Google adds user reviews to help you decide on Assistant apps

Beyond automating your home through Routines and sending money to a friend, the capabilities of Google Assistant are expanding rapidly. So you don’t waste time trying out lousy features, Google is letting users now post reviews on Assistant apps and integrations to help others determine the usefulness of each, according to Android Police.

For now, at least, you can only view or leave reviews using an Android device, and they aren’t visible on the Google Assistant iOS app or web directory. Reviews are currently displayed chronologically, and there’s no way to see which ones are the most helpful — something you can see on Google Play app reviews.

While this reviews program isn’t fully fleshed out yet, adding them is a logical move. Helping others gain a sense of how well a Google Assistant integration works (or flagging their quirks or drawbacks) should help users get the most out of the voice assistant and avoid pitfalls. If, say, you have a smart home app that isn’t responding correctly, it’d be helpful for others to be aware of a potential bug. Reviews will aid developers in figuring out what’s working or not beyond their data dashboards too, so it should help everyone in the long run.

Via: 9to5 Google

Source: Android Police

Alexa exec calls it quits after five years at Amazon

After a five year stint at Amazon, Charlie Kindel — an exec instrumental to Alexa’s stunningly effective home invasion — has called it quits. In a post on his personal blog published earlier today, Kindel cited the intense, frenetic pace of life at Amazon as his main motivation for leaving.

“The pace of the past 5 years has finally gotten to me and I simply need to catch my breath,” he wrote. “I’ve recently been joking with folks that ‘I used to get my adrenaline rush going heli-skiing. Now I just go into work.’”

Despite Amazon’s notoriously high-pressure work culture, Kindel went on to add that he would miss the company’s high standards and didn’t rule out the possibility of returning in the future. We couldn’t blame him for staying away, though: Kindel spent the last three years leading the Alexa team in building new voice features, crafting a Skills kit for developers and ensuring more consistent Alexa experiences from external hardware makers through the creation of the Works with Alexa certification. (Despite his surname, Kindel never worked on Amazon’s e-readers.) Needless to say, Kindel has earned a break.

While the home automation and car restoration projects Kindel mentions in his post could be cool, it’s likely his work with Amazon that will remain his most influential and impactful in the long term. If nothing else, Alexa is already faring better than Kindel’s last major project at a massive tech company: in a previous life, he was the general manager for Microsoft’s ill-fated Windows Phone 7 platform.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: ceklog

Malaysia’s fake news law has already led to a one-month jail sentence

The Malaysian law criminalizing the spread of fake news was enacted less than three weeks ago and the country has already charged an individual for violating it. Danish citizen Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman was arrested and charged with spreading false news, the Guardian reports, and fined 10,000 ringgit (approximately $2,550). Sulaiman reportedly couldn’t pay the fine and opted for a one-month jail sentence instead.

The dispute centers on a YouTube video in which Sulaiman said Malaysian police took 50 minutes to respond to calls reporting Palestinian lecturer Fadi al-Batsh had been shot in Kuala Lumpur. But state officials claim police responded in just eight minutes. Sulaiman said in court that he posted the video during a “moment of anger.” “I agreed I made a mistake,” he said. “I seriously apologise to everybody in Malaysia, not just in the Malaysian police.”

Malaysian parliament passed the new law earlier this month and after it received the king’s approval, the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 became enforceable on April 11th. Those who violate the broadly termed legislation face up to six years of prison and a fine of up to 500,000 ringgit ($127,493). And those outside of Malaysia are subject to the law if what they publish or share affects Malaysia or its citizens.

Many suspect the law is an attempt to silence reports on a major corruption scandal involving Prime Minister Najib Razak. Multiple countries, including the US, are investigating allegations that the prime minister and his associates embezzled billions of dollars held in a state investment fund. A Malaysian official said last month that any reports about the fund that haven’t been verified by state authorities would be considered false.

Via: The Verge

Final Cut Pro Updated With Several Bug Fixes

Final Cut Pro, Apple’s video editing software aimed at professionals, today received a minor update to address a few bugs that have been discovered since the release of the 10.4.1 version of the app.

