Find what you need faster with the Google app update

Find what you need faster with the Google app update

Google tries to make it as easy as possible to get the answers you need. Along these lines, you can now find the information you are looking for through the Google app without having to write anything on the search bar.

The giant of the web added today a series of shortcuts to its application for Android and iOS and Google.com that offer local options of restaurants, easy access to the climate, sporting results, TV commercials and much more. To see what is available, make sure that your Google application is updated to the latest version and then search for your shortcuts under the search box.

"Google's search box is great when you're looking for a specific answer, but there are also times when you just want to catch up on the most interesting topics," wrote Tamar Yehoshua, vice president of product management for Google on a blog. "You need to know if you're wearing a raincoat tomorrow, you want the basketball game marker last night?" Looking for what's on TV tonight or who's nominated for the best Supporting actress? "Google shortcuts will take you there."

To take a look at the new shortcuts, watch the video below.

Apple is developing sensors to monitor diabetes

Apple is developing sensors to monitor diabetes

If a secret Apple project is successful, future diabetes patients will be able to stop biting themselves to monitor their blood sugar levels.

CNBC reported on Wednesday that "people close to the affair" ensures that Apple has hired a "small team of biomedical engineers" who are working in an office in Palo Alto, California developing the "holy Grail of diabetes treatment." The "Super Secret Initiative" – planned by the late Steve Jobs – intends to "develop sensors that can continuously and non-invasively monitor blood sugar levels to treat diabetes," the report says.

Optical sensors would supposedly direct a light through your skin to measure your glucose levels. One day, these sensors could be integrated into wearables like the Apple Watch to monitor pain-free.

According to the report, many companies have tried – without success – to develop methods to monitor glucose levels without puncturing the skin. Presumably, Apple has been working on this project for at least the past five years, and have progressed enough to begin testing across the Bay Area.

However, Apple is not the only tech company trying to solve this problem. In 2015, a report published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed that Google was looking for a new way to draw blood without a needle to help diabetes patients measure their glucose levels. Google also explored the idea of using intelligent contact lenses to measure levels through tears.

People in Canada offers uber-economic travel to replace buses

People in Canada offers uber-economic travel to replace buses

A small town in Canada is resorting to Uber to solve its public transport problem.

According to the Toronto Star, the city of Innisfil, Ontario, is partnering with the car service to provide people with subsidized travel to and from certain destinations around the city.

Mayor Gord Wauchope said the city was facing pressures to offer public transportation, so he conducted a feasibility study in 2015 and found that the operation of a single-vehicle bus service would cost about $270.000 a year. An agreement with Uber will cost the city 100.000 dollars this year and 125.000 next year. Service is expected to begin on May 1.

"This was a transit system that people can get from anywhere in the city of Innisfil, and use it at a reasonable price," said Wauchope, according to the report.

Residents will pay between $3 to $5 for travel to and from selected areas. Uber will also provide ipads in select locations through Innisfil so citizens can ask for a trip even if they don't have a smartphone.

Innisfil is the first city in Canada to do this, but a spokesman for Uber Canada, in a statement to the Toronto Star, suggested that similar deals with other Canadian cities could be on the way.

Jeff Bezos becomes the second richest man in the world

Jeff Bezos becomes the second richest man in the world

Ask anyone who is the richest person in the world, most likely to know that it is Bill Gates. It has remained in that place 18 of the last 23 years, and it seems that it will not change in the near future. However, the sites have changed below gates, and another giant tech industry has been placed in second place this week.

According to Bloomberg, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, overthrew Warren Buffett last Wednesday, taking the second position. The cause was the increase of Amazon shares up to 18.32 dollars, which added 1.5 billion dollars to Bezos's fortune, to have a total of 75.6 billion dollars. Currently, Buffett has 46.5 billion dollars. The gap between one and the other is narrow enough to change positions again, but Buffett has lost a few billion recently while Bezos continues to grow. Only in what goes of the year, Bezos has managed to make $10.2 billion.

Bezos is now "only" to $10.4 billion behind Bill Gates, which leads us to ask, will he be able to unseat Bill Gates eventually?

