Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ Feature in iOS 9 Uses Individualized Voice Recognition
Following the release of the first public beta for iOS 9.1 yesterday, a few of the testers have come across a new feature introduced in the update. Somewhere in the Settings app, it appears that Apple has quietly added a set-up process for the new “Hey Siri” feature coming to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, thanks to a built-in M9 motion coprocessor that enables the phones’ always-on functionality.
Although unconfirmed by Apple, the discovery in iOS 9.1 suggests that Siri will be able to begin detecting specific user voices and determine whether or not the owner of the iPhone in question is speaking to her. Similar in vein to the way Apple aimed its Touch ID feature to work better and better the more you unlocked an iPhone using the fingerprint scanning sensor, it seems the set-up process will guide users into stating words or phrases to better acclimate Siri with each iPhone owner.
Found in General > Siri > Allow ‘Hey Siri’, the new always-on feature is the next step-up in the technology by Apple, allowing users to ask Siri questions or make changes within the iPhone’s apps by simply stating “Hey Siri” near the iPhone.
Thanks Alan and Daniel!
(Deal) Master your Microsoft Office skills for only $49 with this course bundle
The deals that we showcase here at AndroidGuys, are designed to either enhance your personal life, or enhance your work life. Occasionally we will show off something that helps you better yourself for your career of choice. Whether that’s providing courses to teach you Android development or to help build your business skills.
Today’s deal from AndroidGuys and StackCommerce aims to help you do that latter. The Microsoft Office Mastery Bundle teaches you everything you need to know about Microsoft’s suite of productivity applications. From Microsoft Excel to SharePoint, this bundle covers everything you can think in the world of Microsoft Office.
- Microsoft Excel Course
- Advanced Microsoft Excel Course
- Microsoft PowerPoint Course
- Microsoft Word Course
- Effective Outlook Course
- PivotTable Course
- SharePoint Course
With seven different courses, you truly can become a Microsoft Office master, and in turn, show off what you learned immediately. Normally priced at $1,559 for all 7 courses, you can act today, and grab this deal for only $49, a savings of over 95%. This is a great way to enhance not only your personal knowledge, but to also help in your career of choice since many businesses still use Microsoft Office.
You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!
The post (Deal) Master your Microsoft Office skills for only $49 with this course bundle appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google planning to bring Fiber to three more cities
Having fast internet for your home is one of the most important “necessities” nowadays. Being able to stream is all the craze, especially with devices like the Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, etc. So trying to find which provider to get your internet from, is just as important, because you definitely don’t want to be stuck with shoddy internet.
Yesterday, Google announced that they are exploring three new cities to add to the short list of those places where Fiber is available. Currently Fiber can be found in these cities:
- Kansas City
- Provo, Utah
- Austin, Texas
Earlier this year, Google announced plans to expand Fiber to Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Nashville. Yesterday’s announcement added the cities of Irvine, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and San Diego to the mix.
These cities seem to have been chosen due to their “growing tech hubs with entrepreneurial cultures”. So it’s cool to see Google paying attention to those start-up locations, even though I’m sure plenty of people wish they could just start rolling out Fiber everywhere already.
Google seems to be trying to expand Fiber at a faster pace now that they have seemingly gotten all of the kinks worked out, so hopefully it will only be a matter of time before it’s in your city.
Source: Google Fiber Blog
The post Google planning to bring Fiber to three more cities appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Kirigami-inspired solar cells can track the sun without motors
Researchers at the University of Michigan announced on Wednesday that they have developed a method of keeping solar cells turned toward the sun without the need for heavy and energy-hungry motors. Their method is based on the Japanese art of Kirigami — like origami but with cuts in addition to folds. The team’s panel is printed on a flexible kapton substrate which has dash-like cuts running across its surface. When stretched, the panel forms a mesh with each section twisting slightly. The degree of twist, which will allow the panel to follow the path of the sun, depends on how much the panel is stretched. “The design takes what a large tracking solar panel does and condenses it into something that is essentially flat,” Aaron Lamoureux, lead author on the paper published in Nature Communications, said in a release.
