Google Voice Search hotword detection extension comes to Chrome

Saying 'OK Google' will now get your Nexus phone and your computer ready for input

Google is first and foremost a search company, so we can never act surprised when they extend functionality of their search platform. That's what we're seeing today, with the release of a new Chrome Extension that enables the OK Google hotword detection via your computer microphone while on the Google Search page.

Using it should be familiar — say "OK Google," followed by a string to search for or a command. Things like setting timers or asking math problems seem to work well, and we have no doubt folks will soon discover all manner of cool things you can do here — like barrel rolls.

Getting it is easy enough. You'll need a microphone, and Google Chrome on your computer. Then justvisit the Chrome Store and install the extension. Have fun, and try to be at least a little productive, OK?

Read More...

iOS Virtual Pet App Hatch Hits The App Store

What’s a developer to do after building a successful To Do list app? That’s what Clear developer Impending asked itself before embarking on the journey of what would become Hatch, a Tamagotchi-style app that’s been in development for at least the better part of a year, and that manages to create a brand and character that’s highly lovable right out of the gate.

I’ve been lucky enough to have been an early participant in the beta testing of Hatch, an app for iPhone that will set you back just $2 beginning today on the App Store. The ‘game’ features an adorable character known as a Fugu, which actually does bear a passing resemblance to the self-inflating spiky Japanese fish which shares its name. This is a land animal, however, and it’s not at all spiky – in fact, it looks quite cuddly. You may be familiar with its maximally cute visage already, as it appears in a Facebook sticker set, and has for many months.

The name of the app comes from the fact that at launch, you choose an egg color and briefly maintain that pre-birth vessel until a Fugu is born from it. The Fugu will then promptly start asking for food, attention, treats and more, which is probably nothing new to the virtual pet aficionado. But Hatch isn’t about reinventing the virtual pet mechanic – it’s much more about polish and execution.

Hatch is without a date one of the most finely tuned app experiences I’ve played on iOS, genre aside. But it’s also definitely the best virtual pet simulator out there. No other take on the Tamagotchi model has been able to quite so acutely awaken a sense of guilt in me for not paying attention to my pet, or a desire to stay in the app out of something beyond a sense of obligation. The reward system which offers up in-game currency and buyable items in exchange for collecting fruits that grow on trees above your pet (which also feed it) makes Hatch sort of like a baseline default app, or one that you’ll return to over and over again between doing other things whenever you have a spare moment.

In fact, the only annoyance I had in my entire time testing the game was that being on the beta meant the pet had to be reset fairly frequently. Each time I had to give up a pet to start a new one felt like a minor tragedy – your Fugu may resemble millions of others out there (customization is limited to a set number of color choices), but it still feels like it’s uniquely yours.

Hatch has the potential to be much more than just a virtual pet, with a brand that you could easily see spun out to other games, animated series’, merchandise and more. Regardless of what else it becomes, however, it’s an excellent incarnation of the virtual pet – probably the best to date, in fact.

Read More...

Mobile Publishing Platform Onswipe Revamps With Support For Android Smartphones

Onswipe is launching the new version of its publishing platform for mobile browsers today. The biggest change? It now offers full support for Android smartphones.

The company has been talking about the revamp publicly for several months at least. Onswipe says it has actually been rebuilding the platform for nearly a year, and co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer Jason Baptiste finally gave me a peek earlier this week.

Of course, we’re talking about a publishing platform, not a consumer website or app, so it’s a bit of a challenge to demo, but Baptiste gave it his best shot by taking me through one of the mobile sites published on the new Onswipe system. As I mentioned, the most visible change was simply that the site worked on Android smartphones — until now, Onswipe’s support for Android was limited to Kindle Fire and Android tablets.

To deliver full cross-platform support, Baptiste said Onswipe websites are now rendered on the server, rather than the device, so the performance is less dependent on the individual hardware. Pointing to his Android phone, he said that it’s much more powerful than older phones but “still severely unpowered compared to a desktop computer.”

“We’re loading pages in under 500 milliseconds,” he added.

Baptiste also said Onswipe sites are now more customizable, because publishers can assemble them using different modules, and if there’s big, breaking news, publishers can add a module to feature that news immediately. (Baptiste seems to be fixated on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford this week — and to be fair, who isn’t? — so he suggested that TechCrunch could create a special Rob Ford widget).

I also asked Baptiste how he’s feeling about Onswipe’s focus on the mobile web instead of apps, he replied, “Look, our phrase is still that apps are bullshit when it comes to publishing.” After all, in addition to direct mobile web visits, traffic from mobile search and social sharing all directs to publisher websites.

“None of our publishers ask about apps anymore,” he said. He also argued that many publishers are discovering that responsive design (where the website customizes its layout to the size of the screen) is “fool’s good” that “can’t deliver on all the promises.”

Onswipe says it now delivers mobile-optimized content to more than 27 million unique visitors each month, withtotaling250 million pageviews. That puts it ahead of the iPad traffic to Time.com and Tumblr.com as listed on Quantcast (though it’s a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, since Onswipe isn’t a destination website).

The company announced last week that Baptiste was shifting his role from CEO to CMO, with Jonty Kelt taking over as the chief executive.

Read More...

Nasscom sights business opportunity in Aadhaar

Nasscom on Tuesday announced an 'Aadhaar Diffusion Project', aimed at encouraging entrepreneurs to develop applications on the platform.

Originally intended only to improve the quality of public services, the Aadhar platform intends to offer business opportunities. IT's lobby body feels this could play a role in enabling the "Aadhaar economy" which means start-ups can start developing a range of applications on the platform, from healthcare to payment solutions.

Nasscom said it would encourage software developers to innovate on the platform by holding developer conferences, hackathons, app contests and bootcamps. It could also incubate such companies.

Chairman of UIDAI Nandan Nilekani likened Aadhaar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) - the United States government's satellite navigation system that is now available to everyone. "We want to see more apps for the common man. Smart people will come up with new use cases," he said, on the sidelines of the Nasscom Product Conclave in Bangalore.

Read More...

Samsung turns in another record-setting quarter with $9.56 billion in profit

Samsung has once again turned in a record-breaking quarter that surpassed even their own estimates. During the three-month period, the Korean tech giant posted 59.08 trillion won (roughly $55.59 billion) in revenue and a consolidated operating profit of 10.16 trillion won, or about $9.56 billion. The profit gains represent a seven percent increase over the quarter ago period and a 26 percent boost compared to the same time period last year.
It should come as little surprise that sales of smartphones and chipsets are responsible for the impressive figures. Flagship handsets like the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3 continue to do well as we are told that smartphone shipments were up about 10 percent but still remained somewhat flat compared to the previous quarter sales. Instead, Samsung is cleaning up in the lower-end, mass-market segment which was primarily responsible for driving profits up.
The chipset division, meanwhile, turned in its best earnings performance in three years. Sales of memory for gaming consoles and mobile devices led to a 12 percent increase in revenue over the previous quarter. The display business, on the other hand, didn’t do so well as it caused operating profits to fall by 12 percent.
Looking forward, Samsung is expecting steady growth through the fourth quarter. This of course will be led by the always-lucrative holiday buying season as consumers clamor to get the latest and greatest smartphones and tablets either for themselves or loved ones

Read More...