Google voice searches just got faster and more accurate, thanks to new acoustic models that provide better voice recognition, especially in noisy environments.
Google makes voice search faster and more accurate

Photo: Cult of Android
Google voice searches just got faster and more accurate, thanks to new acoustic models that provide better voice recognition, especially in noisy environments.
This post is brought to you by Jutiful, maker of AZZL and other smart games.
Much as candy makers know what taste buds they’re appealing to, game makers have learned what makes people respond. Similarly, the “animation puzzles” in AZZL make it feel like a game that’s also a confection: sweet and a little addicting.
We want our iPhone case to look pretty and protect our investment. Beyond that, we ask nothing of it.
One technology company wants its case to do a little more, though. OAXIS is launching a case that also serves as a second screen, an e-ink display that gives you time, allows you to receive important messages and lets you read your favorite e-book.
You’ve got the perfect photo lined in your sites and so you push the button on your iPhone camera. Instead of a memory etched in pixels, you get a message saying “Cannot take photo. There’s not enough storage.”
An iOS app called IceCream lets you quickly free up space without deleting photos, instead saving them to a secure cloud server with the tap of a button.
The new camera on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have already been put to the test in the fashion world, and on the baseball diamond, and now ahead of the device’s release tomorrow, National Geographic is showing fans what the new 12MP sensor can do when it replaces your entire camera bag.
National Geographic sent Mark Leong to the Chinese city of Sanjiang to retrace the first road trip that set the tone for his career as a professional photographer. Instead of lugging around his DSLR and suitcase of extra gear though, Leong was only allowed to shoot with the iPhone 6s Plus, which he says turned out to be ‘incredibly liberating.’
Take a look at some of the stunning images he captured:
No matter how much slimmer the other stuff we put in our pockets might get, our keys remain the jangly, jagged mess they’ve always been. At least that was the case, until KeySmart 2.0’s Titanium Key Organizer came slicing into the scene, cutting the clutter and bringing the keeper of our keys up to the slim, sleek standards of the 21st century. It does all that and more, and it’s just $29.99.
Here’s a thought to make you feel old: With the launch of the iPhone 6s, Tim Cook will have officially overseen the launch of more new iPhone generations as CEO than Steve Jobs.
While Jobs was running the show at Apple during the original iPhone, 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 era, Cook has been in charge during the 4s, 5, 5s, 6 and 6s timeframe.
The party is on, but there’s a problem: There’s no stereo or Bluetooth speaker for the music.
But a startup out of Montreal has developed an app that allows partygoers to create a DIY sound system. AmpMe is an app that syncs streaming music across the many smartphones at that party to create one powerful sound system. That means iPhones and Android phones can join forces to save the day.
ROBLOX, the popular user-generated online gaming platform, introduces kids to game building and even helps them earn a few bucks in the process. Some ROBLOX game developers have earned enough money to pay for college.
Now some of the more successful developers will raise their gaming cred even higher as ROBLOX launches a free app for Xbox featuring 20 of its top games.
3D Touch has been the most widely-praised feature of the iPhone 6s in its advance reviews, so it’s no great surprise that savvy jailbreakers would attempt to replicate the technology in older iPhones.
One attempt at this is a new free tweak called ForceTouchActivator, which tries to impersonate 3D Touch by using long presses to expand the functionality of your iPhone.
And as far as free tweaks go, it’s not a bad effort. Sort of.
Sloppy coding in some popular iOS games allows hackers to give themselves and others thousands of dollars’ worth of in-app purchases for free.
The hole was discovered by developers at DigiDNA, creator of a backup tool called iMazing that allows iPhone and iPad users to access their devices’ hidden file systems. The developers found that the app backup/restore feature in iMazing 1.3 exposes weaknesses in the way games like Angry Birds 2 and Tetris Free handle in-app purchases.
To demonstrate how easy it is to hack in-app purchases using this method, the DigiDNA team tweaked Angry Birds 2 to start the game with 999,999,999 gems — the equivalent of $10,000 of in-game credits.
One of the big innovations of iOS 9 was the ability for Safari users to download and take advantage of content blockers.
According to a new report, however, ads may not be the only content that is blocked by apps like Crystal. Online retailers such as Walmart, Sears and Lululemon are also seeing their e-commerce sites negatively affected by adblockers — with some crucial features failing to work as before.
People are already camping out for the iPhone 6s, but one smart would-be customer from Australia has decided to dodge the queues — by sending a robot on her behalf.
