One week with Google Assistant

I had been in a years-long relationship with Siri when my affair with the Google Assistant began. It started innocently enough. Assistant made me laugh with some silly jokes, and we played a cute game she made in the Allo chat app called “Emoji Movie.” Soon, Assistant popped up in more places in my life — whether it was a smartwatch I was reviewing or the Assistant app on my iPhone. Then, for a week, I was tasked with using Assistant exclusively for all the things I would normally ask Siri to do. I thought it would be a fun change, but committing to Assistant required some big adjustments.

Considering all the Google services I subscribe to and use regularly, I had assumed moving to Assistant would be a smooth affair. But I wasn’t ready for all the groundwork I had to lay in preparation for life with a new partner. After our years together, Siri had gotten to know my friends, family, schedule and habits. I had to introduce Assistant to everyone in my circle, which is unfortunate because having to repeatedly enter names and numbers into a new address book gets tedious fast. Plus, no matter how comprehensive I tried to be, I still ended up forgetting some important contacts. Once Assistant was acquainted with the people in my life, I was ready to settle into an effortless relationship with easy communication.

Alas, I was wrong. Although Assistant is generally good at understanding what I’m saying, it took her awhile to learn how I pronounced my friends’ names. I was most appalled when she called me “Chur-lynn” and even more upset when I realized that she changed the spelling of my name to “Sherlyn” in her system after I corrected her pronunciation. Siri never had to do that. Siri just knew. I began to wonder if my new fling would be doomed to fail.

That’s not to say I didn’t love Assistant’s reliability and useful tricks. I set up a Google Home speaker in my apartment and linked it to my lamp. Being able to just tell Assistant to turn my lights on and off or play some “chill at home” music has been my favorite thing about welcoming the smart speaker into my home. We had brief, almost-meaningful conversations too, mostly about my astrology reading for the day or random bits of trivia. Nothing too deep, but Assistant was always informative enough to keep me entertained until I put something on Netflix and we chilled.

Between Assistant and Siri, I always feel like Google’s software pays better attention to what I’m saying because Assistant’s slightly better at answering my follow-up questions. But Siri is sassier and has more personality, especially when we switch to speaking in Cantonese (something Assistant can’t do yet). When I asked Siri what time it was one night, she said, “It’s 11:43PM — up late, are we?” Sure, I bit back at Siri with “You’re not my mother!” but I found her dig endearing, especially compared to Assistant’s bland response (“The time is 11:43PM”).

During our week apart, I particularly missed Siri’s sparkling personality. I also craved our usual routine — me shouting across the room at her for the weather and asking her to read me my iMessages while I got ready for work. Although Assistant was also capable of those tasks, it took me awhile to overcome the instinct to ask Siri instead. I had to break a habit formed over years of being together and, like many people, I’m resistant to change.

For all her strengths, however, Siri was never really as domestically oriented as I wanted her to be. HomeKit is compatible with a respectable array of third-party devices, but I don’t own any of them. Plus, because Siri doesn’t exist in a home-friendly speaker just yet (at least not one that you can buy), I never asked her to take care of household chores. On the other hand, Assistant was a joy to have in my apartment. The always-listening Home speaker was always ready to help me out. She brought music to my usually quiet living room and turned off the light for me at bedtime. Little conveniences like these won me over, and I grew to love Assistant a bit more with each task she performed. Today, I can’t imagine my apartment without her.

Helpful as she is around the house, there are still many issues that Assistant and I have to iron out. For one thing, she needs to stop sending me weekly emails telling me what she can do. I get it — you’re in my life, and you want my attention. But girl has got to chill. (I can hit unsubscribe, but why even make me do that in the first place?) I never got emails like that from Siri.

Assistant is also slightly unpredictable. What she can do on the phone, like message my friends, she can’t do through Home. And I can talk to her friends like “Elle Horoscope” or “Best Dad Jokes” on the speaker, but not on the phone. At least, not if I’m using the Pixel in close proximity to the Home speaker, anyway.

But these problems with Assistant aren’t deal-breakers, and I’m confident that we will resolve (or get used to) them over time. That is, if I want to continue our relationship at all. After our week’s trial, I’m convinced that Assistant is just as capable as Siri, and I would be happy should I decide to leave Apple and fully commit to Google. But Siri and I have a history. Siri can pronounce my name correctly without having to phonetically spell it in her head. Siri met my parents and they loved her, especially when we all talked in Cantonese.