According to CNN Money, the price of Amazon shares is still on the rise. Nor can we ignore Bezos's interest in space engineering with its Blue Origin company, which expects to offer tourist space travel using reusable rockets in a few years, as well as developing a lunar delivery service. Just this week, we had the opportunity to see inside the space capsule for the passengers, and to hear more about their ambitious plans to create a lunar shuttle service in 2020.

It is possible that the change will happen, considering that Bill Gates is now focused on altruism, while Bezos continues to focus on building his business empire. In addition, Gates has 61 and Bezos 53, so he can make that jump to the first place.

Unless Bezos takes several terrible decisions with your money or decides to leave everything behind to go to relax on a tropical island somewhere.

Why would California lose a big thing for the self-employed cars?

Why would California lose a big thing for the self-employed cars?

California has long been a breeding ground for innovation and has promoted pioneering technology companies ranging from Disney to Apple. But in terms of auto-driving – and based on several recent developments – a much more conservative Michigan is taking pole position in nurturing technology.

Michigan and particularly the Detroit area is an ideal incubator for autonomous technology, as it is the hub of the automotive universe and can capitalize on its extensive talent and own resources, including the manufacturing capacity of world-class vehicles and research capacity. The state also has a wide range of weather conditions to better test self-directed vehicles under real conditions.

And it has a state government that is friendly with technology. A recent example of this is a broad legislation passed in law last week by Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, which allows self-employed vehicles to operate on state roads without a human behind the wheel or even on board.

It also allows semi-automated truck platoons to travel together at established speeds and carpool services to collect passengers. "This is a great step for our state," because it will allow for accurate and appropriate tests of autonomous vehicles on real roads and in real situations ... in order to provide greater opportunities to test, manufacture and operate autonomous vehicles in Michigan, "Snyder said in a blog post earlier this week.

Contrast with this is California's most restrictive approach. Last December, the state DMV issued a bill that, among other things, requires a driver to be ready to take the wheel of an autonomous vehicle at all times, and that a vehicle must have a steering wheel and pedals.

This last point did not sit well with Google, the highest-profile company in California doing autonomous car testing, as their auto-driving cars are designed without traditional controls. "We are seriously disappointed that California is already writing a roof in the potential of fully self-directed cars to help everyone who lives here," said a Google spokesman at the time.

California moves away from the topic

Following the publication of the bill, several technology and automotive trade groups sent a letter to the California State transportation agency, which said that requiring a driver behind the wheel "moves away from the issue" of technology. The strict rules "lose a critical opportunity to increase security and reduce accidents," they said.

At the end of September, the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a bill that allows autonomous vehicles to circulate on public roads without a human reserve driver or a steering wheel and pedals. But it only applies to a pilot project in an autonomous vehicle facility in Northern California testing and in a nearby business park, and speeds are limited to less than 35MPH.

Google would have informed the California DMV at the end of last year that if the rules are not loosened, the company's self-directed car would not be available in California, and has moved some of its tests to Texas and the state of Washington. Google also opened a large facility in the Detroit area earlier this year.

But the evidence also came this week of why California thinks it prudent to adopt a more cautious approach in the legislation of autonomous vehicles. Openly defying California's licensing process for autonomous vehicles, Uber began testing the Volvo highways in San Francisco, and one was captured on camera by passing a red light.

While companies compete to take the lead in autonomous vehicles, we hope to see more of these develop their car drivers in Michigan. Let's hope we don't see big auto-driving platforms passing red lights as a result.

How to hack an election

How to hack an election

U.S. intelligence officials have recognized that Russia worked to influence the outcome of the US elections, and the New York Times has an excellent summary of what happened. It is a fascinating look at what could be a plan for future electoral meddling. But perhaps the most amazing fact is that something as big, complex and arcane as the American elections was attacked without touching a single voting machine. Now we're fighting an information war.

Hacks and Fugues

As NPR pointed out in October, attacking the voting machines directly in the United States is quite difficult. The American electoral system is handled at a very local level. Voting machine decisions and how they are used differ from one state to another.

To be compromised by hackers, each voting machine would probably need a custom malware delivered directly to the machines as they are not connected to the Internet. A Stuxnet-level scheme would be required, according to which the United States and Israel worked to deliver physical malware to Iranian centrifuges, but for voting machines in states, cities, and counties across the United States.

