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Android

Technology

October 28, 2013

Cheapest 150Mbps broadband in big US cities costs 100% more than overseas

In the US, wireless providers are increasingly monetizing data caps by charging users for any data they use beyond their limit.

American greed at its finest. Power equals knowledge. And the internet is fast access to a plethora of knowledge. Obviously, these Internet providers in the US are taking advantage and squeezing as much money as they can from their customers. It makes me sick.

Balky carriers and slow OEMs step aside: Google is defragging Android

This is how you beat software fragmentation. When you can update just about anything without having to push out a new Android version, you have fewer and fewer reasons to bother calling up Samsung and begging them to work on a new update. When the new version of Android brings nothing other than low-level future-proofing, users stop caring about the update.

This is also why Google should stop calling Android “open-sourced” software.

Almost a third of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Smartwatches sold are being returned

However, in Samsung Galaxy Gear review we found that despite its premium design, the functions and settings it brings to users, especially the lack of social network integration don’t really justify its hefty price of £299.

I’m not surprised in the slightest.

2013/10/28
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Technology

Speech Recognition

David Pogue on Siri and Android.

Unfortunately, Android has an Achilles’ heel — actually, more like Achilles’ entire leg. To issue spoken commands, you have to tap the microphone icon on the Google search bar. And it’s only on the home screen or the Google Now screen (swipe up from the bottom). So you can’t speak commands when your phone is locked, or when you’re in another app.

On the iPhone, you hold down the Home button or the clicker on your earbuds cord, so the voice command feature works when the phone is asleep or in any app.

In other words, to use an Android phone’s speech features, you frequently have to pick it up, and you always have to look at it, which defeats much of the purpose. The exception: Motorola’s new phones, like the Moto X, can be set to listen all the time.

I think Mr. Pogue wrote a thorough and well represented comparison between Apple’s Siri and Google’s Android speech recognition functionality. This is a very important feature for any “smart” devices right now and going forward. Both are relatively new and I am sure we all see vast and exponential improvements around the corner.

A very important key point is human-computer interaction. And right now I think Apple is doing it right.

UPDATE: Pogue has just released a 90-second video clip with the comparisons. Very informative.

2013/08/20
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