| Everybody would like a personal assistant, and for many of us, Google Now is the closest thing we are going to get. Recently, with the app up, you could summon this digital Jeeves with the phrase: “OK Google.” Now that hotword works throughout the entire phone instead of just when the app is running (even if you are on the lock screen)! Once you have the update, in order to turn on hotword detection you need to head into Google now, scroll to the bottom and tap Menu>Settings>Voice>"Ok Google" Detection. From there you can also toggle any other options according to your preferences. Don’t be alarmed if you haven’t yet seen this change as it may take a little while to roll out to you –Google is releasing it in waves, so just keep checking for updates. Once you grab it, be sure to check out Audio History so you can help the app learn the sound of your voice.
Google Now Offers System-Wide Hotword Detection is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Google Now Offers System-Wide Hotword Detection
Google Search Goes Live With App Indexing
| Among the announcements at this year’s Google I/O conference was the news that App Indexing would be expanded to all developers and their apps. This update brings the concept of contextual and meaningful search to a whole new level by blurring the lines between web-based content and native apps. Consider the possibilities: search for a restaurant in Google and open up the corresponding reservation page within OpenTable, search Google for the movie you are watching and open the correct details page within the IMDB app on your device. Of course, the logical next question may be why you don’t just do your searching via the native apps to begin with, but the answers are very clear. Google wants you to search using their engine. Partially because they make a lot of their money through ad revenue, but also because they have spent a lot of time and effort to make sure their search is superior to any other out there. Besides, often times you are wandering around the web and you don’t even realize what you are looking for until you find it… then low and behold, there’s an app for that, and with one click (or tap, technically) you’ve made the move to using it! Making use of this feature will require a little work done by the developers of each app, but I expect it will become commonplace very soon.
Google Search Goes Live With App Indexing is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Google Maps Updates Search, Transit Results and Terrain View
| We are expecting to see more Google Maps announcements very soon with enhancements that include an entirely redesigned interface and clearer images, but the flagship navigation app wasn’t left out of the Google I/O conference excitement. Updates to the app were pushed out yesterday that included updates to search, transit results and terrain view. When searching in the app, the first change you will notice is that the results appear directly on the map (including descriptions that will help you to make route and destination decisions more quickly). Transit results have been enhanced to include the total walking time for your trip in addition to showing the next scheduled bus or train. Accessing Terrain View from the side menu shows the 3D view of the landscape and elevation –details that may seem insignificant until you are geocaching and end up walking up and down significant inclines! Constant feature enhancements like these serve to further solidify Google Maps as the premier navigation app for all mobile platforms. If you haven’t yet downloaded Google Maps, grab it now for free!
Google Maps Updates Search, Transit Results and Terrain View is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Netflix Updates UI In Time for First Original Anime Series
| Fellow Netflix addicts will have already noticed that the icon has changed colour (from red to white), but a few other things have changed as well. The UI has been updated on Android to be a little darker (showing more shadowy tones), but it also appears that performance has been improved with even smoother video playback. These updates may seem less significant for anime fans who are eagerly awaiting the July 4 release of Knights of Sidonia. Based on the popular Manga series, this title will join the ranks of other Netflix original series alongside shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Despite competitors popping up all the time, Neflix remains the leading subscription service for watching television and movies on nearly any device you can imagine (from those powered by Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS and even console gaming systems). If you haven’t yet given it a try, download Netflix for free now!
Netflix Updates UI In Time for First Original Anime Series is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Google Play Games Unifies Gaming on All Devices
| Mobile gamers rejoice: Google Play Games was not left out of the spotlight yesterday at Google’s annual I/O conference. With several enhancements and additions, Google plans to take gaming to a whole new level (as well as rivaling all of the good things that Apple had to announce with their upcoming iOS update). First on the list was the new Games Profile: behaving as a unique and adapting identity for all Android gamers, this update will see changes based on in-game achievements (while also emulating xBox Live Achievements and PlayStation trophies). The result will allow users to earn points and titles but also compare their progress against that of their friends. In addition, Quests (a new set of APIs available for use by developers) will allow for online time-based events to run inside games without updates needing to be pushed out. Complimenting this is Google’s introduction of a game save feature which will let developers easily record a users’s progress. Finally, it appears that $5 billion has been paid out on top of Google play to developers –a sizable 2.5x increase over this period last year. Evolving Google Play Games into a true hub for Android gaming makes perfect sense, especially when you consider the launch of Android TV and the inevitable migration of games to that platform as well.