A war of information, on the other hand, is a smaller matter, cheaper and more scalable. Attacking the inbox with phishing emails is well understood by the attackers and is very difficult to prevent. There are no malicious attachments, only well designed links to mislead involuntary victims to navigate to malicious sites and freely renounce their personal information. These attacks take advantage of the human beings that operate the computer, instead of the computer itself. In the case of Hillary Clinton's campaign president, John Podesta, phishing email was convincingly disguised to look like a Google security alert and even encouraged him to activate the identification of two factors in his account.

If the attacks had stopped with Podesta, the Russian objective of shaking the American elections would have achieved a minimum of success. But they did not stop, and every step on the way – the DNC hacks, the dumping of the data by WikiLeaks – was built in the last. The slow release to the public of those emails, on the other hand, kept the subject in the news.

This contrasts with direct attacks on voting machines or other electoral infrastructure pieces. If malicious software had been found on voting machines, before or after November 8, the success (potential or not) of that malware is immediately denied. It is easy to imagine America putting aside its internal political problems and closing ranks against an outsider intruder. By opting to release a steady stream of embarrassing information, however, the Russian attackers did not leave a single smoking gun.

No risk, just reward

The use of low-level attacks and leaks also follows a hacker tactic of flying under the radar. Hacking emails is something that developed nations do with each other all the time. It's so low it's almost ridiculous.

It's the kind of thing that can be put aside when diplomats sit down to discuss trade agreements or even mock like a piece of campaign theater. But attacking the voting machines directly is the kind of thing that leads to sanctions, breaking diplomatic ties, isolation, and perhaps war.

So Russia chose to meddle with an already contentious election through false news and a large number of leaked documents that paralyzed a political party, emboldened the Republican Party and paralyzed the government in the Chair. He took a little risk, shamed the American political system, and won a friendlier White House.

Are you ready to cut the cord in all your gadgets?

Are you ready to cut the cord in all your gadgets?

We just completed a survey on holiday buying trends, and the most demanding technology product are Bluetooth wireless headphones.

In August I pointed out that Apple wants to take a lead role and move everyone to wireless gadgets in the near future. Apple has a history of driving the industry and this movement seems to be another in which Cupertino could play a key role.

As I mentioned in that article, I have not used headphones wired on my ipad, iphone or various Android devices for years. Since all have Bluetooth wireless radios, it only makes sense, at least for me, to cut the wires and only use wireless headphones for music or phone calls. I still have a lot of cable headphones of some kind and fortunately, Apple includes a 3.5 mm audio input converter to the USB-C input so you can use these older headphones if needed. However, once you get used to a cordless handset, you never really want to go back to a cable if you can avoid it.

As a result, we are seeing a lot of new wireless headphones popping up everywhere, so the prices are still dropping. Of course, the first-line wireless headphones are still in the range of 399-500 dollars, but I've seen some really big in the range of 199-299 dollars too. I am especially interested in the new Sony MDR-1000. These are the best noise cancelling headphones I've used and I find the sound quality better than my headphones with Bose noise cancelling.

This is the beginning of a move towards a fully wireless mobile environment within the next two or three years. It starts with the headset, but it will soon move to smartphones and laptops as well. In fact, several reports suggest that Apple could add wireless charge to the iphone next year. Given Apple's history of advancing the industry forward, a movement like this could eventually start up this nascent market.

The disadvantage of this transition will be the cost. I suspect that the first generation of smartphones and laptops that move to the wireless charge will be expensive, which means that only high-end models will have it – at least at first. If Apple adds wireless charge to the iphone, it will move its competitors to follow its example in its high-end models very fast and ultimately reduce costs so that most high-end and mid-range products have this feature.

But the big problem with the wireless charge right now is the competition of standards. A good booklet on this comes from Phonea, which created an overview when it comes to smartphones. A big boost to who will lead the future of the wireless charge is the Apple standard when you add the wireless charge to your iOS platform.

In conversations with several laptop vendors, they are also considering a move towards adding wireless load, but only on high-end models at first. Dell can be the driving force here. In June, it introduced a portable wireless charging system based on the WiTricity wireless charge standard.

Personally, I'm waiting for the day when I don't have to carry multiple wired chargers.

