Smart home
Apple Wants to Drop ‘Hey’ From the ‘Hey Siri’ Wake Phrase: Report
The report comes via journalist Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter on Bloomberg, and states that Apple has spent the past several months working on shortening the wake phrase. Siri has for long supported voice invocation through a wake phrase, which has thus far been the familiar ‘Hey Siri’. The company is now working on making the phrase ‘Siri’, similar to Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, that is invoked by simply saying ‘Alexa’.
Longer phrases are typically less prone to errors, and shorter phrases might be said differently according to languages and accents across the world. Apple is said to have factored these challenges into its work, and is already testing the simplified phrase with company employees. If all goes to plan, we could see Apple products, including those on iOS, macOS, WatchOS, tvOS, and HomePod devices, work with the simplified ‘Siri’ wake word.
A significant challenge for voice assistants is miscues – phrases that sound similar to the main wake phrase tend to wake the devices and have them listen for commands. This is a frequent issue for smart devices and smartphones that have always-on microphones, as it can cause devices to react even when no response is expected. Shorter wake phrases typically increase the chances of these miscues, but are admittedly a lot easier for users who frequently use them. Siri serves as the default (and in some cases, only) voice assistant on many of Apple’s devices, including the HomePod mini and Apple Watch range.
Smart home
Android 14 for TV Will Let You Multitask With Picture-in-Picture Mode
In a post made on its developers-focused blog, Google said, “We’re bringing Android 14 to TV! The next generation of Android provides improvements in performance, sustainability, accessibility, and multitasking to help you build engaging apps for TVs.” The tech giant also announced a new Compose for TV feature for developers which will allow them to build new apps with Jetpack Compose, the company’s latest Android development toolkit.
The big focus with the new operating system is performance and sustainability. Android 14 for TV will get new energy modes that let users decide the experience they want from their Android TVs. There is a low-energy mode that will reduce the smart TV’s standby power consumption. Then, there’s an increased energy mode that keeps network connectivity active even when the TV is on standby. Finally, there is an optimised energy mode that supports Google Cast over Wi-Fi, but not through ethernet.
Multitasking is also a big focus area for the company as it is finally introducing a picture-in-picture mode. However, this will not be available on all smart TVs. Google says the feature is being reserved for ‘qualified’ Android 14 TV models. It has not announced the list of TVs which will offer this feature, but the rule of thumb says newer and premium smart TVs are likely to get it.
Finally, accessibility features are also being introduced. These include colour correction, improved text options, better navigation for users, and more. All of these features can be toggled on and off using remote shortcuts. Further, Gemini AI has also made its way to Android TV. Google will be adding personalised descriptions for movies and TV shows on the Android TV home screen, powered by Gemini.
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Smart home
Acerpure Brings Air Purifiers, Robotic Vacuum Cleaners, More to India
The Acerpure Air Purifiers have a starting price of Rs. 9,990 in India. The price of the Acerpure Cozy Air Circulator Fan starts from Rs. 7,490. They are currently up for sale from Acer online store, Acer Exclusive stores and other e-commerce platforms.
Pricing of Acerpure water purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and personal care products has not been announced yet. They are confirmed to be available in the country in the coming months.
Acerpure air purifiers, water purifiers, vacuum cleaners features
Acerpure Air Purifiers series includes four models — Acerpure Cool C1, Cool C2, Pro P2 and Pro P3. The first three models are 2-in-1 air circulator and purifier while the Acerpure Pro P3 is a UVC air purifier. They come with LCD displays and feature multiple sensors to monitor air quality. The Acerpure Cool C1 and Cool C2 sports multi-directional swing with four timer modes. The Acerpure Pro P2 has a touch panel. The Acerpure Cool C1 and Pro P2 have 3-in-1 HEPA filters to purify air while the Acerpure Cool C2 and Pro P3 have 4-in-1 HEPA filters.
The vacuum cleaner portfolio of Acerpure comprises Acerpure Clean D1, Clean WD1, Clean R1 and Clean R2 models. The Acerpure Clean models are cordless vacuum cleaners with BLDC motors, a removable brush roll and a detachable battery pack. The Acerpure Clean D1 sports a 2,500mAh battery that is claimed to deliver a run time of 60 minutes, while the Clean WD1 has a 3,000mAh battery that is said to offer up to 35 minutes of running time.
The Acerpure Clean R1 and Clean R2 offer automated cleaning with wet and dry mopping capabilities. The former provides a working time of 110 minutes while the latter is touted to deliver 300 minutes of working time. Both models have up to five hours of charging time and 65dB noise level. They have a climbing threshold of 20mm. The Acerpure Clean R1 uses 4,000Pa suction power and a 3,200mAh battery capacity. The Acerpure Clean R2, on the other hand, has 5,000Pa suction power and 5200mAh battery capacity.
Acerpure’s latest water purifier lineup includes Amrit Premium Pro, Amrit Elite, Amrit Supreme, and Acerpure Aqua models. They come with up to 8.7 litre storage capacity. The Acer subsidiary has also unveiled Acerpure Cozy fans and personal grooming products, including hair dryer and hair styler.
The launch of Acerpure brand marks Acer’s foray into the consumer electronics space in the country. The brand is eyeing to unveil refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and more in the Indian market soon. The company is collaborating with Dixon Technologies to manufacture Acerpure products in its facilities as part of the Make in India initiative.
Smart home
Acerpure Smart TVs With Google TV, Up to 4K Display Launched in India
Price details of new Acerpure Aspire and Swift smart TVs have not been announced yet. They are confirmed to be available in the country in the coming months. The Taiwanese brand disclosed that it is looking to unveil new OLED, mini LED, and gaming smart TVs in the Indian market. Besides the new TVs, Acer has unveiled a few smart home products under its Acerpure subsidiary during the event.
Acerpure Aspire, Swift TVs specifications,
Acerpure Aspire TV comes in 32 and 43-inch display sizes while the Acerpure Swift series is available in 55 and 65-inch screen options. As mentioned, they are offered in HD, full-HD, and UHD resolutions with minimal bezels and 178 viewing angles. The top-end Acerpure Swift TV with 65-inch panel offers UHD (2,160×3,840 pixels) resolution. The lineup supports HDR 10 and has 60Hz refresh rate.
The new Acerpure smart TVs are loaded with Amazon Prime and Netflix. They run on Google TV and users will have access to several apps with the Google Play store. They have an inbuilt Google Chromecast that lets users stream movies, shows, photos, and more, from their phones right to their TVs. The higher variants support Dolby Atmos 3D sound system, while the 43-inch full-HD Acerpure Aspire and 32-inch HD models have Dolby Audio. They carry up to a quad-core A55 chipset with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.
Acer has packed a smart remote with voice assistance on the Acerpure smart TVs. It supports ambient mode as well. The lineup features three HDMI ports and two USB 2.0 ports. They support dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.
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