In a recent update, Google now allows all those with the Chrome browser, Mac & Windows alike, to search Google via their voice. "Ok Google" is Google's popular buzzword or as they like to call it "hotwording" that allows you to access Google's talk feature without having to actually click something to turn it on. Just update your Chrome browser, restart it, and you're talking to Google.
So how does Google's voice compare to the other listening software out there? From this blogger's perspective, it actually works the best. For me, I have to speak to Siri in a British accent in order for her to understand me, which 90% of the time she does not. As for Windows' Cortana, which comes from their popular Xbox exclusive game Halo, we will have to wait and see.
However, in my past experience with Windows' voice commands, I don't expect it to be too good. Alought, it has been years since I read paragraph after paragraph of Shakespeare to my old Dell laptop in order for the program to learn my voice, so I hope some updates have been made to the program.
Regardless, this technology is soon to take off. We've removed the buttons from our phones and now the phones are no longer in our hands. This is a dream for millions of geeks around the world as we continue to bring the the future closer.
Snapchat is a fun, yet controversial, piece of social technology and most view it as a recreational app. However, some brands have harnessed the power of Snapchat to strengthen their relationship between them and their consumers.
Snapchat has over 26 million users and there are more than 400 million snaps per day, which is large audience that just continues to grow. The major networking and digital sites have taken notice with Facebook offering Snapchat $3 billion in cash last year and Yahoo recently acquiring Snapchat's rival Blink.
Therefore, if the big digital companies like Facebook and Yahoo are willing to pay large amounts of money for this type of technology, then there has to be something Snapchat can do for businesses. As a matter a fact there is and these companies took a chance on Snapchat's quick image flash technology to better connect with their consumers.
Some brands send product information to their followers on Snapchat. American Eagle and Whole Hearted Clothing send snaps to their followers and give them "behind the scenes" previews of upcoming clothing they're about to release.
Other brands still use Snapchat in a fun way, which shows that they are not just some large robotic company, but a cool company who can relate to their followers. Two companies that do this well are Mashable and Refinery29, who even take the time to write goofy messages on their snaps.
Snapchat continues to grow and cause controversy in the realm of privacy, but for now it seems that their snaps are powerful and a fun way to connect with followers. As Snapchat continues to receive a lot press, we'll see more and more companies adopting the initial trends of the aforementioned companies, which would be a great recommendation for a company trying to stand out.