Google Play Games Unifies Gaming on All Devices is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Hotel Tonight App Adds Mobile Check-In and Keyless Entry
| One of the best things about the annual Google I/O conference is that many of the biggest and most active development houses save their coolest updates to share with that group. To that end, Hotel Tonight announced yesterday that they feel they are the first online travel agency to offer mobile check-in as well as keyless entry to guests of hotels using their service. The express check-in functionality makes the process of getting your room entirely painless: just two taps on your touchscreen and then wait to be notified that your room is ready. Even more exciting than checking in quickly is the ability to unlock your hotel room with your Android device (anybody who has locked themselves out of their room because they forgot that silly credit card style key will be cheering along with me… besides, who ever leaves a room these days without taking their phone?). Using NFC capabilities and a Brivo Labs API, users hold their device up to the lock and moments later they are passing through the door. Both features are expected to be implemented soon, though it may take some time for hotel chains to get on board. Hotel Tonight is a fantastic way to save money on hotel rooms anytime you are willing to wait until the last minute. Before you start to plan your next trip, be sure to download Hotel Tonight.
Hotel Tonight App Adds Mobile Check-In and Keyless Entry is a post from: Good e-Reader |
OverDrive to Present 2014/2015 eBook Lending Roadmap at National Library Conference
| As the nation's library professionals convene at the 2014 American Library Association Annual (ALA) Conference in Las Vegas, June 27-30, leading digital platform provider OverDrive will introduce and demonstrate its 2014/2015 eBook lending roadmap. OverDrive team members will brief librarians on plans to launch a series of content, end-user and platform enhancements over the coming weeks and months. These include new access models, expanded discovery for library holdings, and additional tools for libraries to achieve measurable success with their eBook and digital lending collections. Notable enhancements include: More content, more flexible access models
Easiest and most proven platform with new apps and services
"We are constantly innovating in response to requests from libraries and users. This includes libraries that are disappointed with competitor eBook collections due to low checkouts and fewer features," said Shannon Lichty, OverDrive's director of partner services. "As a result, we are supporting library requests to migrate their eBook and audiobook titles currently on other platforms to OverDrive in order to instantly benefit from higher circulation and compatibility with more devices." OverDrive to reach millions of readers and bring new users to the library As reported by Pew Research, only about half of Americans ages 16 and older used a public library in some form in the past year (see report by Pew Research). At ALA, OverDrive will demonstrate programs to connect new users with their public library:
To see these upcoming enhancements and more, visit OverDrive's booth #1317 at ALA.  |
PocketBook CoverReader First Look (Videos)
| E Ink has been trying to crack the smartphone market for the past few years with their low-power outdoor readable epaper displays. Yesterday the Onyx Midia InkPhone went up for pre-order—it’s a new phone that uses an E Ink screen instead of LCD. Other products are using E Ink screens as secondary displays for smartphones. […] |
PayPal App Released For Android Wear
| Wearables are among the hottest topics at this year’s Google I/O conference, with apps designed to work with them being some of the most exciting developments. One of the first to emerge is the availability of PayPal on your wrist, letting us check in to pay at participating stores, redeem offers, and receive payment notifications. PayPal has long been a friend to Android with apps already available for the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit devices (not to mention taking advantage of the fingerprint sensor built in to the company’s Galaxy S5to build secure payments into the regular Android app). Being able to have your wallet handy on your wrist is one of the many benefits of wearable technology. With the phrase: “Ok Google,” you can expect to respond to texts, instant messages, emails (all by voice), and ask questions (like locating the nearest Starbucks). Beyond that, you can reach your fitness goals with step counters and heart-rate monitors, and communicate with your smartphone and all that it can offer. By being one of the first, PayPal is pioneering the idea of a wearable portal to all of the things you use to manage your daily life.
