Our new “Stories We Might Have Missed” segment includes stories that we’ve seen around the week that didn’t quite make it into our main posts this past week. At the end of each bullet there should be a source link for our information where you can go grab more details. Enjoy!
- Google Wants a Crack at the Home Phone
Google is introducing a new home phone contender. Named “Fiber Phone”, so you can now ditch the home phone …if you even still have one. Fiber Phone lets you either keep your number or get a new one. When you’re not home calls will go to whatever mobile device you’ve got with you. This service will be available for $10 a month for those who are in a Fiber city. Take a look at the full announcement here.
- HTC M10 Demands Attention With Impressive Benchmark
HTC’s new (unreleased) flagship is still seeing leaks as we approach the official announcement. We’re now seeing the HTC M10 (alleged) benchmarked. The AnTuTu Benchmark puts the M10 at a score of 156091. The next highest one on the list is the Xiami Mi 5 that clocks in at 136875. If this is true then HTC might just have a winner here. Take a look at the leaked benchmark here.
- Google Now: Now With More Human
Google Now is getting a tiny bit more human. Someone posted a video on YouTube showing Google Now’s more human sounding voice. The video demonstrates how different the old voice was compared to the new voice. The new Google voice definitely seems to be more natural sounding than the previous one. Check out the video here. Which Google Now voice do you like more?
- Pebble Says Goodbye to 40 Employees
It seems like Pebble might be in trouble. The company is laying off a quarter of its employees due to financial concerns. In this case, a quarter of Pebble’s employees is 40 workers. Eric Migicovsky, the company’s CEO, states that “money is pretty tight these days”. Hopefully this doesn’t spell out bad news for Pebble, because they’re an awesome company in a big pond of smartwatch creators. Read the full interview with Pebble’s CEO here.
- Google Might Finally Compete With Amazon Echo
Google might just be working on a product to rival the Amazon Echo. There have been reports of a Google project that would compete directly with Alexa, everyone’s favorite know-it-all. Of course, not much is known about the project and there isn’t much concrete evidence just yet. Google would do well with this type of project, especially since Google Now has gotten so intuitive and smart. Take a look at the report here.
- Prepare Yourselves for Minute Long Instagram Videos
Are you a fan of Instagram but wish that you could post longer videos? Then you’re in luck! Instagram will soon be allowing users to post videos that are up to 60 seconds long. The update is rolling out starting today, and should be available to everyone within the next few months. Be sure to keep your Instagram app updated. For more information take a look at Instagram’s announcement here.
- Gotta Catch ‘Em All
Lovers of Pokemon rejoice. Pokemon Go allows fans to battle Pokemon in real life (kinda). It’s going to bridge the gap between the real world and the virtual world by using actual locations to discover and capture pokemon. The creators of Pokemon Go have released a bunch of information on how playing will work. The application will be available for download at no cost, but there will also be in-app purchases. Take a look at the announcement here.
- SoundCloud on the Go
SoundCloud Go is SoundCloud’s new subscription service. It is now officially available in the US for $9.99 a month (or $12.99 if you use the iOS app to purchase it). It allows for uninterrupted listening and the ability to listen to your favorite songs offline. Read up on this new subscription service here. Will you be subscribing to SoundCloud Go?
