Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Battle of the Voice Assistants: Google Assistant or Alexa

The recent CES saw a lot of new and innovative products, but most importantly we are now seeing trends where various gadgets whether it is house hold gadgets or otherwise, are adopting voice assistants into the mix. A common standard against which to measure performance of a voice assistant is how many products come with a particular voice assistant.

Currently there are many voice assistants out there, but the more prosperous of the lot seems to be the ones made by Amazon and the Google voice assistant. So who will take the lead in being the best voice assistant out there?
  
The Battle Between Alexa and Google Assistant Begins…
  
Talking of house hold appliances, at the recent CES Amazon’s Alexa has been inserted into a bathroom mirror whereby you can pass commands to the other house hold appliances through Kohler Konnect.

At the CES a number of products have built in voice assistants which you guessed right- Alexa and Google assistant being at the forefront.

Many smart speakers have a built in Google assistant like JBL, Altec Lansing and LG. Apart from speakers two leading TV brands have also adopted the Google assistant which are Sony and LG.

Getting into cars is another place where you’ll find the Google assistant courtesy of the new android auto.
  
YouTube Between Alexa and Google Assistant:
  
A little set- back for Amazon’s Alexa is that Google has recently blocked Alexa powered echo Show devices from YouTube. While this might be a deal breaker for some, Alexa is still ploughing on with house hold appliances such as fridges that dictate recipes to you while you cook, to bathroom mirrors that can control your other appliances.

In other news, Whirlpool remains non –committal when it comes to the best voice assistant out there. The users are given a chance to pick their favorite voice assistant on their microwave and/or oven appliances.

One of the most talked about gadgets at the CES this year has been the $1000 Vuzix smart glasses and these too feature Amazon’s Alexa to browse through the net for you.

  
So who’s the Winner?
  
While some say that hands down Amazon’s Alexa is the winner, others are a little dubious about the same.

Amazon is a long way off when it comes to countries outside Europe and the US; this may slow down its progress as compared to the Google assistant. The Google assistant too has more language support as compared to Alexa giving it a head start in world markets.

For now voice assistants are a novelty to a great many and while Google and Amazon do have their loyal fan base getting others to use voice assistants and their advantages stills remains a challenge.
What about other company’s voice assistants?

Coming to Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Samsung’s Bixby, all seem a far way off when it comes to the reigning champions Alexa and Google assistant.

But you got to hand it out to Samsung for remaining loyal to its own voice assistant by seeing bixby into its fridges, TVs and Smartphones.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Intel, ARM and AMD Chip Scare: What You Need to Know

chip
In recent news Google’s team Zero team has come out with a report that shows that hackers could potentially get through to your personal data through a fundamental fault in chips.

Coming at a not so great time for the industry with the consumer electronics trade show only a few days away, this scare about a security flaw has put the world on pins. With 1.5 billion users having laptops and desktop computers, the security flaw is far reaching and could be potentially very damaging.

What is the security Flaw about? 

Researchers have discovered that flaws in CPUs or to be more precise the chips that do most of the processing, seem to have gaps that allow or could allow hackers to gain access to a user’s most private data such as credit card passwords. These chips that are most susceptible to hacking are the Intel, ARM and AMD chips.

The security flaws are mainly of two categories. Meltdown is one of the security flaws that affect desktops, laptops and internet servers running on an Intel chip. The more far reaching of the security flaws is spectre that could affect smartphones, tablets as well as PCs running on any of the three chips that is Intel, ARM and AMD.

Also coming under the purview of the security flaw is any computer or device connected to the cloud, too can be susceptible to an attack.

How serious is this Security Flaw to be taken? 

The security flaw is no doubt far reaching, however, there have not been any reported cases of people taking advantage of this security flaw at present.

This is not to say that with the news being divulged of such a security flaw, there won’t be people out there who are going to look out for loopholes to get to user’s personal data.

The most important thing for users to do at present is to ensure that their systems are up to date with the latest update and any third party security packs should also be updated at the earliest.

Safeguarding against the Security Flaw: 

The news about the security flaw was already known to tech experts at least 6 months prior to when the issue has come out. This has given them ample time to develop patches and fixes for the security flaw.

