Insights

Communication and Technology news
Android launches Shush and Wind Down, to keep your phone off when it needs to be off
2018-05-08

Google today announced it was adding new features called Shush and Wind Down to the upcoming Android P. Both features are intended to help users disengage from their phones. Shush is an updated version of the Do Not Disturb mode, which is activated by turning your phone screen-down on a flat surface. As with basic Do...

Google Assistant puts an end to impolite queries with ‘Pretty Please’ feature
2018-05-08

Most parents teach their kids to ask for things in a way that’s polite. To say “please” and “thank you.” You know — your P’s and Q’s. But are voice assistants undermining that? Maybe. We’re pretty bossy when it comes to Cortana, Siri, and Google Assistant. I mean, when was the last time you said...

Google Assistant now schedules your appointments with a phone call
2018-05-08

The wow-factor kicked in at Google IO 2018 today as information rolled out about the new updates to Google Assistant. The first “OMG” moment of IO: Google Assistant can call businesses on your behalf to schedule appointments for you. It’s called “Duplex” and it’s astoundingly realistic. 60 percent of...

You won’t have to say ‘Hey Google’ every time you talk to the Assistant anymore
2018-05-08

One of the most annoying things about the Google Assistant is having to repeat ‘Hey Google’ every single time you talk to it. Whether following up on an earlier command or trying to ask multiple questions, it gets tiring very fast. That’ll soon be a thing of the past. At Google I/O, the company announced two new...

Google aims to improve ‘Digital Wellbeing’ by reminding users to disconnect on occasion
2018-05-08

Google announced at today’s I/O keynote it was launching new features to improve the digital wellbeing of its users by helping them to understand their online habits and learn when it’s time to switch off. Learn how we’re supporting #DigitalWellbeing so everyone can enjoy technology that improves life and...

Google debuts Suggested Actions for fixing and sharing your photos
2018-05-08

At today’s Google I/O, Google announced Suggested Actions. These are AI-driven suggestions in Google Photos which offer to brighten, colorize, fix, or share your photos. As described by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Suggested Actions are smart actions available to Google Photos users on their photos. Some of the options...

Google announces six new voices for Assistant at #IO18 — including John Legend
2018-05-08

We’re kicking off Google IO 2018 with a lot of machine learning information. Right off the bat Google Assistant is getting a voice overhaul thanks to its Wavenet platform, which will include six new voices joining the “male” and “female” voices that it currently has. The big story: Grammy Award winning...

28 helpful Slack communities you should join as a UX designer
2018-05-08

Tons of companies are using Slack to organize and facilitate how their employees communicate on a daily basis. Slack has now more than 5 million daily active users and more than 60,000 teams around the world. But whether the company you work for use Slack or not, you can still use the tool to connect and stay in...

Twitter might soon slide encryption into your DMs
2018-05-08

Twitter’s Direct Messages feature is good for privately contacting people on your timeline, but it’s not entirely secure, as the contents of your correspondence could be accessed by hackers who can breach Twitter’s network, or by governments who coerce the company to release them for investigations. Now,...

Nearly 400 Drupal sites infected with malware that secretly mines cryptocurrency
2018-05-08

It seems like there’s no stopping the crypto-jacking epidemic, as hackers continue to steal unsuspecting users’ computing power to mine cryptocurrency. Security researcher Troy Mursch from Bad Packets Report has discovered that a number of websites using an outdated version of the Drupal Content Management System...

JBL’s new Android TV-powered soundbar looks like the smart speaker of my dreams
2018-05-08

We’ve been waiting with bated breath for Google to stuff its Android TV platform into a dongle so we wouldn’t have to sacrifice space in the living room for a smart TV experience. Now, audio gear maker JBL has what might be the next best thing: An Android TV-powered soundbar. The new JBL Link Bar is the first to...

Instagram may soon let you add music to your Stories
2018-05-07

The latest feature Instagram’s testing will let you add music to your Stories, though exactly what form that music will take isn’t yet clear. First spotted by Ishan Agarwal in Instagram’s code, the feature, called “Music Stickers,” apparently allows users to search for music clips to play over their Stories...

