Google Founders Talk About Ending the 40-Hour Work Week

It's not often that Google's two founders do a joint interview, so when they do it's worth paying attention.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin conducted a fireside chat late last week with Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, about everything from self-driving cars and artificial intelligence to health projects and the unnecessary complexity of government.

Page, currently Google's CEO, discussed the need for business leaders to maintain a 20-year vision instead of a 4-year vision and revealed the criticism he got from Steve Jobs ("You guys are doing too much stuff.") He also tackled a couple hot-button issues, including his belief that society doesn't actually need everyone to work full-time anymore.

"If you really think about the things that you need to make yourself happy—housing, security, opportunities for your kids—anthropologists have been identifying these things. It's not that hard for us to provide those things," he said. "The amount of resources we need to do that, the amount of work that actually needs to go into that is pretty small. I'm guessing less than 1% at the moment. 

So the idea that everyone needs to work frantically to meet people's needs is just not true."

He acknowledged, however, that people need "things to do" and "need to feel like you're needed," desires that are fulfilled through labor. One solution he offered: reduce the work week and perhaps split one full-time job into multiple part-time jobs.

"You just reduce work time," Page said. "Most people, if I ask them, 'Would you like an extra week of vacation?' They raise their hands, 100% of the people. 'Two weeks vacation, or a four-day work week?' Everyone will raise their hand. Most people like working, but they'd also like to have more time with their family or to pursue their own interests. So that would be one way to deal with the problem, is if you had a coordinated way to just reduce the workweek. And then, if you add slightly less employment, you can adjust and people will still have jobs."

If that wasn't controversial enough, Page also addressed the increasing protests against Google and other tech companies over growing gentrification in the city. In his response, he effectively laid the blame on the city government, rather than the technology companies.

"This kind of thing is a really a governance problem, because we're building lots of jobs, lots of office buildings and no housing," Page said in the interview. "So, it's not surprising that caused a lot of issues. You also have a lot of people who are rent controlled, so they don't participate in the economic increase in housing prices. It actually hurts them. It doesn't help them. I think those problems are more structural and very serious problems."

Brin, who now oversees the company's secretive Google X division, focused more on Google's moonshot projects. In particular, he talked up Google's self-driving car, which he believes could potentially make a car ownership unnecessary for many.

"If you look at the self-driving cars, for example, I hope that that could really transform transportation around the world, and reduce the need for individual car ownership, the need for parking, road congestion and so forth," Brin said. "If that was successful in its own right, we would be super happy."

Latest iPhone 6 Mockups Could Offer Preview of the Real Thing

We've seen many, many mockups of the purported iPhone 6 over the past half year — tons — and even though all of these mockups are just that, as time progresses, they may actually be getting closer to what the final end product could be.

As we get closer to the manufacturing start date of Apple's next smartphone, supply-chain leaks tend to become more accurate. We saw it with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and the iPad Air.

That's why it's worth looking at the latest round of iPhone 6 mockups, this time from Japanese newspaper Nikkei. As pointed out by 9to5Mac and translated by GforGames, these mockups offer a "rough idea" of the final product.

The mockup, which clearly isn't of Apple quality — is reportedly missing "key details," but some of the images align with what we've seen elsewhere. For instance, the screen is thinner and rounder. The display, which may actually be curved, will also reportedly fit into the aluminum shell perfectly, eschewing the diamond-cut edge on the iPhone 5S.

As for the white stripes on the back of the device — those aren't supposed to be antenna markers. Instead, they're supposed to be for glass on the back panel.

Rumors surrounding the iPhone 6 say that it will potentially come in two larger sizes: 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. Although it's unlikely that Apple will maintain four different phone sizes (including the 4-inch iPhone 5S/5C and the 3.5-inch iPhone 4S), it seems the company may release a bigger phone.

What do you think of the latest mockups? Would you be interested in an iPhone that looked like this?

Microsoft’s Top Lawyer Calls Supreme Court Cellphone-Warrant Case “Seminal”

It’s been a busy week in the realm of policy and technology, with the Supreme court weighing in on a several issues impacting the industry, and the government releasing something akin to a transparency report regarding a portion of the NSA’s surveillance practices.

The unanimous Supreme Court decision on Riley v. California caused a stir because it set new precedent regarding digital privacy: To search a cell phone, the court ruled, the government must procure a warrant. The decision will set the tone for future legal action regarding technology, data, user privacy, and Fourth Amendment protections.

I’d like to highlight some commentary on the decision from a perhaps unlikely source, Microsoft.

Microsoft, in the past week, has become a leading voice for user privacy and a less active surveillance state. The company’s de facto spokesperson on the matter, its top lawyer Brad Smith, recently gave a lecture in which he called for the end of bulk surveillance, warrant reform, and more transparency in the FISA court. He also called on the Senate to strengthen the somewhat gutted USA FREEDOM Act that recently passed the House.

When Smith speaks, under his official title, he’s speaking for slightly more than himself.

Capping the week with a blog post this weekend, Smith called the Riley decision “seminal.” Continuing, the lawyer wrote that the decision will have “positive implications both for smart devices and the storage of personal information in the cloud.” Correct.

