WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016 TECHNOLOGY rolling out latest Android to Nexus phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Google is ready to emojis and the ability to reply to notifi- sucking task of scheduling meetings. that offers as a service in the ing users to compile medical and health start sending out the latest version of its cations without opening an app. Rival “Genee uses natural language pro- internet cloud. The team that started data from different sources, and share Android to a handful Apple is scheduled to release the latest cessing and optimized decision-making Silicon Valley-based Genee in 2014 will as needed with third parties, including of devices. The release announced operating system for the iPhone next algorithms so that interacting with a vir- join the Microsoft and the existing serv- doctors. Monday means many Nexus-branded month. tual assistant is just like interacting with ice will be discontinued next month, “We’ve built a magical machine,” devices should receive a free upgrade to a human one,” Outlook and Office 365 according to the companies. Gliimpse said on its website. “It takes Android 7.0, nicknamed “Nougat,” dur- Microsoft revs machine smarts corporate vice president Rajesh Jha said Apple confirmed press reports that it incomprehensible electronic medical ing the next few weeks. The first models Meanwhile, Microsoft on Monday in a blog post. For example, Genee can has bought startup Gliimpse, which records and turns them into under- in line include the , , announced it bought a startup to be copied into an email exchange to act uses machine learning as part of its for- standable, standardized, coded ele- , Nexus 9, Nexus Player, C boost its artificial intelligence capabili- as a virtual assistant of sorts to pin mula for in letting people securing man- ments and terminology that both and General Mobile 4G. Other smart- ties, and rival Apple confirmed it has down a time for a business or social age and share personal medical infor- humans and machines can easily phones coming out this fall will be sold boosted its health focus with an acqui- meeting. Jha touted Genee as having mation. “Apple buys smaller technology understand and use.” Apple has intro- with Nougat already installed. The new sition of its own. Microsoft did not dis- designed “an intelligent virtual assistant companies from time to time, and we duced features and platforms version of Android has been in a testing close financial terms of its deal to buy specialized in the appointment deci- generally do not discuss our purpose or for its mobile devices to be tools for phase since March as Google polished Genee, which specializes in using sion.” The technology was expected to plans,” Apple said in a statement. people to manage and improve fitness the system that will feature 72 new machine smarts to handle the time- be put to work in Office 365 software Gliimpse offers a unique platform allow- and health. — Agencies

Mobileye and Delphi team up to develop robot car system

JERUSALEM: Israeli technology firm company Tesla announced that a driver Mobileye and UK-based auto-equipment was killed in a car crash in Florida in May maker Delphi said yesterday that they while using the “autopilot” self-driving were teaming up to develop an mechanism on one of its models. autonomous driving system which would The National Highway Traffic Safety be ready for vehicle-makers in 2019. A Administration (NHTSA) said it had joint statement by the two companies opened a “preliminary evaluation” into said that Mobileye’s vision and sensor the performance of the autopilot func- systems would combine with Delphi’s tion in the wake of the crash. A major automated driving software to create study released earlier this month said what it called “the market’s first turnkey the looming arrival of self-driving vehi- Level 4/5 automated driving solution.” cles is likely to vastly reduce traffic fatali- The US-based Society of Automotive ties, but also poses difficult moral dilem- Engineers defines level 4 as “High mas. Scientists said autonomous driving Automation” in all but the most adverse systems will require programmers to driving conditions and level 5 as “Full develop algorithms to make critical Automation” “under all roadway and decisions that are based more on ethics environmental conditions that can be than technology, such as whether to managed by a human driver.” sacrifice a driver or passenger rather Last month, German car maker BMW than pedestrians. announced that it was joining forces with Mobileye describes itself as the “glob- Mobileye and US computer chip giant al leader in the development of comput- on a self-drive project, also for er vision and machine learning, data “highly and fully automated driving” to analysis, localization and mapping for be commercially available by 2021. There Advanced Driver Assistance Systems is growing interest in self-driving cars fol- and autonomous driving.” Delphi says it lowing tests over the past few years by is “a world leader in automated driving Google and research by several major software, sensors