Apple Buys Music Recognition App Shazam

Apple has struck a deal and acquired Shazam for $400 million. Apple’s digital assistant Siri has been using this app in the past for enabling its users to recognize the songs being played on their iPhones. Shazam has got a massive user base. It is estimated that the app has been downloaded over 1 billion times. Shazam has over 120 million active users who use the app more than 20 million times a day. The users are loyal and this could lead to more paying customers for Apple Music.

Shazam is a free app for iOS and Android users that can identify songs that are played close at hand as well as provide other features.

Apple Music together with Shazam promises to provide its users a great music experience.

While the users are waiting for the song or audio clip to be identified, Shazam shows ads. They also display ads on the page where the identity of the song is revealed.

Shazam is an app that allows users to identify songs, movies, TV shows and advertisements from short audio clips being played and using a microphone on the device.

It will help you identify any music playing around you. Through Shazam, the user can follow any of the artists and even listen to what they are discovering. You can also listen to the latest trends in music and the most popular songs in the world.

Besides identifying the songs and matching it with its central database, Shazam has been enhancing its AR (augmented Reality) features. This technology can be used where graphics more than virtual reality comes into play.

History

In 2012, TV users in the US could identify the music being played, the cast of the shows and all the other show information online and engage in social networking.

In Dec 2013, Shazam was among the top ten apps in the world.

In 2014, there were more than a 100 million monthly active users of Shazam. By using Shazam, the users were able to identify 15 billion songs.

In 2016, the mobile apps of Shazam were downloaded more than 1 billion times.

In Dec 2017, Apple Inc. purchased Shazam for $400 million.

Working Principle

Just a short audio clip is required to create an acoustic fingerprint. By using the microphone in a smartphone or a computer, Shazam compares it with a central database to find a match. All the information based on the audio clip, such as the artist’s name, the lyrics, song title and the album will be sent to the user.

Shazam can also identify prerecorded music that is being broadcasted from a television, radio or any music playing in a cinema or club, provided there is not much background noise.

Compatability with OS

Shazam is an app that is compatable for Mac, a desktop application as well as those that have Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry systems.

In the case of the desktop, when the app is enabled, any song that is playing on or close to the computer will be picked up by the app. Shazam can also pick up any of the of the songs on the Youtube videos or TV shows which the user may be viewing.

Why A Little Prevention Can Go A Long Way: Taking A Look At Apple’s Newest Security Glitch

Security issues are always problematic, nerve wracking, and potentially dangerous. While we might expect that non-tech savvy people have unsecured operating systems, even tech companies with a long history and respectable reputation aren’t immune when it comes to making a mistake regarding security.

In late November, when the news of a security breach spread quickly, Apple had little time to find a way to fix the potentially dangerous problem on the Mac OS High Sierra. Just in case you were offline or disconnected from the major comings and goings of the tech world, here’s a brief synopsis of what happened.

A Major Scare on Mac OS High Sierra

Gaining full access to a computer system should never be easy. Unfortunately, when a glitch occurred in High Sierra’s security, virtually any user could replace a username and password with “root” whenever prompted to enter in secure information.

What is “root” and why is it a big deal? According to Apple, the user account named “root” is a superuser (or a Mac administrator) who has reading and writing privileges to other parts of the computer, which includes files in other Mac OS user accounts.

Normally, the “root” user is disabled and you can enable certain functions after following a long sequence of steps. When any High Sierra user had access as a Mac Administrator, this made systems extremely vulnerable (especially on computers where there were multiple users).

While many users weren’t interested in admin privileges or didn’t feel threatened because they are the only one who uses the computer, it was a big security scare that needed a fast fix. Apple was able to remedy the issue, with little criticism, and for now, High Sierra is operating as normal, which is a huge relief for Apple and its users, alike.

What Do We Learn From This Security Scare? 

Not only do we learn that even professional, knowledgeable, and reputable companies make mistakes, but having extra security on your computer, such as programs like Total Av, can save you from spending money on fixing the issue or worrying about if any of your personal information is in someone else’s hands.