All users no matter what the device should install the latest update as soon as possible to protect their data from any potential threats.

Effects of downloading the patches: 

Downloading the patches, as researchers have discovered, will likely slow down performance by at least 30%. Intel has rubbished the claims saying that they are exaggerated and any performance slowdown will be mainly work related.

With the CES coming up shortly, researchers are worried about how news of the security flaw is likely to affect sales of products on display.

News of the security flaw has revealed a fundamental flaw in the way that chips are made which will now require a complete rethinking of how chips are to be developed.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

How to Customize Your MacBook: More than 15 Great Ways to Do It Quickly

MacBook
For years, Apple has evolved towards an increasingly minimalist user interface. Inexactly, macOS works especially well, but I could make use of some modifications. By customizing some settings you can make MacBook work even better for you.

If you are wondering if there are great ways to customize your MacBook, then this is the article that you must submerge. You can quickly modify the look and feel of your Mac. Learn how to modify your Mac, adjusting your preferences to your personal taste.

How to Quickly Customize the Appearance of Your MacBook


It's a good idea to customize a MacBook, to make it yours. There are even websites devoted entirely to thematizing MacBook. Instead of using third-party tools to get different appearances, I'll show you what Apple already provides.

In this tutorial, we will be using the current version of the operating system, macOS 10.12 Sierra. You will find that the principles are the same for whatever version you are using, although with slight differences. Now let's play with some great ways to customize the Mac's visual settings.

1. Automatically modify the screensaver every few hours, or days


When it comes to computer metaphors, I've always struggled with the concept of putting a screensaver on the desktop. I guess changing the housecloth does not have the same effect in MacBook.

To change the screensaver, go to the System Preferences> Desktop and Screensaver. You can also reach the same site by pressing the Apple symbol, in the upper left of the menu bar, or by pressing Command / Space to open Spotlight and enter Desktop to find the preferences.

Once you have selected a screensaver image, you will have the option to change it automatically in MacBook. You can also configure how often it will change. Click on the box to place a mark in the Change Image box: and use the drop-down menu to select the desired interval.

If you prefer, it is possible to make the images on the desktop background show in a random order. Press the check mark to activate the Random Order.

To keep things organized, use a specific folder in iPhoto to save the images from the desktop background in MacBook. The Desktop and Screensaver panel is always kept up to date, so you will not have to worry about adding a new image when you download it.

On the other hand, you can use any folder on the MacBook, as long as it contains more than one image.

2. Use Active Corners to Show Screen Savers and Other Things


From the MacBook Desktop and Screen Saver preferences panel, press the Screen Saver tab to see the options for them. Down on the right there is a button called Active Corners ...

Active Corners is a macOS system feature that allows you to use the four corners of the screen to invoke certain actions, as indicated by its name. It could be to launch a screensaver, open LaunchPad, the Notification Center or anything else.

Move the mouse to the defined corner to activate the feature.

3. Add Separators to the Dock


Your MacBook dock may end up crowded with a host of application icons. If this happens to you, adding a space between the icons makes sense.

The spacers added by this command are invisible "tiles" that can be easily removed, if necessary, by dragging them from the dock to the outside.

To enable the empty tile, open the Terminal and enter the following command:

defaults write.com.apple.dockl persisent-apps – array-add '{“tile-type”=”spacer- tile”;}'; killall Dock

Once the command has been executed in MacBook, the dock disappears for a moment and it will be loaded again with an invisible tile to create the space.

The invisible tile can be dragged along the dock to place it where you need to create more space between icons, or drag it from the dock to the desktop to eliminate it if you no longer need it.

 

4. Change the Color Scheme of the MacBook OS System


If you prefer to highlight the text so that it has a different color than the default blue, open the System Preferences> General and change the Color of Enhancement: to another color.

Along with the eight colors of the menu, you can use the Other ... option to select any color from the selector.

There is another Appearance option here that changes the buttons, menus, and windows of all applications to a more monochrome option called Graphite. Blue and graphite are the only options, so if you like a very hard look and without those colorful buttons to close, minimize and increase located in the bars of the windows, they will be your preferred options.

