Google Voice Search Records and Keeps Conversations People have around Their Phones

Google Voice Search – Records Conversation of User

Google voice search tends to record all that the user has said around it for years and they can also listen to it. The company tends to unobtrusively record several of the conversations which people seem to have around it products. The feature seems to work as a means of enabling people search with their voice and storing these recordings could probably help Google to improve its language recognition tools and the outcomes it provides to the people.

However it also seems to come with a simple way of listening and deleting all the information it tends to collect that is done via a special page which tends to bring the information together which Google has regarding the activity of the user. This is found by going to Google’s history page and viewing the list of recordings.

A specific audio page has been provided by the company and another for activity on the web that tends to portray the records that Google has recording your activity on the internet. The new portal had been introduced in June 2015 and has been active for the last one year which means that now it is possibly full of the things said that the user would be under the impression of it being private.

Recordings – Form of a Diary with Reminders

These recordings could work as a form of a diary, with reminders of the many places as well as the situations which the user and the phone had been engaged in. Moreover it could also be a reminder of how much information has been gathered by the user and how intimate the said information could be. An Android phone would get to see more on activating by just saying `OK Google’.

The recordings will be available on whatever device the user may have interacted with Google. One can listen through all the recordings on the pay and can also see information regarding how the sound had been recorded, if it was through the Google app or any other app. Moreover one can have any transcription of what could have been said if Google had turned it into text successfully.

To Stop Google from Recording – Turn Off Virtual Assistant

But probably the most valid reason for visiting the page would be to delete all that is there, if one desires it, which can be done by selecting specific recordings or delete all in one go. In order to delete certain files, one could click the check box towards the left and move back to the top of the page selecting `delete’.

To delete all that is recorded, one can press the `More’ button and select `Delete options’ and then `Advanced’ and click through. The simplest means of stopping Google from recording everything is to turn off the virtual assistant and on no occasion use voice search.

 However that solution also tends to get at the vital problem of ample privacy as well as date use, presently. In doing so, it tends to cut off one of the most useful thing regarding the use of Android phone or using Google search

Samsung Pay Arrives in Europe, Spain is Numero Uno

Samsung Pay Service Arrives in Spain

Samsung Pay, marking the service’s European debut has ultimately arrived in Spain. Samsung Pay tends to see customers adding credit or debit cards to their phone, similar to rival services like Apple Pay and Android Pay, where the latter had recently arrived in the UK, which can then be tapped on checkouts in making contactless payment. Samsung Pay is launched in Spain which gives the mobile payment service a lead over the other competitors. In Contrast to those services, it could be utilised with the older magnetic strip systems. Samsung had mentioned that in Europe, the first bank to get on board were CaixaBank and imaginBank, followed shortly with Abanca and Banco Sabadell. Celestino Garcia, corporate vice president of Samsung Spain, had stated that the opportunity for Samsung Pay in Spain was important owing to the high smartphone penetration rate as well as the digitalisation of the banking sector. He mentioned results of a company commissioned research which showed 60% of the people in Spain preferred using services like Samsung Pay that enabled them to make contactless payment. A Visa report of 2015 indicated that Spain seems to be a country where most of the contactless payments terminals in Europe are made.

Turning Point in Payment Behaviour

Garcia had said that they are proud that Spain seems to be the first European market in introducing Samsung Pay, which is an advanced new service, believed to mark a turning point in Spaniard’s payment behaviour as well as the evolution of the payment market as a whole. Samsung Pay was launched in September 2015, in the US and in February the company had stated that it had 5 million registered customers of Samsung Pay, claiming a `strong’ adoption rate in the US as well as South Korea.A company spokesman had mentioned in a statement that `Samsung Pay would launch later in the year in the UK. Samsung Pay is available on the flagship smartphones of Samsung, the Galaxy S7 and S6 series, in Spain as in other markets. Samsung has mentioned that it had chosen Spain as its first European market due to high rates of smartphones together with credit card access. As per research commissioned by the South Korean tech giant, 64% of Spanish customers tend to utilise cards for paying most or several of their purchases.

