The Evolution of Google Search: A Decade in Business

Whenever a new term, idea, word, stats, or any other thing comes to your notice, the only thing to get relevant info about the same or to confirm the result is-Google Search. However, Google is well-known for developing Android, smart robots, self-driving cars, and many other projects, but its identity will remain incomplete without Search. Helping users online while seeking info, inquiring about a service, or relating to a simple term, are all that Google Search can do. Transformed from a simple text field to an enhanced search option, to a complex and ad-related platform, that’s all from where Search started and is presently standing. It might interest you to know that half of the projects that Google actually develops receive funds from its search-related ad revenues.

Read this blog to have a quick look at how Google Search evolved over the years and the changes it went through from its inception to Google Now.

Google’s official blog revealed that during its initial stage (from 1998 to 2001), Google.com has been a simple search engine that strived hard to cater users to find answers to their questions. In the beginning of 2001, Google thought of adding tabs above the search box to ensure that search for related items like videos, images, news, should become easier. The tabs stayed on and later links for Google’s Gmail and Calendar got added to the list, along with some web apps. 

The year 2007 marks the addition of a navigation bar atop Google.com that was incorporated to showcase links to search items and Google apps. However, in 2011, the navigation bar was morphed into the Google menu to make it more presentable and to offer a slicker and redesigned user interface (UI). The year also saw the prominent placement for Google+ tab and till now the navigation bar was ready to take users to their desired Google applications.

In 2012, Google introduced the ‘Google Now,’ a virtual assistant that was initially designed for Android but was later expanded on iOS and the desktop. The newly developed search feature is capable of delivering even more personal search results to the users.

In the following years, Google refined its search by offering a minimal navigation bar, strategic placement of Google’s social network, and the addition of the voice-based search support. The voice-based search support added to Google.com provides the quick access to your favorite sites as well as tool understands different voice tones and pitches easily.

These changes have also affected the company’s Search tool by affecting search ranking and its evaluation. Google has always focused on establishing a seamless connection between your questions and the information you seek, just by typing a simple text term into the box. 

Following are the three important factors that Google focuses upon while redesigning the Search feature:

Universal Results: Google has always tried to transform its normal search to a ‘Universal Search ’by bringing the results like images, videos, web pages and news in the same place. With growing years, the company continued to make the search more reliable and comprehensive, by ensuring exact details of the search terms and by finding products, places, patents, books, maps and more.

Quick Answers: Bringing you search results with not just a list of links to web sites format, Google is now also empowered to fetch millions of search results within a few seconds. User can easily select the ‘Quick Answers’ feature at the top of the page to seek a variety of topics, including flight times, sports scores, weather and dozens more. The company’s spokesperson announced “As technology gets better, we’re beginning to answer harder questions for you, right on the search results page” with remarkable pride.

The Future of Search: The company will now focus on discovering faster ways to search information. Additionally, the developers will also emphasize on saving user’s time by putting all the relevant stuff on the first page. Google Instant or Voice Search from your mobile phones is helping a lot to search effectively. Talking about the future, the company is thinking about a stage where searching should be as easy as thinking.

Imparted with different phases on the timeline, the Search featured many important yet remarkable improvements that have streamlined the entire searching experience. Since Google has improved this tool beyond user expectations, that day isn’t too far when it will transform this tool to a technology that searches whatever you’ll think!

5 Ways in Which Big Data Is Affecting Sports Business

Irrespective of your sports preference, your television sets, online portals, and virtual recorders will always be available to capture ongoing football tournaments, cricket matches, cycling championships, and other sports events. Football, car racing or sailing, hockey, cricket, basketball, tennis, and many others hold their importance in today’s life, and this is generally because of the availability of big data. The use of advanced technology in the capture, storage and analysis of data, and its usage in future decision-making has affected sports business at large. 

Let’s look at the five important ways in which big data affects the sports business:

1.       Analyzes the Game Day Plans, Strategies, and Success Rates

Many sports teams strive to make better and faster decisions that can impact their game and result in announcing them as winners. Big data collectively offer a common platform to analyze and discuss the future game strategies, understand the performance of their own teams, and study the behavior and strategy of the opposition. The collective reports work efficiently to let the coaching staff, scouts, and players, decide that how well the game day plan can be framed. For instance, NFL teams take benefit of mid-game data to pinpoint success rates of plays by analyzing different areas of fields play and adjusting their game plans based on the opponent’s on-field position.

