- Potentially hazardous asteroid spotted by NASA, UW scanner in Hawaii USA TODAY
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- New algorithm spots its first “potentially hazardous” near-Earth asteroid — and it’s 600 feet long CBS News
- ‘Potentially hazardous’ 600-foot asteroid detected near Earth after a year of hiding in plain sight Livescience.com
- Algorithm designed to identify asteroids discovers potentially hazardous 600-foot object during test run TechSpot
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: scanner
Pixel 6a to ditch the Pixel 6’s in-display fingerprint scanner
With some Pixel 6 owners still facing issues, it seems that the Pixel 6a will use a different in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric security.
The removal of the capacitive fingerprint scanner would likely have been less irksome if the optical in-display scanner wasn’t so finicky and unreliable for many people. Updates have helped to improve the overall performance and accuracy but it’s worth noting that this has not resolved problems for every Pixel 6 or 6 Pro owner out there. In most cases, it will work, but multiple finger scans are needed before you can unlock your device effectively.
Thankfully, Google’s Rick Osterloh confirmed to Android Central that the Pixel 6a is set to use a different in-display fingerprint scanner than the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. While this sounds great in principle, it’s not clear just yet if we’ll see a better quality or more accurate scanner on the Pixel 6a. Instead, it could simply be an alternative that helps keeps costs low on the $449 smartphone.
That said, we have high hopes for the device and if the Pixel 6a packs a faster, more accurate scanner than it’s more expensive counterparts, it could be a major plus point. Given that in-display scanner tech can vary from brand to brand, we do not expect Google to drift too far away from an optical reader. Samsung utilizes ultrasound in it’s flagship lines but offers optical in-display fingerprint readers on devices such as the Galaxy A-series smartphones.
Android Police previously noted that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro currently utilize a Goodix fingerprint scanner for biometrics. This is the same firm that provides OnePlus devices with the same device security tech. It’s not clear if Google will source fingerprint scanners for the Pixel 6a from other manufacturers or if a different model will be used moving forward. Let’s just hope that it unlocks every single time you try to use it — something that can’t often be said of the flagship Pixel 6 or 6 Pro right now.
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Google explains why the Pixel 6 fingerprint scanner may feel slower at times
Almost all flagships and upper-midrange phones nowadays come equipped with an in-display fingerprint reader. Google was the only major OEM that kept using the good old rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner on its smartphones. But that finally changed with the Pixel 6 series, which comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner. However, over the past weeks, we have seen numerous user complaints that the fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 6/6 Pro is a bit slower and unreliable at times. Google has now shed some light on why the sensor may feel sluggish sometimes.
Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: Fantastic everyday phone with an undeniable Exynos inspiration
Responding to a tweet from a Pixel 6 user complaining about unreliable fingerprint scanner performance, Google revealed that the Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner uses advanced security algorithms, which sometimes can cause a delay or require more direct contact with the sensor.
We’re sorry for the hassle. The Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor utilizes enhanced security algorithms. In some instances, these added protections can take longer to verify or require more direct contact with the sensor. Try troubleshooting steps: https://t.co/uTbifE5Uyo. Thanks. ^Levi
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) November 6, 2021
Google didn’t confirm whether it would roll out a software fix to address the sub-par performance of the fingerprint scanner. However, as we reported last week, there’s an easy way to speed up the sluggish under-display scanner on your Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. All you need to do is head over to Settings > Display and toggle a setting called “Increase touch sensitivity.” Many users have reported that enabling this setting definitely improved the fingerprint scanner. As Google explains on its Pixel 6 support page, the scanner may not work as expected in bright outdoor sunlight, when using unofficial screen protectors, or if the display has smudges.
- The Pixel 6 comes with an under-display fingerprint scanner, Google’s new Tensor chip, a fresh design, and flagship cameras.
Earlier this month, Google released a fingerprint sensor calibration tool for the Pixel 6 series. The tool allows Pixel 6 owners to recalibrate the fingerprint scanner after a screen replacement.
Google explains why the Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner may be sluggish
There’s a lot to rave about with the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but their fingerprint scanners are not among those things. Since the Pixel 6 release in October, users have been complaining about its sluggish, unreliable fingerprint scanner that makes the phone a hassle to unlock. Google has finally responded to those complaints, and while it provided an explanation, it didn’t really offer any solid solution (via Engadget).
