Google voice search can now hear what you’ve got to say
Need a better reason to say “OK Google” in public? Well, the search engine just announced a refinement to voice search on its research blog. Now, it can more accurately pick out your voice even in noisy surroundings, and perform the necessary analysis in real-time. This is all made possible by software that can make faster phoneme predictions by listening further ahead in a user’s speech.
In addition to this, acoustic models utilize feedback loops to tell the difference between similar sounding letters. For example, the word “museum” is broken up into / m j u z i @ m/ in phonetic notation and normally the sounds made by “j” and “u” would be difficult to separate. But with feedback loops, the software takes in all letters and sounds at once, just as the word itself is said in one breath. This is achieved with the help of newly developed memory cells that work with a sophisticated gating system. You can test Google’s upgraded digital ears on both Android and iOS now.
Source: Google
Photoshop and Premiere Elements 14 add editing tools and 4K support
You can pretty much mark your calendars for it. Every year in mid to late September, Adobe reveals its annual update for Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. This year is no different as version 14 of the consumer-focused photo and video-editing apps was just announced. While Adobe was careful to fine-tune existing features for the software duo, it also tacked on a handful of new features. In Photoshop Premiere Elements 14, there are tools that removes the blur caused by camera shake with a click and easily rid landscape shots of unwanted haze (see above image). With Premiere Elements 14, you can now view and edit 4K footage to keep those vacation videos looking top notch. If you’re looking to give the pair a go, both apps will be available for $150 total when they’re ready for action in Q4 of this year. For beginners, that cost is significantly lower than Adobe’s more robust Creative Cloud subscription. Slideshow-322782
Google Keep brings Evernote-style productivity to iOS
Google’s note taking and to-do list app, Keep, has been available on Android devices and the web for quite some time. Well over two years, in fact. Looking to offer the productivity software to the Apple faithful as well, Mountain View announced today that Keep is available for iOS. This means that all of the app’s handy tools like location-based reminders, shared lists and quick search and filtering are ready for your iPhone or iPad. And if you’re already using an Android Wear device with iOS, Keep plays nice with those wearables, too. The goods are available over at iTunes now, via the source link down below.
Source: iTunes
Dungeon Hunter 5 gains new gear and new missions in latest update
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Gameloft is pushing out a new update for Dungeon Hunter 5 that brings in a slew of new stuff for your gaming addiction. This is the 4th major update to the title since its release in March of this year. That is pretty impressive considering it has only been 6 months. Anyways, Gameloft has added a number of things to the dungeon crawler that is of particular interest to those slaving away at the title.
First up we have a new RUSH feature. This addition gives you your loot and experience instantly from any story mission you have completed. You can acquire Rush tickets by completing missions for the first time on all difficulties and includes a new VIP mode. To grab them all you have to do is enter a new mission’s difficulty screen and hit Rush. They also added a new exclusive daily event, key to obtaining Kenashi tickets.
You will also find 3 new bits of armor and 3 new weapons that you can obtain by using those newly acquired Kenashi tickets. You will also be able to apply those same earned tickets to fortify your stronghold with a new layout, new trap and 4 new ferocious minions to protect that loot.
If that isn’t enough, Gameloft also tossed in 3 new story missions to expand the current story line, gifts for members of the new VIP mode by performing bounty hunter duties and MFi controller support for those sporting an iOS device.
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2K Games kills off ‘BioShock’ for iOS
When 2K Games launched a port of the original BioShock for iOS last year, fans of the adored franchise were ecstatic. But it looks like that joy has, unexpectedly, come to an end for some of them. Much to the surprise of people who had already purchased the mobile title, 2K Games appears to have pulled it from the App store — if you deleted it from your device, there’s no way to get it back. The company had recently cited compatibility issues with versions of iOS 8.4 or higher, bad enough that users couldn’t play it, but it said a fix was in the works. Now, however, the developer appears to have given up completely. According to a forum post on Touch Arcade, a 2K Games customer service rep told a fan the removal was “a developer decision.”
As to refunds for BioShock on iOS, the representative said, “Since the transaction wasn’t completed through us, we can not perform a full refund back to you. However you will be able to complete a refund with Apple. They will be able to do this for you.” While it is still good news that you can get your money back, 2K Games could’ve been courteous and given at least a heads-up to those who purchased the $15 app before it decided to pull the plug. (If you need assistance in getting a refund, check out iMore’s tutorial on the matter.)
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Touch Arcade
AmpMe daisy-chains a bunch of phones to create a multi-speaker setup
Generally speaking, if you thought you might want to blast music while out and about, you’d invest in a Bluetooth speaker. If the sound quality there wasn’t quite robust enough, you’d either get yourself a bigger speaker, or maybe even link together a few smaller ones. Either way, prepare to spend a few hundred dollars. Or not. A new app called AmpMe promises to achieve the same effect, except instead of asking you to shell out for new hardware, it daisy-chains an unlimited number of smartphones so that they stream the same song in sync, combining each handset’s speaker into something… cacaphonous.Slideshow-322368
https://player.vimeo.com/video/139997901
The free app, available for iOS and Android, doesn’t use Bluetooth or WiFi, but rather, plays an audio “fingerprint” on the host device (a series of beeps, to the human ear) that gets picked up by the mic on the receiving phone. Everyone involved needs to have the app installed, and anyone joining in needs to request a passkey for the music party before receiving that unique audio code. The host can shut down the party at any time with the push of a button, whereas receivers can pause the music for, say, a phone call, and pick back up with the rest of the group, wherever they happen to be in the song. For now, the app only works with Soundcloud. Founder Martin-Luc Archambault says that’s because Soundcloud is free, making it accessible to the most people, but that his team is working on inking deals with other streaming services as well. Ultimately, he says, he wants it to be “Sonos for cellphones.”