2.       It Affects Broadcast and Digital Distribution

Big data plays an important role not only in broadcast production, but also in broadcast and digital distribution. Multi-platform distribution of content makes it available for usage on social media, virtual platforms, end-viewer access, and many other distribution patterns. Businesses mainly focus on the consumer-generated content and use metrics to determine how much revenue can the company charge from advertisers. This sort of data comes handy when a region is hosting large sporting events, which get broadcasted across numerous countries with billions of estimated viewers to watch.

3.       Wearables and Biometrics Play a Vital Role

In an answer to the myth that the data for that game-day analysis solely comes from videos, wearables and biometrics portray a better picture of in-depth analysis of a player’s behavior and strategic moves. Advancements in sensors may help in gaining data to help augment the stadium experience, but trainers already use wearables to monitor the athletes' performances. The big data comes handy while designing better training regimens and the motion sensors in the sports helmets may play a key role in determining the player’s health. The detailed analysis of reports collected by wearables and biometrics could also lead to protect the players against severe injuries in the near future. 

4.       Motion Capture to Boost Gaming Business

Motion capture technology has been in the market for a while now, but it has recently gained much importance due to its usage and applicability in the sports domain. Since the technology is now used to track the motion data of players, the gaming versions of that particular season uses this data to build avatars or ‘games of the game.’ The data eventually reveals the player’s moves, behavior, game strategy, and the teamwork, finding its mass usage in generating video games. NetApp is offering data storage and big data solutions to many professional sports organizations that easily transform a sports video into a fantasy football video game.

5.       The Data Proves to be Quite Helpful in Broadcast Sports Production

 

What you watch and listen on the television sets is produced after performing a lot of research and study. Data and analytics hold an important place in the broadcast sports production. Whatever you hear from the commentators include the reports, real-time data, and game data facts that have been previously recorded. A well-defined and well-explained sports event helps spectators engage with the event, thus, binds it with the same for long. 

Conclusion

Since big data are involved in so many sections of sports business, it’s quite possible that soon many mainframe companies may enter into the business of providing the same to sports organizations. Big data also facilitates better and effective training for athletes, hence, confirms more possibilities of a winning moment. The data presents a detailed view of all the major activities that are performed on the game field and thus provides a platform for teams to alter their in-game decision-making. Presenting a new way to the broadcasters while producing sports entertainment, the big data is actually transforming the way in which the teams and broadcasters engage with fan.

Online Tech Support Shares Basics for iOS and Android Users

When you are using your Android Smartphone or your iPhone, you often wish things were easier on the typing front. At times, you want to simplify things and make them quicker. Then there is the accent marks that you need to type in and that make things complicated. Another thing is URLs that you need to deal with immediately. There are many barriers to smooth typing. However, when you opt for online tech support, you get best tips for typing.

Read on to find out all about it: 

 “.com” made easy for iOS

It is not easy to type in the string of URL that you wish to send across to another user. Another thing is to type it in the address bar when you are using Safari or using Chrome. For more such tricks opt for tech support or technical support services. 

 

Using Accent marks for your Android and iOS

You might find it cumbersome for using the accent mark in few words. Constructing an e-mail message on Android or iPhone becomes difficult if you do not know what to do. You can easily use the accents and other marks if you know the trick. 

To apply the circumflex, acute, or grave do the following:

Tap and hold down the letter key, you can hold down ‘A’ for adding the mark.

For more keyboard shortcuts or swipe functionality, you can choose to opt for technical help desk. 

 

Swipe to type for Android and iOS

Typing numerous messages or long messages in your device is tiring indeed. If you know the trick of swipe to type, you will never complain.

You type single key for creating a word, when you swipe to type you slide your fingertips from one key to another. 

While your finger loops across the keys, the predictive words are at work for better typing or swipe gesture.

With Android use the ‘Stock’ keyboard that gives you the feature of ‘swipe to type’. Go to Settings->Language & Input->Google Keyboard-> Settings; select the check box against ‘Enable gesture typing.’ 

If you are keen on third-party software, then you can choose the Swype app available on Google Play store.

If you are using iOS device, then too, things become complicated unless you are using iOS 8 or using Swype. 