We’re sorry for the hassle. The Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor utilizes enhanced security algorithms. In some instances, these added protections can take longer to verify or require more direct contact with the sensor. Try troubleshooting steps: https://t.co/uTbifE5Uyo. Thanks. ^Levi
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) November 6, 2021
In a reply on Twitter, Google attributes the issue to the “enhanced security algorithms” that the Pixel 6’s fingerprint scanner uses. Google says that these security measures can make your fingerprint “take longer to verify or require more direct contact with the sensor.” It then provides a link to a Google support page that really doesn’t offer much help, besides suggesting to ensure your fingers are clean and that you’re using a finger that you’ve registered with the phone.
Replies from other Twitter users suggest that it may be a hardware issue. The Pixel 6 uses an under-the-screen optical fingerprint scanner instead of a fast ultrasonic one like the Samsung Galaxy S21, which some users say could be the reason behind the sensor’s poor performance. But as noted by Engadget, other users on Reddit say that the optical fingerprint scanner works fine on their OnePlus phones, possibly indicating a software issue specific to the Pixel 6.
For now, it looks like there’s no clear solution to the Pixel 6’s finicky fingerprint scanner, and Google’s answer is vague at best. There’s no telling whether Google can patch the issue in a software update, or if the scanner’s so-called “enhanced” security system really is picky when it comes to prints. The Verge reached out to Google with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
Until Google decides to resurrect face unlock, which had its own security flaws, you’ll just have to resort to typing in your PIN. Otherwise, the Pixel 6 will test your patience as you try to scan your fingerprint over and over again.
Google’s Area 120 incubator releases a powerful AI document scanner for Android
Google’s Area 120, an internal incubator program for experimental projects, is releasing a new app today called Stack that borrows the technology underlying the search giant’s powerful DocAI enterprise tool for document analysis. The end result is a consumer document scanner app for Android that Google says vastly improves over your average mobile scanner by auto-categorizing documents into the titular stacks and enabling full text search through the contents of the documents and not just the title.
“I joined Google a couple of years ago when my education startup, Socratic, was acquired. At Socratic, we used Google’s computer vision and language understanding to make learning easier for high school students. I wondered if we could apply the same technologies to make organizing documents easier,” said Christopher Pedregal, the team lead on Stack, in a statement.
Following the acquisition, Pedregal and his colleague Matthew Cowan joined Google’s Area 120, where they came up with an app that could use DocAI and its artificial intelligence technology to improve the process of scanning receipts, bills, and other important documents. The app uses Google’s biometric authentication on Android, so you can secure sensitive documents behind face or fingerprint scanning to unlock the software. It also automatically creates fields for scanned bills so you can fill in due dates and other important info.
The app, like so many of Google’s experimental (and sometimes even not-so-experimental) efforts, is getting released in the hopes it catches on and not with any real concrete business model attached or a definite roadmap. Pedregal stresses that “it’s early days” for Stack, which means the app can “still get things wrong.” It also means it could, at a moment’s notice, get sent to the Google Graveyard — though, presumably, with the option to export your documents if that does happen at some point in the future.
That said, it seems like a powerful alternative to a normal document scanner, and few companies are better than Google at understanding text and recognizing images. So it’s certainly worth a shot if you’re in the market for a better way to organize your real-world paper.
SocketMobile’s stock rockets to a more than 13-year high after unveiling of DuraSled scanner for iPhone 12s
Shares of Socket Mobile Inc.
SCKT,
+237.04%
skyrocketed 251.9% on very heavy volume toward a more than 13-year high in morning trading Tuesday, to pace all gainers on major U.S. exchanges, after the mobile data capture company unveiled its new DuraSled offering, which is an enterprise-grade barcode scanner for Apple Inc.’s
AAPL,
-0.78%
iPhone 12s. Trading volume spiked to more than 75 million shares, compared with the full-day average over the past 30 days of about 256,000 shares. The company said employers can now support workers who use the iPhone 12 series of mobile phones. “The DuraSled turns your iPhone into a one-handed solution that combines the versatility of the iPhone and the power of an enterprise-grade scanner,” said SocketMobile Senior Product Manager Vanessa Lindsay. The latest data showed that short interest as a percent of public float was 0.9%. The stock, which which is trading at the highest levels seen since October 2007, has soared 373.0% over the past three months, while the S&P 500
SPX,
+0.13%
has gained 8.9%.