Search

Yahoo buys Donna virtual assistant maker Incredible Labs, will shut down app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Yahoo's shopping spree continues as the company announced Thursday its newest acqui-hire: San Francisco based Incredible Labs, the team behind a rather compelling virtual assistant app named Donna.

Incredible launched Donna on iOS last summer. Named after Donna Moss, the popular assistant from the TV show The West Wing, the software is basically a cross between Google Now and Siri.

The application strives to manage your day with features like smart notifications, an anticipatory calendar and in-app directions, to mention but a few. Donna would proactively tell you about upcoming appointments, dial into conference calls for you, let others know when to expect you by analyzing traffic conditions and your frequent locations - even taking into account the little things like the current parking situation.

In November, Donna got updated with Lock screen calling, smarter meeting scheduling and other features. Nothing indicated at the time that Incredible would slow the pace of Donna development, let alone sell out to Yahoo.

Unfortunately, there is some bad news for Donna fans out there: the Internet giant will be shutting down the application following the acquisition...

Microsoft’s Bing Rewards program now available on iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Microsoft launched Bing Rewards in September 2010 in a desperate attempt to get people search the web with Bing. Bing Rewards provides credits to users of major desktop browsers through regular Bing searches and special promotions.

Today, Bing Rewards is going mobile as the program has just been extended to owners of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Rather surprisingly, the Windows maker said that Bing Rewards was “coming soon” to Windows Phone devices. Bing Rewards replaced Microsoft's similarly conceived initiatives, SearchPerks! and Bing Cashback...

How to build on suggested search queries in Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 18, 2014

One of the worst things about Safari's autocomplete for search is that you can't build on a query like you can do with Google Chrome. Once you select a suggested query in Safari's omni-box, it auto submits the search.

While suggested queries are definitely a helpful service, the way that Safari goes about the implementation isn't very efficient. A recently revamped jailbreak tweak called Platinum seeks to improve Safari's search capabilities. Have a look at our full video walkthrough inside to see what I mean.

Check out Google Now integration on your Mac in latest Chrome Canary release

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2014

CNET reported last summer that Google Now cards were heading to Google’s Chrome browser for the Mac. Six months later, Google releases a brand new Google Canary build with Google Now cards functionality nested right inside the browser's notification center which sits in your Mac's status bar.

Although not all Google Now cards are available in this alpha release of Chrome, the search company has integrated a few of the most popular ones like sports scores, real-time weather updates, and travel information...

Google Search app gets iOS 7 styling, true full-screen browsing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 19, 2013

Google's standalone Search application has been updated with barely visible iOS 7 styling and a pair of under-the-hood improvements allowing for the native fluid Image Search experience on the iPad as well as smarter integration with the Google Maps app.

Other than that, release notes mention no new features for Google Search version 3.2, which is now available as a free download from the App Store. I've included additional tidbits right below, if you're interested...

iPhone 5s rules Google’s 2013 phone searches

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Google's Zeitgeist has become something of an annual tradition as the Internet giant wraps up each year by giving us a glimpse into what the world's been searching for using its search engine. Surprisingly (or not?), Apple's iPhone 5s took the top three slots in global search trends (#5 in the U.S.), behind Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker.

Google’s review of 2013 searches also shows the iPhone 5s leading 2013 search trends in the Phones category, although it's been edged out in the Gadgets category by Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Sony's PlayStation 4...

Google updates Search iOS app with support for French, German and Japanese

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 5, 2013

Google issued a major mid-August update to its free Search app for the iPhone and iPad with new Google Now cards for flights, reservations, package delivery information and more.

And last month, the firm followed up with another sweet update that implemented 'OK Google' hands-free voice control functionality, support for single sign-on, reminders, alerts for delayed flights and upcoming appointments/events and other perks.

This afternoon, the Internet giant pushed a minor update which expands international support to three new languages: French, German and Japanese...

iPhone tops Yahoo UK’s 2013 tech searches

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2013

Rivals often point to Apple's sub-20 percent share of the global smartphone market as a proof of sorts that the iPhone has run its course. In reality, the device remains the most sought-after item in technology which people searched for most on the web throughout the year, at least among the British.

According to Yahoo UK's annual roundup of trends and stories gleaned from the billions of online searches throughout the year 2013, the iPhone was the most searched-for technology item this year. After the Apple handset, Yahoo's UK users were most interested in Amazon's second-ranked Kindle e-reader and Samsung's third-placed Galaxy brand.

Apple's iPad and Sony's new PlayStation 4 round up the top five most searched-for tech items on Yahoo UK (the Xbox One ranked sixth)...

Hands-free ‘OK Google’ search comes to your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 27, 2013

Yours truly is a huge fan of Google Now so it goes without saying I've long been yearning for that kind of hands-free voice searching on my Mac desktops and notebooks. Available via Google's free Search app for the iPhone and iPad since November 5, the cool feature dutifully listens to the 'OK Google' keyword which initiates a voice search. It's severely crippled, too, as 'OK Google' only works if the Search app is running, as opposed to the always-on implementation on the Nexus 5 and Moto X.

Blame it on Apple's strict policy that prohibits third-parties from listening to the microphone input in the background. Well, there are no such restrictions on Macs (yet) and Google has taken advantage of the fact and released a nice little extension for its browser allowing you to talk to Google (when you're using Chrome) hands-free, no typing required...

App Store search now corrects for small typos and misspelled queries

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 26, 2013

Apple is tweaking the App Store's search algorithm pretty much all the time so people have an easier time finding a needle in a haystack.

Three months ago, Apple deployed an improved algorithm for iTunes and App Store rankings, boosting the relevancy of search results up a notch.

And back in the summer, the iPhone maker gave the App Store storefront on iPads a new lefthand bar for easy alphabetical sorting of your Purchased items.

It's now come to light that Apple's team has once again made the App Store search better by automatically correcting for your mistakes and other misspellings. That's right, you no longer have to type in the exact app name when searching as the App Store will now list apps with fairly similar names...

How to quickly list every app on your iOS 7 device

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

So, you’ve got apps spread out everywhere throughout your device. Some are scattered about multiple pages, and some, courtesy of iOS 7’s lax folder restrictions, are scattered throughout multiple pages of folders. How’s a guy to keep tabs on all of this activity?

One easy way to do so is to simply use iOS’ built in Spotlight search. Obviously, you can use Spotlight to search for a number of different items on your device, including apps. Inside, I’ll show you how to quickly list every installed application on your device, along with the folders that they reside in.

Google Search app gets ‘OK Google’ handsfree voice control, reminders, alerts, and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Google has just updated its native Search app for the iPhone and iPad with a slew of new features, starting with a number of new types of Google Now cards and the ability to activate the voice search handsfree, simply by saying “OK Google” like on Android. This feature works on the iPhone 4s or later devices. You can now enjoy one-touch sign-on and elect to receive alerts for delayed flights and upcoming appointments and events, as well as for public transit reminders.

The app now supports new types of reminders for movies, actors, TV shows, musicians and web content updates, including location-based and time-relative entries like “Remind me to buy coffee beans at Starbucks,” or “Remind me to check out the fair this weekend”. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...