Lock the Caps key for Android and iOS

You can lock the Caps key by double tapping the Shift key. A horizontal line appears that indicates that the functionality is active. Now when you start typing, you will be able to type in all caps. 

Currency symbols for Android and iOS

Typing currency symbols especially like Euro, Yen, and Pound is easy when you know the trick. Tap and hold the ‘$’ key to reveal a pop-up bubble that displays numerous symbols for different currencies. 

Em dash & bullets for Android & iOS

The option of the m dash seems complicated and makes things difficult. Just tap and hold down the symbol keys to reveal the options. Tap and hold down the dash key for dash options. 

Emoticons 

When you are engaged in chat or messaging application, you use an emoticon or a smiley. No chat or message makes sense without it. You can use the Emoji option that is provided with both iOS and Android keyboards. 

When you are using stock Android keyboard tap and hold down the ‘Done’ option at the right bottom of the keypad. Then slide your finger on the pop-up emoticon button to see emojis. Keep swiping within the option to reveal more of emoticons. 

For iOS users, enable the emoji keyboard, Settings-> General->Keyboard, the tap keyboard again to reveal ‘Emoji’. If you are not able to find it there, then tap the option of ‘Add new keyboard’ to locate it in the list. Go back to the keyboard and tap the globe icon key to reveal all the emoticons. 

Talk instead

You can dictate stuff to your Android or your iOS device whenever you want. Tap the icon of the microphone located at top right corner for Android users. For iOS, the icon appears near the space bar. 

Symbol keys for Android

Flip the keys for getting everyday symbols like percentage sign or exclamation marks for easy typing. Alternatively, you can tap and hold on the ‘.’ mark to reveal common symbols.

Just remember that the above-mentioned tricks for keyboard work with Stock Android. For more symbols and keyboard help opt for tech support.

McAfee Total Protection 2015: Is McAfee Antivirus Enough to Block Malicious URLs?

Who doesn’t want to be secured and protected while accessing the Internet? Are you one of the regular Internet users who visit multiple websites and internet sources to complete their routine jobs? If yes, then malicious threats, stubborn infections, and uncertain PC flaws might keep you worried all the time. McAfee Total Protection 2015 is the latest security suite that offers entry-level protection against all such vulnerable programs and threats. The security suite is available at a cost of $89.99 per year for three licenses, specifically adding File Lock encryption and McAfee SiteAdvisor to enhance the basic security shield. Some web researchers also claim that Total Protection is efficient in blocking malicious websites that lure users by offering a free online virus scan so let’s read how true are those claims:

Some Common Shared Antivirus Features

The Total Protection 2015 shares almost all the features enlisted in the McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2015 security pack. According to some online tech magazines and independent research labs, most of the McAfee reviews state that the antivirus gets a perfect score in detecting viruses and other stubborn infections.

Some independent research firms also claim that the McAfee’s latest security suite matches the Symantec Norton Security suite’s score while comparing them on malware blocking tests. These independent firms also concluded that the security program features amazing malicious URL blocking features to stop a user from accessing malware-hosting URLs. Additionally, the security suite is capable of wiping out malicious files during or immediately after download to offer high-end protection to innocent users.

The McAfee's standalone antivirus incorporates firewall protection, built-in phishing protection in popular browsers, McAfee’s SiteAdvisor, and home networking features to offer protection against Web-based attacks. The QuickClean feature helps users to get rid of junk files and browsing history at once, and the Vulnerability Scanner works efficiently in installing the missing security patches.

Additionally, you can scan the web to read McAfee reviews to get further details and understand how Total Protection gets advanced level protection when compared with other popular security suites.

Two Basic Security Features of the Suite

1.       Antivirus Protection

Once you’ve installed and reached the McAfee total protection login screen, just leave all your worries on this smart security program, and it will handle it all. The suite includes Deep Page Protection to block websites having security threats, NetGuard to scan and judge incoming/outgoing web site traffic and Hacked Page Protection to offer prevention against sidebar ads.

 2.       Parental Controls

McAfee has made some major improvement on its Parental Control features by incorporating the Usage Reports to offer clear details of online activities. The much-detailed report explains for how many hours your children stayed online, how many times they accessed unsuitable sites and their attempts to enter forbidden login areas. Total Protection’s Time Change Monitor allows you to restrict your child from changing the computer’s time, resulting in evading your set schedule.

