CNET: Google focuses Android Things to smart speakers and smart displays. “Google’s Android Things is an operating system platform for developers to create low-powered Internet of Things (IoT) devices. When the developers preview launched in 2016, Android Things did not initially limit the types of products developers could build and maintain. That’s now changing, however, with Google announcing Tuesday that the platform will now shift gears and focus primarily on smart speakers and smart displays.”
hardware
University of Washington Tacoma: Tree Power
University of Washington Tacoma: Tree Power. “UW Tacoma Endowed Professor in Engineering Systems Orlando Baiocchi and a group of researchers in Brazil and Portugal are working on projects involving wireless network sensors and energy harvesting. One of the projects involves using trees to power a network of sensors. ‘The buzzword nowadays is energy harvesting but this is a very old idea,’ said Baiocchi. ‘For instance, windmills utilize this concept to convert wind into mechanical or electrical energy.'”
CNET: Chromebook instant tethering now works beyond Google’s laptops and phones
CNET: Chromebook instant tethering now works beyond Google’s laptops and phones. “A feature called instant tethering previously let people with Google’s own Chromebooks and phones quickly get online using their phone’s mobile network. Once it’s set up, it’s just a matter of by tapping a notification to connect. Now instant tethering is spreading beyond Google’s own devices.”
Hackaday: Open Source Biological Gear For The Masses
Hackaday: Open Source Biological Gear For The Masses. “At the risk of putting too fine a point on it, Hackaday exists because people are out there building and documenting open source gadgets. If the person who built a particular gizmo is willing to show the world how they did it, consider us interested. Since you’re reading this, we’ll assume you are as well. Over the years, this mentality has been spreading out from the relatively niche hacker community into the greater engineering world, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Make Tech Easier: 5 of the Best Raspberry Pi Alternatives in 2019
Make Tech Easier: 5 of the Best Raspberry Pi Alternatives in 2019. “While the Raspberry Pi ticks all the boxes with respect to performance, price, and usability, it leaves plenty of room for other boards to tweak that formula. Of late, the market has seen a release of a swathe of new boards with PC-like features. Before we discuss the Raspberry Pi alternatives, let’s take a look at the top specs of the Raspberry Pi 3 model B to give you a picture of how it compares with the competition.”
CNET: Google discontinues its Chromecast Audio device
CNET: Google discontinues its Chromecast Audio device. “Google is no longer making the Chromecast Audio. Google has confirmed the news to CNET, following a report by Variety.”
Google at CES 2019: Everything just announced (CNET)
CNET: Google at CES 2019: Everything just announced. “CES, the world’s largest technology conference, is more important to Google than ever as it pushes devices to consumers that compete against the likes of Amazon, Apple and Samsung. At the center of Google’s strategy is the Assistant, an AI-powered digital helper that’s akin to Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. It’s available in Android phones, Google Home smart speakers, other smart home devices, and as an app on iPhones.”
