mardi 30 avril 2019

After 18 years at Google and Alphabet, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is stepping down

Picture of Eric Schmidt Win McNamee/Getty Images

Alphabet announced today that Alphabet board member and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will not seek re-election once his terms ends June 19, 2019.

Chairman of the Board of Directors John Hennessy had the following to say in regards to Schmidt:

Eric has made an extraordinary contribution to Google and Alphabet as CEO, Chairman, and Board member. We are extremely grateful for his guidance and leadership over many years.

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Android Authority reached out to Alphabet regarding Schmidt's imminent departure, but didn't hear back by press time.

The news isn't a complete surprise, seeing how Schmidt stepped down as Executive Chairman on Alphabet's board of directors in 2017. Schmidt remained on Alphabet's board, though Alphabet CEO and Google co-founder Larry Page noted at the time that Schmidt would serve as a technical adviser on science and technology issues.

Schmidt is best known for his tenure as Google CEO from 2001 to 2017, Google Executive Chairman from 2011 to 2015, and Alphabet Executive Chairman from 2015 to 2017. Schmidt was also elected to Apple's board of directors from 2006 to 2009 and famously remained on Apple's board as Google worked on its iPhone competitor.

Before his time at Google, Schmidt served as Novell CEO from 1997 to 2001 and worked at Sun Microsystems as the company's first software engineer.

NEXT: Google says Pixel sales are down, blames 'pressures' in premium segment



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Movavi makes it easy to edit videos on your phone and computer

Smartphones these days rival and sometimes outperform consumer-level cameras when it comes to video quality. But after you capture a memory, you typically have to transfer files over to your computer and edit them there if you want a professional-looking movie or slideshow.

That's no longer an issue thanks to the Movavi Clips video editor. This free app for Android and iOS makes it easy to take an assortment of photos and video clips and export a masterpiece for your friends and family to enjoy.

Upon first opening Movavi Clips, you will be asked which aspect ratio you would like to use for your creation. This option is perfect for those mobile videographers who want to upload videos in the ideal resolution for Instagram, YouTube, and other social platforms.

When you're ready to begin, you will find editing tools generally reserved for professional video editing software. Some of the tools available in the app include precise clip cutting, the ability to slow down or fast forward video clips, add transitions, and much more.

Once you have the basic video assembled, you can then use Movavi to color correct your footage using color filters. You can also manually adjust the brightness and saturation of each clip.

Before you export the movie, you can add titles, stickers, and voice-overs to give it a personalized feel. Additionally, you can choose to add music from Movavi's built-in music and sounds library. This takes away the difficulty of having to find copyright free music.
When you're done, you can either save your creation directly to your smartphone or share it with other apps.

The best part about Movavi is that it's completely free and is even ad-free. The premium version unlocks all of the sticker packs, includes all future versions of the video editor, features priority support, and removed the Movavi watermark from your finished videos.

You can buy the premium version of the app for $14.99 for lifetime access or choose to pay $6.99 a year or $1.49 a month.

Download Movavi Clips for Android and iOS directly from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store by clicking on the buttons below:

Movavi video editor for desktop

If you liked the look of Movavi Clips and now want a similar video editor for your computer, don't fret. The company that makes the mobile app also has a video editor that works perfectly on Windows and MacOS.

Just like with the Movavi Clips app, you don't lose out on any professional features with the desktop video editor. You can still cut, trim, crop, and rotate video clips, plus you'll be able to capture video from a webcam, your screen, and chroma key backgrounds.
Additionally, the Movavi Video Editor comes with its own built-in music collection, stickers, color filters, and video samples.

If you've ever used other video editing software, you're going to find Movavi to be extremely easy to use. Within 20 minutes of use, you'll be editing together movies like a pro.

As you can see in the above video, Movavi also makes special effect packages that can be used in its video editor. These cost an additional $9.95 to $19.95 each, but come with a wide assortment of items that are guaranteed to spice up your videos.

You can buy the Movavi Video Editor for $39.95 for Windows and MacOS by clicking on the button below:

This article is sponsored by Movavi.



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Facebook Dating coming to US this year with new ‘Secret Crush’ feature

The Facebook logo on a blue background.

In September last year, Facebook rolled out Facebook Dating features in Colombia as a test run. Now, the service is live in five countries with 14 more on the way very soon.

Today, Facebook committed to bringing Facebook Dating to the United States by the end of 2019 (via TechCrunch).

We covered the initial test run of Facebook's first dating features here, and not too much has changed since then (it's basically a dating app but within Facebook). You still need to opt-in to use Facebook Dating and there's still no plan to monetize the service.

Facebook did introduce one new feature today which is called Secret Crush. The purpose of Secret Crush is to help you connect to people with whom you are already friends.

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The way Secret Crush works is that you select up to nine people on your friends list whom you are crushing on. If they have opted-in to Facebook Dating, they'll receive a notification that a friend of theirs has a crush on them. If they then go through their own list of friends and pick you as one of their nine crushes, you'll both match up and a Facebook Messenger chat will automatically begin.

Essentially, Secret Crush is an ice breaker: it alerts two people that they like each other and then facilitates a conversation.

If the first thing you're thinking is that people will just keep subbing in new friends until they get a match to game the system, Facebook has that covered: once you select your nine crushes, you can only sub out one of those crushes each day. If you have hundreds of friends, it could take you years to get through them all. So choose your crushes wisely.

Facebook Dating has no specific release date for the U.S. as of yet but will be here by the end of the year.