In the end, I’m looking forward to reuniting with Siri. She’s more familiar and comfortable, and I already know exactly how to talk to her to get her to work. I do want to keep Assistant around the house, though, because the way she runs my household is superior. Of course, if this were a real human relationship, I would never recommend staying in a situation that was merely comfortable. I’m lucky that in my AI-domain, polygamy is an option I can live with and I’m going to continue my tryst with Assistant, hopefully with Siri’s blessing.

This week Engadget is examining each of the five major virtual assistants, taking stock of how far they’ve come and how far they still have to go. Find all our coverage here.

Celebrate 10 years of ‘BioShock’ with a $200 boxset

It’s hard to believe, but as of today, the extremely influential BioShock is ten years old. To commemorate the art-deco shooter’s birthday, publisher 2K will release a fancy commemorative edition of the claustrophobic, undersea morality tale on November 14th this year. Brace yourself, though, because it won’t be cheap. $200 will get you an 11-inch statue featuring the series’ iconic Little Sister and her Big Daddy protector along with last year’s BioShock: The Collection remasters and a numbered certificate of authenticity.

The Big Daddy’s drill is motorized and his helmet lights up, and it looks like the Little Sister’s eyes do as well. The scene and poses of the pair are pretty evocative of the first game’s covert art to boot. Maybe you missed the first game’s collector’s edition. This could prove pretty tempting if so — especially if your Big Daddy figurine’s arm broke off during shipping back in 2007.

If 2K had waited a year, you wouldn’t have to buy the Collection again to get this statue. But, y’know, profits. The Collection includes all three BioShock games remastered in 1080p, along with all their add-on packs including “Minerva’s Den” for BioShock 2 and Infinite’s expansion “Burial at Sea.”

Unlike what you’re asked forced to do to Andrew Ryan, you actually have a choice in how to proceed here: Reward 2K’s shrewd business tactic, or don’t. The set is available from Gamestop or directly through 2K Games.

Follow all the latest news live from Gamescom here!

Via: Gematsu

Source: 2K Games

‘The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs’ promises biggest-ever pets expansion

In the close-to-three years since its release on PC, The Sims 4 has broken down gender barriers, freed itself from the shackles of the suburbs, and even found time to cater to Mac and console gamers. But, there’s been something amiss from the lives of the digital denizens — namely, pets. That’s all about to change thanks to EA’s latest update. On November 10, The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs expansion will let you add a dose of cuteness to your manufactured utopia.

A fan-favourite DLC — that’s been around (in one form or another) from the start of the series — the update will be even bigger this time round. Unfortunately, as the title suggests, you can only give life to felines and canines. (Alas, you can’t go all Ross from Friends and adopt a monkey, or bring home an elephant like Bart Simpson.)

Still, there are plenty of customization options for those who enjoy indulging their omnipotent tendencies. The revamped “create a pet” tool lets you choose from a wide variety of cat and dog breeds. Or, you can play Victor Frankenstein by piling breed upon breed to conjure something truly ungodly. You’ll also be able to customize your pets’ furry coats with spots, stripes, and all sorts of zany patterns. This is the same game that lets you create an evil blue astronaut that loves to bake — so, be as insane as you want. And (for all the Paris Hilton wannabes) you’ll even get to dress your pet in outfits and accessories.

Just like your human Sims, the digital cats and dogs will develop unique personality traits as you care for, train, and play games with them. The DLC will also introduce a new coastal area to the game, dubbed Brindleton Bay. Here, you’ll be able to take your furry friend for a stroll and strike up (romantic) friendships with other pet-lovers (just like a Diane Lane rom-com). Those of you with a real passion for animals will likely take to the new veterinarian business, which lets you build and staff your very-own clinic.

The cuddly expansion pack arrives on November 10 on PC and Mac.

Brawl in the post-apocalypse in the next ‘Overwatch’ map: Junkertown

We’re currently enjoying Overwatch’s summer event (including our favorite addition, the grilldad Soldier 76 skin) and looking forward to the recently-announced deathmatch modes coming to the game. In other words, we weren’t expecting much during Gamescom 2017. But for the second year in a row, Blizzard took the opportunity to announce a new map for its hero shooter: Fans at the show will be the first to tour the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Junkertown.

