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New tools get added in Google Search for improving online learning facilities especially in Maths and Science

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Online learning has witnessed a new escalating demand from students, teachers, and parents especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. To unleash all the potential of E-Learning and providing students with the best learning resources, Google has revealed some new features for Google Search. The company will be adding five new tools in Google Search for enhancing online learning quality through the same. Currently, Google is working to provide better answers for STEM concepts, complex equations, representing 3D graphics of chemical molecules, etc. This will help both students and teachers to teach and understand the concepts of science and mathematics in a much better way.

Since the classes are conducted online for both school and college students, the teachers can use these tools to enhance their presentations and study modules. Google has added these new five features as a part of the company’s L.E.A.R.N initiative. Currently, the added features will be available in the English language only but in the future, other languages are expected to be added. The Google Search will have educational overviews, examples, practice problems, learning resources from many websites, and more. So, let’s have a look at the new features for Google Search.

Abundant resources for STEM concepts.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts are specifically focussed on newly added features in Google Search. A student or a teacher or any individual can find many useful examples, videos, and overviews to learn any STEM concept they want to. Science and maths are two very crucial subjects and with the right foundation basis, students can have a lot of choices in their future. With the advent of e-learning, we can access study materials from anywhere and Google is making the journey easier and much interesting.

Google Search
Image Source: learndigital.withgoogle.com

Practice, Practice, and Practice

After learning, they can also practice a set of questions to evaluate themselves. This will especially help the students who are preparing for some entrance exam like NEET or JEE. They can solve plenty of problems in Physics, Chemistry, and Maths. Google will also provide learning resources from top learning websites like Byju’s, Chegg, Education Quizzes, Gradeup, Toppr, Careers360, Vedantu, OpenStax, etc. One can also search a specific topic of any subject to find related problems and resources. So, the learning resources are unlimited for whoever wants to take a step forward and enhance their skills.

Implementation of Augmented Reality (AG)

What can be better if a student can have a lab-like experience from their home? Practical lessons are always much more exciting than theory classes and that’s the reason why we used to wait for our practical days in school. Google with the help of AG will show 3D views of several models covering the chemistry, biology, and physics concept. From the simple 3D view of a double bond to a 3D view of the human skeleton, everything is feasible via Google Search. After you search a topic in Google, an option will come “View in 3D” and then you can visualize by clicking on it.

Solving mathematics problems

While some of us find mathematics as a cakewalk, many of us really struggled or still struggle while solving mathematics problems. Google Search can now provide you a step-by-step solution to a math problem. You can go on the search bar and type the equation or you can click a picture using Lens in the Google App. Google Search is working to add more variety of mathematics problems in the search as it has established partnerships with Symbolab, Mathway, etc. These explanations will be provided in 70 different languages. This feature is of great advantage to parents as they can help their kids solve complex math problems after they get a better hold of them.

Navigating Complex Questions

Apart from helping you find resources for understanding the basic concepts of STEM subjects, Google Search is also working to advance the search. In the upcoming weeks, the company claims that it can also provide you solutions to complex questions and not just any STEM concepts. For example, you type an entire question of organic chemistry in the search bar and the tool will show you the related concept to that question as well.

Amazon delivery staff

Thousands of Amazon delivery staff to participate in a nationwide strike in India

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Around 10,000 to 20,000 Amazon delivery staff in India will host and participate in a nationwide strike within a few days. They have raised a few demands like increasing commission rates, insurance claims, and not making the know-your-customer (KYC) process compulsory for every customer of Amazon (Gadgets 360). The strike will continue for an entire day and it will take place at several warehouses of Amazon in metropolitan cities of Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pune. This will affect a huge number of Amazon customers as the undelivered packages will start piling up in the city warehouses, said Trade unions Indian Federation of App-based Transport workers (IFAT) and Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union.

Shaik Salauddin, General Secretary of IFAT National said to Gadgets 360 that 10,000 to 20,000 workers will host the strike later this month. And, this will be the first time in the history of Amazon that an entire country’s logistics operations will be disrupted. The small strikes are eventually taking bigger steps as many delivery workers walked out of Amazon a few days ago.