NEXT: Facebook Dating is doing a test run right now in Colombia



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Xiaomi Mi Band 4 images offer a first glimpse of the upcoming fitness tracker

Earlier today, DroidShout reported that the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 passed through Taiwan's NCC certification agency. Thanks to the visit, we now have a first look at the unannounced fitness tracker.

Based on the images, the Mi Band 4 doesn't look all that dissimilar to the Mi Band 3. There's nothing yet to suggest that the Mi Band 4 will have a larger display than its predecessor's, though we see the retention of the heart rate sensor. There's talk that the sensor might be an electrocardiography (ECG) monitor, but the images seeming point to a photoplethysmography (PPG) monitor.

Images of the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 passing through Taiwan's NCC certification agency. DroidShout

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Elsewhere, there might be a second Mi Band 4 variant with NFC. That means you could use the fitness tracker for contactless payments, but don't get too excited — the NFC version might only be available in China. At least every version of the Mi Band 4 features Bluetooth 5.0.

There's not much else we know about the fitness tracker, though it should be a popular device. For reference, the Mi Band 3 sold one million units only 17 days after it was released. The Mi Band 4 will likely reach the same sales mark in even less time, though we'll keep our eyes peeled for an announcement and its after-launch performance.

If you want an idea of what to expect, the Mi Band 3 is available on Amazon through third-party sellers for around $30 to $40. You can pick one up at the link below.

NEXT: We asked, you told us: Most don't see the benefit of a smartwatch or fitness tracker

Affiliate disclosure: We may receive compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Nokia 4.2 now up for pre-order in the US, won’t break the bank

Screenshot of the Nokia 4.2 on Amazon.

If you're in the market for a mid-range Android smartphone that doesn't break the bank, the Nokia 4.2 is now up for pre-order in the U.S. through Amazon. Given how many Nokia phones it has listed, Best Buy will likely also carry the Nokia 4.2.

The Nokia 4.2 is set for a May 14 release, with black and pink being your only color options. The $189 price tag makes the limited color choices easier to live with, but the phone only works on GSM networks (sorry, Sprint and Verizon customers).

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Announced during MWC 2019, the Nokia 4.2 is what HMD Global referred to as an "affordable flagship" device. As a refresher, the Nokia 4.2 features a 5.71-inch IPS display with HD+ (1,520 x 720) resolution, dual rear 13- and 2-megapixel cameras, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a 3,000mAh battery.

The Nokia 4.2 also runs Android 9 Pie and is an Android One device. That means the phone is slated to receive monthly security updates and at least two major Android updates to Android Q and R.

Finally, the Nokia 4.2 is one of the first Nokia phones to feature a dedicated Google Assistant button. A single click opens Assistant, a double-click opens Google Assistant with a feed, and a press-and-hold keeps Assistant in an active listening mode to maintain a conversation.

You can pre-order the Nokia 4.2 at the link below.

Affiliate disclosure: We may receive compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Facebook Messenger desktop app, group viewing, more on the way

Facebook today started up F8 2019, its annual developer's conference. During the keynote address, the company revealed a few new features coming to Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular communication apps on the planet.

The biggest new feature is the imminent launch of a desktop application for Windows and macOS. This app will allow you to use most of Messenger's features — including group messaging, video chats, sending GIFs, etc. — without needing to visit Facebook or even have a browser open. Facebook says it is currently testing these apps for a rollout later this year.

Facebook

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Another new feature on the way is group viewing. Using this feature, you and your friends will be able to watch a video together and even add commentary and reactions as the video plays back. It's not clear which video platforms will support this feature, but Facebook suggests it will work for anything you can share on the Facebook site itself.

In the vein of interacting with your friends, Facebook Messenger will also soon have a dedicated space for you and people you know to discover content relevant to your interests. This could be Stories, people, or even other messages. You will also be able to create messages and stories that only appear for certain people.

Facebook

Finally, to help keep that revenue stream coming in, Facebook is also introducing new ways for businesses to use Messenger. There will be new kinds of ads, such as a questionnaire ad that will allow businesses to learn about you quickly right from Messenger. There will also be new appointment functions so you can make a restaurant reservation during a chat with an employee of that restaurant without leaving your chat.

The new, faster, leaner Facebook Messenger with these new features will roll out later this year.

NEXT: Facebook Messenger gets dark mode on Android



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Program this Arduino kit to automatically water your plants

If you're looking for a fun electronics project, or you just can't remember to water your houseplants and want to keep them alive, check out the Arduino Automatic Smart Plant Watering Kit 2.0.

This kit comes with everything you need. You can program an Arduino Leonardo board to monitor the moisture levels of up to four plants at once and dispense the perfect amount of water to each one as needed. The 15-part kit includes the board itself, a pump, soil moisture sensors, and a water pipe.

Whether this is your first foray into the Internet of Things or you're a seasoned Arduino vet, the smart plant watering kit is a practical way to flex your skills and take some household chores off your plate.

The Arduino Smart Watering Kit at a glance:

  • Deliver the perfect amount of water to up to four plants.
  • Eliminate the need for messy jumpers and breadboards; easily connect all sensors and modules.
  • Easily program the integrated Arduino Leonardo board.
  • Power the board with a single 12V power supply.
  • Leverage four interfaces for sensors, one interface for the water switch, and one for motor or pump.

For the next two days, you can get the Arduino Automatic Smart Plant Watering Kit 2.0 for only $69. Just hit the button below to get started.

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