Tech Talk Insights

Have you ever wondered how your phone knows what you're typing before you finish the sentence? Or how your favorite streaming service recommends shows based on what you've watched? These are examples of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in action. AI and ML are everywhere these days, making our lives easier and more efficient. Now, imagine this: instead of relying on distant servers in the cloud to perform these tasks, you could host these AI models right on your own computer. That's what we'll discuss when I say " host AI models locally ." It means running these intelligent systems directly on our PC or device, bringing the power of AI closer to us. Why is this becoming so popular? Well, with more people using smart devices and applications that require real-time decision-making, there's a growing demand for faster and more private solutions. By hosting AI models locally, you can enjoy several benefits. For one, it enhances privacy be...

What is Spatial AI? Spatial AI is a technology that enables computers to interact with the world around them and it is essential because it allows computers to understand and interpret real-world data, such as identifying objects, determining their location, and assisting us in new ways. For example, consider a GPS application that uses Spatial AI to help you reach your destination by evaluating traffic and road conditions to find the quickest route. Or, think of a game in which characters move realistically, avoiding obstacles and following your movements. In everyday life, Spatial AI can be used in smart glasses to assist the visually impaired in navigating their surroundings by identifying objects and guiding them safely. It can also be used in home robots to help them navigate their surroundings without colliding with objects. Overall, Spatial AI makes technology more interactive and helpful, making our lives more convenient and enjoyable. The term "Real World" refers to ...

Imagine computers that can understand and respond to your surroundings. That's the core idea behind spatial computing. It brings the digital world to life by merging it with the physical one. Picture yourself trying on clothes/shoes virtually before you buy them, or having a 3D model of a new industrial equipment appear right in front of you for repairs. Spatial computing uses fancy tools like AR, VR, and more to create experiences where the digital world blends seamlessly into your reality. It's all about making computers more immersive and interactive, like having a virtual guide by your side that can narrate the history behind buildings as you walk by, or identify the types of birds singing in the park. Evolution of Spatial Computing Spatial computing has been around for a while, but the tools for making it work are constantly improving. Early Days (Imagine & Dream):  In the past, it was mostly just a concept in people's minds. Think of it like science fiction movies...

Google Maps, Azure Maps, OpenStreetMap, and ESRI are all capable mapping solutions with unique capabilities and advantages. Here's a quick rundown of each: Google Maps is one of the world's most prominent mapping platforms, providing mapping, search, and navigation services. Consumers use it for directions and location information, while companies utilize it to construct location-based apps. Azure Maps is a geospatial platform that provides mapping, search, routing, and traffic services. It is intended to interface with Azure services and may be used to create location-based applications for various sectors, including transportation, logistics, and real estate. OpenStreetMap is a free, open-source mapping tool that allows people to submit data and create custom maps. It is frequently used by developers who wish to generate custom maps or incorporate mapping capabilities into their apps. ESRI is a software company that offers mapping and GIS (Geographic Information System) s...

Generative AI refers to a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses algorithms to produce new content that is technically or structurally similar to preexisting material. Generative AI algorithms may create fresh, original content by learning from data, in contrast to typical AI systems that rely on pre-established rules and data. Generative AI is being used more and more in a wide range of areas, including technology, healthcare, finance, and many more. Ultimately, it can fundamentally alter several sectors and our way of life. Technology  - There are several uses for generative AI in the technology sector. Following are some instances of generative artificial intelligence in use in the technology sector: Content Creation - Creative material may be produced by Generative AI in a variety of fields, including literature, music, and the arts. For instance, OpenAI's GPT models can produce language that resembles human writing, while the Google Magenta project is utilizi...

Organizations may host and manage their apps and services in the cloud with a variety of services and tools from the three major cloud computing providers: Azure, AWS, and GCP. You may select a cloud platform depending on the demands of your business because each one offers a variety of services.  Here's a brief summary of each: Azure is a cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft that provides several services, such as computation, storage, networking, and analytics, among others. It also provides several tools for creating, deploying, and maintaining cloud-based applications. Because Azure seamlessly interacts with Microsoft's software and tools, it is a good fit for enterprises that employ Microsoft technology. AWS stands for Amazon Web Services, a platform for cloud computing that provides a wide range of services, including computation, storage, databases, networking, and machine learning, among others. Scalability, flexibility, and dependability are hallmarks of A...

