Google's artificial Intelligence, Samsung Galaxy S9 rumour, Samsung Galaxy A8 plus, OnePlus 5T, ComeBack of FREEDOM 251, Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro

Google creates Artificial Intelligence that creates 'child AI' that could outperform all human-made AIs

Artificial Intelligence (AI) created by humans is quite believable but an AI created by another AI seems like a thing straight out of a futuristic science fiction movie.

But researchers at Google Brain, Google's deep learning AI project, made an announcement in May 2017 that seemed to defy logic. They announced the creation of an AI that's capable of generating its own AIs. Don't believe us? Read on.

The team of researchers at Google Brain recently presented AutoML, the AI progenitor capable of creating its own kind, with its biggest challenge to date, to give birth to another AI, and the result was an AI "child" that outperformed all of its human-made counterparts.

Now, an AI created by another mega-AI that's far better than man-made AIs evokes a feeling of great achievement, but also feels destructive at the same time. Considering what it can do if it becomes so smart that it could create hundreds of such AIs. But let's get back to the reality and stop fantasising.

AutoML which quite understandably stands for "Automated" Machine Learning uses an approach called "Reinforcement learning" wherein AutoML acts as a controller neural network (much like the human brain itself) that develops a child AI network for a specific task (more like the peripheral nervous system).

This particular child AI, fondly called 'NASNet' by the researchers, was tasked with recognising objects which include - people, cars, traffic lights, handbags, backpacks etc in a video in real-time.

AutoML would evaluate NASNet's performance, like how a teacher or parent would, and use that information to improve its child AI. Only, unlike humans, the process of evaluation and improvisation was repeated several thousand times over.

Also Read: AI could destroy us in 'the worst event' in human history if not controlled, says Stephen Hawking

NASNet's recognition skills were tested on ImageNet Image Classification and COCO object detection data sets, which the Google researchers call "two of the most respected large-scale academic data sets in computer vision", and ultimately NASNet outperformed all other computer vision systems.

According to the researchers, NASNet was 82.7 percent accurate at predicting/recognizing images on ImageNet's validation set. NASNet's results are 1.2 percent better than any previously published results, and the system is 4 percent more efficient with a mean Average Precision (mAP) rate of 43.1 percent. Meanwhile, a less demanding (requiring lesser computation) version of NASNet that was developed for mobile, outperformed the best similarly sized models by 3.1 percent.

How does NASNet do that?

Machine Learning, that's what gives many AI systems the ability to perform specific tasks. The concept is fairly simple, there's an algorithm that learns by being fed lots and lots of data, but the process of feeding and making it learn requires a lot of time and effort. Automation is making it feed itself and learn all by itself. AutoML is an automated Machine Learning algorithm, so what this means is that AutoML could open up a field of machine learning and AI to non-experts as well.

Talking about NASNet, since it is a visual machine learning AI it could be employed to help visually impaired people regain sight, as one researcher suggested. Such AIs could also help designers improve self-driving car technologies. The faster an autonomous vehicle/self-driving recognizes objects in its path, the faster it can react to them thereby increasing the safety of the vehicle.

"We hope that the larger machine learning community will be able to build on these models to address multitudes of computer vision problems we have not yet imagined," Google brain researchers wrote in their blog post.

However big the application of NASNet and AutoML may be, but the creation of an AI that can build an AI does raise some concerns. For example, what if AutoML creates systems so fast that human society can't keep up? But one application where NASNet could safely be applied in the future is automated surveillance systems.

Samsung Galaxy S9 rumoured to come with new DeX station that will turn the phone's display into mouse pad

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ are just a few months away from launch if the latest rumours are to be believed. Adding to the growing rumour mill surrounding the new flagship smartphone series, a new report said on Monday that the South Korean tech giant's upcoming premium smartphone will come with a new version of the DeX wireless charging station.

The new dock will be called the Dex Pad, and it will come in black colour, SamMobile reported, citing GalaxyClub. According to the report, the second-generation DeX dock will act like a pad rather than a stand.