PayPal App Released For Android Wear is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Simon & Schuster Starts Distributing eBooks to Libraries Nationwide
| Simon & Schuster has been slowly dipping their toes into distributing their electronic book titles to libraries in the US. The publishing company has been participating in a pilot program in 20 different libraries in order to find a viable business model that worked for all parties involved. Today, ahead of the American Library Association Annual conference in Las Vegas, S&S has announced that are expanding nationwide. Effective immediately, public libraries across the United States can acquire for their collections ebook editions of such beloved classic favorites and current bestsellers as The Great Gatsby, Steve Jobs, Doctor Sleep, Hard Choices, The Flamethrowers, The Light Between Oceans, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the Mortal Instruments and Dork Diaries series. S&S is offering both their frontlist and backlist titles, which means as soon as the novel is released in bookstores, libraries have a chance to purchase a copy. The library can offer an unlimited number of checkouts during the one-year term for which it has purchased a copy, although each copy may only be checked out by one user at a time. Penguin pioneered the library concept of the Buy it Now Button. This allowed libraries to act as retail outlets, by offering the ability to sell the title to patrons. The library, publisher and distributer all got a piece of the transaction if the wait list was too long. 3M, Baker & Taylor, and Overdrive will all be expanding their distribution of Penguin titles all over the USA and offering the Buy it Now Button. “In the year since we first started our pilot, we have been delighted with the response from the participating libraries, and we believe the time is right to make our ebooks available to all libraries,” said Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster. “Although the library market for ebooks is still evolving, we are pleased to now offer ebooks to libraries on a universal basis, providing their patrons the content they desire in increasingly popular digital formats, and helping libraries to continue serving their communities as they have so well for so many years. ALA President Barbara Stripling released the following statement – "Today represents an important milestone for improving the ability of libraries to serve the public in the digital age. America's libraries are the quintessential institution in connecting authors and readers. We have always known that library lending encourages patrons to experiment by sampling new authors, topics and genres. This experimentation stimulates the market for books—with the library serving as a critical de facto discovery, promotion and awareness service for authors and publishers. Simon & Schuster Starts Distributing eBooks to Libraries Nationwide is a post from: Good e-Reader |
James Patterson Makes New Donation to Bookshops
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Now, Patterson is taking this same donor support to independent booksellers in the UK in an effort to ensure that people have access to books. According to the New York Times, Patterson has committed 250,000 GBP to providing grants between 250 and 5,000 GBP to struggling shops to encourage literacy and book access, aiming this particular initiative at ensuring children have access to reading material. Things have truly reached crisis proportions for UK booksellers, and numbers of independent shops have fallen below 1,000 retailers for the first time. Patterson, who has in the past written an open letter to the US government to fund a bailout of the independent book retailer industry, continues to commit his own personal funds to keep stores open, to foster competition in the retailing sector, and to ensure that access to books doesn’t go away with the shuttering of more and more shops and libraries. Patterson has recently taken to railing against Amazon for its current battles with his publisher, Hachette Book Group, for its refusal to stock titles until the terms of its contracts are agreed upon; the author has pointed out that this disagreement and stall in sales is taking revenue from authors, who will hurt most of all.
James Patterson Makes New Donation to Bookshops is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Using the Format Painter in PowerPoint and Word
Looking for a quick way to apply formatting in PowerPoint and Word? Try the Format Painter! |
Controlling electrical sockets with Energenie Pi-mote
| Last Christmas I decided I had spent enough time bending over the various chairs to reach the switch to turn on and off the Christmas tree lights. So I bought a set of Energenie remote-controlled mains switches. I decided that this would be a great device to wire up to the Raspberry Pi, because I could then program the Pi to control my Christmas lights during the day. Unfortunately, the small remote control supplied with the distribution board does not have any mechanism of external control. So I got in contact with Energenie, the manufacturers of these great devices, to invite them over to Pi Towers and show them what a great thing Raspberry Pi is and why they should create a Raspberry Pi add-on to be able to control the devices… A couple of months later I get a visit from their team, who showed me the results of quite a bit of engineering (and a little fun I think): A little bit of information from the guys at Energenie:
While Amy Mather was in the office earlier in the year to do some work experience, I asked her to think of something she could do with the system and to write some code to prettify the existing Python code. She started by writing a basic function to control power sockets using some binary logic, and proceeded to hack one of the built-in Python games in Raspbian to make it play a song and turn on some disco lights when the player wins the game. Cue the music: …finally Rick-Rolled the Raspberry Pi blog! See Amy’s example code and the modified memory puzzle game on her GitHub. The basic usage for Amy’s energenie module looks like this: Want to control something simple from your Pi? Washing machine, Vacuum cleaner, liquidiser (create your own cat scarer): Buy yours at energenie4u.co.uk! |
Aptara Launches New End-to-End Offerings for Digital Publishing
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"Our clients can now rely on us for everything from digital product conception, content creation and multichannel distribution, to post-delivery customer and IT support," said Bill Penders, Aptara's President, in a press release. "As our customers streamline their operations, having a single partner that can meet all of these needs provides them with maximum cost-efficiencies while connecting them with new, digitally savvy audiences." To go with the new focus on providing for all of a customer’s publishing needs, Aptara also unveiled its new logo and a new website that highlights all of the ways the company can build a final product for its business partners. The new site can be found at aptaracorp.com. "Aptara expertly navigated our path from print to digital to mobile," said Dan Green, Senior Operations Manager for Cisco Learning Services. "By transforming and simplifying how we create and deliver product documentation and training, we've established new revenue streams and substantially cut expenses."