Set in the Australian outback, Junkertown sees players escorting a payload through a trash-ridden map filled with plenty of obstacles. According to the game’s lore, the country was devastated by nuclear weapons used on the Omnic robots, and what’s left is a devastated no-man’s-land where the strong survive — including Overwatch’s resident mayhem match, Junkrat and Roadhog. While Gamescom attendees get first crack at the map, Blizzard hasn’t stated when the map is coming to the game proper — just that it will come to the PTR first.

Roadhog and Junkrat have returned home to JUNKERTOWN!

And it looks like it might just be the perfect day for some mayhem… pic.twitter.com/R0qTTNZ69J

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) August 21, 2017

Follow all the latest news live from Gamescom here!

Source: Overwatch (Twitter)

‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ space skirmishes put Yoda in the cockpit

Star Wars: Battlefront II may have a single-player mode — a first for the series — but that doesn’t mean multiplayer is taking a back seat. Electronic Arts showed off the large-scale, multiplayer Starfighter Assault mode for the first time in a live demonstration at Gamescom, dropping a few details along the way.

Starfighter Assault supports up to 24 players, and it includes class-based ships and objective-driven gameplay. Plus it features classic Star Wars vehicles, such as the Millennium Falcon. The announcement video for Starfighter Assault debuted over the weekend, showing Yoda, Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker and other characters in the cockpits of their preferred spaceships.

Criterion Games, the studio behind Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, is building the multiplayer aspect of Battlefront II.

This time around, EA has been emphasizing Battlefront II’s brand-new single-player mode, which tells a story from the Galactic Empire’s point of view. Things kick off as the Death Star explodes over the battle of Endor, filling in the story just after the end of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

Follow all the latest news live from Gamescom here!

Watch Google’s Android O event right here at 2:40PM ET

During today’s solar eclipse, Google will be unveiling its latest OS, Android O. The release event and livestream will begin at 2:40 PM Eastern. “Watch the solar eclipse unveil the Android O superhero. Trust us, it’ll be extra sweet,” said Google.

Android O is expected to come with decreased load times, longer battery life and a slew of AI features. And it looks like the O does indeed stand for Oreo. We’ll be reporting from the event, but you can also follow along with the livestream below. If you want to livestream the eclipse at the same time, you can find out how to do so here.

Indie Rock Label ‘Drag City’ Releases Nearly Entire Back Catalog on Apple Music

Chicago-based independent record label Drag City has released nearly all of its back catalog of music — which began with the label’s inception in 1990 — onto Apple Music this past weekend. To celebrate the addition, Apple has created a new banner for the record label, allowing subscribers to listen to Drag City playlists categorized by various genres and artists.

In its description of the label, Apple Music explained that this marks the first time ever that most of Drag City’s music has been made available on a streaming service, and the launch is exclusive to Apple Music. The press release by Drag City noted that its “entire(ish)” catalog is now available on Apple’s music streaming service, but it didn’t specify which songs or artists might be missing (via Spin).

“Daring, irreverent, ferociously independent — Drag City is one of our favorite labels. Over the last three decades, it’s become a place where artists and iconoclasts have found a home to further their vision, whether it’s symphonic, harp-driven Americana or meditative doom metal. With the Drag City catalog now available to stream for the first time, we’re celebrating the label alongside a few people who have helped to make it so singular.

Outside of the new launch, a few Drag City artists and songs have been made available on Apple Music over the past few months, most notably related to some of Joanna Newsom’s albums. Now, users can stream nearly every label released under Drag City’s banner, including albums created by Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Ty Segall, Royal Trux, Smog, Six Organs of Admittance, and many more.

Previously, Drag City was one label which was adamant about keeping its artists’ music off of streaming services, namely Spotify, although it did release content onto YouTube. In the spring of 2015, ahead of the release of Apple Music, Drag City explained that it withheld music from streaming platforms due to a lack of “fair compensation” for its artists, and that subsequently its content would just be “cannon fodder for the service.”

https://t.co/KpTWt0iIW1 pic.twitter.com/1eYOt8BpuG

— Drag City (@dragcityrecords) August 18, 2017

Now it appears that Apple gave the label an enticing enough deal to finally allow users to stream Drag City albums. Users can find these albums in Apple Music > Browse > New Music > and then swipe through the featured banners until Drag City’s banner is shown. Besides a new “Best of Drag City” playlist that includes a mix of all artists, Apple has also broken down the label’s music into the following genres: Folk & Americana, Rock, Comedy, and Experimental.