5. Add Extension to the MacBook Dock, Hide it and Change its Position


By default, the Mac dock does not jump as you may have seen on other MacBook. That's because the increase is not enabled.

To enable it, press the Apple symbol, at the top left of the menu bar, select Dock, and press Activate Enlargement.

This menu also gives you the possibility to hide the dock, which is useful to maximize the screen space in your MacBook, especially in small screen laptops. When it is hidden, you can show the dock by moving the cursor to the part of the screen where it resides.

You can change the location of the dock and place it on the left or right side of the screen. The appearance of the dock will also change if you move it to the sides; its appearance is more two-dimensional and reminiscent of the one I had in OS X Tiger.

How to Customize the Menu Bar on Your MacBook


Many people do not get all the advantages of using the menu bar. Some applications use extra information, but there are other really creative things you can do with the information there. Let's take a look at some great ways to customize the Menu Bar on your MacBook.

6. Add Seconds and Date to Time


It is possible to display more than just the time in the menu bar. Click on the current time and select Open the Preferences panel "Date and Time" to expand them. In the main tab you will find a place to adjust the Date and Time.

If it is correct, go to the Clock tab. Change the time options from Digital to Analog, and activate to your liking the boxes Show the time with the seconds, Blinking of the separators, Use clock of 24 hours, Show the indicators of a.m. /p.m., Show the day of the week, Show date in the menu bar and Announce the time in quarter intervals, half hours or full hours.

MacBook OS has many great hidden options to show the time. It is useful to have the date in the menu bar, and the seconds can be useful if you want to be punctual. Do not forget that you can change the format of the date in the Language and Region panel. I'll talk about this later.

7. Add the Battery Percentage and Life Time


If you have a MacBook and the battery indicator in the menu bar is only an icon, you will need to change this to see more information. When it's plugged in, press and select Show Percentage to give you a reading of the current charging status. Then unplug the charging adapter from the MacBook and test that the indicator works as expected.

Note: There used to be an option to show how long the battery could last with current usage, but it has been removed from Mountain Lion. If you are using an earlier version of OS X, press the battery icon and look for this option.

In any case, there is a small utility called Battery Time Remaining that tells you how much time it will take to deplete it. It is available on GitHub.

8. Change the Action when Inserting a CD or DVD


You may not always want a DVD player to open when you insert a video disc into your MacBook, if you still have a reading unit.

To change this behavior, open the CD and DVD panel in the System Preferences. Click on any function you want to modify and select "Open another application ..." Or, to completely deactivate the function, select Ignore.

You can even Run a Script ... if you have a custom function.

9. Adjust Spotlight Searches and How They Are Ordered


Maybe you have some private files that you do not need to list when you do searches. If so, you can exclude them from the Spotlight query system. Here is how to do it:

Open System Preferences in your MacBook and click Spotlight Click on the Privacy tab

Press the + button to add a folder or a whole disc that you do not want to be shown You can also adjust the way in which Spotlight displays the search results. On the Search Results tab, deselect any category you do not want to see, or drag them to sort them in your preferred order. Here you can also change the keyboard shortcut for Spòtlight.

10. Change the Default Dictionary in Your MacBook


The Apple Dictionary application is one of the most useful tools on the MacBook. It is simple and does your job well.

Although, if you're like me, you'll like to look up words in a real English dictionary: the British. To enable an alternative language in the app, go to the Preferences window and check the box you want to have in the main window.

There are ten dictionaries and thesauri included in the MacBook, and two of them are more resources than dictionaries, the Apple dictionary and Wikipedia.

11. Change the Application Icons on Your MacBook


If you are really determined to customize your MacBook and do your things, it is even possible to change the icons of the applications. There are utilities for this, but the process of changing the icon of an application manually on your MacBook is quite simple.
  • Select the .png or .jpeg icon and open it with Preview. Press Edit, Select All, then copy the selection. The usual .png files do not work because they do not always have transparent backgrounds.
  • Find the application you want to modify, select it, and click Get Info. You can also press the key combination Command-I.
  • It's the small icon in the upper left part of the application and Command-V to paste the new icon.

To delete a custom icon, select the small one in the Get Info window and press Undo on the keyboard.

Manually: This technique works for most applications, but may not work for Apple owners.