According to Apple’s notes, the update fixes a bug that caused clips you didn’t mean to select to be included when selecting multiple clips using the Shift key, and it addresses issues related to XML import and export. Full notes:

What’s New
– Fixes an issue in which selecting multiple clips using the Shift key or marquee selection could inadvertently select other clips in the timeline
– Fixes issues related to XML import and export

Today’s update comes three weeks after the release of Final Cut Pro 10.4.1, a major update that introduced a new ProRes RAW format, new closed captioning tools, and enhanced tools for exporting files.

Final Cut Pro can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $299.99. [Direct Link]

Tag: Final Cut Pro X
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Apple Updates Swift Playgrounds With New ‘What’s Next’ Feature

Apple today updated its Swift Playgrounds app to version 2.1, introducing new features to the iPad coding app designed to teach children and adults to code through several interactive “Learn to Code” lessons.

The updated app includes a new “What’s Next” feature that offers up other playground suggestions to try based on current progress in the Swift Playgrounds app, providing users with a clearer path for learning new coding skills.

Today’s update also introduces support for macOS content caching in order to speed up downloads in networks that have multiple Swift Playgrounds users.

Swift Playgrounds 2.1 comes three months after Apple introduced version 2.0 of Swift Playgrounds, an update that added support for subscribing to playgrounds from third-party creators and browsing and downloading third-party content.

The 2.0 update also brought support for robots like IBM’s TJbBot and Mekamon, and a new gallery view was added to make it easier to see all available playgrounds you’re subscribed to.

Swift Playgrounds can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Swift Playgrounds
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Bank of Ireland Working to Implement Apple Pay

The Bank of Ireland, the last major bank in the country that does not offer support for Apple Pay, is working on implementing Apple Pay for its customers, according to information shared with Irish news site Independent.ie.

“We expect to integrate phone payments in the future,” said a spokesperson. “However we are not in a position to confirm timings.” When asked by Independent.ie to clarify what “phone payments” meant, the bank representative said “Apple and Android Pay.”

Apple Pay has been available in Ireland since March of 2017, and the payments service works with Mastercard, Visa, AIB, Boon, KBC, and Ulster Bank, leaving Bank of Ireland as the one significant holdout.

Apple Pay is available on all of Apple’s modern devices, including the iPhone 6 and later, Apple Watch models, and the newest Macs with Touch ID support.

Apple Pay in Ireland can be used wherever contactless payments are accepted, with Apple listing specific Apple Pay partners that include Aldi, Boots, Burger King, Dunnes, iConnect, Harvey Normal, Lidl, and more on its Apple Pay Ireland website.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Rowkin Surge Charge True Wireless Earbuds Review – The best sport buds?

If you’ve done some searching for a pair of truly wireless earbuds, chances are you’ve come across Rowkin. The up-and-coming company has a few solutions under its belt now, with no signs of stopping. We particularly like how competitive it is with cost. A good pair of true wireless earbuds doesn’t come cheap, and Rowkin makes a valiant attempt to get there with affordable pricing.

But usually, this practice results in considerable compromise. Well, Rowkin has passed us its latest device, the sporty Surge Charge, to examine where they’re at today. Let’s find out if this is the best pair of true wireless earbud for active lifestyles.

Design

As we’ve suggested, the Surge Charge isn’t your typical true wireless earbud. They are completely wire-free, but the design is tuned for use with exercise than just sitting. This is immediately apparent when you get them in your hands.

They make no effort whatsoever in being small-as-possible earbuds like most of the competition (though, Rowkin does offer this kind of alternative for casual use). The earpiece housing is rectangular and bulky, and you’ll see an imposing ear glide shoot out from the top.

Hard, non-premium plastic is the name of this game.

The only styling you’ll see is a nice “weave” texture on the outer surfaces, and Rowkin’s green logo.

