Following the first Project Jacquard consumer product, ATAP is making a smartwatch with Project Soli built-in. Soli is a gesture recognition technology based on radar that can sense fine hand movements.
Update 6/27: The Google Awareness API is now available to all developers as part of Play Services 9.2. Using seven types of context, apps can intelligently react to what users are doing. The Snapshot API lets developers request information about the user’s current context, while the Fence API lets an app react to changes in a user’s context.
Google worked closely with several partners, including real estate site Trulia to suggest open houses and SuperPlayer Music to suggest music to match the mood. New developer documentation provides more details on how to implement.
With Assistant, Google wants to build technology that is conversational and helpful. Many of the company’s services are being updated to be more useful and Google wants third-party apps to be the same. With the new Awareness API, developers will be able to build apps that intelligently react to a user’s current situation.
Bloomberg reports that a recent meeting between Google’s secretive Google X team and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration raises “the possibility of a new product that may involve biosensors.” While it’s not that surprising that the Google X team behind Glass would meet with FDA staff that regulate eye devices, it’s also said to have met with those in charge of diagnostics for heart conditions. Bloomberg adds that four of the Google employees in attendance “have done research on sensors, including contact lenses that help wearers monitor their biological data.”
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According to a new report from Geek.com, Google is preparing an “XE 10” update for Google Glass next month that will officially enable apps from third-party developers. Details in the report are vague, but the site says Google has been working with devs and providing access to sensors, voice commands, and other features that unofficial third-party apps floating around can’t:
Multiple sources have now confirmed to Geek.com that the update offers developers access to the sensors in Glass for use in motion tracking and development. Developers will also be able to create their own voice commands through Glassware, giving the user the ability to launch the app from the “OK Glass” menu if they so choose.
The site says that Google has been working with developers to ensure Glassware apps will be available at launch, and also says Google will have a launch announcement alongside the XE10 update:
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Update: Google has confirmed to us that it has not acquired Behavio, but rather just picked up some talent from the company that will now be joining GOOG.
Behavio, a software company that uses sensors in mobile devices to compile data how users live and interact with one another, announced today (via TheVerge) that it has joined Google. The company will work on building its platform at Google while shutting down its current closed alpha and continuing to run its open source Funf project for Android that allows developers to take advantage of the technology. No word on whether or not Google has big plans for the technology or if the move was simply an “acquhire,” but Behavio’s statement noted it “couldn’t be happier to be able to continue building out our vision within Google.”
Behavio doesn’t just use traditional sensors in smartphones to learn more about its users, the software also utilizes data such as if a phone is turned on or off, what apps are installed on a device, or if a phone is currently charging or not.
There were no financial details disclosed in Behavio’s press release, and Google is yet to make an official announcement. Below is an interesting interview with Behavio co-founder from Nadav Aharony where he explains how the software works and the MIT project where Behavio was first developed:
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