Android Things 1.0 fixes the biggest pain points in building IoT devices
2018-05-07

Google announced its internet of things (IoT) operating system, Android Things, almost three years ago. Now, it’s ready for the prime-time, with the launch of Android Things 1.0. This major update brings increased hardware compatibility, and long-term support for production devices. But before we start diving into...

Google I/O 2018: What to expect, how to watch, and (maybe) the story behind ‘P’
2018-05-07

Google is set to kick off the 2018 edition of its I/O developer conference tomorrow, May 8, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. We’re attending the event to get a closer look at what the company has in store. Here’s a quick run-down of what we’re hoping to see there. Android P The next...

Facebook vs. Google: Clash of the privacy infringers
2018-05-06

We all love free products and hey, if we have to give up some information about ourselves in exchange for those products, that’s just the price of free, right? But then, once our information was compromised in the most recent Facebook data leaks, we were all up in arms. “How could you do this to us? How could you...

Vilifying Facebook is pointless — we need to take responsibility for our data
2018-05-05

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, all eyes are on Facebook and its data privacy practices. From policy-makers to financial markets, the reactions have been surprise and disapproval. Yet, collecting and monetizing user data has been standard modus operandi for the majority of today’s technologies. Email...

Blockchain can lead to less greedy companies — seriously
2018-05-05

A new wave of companies is coming which will view the sharing of revenue with their users as natural part of doing buisness. This vision is fixed in code, written down in smart contracts on a blockchain protocol. These contracts automatically secure and execute the vision, and the operation of the company. I believe...

Sorry folks, Vine isn’t coming back anytime soon
2018-05-04

There may never be a social network that can match Vine’s post-to-meme ratio again. So after Dom Hoffman, one of Vine’s co-creators promised the network would return, the web shed a collective tear of joy. Now those tears have grown saltier. V2, as the project was dubbed, has been “postponed for an indefinite...

Reddit’s designers and users aren’t seeing eye-to-eye over site’s new look
2018-05-04

It’s hard to believe Reddit is over ten years old, but the design does admittedly show its age. So the site’s designers are working to bring it forward with a sleek new look. As you might imagine, not everyone’s onboard. Reddit’s redesign is the most radical change in the site’s history. It takes the...

Nutella celebrates World Password Day with the worst security advice ever
2018-05-04

It’s World Password Day today, which means you should probably think about how you’ve secured your online accounts, and how you can ensure that they’re not easily hacked. Following Nutella’s advice on the matter would probably be the worst thing you can do, though. I love Nutella as much as the next guy, but...

Instagram will soon let you book restaurant tables and buy movie tickets within the app
2018-05-04

Instagram is gearing up to become a major shopping and commerce platform in the near future, with the introduction of support for payments. TechCrunch reports that the company is presently testing a feature to allow some business accounts in the US and the UK to accept payments natively for booking restaurant tables;...

Twitter warns users to change passwords after accidentally ‘unmasking’ them in an internal log
2018-05-03

Just minutes ago, Twitter’s official support channel posted a tweet stating that users may want to change their passwords as a precautionary measure. We recently found a bug that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log. We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone. As a precaution,...

Facebook’s ‘hate speech’ test is a better idea than you might think
2018-05-03

Earlier this week, several Facebook users noticed a new option on all their Facebook posts: a small button at the bottom asking “Does this post contain hate speech?” It appeared on the most innocuous posts, including cat photos and boba tea parties. Yep, Facebook is asking whether my friend's boba tea meetup at a...

Google Ups Ante In Voice Assisatnt Wars With Startup Investment Plan
2018-05-03

As tech companies bet on AI assistant technology, Google announces an investment program for voice-powered startups. Google is putting its money where its mouth is with a plan to plow capital into startups that use its proprietary voice assistant technology, including ones building new skillsets for its Google...

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