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Siri will now default to functioning on-device rather than online, and it’s also available on third-party devices for the first time. Cross-device functionality is also rolling out with MacOS Monterey — users can drag and drop files from their iPad to their Mac just as easily as if their cursor was moving across a dual monitor setup. Apple WWDC 2021’s keynote has revealed all these big news items, along with specifics on what sort of new details are coming to Apple Maps, how the interface is changing to be more intuitive, and what additional privacy features are rolling out with the iOS 15 update this fall....

Here’s a quick layman’s summary of what the decentralized internet is, how it could revolutionize the way the world runs, and just what hurdles it’ll have to overcome before it can. Centralized Internet’s Problems First, let’s back up and cover the internet in its current form. The internet is not 100 percent legally and physically “centralized,” since no single corporation owns the entire internet. But relatively few large, physical servers (associated or operated by relatively few large corporations) are responsible for hosting essential elements of what we consider the internet....

In that time, people have flocked to the little yellow ghost faster than Elon Musk to an innovative idea. Snapchat has amassed some 166 million users, each of which open the app approximately 18 times a day. That is some serious daily active user action. However, if you’re a marketer, you probably need some more specific data to understand how this app can help you reach new customers. Fortunately, someone has done most of the heavy lifting for you....

With a search like “friends who live in Boston” or “photos of my friends before 1999,” you can more easily find old friends, new friends, and old content. For now, graph search will cover people, photos, places, and interests. It won’t cover content like posts or app actions (e.g., song listens or article reads). To get access, sign up for the waitlist. Graph search is based on phrases, not keywords like traditional search....

The failure to change is one of the most prevalent traps in the business world. It leaves businesses clinging to past successful products and assuming that their current customer base will always need the same solution. It also leads to stagnation and frustration within the business and client abandonment outside of it. While never changing is a bad business plan, changing too often can be dangerous, too. Constant change upsets the customer life-cycle and identifies the company as inconsistent and immature....

The game’s developer, Epic, is now valued at $8 billion, and is planning further ways to monetize the staggeringly popular game. Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode, in which 100 players are dropped onto an island and have to fight to the death, is completely free to download and play. But, with no money up-front, whether you’re playing the game on a PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or mobile phone, how did Epic turn this free download into a fortune?...

The news means that Google Workspace will no longer have any free users – bar a small handful of educational and non-profit organizations – and just four tiers of paid plans. For many users, switching to free, cheaper, or more feature-rich project management software or a program like Microsoft 365 may now be more beneficial for their business. What do Google Workspace Users Have to do to Keep the Features?...

Far from being Kaspersky’s first time in the hot seat, the software company has previously weathered several allegations of working on behalf of the Russian government. One particular incident in 2017 led the US to ban all government use of the service. While Kasperksy’s CEO dismisses all claims of collusion, business owners and citizens are still encouraged to approach the antivirus software with caution. Could Russia Exploit Kaspersky’s Software in Cyber Attacks?...

So what exactly did the study find? Let’s take a look at some of the numbers (and check out the fun interactive visuals if reading is just too hard). Global Average Connection Speeds and Global Broadband Connectivity Global average connection speed increased slightly (0.2 percent) to 5.1 Mbps from the second quarter, accounting for a 14 percent increase year-over-year.South Korea had the top average connection speed at 20.5 Mbps, despite a year-over-year drop of 19 percent since the third quarter of 2014....

Larry Page CEO of Google had this to say of the acquisition: The deal could turn some rivals against Google as Motorola has been in battle with LG, HTC and Samsung, just to name a few. This made us wonder about the future platform openness of Android. Andy Rubin, Google’s senior vice president of mobile, said in a statement that the Android platform will remain open: What else does Google get in this deal?...

Remote learning has become part of the new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and video conferencing solutions like Google Meet have made it infinitely easier. These platforms allow for engaging education, virtually face-to-face, so that students can keep learning during these difficult times. Now, Google is making it even easier by announcing a breakout room feature to Meet, which will allow students and teachers to more effectively communicate on a day-to-day basis....