Thanks to Android Oreo, users will be able to use the display of a connected Galaxy phone as a mouse.

In addition, the new Dex Pad will also allow users to use it as a keyboard.

"We do wonder how one will go about connecting the phone to the dock if it's lying flat, though," SamMobile said, adding that there could be a hinge for the USB port that will be hidden when unused.

Monday's rumour followed another report saying that both Galaxy S9 and S9 will be available in new purple/violet colour in addition to black, blue and gold.

According to recent rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will feature a 5.8-inch display and 4 GB of RAM while the Galaxy S9 will come with a 6.2-inch screen and 6 GB of RAM. Both the phones will sport the Infinity Display like their predecessors.

The global version of the Galaxy S9 is expected to feature Samsung's new Exynos 9 Series 9810 processor while the US-specific model will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 845 CPU. The phones are also speculated to feature Bixby AI button and the 3.5mm audio jack.

The Galaxy S9 and S9 are also rumoured to be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 that will be held in January. However, the actual launch of the phones is expected to take place sometime in March.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) images leaked

Rumours of the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus are already doing rounds for a while now. A new report now suggests that Samsung will soon launch a new Galaxy A8 Plus with narrow bezels. The upcoming phone has been leaked in a set of pictures, revealing the device's front panel on popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

A Weibo user has leaked two images of a Samsung Galaxy phone which has relatively slim bezels. The first image of the next-generation Galaxy A8 Plus shows that the phone will sport an Infinity Display with an aspect ratio of 18:5:9. The handset will have a home button placed on the rear of the device.

The second image gives a clearer look at the model number which reads SM-A730F.

The information about the phone's specifications is unknown. The phone is expected to feature a mid-end processor, 4GB RAM and a 3300mAh battery. Earlier, the Galaxy A8 (2018) lineup was rumoured to sport a 5.7-inch bezel-less display. The handset will feature 32GB of storage, which can be extended up to 256GB.

Additionally, the phone is expected to be powered by an Exynos 7885 octa-core processor. The Galaxy A8 Plus might feature a 16MP rear camera and 16MP front camera. The leaked images also reveal the phone to get a dual selfie camera on the front.

OnePlus 5T's Dash Charging is faster than that of Apple's latest iPhones

Fast charging now days has become pretty much a norm for recent flagship smartphones. Apple's latest offering iPhone X and iPhone 8 are its first smartphones that officially support fast charging with USB-C. Most of the flagship smartphones have included the ability to fuel up the phone in a limited period of time.

A new report comparing the charging time of flagship smartphones suggested that OnePlus 5T charge more quickly than Apple's latest flagship - iPhone X and iPhone 8. tested these devices by charging them from zero and measured it for about 30 minutes of charging time.

The testing was done using both the standard AC plug and the fast-charging adapter to conclude the results.

The study stated that the OnePlus 5T, which relies on its own proprietary Dash Charge technology, led the pack, by reaching 59 percent in just 30 minutes. While the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus were at 50 percent, 49 percent and 47 percent battery in 30 minutes of charging with the $68 fast-charging adapter and USB-C. During the test the phones were on but the screens were turned off.

However, the same report suggested that the charging time of these iPhones charge slower than the rest of the field when charged with the included adapter with the iPhone X reaching only 17 percent in 30 minutes. While the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus reached 30 percent and 26 percent respectively with their included chargers.

According to the same report, when the phones were tested for an hour, the OnePlus 5T did the commendable job as the phone reached 93 percent in 60 minutes, while LG V30 snagged the second place, reaching 86 percent. On the other hand iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were at 81 percent, 80 percent and 79 percent in 60 minutes of charging time.

Users should note that the latest iPhones perform slower than flagship Android phones, even though you spend a fortune to get the fast charging in the first place.

