SoundHound’s voice assistant lives inside its own speaker
Alexa and Google Home aren’t the only pieces of voice-controlled assistant hardware available this holiday season. Today SoundHound announced the first third-party speaker to harness the power of its Hound platform. Built by Boombotix, the stand-alone device will not only play your music, but can answer your questions about the weather, flights, news, sports scores and more.
The Hurricane smart speaker is built upon SoundHound’s Houndify speech-to-meaning technology. Like Alexa, it has a wake phrase (OK Hound) and will answer your queries. But the tech’s impressive ability to answer a context-aware series of questions is now no longer regulated to the Hound app. For example, you can ask the device the weather in a city, then ask how much a hotel will cost, where you can get pizza and the weather in the same city without mentioning its name in follow-up questions.
Also unlike Alexa, new features don’t have to be turned on. “On our platform, you never have to enable a format or skill set, it will just work,” Katie McMahon, VP and GM at SoundHound told Engadget. The company calls these “Domains” and currently has over 150 available for users.
And while asking questions in a more natural way is nice, the real focus of the Hurricane is playing music. The portable speaker connects via WiFi. But if you want to go outside beyond your home network it will also pair via Bluetooth to a smartphone to keep its connection to SoundHound and your music service of choice.
Boombotix CEO Sean Sullivan said, “It’s great to have those side skills, but for us, really the focus was on making a really great music experience first.”
To that end, the Hurricane has two full-range drivers and a 10-watt active four-inch subwoofer. To listen to your questions, it has four microphones and an LED that lights up to notify you that it’s listening and thinking.
The Hound-powered speaker is currently available on Kickstarter for $199 and will ship in late December.
Source: SoundHound
Engadget UK giveaway: Win an iPhone 7 courtesy of Casetify
When the mornings are feeling that little bit crisper and the nights are drawing in, it can only mean one thing: Christmas is coming. Okay, it might be a little premature to start thinking about the festive holiday, but thanks to our friends at Casetify, it might come a little early for you. This week, we’re giving away a matte black iPhone 7 (32GB) with one of the case maker’s slick protective classic grip cases. Casetify specialises in turning your favourite Instagram photo(s) into custom phone accessories, so it’s throwing in a gift card for one of those too. You can enter up to three times via the Rafflecopter widget below. Just don’t forget to give the rules a quick scan while you’re down there.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) iPhone 7, one (1) case and one (1) gift card for a custom case.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Apple, Casetify and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honour warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until October 21st at 11:59PM BST. Good luck!
Source: Casetify
Samsung tested its Galaxy Note 7 batteries in-house
The batteries that power Samsung’s smartphones (including that Galaxy Note 7), are tested in a lab that’s owned by the company. While it tests to ensure its phone batteries are certified by US wireless industry group the CTIA, Samsung’s certified lab is housed inside its own testing facilities, unlike the likes of Apple and Lenovo, which get their tests done at third-party sites. (We’ve also reached out to more smartphone makers.) The CTIA audits these labs to ensure personnel are qualified, that testing complies with standards, as well as checking that there is no undue influence from manufacturers.
Batteries are tested both on their own and while inside a device. The process focuses on how the battery behaves while charging or during calls. According to the direct of the Korea Test Lab (the other CTIA-certified battery testing lab in South Korea), batteries are also put in high temperates to simulate summer heat — and check for the chances of overheating.
Samsung is still investigating what precisely went wrong with the Note 7. The device used batteries from multiple manufacturers, including Samsung’s own SDI arm.
When the company recalled 2.5 million Note 7s with SDI batteries inside, both Samsung and Korea’s Agency for Technology and Standards deemed that batteries from another supplier, ATL, didn’t suffer the same issue, and replacement Note 7s with ATL batteries were offered. However, phones still went up in smoke after the first wave of recalls.
Talking to the Wall Street Journal, the CTIA’s chief technology officer Tom Sawanobori said: “We’ve certified over 1,500 batteries. This is the first time we’ve had an issue.”