Augmented reality will change the way we interact with our devices

Augmented reality will change the way we interact with our devices

For years, the only interface available to computer enthusiasts was the keyboard. In 1984, the Mac brought with it the graphical user interface and the mouse, which took time for the veterans to accustomed us.

OpinionsEl today, all our devices use some form of graphical user interface, navigating via mouse, stylus or touch. But we are about to experience the next breakthrough thanks to augmented reality and virtual reality, where voice and gestures will serve to drive innovation in hardware and software.

However, this will not happen overnight. As Fortune reports, only 6% of Americans will own an RV helmet this year, generating a total of $556 million in U.S. sales

Although it is a good start and serves as an introduction of the RV and the RA to the high-end tech market, it will take some time for this trend to begin to grow. It is estimated that by 2022, only 44% of people in the U.S. will use some type of RV helmet or a mixed-reality solution.

The reality is that most people will not want to wear glasses as part of their interaction with computers. Instead, technologies such as 3d monitors and VR-or RA-based interfaces will be the areas where we'll see more innovation on the PC, while the RA is likely to dominate the mobile device market.

In fact, I think Apple will focus specifically on RA, maybe integrating iOS as soon as next fall with the iphone 8. Tim Cook has said on multiple occasions that he thinks it will be the RA (not the RV), which has a greater impact and acceptance within the new generation of mobile devices.

Although Oculus Rift, Sony PlayStation VR, Microsoft HoloLens, HTC lives and even Google Daydream are looking at the RV, I think Apple will concentrate its efforts on the RA. Apple was a pioneer with the mouse and touch screen, and I wouldn't be surprised if they planned to do the same with the RA. If they could incorporate it into the iphone, the popularity of this technology would explode.

This does not, of course, mean that Apple is the only company that pursues Ra, you just have to see apps like Pokémon go. But the real breakthrough will take place when you add sensors that capture hand movements on the screen to play and work with different apps, or when you can use voice commands and gestures to navigate the apps on a smartphone.

Although the mouse, keyboard and even touch screen have allowed us to be very productive when it comes to interact with our computers and personal devices, it is time to take the interface one step further. I think adding RV and RA to our experience is the next evolution in user interface design.

English Virtual reality is the future of presentations and car sales

 English Virtual reality is the future of presentations and car sales

The best car I saw during automobility (better known as the Los Angeles Auto Show) This week wasn't even real. To present its new completely electric crossover, called I-pace, Jaguar brought the media together in a studio with a dozen large tables in one room, there were HTC live devices, as well as Dell Precision PCs, stereo headphones and joystick controls.

Nextcar bug ArtDebes Keep in mind that the journalists specializing in cars are somewhat grumpy, in addition, the electronic music we heard on the headphones while we waited for the presentation did not help at all. Eventually, we entered an animated experience of what Jaguar called "the first revelation in the world" of the vehicle concept I-pace. I'm sure it won't be the last.

A digital host presented the designer Ian Callum, who drew light on the silhouette of the vehicle, which was built piece by piece in front of our eyes. RV was also used to show how the battery packs are distributed in the vehicle and how much space the trunk has. We use the joysticks to rotate the 3d images.

In addition to the special and spatial effects, how to give participants a satellite vision of the West coast of the U.S. to demonstrate the autonomy of more than 350 kilometers of the car, the most surprising trick was to place each participant in the cockpit of a virtual I-pace, first in the driver's seat and then in the rear. The details of the interior, although they had a caricature aspect, made you want to stretch your arm and touch them, even the elements as the logos on the speakers were intact.

Showing the guts of the car in 3d

Although all this was very impressive, the application of the RV that proved most practical was the possibility of seeing the operation of electric motors, suspended at the height of the line of sight of the participants, providing an excellent 3d perspective. The demonstration of the suspension system was so realistic that I instinctively receded to avoid being hit in the head by a real size tire.

When he concluded the RV part of the presentation, the real I-Pace appeared. But you do not need to be a journalist to experience the vehicle via RV as there is a mobile Jaguar app available in the App Store Viveport.

I hope to see more presentations like this in the future, this advertising strategy highlights the potential of RV applications for automotive companies.