The team found that these panels to be nearly as effective as conventional sun-tracking solar panels. The new panels are 36 percent more efficient that stationary panels compared to 40 percent for traditional motorized units. Of course these new panels are also a tenth of the weight of the trackers, making them ideal for home installation. “We think it has significant potential, and we’re actively pursuing realistic applications,” Lamoureux continued. “It could ultimately reduce the cost of solar electricity.”
This is not the first use of kirigami in an industrial application, mind you. Arizona State recently unveiled a stretchable battery based on the folding and cutting technique. Similarly, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has employed origami to build a foldable UAV; a team from Hiroshima University have created an origami bridge that unfolds like an accordion; and MIT even built a self-folding drone capable of examining your insides.
Filed under:
Science
Source:
Nature Communications
Tags: Arizona State University, energy, Hiroshima University, Japanese art, kirigami, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nature Communications, origami, panel, power, solar, University of Michigan, universityofmichigan
OnePlus: ‘We messed up the launch of the OnePlus 2’
Once again, OnePlus has built a “flagship killer” that millions of people want, and once again, it’s struggling to get the device in customers’ hands. After delaying its arrival in the US and Canada, co-founder Carl Pei has admitted that the OnePlus 2 has only started shipping in “meaningful quantities” this week. That’s a month later than expected, which is problematic given most smartphone makers work on a 12-month release cycle. “We messed up,” Pei writes in a forum post. “We know that you are rooting for us, and want nothing more than to see us succeed. Therefore, it feels extra terrible to let you down this time around, again.” OnePlus says it prepared more inventory for the OnePlus 2 launch, but clearly something has put a spanner in its production schedule. We were impressed with the device, but if you’re desperate to upgrade your phone — you might want to look elsewhere. For those still trying to get an invite, it could be an awfully long wait.
Filed under:
Cellphones
Source:
OnePlus (Forum)
Tags: android, delay, oneplus, oneplus2, OnePlusTwo, smartphone
Sony’s stance on Xperia waterproofing changes, says “remember not to use the device underwater”
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Sony Xperia devices have had one defining feature which has proven to be a selling point for many years – waterproofing. While other manufacturers have started to catch up, Sony has continued to release device after device with sufficient water resistance to survive a dip in the pool, though it appears its tune has changed slightly. While Xperia waterproofing, and water, still make up a large portion of Sony’s marketing campaigns, the Japanese company has put up the following disclaimer on their support website:
“Remember not to use the device underwater. The IP rating of your device was achieved in laboratory conditions in standby mode, so you should not use the device underwater, such as taking pictures.”
If we take what Sony has written on face value, then the IP rating of any device means nothing, which is utterly ridiculous. We’ve seen a video of a Sony Xperia Z3 unboxed while underwater in a swimming pool and switched on for the first time while submerged, a most impressive feat indeed – if that’s not because of the device’s IP rating under conditions outside of a laboratory, then I don’t know what is. No doubt the reason Sony has done this is due to devices being returned because they have received water damage and putting this statement on their support site protects them, kind of.
What do you think about Sony’s stance on Xperia waterproofing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: XperiaBlog
The post Sony’s stance on Xperia waterproofing changes, says “remember not to use the device underwater” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Qualcomm mobile SoCs take to the skies with Snapdragon Flight
Not content with powering a huge number of devices in our collective pockets, Qualcomm wants to take to the skies with its newly announced Snapdragon Flight platform, specifically designed for consumer drones and robotics.
The platform features various bits of technology that will be very familiar to those who follow mobile hardware. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 is powering the board, complete with four Krait CPU cores clocked at 2.26GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. The 58x40mm board also features Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology, 4K video capture and dual camera support, dual-band 2×2 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GNSS location capabilities.
