Macs Will Get Siri in Next OS X Update; Google’s Next Gen Atlas Robot

Posted: February 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple’s assistant Siri is coming to the Mac in OS X 10.12. 9to5mac.com reports that the feature will live in the Menu Bar like the Spotlight icon…click it, and a little translucent Siri window will pop up below, and voice control will switch on. A keyboard shortcut is also planned, and the ‘Hey, Siri’ feature too, if the Mac is plugged in to power.

Google’s Boston Dynamics company, has shared a peek at what it is calling the “next generation” of its Atlas robot. The new Atlas is designed to can work both indoors and outdoors, the company says, and weighs a solid 180 pounds, according to 9to5google.com. The ‘bot is 5 feet 9 inches tall and has sensors in its legs and body to help it balance, as well as LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, survey surrounding terrain, and aide in seamless navigation.

Cortana Lands on Android and iOS; A Number of Us Are Rarely Offline

Posted: December 9, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In what seems like quite a clever move (and a bit of bet-hedging), Microsoft gone live with Cortana for Android and iOS. 9to5google.com notes it’s been a small beta since last month, but now you can check out it’s functionality for real. Since it’s an app, and not baked in, don’t expect it to have the power of Google Now or Siri yet. With Windows Phone still in the basement, Microsoft is smart to be porting over to the two much more widely used mobile systems.

TV and Comedy have had a lot of fun with people being inseparable from their smartphones and computers…everything from chipped people to the Simpsons’ Eye Phone, where the thing replaced an eyeball…so now comes data from Pew research that 21% of Americans go online almost constantly. Drilling down, 73% are online daily, 42% several times a day, 13% several times a week or less. The Luddite contingent of people who never use the internet stands at 13%. They probably still have buggy whips…and I don’t mind insulting them, since they’ll never read this or hear it anyway!

Apple ‘Recapple’

Posted: September 10, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple rolled through their product updates and introductions in a couple of hours yesterday at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Here are a few hi lights:

Apple Watch- Mainly about fashion band accessories, particularly from high end Hermes, and new colors of gold and rose gold. It was announced that Watch OS will drop on September 16th, and include messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and also tight third party integration with AirStrip.

iPad Pro- It’s huge, has a great 12.9 inch screen, and…gasp…a stylus, which Steve Jobs famously mocked years ago. The Apple Pencil will be a separate $99 option. That screen…it has a higher pixel density than a Macbook Pro Retina. Apple claims 10 hours of battery life. It has a keyboard cover that screams ‘Microsoft Surface!’ iPad Pro starts at $799, and will be out in November.

Apple TV- Apple says this will be a game changer…you may have seen a clip of Tim Cook repeatedly on TV by now saying ‘we think the future of TV is apps.’ Apple TV has tight Siri integration, a new remote with the top part being touch screen, and buttons for volume, activating Siri and on-off. The remote is Bluetooth, so you don’t have to point it right at the box. A couple of cool features include asking Siri what did they say, and it will rewind about 15 seconds and playback…with captions. Also, you can ask Siri to search for something, and it will search across all platforms…Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. With the remote, it has gaming capabilities, but don’t look for it to displace gaming systems any time soon. Apple TV is $149 or $199 depending on memory, and out the end of the year.

iPhone- The iPhone 6S and 6S plus debuted, with the expected banner feature of Force Touch, which Apple has renamed 3D Touch for the phones. It recognizes 3 levels of finger pressure, and will call up different results…for example, menus, or when pressing an email, it will pop it open so you can read it, and return you to the previous screen when you lift your finger. The new camera is a big leap…up to 12 megapixels, and capable of 4K video and an new gimmicky feature that records a second and a half of video and sound before and after each picture. When you press the picture on the phone, it shows you that 3 seconds of motion. Hey Siri now allows you to just say that, and Siri will respond without having to press and hold the home button. There’s a new rose gold color (and it and the other gold will now be exclusive to the 6S and 6S Plus). iOS 9 will be available September 16th, and iPhones go on preorder this Saturday, with deliveries to start September 25th. Prices are the same as on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, while those models will be dropped as has been Apple’s past practice…so the 16 gig iPhone 6S will start at $199 with a two year contract. Apple has also added a contractless payment plan like a couple of the carriers have, that starts at $32 a month…PLUS carrier service costs, of course.

4th Generation Apple TV Coming in October

Posted: August 31, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s slightly bigger than the present hockey puck, but still has a small footprint. The 4th generation Apple TV is rolling out in October, and will sell for between $149 and $199, according to 9to5mac.com. This is a bump of $50 to $100 bucks, depending on Apple’s final decision, and a good deal more than Roku, Google, or Amazon. Apple will keep the 3rd generation at $69, which it’s been selling for since March. The 4th gen model will feature Siri and a new remote control with a touchpad on top, a microphone for Siri, and motion sensors. There will also be an App store. Apple plans to launch a cable replacing streaming TV service next year for $40 a month that bundles multiple TV channels. The cheaper 3rd gen model won’t have the fancy remote control or Siri support.

It’s a constant battle for computers and smart devices to try to keep up with malware. Qualcomm is taking a new approach with their upcoming new Snapdragon 820 mobile processor. Engadget.com reports the processor will use what they call Smart Protect tech, which uses machine learning to watch for possible security issues in real time, as opposed to relying on a list of threats. In addition the Snapdragon 820 will have faster graphics capability, and an API for security software makers to utilize the chip’s heightened awareness.