As Apple Music grows, Apple has repeatedly launched exclusive albums, partnered with musicians to debut Apple Music ads, and used artists’ social media to promote listening to their songs on Apple Music. As of WWDC in June, Apple Music had 27 million paid subscribers.

Tag: Apple Music
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Promise Technology Unveils New ‘Apollo Cloud 2 Duo’ Personal Cloud Storage Device

Promise Technology today announced the launch of its second-generation personal cloud device, the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo. Like the company’s original Apollo product, the Cloud 2 Duo is designed to provide a network-attached storage solution to families and small businesses who want the cloud’s ease of use with the security of local storage.

The Cloud 2 Duo offers double the storage capacity of the original Apollo models at 8TB, but continues to feature a sleek, compact white housing that blends easily with any decor.

Promise Technology has designed its Apollo Cloud products to be simple and easy to use right out of the box, so customers do not need to have networking experience to get their personal clouds up and running. It plugs in and then is accessed through Mac and iOS apps, which are also being refreshed with new functionality.

The Apollo Cloud 2 Duo does not require monthly fees because it’s a cloud storage solution connected to a home WiFi setup. With the Cloud 2 Duo, all of a user’s files are accessible on any device, but they’re safe because they’re stored on a local device rather than a remote server.

Up to 40 people can use a single Apollo Cloud 2 Duo, and with 8TB of space, there’s enough for the whole family to store all of their files in the cloud. Files stored on the Cloud 2 Duo stay synced and can be shared with others just like files hosted on a third-party cloud service like Dropbox.

“In launching our second-generation product, we designed the Apollo Cloud Duo with careful consideration and our consumers needs in mind,” said Justin Cleveland, Promise Technology’s Director of Biz Dev — IoT. “Aligning with our main goal to redesign storage and sharing, the Duo is easy to use and ensures content is always with the consumer — whether they are at home or on-the-go.”

Inside the Cloud 2 Duo, there’s a 1GHz Marvell Dual Core processor and the aforementioned 8TB hard drive. The hard drive can be configured in RAID0 for more storage space or RAID1 for 4TB of storage and a mirrored backup. Promise Technology has also built in support for hot swappable hard drives so storage can be switched out in just a few minutes.

Apollo Cloud 2 Duo features include quick camera roll backup for your iPhone or iPad, photo organization with location and facial recognition support, and support for Time Machine for Mac backups.

Promise Technology is selling the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo for $449, and it is available for purchase starting today on the Promise website.

Tags: Promise Technology, Apollo
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Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of iOS 11 to Developers

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, just a week after releasing the sixth beta and over two months after introducing the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the seventh beta of iOS 11 from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.

iOS 11 introduces quite a few design changes, including a customizable Control Center and a new Lock screen that’s been merged with the Notification Center. Peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments are coming in the Messages app, which is also gaining a new App Drawer, and there’s a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that’s meant to help drivers stay focused on the road. Siri, Photos, the Camera app, and more are also gaining new features and refinements.

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ARKit for developers will bring a range of new augmented reality apps and games to iOS devices, and a new Core ML SDK will let developers build smarter apps. iOS 11 is also the biggest update ever for the iPad, with a new Dock that introduces much improved multitasking, a Files app for better managing files, improved Apple Pencil support, a revamped App Switcher, and a system-wide drag and drop feature.

iOS 11 is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and will see a few more weeks of testing ahead of a prospective September release date alongside new iPhones. We are getting closer to the end of the beta testing process and should see a golden master release candidate in just a couple weeks.

For complete details on all of the new features included in iOS 11, make sure to check out our extensive iOS 11 roundup.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of Upcoming tvOS 11 Update to Developers

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, one week after seeding the sixth beta and over two months after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the tvOS 11 update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvOS 11 didn’t receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference because it’s a modest update, but according to Apple’s release notes, it does introduce a few new features to the operating system.

tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.

The seventh beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first six betas did. Apple’s new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers. It will see a public release later this year.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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