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How Google Now puts Siri to shame

If you have Siri set to speak in English, she will not understand the word "gracias." But Google on Thursday updated its Google Now voice search and assistant app so it can quickly switch between multiple languages on the fly, CNET reports. Rather than select a single language setting from Google's list of about 50, Google Now can now recognize and understand the speaker's language and allow users to switch up to seven different ones on the fly. According to Google, you'll have to pre-select your secondary languages, but after that the feature will work automatically. In an interview with CNET, Google said "seemingly simple language-recognition tasks are much harder than they appear," and that it's still working on making Google Now a true linguist by understanding complex accents and minimizing ambient noise. Simultaneous multi-language support will roll out to Google Now users within "the coming days," Google said.

Apple working on smart home devices: Report

Apple is reportedly working on new connected home products for consumers, according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman. Although Apple unveiled its HomeKit platform for developers at this year's WWDC, the company is now working on actual hardware products for everyday users.  Gurman's sources haven't specified exactly what types of devices Apple is working on, but they did reportedly say that the connected home space will be an important market for Apple moving forward.  These smart home devices would integrate deeply with Apple's existing products, such as its line of iPhones and iPads.  Apple's smart home product probably won't compete with the Nest Learning Thermostat or the newly announced Honeywell Lyric. Rather, it will focus on something a little more mainstream that will get more widespread usage.  This could mean Apple is working on a smart speaker system or some type of controller for the devices in your home, Gurman's sources reportedly said. There

Android L: 8 New Features in the Next Major Android Release

Android has grown from a tiny upstart to the world's dominant mobile computing platform with over a billion active users. Google isn't sitting still, though, and has just unveiled what it calls the most ambitious Android release yet. Currently known only as Android L, there's no dessert-themed codename or even formal version number yet. Android L will release later this year, though an exact date isn't known. We hope to see new smartphones launch around the same time which take advantage of all the new features, and also updates to existing smartphones. HTC is amongst the companies committed to bringing it to its existing HTC One family, while others should announce support soon. Here are some of the most exciting new features of Android L     Material design Android will receive a complete visual overhaul aimed at promoting a consistent experience across Android device sizes and types. The new "Material Design" identity is bolder, more colour

iPhone 6 Leaks Tip Lower Price, Optical Image Stabilisation and More

New details surrounding Apple's next-generation iPhone devices, which leaks have thus far tipped to come in two display size variants, have surfaced online, and if they are to be believed the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 might be priced lower than the current iPhone 5s. A report emerging from China claims that the alleged iPhone 6 will be launched on September 19, very much in-line with an earlier report that cited a German carrier. Further, the report has also purportedly revealed prices for the alleged 4.7-inch model of the iPhone 6. According to the GforGames citing the Chinese report, the rumoured 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will be priced at CNY 5,300 (roughly Rs. 51,150) for the 32GB version, while the 64GB model is said to be priced at CNY 6,300 (roughly Rs. 60,800). As the report notes, this seems to be a drop in price, as the current iPhone 5s 16GB model costs CNY 5,300 in China. Unfortunately, there is no word on the price of the alleged iPhone 6 16GB model, possibly kicki

Google to Unveil New Android TV Set-Top Box on Wednesday: Reports

Google Inc is expected to unveil at least one small set-top box that resembles products like the Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, and Apple Inc's Apple TV, the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources who have seen the device. Google will show off the set-top box on Wednesday during its developer conference, the Journal said. The set-top box will be powered by Google's new Android TV software designed to play movies, games and other content on television. However, the device will carry another company's brand name, the newspaper said. Representatives from Google were not immediately available for comment outside regular U.S. business hours. Tech companies from Microsoft Corp to Apple are vying for space on the TV - the traditional family entertainment center and where people used to spend most of their leisure time before the advent of the smartphone and tablet. Amazon unveiled a $99 video streaming device "Fire TV" video and game streaming device

BlackBerry Z3 With 5-Inch qHD Display Launched at Rs. 15,990

Canadian smartphone manufacturer has launched its recently unveiled large-screen smartphone in India, the BlackBerry Z3, priced at Rs. 15,990. The BB10 OS-based smartphone will be available to pre-order from Flipkart, The Mobile Store, and BlackBerry stores from Wednesday, and go on sale from July 2. The  BlackBerry Z3  is the  first phone to be launched  by  BlackBerry  since new CEO John Chen took the helm late last year. A special pre-order price of Rs. 14,990 is being offered by Flipkart and The Mobile Store. The Z3 runs BlackBerry 10 OS (version 10.2.1) and features a 5-inch qHD (540x960 pixels) display offering an aspect ratio of 16:9. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8230) processor with 1.5GB of RAM. BlackBerry's Z3 sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera and also houses a 1.1-megapixel fixed-focus front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.  The smartphone