Comeback of Freedom 251 mobile? This is what the makers want to launch world's cheapest smartphone

Freedom 251 was once touted to be the world's cheapest smartphone. When it was announced, millions of people had booked the device. However, the makers failed to deliver the mobile. Mohit Goel, the man who envisioned the Freedom 251 phone, was arrested last year and stayed in jail for 6 months. But now he is back and claims that if there is a support from the government of India, the Freedom 251 smartphone could be a reality. Goel has reportedly said that if he gets support from the government, he can still deliver the handsets by March-April next year.

Goel claimed that the government did not come to his support despite his commitment to ' Make in India ' and 'Start-up India' initiative by providing every single Indian citizen with a smartphone.

However, Goel still hopes that the government will support this idea so that the Freedom 251 smartphone could come alive and the people who booked it get their devices. He has also talked about the reason why the Freedom 251 could not be delivered to the people who booked it. Two people from Delhi have been accused of allegedly running away with almost Rs 3.5 crore from Ringing Bells. Goel is the Managing Director of Noida-based Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd. Goel has claimed that they took the money for delivering the handsets but did not.

Police on Sunday arrested the two people after Goel filed an FIR against them for not delivering "Freedom 251" units even after the company paid them in advance. They have been sent to Dasna jail, Noida's Superintendent of Police, City, Arun Kumar Singh told IANS.

Speaking to IANS, Goel said: "I paid the duo nearly Rs 3.5 crore and, in return, they cheated me. They syphoned off the money and did not deliver any phone. In February this year, some distributors filed a case against me and I was jailed for six months. Now with the fresh arrests, people will come to know why I failed to deliver on my promise."

"Our company' President Ashok Chadda is still languishing in jail. I need one opportunity to come back clean and provide people handsets by March-April next year," Goel told IANS, adding that he is not planning anything else at the moment but to focus on his 'Freedom 251' dream.

Goel also spoke about the recent trend in cheap 4G phones from Reliance Jio and Airtel. He said, "The big players today have adopted my model and are now giving smartphones in as low as Rs 1,300, like Karbonn. The Jio model for paying Rs 1,500 in advance for a smartphone is similar. They have deep pockets so they can afford but why don't people ask them how they are making smartphones so cheap?"

Ringing Bells, in mid-February 2016, had planned to deliver 2.5 million handsets before June 30, the same year. Ringing Bells received mammoth - over 70 million - registrations before its payment gateway crashed. The world's cheapest phone made a splash across the globe, with almost every big media house writing about the "miracle device".

Micromax launches 'Canvas Infinity Pro' with dual selfie cameras in India

Micromax has launched the Canvas Infinity Pro as its new 18:9 display featuring model in India.

The Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro features a 5.7-inch Full Vision display with HD (720×1440 pixels) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The display panel is also claimed to have 450 nits of brightness. Under the hood, the smartphone has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC, paired with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 64GB onboard storage. There is a microSD card slot to offer storage expansion (up to 128GB).

Micromax has provided a 16-megapixel camera sensor on the rear of the Canvas Infinity Pro along with an LED flash, while its front panel includes two camera sensors with 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel resolution.

The smartphone also comes preloaded with features such as portrait mode, face beauty mode, auto scene detection, face gallery, and tale album. Additionally, there is a Super Pixel feature that combines multiple images to provide users with a higher resolution image.

The Micromax Canvas Infinity is equipped with a fingerprint scanner that is touted to unlock the screen in 0.2 seconds and can accept fingerprints with a 360-degree acceptance angle.

The smartphone runs Android Nougat with a custom skin on top. There are also standard connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB. Besides, the handset packs a 3000mAh battery that is claimed to deliver 20 hours of talk time or 420 hours of standby time on a single charge.

Unlike the Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro, the previously launched Canvas Infinity had a Snapdragon 425 SoC, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The handset also had a smaller, 2900mAh battery. However, one thing that broadens the distinction between the two Canvas Infinity handsets is the dual-selfie camera that Micromax has provided on the newer model.

The Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro with a price tag of Rs. 13,999 will be exclusively available on Flipkart starting Wednesday, December 6 midnight. In August, the Indian vendor ventured into the market of bezel-less smartphones with the Canvas Infinity that was launched at Rs. 9,999.