Many tech companies offer good security and have automatic updates for all of their users, but there’s nothing wrong with taking the initiative to make your computer as secure as possible.

While Apple may have learned its lesson to tighten up its security, there’s always a chance that another security scare, much like the High Sierra debacle, can arise at any moment and make millions of computer users at risk of a security breach.

If you add a little extra security to your computer your computer and your information will stay safe is all other security measures fail. Worried that you may be “too protected?” When it comes to securing your computer, and all the information on it, there’s no such thing as being too protected.

Qualcomm's iPhone X Still Outpaces Intel's

Qualcomm’s Modem beats Intel’s Modem in IPhone X

Cellular Insights recently tested modem strengths in both modems, that is of Intel and Qualcomm in the IPhone X models. The tests proved that Qualcomm was able to give consistently higher speeds that Intel’s modem in the IPhone X.

Since IPhone’s 4s to 6s, Apple has always made use of Qualcomm’s models. But as of the IPhone 7, Apple has begun to split its modems between Intel and Qualcomm. This has resulted in IPhone 7 models with very different signal speeds.
 

Two models of IPhone X tested:

 

Cellular Insights used two IPhone X’s two test LTE signal speeds. The A1865 model, which is a Qualcomm modem phone and the A1901 which is an Intel powered modem phone was picked for testing. The A1865 model is sold by Sprint, Verizon in the U.S. and it is also sold in India, China and Australia. The A1901 Intel modem Phone is sold by U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile.

There is a third model of IPhone X too, but it is only sold in Japan and was not a subject of this testing.

The testing was conducted on a common band which is used by all major carriers in the US.
 

How was the testing between Qualcomm and Intel modems tested?

 
Cellular Insights tested signal strengths and the speed of downloads, in a range of- very good signal strength to very bad signal strength. That is from -85dBm to whenever the IPhones would quit getting a signal.

On a 20MHz band, both IPhone models started out with a speed of 195Mbs but after that the difference became more apparent. The Intel modem download speeds dropped to 169Mbs at a signal strength of -87dbm while its competitor took another fall of -6dBm in signal strength to reach download speeds of 169 Mbs.

Where every drop in signal strength can be felt by customers, Cellular insights took to testing the Intel and Qualcomm modems to the last when both phones got no signal. At signal strengths of -120dBm which is a very poor signal strength, the Qualcomm modem still outperformed the Intel modem by a whopping 67%.

The point when both modems finally lost signal was -129dBm for the Intel modem and -130dBm for the Qualcomm model, which is not a whole lot of difference.

Cellular Insights used the very best in testing both modems including CMWFlexx solutions and they also used the same technique as they had previously used for testing signal strengths in phones.

Since the last testing, Cellular Insights has found out that Qualcomm has always outperformed Intel modems but today the difference between both modems is becoming narrower. This maybe a deliberate action rather than a drop in performance by Qualcomm modems.
 

Is it the end of the road for Qualcomm?

 
Apple and Qualcomm have found themselves in a web of lawsuits that has mostly to do with Apple refusing to pay Qualcomm license fees. So the IPhone X may be Qualcomm’s last stint at Apple.

Apple has previously stuck to Qualcomm modems because of its good performance and also because only the Qualcomm modems could run on Verizon and Sprint CDMA networks. Now Intel is going to change all that with its XMM7560 modem which will hit markets next year.

Apple iOS 11.2 Release: Should You Upgrade?

Apple has just released a new iOS update, version iOS 11.2. You should download it as soon as possible to fix important operating system failures.

A more discreet detail that opens with iOS 11.2 is a small line under the Wi-Fi signal and battery indicators of the iPhone X. It only appears on the lock screen, indicating that from there you can slide your finger down to invoke the center of control.