Google to unveil new Android version, wearable at I/O 2014

SAN FRANCISCO: An Android update, wearable gadgets and so-called smart home devices are just some of the innovations Google is likely to show off at its two-day developer conference, which begins Wednesday in San Francisco. In recent years, the conference has focused on smartphones and tablets, but this year Google's Android operating system is expected to stretch into cars, homes and smartwatches. Pacific Crest analyst Evan Wilson believes Google will unveil a new version of its Android operating system - possibly called Lollipop - with a "heavy focus" on extensions for smartwatches and smart home devices. "We think Google will directly counter Apple's recent announcements of health products (Apple HealthKit) and home automation (Apple HomeKit)," Wilson wrote in a note to investors. Google's I/O event comes at a time of transition for the company, which makes most of its money from advertising thanks to its status as the world's leade

4 Things Shoppers Want in an Online Retailer's Return Policy

Imagine a customer is shopping online for a new pair of sneakers and stumbles upon what seems to be the perfect pair. After skimming the reviews, he notices comments that the shoes tend to run a little small. That’s when he checks the store’s  return policy , which he finds complicated and ambiguous. It could have been written in a different language. Would he still click that 'purchase' button? Probably not. And he would not be the only one to abandon the shopping cart because of a cumbersome returns process. My company, Endicia, recently surveyed more than 1,000 consumers and found that the majority of folks who have never purchased an item online cite “returns” as the reason for cold feet.  It’s critical to identify what a good return policy offers. Here are the top four things online shoppers want when it comes to returns:  1. Clarity.  A positive returns experience starts with clear communication. It’s the only way customers will know what to expect.  Onlin

Know Why This Company Pays Its Employees $25,000 To Quit?

Riot Games, the maker of the hugely popular PC game " League of Legends ," pays unhappy employees up to $25,000 to quit their jobs - even if they just joined the company. The company does this because it doesn't want to keep staffers who are struggling, or who aren't a good fit with the company culture. "Rather than allow mismatches to fester, we want to resolve them quickly. This is good for the company, and good for the professional. ... we'll learn from this and make better hiring decisions as a result," the company said in a blog post announcing the program . The payment essentially solves that long, dragged-out process that frequently occurs when managers suspect a new hire isn't going to work out but it feels "too soon" to actually pull the trigger...

Surface Pro 3 launch updates fix charging issue, add OneNote functionality

Forget doodling with the N-Trig pen, and you can think twice creating those OneNote books: if you're among the first to pick up a Surface Pro 3, the first thing you'll want to do is download the latest firmware update. Released just in time for the device's launch in the US and Canada, it fixes a problem first reported by reviewers that prevents the device from charging (and resuming from sleep) despite the power adapter being connected. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to ZDnet's Mary Jo Foley that the update both addresses the power issue and improves the Surface Pro 3's performance. Additionally, you'll want to grab a separate update that activates a double-click screenshot function, which allows you to take a wireless screen grab using the Surface Pen's button that's automatically pulled into OneNote. How to update To download the new firmware and other updates from the Windows Store: 1) Swipe in from the right edge of the scree

Microsoft Reveals Office 365 Public Roadmap

Microsoft Office execs have said for months that the company wants to forge a more open relationship with customers. To build on that goal, Microsoft launched the Office 365 for business public road map on Wednesday. The website shows the status of upcoming Office 365 features. Microsoft also announced an opt-in program called First Release that gives customers early access to new features. This year, Office GM Julia White told Information Week that, because Office 365 is a cloud-based platform, Microsoft can not only introduce new features more quickly, but also offer earlier previews to the public. In a blog post announcing First Release and the new road map, Office 365 group product manager Jake Korzybski reiterated this theme. "Just as we transformed our development process, we need to transform our communication processes regarding changes and future updates to the service," he wrote. Both the road map and First Release are targeted at business and institutiona

New iPhone Might Have a Built-In Barometer

Apple has already stepped into the health and fitness tracking market with its Health app for iOS. Now, the company could be upping the ante with its upcoming iPhone New code spotted by developers who spoke with 9 to 5 Mac indicates the iPhone 6 could have a barometer built in. See also: 10 Better Alternatives to Your iPhone's Native Apps An integrated barometer would track altitude and air pressure and could infer temperature readings, too. Existing apps already perform many of these tasks, but they use the iPhone's GPS and motion chips to do so. A piece of dedicated measurement hardware is likely to provide better performance. 

