Mics are Stopping Google Now From Hearing Correctly

If you are a frequent user of voice-activated virtual assistants such as Google Now, Siri, Cortana or maybe even Amazon’s Alexa, you’ll understand the frustration when you say something and the assistant fails to understand you correctly or simply doesn’t understand anything at all.

 Well, it appears this is becoming an increasing problem for consumers and the companies behind the assistants, but neither are to blame. The problem appears to be the microphones that devices employ, which don’t seem to have improved much over the last four years, unlike other components and parts inside mobile devices.

 Most microphones that are used on today’s smartphones are still affected badly by background noise, fail to accurately pick up the words that are spoken and often require too much power to be listening at all times, but this may be about to change. The current leader in the MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) microphones industry is a company called Knowles. The manufacturer, which shipped over 1.4 billion microphones last year, has developed a new software algorithm which it hopes will reduce power consumption while simultaneously improving voice recognition. As well as this, another company called Vespar is developing a new technology which uses flexible piezoelectric technology to eliminate the need for a static plate in its microphones. The elimination of the plates will hopefully improve the longevity of microphones as they tend to collect dust and moisture over time which, in turn, reduces the mic’s performance. Unfortunately, though, this technology won’t be available until mid-2017.

 The problems that old microphones are facing is forcing manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung to think about upgrading their mics, though, in exchange, they want them to be smaller and more power-efficient than current ones. These factors are becoming increasingly important for manufacturers as they add more microphones to their device but don’t want to increase the overall size. Take Apple, for example, the original iPhone features just one microphone, while the iPhone 6 features three and last year’s iPhone 6S features four. While it seems we still have a bit of a wait until the next generation microphones are released, hopefully, it’s worth the wait and it will allow companies to ensure that Google Now, Siri, Cortana or Alexa will always answer questions correctly without consumers having to repeat them.

Google Rolls Out Solitaire, Tic-Tac-Toe For Search: Let's See How Much Time You Can Waste

Google has rolled out a pair of simple games, Solitaire and Tic-Tac-Toe, into its desktop search engine and mobile Google Search app, with the games made to be very easy to access.

Google's search feature has evolved to do much more than provide highly relevant search results to users. The two games, which are perhaps among the most popular classic games of all time, are the newest additions to the capabilities of Google Search.

If you were thinking of doing something productive today, it would be a good idea to resist the temptation to access these games.

The announcement for the addition of Solitaire and Tic-Tac-Toe to Google's search engine was made through a post on the official Google blog. It was revealed that to access the games, users will only have to search for "solitaire" or "tic-tac-toe" on their computer or mobile device. There is no need to download any other app to play the games.

Upon searching for "solitaire," the search results will display a box for the game with a "Click to Play" option. Clicking on that will launch the card game in a window within the search results with two difficulty options. In Easy mode, one card will be dealt from the deck at a time, while in Hard mode, three cards will be dealt from the deck at a time. The game will track the time that the player has spent on the game, along with the score and moves. Users can also undo the last move that they made or choose to restart the game if they are stuck.

Upon searching for "tic-tac-toe," the search results will likewise display a box for the game. Users can choose to play against a computer opponent with either of three difficulties or against a friend. Users can also choose to go as either X's or O's, with the game tracking the score for each player.

Neither of these games are groundbreaking additions to Google Search, but their addition is interesting as it continues the evolution of Google's search results. Also cited in the announcement are Google Search's functions of playing back the sounds of animals and flipping a digital coin for the user.

Among the most recent additions to Google Search's capabilities are state-specific voter registration guides to help users get ready for the 2016 presidential elections in November, integrated details of recent earthquakes and symptom search, which helps users figure out their possible illness from the symptoms that they are experiencing.

Dropbox Urges Users To Change Their Passwords

Dropbox is calling out to users who signed up to the service before the middle of 2012 to change their passwords if they haven't done so already. The company says this move is based on a preventive measure, and not because of any form of security threat.

According to the cloud hosting company, its security team managed to come across old Dropbox user credentials with salted passwords that were likely obtained by hackers back in 2012. Because of this, folks who created their accounts during the middle of that year should make changes ASAP.

Dropbox's investigation back in 2012 found out that usernames and passwords obtained by hackers via other websites were being used to sign in to the service. The company claimed it contacted the affected users in hopes of helping them secure their accounts.

Four years later, several of those users still have not changed their passwords. Chances are many of these affected users are no longer using Dropbox, or are not regular users to begin with.

Whatever the case, this is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with before hackers get wind of what is happening.


The year 2012 was a particularly terrible one for businesses that rely a lot on the web. Several websites at the time were hacked, LinkedIn being the most notable. Almost all user accounts on LinkedIn were compromised back in 2012.

How will Dropbox make sure users change their passwords?

Quite simple, really. Those who have yet to change will be prompted to do so the next time they log in. They will be asked to create a stronger password before moving forward. These users will see a meter that should alert them if the password they're entering is strong or not.

This isn't new to Dropbox, but we're glad the company has taken notice of what others have been doing over the years, and is now implementing it in its own service.

"If you don't receive a prompt, you don't need to do anything. However, for any of you who've used your Dropbox password on other sites, we recommend you change it on Dropbox and other services," said Patrick Heim, head of trust and security at Dropbox, in a blog post on Thursday, Aug. 25.

For stronger security, Dropbox is recommending that its users take advantage of two-factor authentication. It's more secure than just relying on your password alone, so everyone should use it, no matter which website they are using.

PC World has reported that a number of users on Twitter have posted images of emails received from Dropbox to change their passwords.

Facebook Thinks it Knows Who You're Voting For

Ever wonder how Facebook manages to serve up such spot-on advertising?

The social network recently revamped its Ad Preferences page, making it easier for folks to identify the various boxes into which Facebook places us. And one of the things it thinks it can pinpoint? Your political affiliation.

To find out where Facebook thinks you land on the political spectrum, navigate to the "Lifestyle and culture" tab on facebook.com/ads/preferences, then look for "US politics" and the parenthetical ideology (liberal, conservative, communist).
"We use information from a few different sources to figure out which ads might be relevant and useful to you," the site said. "Things such as your Facebook profile information, activity on Facebook, and interactions with businesses can all influence the ads you see."
It's not all Trump versus Clinton, though. It accurately tells me, for instance, that I like Arrested Development, The West Wing, Otis Redding, journalism, New York City, and the Boston Red Sox. And that I own an iPhone 6, primarily use the Google Chrome browser, and live away from my family.


There are, of course, a few erroneous categories—sorry, Facebook, but orangutans aren't really a hobby of mine—which probably slipped in when you "liked" a friend's post or accidentally clicked on a video. But they're easy to remove: Just hover your mouse over the offending square and tap the "X" in the upper-right corner.
"We want to help you understand our ads and the controls you have across your ad experience on Facebook, Instagram, and other places where you might see Facebook ads," the site said. "The ads you see are influenced by a variety of factors, the most basic of which is demographic information, such as age, gender, and location, from your profile and activity," it continued. "We take great care to keep your information secure."