We’ve had various true wireless earbuds come our way here at AndroidGuys, and the Surge Charge are at the bottom of the “premium” scale. But we must remind ourselves about Rowkin’s intent. Activity earbuds are more about function than fashion, and we can understand that we can’t have it all at this price-point. The main goal is that they work well (which we’ll get into soon).

As far as the packaging, it’s pretty basic stuff. You’re given multiple size ear tips, USB-A to microUSB charging cable, and a carrying/charging case. The earbuds can function without the case if you’re looking to save some dough. Rowkin offers them sans the case for $20 less (just called the Surge).

The Surge Charge packaging contents.

A downside comes out of the fact that the Surge wasn’t originally designed with a case in mind. Most true wireless earbuds have pin connections with their case slots, which allows for effortless charging. The Surge have to be charged with a microUSB cable, therefore, Rowkin had to incorporate corresponding short microUSB cables in the case’s interior. You must plug in the earbuds to charge, each time. Does it work? Yes. Does it lack in finesse? Definitely.

Weirdly, the way that the earbuds are shaped, they have to be placed in opposite Left/Right spots inside the case.

The case is charged up from the rear, and there’s a generous battery indicator nearby.

Another gripe is how thick the case is. One of the best qualities of true wireless earbuds is their pocketability, and the Surge Charge’s case kills that. You’ll be limited to carrying the system by hand (and there’s no wrist strap unfortunately) or in a travel bag.

Function

We’ve touched on the atypical independence of the Surge’s earpieces. This continues on to their function. For instance, each has its own 3-button set of playback controls. The buttons do the same thing, the user can just choose which earpiece to press.

The middle button is to power on/off or play/pause, and the volume buttons double-up to go forward/back in tracks.

Unfortunately, this also means that when you get started, you have to turn each earpiece on separately (long-press the middle button). This operation could’ve been sidestepped if the earpieces communicated with the case. Typical true wireless earbuds know to turn off and charge when placed in their case and turn on when removed. The Surge Charge gets none of that. It’s only when you plug them in to charge that they shut off (but not vice versa). If you don’t plug them in, they’ll just remain in the state they were. There isn’t even an automatic shutoff feature if you stop playback and forget to manually turn them off.

The Surge Charge achieve their ultimate goal of being exceptional activity earbuds. Although bulky, the stiff but moldable ear glides are crucial for the superior security that the earbuds promise for any kind of workout. Once donned with the ear glides tightly pushed against the ear, the earpiece aren’t going to go anywhere. Granted, it’s a two-hand operation to insert and get the glide seated.

The in-ear fit could be better. We like how the nozzle angles to naturally insert, but there’s a thick bit between the earpiece and ear tip (we assume it’s the audio driver) that causes a little discomfort over time.

The earpiece nozzle has a funky shape.

Additionally, we weren’t able to get the best seal with any of the three pairs of supplied tips. It would’ve been nice for Rowkin to include more selection to avoid this with picky ears. Many companies also include foam tips as they isolate noise better.

Where the clunky build benefits these earbuds is in electronic proficiency. The Surge Charge handles its wireless connection like a champ. We haven’t seen this level of Bluetooth stability before in a true wireless earbud. Even the best choices today suffer from a shotty signal, even when the mobile device is nearby. We didn’t have any playback cutoff while exercising with our phone in our pocket. The signal is unfazed until you walk several feet away from the source. Excellent.

Battery life isn’t as exceptional as the Bluetooth performance. At about 5 hours of playback in one charge, it’s above average but still in “true wireless earbud” territory. The charging case also has more capacity than we’re used to seeing, able to charge the earbuds five times over.

Sound

We don’t generally reserve high expectations for the audio of “affordable” earbuds. There’s more out there that sound sub-par than great. Granted, true wireless earbuds have quite the challenge and still is a new market.

With that said, the Surge’s audio quality surprised us. We were so glad to a clear delivery rather than the muddle we can get from cheaper earbuds. Bass, in particular, is authoritative and robust. It does punch and memorable impact without being bloaty or interfering with the lower mid-range, a skill that many fail at. The mid-range is also nicely done. It isn’t pushed back like in the common V-shape frequency curve. While not as in-your-face as the bass, its contribution to the sound signature is significant.