Earlier strikes by Amazon workers   

More than 1,000 delivery staff of Amazon hosted strikes in Delhi and Pune as hundreds of Amazon delivery workers left their job. But, now all the workers have united together and called for a nationwide strike. The earlier strikes hosted by the delivery staff didn’t affect Amazon’s existing policies in any way. But, the company rather retaliated and took action against a few workers who decided to participate in the strikes, said an unnamed source to Gadgets 360. Since the earlier strikes didn’t bear fruitful action, all the delivery staff across the country decided to put pressure together on Amazon. If the company seems reluctant to take any positive measures for its delivery staff, then the time span of the strike is expected to extend.

Amazon delivery staff
Image Source: business-standard.com

The financial crisis has been triggered after the lockdown for most of the working-class people. IFAT informed in a press release yesterday that the average earning of an Amazon delivery worker was Rs 20,000 per month before the lockdown. But, currently, the earning has stripped down to half of it. So, it is expected that the workers will demand an increase in commission rate when they can barely survive.

Delivery policies of Amazon

The main reason for the chaos caused between the company and its delivery staff is the new policy issued on 15th March. According to this new policy, the delivery staff will receive Rs 10 for delivering each small order and Rs 15 for delivering large orders. But, according to IFAT, this amount was Rs 35 for each order beforehand. The delivery staff has demanded that for each big parcel that is delivered in a big van should be paid Rs 35 each and Rs 20 for each small package delivered. They also want the company to fix the pay to Rs 25 per parcel for ‘I have space’ pick-up points.

The other demand that is expected to be fulfilled by Amazon is to fix the payment of Rs. 20 per parcel for two-wheeler delivery staff and Rs. 70–80 for persons using vans (Gadgets 360). The unions involved in the strike also demanded that the company should pay Rs 480 to each delivery staff for enrolling 20-25 wallets and that they shouldn’t insist on the KYC process for Amazon Pay Customers.

How did Amazon respond?

The nationwide strike by the Amazon delivery staff will have an impact on lakhs of customers across India. Amazon in response to the news of the strike by its delivery workers has said to gadgets 360 that they are listening to the feedbacks by the delivery staffs. “There are no disruptions in any of our delivery operations, and our partners continue to work with us to deliver on time to Amazon customers across the country,” an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We place enormous value in having regular conversations with our partners, listening to their feedback, and addressing them effectively to continuously improve their experience.” The spokesperson further mentioned that each delivery associate of Amazon was covered under different insurance schemes and that KYC is completely optional.

OnePlus 9 Pro

OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro, OnePlus 9R, and OnePlus Watch launched at a virtual event.

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The wait is over for the flagship smartphones launched by the Chinese company this year. OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro through an online event along with the OnePlus 9R and the much-awaited and anticipated OnePlus Watch. The new flagship products of the company are going to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. The new smartphones are also going to have their camera system designed by the Swedish company, Hasselblad. Smartphones by OnePlus have never failed to amaze up with their stunning camera quality. So, this time let’s see what’s in the store for us!

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are designed to be the upgraded version of the OnePlus 8T and the OnePlus 8 Pro respectively. Both the new flagship smartphones have 120Hz displays. OnePlus has also launched the OnePlus 9R at a comparatively affordable rate getting a similar experience in 9 and 9 Pro. Apart from the smartphones, the OnePlus Watch also has impressive features like Warp Charge first charging support. So, let’s have a detailed look at these newly launched gadgets.

Specifications of OnePlus 9

OnePlus 9 will be fueled by Android 11 along with OxygenOS 11. The phone has a 6.55 inch AMOLED full HD display. The aspect ratio is 20:9 with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The screen is protected by a 3D Corning Gorilla Glass. The processor of the OnePlus 9 is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC along with 8GB and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM (Gadgets 360). The phone has an enhanced multi-layered cooling system which is called OnePlus Cool Play.