Microsoft and a number of other technology companies have banded together under the auspices of a group called Reform Government Surveillance. Constituent companies have spoken out, of course. Google most recently blogged a response to the NSA’s transparency report, for example. Smith, viz Microsoft, has been the most outspoken.

It’s pleasant when corporate interests align with user interests. In the case of pervasive surveillance, the profit motive is lashed to privacy: Corporations and individuals alike won’t flock to the cloud as quickly as they might if their stored data is open to wanton exploit. Recall that Smith directly name-checked the cloud. That wasn’t an accident.

It would be nice to see other technology companies being more publicly articulate on the issue. For now, though, it’s been a generally positive week for those who view NSA reform as vital, and privacy paramount.

Facebook Home Isn't Dead Yet

Much of the original engineering team that created Facebook Home, including product director Adam Mosseri, is no longer working on the Android launcher app, according to a report that called the app's future into question.

A Facebook spokesperson told Mashable that the company is still offering Home, and has a team "dedicated to supporting it." However, the spokesperson did not comment on specific individuals on Facebook's engineering team.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg made headlines earlier this year when he confirmed Facebook would be releasing more standalone apps in the near future. True to his word, the company has already debuted two new ones in 2014: news reader app Paper and ephemeral-messaging client Slingshot.

But for all of its attempts to unbundle, not every one of Facebook's standalone apps have been successful. Case in point: Facebook Home.

More than a year after its much-hyped launch, it would be an understatement to say the app has failed to resonate with users. Home, which puts Facebook content on your lock screen, currently has more than 13,000 one-star reviews in the Google Play Store. Even Zuckerberg admitted the app has moved "much slower than we expected."

But should Facebook really be spending its resources on Home? By all indications, the company hasn't given it much attention: Home was last updated in January, and Facebook has made little mention of the app this year — despite previous promises of future updates that would add new features.

Although Android-launcher apps have experienced a recent surge in popularity, Home doesn't appear to have benefited much from the trend, as recent user reviews remain a mixed bag at best.

So why doesn't Facebook shut down Home for good? It wouldn't be the first time the company has shuttered an unpopular app. Facebook quietly killed Poke, its first attempt at a Snapchat-like app — and another flop — earlier this year.

However, while Zuckerberg said Poke was never really intended to be a serious app, he had high hopes for Home. The app debuted at a special event in New York after reports suggested the social network was working on a dedicated Facebook phone. That turned out to be a false rumor, and Zuckerberg instead revealed Home.

It was disappointing then, and it's even more disappointing now. It may be time for Facebook to finally admit Home is dead, and move on.

Mobile Ad Startup TapSense Announces Support For Wearable Apps, Starting On Pebble

If you’re building apps for the Pebble smartwatch and other wearable gadgets, startupTapSense hopes to bring you into the wonderful world of mobile advertising.

The company announced today that its mobile ad exchange will support wearable apps, beginning with those in the Pebble appstore. You can see a video demo of an ad below.

However, as you watch the demo (as opposed to the mock-up above), you might notice a lack of actual smartwatches. That’s because TapSense isn’t running ads on the Pebble itself. Instead, it’s helping developers target ads at iOS and Android users who own Pebble devices. The company says those ads will link directly to the promoted apps in the Pebble appstore.

In other words, developers will be able to promote their apps through the same sorts of ads used by other mobile developers. TapSense founder and CEO Ash Kumar added that Pebble’s store (where users find apps on their phones, and those apps are then synced with their smartwatches) exemplifies a model where the smartphone becomes the hub for your other wearable devices.

Having that hub is important, he suggested, because “the wearables market will remain fragmented for some time,” without any one device dominating.

To a certain extent, this may be a bit of experiment, allowing TapSense to explore wearables and giving them a leg up when and off the market really takes off. Looking ahead, Kumar said he plans to support other wearable apps in the same way. He started with Pebble because of its reach and the diversity of apps (more than 3,000).

Kumar also said that, as far as he knows, TapSense is the first mobile ad company to build this kind of Pebble support. (I emailed Pebble for confirmation but haven’t heard back.)

And yes, eventually he’d like to run ads within those wearable apps, too, particularly as they provide an opportunity to deliver real-time, relevant advertising that’s much better than “annoying banner ads.”

Turn Your Wireless Mouse Into a Power Glove

The upcoming weekend is a perfect time to tackle a new DIY project, so why not focus that DIY power on a new computer accessory? Today’s step-by-step instructional video shows you how to take a wireless mouse and turn it into an awesome power glove gaming accessory!.This Looks To Awesome and Geeky.I would suggest this because requires very less capital and is easy to build so watch the First Video in Our DIY Section.You can Use this Mouse especially for gaming purposes.Get Started

Google Gesture : Transforming sign language into spoken language.

A new app in development could help people understand sign language in real time.

Students at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, Sweden are working with Google to build an app that can translate sign language into speech. The team won an award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for their work.

The app — called Google Gesture — is paired with a band worn on the forearm that analyzes muscle movements made when signing — a process known as electromyography. These movements are then sent to the app, which translates them into audible words as they are signed.

The app's goal is to fix that problem by translating sign language right away, so there's no lull in conversation while the signer waits for audio voice to kick in.

In the past, Google has developed software that enables the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate via technology. For example, Android offers an option on its Google Translate app that turns speech into text.

A release date for the app has not yet been announced.