Aptara Launches New End-to-End Offerings for Digital Publishing is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Disney Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse App Review
| Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse is the Sega Genesis classic reimagined for Android. The premise of the game has you playing Mickey on a quest to save his darling Minnie from the evil witch Mizrabel clutches. This game reminds me of Mario 64, in the respect that you enter different worlds and complete them. You earn stars and gems which unlock different doors. From a gameplay point of view, it functions as a platformer that is very 2D in nature, but the backgrounds are all 3D. You can shoot projectiles at dancing clowns or windup knights. Mickey himself is also exquisitely animated, as is absolutely everything else in Castle of Illusion. There are many different locations, such as Toy fortresses and enormous libraries that manage to make mundane objects both awe-inspiring and menacing, and a fully revamped Candy Land, featuring milkshake rivers and a licorice dragon, could win the award for the most colorful set piece of the year. Castle of Illusion may be short, but its abundance of ideas never runs dry, and that’s never been more evident than in this HD remake. Disney Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse App Review is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Android “L” Promises to Increase Your Battery Life
| Any smartphone or tablet user knows that few things are as terrifying as a low-battery indicator; something many of us see entirely too often. During the keynote at the annual Google I/O conference, we learned that the upcoming Android “L” release will have a Battery Saver (under the codename “Project Volta”) –but how exactly will it do that? Google claims to have a few tricks up their sleeve, as Battery Saver has a number of features and functions that could deliver up to 90 additional minutes of usage: Battery Historian – Lets you measure the specific impact that apps and activities have on your device’s battery life. While the Battery Historian may not be able to make many changes directly, it could definitely help diagnose a problem or pinpoint an app that is causing your battery to drain. Job Scheduler – Queue activities that are not time sensitive so devices wake less often and battery-intensive tasks lay in wait until you are connected to the charger. Using the JobScheduler API, developers can also combine non-urgent network requests from multiple apps and keep the radio asleep as much as possible. Battery Saver Mode – Clock down the CPU, minimize the refresh rate of your screen and limit background data. While it may seem like a small thing, if Battery Saver works as advertised it will be among the most valuable updates to my smartphone.
Android “L” Promises to Increase Your Battery Life is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Google Fit Platform Announced
| Care and concern for our health is one of the few things that we all share with each other –everybody has fitness goals of one sort of another and we all want to be the healthiest version of ourselves that we can (at least in theory if not in practice). Google announced their effort to help us achieve these goals in the form of Google Fit: an open platform that includes a single set of APIs serving to give developers access to a method of combining the results from any other apps and companion tracking devices. The result? Google Fit provides users with a well-rounded picture of their health. It isn’t yet known what the front-facing version of Google Fit will look like, but it is expected to aggregate statistics for many health-related things like weight, diet, heart rate, blood sugar, and exercise (all with the user’s permission, of course). As part of today’s announcement, it was revealed that many partners (such as Nike, Adidas, Withings, RunKeeper, and Basis) are already on board and ready to work with Google Fit. No matter whether it is Google Fit or Apple’s rival HealthKit, there is a certain feeling of comfort knowing that in the foreseeable future when our physician asks us what medication we are on, how much we have slept recently, what we may have eaten or how much exercise we have been getting… we will have a meaningful (and truthful) series of answers.