and systems integra- automakers. But on July 1, US electric car tion.” —AFP Super Mario’s global appeal MOSCOW: A man plays at the Pokemon Go augmented reality game in central Moscow. — AFP NEW YORK: Take that, Pokemon. On Mario’s backstory Sunday, the Japanese prime minister The franchise began in 1981, when turned up at the Olympics closing cere- Donkey Kong debuted as an arcade Pokemon-mad Russians hunting monies to promote the 2020 Tokyo games game. Donkey Kong soon became the dressed up as Mario , the eponymous hero hottest selling arcade game in the busi- of the popular video game series created in ness. In that game, a character called Ivan the Terrible with new app 1985. Who is Mario and how did he come “Jumpman,” similar to Mario, tried to save by his global appeal? Here’s a closer look. a damsel from a big ape. Super Mario came a long four years later, packaged App’s characters are figures from Russian history Why Super Mario? with the Nintendo Entertainment System, MOSCOW: A compass on the cational digital project called Discover Moscow, Russian though an English language version is Japanese animation and game charac- popularizing the side-scrolling screen points towards Red Square. As the dis- which maps historical buildings and makes it planned-took a while to complete since devel- ters from Hello Kitty to Pac Man also made videogame format. Mario’s first job was tance to the target narrows, the camera app possible for locals and tourists to create person- opers were trying out various technologies to appearances in the closing ceremonies. But carpentry, but later he became a pops up and zooms in on a bearded figure in a alized guided tours as well as offering quizzes digitize the historical figures and make them none of them may have the global reach of plumber, and in many games he travels fur cloak. The routine is familiar to Pokemon and quests. three-dimensional, Kuznetsov said. Super Mario, the game franchise that was a up and down in a world of underground hunters obsessed with the ultra-popular “The launch of Pokemon Go gave further “Through this game, we hope to attract hit when Nintendo’s video game system pipes. In his book “Game Over: How Pokemon Go game-but this is no Pokemon. impetus” to the Moscow game, which debuted tourists to the main Discover Moscow app, so and Game Boy burst onto the scene in the Nintendo Conquered the World,” David Instead, it is Russia’s brutal 16th-century tsar in mid-August, said project leader Kirill that they can learn something about the rich 1980s. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s appear- Sheff wrote that Mario was named after Ivan the Terrible, or rather, his digital 3D rendi- Kuznetsov, who works for Moscow city hall. The history of the city,” he said. The game gives ance as Super Mario was a crowd-pleasing Nintendo’s US landlord, who was tion in a new app developed by Moscow author- game comes out as Pokemon Go is still not offi- Muscovites “more reason to go for a walk,” said a reminder of how much the game helped demanding back rent from the compa- ities. As the Pokemon Go craze sweeps the cially available in Russia, although thousands of press release from city hall, which is on a quest spur on the videogame revolution in the ny’s fledgling US arm. Nintendo doesn’t globe, city officials have launched an augment- Russians have already found ways to download to redevelop Moscow into a tech-savvy and U.S. and globally. Abe emerged from a confirm or deny the story. ed reality app called Discover Moscow Photo, it and their incessant Pokemon hunting has modern capital, so far with mixed results. The green pipe in a big red Super Mario cap which is billed as Russia’s answer to the irked some officials and clerics. game is set to add another dozen characters to and costume, holding a glowing red ball By the numbers Nintendo creation. the current nine, a difficult and delicate task as kicked to him by famed manga soccer star There are more than 100 games, for Instead of yellow and pink Pokemons, the ‘Educational version’ they have to be widely recognizable but not too Captain Tsubasa. various gaming systems, ranging from app’s characters are figures from Russian history- The Moscow government has invested one controversial. Donkey Kong to Super Mario Kart, in from modernising tsar Peter the Great to million rubles ($15,600) in the app and does not For Maxim Malyshev, the head developer at How did Super Mario’s which Mario is the primary character, Napoleon Bonaparte, who briefly occupied deny its resemblance to Pokemon Go, calling it the game’s producer Notamedia, “the most dif- appearance come about? and many more in which he makes Moscow in 1812, to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri an “educational version” of the game in its pub- ficult thing is to find actors who resemble the Tokyo 2020 organizers said in a state- appearances. Mario Brothers is the Gagarin and national poet Alexander Pushkin licity materials. “Some users have accused us of characters as closely as possible.” As augment- ment that the Super Mario idea came up dur- best-selling video franchise