The treble was our least favorite range, which is average in comparison to the rest. It lacks in detail and reach (i.e. higher frequency sparkle), but gets the job done. Soundstage and dynamics were also nothing to write home about. The sound space has some height and slight width. We’re just glad it’s not a completely, non-dimensional in-your-head kind of reproduction.

Final Thoughts

The Surge Charge is a clunky true wireless earbud in every angle of its design, from the blocky form of the earpieces (and case) to the wired charging. But it’s not a bad option when seeing it for what it is. On the contrary, it’s a very good pair when it comes to function and price – two huge factors in this kind of earbud. They have a superior Bluetooth connection, are secure on the ears, and sound great overall. If you have an active lifestyle and can overlook the design quirks, then the Surge Charge should be a strong consideration.

Are Amazon Echo Buttons worth it?

A pair of Amazon Echo Buttons. ($20 at Amazon)

If you’ll use ’em, sure.

I have a confession to make. I ordered the Amazon Echo Buttons when they were first announced. And I didn’t take them out of the box for months. Months.

That’s not usually the sort of thing you’d expect to read in a post asking if these things are worth it. I know. So let’s flip things on their head yet again:

Yes, Amazon Echo Buttons are worth it. If you actually use them.

What are Amazon Echo Buttons?

Ah! Good question. An Amazon Echo Button is a $20 pair of buttons that work with an Amazon Echo. Actually, these things maybe should have been called Amazon Echo Buzzers. Because they’re basically like a battery-powered game-show buzzer that works with an Amazon Echo.

But it’s probably a good thing they didn’t called Amazon Echo Buzzer. That just sounds weird.

Anyway. You’ll connect up to four of these things to the Amazon Echo, and fire up a game on the Echo that takes advantage of them. You versus … someone. You hit the button to chime in. First button-presser gets to answer.

Oh, and they have fun colors that light up.

That’s it.

How do you set up an Amazon Echo Button?

Super easy.

Put two AAA batteries in each Echo Button.
Look at your Echo in anticipation. Say “Set up my Echo Button.”
Press and hold an Echo Button for 10 seconds to put it in pairing mode.
Alexa will tell you when you’re good to go.
Repeat to pair any other buttons.

What games can I play with an Echo Button?

There are a bunch of games (though not an infinite number) available.

Trivial Pursuit Tap is probably the biggest. Buzz in first and give the correct answer. Sounds Fun with Mike Epps is another.

You get see the full list of games that use the buttons here.

So are they worth it or not?

Yes, they’re worth it! If you want to play this sort of game on an Amazon Echo. The buttons are a fun and relatively inexpensive (again, they’re only $20) way to get more use out of an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.

The trick is you just have to be sure to use them. Otherwise, they’re the same as any piece of tech that you don’t use.

A doorstop.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Echo Spot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

See at Amazon

Google Home Mini review, 6 months later: The smart speaker that should be in everybody’s home

Simply put, the Home Mini is the perfect smart speaker for just about everyone.

When Amazon launched the Echo Dot in 2015, it made a breakthrough in the smart speaker industry by offering all of the smarts of Alexa in a package that was considerably smaller and more affordable than its flagship Echo speaker. That’s essentially the same path that Google took with the Home Mini, and while all of the things it does are done better by the regular Home and Home Max, it’s become the smart speaker that I recommend to friends and family looking to venture into this field.

That’s not to say the Home Mini is without its faults, but for anyone who’s in the market to make their home a bit smarter, this is what I’ve come to love (and sometimes get annoyed by) with the Google Home Mini.

Always getting better

Things that are still great

I could spend all day blabbering about the Google Assistant (the brains behind Home Mini), and while I’ll touch on that in a bit, something that I think the Home Mini excels the most at is with its hardware. It’s the same primary size and shape as the Echo Dot, but it looks ten times better.