Imagine trying different vehicles from the comfort of your own home, with the possibility to perceive the dimensions of the interior. Car fanatics could study engines, transmissions or suspensions, while geeks could analyze the displays on the board or infotainment options. And shoppers could see the cars in any combination of color and materials.

The possibilities are limitless. And after I-Pace's presentation, I think the RV will become a popular way for manufacturers to showcase their cars, and it will be a good sales tool.

Not all the reviews of gadgets are the same or deserve the same attention

 Not all the reviews of gadgets are the same or deserve the same attention

As you know who have read my columns over the years, I have been involved in the PCS industry since the beginning. I joined Creative Strategies in 1981 and one of my first projects was as a consultant for IBM in the IMB PC. In 1982, Kaypro, Osborne computer and Compaq gave birth to the PC clones market and the business took off.

OpinionsLos PC vendors presumed the Clones ' performance, and this led to the techies deciding to test them. Unfortunately, their tests were not consistent, some contradicted and only generated confusion for potential buyers.

By the mid 1980s, key publications like PC Magazine, created their own labs to test the products and standardized tests arose, such as PC Bench, Futuremark, 3d bench and battery mark. This provided accuracy and good sense to the testing process, which in turn helped consumers make informed decisions.

But we'll go the time until today. Device tests in some corners of the network now have a wild element. Some use extreme methods that do not look like what consumers experience in their daily lives.

During the controversy of the iphones that were dubbed, for example, some enthusiasts took iphones, Samsung Galaxy phones and even blackberries and crushed them. Then they published in the social networks that these doubled. Others used their hands to generate great pressure on both sides of the devices, ensuring that this proved that the smartphones were flexible. It's not exactly about scientific evidence.

Now you can see people doing tests with knives, scratching the screens of smartphones or tablets, and them on the networks as if it were something rigorous. Bloggers then retake these tests and publish them themselves without any scientific backing.

In the spring, Corning held an event at its Palo Alto facility inviting the media and analysts to their testing labs. This demonstrated its scientific approach, using special equipment that simulates the daily use of a smartphone. According to experts, sensible tests must have at least four elements.

Suitable sample size. The fact that you can make something happen once is good for a video, but it's not science. In meaningful tests, you should be able to replicate conditions and actions and show that the phenomenon not only occurs, but is consistently repeated. How many times? That is debatable, but most experts would agree that the more a phenomenon occurs, the more reliable the test is.

Consistent results. Then serious product tests require the same phenomenon to occur when the rest of the factors are the same. Same product, same source, same conditions, same stress factors. Choose a product from one site one day and then another from another site the next week is not enough. There are too many variables that could influence the outcome.

Simulate real-world situations. Third, testing must simulate real events. There are not many people who fire their tablets or smartphones. They don't even decide to take knives to scrape the screen. Most often the phone is in the jeans pocket, or in a suitcase or purse. The right tests are focused on replicating real-world events.

Scientific correlation. Do not confuse correlation with causation. There is a question of cause and effect. It's not a trivial matter. It's good to identify a phenomenon. But it is only useful if the test allows you to understand why the phenomenon occurred.

At present, anyone can test a product and use extreme methods to obtain any results that they seek. But if consumers are smart, they will seek evidence from professionals who adhere to strict scientific guidelines and use these tests to help them make informed decisions.

English The tech industry is about to enter a high-growth cycle.

 English  The tech industry is about to enter a high-growth cycle.

Silicon Valley's largest technology companies are in a process of expansion. The new campus of Apple is about to be finished, but the company has acquired more land in San Jose and, according to reports, study the possibility of growing even further north of Cupertino. Google and Facebook are also looking to expand, and every week there is news of a new company that needs more space for its team.

OpinionsAsí that there is nothing left but to ask us if they know something that we do not. Are we about to enter a cycle of great growth?

In creative strategies we have spent a lot of time studying this question, and I think we have identified several indicators that the technology industry is close to a big expansion in the next five to ten years.

The biggest thing I see on the horizon is the 5 g. All telecommunications companies, as well as chip manufacturers like Qualcomm and Intel, are betting their future on the 5 G networks and the devices that will take advantage of them. The amount of money invested in this technology is surprising, and it means that there will be more jobs, not just in Silicon Valley, but all over the world. Once this technology is available, the Internet of Things (IoT) will begin to entrench itself.

