Before there was Google Assistant, there was Google Now. In 2016, it replaced Google Now as the virtual assistant (VA) in the Google app for Android and iOS. The updated VA offers plenty of functionalities to Google device users. Here are a few that you should take advantage of.

Locate the best route to any location

Google Assistant works seamlessly with Google Maps, which makes it a great tool for finding the best route to any location.

For instance, if you’re trying to find the best route home, just turn on the app and say, “Get me home.” It will then work with Google Maps to let you know the ideal route based on your current location.

You can also check for traffic updates with Google Assistant, and get the latest information on road closures and traffic diversions. This feature is perfect for people who are often on the move.

Make a shopping list with your voice

Google Assistant can also help you make shopping lists with ease — just “talk” to the app.

To do this, open the app and say, “Add [item] to my shopping list.”  Google Assistant will then collate all the items on your shopping list and read it back to you for good measure. 

Stay updated with the latest news

Too busy to browse the day’s news? Why not have Google Assistant read them for you? If you say “Play the news,” Google Assistant will begin reading the stories from news sources you have saved in your RSS feeds, social media accounts, etc.

You can make Google Assistant play, pause, and stop reading at any time, as well as request it to read articles from a particular source or media site. 

Take control of your smart home

If you’re enhancing your living space with smart devices like ovens, light bulbs, or thermostats that operate automatically, Google Assistant can help you easily control them. For example, you can say, “Okay. Google, turn off lights in the living room.”

To activate Google Assistant, tap on the menu icon at the upper-right section of the screen and choose Settings. You can then add the smart devices in your house that are compatible with your app.

Measurement and currency conversions and language translation

You can also use Google Assistant to convert measurements, currencies, and other data. You can even ask it to get exchange rates between the US dollar and a foreign currency. Just say, “What is 12 US dollars in euros?” The trusty assistant also has a nifty language translation feature. 

Check the email inbox and appointments calendar

If you’re using Google Assistant, chances are you’re using other services like Gmail or Google Calendar, so why not use your voice-activated helper to connect to these apps?

You can ask Google Assistant to skim through your Gmail inboxes for target keywords, or pull up a recently added appointment in your Calendar app. Google Assistant can also work with your Google Keep app, which is handy for taking down notes. 

These are just a few of the things Google Assistant can do for you. If you have questions about this tool, get in touch with our experts who are ready to help you.

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Have you ever worried about your tablet’s security? If not, you should. Networked gadgets are becoming increasingly interconnected every day, and just one social media account saved on a compromised iPad could lead to breaches on any number of other, more sensitive devices. If you own one of Apple’s popular tablets, you need to know about a newly discovered flaw that allows thieves to bypass security measures and access your device.

iPad owners who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of having their device stolen have the option to activate Apple’s Find My iPhone feature from icloud.com. If an iPad has this setting turned on, its GPS can be activated from any web browser to inform the owner where it is located.

Furthermore, if a user is concerned that the tablet may have been stolen, he or she can remotely lock the device. From the moment it is locked, the device can only be accessed by logging into the corresponding icloud.com account.

It’s a wonderfully intuitive feature, and tens of thousands of iPad owners have prevented data theft since it was first introduced by Apple in 2010. Unfortunately, security researchers recently announced a critical flaw that allows common thieves to totally bypass the remote lock feature simply by flooding login data fields with too many characters.

Apple is aware of the issue and has taken steps to address it with an operating system update. The latest version of iOS has fixed the issue for iPhones, but not for iPads.

Although we anticipate a patch to fix this flaw in the near future, the best way to avoid this predicament is to keep valuable data backed up separately from your iPad. One of the Find My iPhone options is to remotely wipe the device, which means as long as you aren’t permanently losing valuable data, the worst case scenario is losing nothing more than the tablet itself.

The more mobile our technology becomes, the more susceptible it is to physical security threats. It’s important to secure your devices not only from networked threats, but also from everyday ones, like someone nabbing your iPad while you step away from the table to order a coffee. For across-the-board security solutions and consulting, get in touch with us today.

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Choosing an app for your Android tablet can be daunting. Whether you’re looking for a document reader app or a new web browser, there are many options out there that offer similar features. So how do you know which ones are the best fit for your device? We’ve compiled a list of powerful applications that will help you make the most of your Android tablet. Check them out and save yourself from browsing through hundreds of thousands of apps in the store.

Adobe apps

Adobe offers a suite of apps for Android tablets, including the Acrobat Reader, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Clip, AIR, and so much more. These are all very useful for processing images, opening documents, and editing files. If you happen to be a user, most of the Adobe apps also work well with Creative Cloud.

Flipboard

Flipboard is a popular news application that uses a magazine-style interface. This app allows you to stay up-to-date with news and topics you’re interested in. You can easily customize your news digest from your favorite sources, such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, The New York Times, and more.

Google Drive

With Google Drive, you gain access to a suite of powerful apps including Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Keep and much more. Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage, which you can use to store all kinds of digital files and access them from anywhere.

Kindle

There are tons of ebook reader apps out there, but few can measure up to Amazon’s Kindle app. Kindle provides you with more than a million ebooks to download and read on your Android device. You can also manually download different books in various formats, and then transfer them to an external storage device.

CamScanner

This nifty application allows you to use your Android tablet’s camera to scan documents such as invoices, forms, and receipts, and have them exported in PDF format. You can store, sync, and collaborate on these documents across any number of web-enabled devices. The app also comes with support for fax sending, OCR, printing, and more.

LastPass

We get it – you have numerous accounts for social networks, apps and websites, and memorizing all of your passwords can be confusing. LastPass is a password management application that will securely store your passwords, and automatically log you into various apps and websites. With LastPass, you don’t have to remember every password you use.

Zedge

Zedge is a search engine for downloading ringtones, notification sounds, wallpapers, and themes. It is a good place to start if you’re looking to customize the look and feel of your device in order to give it a personal touch. It’s super popular among Android tablet users, with millions of freebies available and a simple user interface.

These applications are far from being a comprehensive list, but they can help optimize the performance of your device. If you want to learn how to use Android tablets to boost your business’s efficiency, give us a call today.

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