Apple has in the past few days rigged what is probably the largest collection of 'software' failures in the company's recent history. And several of them have been serious. The most compromising was found in macOS, which allowed anyone with physical access to your Mac to enter as a computer administrator without even typing a password. The thing did not end there. Very recently, millions of iPhones in half the world restarted alone due to a problem with the operating system. The matter caused so much commotion that Apple has been forced to launch an update of iOS 11.2 to solve it. Luckily, it comes with other interesting developments.

Apple has just released an update of its operating system. iOS 11.2 arrives Replaces the previous version that you most likely have now on your iPhone, 11.1.2. The reason for launching it now is in the failure that millions of users experienced last Saturday, December 2, when their phones began to restart alone once the clock struck at 00:15. The problem had to do with third-party applications that sent notifications repeatedly.

After the initial alarm, a solution to the problem was to deactivate the notifications or adjust the date to a day before December 2. It was a temporary patch. Apple has just released version iOS 11.2 of the system that solves the problem. It is not the only novelty. Another of the most anticipated is the availability of Apple Pay Cash, the function to send, request or receive money between friends and family through iMessage or through Siri. The downside is that at the moment it is only available in the US, but it should not take long to reach some European countries as well.

How does it work? You can see here a demo video. In some parts of Europe Apple Pay already works with Banco Santander, Openbank and Caixabank, so it is expected that, at the beginning, to use Apple Pay Cash you also need to have an account in one of these entities.

Other news that we can access, when downloading iOS 11.2 is the fastest wireless charging if you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or iPhone X. The update includes support for wireless charging at a speed of 7.5 watts, so these should be much faster, although Apple does not specify exactly how much more.

What are the other novelties? You will see new wallpapers for the iPhone X, more stabilization of the video camera, the problem is solved by which the Music controls could not appear on the locked screen and also other failures such as the calculator showing incorrect operations when typing the numbers too fast. You can see here all the news of the update. A version iOS 11.2 with which Apple hopes to forget its worst week in a long time.

International Robot Exhibition 2017, Tokyo

The creativity, ingenuity and innovation of researchers, teachers, students and industry personnel that develops technological projects in the area of robotics in International Robot Exhibition 2017 (iREX) held in Tokyo.

Participants exhibited light systems in the home, robotic arms that facilitate industrial processes, drones and high-tech automated systems. They also held contest and exposure and exchange of knowledge on robotics by young people from various institutions. There were about a thousand young exhibitors and visitors to the meeting.

Among the robots presented stands out the one developed by Toyota's T-HR3, the third humanoid, various simultaneous workshops, including "Building my first robot", "Robotmaker", among others, in addition to the robot fair where various institutions participated that showed innovative robots. With a humanoid design, the T-HR3 robot can have a somewhat cold name, but its movements dazzled the attendees of the latest edition of the international robot fair that took place in Tokyo. The most surprising thing about this prototype developed by Toyota is in the gestures and postures it can perform, without losing the balance or the flexibility of its extremities.

The Toyota T-HR3 robot uses a technology made up of 29 modules that bring together the various motors, mechanisms and sensors that allow you to perform fluid movements together thanks to some 32 articulators.

In turn, this system is complemented by a special chair called Master Maneuvering System, which allows a human operator to remotely control the robot. Both systems are synchronized and the main control has a viewer that receives the live transmission of the cameras present in the T-HR3.

"Conventional robots can not feel what it is like to hold something, so they often tighten the objects too much, this robot can hold you gently," said Akifumi Tamaoki, director of Toyota's robotic division.

A platform for scientific and technological development

This event was held at the Tokyo, where lectures, exhibitions of robots, legos and workshops were also held.

The general director, said that this type of space serves as a platform to build scientific and technological development in the state.

In this event, young people and researchers have the opportunity to experience their practical applications in the field of robotics and materialize their ideas and be active participants in the development of Robotics

These spaces serve as a platform for the promotion of knowledge that awakens interest in science, such as the field of robotics, where young people can materialize their ideas and become the main actors to promote the development of Robotics." said the coordinator of the event.