Undoubtedly, the new OnePlus 9 will become a top choice for many aspiring photographers out there. The camera system of the phone consists of a triple rear camera, a secondary sensor with a wide-angle, and a monochrome sensor. The primary sensor is the 48 megapixel Sony IMX689 with an aperture of f/1.8 and electronic image stabilization (EIS). The secondary camera has a 50 megapixel Sony IMX766 with the ultra wide-angle freeform lens of aperture f/2.2. The monochrome lens is 2 megapixels. The selfie camera of the OnePlus 9 is a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor with an aperture of f/2.4.

OnePlus 9 Pro
Image Source: bgr.in

The smartphone doesn’t support storage expansion through an external SD card but the inbuilt memory is either 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1. Connectivity options are 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The phone supports Warp Charge 65T fast charging and has a 4500mAh battery. The speaker system of the OnePlus 9 has Dolby Atmos support. The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 49,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 54,999 in India.

Specifications of OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9R

The OnePlus 9 Pro runs on the same OS as the OnePlus 9. The size of the phone’s display is 6.7 inches and is paired with low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology which enables the smart 120Hz feature. This technology automatically decreases the power consumption by 50 percent. OnePlus 9 Pro also comes with Hyper Touch support which increases the touch-responsive rate to 360Hz. This feature is very helpful for gamers, especially those who want to have a better experience from playing mobile games. Apart from the Snapdragon 888 SoC, the phone has either 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM.

The camera system of the OnePlus 9 Pro is the same as that of the OnePlus 9 except the former has an additional 8-megapixel telephoto shooter. Sensors consist of an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, laser sensor, and a proximity sensor along with an in-display fingerprint sensor (Gadgets 360). The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 64,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 69,999 in India. Both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro can be preordered from the company’s online stores.

OnePlus 9R will also run on the same OS but will be powered by Snapdragon 870SoC. The phone will have a 6.5 inch OLED display with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The camera system comprises a 48-megapixel rear camera. The 8GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 39,999 and the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 43,999 in India.

Specifications of OnePlus Watch

With a 1.39 inch AMOLED display, the OnePlus Watch will also feature a 2.5D curved glass protection. One can receive voice calls and app notifications directly from the watch and can also change OnePlus’s phone settings.  According to the company, the watch is capable of turning off your OnePlus television thirty minutes after it detects that you are asleep or lower the volume of the TV when you get an incoming call on your connected phone. The watch also has 110 workout modes, SpO2 monitoring, stress detection, etc. The price of the OnePlus watch is Rs 16,999 in India.

WifiNanScan

Google launches ‘WifiNanScan’ on Play Store for developers to measure the distance between phones

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Experimenting with new tech to make the best of an Android phone, Google has recently released the WifiNanScan app for the developers. This new app will be mainly used for measuring the distance between two smartphones using the Wi-Fi Aware technology. Google has been working on such technologies to make the entire process of local discoveries easier for Android users. Apart from the developers, the vendors and the university researchers can also experiment with this new technology for their research purpose and business. This Wi-Fi Aware protocol enabled through the new WifiNanScan app will help two devices (smartphones) in close proximity to connect with each other in absence of any internet connection.

What is Wi-Fi Aware?

The Wi-Fi Aware protocol is a technology that enables any Android smartphone that is running Android 8.0 and above to discover other such devices in close proximity. The device can then directly establish a connection with the other smartphones without any connectivity like the internet. The Wi-Fi Aware technology is also known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN). This technology is made accessible to the public through Google’s new WifiNanScan app which will be mostly used by developers for experimenting and using it as a testing tool.

The Wi-Fi Aware protocol uses the APIs to discover any devices nearby and establish connections between the same. These devices after getting connected can share large amounts of data and send short messages as well (9to5Google). Google has also claimed that with this new app “higher throughput rates across longer distances” are possible which will be more than Bluetooth connection. After the app is installed, it will be able to measure the distance between two smartphones which are up to fifteen meters apart with a precision of about one meter.