Source: WSJ
AT&T’s insurance plan will soon repair busted phone screens
If you have insurance on your phone and smash the ever-loving tar out of the screen, you normally have to file a claim, pay a deductible and wait for a replacement device. Bleh. AT&T and its insurance provider Asurion, however, are trying something a little different. As of November 15, people paying to insure their phones can shell out $89 to — schedule permitting — have a technician repair that display that very day.
Same-day repairs definitely aren’t guaranteed, but the plan could work well for people who can’t go without their phones or don’t have the time for the traditional trade-in process. You stand to save a little money, too: the usual deductible for a high-end smartphone fluctuates between $150 and $225 depending on what it is, so just under $90 doesn’t sound like a bad deal for potentially speedy service.
There are a couple caveats you should know about, though — for one, the new plan only applies to certain smartphones. If you have an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus or SE, you’re in luck. Ditto if you own Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5 or Galaxy S6. You might notice some very popular omissions from that list, namely the most recent iPhone and Galaxy S devices, but that’s probably because the requisite parts are more pricey or tougher to come by. Beyond that, the screen replacement plan is only set to launch in 14 markets come November 15; you can check out the full list (plus markets launching down the road) below.
Via: AndroidPolice
Source: AT&T
Here’s Apple’s workaround when your iPhone 7 home button fails
The iPhone 7’s non-moving home button may feel odd at first, but it has its perks… especially if it ever stops working. MacRumors forum goer iwayne has shown that the new iPhone will give you an on-screen home button (along with a warning that you may need repairs) if it thinks the physical key is broken. While that’s not much consolation if your phone needs to be fixed, it does mean that you can keep using your device in a relatively normal way while you’re waiting for your Genius Bar appointment.
The technology may be short-lived when there are reports of Apple possibly ditching physical home buttons entirely with the next iPhone. However, it’s not hard to see why Apple would push for a motionless button in the short term. It’s not just the customizable haptic feedback — the new design is theoretically less likely to break (since it doesn’t click down) and reduces the pressure to get an immediate fix. That helps Apple’s bottom line, of course, but it may also make you a happier owner in the long term.
Image credit: iwayne, MacRumors Forums
Via: MacRumors
Source: MacRumors Forums
Samsung gives the Galaxy S7 a taste of the Note 7’s software
Like it or not, the Galaxy Note 7 is gone for good. However, you’re getting a small treat if you switched from the Note 7 to another Samsung phone. Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners report that they’re receiving an update which brings many of the Note’s always-on display features to the slightly older devices, such as its customization. It’s not a wholesale port of the discontinued phone’s software (you’d need pen support for that), and some users are reporting broken features in the initial release. Notifications from Samsung’s own email app may not work, for instance.
Still, the timing is convenient and bodes well whether or not you came to the S7 from its larger, defunct counterpart. You won’t have to wait ages (or buy a new phone) to see some of what you were missing. Not that Samsung has much choice but to court S7 owners these days. While there’s no guarantee that the company will migrate everything it can from the Note 7’s software, it has more incentive to make the S7 series as compelling as possible — it’s likely the company’s only high-end option for the next several months.
Source: XDA-Developers, AnandTech Forums
Apple Watch Nike+ arrives on October 28th
If you’ve been holding off on getting an Apple Watch Series 2 in hopes of scoring the running-oriented Nike+ edition, you only have a few more days to wait. Apple has updated its product page to reveal that Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on October 28th, just in time to meet the company’s promised late October launch window. You can get the wristwear in both 38mm and 42mm case sizes at the same $369 and $399 prices as standard Series 2 watches, with a mix of black and gray straps that sometimes include highly visible (and slightly eye-searing) green accents.
As we found out when trying the Nike+ watch in September, you’re really buying this for the software. You get both Nike’s running app out of the box as well as a pair of exclusive watch faces geared towards athletics. The more breathable straps are helpful if you can’t stand a sweaty wrist at the end of a workout, but not as essential. You’re otherwise going to experience the same performance, GPS and water resistance as a run-of-the-mill Series 2. In short: while it might be the Apple Watch of choice if you rarely go a day without running, it’s not so essential for everyone else.