“The Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight brings together the technologies that have defined the mobile industry onto a single board, enabling OEMs to build drones that are lighter, smaller, easy to use and affordable with long battery life and superior functionalities.” – Raj Talluri, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies
Snapdragon Flight is designed to help simplify and lower the costs of drone development, while offering cutting edge features such as 1080p 60fps video capture and computer image processing capabilities. In the future, Qualcomm plans to support 4G LTE dongles too, which means that drones built on this platform will be able to send data, such as image, back to users over regular LTE networks and may also eventually be able to use carrier networks to control them.
Radiant Insights suggests that the global commercial drone market will expand from $609 million in 2014 to $4.8 billion by 2021, so Qualcomm could be well placed to capitalize on this market growth with its Flight platform. Snapdragon Flight is available today for select OEMs, and is expected to be powering commercial drones on the shelves by 1H 2016.
Latest Samsung TV ad takes another swing at the iPhone
Poor Apple and its latest iPhone, the two have been on the receiving end of a few jibes from its Android rivals since its launch announcement this week and Samsung is looking to hammer its major rival once again with its latest TV advertisement.
Much like Sony the other day, Samsung seems to be playing on the lack of any major advances in the iPhone’s battery technology. Apple hasn’t given away any major details about the battery or its associated features inside the iPhone 6S, but did state that it should offer the same performance as its predecessor. Make of that what you will.
The ad showcases Samsung’s wireless charging technology, which is built into its latest Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and Note 5 products. There’s also a twist on Apple’s latest “if it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” tagline, to which Samsung responds with “it’s not a phone, it’s a Galaxy.”
Although Samsung has done away with a removable battery this year, it is the only smartphone manufacturer to offer dual-mode wireless charging as standard, which is compatible with the Qi and PMA technologies used in various accessories and charging hotspots in certain businesses.
Where does this one sit in your Samsung ad rankings?
Deal Alert: Moto 360 for £119 from Amazon UK
Following the recent launch of the Motorola’s second generation smartwatch, retailers are cutting the price of the first-generation Moto 360 as they clear out old stock. This is good news for bargain hunters, as Amazon UK is currently selling the smartwatch for just £119.99.
Usually, the first-gen Moto 360 would retail for around £199.99, so this offer will save you a notable £80 (40 percent off). Amazon UK stocks the smartwatch in your choice of Light or Dark Steel options, both of which come with a similarly coloured leather strap.
Although the second-gen Moto 360 features a bit of a redesign, new processing hardware and a slightly larger battery, the first-gen product still offers the same base Android Wear software features. This makes it a pretty good option as an inexpensive first dip into the world of smart wearables.
Click the button below to grab yourself the deal. I’ll also leave a link to our in-depth review here, if you are still undecided about the whole smartwatch thing.
Lloyds and Halifax now support Apple Pay in the UK
Apple Pay had a difficult start in the UK. Not all of the banks supported it at launch, leaving some iPhone and Apple Watch owners feeling frustrated. Slowly but surely, however, most of the major players have now jumped on board. Lloyds and Halifax are the latest to enter the fray — some customers are reporting that they’re able to link their accounts and make payments. It appears to be a gradual roll-out, however, so if your card isn’t supported just yet, we suspect it will be shortly. As 9to5Mac reports, that brings the grand total up to 11 banks in the UK: American Express, First Direct, HSBC, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest, NationWide, MBNA, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster. The most glaring omission? Barclays, which is probably still hoping that you’ll adopt bPay instead.
Update: Halifax and Lloyds say they’re still updating their systems, so it could be a while before everyone has access. A full roll-out will be announced “soon,” however.
@nisummers We’re in the process of enabling Apple Pay meaning some customers will be able to register. We’ll announce full launch soon. ^DL
— Lloyds Bank (@AskLloydsBank) September 11, 2015
@nisummers Hi, I’m GW. We are in the process of enabling Apple Pay meaning some customers will be able to register. 1/2
— Halifax (@AskHalifaxBank) September 11, 2015
[Image Credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Apple
Source:
9to5Mac
Tags: apple, applepay, applewatch, halifax, lloyds, mobilepayments
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