A recent Business Insider report estimates that investments in IoT will reach $6 trillion (long numerical scale) in application development, hardware, system integration, data storage, security, and connectivity before 2020. If so, we can see why Apple, Facebook, Google, Intel, Qualcomm and many other tech companies are preparing for explosive growth.

But the IoT is not only for households; Cars and city infrastructure will benefit as well. We are already seeing efforts to install sensors and wireless cameras in light poles, streets and buildings. Although these will be important for the services of the cities, they will also be critical for the use of autonomous vehicles. The implementation of this infrastructure will take time and require the assistance of many engineers and specialized personnel.

A fourth area of growth will be data centers, from data mining to analysis. Currently, almost all companies need more employees to deal with these disciplines, especially data analysis. Each day, companies collect terabytes or petabytes of data that must be analyzed and used to improve products and services.

All of these connected devices will need security as well. In previous years, my advice to those seeking a career was to become IT professionals or engineers. Now my answer is to become security experts. This area will grow as hackers and government-sponsored groups continue to try to steal identities, state secrets, and intellectual property.

Related articles

Apple with VR? I don't think so.

Let us not forget the virtual reality and augmented reality, or a mixture of both. There is no doubt that the RV and the RA will revolutionize the experience of computing and offer new ways to interact with technology. We are still in the beginning, but this sector will bring new jobs and new levels of innovation.

Finally, it is necessary to take into account the digitalization of the health market, and the way in which the monitors of activity and the smartwatches will link to the patients with the health professionals. At each level of the health system, technology will be an important tool for diagnosing, updating records, and preventing disease.

Having followed the development of the technology market for 35 years, I am excited about what is coming. Clearly, the big companies are preparing for the next era in technology.

The spectacles of Snapchat are not only for millennials

 The spectacles of Snapchat are not only for millennials

Last month, Snapchat revealed its first hardware product, intelligent lenses equipped with a camera called spectacles.

Many will match the spectacles with Google Glass, but I ask them not to do so. Although we should take them with a healthy dose of skepticism, the spectacles are different from Google's high-tech lenses. If we had to match them with something, maybe it would be a GoPro. In addition, the spectacles only cost $130, while Google Glass costs 1.500.

Most importantly, in the eyes of the public targeted by this product, is that Snapchat – now known as Snap Inc. – is much cooler than Google.

Spectacles

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Snapchat's CEO, Evan Spiegel, spoke about an occasion when he used a prototype of the spectacles during a hike in 2015. "When I got the material and saw it, I could see my own memories, through my own eyes – it was amazing," he said. "Seeing pictures of an experience you had is one thing, but it is a very different to have an experience of experience." "It's as close as I've come to feel like I was there again."

Anyone who has ever used a GoPro understands the value of this assertion. The boys record themselves skating, skiing, swimming, snowboarding, and more. We could call them the capture generation. It is the demographic that snap understands and, as shown in this graph, which it seeks to attract.

Snap Spectacles chart

"Would you consider buying the spectacles?" asked Business Insider to the millennials. Absolutely, "said 5%;" 26% stated that "I would think"; "Probably not," asserted 33% and "in no Way" was the 32% response. Only 4% of the millennials said they knew nothing about the spectacles.

However, I suspect that the millennials are not the only ones who will be interested in the spectacles. The baby boomers are avid photographers and having a real time camera with them would give them more flexibility in terms of the things they capture. They also have more time to travel and relax. Personally, I often see interesting things during my travels that I decide not to capture, so having a device that I record with a single touch ready at any time would be very useful.

But the spectacles could have a more practical purpose as a kind of cameras for the dashboard of the car or "dash cams". The fixed location of these devices makes them relatively limited. But if I had a few spectacles, I'd have a more accurate view of what's around me. They could even be used for police work.

It can be hard to predict the success that a hardware product will have on the market. That said, the concept is quite sensible and having a recording device that looks like something most of us already have – sunglasses – and less like, well, Google Glass, is a good first step. You can bet that other companies will present alternatives with other styles or ally with Snap Inc. to provide other designs. Still, the hardware is complicated, Snap Inc. will need to work long before we take the spectacles more seriously.