12. Make the Finder Open in a Different Folder to All My Files


The new Macs display the All My Files directory by default when you launch the Finder.

Personally, I do not like this setting. Fortunately, there is a way to change it.

Go to the Finder Preferences in MacBook and select the General tab. Choose a drop-down menu folder below The new Finder windows show. Press Others to use any folder on your hard drive.

13. Adjust the Regional Variations on Your MacBook


If you live in the United States, the date format will be foreign to the rest of the world. Therefore, having a preference to change the format as an ascending format DD-MM-YYYY or descending YYYY-MM-DD makes sense. The latest is an ISO standard. You can order spreadsheets properly with the ISO format, for example.

You do not have to use the date format in the same way as the rest of the USA. You can modify this and other things, from the Language and Region panel of the System Preferences. Once there, click on the Region tab. Here is a list of what you can do:

Make the week begin on a given day - You might prefer that the calendar week start on Monday. Press the drop-down menu next to First day of the week, then select the day on which you want the week to start.

Change the Date Format - Press the Customize button next to the Dates section and arrange things as you like. Apple makes things extremely simple so you can drag and drop the values and sort them as you like. There is even an option to add the era, d.C.

Change the Time Format - milliseconds are part of the time. Apple leaves it to your choice on the Customize screen in the Hours section. Again, it is a drag and drop process.

Modify Currency Separators and Decimal Characters - Some people like decimals separated by commas and semicolons. If that's you, click Customize below the Numbers section and change things. You can change the values to any character.

Change to a New Currency or Unit of Measure - There are options for the currency and the units of measure you are using. There are lots of coins, but the units of measurement are only offered in the UK, US or Metric. The UK is not usual since it uses a mixture of imperial and metric measures.

14. Organize Your Folders Automatically


It is annoying to see a folder completely disfigured due to bad organization. The Finder has settings for this kind of thing, and they are located in the toolbar.

Press the button that looks like a small list of icons, as shown in the screenshot below, and then select the organization method that works best for you. Name is the best because you will always find things on your site.

Although you can do anything, from Type to Size and Label. On the other hand, drag things out of the grid to mess up a bit.

15. Remove Desktop-mounted Discs


Maybe you do not want to see the CD or an external hard drive cramming your desktop.

To deactivate it, open the Finder Preferences and deselect one of the options Show these items on the desktop in the General tab of your MacBook.

This will eliminate some unnecessary things from the desktop.

16. Bring the Status Bar Back


There used to be a status bar to the bottom area of the Finder, which showed the size of a selection and number of files in a folder, as well as other useful information.

By default it was deleted in OS X 10.7 Lion, but you can always recover it with a keyboard shortcut: Command / (Command + Line Oblícula).

You can also do it by clicking on the View menu and selecting Show the Status Bar.

What Tips to Customize the MacBook Do You Have?

In this tutorial, we've shown you how to customize your MacBook, better organize things, change the default dictionary, reorder Spotlight results, show different desktop backgrounds and recover hidden functions that were in previous versions of OS X.

Although it is only an introduction. There are many more customization options for the Mac, such as drastically changing the appearance of the dock by applying a theme. The same can be done with the rest of the MacBook OS, although it does not take a while to get things to be perfect.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

ConnectSense Debuts New HomeKit-Compatible Smart In-Wall Outlet

ConnectSense
If you want to have a greater command over your home environment and also control and monitor the power usage in your home, then ConnectSense Smart In-Wall outlet will help you do just that.

The ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet is an addition to Apple’s HomeKit technology which will be available later in the year 2018. At the end of 2015, ConnectSense had launched their original external Smart Outlet which was compatible with the HomeKit.

ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet


The ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet can be installed in your home just like any usual outlet. It is designed to blend in with the room décor as well as provide all the benefits of HomeKit control. The ConnectSense Outlet makes any product smart and also provides power monitoring and plug detection features. Any of the devices plugged in the ConnectSense outlet can be controlled by the ConnectSense app, the HomeKit app, built-in touch controls or your voice using Siri.

