News & Reviews:   Google Malaysia

Google recently came out with a new update to their Google Translate app which they call Tap to Translate. While the Google Translate app is certainly useful, copy pasting from another app to Google Translate and back again can get irritating, so now with Tap to Translate, you can do so from the app direct from any Android phone running Jellybean 4.2 and above.

The recent Google DeepMind Challenge concluded with AlphaGo beating Lee Sedol 4-1 in Go. Go has traditionally been too difficult for computer programs due to the immense number of variations that it has but the Artificial Intelligence managed to defeat Lee Sedol who has been acknowledged as the best Go player of the last decade. The victory will result in Google DeepMind donating the $1 million prize money to UNICEF, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) charities and Go organizations.

Google Malaysia and TNS Research recently got together to reveal the answer to the question, "Who watches YouTube in Malaysia?". Surprisingly enough, research reveals that it isn't just all our kids watching chocolate surprise egg videos. Instead, the answer turns out to be the millenials of Malaysia and many of our senior citizens (about half to be exact). In fact this number is set to grow as high speed mobile Internet and mobile devices become more accessible (cheaper).

DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd recently announced a partnership with Google enabling them to be the first Malaysian Telco to have direct billing via the Google Play Store. In short, you can now buy apps, movies and books on the Google Play Store with your prepaid airtime or be charged through your postpaid bill. This is especially useful for those who do not own a credit card or are wary about using a credit card to make online payments.