Intel's Pocket Avatars chat app packs 3D avatars that mimic your face and mood

Intel wants to inject passion and excitement into mobile chat through a new app that relies on face-tracking technology to assess facial expressions and mood. With Pocket Avatars, users can chat with friends using animated three-dimensional avatars, but there’s a twist. A camera on a mobile device tracks a user’s face and expressions, and those emotions are reflected on the avatar during a chat. The avatar serves as an alter-ego for those who don’t to put their real face on screen, said Mike Bell, vice president and general manager of the New Devices Group at Intel. “It’s just a fun thing on top of standard messaging,” Bell said. Emoticons have been a standard tool for expressions in text messaging. An animated chat that reflects a real person’s mood is more engaging, Bell said, adding that if a user is angry or happy, the avatar will show it, Bell said. The camera captures moving faces, lighting conditions and a range of emotions such as smiles, blinking eyes or kiss

BlackBerry confirms Passport phone for September launch

BlackBerry has confirmed the recently-leaked handset code named 'Winder mere' will officially be announced under the name Passport. It will debut at an event in London this September. Following its quarterly earnings report, during which it announced a return to profit of sorts, BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed that the short and wide-set device currently doing the rounds is the real deal. Naturally, as Crack Berry reports, the device will be named after its passport-like dimensions. According to the presentation, the Blackberry Passport will feature a 4.5-inch 1440 x 1440 display that's as square as an Instagram photo. The Passport will be a wide 3.18-inches, which is even wider than the pocket-busting 3.12-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3. An accompanying photo shows the handset will have BlackBerry's stoutest keyboard yet featuring only three rows of physical buttons. The Passport also appeared along two other handsets named the Z3 and Classic. Internally

Apple's smartwatch to go in mass production in July

Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc will start mass production of Apple Inc's first smart watch in July, a source familiar with the matter said, as the US tech giant tries to prove it can still innovate against rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. The watch, which remains unnamed but which company followers have dubbed the iWatch, will be Apple's first foray into a niche product category that many remain skeptical about, especially as to whether it can drive profits amid cooling growth in tech gadgets. The production will be a boost to Quanta, given that its work for Apple till now has focused on laptops and iPods, product lines that are in decline. Quanta's role though is likely to raise questions about what involvement Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, one of Apple's biggest suppliers, will play in production. While the watch is widely expected, the start date of its mass production and the extent of Quanta's involvement were not known until now. Mass produ

Amazon Fire phone review roundup

The Amazon Fire phone has finally been announced after years of speculation, and it's certainly bringing some different ideas to the table. First up it sports five cameras on the front - one is the traditional front-facing snapper, and the other four are part of the Fire's Dynamic Perspective feature. Dynamic Perspective tracks your head, and works out the distance it isthe screen, to produce 3D-like graphics on-screen. Firefly is a supercharged barcode scanner which you can use to scan, well, anything. A pub sign, a car, a magazine, a bottle of beer. You name it, Firefly will scan it, and then probably try and make you buy something. Mayday - Amazon's 24-7-365 interactive customer service - also makes the leapthe Kindle Fire HDX tablet to the Fire phone. Thatsounds lovely, but is it any good? We've taken a look at the early hands on Amazon Fire phone reviewsaround the web to gauge the interest. Gizmodo Gizmodo doesn't hold back, declarin

$50 million Google coding initiative targets girls

Teamare Gaston, 17, thinks she'd like to be a business journalist. But Google has other designs on her brain. On Thursday, Gaston and 150 other New York-area high school girls will attend the kickoff event for Made with Code, a $50 million Google initiative with the simple and singular focus of bringing more girls into the coding fold. "Our industry has lots of stereotypes, including the notion that coding means sitting at a computer alone," says Google Vice President Megan Smith. "We hope to show girls that coding is fun. But there's also the simple fact that supply and demand is not working. There are millions of jobs out there going begging." Google's event, held at a hip Manhattan loft called Skylight Modern, features host Mindy Kaling (of TV's The Mindy Project), speakers such as Chelsea Clinton and a range of tech-savvy women bent on inspiring the teens in attendance. Made with Code's mission is anchored by a websitegir

Hands-On With The Amazon Phone — Here Are All The Major Features

Amazon's new smartphone, the Fire Phone, hits stores July 25. Preorders started June 18. At the phone's launch event, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said that the company tried to build a phone that was extremely innovative and different. There are some major features that set it apart right off the bat, including its "dynamic perspective" effects, which make images feel 3-D, its motion-sensing capabilities, and Firefly, its visual search engine.  Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions. Amazon shows off its dynamic perspective feature right from the lock screen. When you tilt the phone, you see the balloons from slightly different angles so they feel 3-D. Although you can use any picture you want as a lock screen, the Fire ships with more than a dozen custom images that will take advantage of dynamic perspective. The Fire also shows off dynamic perspective working tog