Bing Makes Search Easier With Smarter Auto Suggest Features [Updates]

Bing Search just got a big improvement with the introduction of seven new autosuggest categories. The seven new categories to help you complete your search queries cover brands, movies, albums, places, software, sport teams, animal species and more. The new categories arrive on top of the already existing People Autosuggest which was introduced in May. The autosuggest cues are powered by an underlying technology Microsoft calls Satori. The search algorithm allows the search engine to “recognize” and make distinctions between the different meanings derived from a single keyword.

Bing explains it with an example of the search term “pitbull”. Bing doesn’t know whether you are searching for the artist (a person) or the dog (a breed). To speed up your search, Bing will show you a list of autosuggestions as a hint for possible searches and also display thumbnails for both the dog breed and the person. You can use the autosuggestions to narrow down to a specific search. All that’s left for you to is click through the search you want. The Satori engine is speedy; it serves up the results in milliseconds.

With the Satori technology, Bing attempts to understand the relationships between search entities and tries to give you the appropriate results. Improving the way we search is a constant endeavor for both Bing and Google, so expect more changes in the coming months. Bing is getting better and better, so you can expect it to be a counterpoint to Google Knowledge Graph. Try out a few Bing autosuggest aided searches and tell us if it’s holding its ground against its main rival.

Source: Bing Blog

5 Smartwatch Concept Designs You Will Want!

Sick of waiting for Apple’s smartwatch to debut? Not sure if it’ll even happen? If the Pebble isn’t “smart” enough for you, then perhaps these 5 smartwatch concept designs will get your blood pumping again.

Would you buy any of them if they were actually made?

Google Time

Lucid LifeHub

Limbo

Zizzou Wrist-Boune Device

Degreas Watch

Chrome OS beta channel updated for all devices

If you're using a ChromeBook or ChromeBox and are on the beta track, you'll want to check your settings. The beta track has been updated to version 29.0.1537.32, and brings along bug fixes, security patches and a handful of new and improved features.

For the hardcore nerd types, the big news is the move to the 3.8 kernel on the Pixel and the Samsung 550. Like all software, the kernel has more options and features as new versions are released. The biggest changes we expect to see will concern battery life on these two Intel-powered models.

In addition, there are improvements to immersive mode and monitor scaling, as well new features like drag and drop from the launcher to the shelf and a new consumer kiosk mode. Another nice change for those with multiple devices is wallpaper sync tied to your account. Finally, we see big improvements to search in the app launcher, as it will now "learn" as you search and direct you to the Chrome Web Store if no matching application is found.

To check for an update on your machine, just open chrome://help/ and restart when prompted.

Newer Android 4.3 build leaks for the Google Play Galaxy S4

Build JWR66V leaks out, and there's already a flashable zip for some TouchWiz GS4s

We're still a few days out from the event we presume will host the launch of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but in the meantime we're seeing yet another leaked built of the upcoming OS. The second leaked build for the Google Play edition Samsung Galaxy S4 was built on July 8 and comes with an accompanying kernel built July 11.

It originally popped up on the XDA forums as an ODIN-flashable image for the Google Play GS4 (GT-i9505G), however it's now been repackaged into a flashable ROM for the European variant (GT-i9505) and certain U.S. and Canadian GSM GS4s. That means many users with TouchWiz Galaxy S4s can now try out Android 4.3 on their devices.

Compared to the couple of Android 4.3 leaks we've seen previously, this build carriers a more recent number — JWR66V versus JWR66N — and it seems slightly speedier than the earlier Google Play edition leak. What's more, the battery drain issue noticed by some in that build, on account of the "Android System" process keeping the device awake, seems to be fixed. The new "Scanning always available" option under Wifi > Advanced, which lets the device use Google location services even when Wifi is off, is now explained as part of the setup process, too.

We'll dig a little deeper into this build and keep looking for new stuff, but for now what we're seeing is a faster, more stable version of the GPe GS4 firmware that leaked out a couple of weeks back. If you're adventurous enough to want to run this on your own device, you can hit up the source link for instructions. As always, proceed with caution and at your own risk when flashing leaked, unofficial firmware to your phone.

More Android 4.3 leak coverage:

• Hands-on with Android 4.3 on the Nexus 4
• What's new in Android 4.3 leak for the Google Play Galaxy S4

Source: XDA

Exogear ExoLife S4 battery case

Doubles your Galaxy S4 battery life, protects your phone at the same time

Source:-http://www.androidcentral.com/exogear-exolife-s4-battery-case

Here's a quick look at the ExoLife S4 battery case from Exogear. As the name implies, it's a battery case for the Samsung Galaxy S4 that packs an external 2,600 mAh battery into a fairly svelte case. 

It's a simple enough design. The case comprises as thin front that snaps onto the beefier rear. The phone slides into that rear search and connects via microUSB, just as you'd expect. It's a pretty good fit, and at no point were we worried about the case coming apart. We had no problems with sharp edges or anything like that. Nice build quality. Just make sure you get it snapped in place all the way around.

The business end of the battery case is down at the bottom, with a on/off button and four LEDs to show remaining charge. Press for two seconds to turn the battery case on or off; briefly press the button to see the remaining charge. 

Size-wize, the case doubles the thickness from the phone's 7.9 mm and adds a little more than a centimeter in height. It's not a bad feel in that respect, but it's not exactly stealthy. It's thin, but you'll know you're using it. Our bigger complaint is that the glossy finish makes it pretty slick to hold (to say nothing of the fingerprints). The cutouts and buttons are done well and work as expected.

As is usually the, erm, case with these cases, you're not looking at a high-speed charger. It outputs to your phone at 5V 500 mA, and the case itself charges at 5V 750 mA.

All in all, not a bad battery case. But what it doesn't — and this was the same argument we had with battery cases for the Galaxy S3 — is that you're bulking up a phone when you could double the battery life — and do it cheaper — with a spare battery. It's not that the ExoLife S4 is overly expensive — $80 is about right for this category of accessory. But you can get a spare battery and a slimmer case for a lot less.

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