In a brief demo last week, the various phones and tablets that were paired together did indeed play music in sync, without any latency on any of the devices. AmpMe has clearly shown, then, that it’s possible to turn a series of mobile devices into an ad hoc multi-speaker setup — no small feat. The problem is that the audio quality on most phones and tablets is frankly terrible. Unless you happen to have, say, an HTC phone with BoomSound, you’re probably working with tinny, contained audio that only gets more distorted as you crank the volume. Or, in this case, create a chorus of equally tinny-sounding devices. It’s great to know that the technology has evolved such that it’s possible to daisy-chain phones like this and have them stream music perfectly in sync. Now we just need to wait the phone makers to catch up.
Source: iTunes, Google Play
Drop all the GIFs with this OS X app
GIFs are bite-sized bits of internet awesome. From video clips to meme-based animation, the file format CompuServe begot has survived and thrived in a world where technology is generally tossed aside after a few months. Thanks to GIF keyboards in iOS like the one from Riffsy, the moving-image format has become shorthand for a reaction via text messages. Excited about something? Don’t type it out on your phone, drop a GIF of someone dancing in conversation. Now Riffsy is bringing that quick and easy access to GIFs to OS X so you’ll never be too far from a goat being amazing.
The OS X version of Gif Keyboard adds a toolbar item that offers quick access to Riffsy’s extensive library of images which are cataloged into collections based on popular internet memes like LOL, FML, OMG, WTF, YOLO and those random emotions you keep having. Moving-photo aficionados can also search for the perfect item to share and thanks to partnerships with studios and networks, find assets from their favorite TV show and movie.
Images can be dragged and dropped from the toolbar app or clicked on and copied to the clipboard. They can then be placed in iMessage, Twitter, Slack, Hipchat, really anything that supports GIFs. At that point, just be prepared to never stop sending GIFs to everyone you know.
If you’re the type of person that creates their own animated images and you want quick access to those masterpieces, you can drag and drop them into the toolbar and add them to a collection. If you find a cool GIF online it can also be dragged and dropped from a browser.
Besides launching a desktop app that has the potential to destroy all your productivity, Riffsy also updated it’s iOS app with support for 3D touch quick actions and Spotlight search. The search capability lets you find GIFs directly within the iOS Spotlight feature and message them to friends.
It’s those messages between friends that Riffsy CEO David McIntosh sees as the most important way to share GIFs and why the the iOS keyboard took off, “people wanted to share animated content as a way to express interest and emotions.” This couldn’t happen with video, so GIFs and emojis became an easy and quick way to share thoughts and emotions without all that pesky typing.
Now some of that GIF-sharing ease is on the desktop, no matter where you are, you can drop an animated reaction to absolutely every means of communication you use.
Source: Riffsy
ICYMI: Best VR ride, screen buttons that re-form and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: A haptic controller for gaming that works with the muscles in the user’s arms to both give feedback and guide touch is fully funded on Kickstarter, and still available for $212. Staying on theme, this prototype virtual reality set-up centers a seat for a human in the middle of eight steel cables that all move independently, delivering the most lifelike experience for gaming in VR yet. Meanwhile researchers in Germany invented a thin layer of gel that sits on top of a touchscreen and forms into a button while mildly heated. This would create on-demand, real feel buttons.
We also recommend you read up on the efforts the EU is taking to keep its citizens personal information off of U.S. servers. That’ll be hard, guys.
And for an artistic break, be sure to enjoy the cars timed to represent musical phrases in this video.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Microsoft teams up with Baidu to push Windows 10 in China
Microsoft has struck a partnership with Chinese internet giant Baidu, as it continues to focus on getting people on Windows 10. Via blog post, the Redmond-based firm said the idea behind this business alliance is to make it easy for Baidu customers to upgrade to its new OS, as well as offer personalized browsing and searching experiences for users in China. For example, Baidu.com — which has more than 600 million active users — will become the default homepage and search engine for Microsoft’s Edge browser. In return, Baidu is expected to bring standalone, universal apps for cloud, search, maps and video over to Windows 10. Microsoft adds there are currently 10 million devices running the fresh operating system in that country, a huge chunk of the reported 45 million-plus total number.
Source: Microsoft
Firefox’s anti-tracking private browsing is now in beta
Last month, Mozilla released a pre-beta version of its Firefox browser featuring an overhauled Private Browsing mode, designed to block certain web elements (such as analytic tools) that track your online behavior. This experimental build, however, was mostly intended for developers. But now Mozilla is bringing these anti-tracking, privacy-focused features to more users, as it’s making them available through the Firefox Beta browser on the desktop and Android. The company says it also used feedback from pre-beta testers to try a new feature within Private Browsing dubbed Tracking Protection, which will block sites from creating profiles about you across the web based on your data — other mainstream browser’s private modes don’t protect that deep, according to Mozilla.
You can try it out for yourself on Android devices, Mac, Windows and Linux, but do keep in mind some pages may fail to work as a result.
Source: Mozilla
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