Via: The Verge, MacRumors
Source: Apple
US bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on all flights
In the wake of Samsung’s global recall of the Galaxy Note 7, the US has now banned the device on all aircraft, even if they’re turned off. Previously, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) only issued a warning to have passengers keep the phones powered down during flights. But now, Bloomberg reports, you can’t bring it on the plane at all. This follows recent news that Samsung has ended the production and sales of the Note 7 entirely due to smoke and fire incidents, which happened even to replacement handsets. It’s not entirely clear when the phone would be taken away from you — whether it’d be during the security screening or when you’re onboard the plane — but if you haven’t already returned it, you should at least do so before your next flight.
Update: The Department of Transportation has issued a statement regarding the ban, clarifying that the ban is effective this Saturday, October 15, 2016, at noon ET. As reported, the Galaxy Note 7 is not allowed on their person, in carry-on or in checked baggage, or even shipped as air cargo.
“We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in the statement. “We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”
Update 2: Samsung has released a statement of its own:
“Samsung, together with carriers, is working to communicate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new order to ban all Galaxy Note7 devices in carry-on and checked baggage on flights. We have encouraged airlines to issue similar communications directly to their passengers. Any Galaxy Note7 owner should visit their carrier and retail store to participate in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program now. We realize this is an inconvenience but your safety has to remain our top priority.”
Source: Bloomberg
The Engadget Podcast Ep 10: Survivor
Managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Chris Velazco join host Terrence O’Brien to debate Facebook’s trending new problem and the true purpose of Twitter. Then they’ll sift through the ashes of the Galaxy Note 7 for insight and discuss how something as simple as a hashtag can give survivors the courage to come forward.
The Flame Wars Leaderboard
Wins
Loses
Winning %
Christopher Trout
2
1
.666
Dana Wollman
7
4
.636
Devindra Hardawar
9
7
.563
Chris Velazco
3
3
.500
Cherlynn Low
6
7
.461
Nathan Ingraham
4
6
.400
Michael Gorman
1
2
.333
Relevant links:
- Amazon Echo Dot review (2016): Forget the Echo. Buy this instead.
- Jack Dorsey calls Twitter the ‘people’s news network’
- Facebook is still trending fake news stories
- Samsung ends production of the Galaxy Note 7 for good
- As the Note 7 dies will Google inherit the Android kingdom?
- Samsung’s Note 7 catches fire, but the damage isn’t done
- Samsung stops Galaxy Note 7 sales, owners should ‘power down’
- Samsung’s Note 7 crisis will cost at least $2.34 billion
- The Galaxy Note 7’s death creates an environmental mess
- Hashtags help survivors break their silence
- What you need to know about social media activism
You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.
Watch on YouTube
Watch on Facebook
Subscribe on Google Play Music
Subscribe on iTunes
Subscribe on Stitcher
Subscribe on Pocket Casts
New in our buyer’s guide: The iPhone 7 and Fitbit Charge HR
Well, well, well. After just a few months of phone releases and reviews, our smartphone buyer’s guide section looks very different than it did recently. New to the guide, as you’d expect, are the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, both of which earned strong reviews from us. The HTC 10 and Galaxy S7 have held their spots there, with the OnePlus 3 rounding out the list at the lower end. (And yes, we are thanking our lucky stars that we didn’t have time to add the highly rated Galaxy Note 7 into the guide before it was recalled and discontinued.)
We’ve also made some changes to our wearables section, with the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 both making the cut (the Series 2 is the best in absolute terms, but we recommend the Series 1 for more people). You’ll also find the Fitbit Charge 2, our new favorite all-around fitness tracker. Find all that and more right here in our buyer’s guide, and be sure to check back soon — we plan to review some highly anticipated releases like Google’s new Pixel phones as well as the PlayStation Pro.
Source: Engadget Buyer’s Guide
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