From today, any snaps you take will count towards your 15GB data cap with Google storage. This means that fervent photographers might have to start paying to keep their image libraries up to date. As luck would have it, Google will sell you that extra storage, from the low cost of $2 per month. But, this isn’t your only option. Google’s Free Photo Storage Ends It’s not like Google didn’t give us any warning....

Well, the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and Meerkat seemingly disappeared as quickly as it rose to fame. What didn’t die, however, was the hype surrounding live broadcasting in general. Which brought forth one of my favorite apps of all time in Periscope. There were others who noticed the trend in popularity for live broadcasting though, and they decided to act on it. Hang w/ was built to capitalize on live broadcasting by giving their users a chance to connect via live streams and simultaneous chat – much like you can do on Periscope....

Rather than using some crazy algorithm, Hinge is a Facebook app that uses your Facebook friends as your matchmaker. It works a bit like Pandora – you don’t fill out a survey, you simply answer questions about your friends. Hinge then makes recommendations based on the profiles of friends of friends. Privacy is protected – Hinge doesn’t post on your timeline, and all responses are anonymous. So far, user feedback has been awesome....

Located at the University of Miami Life Science & Technology Park in Overtown, CIC Miami offers plenty of event space, offices, and co-working areas. There’s even a Venture Café hub on the sixth floor. An Engine of Innovation Natalia Martinez-Kalinina, CIC Miami’s general manager, explained the space’s long-term goals in an interview with the Miami Herald: CIC’s track record name-checks many impressive companies, from marketing startup Hubspot, which pulled in a $125 million IPO in 2014, to global energy service Greatpoint Energy, which was founded at CIC and has a 2012 deal to build 34 nuclear reactors in China at a total cost of $1....

Modern technology has made it impossible to get away with anything, from shoplift-deterrent sensors to ever-cheaper security cameras to social media footprints chipping away at anonymity. Now even the global $900 billion shadow economy behind counterfeiting luxury goods is in danger: AI startup Entrupy is the first company to try curbing the trafficking of counterfeits (and restore trust to resale markets in the process) using artificial intelligence. Vidyuth Srinivasan, CEO and cofounder of Entrupy, spoke with me about this fascinating industry, how a cross-country motorbike ride proves the importance of stopping counterfeits, and the biggest challenge they’ve overcome so far....

Your likes, your interests, your friends, your photos, your location — your very identity itself. The data Facebook holds about you is more than just binary 1s and 0s somewhere in the cloud. And that data is hot property for companies looking to market to, or exploit, a global database. Here’s a look at the biggest controversy Facebook has faced to date. Plus, read on for clear and concise ways to learn what data Facebook already has about you, and how to secure that information....

Ben Rattray, founder and CEO of Change.org, writes that one of the major lessons to heed from the 2016 election is that “a large percentage of Americans feel our government doesn’t serve them, and their voice isn’t being heard.” This is peculiar, considering that technology now allows for everybody with an internet connection to have a voice, but Rattray continues, asserting that technology is both the problem and the solution here: Rattray goes on, challenging Silicon Valley to invest more in technology to improve democracy, which has received less than 0....

This type of interface is rare in comparison to the ubiquitous touchscreen interface. Even free-finger hand tracking tech — a stunning example of which also debuted at CES this year — provides a different, less innovative interface. So why is a physical cube so ground breaking? Touchscreens Aren’t a Great Interface Designer Bret Victor once called the touchscreen interface “a Novocaine drip to the wrist.” It’s a reference to the touchscreen’s flat, glass feel....

The biggest difference between the Surface Go and the Surface Pro, however, is the Go’s lack of a keyboard. Getting the Surface Go with more storage and a bundled keyboard will cost around $650, a jump up from the entry-level, keyboard-free Surface Go’s appealing $399 starting price. All in all, the Surface Go costs more than an iPad, weighs more than an iPad, and runs an operating system that’s less intuitive on a touchscreen than Apple iOS....