The number of voice activated "virtual assistants" for Android has exploded in recent years.
The number of voice activated "virtual assistants" for Android
has exploded in recent years, ranging from the gimmicky and niche to
the genuinely useful and broadly applicable. None of them are perfect,
but we think that if you can get it on your device, Google Now's
rolled-in simplicity and array of genuinely useful tools make it the
best personal assistant your can get on an Android device.
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean may not be official until next week, but developers now have the most comprehensive leak of the upcoming operating system to date. For the first time, we have definitive evidence of Android 4.3 running on a legitimate Nexus device.
Google+ user Jeff Williams said on Wednesday that he purchased a Nexus 4 handset from Craigslist, which appeared to be running the yet-to-be released Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. A screen capture of the device’s system information indicated that the system’s build number is JWR66N, which is notably the build number seen on the Android 4.3 ROM derived from the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition.
Nexus 4 about phone page showing Android 4.3 operating system Google +/Jeff Williams
While most were skeptical at first, developers then stepped in to aid Williams in creating a system dump from the smartphone, after which XDA developer’s forum user GMillz created a flashable Android 4.3 update for the Nexus 4, which can be applied using ClockworkMod Recovery. The update, complete with rooting file is now making its rounds though several sharing circles, including XDA, Reddit and The Pirate Bay.
Meanwhile, many who have already gotten their hands on the leaked Android 4.3 ROM are doing teardowns of the operating system and discovering the new and updated features it possesses. Though most still believe Android 4.3 is a minor update and that Google is saving its major update for Android 5.0 ‘Key Lime Pie,’ which is expected to release in October.
Here’s a rundown of some features we can expect to see on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as per the recent leak. Better Performance
Google and Samsung have partnered on an alternate version of the Galaxy S4 which sells for $649 runs the pure stock version of the Android system software according to Google’s specifications instead of Samsung’s litany of changes to the software platform. It’s a distinction most Android users won’t understand, and a price tag which will turn off most of those who do. But the collaboration isn’t aimed at generating sales. Instead it’s a symbolic gesture between the two corporations, paving the way for a more cohesive Android platform future going forward.
Motorola Moto X release date is set for August 1. Here we take a look at Moto X specs that has caught the imagination of smartphone mavens across the world.
The hotly-awaited Motorola Moto X is finally to come on August 1, 2013. The Libertyville firm has announced the release date of the gadget that will be unveiled in New York City. For a long time, the Motorola phone has been in rumors and is now about to break cover to stir the customers who have been waiting for a quality Motorola phone after a long break.
I was a Windows using, Apple hating, Android Fanboy and I was proud of it.
But it all changed when I took a job in Graphic design and began using a Mac and bought a used white Macbook for my personal use to get familiar with OS X.
I fell In love and soon after bought a brand new Macbook Pro and later after that, sold my Android tablet and purchased an iPad.
There was just one more piece of the Apple puzzle I was missing… the iPhone.
This all changed when T-Mobile finally announced they would begin selling it.
I love T-Mobile’s service in Cincinnati and couldn’t leave it and also found myself pretty aligned with the Android ecosystem and operating system.
In contrast to just ten years ago, computers and smartphones are intergral to almost everyone’s lives. We use them in our workplace and at home– and often there are multiple computers in all our houses. Then there are our smartphones which are basically computers.
With everyone using computers on a daily basis they are becoming more and more vulnerable to cyber criminals and hackers. It can potentially affect all types of computers whether your running Windows, Mac OS, Linux or a smartphone equivalent.
The problem is that most people either don’t have the time or are just not interested in making their computers secure. It doesn’t have to be this way, it’s just that the information out there about computer security is just too complicated or confusing to understand. There are some good articles such as this article on Shaan Haider’s blog entitled “Keeping Your Personal Computer Secure : 7 Security Questions You Need to Ask”.
I hope to make a start at simpliying things. I say “make a start” because, computer security is a huge topic, and one that many large companies spend millions of pounds or dollars on each year.
1. Do you need to be connected to the internet all the time?
The answer to this for me (and I suspect more and more people) is a resounding “yes!”, but if you have a computer running for long periods of time and you don’t need to be connected to the internet, then it’s probably quite prudent to switch your internet router off. Hackers tend to prefer to exploit “always on” connections, and if your internet connection is more sporadic, you’ll be less attractive to them.