Samsung Pay, Advantage Over Apple Pay/Android Pay

However, Samsung Pay could be missing a main feature in Spain and as Android Authority summaries, the announcement of Samsung had not made any mention of magnetic secure transmission- MST terminals only that it functioned with near-field communication – NFC enabled contactless payment terminals. In January, CaixaBank said that it would not support Samsung Pay’s MST since contactless point-of-sale systems were already well-known in Spain. Samsung Pay tends to have an advantage over Apple Pay and Android Pay in the United States, on utilising MST, since the stores do not have to install new NFC-enabled terminals in the stores to accept it. On the contrary, Samsung Pay tends to work by sending a signal that imitates the magnetic strips on credit cards to a MST terminal which most of the stores accepting cards tends to have it already. TechCrunch had asked Samsung Pay if the mobile payment service had been incompatible with MST in Spain

Cadillac’s Wide Angle, LCD Rear View Mirror

Cadillac’s XT5 Rear View Mirror – LCD Portraying View of Traffic Behind

On flipping the day-night lever towards the bottom of a Cadillac XT5’s rear view mirror it tends to change to a LCD portraying a wide-angle view of the traffic behind you. It is said to be the first of what could be a flood of inside as well as side rear mirror utilising small cameras providing wider viewing angles as well as less wind resistance than the traditional outside mirrors. The likelihood prevails for several cameras edging together a seamless view of 180 degree.

Cadillac has partnered with Gentex Corpn in order to develop the Rear Camera Mirror, as called by Cadillac, after its announcement on the concept as a `streaming video mirror’, a year ago. Initially, it is available on the XT5, a crossover compact replacing the Cadillac SRX together with the high-end Cadillac CT6 sport sedan. On test trading the XT5, it was found that it worked well though it also needs to getting used to it. As Gentex seems to call it – the Full Display Mirror tends to pull an image from a moderately high-definition camera mounted on the rear of the car just over the license plate.

Lens – Hydrophobic/Water-Shedding Coating

The lens tends to have a hydrophobic or water-shedding coating in order to decrease the effects of the rainy weather. The image is said to be fed to the 1280-by-240 pixel LCD display implanted in the rear view mirror. The driver can switch between views utilising the lever towards the bottom which on modest mirrors tend to switch between daytime and night viewing modes. In reflective mirror mode, the electro-chromic component tends to dim automatically, the view whenever bright headlamps tend to shine on the mirror. Moreover the other exceptional feature is a high-dynamic range camera which tends to reduce the glare at night.

Gentex had informed that each pixel arrays its own exposure and the headlamps seem as bright objects, though darker objects like the outline of the car or a pedestrian at the side of the road can also be noticeable. It is said that Gentex seems to be having 10 patents on the mirror system inclusive of the streaming video mirror concept as well as for wide-angle-view calibration, de-warping, glare reduction together with the camera’s hardware design.

Wide View Beneficial in City Traffic

The first and the last impression is how extensive is the field of vision, which is around four times as wide as a traditional mirror. Since it is on the exterior of the car, the view is not blocked by back seat headrest, roof pillars or passenger. One needs to be aware that the view is 8 – 10 feet beyond a traditional mirror view. The wide view could be beneficial in city traffic as well as for looking around before reversing into a parking space.

When one is properly certain that there is no crossing traffic in one’s blindspot, you can switch on to the camera view on the main LCD of the car. What Cadillac has been doing with Gentex is just the beginning. Other automakers, including Tesla have been toying with small cameras as replacement for side mirror. They tend to lessen wind resistance, making the car contracted and easier to fit into a snug garage.

An LED Light Bulb with a Warm, Retro Glow

Tala’s New LED Similar to Edison-Style Lightbulbs

In 1879, Thomas Edison had filed a patent for his electric lightbulb and somehow we are still toying with it. The latest upgrade is the Tala’s new LED similar to Edison-style lightbulbs ever present in farm-to-stable restaurants which tends to be energy efficient with a warm, natural look. Tala, created by four students at the University of Edinburg generates vintage-style lightbulbs in a variety of old-school shapes some of which are subtly tinted mouth blown glass. A string of superthin LED chips in these bulbs tends to simulate the glowing filament on incandescent though what actually set them apart are the less concrete qualities.

For instance dimming,is among the most appealing features of incandescent bulbs, one which eco-friendly CFL and LED lights seem to have issue. Though several LED bulbs tend to falter as their intensity is adjusted, Tala’s incline up and down smoothly which is due to a great presentation driver at the base of every bulb, as per the co-founder of the company, Josh Ward. Besides this, there is the quality of the light which tends to skew warmer scoring 95+ out of 100 on the colour-rendering index (CRI), a measure of how precisely a light source tends to render colours.

Each Filament Packed Dense with LEDs

Though one would come across other vintage-style LED bulbs with approximately the same score, Tala’s have been designed to surpass the red spectrum which in part is the reason for the bulb flattered skin tones. Moreover, each filament is said to be packed dense with LEDs in order that the bulb tends to cast a broad, even glow.

