri, Skype says in a blogpost.

Image Credit: Skype

In addition to Siri integration using the SiriKit, Skype has also added support for CallKit where incoming Skype calls will look exactly like any regular incoming call. This will enable easier switch between a regular call and a Skype call. The company announced that SiriKit and CallKit integration would arrive at their Skype for Business iOS apps next month providing business owners same freedom as announced in the Skype Blogs.

Image Credit: Skype

There are some limitations with the implementation of the features as you can only make calls to the people if they are in your Skype contact list. You can’t search and add new contacts to your Skype contacts using Siri commands. This update comes right after the update released fromWhatsApp and OlaCabs for iOS 10.

Three Apps to Combine All Your Messaging Clients Into One

Instant messaging is an increasingly competitive market and despite your best efforts to keep it simple and use a single app or platform, it's hard to avoid keeping two or three apps around to keep in touch with different groups of people. In any given day I get hundreds of notifications from HipChat,WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, and my business’ Facebook Page.

While most of these clients are mobile-first nowadays, thankfully for my sake all offer some form of desktop counterpart — either a full blown native client or a web based one — so I can reply faster and more comfortably using an actual keyboard. However that doesn’t make switching between different app windows and browser tabs throughout the day any less annoying.

If this sounds familiar, there are a handful of all in one messaging clients that can save you the trouble by keeping all your chats under one roof, and best of all they are cross-platform. The concept isn’t new — remember Trillian, anyone? — but updated for today’s mobile messaging world.

Franz

I’ll tell you right away all three options we’re covering today work similarly as they are essentially wrappers for the web versions of all the supported messaging apps. But Franz is still my favorite of the bunch. It feels polished, fast and is presented in a clean, no-frills interface.

It covers a wide range of services, among them Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, WeChat, Skype, HipChat, Google Hangouts, GroupMe, Steam Chat, and more. As of writing there are 34 different services in total and development is active so new ones are added regularly. The latest update introduced support for email (Gmail, Inbox by Gmail, and Outlook), Twitter’s TweetDeck client and custom HipChat servers for companies that prefer self-hosted solutions.

Moreover, Franz allows you to add each service many times, which is useful if you manage multiple business and private accounts at the same time. It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Rambo

Rambox is an open source alternative to Franz that works pretty much the same but covers a lot more services — 74 and counting at the time of publishing this piece — and adds a few bells and whistles of its own. Each service you add is listed in its own tab in the Rambox interface, with notifications handled individually for each service and the option to mute all by enabling Do Not Disturb mode.

Like Franz, you can add each service many times, but a key feature that differentiates Rambox is the ability to add a custom service in case you are using an obscure or niche app that isn’t already listed. As long as the service is accessible via URL, which I tested by adding a tab for Chatra.

Other unique features include the ability to lock the app if you’ll be away for a period of time and setup a password for when you come back or when launching the app. If you use Rambox in different computers, you can synchronize your configuration between them, configure it to use a Proxy if your network blocks some services, and add custom behaviors via custom code injection.

Overall it’s a broader and more flexible alternative, though after using it for a few days it didn’t feel as polished as Franz, and I noticed a little lag while switching between clients. Rambox is also available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and since it’s open source you’re always free to check its inner workings.

All-In-One Messenger

If you’d rather have a solution that lives inside the browser then All-in-One Messenger will be more up your alley. It has a more limited list of supported services but not by much, and all the big ones are there. Like its desktop-based counterparts above, you can use as many accounts of the same messenger platform as you want. You can get desktop notifications with one-click reply and mute specific services if you are being distracted by one of them.

If you are a fan of hotkeys All-in-One supports a few, allowing you to quickly toggle between tabs or jump directly into one of them and reordering within the chat interface.

All-in-One is simple, stable, well designed and uses roughly the same amount of resources they would in a browser tab in Chrome. It’s available as a Chrome Web App, and while I prefer a standalone client, it still serves the purpose for keeping all your messaging clients accessible in a single place. It’s also the only of the three that will work on Chrome OS, so there’s that, too.