If you connect to the Internet, allow other people to use your computer, or share files with others, you should take steps to protect your computer from harm. Why? Because there are computer criminals (sometimes called hackers) who attack other people's computers. These people can attack directly, by breaking into your computer through the Internet and stealing your personal information, or indirectly, by creating malicious software to harm your computer.
Fortunately, you can help protect yourself by taking a few simple precautions. This article describes the threats and what you can do to defend against them.
Protect your computer
These are ways to help protect your computer against potential security threats:
Firewall. A firewall can help protect your computer by preventing hackers or malicious software from gaining access to it.
Virus protection. Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses, worms, and other security threats.
Spyware and other malware protection. Antispyware software can help protect your computer from spyware and other potentially unwanted software.
Windows Update. Windows can routinely check for updates for your computer and install them automatically.
A firewall is software or hardware that checks information coming from the Internet or a network and then either turns it away or allows it to pass through to your computer, depending on your firewall settings. In this way, a firewall can help prevent hackers and malicious software from gaining access to your computer.
Windows Firewall is built into Windows and is turned on automatically.
Cheetahs and gazelles coevolved with increasing armament escalations comparable to the coevolution of hackers and their prey. Cheetahs and gazelles both have to keep going faster. As the underground organizes itself to attack your computer more efficiently, the best antivirus software vendors continue to improve the defenses available to you. The arms race between identity thieves and their marks will never achieve resolution. If you choose not to involve yourself in the race, the cheetahs will catch you. You don't want that to happen, so please read our articles on computer security to learn how to choose the product that's best for you. Based on our research, we recommend these three products: Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Norton AntiVirus.
On Thursday afternoon, Boston Magazine published several new photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The photographs were taken the night of Tsarnaev's capture by Sgt. Sean Murphy, a tactical photographer with the Massachusetts State Police. They were published several days after Rolling Stone's cover image of the suspect set off a firestorm online, with critics accusing the magazine of glamorizing the accused terrorist. (Related: "Why a Picture on Rolling Stone's Cover Sparks Outrage.")
The hackers claim to have data of over a million users with their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Gmail accounts.
- BGR India
The servers of Truecaller, a service that claims to be the world’s largest collaborative phone directory, seem to have been hacked by hackers representing Syrian Electronic Army. The hackers managed to get away with seven databases including the main database that represents 450GB of data, Ehacking News reports.
The hackers claim to have data of over a million users with their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Gmail accounts. The extent of data theft is unknown at the moment.
Truecaller works by users agreeing to share their phonebook with the service that lets Truecaller display the name of the caller if it is not saved in the recipient’s phonebook.
It is unclear whether the phonebook database containing names, numbers and other contact details of non-users was accessible to hackers or not.
We have reached out to Truecaller for confirming the news and will update this post as soon as we hear from them. For more tech news, visit bgr.in
Scientists, including one of Indian origin, are developing a computer chip that mimics the human brain.
WASHINGTON: Scientists, including one of Indian origin, are developing a computer chip that mimics the human brain. Today's computing chips
are incredibly complex and contain billions of nano-scale transistors,
allowing for fast, high-performance computers, pocket-sized smartphones
that far outpace early desktop computers, and an explosion in handheld
tablets, the researchers said.
Google has announced plans to bring free wireless internet access to 7,000 Starbucks cafes across America.
SAN FRANCISCO: From sending solar-powered balloons into the stratosphere to offering free Wi-Fi in parks, Google
is quietly spending hundreds of millions of dollars on nascent internet
services that may one day challenge the telecom and cable companies.
In recent months, Google has announced plans to bring free wireless internet access
to 7,000 Starbucks cafes across America, eventually displacing
AT&T; it has asked US regulators for broader access to wireless
airwaves; and it has launched 30 solar-powered balloons over the South
Pacific ocean, designed to beam the internet to remote regions.
Now you can check for spelling mistakes and usage errors for the entire
document or presentation at once, by going to Tools and Spelling. A
small window pops on right top with all the wrong spellings, which can
then be corrected.
This is in addition to the real-time check
that is in vogue. For bulleted lists, users can change the colour, size
and style of individual bullets or customize them.