Since the LED-based lightbulbs manufacturers have learnt the art of imitating the warm, power-guzzling glow of incandescent, new energy efficient models have been quickly replacing their predecessors. But there are yet some areas, where these forward-thinking bulbs may not fit, for instance, in lighting fixture that calls for exposed bulbs.

It is here that the futuristic looks of several LED choices do not match up to the old-fashioned Edison bulbs. Manufacturers fortunately have been in the race of creating convincing traditional-style LED bulbs that reproduce the romance of early incandescent models.

Roxy – Down-to-Earth Bulb – Linear LED Strips

A company - Lighting Science, known best for working with NASA in developing lighting for International Space Station, responding to astronauts’ day-to-day rhythms, has introduced the Roxy, which is a down-to-earth bulb for housing customers including linear LED strips which tend to look like incandescent filaments beneath clear glass.

Fred Maxik, the firm’s chief technology officer comments that `as the technology joined with our abilities, we thought it was important to start improving the visual of light. People have been putting glowing bulbs in fixtures for years and love the way they look and we thought it was important to respect that’. The Roxy would be made available with steady incandescent-like light colour of 2700K, or an even warmer, candle like 2200K.

Top maker of specialty bulbs, Bulbrite has also introduced a latest collection of old-looking bulbs, called Nostalgic LED Filaments. The range features various styles and sizes comprising of simple round globe and tall avocado form together with smaller candelabra bulbs having colour temperature of 2700K, 2400L or 2200K and with the same shapes and somewhat tinted glass as the incandescent offering of the company. Product manager for specialty lighting, Eric Choi states that the line provides an energy efficient option with the look and feel of vintage bulbs.

BMW Revamps 'i' Electric Car Division to Focus on Self-Driving Tech

BMW `i’ Division Transformed into Development Centre

A board member has informed Reuters, that the `i’ division of BMW has been transformed into a development centre for self-driving cars, a main considered shift for the unit had earlier aimed on making a family of lightweight electric vehicles. Though Model 3 of Tesla would hit showrooms in 2017 and as Porsche and Audi rivals would be working on all electric cars to be released by 2019, the German car manufacturer seems to have put these kinds of cars at the back and its next fully-electric car would not be due till 2021.

The company’s approach has been changed after it’s fully battery powered car, and the i3, was not successful in gaining traction with the public with only 25,000 sales done last year. Tesla in comparison has already received over 370,000 orders for its Model 3. Instead of looking to match Tesla and Porsche with new zero-emissions sports limousine for release in the next two years, its focus lies in manufacturing an electric car with the next generation of technology, the autonomous driving.

Project `i’ Next

BMW board member Klaus Froehlich, in charge of development, in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Munich had mentioned that in April he had re-launched the `i’ division, as a unit dedicated in producing cars which tend to drive themselves and it is now in ramp-up stage which is called `Project i Next’. The renovation also tends to follow four great profile staff defections, this year from the division. Manager of BMW’s `i’ powertrain group Dirk Abendroth, vice president product management BMW `i’ Henrik Wenders, and vice president engineering, head of the i8 vehicle programme, Carsten Breitfeld, had been robbed by a Chinese electric vehicle start-up.

As a measure of its autonomous driving push, BMW has been hiring experts in machine learning as well as artificial intelligence. It is also assimilating the tasks of prevailing computer driven support systems such as emergency braking, cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and automatic parking. Froehlich stated that `with a fully autonomous vehicle, BMW could launch a ride hailing business without the need to pay drivers, thus giving car manufacturers a competitive edge over new ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft that seem toeat away car sales by making part utilisation convenient as ownership.

BMW to Partner with Ride-Hailing Firm

Toyota Motor Corp had mentioned earlier in the month that it would invest in Uber and Volkswagen had announced a $300 million investment in Gett which was a smaller ride-sharing company. It is said that BMW may partner with a ride-hailing firm especially in markets such as China though the car manufacturer’ policy on probable partnerships with companies is yet being worked out in this space according to Froehlich. He further added that China which is the world’s largest car market would probablybe the market, where autonomous cars would first appear on a big scale.

He also mentioned that China is implementing technology extremely fast. Last year more electric cars were sold in China than in all the other global markets put together. BMW has also been considering in expanding the area of reserving parking areas as well as electric car charging stations over mobile phone, a market that is still uneven within countries. Car manufacturers have already invested in ParkNow as well as Parkmobile the two digital parking as well as payment services.