Advantage of the Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) Technology

With Wi-Fi Aware protocol using the NAN technology can measure the distance between the two smartphones using the app quite efficiently, it has a lot of advantages. Many discovery apps can implement this technology based on Wi-Fi Aware with the advantage of not needing a stable internet connection. Mainly the developers and OEMs will make extensive use of this tool in order to validate the distance measurement thus making the development process of many apps better. For example, researchers and developers can use this for peer-to-peer ranging and data transfer, find my phone, and context-aware applications (9to5Google).

WifiNanScan
Image Source: play.google.com

Application of WifiNanScan App

Establishing a connection between two smartphones without having to connect to the internet can have a plethora of advantages. You can send important files to someone in close proximity without using any data. There are still many people who find it difficult to afford unlimited data, especially in the pandemic situation when demand for stable connections has significantly increased. So, it will be really helpful if data can be saved for small activities.

Google, for instance, has mentioned a few applications for this new app. The company says that this app can be used to securely send some important documents to the printer without having to log into the network at first. One can also book a table at a restaurant without any internet connection just walking by when the restaurant is not even open. This technology can be used in many fields if harnessed potential efficiently.

WiFiRttScan Application

Two years back a similar app was released by Google called WiFiRttScan App. Android 9 Pie introduced this app for supporting indoor positioning by leveraging 802.11 mc. Google said that the Wi-Fi Round Trip Time (RTT) will enable the system and apps to measure the distance to the nearby RTT cable access points. This technology though is only viable for Android 9 and later versions to take advantage of indoor positioning.

Google then said the same that this app was for research and experiment purposes to validate range measurements and other uses of the RTT tech to build any applications. Apart from the in-building navigation system, the app also provided two extra features. There are, namely, disambiguated voice control and location-based information.

OnePlus 9R 5G

OnePlus to Incorporate Gaming Triggers in its New 9R 5G to Better the Experience for the Gamers

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OnePlus smartphones are known for their high definition camera quality, and with every new launch, it has something exciting to offer. The company is now all set to launch its flagship smartphone in India, which too, is going to incorporate the gaming triggers for its client base who love to play games on their smartphones. The company will launch its 5G smartphone, the OnePlus 9R, in India on 23rd March, and it has already revealed the first look of the product through a teaser on its official Twitter account.

OnePlus 9R 5G

A few days ago, OnePlus confirmed the launch date for its flagship smartphone, 9R 5G, in India, i.e. 23rd of March. The smartphone that claims to provide a “robust flagship experience” to its users, will share the launch date with two other smartphones from the OnePlus 9 series, i.e. OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro phones.

OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau, revealed that the premium device is going to offer support for 5G and will provide “smooth scrolling, immersive gaming controls, and a superior viewing experience.” The company claimed that it wants to reach a wider range of customers, so the prices are going to be quite affordable. Though Lau did not give any numbers about the prices, he confirmed that the premium smartphones will be under a mid-price range.

“With the OnePlus 9R, we are looking to go even further to bring out a balanced handset with the latest technology and class-leading industrial design that can deliver a superior user experience overall and can also offer fast and smooth experiences for daily usage and heavy gameplay,” Lau said.

OnePlus 9R 5G Features

According to some of the reports, the new premium smartphone is mounted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 processor. But believing some other sources, it will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC. The OnePlus 9R 5G is going to have a 90Hz display and will offer a high refresh rate display. The smartphone is also going to boast an HD+ resolution screen. Like its other contemporaries, the teaser reveals multiple rear cameras, and the front camera will be a punch-hole design. Also, the OnePlus 9 series smartphones will have a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charging support.

OnePlus 9R 5G
Image Source: indianexpress.com

Good News for the Gamers

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 9R 5G will be a special phone. It will provide support for 5G technology, but at the same time, it will be enhancing the gaming experience for game lovers as the new phone is incorporated with gaming triggers. Though these triggers are not quite visible in the OnePlus teaser it has posted on its official Twitter account, a picture posted by @thebookisclosed has given more than a hint about the triggers. Some of the reports have also confirmed that the smartphone is going to have those gaming triggers.