It comes with two WiFi connected outlets that can be controlled and monitored individually. When a device has been plugged in, the outlets have plug detection to sense it. All your plug-in devices like fans, lights, heaters, televisions can be controlled and monitored from your iPhone or iPad. You can control your home settings with customized scenes. If you want a scene to turn off the lights, lock your doors, set the room to the desired temperature, all of this can be done in one simple step.

It has two buttons on the right to turn on or off each outlet individually. On the left there is a 2.4 amp USB charging port for quick charging of your iPad, iPhone and other devices. With the help of the Energy monitoring, you can also see the power usage of the various devices via an app on your iPhone or iPad.

In addition to using the ConnectSense Outlet in the house, the Smart In-Wall Outlet will also be able to function in commercial establishments such as offices, airports and various other places using both the 15A and 20A options.

In the box, you will get the ConnectSense Smart In-Wall outlet containing the WiFi Dual Smart Plug, an 8-Digit pin code and a Quick Start Guide.

Installing ConnectSense Smart In-Wall Outlet


When you plug the In-Wall Smart outlet into the wall, click on the WiFi settings on your iPhone or iPad. At the bottom, you will see a sub menu ‘Set Up New Device’ showing the ConnectSense outlet name. By clicking on it, the Smart outlet is automatically connecting to the WiFi network without actually entering the WiFi password. Install the ConnectSense app from the App Store. You need to add your first Smart Outlet device and it should automatically find it. Enter in the 8-digit pin code that comes in the box along with the Smart Outlet plug. The Smart outlet will be installed.

The price of this device has not been announced, but it should be available for purchase later this year.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Apple Announced GymKit in the Summer

GymKit

Apple watch and GymKit

The sport, lead a healthy life and training is increasingly fashionable, but Apple knows that more than one is hard to go on their own to the gym, and more when you have no one to tutor you or help you prepare a Exercise table best suited to your physique and activity. Since its inception with the Apple Gymkit, many people were curious that could not resist the temptation to get one and start to try all the benefits that it offered.

But the following had to be kept in mind: the iWatch has no GPS, no audio input, and the connection to the mobile is made via Bluetooth 4.0. But not only that. An iWatch without an iPhone is practically unusable, since the watch could be said to be an extension of the phone that allows you to receive notifications on your wrist of those applications that you have installed on your iPhone and that allow connectivity with the watch.

That is why with the passage of time, and due to the strong dependence that exists between the clock and the telephone for its optimal use, many have been losing their interest or seeing their utility increasingly reduced.

However, this is something that has not gone unnoticed for Cupertino, and that is why in the Keynote of this year 2017 and with the advance of watchOS 4, apple decided to make the most of the health and training.

For this reason, in its advance of presentation Apple has included several improvements, such as very striking elements in the training app with the idea of offering the most practical information for users throughout the day. But something that draws much attention to the rest is the update of the app train much improved jointly with Apple Gymkit, a platform with technology that will offer users training connected with cardio equipment of gyms.

This is what Jeff William, COO of Apple, said:


"The Apple Watch is the perfect device to lead a healthy life and is now smarter than ever thanks to watchOS 4. We have designed a truly individualized experience with the most intelligent Activity and Training apps, the Siri sphere that shows the information that you need at the right time and, in addition, we will offer users their favorite music easily. "

But what is it and how does Apple Gymkit work?


Apple Gymkit is a specific development kit for gym machines that will allow both the iWatch and the machine to share data of the user. With Apple Gymkit, customers who use their favorite gym machine can link their Apple Watch directly with treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bicycles or step machines from manufacturers around the world such as Life Fitness and Apple Gymkit with a single touch. And how is this achieved? Through NFC technology.

This means that, just by bringing the iWatch closer to the area specified in the fitness equipment and through the communication of the NFC chip between the machine and the clock, our data will be recorded and an automatic training will be started on the clock, in accordance with the training that we programmed in the machine. Both devices, machine and clock, will begin to exchange data of the exercise in real time (calories, distance, speed, raised floors, inclination and rhythm).

Of course, some questions arise about the operation and the start-up, but we will have to wait until its deployment in the autumn of this year to dispel any doubt. But what is clear is that Apple is strongly committed to the sport to get more juice to Apple Gymkit and in turn encourage users to lead a more active life.