of all time, and composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The app, avail- stealing the (Pokemon Go) idea,” Kuznetsov said ed reality technology advances, there will be ing a brainstorming session. Staff at Nintendo with more than 490 million units sold able for Apple and Google Android devices, in a recent interview, explaining that in fact the more and more possibilities for the game, he would say only that the government asked to since 1995, according to research firm allows players to track down historical figures in Russian game has been in the making for three said: “We can make characters interact with borrow the character for the show. NPD. — AP places they once frequented and take a selfie years, ever since the augmented reality technol- objects or play with other parameters like per- with their 3D images. The app is part of an edu- ogy became available. The game-so far only in spective.” — AFP

France, Germany want limits on encryption to fight terrorism

PARIS: France and Germany pushed yesterday for Europe- wide rules requiring messaging apps such as Telegram to limit encryption to help governments monitor communi- cations among suspected extremists. Privacy advocates argue that encryption is essential to online security, notably for banking transactions. But encrypted apps are also increasingly used by extremists to hide their location, coordinate operations and trade weapons and sex slaves. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said French author- ities have detained three people this month with “clear attack plans,” but that police need better tools to monitor messaging apps the way they can tap phones. He said the three were among seven people detained with suspected links to extremist networks, without elaborating. He and SAN FRANCISCO: This file photo taken on April 28, 2015 shows a Microsoft logo dur- German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said they’re ing the 2015 Microsoft Build Conference at Moscone Center. — AFP not pushing to ban encrypted services, but to work with companies that offer such apps or services to ensure they Deal puts Microsoft apps can’t be abused by violent extremists. They want EU lead- ers to discuss a Europe-wide policy controlling encryp- tion at a summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month. But on they didn’t elaborate on how exactly companies should limit encryption, and Cazeneuve acknowledged that his SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft apps such as eral years. The deal includes cross-licens- government doesn’t even have any interlocutors at some Office and Skype will be installed on ing that will allow patented Microsoft companies. Lenovo mobile devices powered by technology to be used in Lenovo and He specifically mentioned concerns about Telegram, an Android software under the terms of a col- devices, according to the com- encrypted app used around the world. Islamic State laboration announced late Monday. The panies. “Our collaboration with Microsoft extremists are among its many users - including a 19-year- US technology giant and the Chinese will create new opportunities for our cus- old who attacked a Catholic church in Normandy last computer titan said they were “deepening tomers to take advantage of some of month and allegedly posted about his impending plans on their strategic relationship” with a move Microsoft’s most popular apps,” said the app. Telegram says on its website that it blocks terror- that could add to the ranks of people Lenovo leader of corporate alliances ist-related public channels, but doesn’t intervene in private using Microsoft programs as services host- Christian Eigen. Microsoft and leading chats among participants. ed in the internet cloud. “The marriage of Android smartphone maker US authorities have also pressed tech companies to work Microsoft’s apps and Lenovo’s Android- announced a deal last year to bring the US with the government against extremist activity online, with based devices will enable customers company’s software to smartphone and varying degrees of success. After deadly attacks in France around the world to be more productive, tablets made by the South Korean firm. and Germany this summer, the two interior ministers also more connected and achieve even more,” Microsoft built its fortune on packaged stressed the need for a unified European system for sharing Microsoft corporate vice president Nick software but has made a priority of host- RIO DE JANEIRO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe poses just after removing the police information. “The fight against terrorism is the first Parker said in a statement. ing applications as services hosted online costume of the Nintendo game character Super Mario as he makes an appearance- priority for Europeans,” Cazeneuve said. “It’s imperative that Lenovo is expected to ship millions of and accessible from a broad array of inter- during the closing ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics. — AP police have a single interface.” — AP Android-powered devices in the next sev- net-linked devices. — AFP