Facebook’s New Virtual Assistant

Posted: August 27, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Facebook has begun a soft rollout of ‘M,’ its new virtual assistant that runs in the freestanding Messenger app. According to wired.com, it will not only make restaurant reservations, shop for a birthday present for your sweetie, suggest-then-book a weekend getaway…Facebook claims it will perform tasks Siri, Google Now, and Cortana can’t. That’s because it doesn’t just rely on artificial intelligence…the secret ingredient in Facebook’s M is people.The people Facebook has in place behind the AI interface have customer service backgrounds. You’ll know when you get the new assistant when a new button appears at the bottom of you Facebook Messenger mobile app.

New cars come with a fair amount of connectivity, and a few companies like Automatic, and Zubie sell gadgets that let you turn an older vehicle into a connected one. Now, Forbes.com reports that Verizon is getting into the act with Hum. The communications giant will offer it directly to consumers, and Hum is designed to be installed by the user in their own cars. It has two pieces of hardware…a cellular modem that plugs into the ODB diagnostic port, and a Bluetooth connected speaker that lives on your visor. It should be able to spot issues before they get out of hand, and relay miles per gallon, overall vehicle health, and so on, which will display on a mobile app. Hum also comes with roadside assistance, emergency assistance, parking info, and a vehicle finder. The hardware is $120, and subscription to the service is $15 a month.

Twitter Nixes Services That Tracked Politicians’ Deleted Tweets

Posted: August 24, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Because we wouldn’t want any politicians’ hasty and foolish, embarrassing Tweets to bite them later, or journalists to be able to actually report them, Twitter has kindly blocked Politwoops and sister site Diplotwoops from access of it’s API. Techcrunch.com reports Twitter says it violates terms of service. Surely it can’t be from pressure from politicians and governments? The US version was shut down earlier this year. The Open State Foundation and watchdog Sunlight Foundation said they will look for other ways to report deleted Tweets, noting that politicians shouldn’t have the same expectation of privacy as private citizens.

According to businessinsider.com, Apple is bringing a couple of major changes to the Apple Watch with the software update due out next month. Watch OS 2 will have native access to the watch, which means it won’t have to ‘phone home’ to your nearby iPhone constantly. Apps should load much faster. It will also remember WiFi connections you’ve used previously with your phone, allowing you to connect to the web without having your iPhone tagging along. This won’t work for everything, but will for iMessages and using Siri.

Dragon Anywhere Mobile Apps Coming

Posted: August 19, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As Apple does more and more with Siri, and Microsoft does the same with Cortana, a long time player in speech recognition will be dropping mobile apps this fall. Thenextweb.com reports that Dragon Anywhere…the app…will be released for iOS and Android, with the focus on professionals. At least the initial release will be designed for lawyers, social workers, insurance adjusters, and public safety officers, according to Nuance…which envisions such pros using the app to create and edit complete reports and documents, or take detailed notes on the go. It will play nice with Evernote and Dropbox, according to the maker. Updates to the PC desktop app will be out in August, and for the Mac in September.

We previously reported on Silent Circle’s 2.0 product, the Blackphone 2. Now, techcrunch.com says it should be launching in September….a little bit of a slide from a promised summer launch, and still no word on a price. It will sport an all-glass front and rear, plus a larger 5.5 inch full HD display, have a 64-bit processor, and more RAM.

Coming With Apple TV Update

Posted: March 21, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The next version of Apple TV should make its debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Thenextweb.com says it will sport a new faster processor, more storage, Siri and HomeKit integration. They are likely to reveal more about their streaming TV service at WWDC, and preview an App Store just for Apple TV.

If you are really considering a smart watch, but worry about the poor battery life most have, bgr.com reports that Vector has a couple models available for preordering now. They claim 30 days of battery life for both the rectangular and round dial versions. A ‘sensor activated notification system’ pulls up notifications with the flick of a wrist. They sell for between $244 and $425.

According to tech crunch.com, next week at their F8 developer conference, Facebook will announce new ways for third parties to offer experiences through its messenger app. Facebook is wanting to turn Messenger into a freestanding platform.

Uh-Oh ‘Butterfingers’ Program For All on HTC One M9 and M8

Posted: March 18, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In an effort to get people to switch to their handsets, HTC has announced the ‘Uh-Oh’ program for the One M9 that launches in a couple weeks. If you break your phone, they’ll replace it free for the first 365 days. Thenextweb.com says HTC will extend the coverage to the M8 after the M9 launches, too.

Windows 10 is coming this summer from Microsoft, sooner than most expected. According to bgr.com, Windows Hello will be able to use your face, fingerprints, or iris scanning, instead of a password or PIN number. The biometric data is local, so hackers can’t grab it as it travels over the web.

The latest version of Apple’s mobile system, iOS 8 is now on 77% of its mobile devices, ahead of the Apple Watch release next month. 9to5mac.com reports that upcoming
update 8.3 has more Emoji characters and more languages for Siri.

Apple’s HomeKit Won’t Need Apple TV- Except to Use Siri

Posted: January 10, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment


More is out about Apple’s Home Kit. The good news is, it won’t need Apple TV for a hub. Cnet.com says the downside is that it needs Apple TV to use Siri to control it from outside your network. That may be temporary, according to Homekit partners.

Bgr.com reports that GoPro’s Hero 4 cameras are about to get better. The Silver and Black editions are getting a firmware upgrade in a couple months that auto converts time lapses into videos, and gives you burst mode and auto rotate.

Stereo maker Harman has rolled out a touchscreen free Carplay competitor called Integrated Essentials Cockpit. 9to5mac.com says It puts the controls on your steering wheel, and the display is centered between the speedometer and tachometer. So far, no word on what car makers may use it.

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