The rubber bottom grips nicely to whatever surface you place it on, the plastic underside looks perfectly fine, and the fabric top helps the Home Mini blend seamlessly into the rest of your home’s decor — available in gray, black, and coral shades.

Touch controls on the left and right work good for controlling your volume, stopping alarms, and ending voice calls, but the real star of the show here is sound quality.

I won’t lead you into believing that the Home Mini sounds just as good as a Home Max, Echo Plus, or Sonos One. It just doesn’t. However, for a speaker this small and compared to what Amazon achieved with the Echo Dot, I’m still amazed to this day just how good the thing sounds. The volume gets more than loud enough, vocals are crisp, and there’s even a decent amount of bass.

A smart speaker is only as good as the assistant that powers it, however, but this is another area where the Home Mini continues to excel. In fact, it’s continued to get better and better since its release. Google’s constantly adding new features to the Assistant, and while finding and managing these can be a challenge at times, the sheer amount of things you can do without having to talk like a robot continues to be the Assistant’s strong suit. Alexa may have more Skills at its disposal, but the Assistant’s ability to pick up on context so you can talk in a natural manner is far more impressive.

Life with a Google speaker

What’s not so hot

My experience with the Home Mini has been mostly positive, but that’s not to say it’s a perfect product.

If you’re like me and live with two Home speakers in a relatively small space, be prepared for some continuity annoyances. Multiple Google Home products work great together for streaming music to multiple speakers at once, but beyond that, there’s a lot to be desired.

There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to ask Home Mini to create a to-do list.

When making dinner, I’ll often ask the Google Home in my living room to set an alarm while waiting for some to cook. I’ll ask how much time is left on my timer after a few minutes have passed, but the Home Mini in my bedroom thinks I’m talking to it and says “You don’t have any timers set.” There are also times when I’m in my bedroom at night, ask the Home Mini right next to me to set an alarm, and the one in the living room will decide that I was talking to it and set an alarm out there.

These annoyances aren’t necessarily limited to the Home Mini, but rather a problem that Google has with its entire Home lineup. Setting an alarm or timer on one Home should do the same for the rest of the speakers connected to your Wi-Fi network, and I really hope this is something we see added in the near future.

Even with just one Home Mini, there are still little quirks here and there that can put a damper on the whole experience. Google’s decision to restrict shopping lists to the Google Express app is an irritating move to push its online shopping service on all Home users, the Home app is a bloated mess that’s in desperate need of simplification, and it’s beyond me why I’m still unable to add things to a to-do list. Maybe this is something that’ll change now that there’s a proper Google Tasks app, but we’ll see.

Should you still buy it? Absolutely

The Home Mini has a retail price of $49, but you can often find it being sold with a $10-$20 discount or being included for free with the purchase of a Pixel 2, Pixelbook, or something else. No matter how you get your hands on the thing, it needs to have a place in your home.

Life with a smart speaker is just easier. Whether you’re setting timers, listening to background music, asking it to play a show on your Chromecast-enabled TV, control smart bulbs, or whatever else, a Home Mini is the perfect tool for making your life simpler. That may sound like a lofty claim to make for a $49 plastic and fabric donut, but it’s true. As someone that uses the Home Mini every day, I can safely say that it offers the best combination of design, sound quality, smart features, and value that you can find in a product like this right now.

See at Best Buy

These iOttie car mounts have wireless charging pads built in for just $34

Safely charge in the car.

Odds are you’ve heard of iOttie’s awesome car mounts in the past, but did you know the company also sells some with wireless charging capabilities built in? They may sound expensive, but right now at Amazon they are on sale for 32% off, which drops the price down to just $33.95. There are two different options available, one which goes into a CD slot and one which clips into your vehicle’s air vents. Obviously, if your vehicle doesn’t have a CD player, you won’t be able to pick this option, and the air vent one is pretty universal.

Of course, you’ll need to have a compatible phone, like the iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9, or similar. The cigarette plug has a built-in USB port as well, so you can charge another device via a USB cable while wirelessly charging your main phone.

Both options were released back in February and have never dropped in price before this deal, so don’t miss out.

See at Amazon