When it comes to mobile application development, we have a lot of options. There are plenty of cross-platform solutions that allow you to write code once and deploy it everywhere. The most well-known options include: Flutter (a Google product) React Native (a Facebook product) Ionic (built using Angular framework) NativeScript (built using Angular framework) Xamarin (a Microsoft product) Cordova (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding which platform to use for mobile app development. Here we compare Flutter and React Native in terms of performance, ease of development, support, and more. Flutter vs. React Native - A Brief Introduction Flutter and React Native are two of the most popular frameworks for building mobile apps. They both allow you to build native applications for Android, iOS, and other platforms with a single code base. The main difference between these two frameworks is that React Native uses JavaScript and Flutter uses Dart.  ...

Flutter is a new cross-platform app development framework from Google that allows apps to be created for both Android (KitKat or later) and iOS (iOS 5 or later). It's all  open source  and still being developed by engineers at Google and you can follow two engineer's profile at  Chinmay Garde  &  Devon Carew . The main focus of Flutter is to provide low-latency input and high frame rates (60fps) for high performance on Android & iOS. Flutter Architecture Flutter is built with C, C++, Dart, Skia (a 2D rendering engine), Mojo IPC, and Blink’s text rendering system. To have better understanding of the main components, please check the below architecture diagram:- High-Level Overview of Flutter Architecture Flutter has three main components:- A heavily optimized, mobile-first 2D rendering engine (with excellent support for text) A functional-reactive framework A set of Material Design widgets, libraries, tools, and a plugin for Atom H...

As you all know last month at Google I/O we got glimpse of the L Developer Preview . It provides us an advance look at the upcoming release for the Android platform, which offers new features for users and app developers. Android is getting a major overhaul with its next version, which is currently being referred to as Android L. The new version will tout more than 5,000 new APIs, multiple new features, a new runtime engine, and a major user interface makeover. The Android SDK has been released and, for the first time, you will be able to preview the new version on a Nexus 5 or 7 device. I thought let's give a try to L Developer Preview, so I downloaded the SDK & setup my development environment. After that I installed the L Preview System Image on Nexus 5. To flash the image onto your device please follow these  instructions . You can have a look at Nexus 5 with L Developer Preview as follows:- Now it's time to get our hands on L Developer Preview APIs ...

Sometimes we have requirements to check whether device is phone or tablet & even for tablet whether device is 7" or 10". Following method will help us if the device is tablet or phone. If device is tablet method will return true, otherwise it'll return false. public boolean isTablet(Context context) { boolean isTablet = (context.getResources().getConfiguration().screenLayout & Configuration.SCREENLAYOUT_SIZE_MASK) >= Configuration.SCREENLAYOUT_SIZE_LARGE; return isTablet; } If above method return true, which means the device is Tablet. Now we have to detect whether device is 10" tablet or not. If device is 10" following method will return true, otherwise it'll return false. public boolean isXLTablet(Context context) { boolean isXLTablet = (context.getResources().getConfiguration().screenLayout & Configuration.SCREENLAYOUT_SIZE_MASK) >= Configuration.SCREENLAYOUT_SIZE_XLARGE; return isXLTablet; }

The below method will return whether current file is audio file or not:- public static boolean isMusic(File file) { Uri uri = Uri.fromFile(file); String type = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton().getMimeTypeFromExtension( MimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl(uri.toString())); if (type == null) return false; else return (type.toLowerCase().startsWith("audio/")); } The below method will return whether current file is video file or not:- public static boolean isVideo(File file) { Uri uri = Uri.fromFile(file); String type = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton().getMimeTypeFromExtension( MimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl(uri.toString())); if (type == null) return false; else return (type.toLowerCase().startsWith("video/")); } The below method will return whether current file is image file or not:- public static boolean isImage(File file) { Uri uri = Uri.fromFile(file); String type = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton().getMimeTypeFromExtensi...