Lucy Kelly dispatched the robot — a remote-controlled tablet attached to a Segway — to wait in line at the flagship Apple Store in Sydney, where the iPhone 6s will go on sale ahead of the rest of the world. It gives her the ability to join in the fun of waiting alongside eager Apple fans, without the negative part of standing around for hours in the cold.
Now why didn’t we think of that?
HTC’s upcoming iPhone clone, the One A9, has leaked out again ahead of its official unveiling.
A new press image confirms the device will be available in six colors, with gigantic bezels above and beneath its display that somewhat spoil its otherwise attractive look.
In addition to offering Siri in an ever-increasing range of accents, it seems that Apple is making a few more nods to localization with iOS 9.
Spotted by a user in Australia, Apple has renamed the Trash folder the “Rubbish” folder in its latest local version of the mobile operating system.
Facebook is bringing 360-degree video to news feeds starting today, showcasing the immersive format with a speeder tour of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ desert planet Jaku.
The tech makes viewing 360 videos on mobile devices simpler than ever, allowing users to select a viewing angle just by turning their devices. You can also watch the videos on the web, clicking around to change the camera’s perspective.
Pebble’s latest smartwatch forgot it’s hip to be square.
The Pebble Time Round has a circular display that hopes to appeal to traditional watch wearers, and compete round rivals like the Moto 360 and Samsung’s upcoming Gear S2. Its all-metal design is also the thinnest and lightest Pebble has crafted to date.
Every day, it’s the same thing. Wake up to my iPhone blaring OK Go’s “I Won’t Let You Down” at me, then fumble the Tap to Snooze function (which never seems to work for me in the morning). It’s not as simple as an alarm clock, and the distraction of having your iPhone with you when you go to sleep at night is something I think we all can do without.
Apple Watch now has the answer, in the form of a new watchOS 2 feature, Nightstand mode.
Here’s how to use it to help you get your sorry butt out of bed in the morning.
Developers can add the latest iOS 9.1 beta to their iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches starting today.
Exactly two weeks after releasing the first beta, Apple has started seeding iOS 9.1 beta 2, build 13B5119e, to developers via an over-the-air update and in the Apple Dev Center.
Update: As of Thursday this week, public beta users can also update to the latest iOS 9.1 public beta 2, as well.
DataMan could be the name of a superhero, but it is instead an app that saves you from the dangers of going over your data limit. Now it has a sidekick for the Apple Watch that lets you be vigilant with a flick of the wrist.
The DataMan app for the watch lets you easily view your usage, but if you don’t need to know in detail, simply raise your wrist and an icon will appear in the upper left corner of your watch face that gives an idea. A green check means your safe, a blue exclamation point is for caution and a red X means you are in danger of going past your limit and paying nasty overage fees.
The more we learn about the extent of spying and theft that happens on the Internet, the more it seems like we should revert back to communicate with two cans and a string. A better alternative is just to protect your connection to the Internet, which is what Private Internet Access VPN does. And right now you can get a 2-year subscription for $59.95 at Cult of Mac Deals.
We love our iPhone cameras because it takes away the need for technical know-how and leaves us with nothing but fun for our photography. But sometimes fun needs to be turned up a notch.
Enter the Creative Mobile Kit from Lensbaby, a two-lens package that turns any scene into a dreamy state of smeary colors and blurred shapes that surround the focus of a subject. Just clip on the kit’s magnetic mount bracket, select a lens and go play.
Morgan Stanley analysts Adam Jonas and Katy Huberty — who regularly follow Tesla and Apple — claim an autonomous Apple Car could save drivers a collective 400 billion hours of “non-productive” time each year.
“What is the value of 400 billion hours a year?” they write in a note to clients. “How much value could Apple create from this time or said another way how much are consumers willing to pay to recoup this time? It’s time to start thinking about… time.”
And we thought the Apple Watch was Apple’s attempt to focus on timekeeping!
reTXT is a radical new messaging app that wants to fix everything wrong with online communication as it exists now. It landed back in April and includes a number of unique features — like being able to edit a message you already sent — all of which are currently patent pending. The app just updated today for iOS and Android with support for voice calling with end-to-end encryption as well.
Sticking out from the crowd of third-party messaging apps, I decided to take a closer look.
The Pope touched down in Washington D.C. yesterday as part of hit U.S. tour, and it might totally screw up whether you get your iPhone 6s pre-order delivered on September 25th.