New Google Fit Platform Announced is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Overdrive Announces New Programs to Make eBooks more Accessible
| Overdrive is currently the largest digital distributor that libraries in Canada, US, UK and Australia employ to fill their catalog with audiobooks, eBooks, music and video. The company has announced a series of new initiatives that will make librarians lives easier in managing their collections and enhancements to the Overdrive Media Console. One of the pitfalls of managing a physical or digital collection is having the buy the titles in advance, under the one loan, one use model. Librarians really need to understand the needs of the community to make sure their content appeals to the widest demographic possible. Lets face it, if you want to get hundreds of new fiction and nonfiction titles, you will have to pay thousands of dollars to purchase books patrons might not even use. Overdrive is developing a new solution called the cost-per-checkout (CPC) model that allows libraries to make available a supplier's entire catalog of titles, but only incur a charge when a user borrows a title. The company intends on rolling this out across the board, but is starting modestly with their recent deal with Warner Brothers for streaming videos. There are new catalogs that will be available soon that libraries will be able to purchase. Graphic novels, manga (English and Japanese) and popular children's eBook series and picture books using EPUB3 with fixed layout. Overdrive is also putting a priority on hooking schools up with deals who order multiple units. Finally, they are going to launch consortia-friendly programs to enable Advantage titles to be migrated from individual libraries to shared collections, as permitted by publishers and suppliers. The Overdrive Media console app for Android, Blackberry, iOS and a myriad of other platforms is the tool patrons use to read eBooks, listen to audiobooks or watch videos. The main pitfall is the Adobe Digital Editions step to insure that the title has been legitimately borrowed or purchased. The vast majority of patrons are not super tech savvy and may not understand the process. The Media Console app will receive an update this summer that will remove the Adobe step and also add synchronized audio narration with text, dictionary support, and other features beneficial to students and researchers. "We are constantly innovating in response to requests from libraries and users. This includes libraries that are disappointed with competitor eBook collections due to low checkouts and fewer features," said Shannon Lichty, OverDrive's director of partner services. "As a result, we are supporting library requests to migrate their eBook and audiobook titles currently on other platforms to OverDrive in order to instantly benefit from higher circulation and compatibility with more devices." Overdrive Announces New Programs to Make eBooks more Accessible is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Barnes and Noble is Breaking up With Nook
| Barnes and Noble announced today that they are splitting up with Nook. The divorce could get messy, but they still plan to work together after the separation…for the kids. The analogy may sound a bit weird but that’s pretty much exactly what’s happening. B&N plans to separate their Barnes & Noble Retail business and Nook […] |
Android Auto Brings Google Now Functionality To Your Vehicle
| We pretty much knew it had to be coming, but now it’s okay to be excited: Google has officially launched their rival to Apple’s CarPlay with their own Android Auto! Serving as a redesigned car-specific interface for Android, the software is contextually aware so it knows the moment you enter your car and then presents you with a simplified (read: less distractions) version of your mobile device. A demo at Google’s annual I/O conference this morning shows us how the interface can be mirrored onto a touchscreen in your vehicle’s dashboard (which has a certain cool factor that is awfully hard to compete with), that can then be accessed by the user using fingertip or voice commands. But what can it do? Everything you want while on the go: access Google Maps Navigation, control your music, search your contacts, listen to incoming text and email messages (as well as reply using voice dictation), or take things a step further by locating the nearest gas station or coffee shop. Developers should be excited, because the Android Auto SDK will make it possible for third-party apps to participate in the Android Auto experience –my mind immediately moves toward make-specific features for your vehicle being very easy to control with your voice (instead of the 10 minute search through my car’s menus to try and remember just how I faded the speakers toward the back or programmed in satellite radio stations). With over 40 automakers already on-board to support Android Auto as part of the Open Automotive Alliance, you can expect most vehicles will be supporting this new technology that is set to be released to the public later this year.
Android Auto Brings Google Now Functionality To Your Vehicle is a post from: Good e-Reader |