From the picture, we have concluded that the triggers are detachable. But the picture doesn’t give any information on if the smartphone will come with some other gaming accessories, or the gaming triggers are the only accessories that the users will get. Also, there is no hint on whether the other two flagship mobiles, i.e. OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, will also be able to run the gaming triggers, or these are only built exclusively for 9R.

The games like PUBG, Fornite, and FreeFire have given a boost to smartphone gameplay. The launch of a smartphone with gaming triggers can be good news for gamers. The speculations are that the new OnePlus 9R will enter into a competition with other gaming smartphones like ASUS ROG and Black Shark.

PS5 VR Controller

Sony Unveils its Next-Generation PlayStation VR Controller for PS5

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Sony introduced its first VR Playstation about four years ago, and since then, there has been tremendous advancement in the game itself. Last month, Sony revealed its next generation of VR on PlayStation5, capable of almost fulfilling Sony’s mission of a stronger sense of presence and deeper immersion for the players. In the announcement, the company talked about the simplified setup and the improved ease-of-use of the PS5 VR. This time, the company has revealed the details on the PS5 VR controllers through a blog post on Sony PS’s official website.

The All-New PS5 VR

On February 23rd, Sony gave out some information on its upcoming launch, the VR for PS5. The company said that the new VR will have a simple setup, and a single cord is enough to connect the PS5 with the VR. The next-generation VR got some new and innovative changes made to it, like a better resolution to provide an even better visual experience, tracking, input, etc. Sony also talked about its new controllers, including some of the DualSense features.

PS5 VR Controllers

According to Sony, the new VR controllers are the main attraction of its next-generation VR for PlayStation. These controllers are the reflection of what Sony has been trying to deliver to its customer in the form of Virtual Reality. The controllers are incorporated with the features of DualSense and are going to change the feel and realistic experience of gaming for the PS5 VR players.

PS5
Image Source: blog.playstation.com
Image Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Innovative Design

The design of the controller is completely different from the traditional gaming remotes. It is of the shape of an ‘orb’ as described by Sony and is a two-piece set that goes into both left and right hands. The controllers are based on the concept of ergonomics, such that these are comfortable to hold for a longer time. The team behind the design of the controller made sure to test the controllers on different sets of hands to make them fit on every size of hands.

“SIE’s Product, Engineering, and Design teams have collaborated to build our new VR controller from the ground up to make a huge leap from current-gen VR gaming. Prototypes of our new VR controller will be in the hands of the development community soon, and we can’t wait to see what ideas they come up with and how the controller helps bring their imagination to life!” said Hideaki Nishino, the head of the platform planning and management at PlayStation.

New Features Introduced

The new controllers have inherited the adaptive trigger technology from the DualSense PS5 controller to add the palpable tension and make the gaming experience even more realistic. According to Sony, with the new controllers, there is no restriction for the players on how they should move their hands to play the games. The controllers come with haptic feedback and finger touch detection, and the controllers have a ring at the bottom of the controller. The headset of the VR set will track the controllers through this ring. The touch-sensitive areas included in the controllers are made to detect where the players place their thumb, index, and middle fingers.

Talking about the buttons on the left and the right controller, the left controller includes the usual triangle and square buttons, L1, L2, and a Create button as well as an analog stick. The right controller includes the other analog stick. It has similar cross and circle buttons, R1, R2 like the traditional controllers, and also the Options button. The L1 and R1 buttons on the controllers have been labeled as “grip”. This grip button is to pick up items in-game.

For now, Sony has only talked about the controllers, and there is no information on the PS5 VR headset as yet. Though the testing of the next-generation is currently going on, there is no news of if Sony will launch the PS5 VR any time sooner or in 2021. Since the information on the VR controllers is already out, we can expect the company to reveal the information on the VR headset in the coming months.