McAfee SiteAdvisor Live

The basic McAfee SiteAdvisor only marks up search results in popular search engines, but this one adds a green, yellow, or red colored icons to display the link’s status. The green, yellow, or red icons claim a link to be safe, iffy, or dangerous by matching its details with a pre-defined antivirus database. This tool will display the proper details of the allotted ratings and its details to ensure your complete online safety. The SiteAdvisor Live extends the features of this tool to scan links in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, resulting in offering better social networking security.

File Lock Encryption

McAfee's File Lock allows you to create plenty of vaults or encrypted folders to ensure safe storage of all your sensitive files and data. On the first set up, the tool asks you to create three security questions to add advanced-level protection to your encrypted files. So create a Vault, name it, set the maximum size of the folder, choose a password and securely put your sensitive files into a Vault. Additionally, you can also use the inbuilt File Shredder to delete the original data and make it irrecoverable from the hard disk drive.

Final Verdict

Undoubtedly, McAfee Total Protection 2015 is a basic security suite, offering comprehensive computer protection with some excellent security tools. The security program also incorporates fully-featured parental controls panel to monitor activities, manage security, restrict and block websites, and thus create a safer computing environment for your kids. The antivirus suite is light on system resources and is made available at a reasonable price to ensure that you never compromise on your device’s and kid’s security!

Want to Encrypt DNS Traffic in Ubuntu? Learn How to Do it Using DNSCrypt

Have you ever thought about using an encrypted web browsing environment or securing your server environment to prevent spying and man-in-the-middle attacks? If yes, then you must know about DNSCrypt, a protocol for securing communications, which enables a user to establish strong DNS security layers and prevents spoofing. The DNScrypt-proxy tool helps a user to encrypt everything that is being transferred between the client and a DNS resolver. The tool can easily act as a DNS forwarder, enabling a configured network to authenticate incoming/outgoing traffic requests and passing them to an upstream server. 

Undoubtedly, setting up DNS and managing its security isn’t an easy task, but it is required every time you access a website, send an email or engage in IM conversations. In a world where every Internet user is relying on OpenDNS, DNSCrypt provides world-class Internet security by protecting the ‘last mile.’ The ‘last mile’ refers to the distance of your Internet connection between your computer and your ISP. Tech experts claim that the new protocol will soon be a part of world’s Internet connectivity, preventing serious security concerns and helping users to connect different Wi-Fi networks.

Why You Need the New DNS Protocol? 

 

If you’re using Internet for years, then there is no point in explaining about why and how you should encrypt inward/outward traffic. DNS attacks may result in serious cyber crimes, engaging malware authors and hackers stealing your private and confidential information. As SSL turns unprotected HTTP web traffic into HTTPS encrypted traffic, similarly this protocol turns normal DNS traffic into an encrypted traffic channel.

The entire encryption process helps a user in countering eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks, resulting in establishing a strong and secure internet connection. The best thing about this web browsing encryption tool is that it will not make any changes to domain names or its functionalities. All it will do is to secure an encrypted communication network between the customers and DNS servers to avoid any serious data loss or hacking. 

Simple Steps to Install DNSCrypt in Ubuntu

1.       Open the terminal in Ubuntu and run these commands to install DNSCrypt:

·         sudo add-apt-repository ppa:shnatsel/DNScrypt

·         sudo apt-get update

·         sudo apt-get install DNScrypt-proxy

2.       Once the utility gets installed, click the ‘Network icon’ to open the network manager and select ‘Edit connections’ option from the context menu

3.       A ‘Network connections’ window will open, now pick your network connection and click on the ‘Edit’ button

4.       You will see  an additional options window, and you’ll need to switch to the ‘IPv4 settings’ tab to proceed further

5.       Change the ‘Automatic DHCP’ option to ‘Automatic DHCP addresses only’ and enter the DNS IP address as ‘127.0.0.2’

6.       Or if you’re using a ‘Manual' method, then there is no need to change the options, you can proceed by entering the DNS address

7.       Click the ‘Save’ button to make and save the changes

8.       Now, restart your network connection or your Ubuntu machine to bring the changes in action and enjoy secured web browsing experience.

Conclusion

Once you’ve enabled this DNSsecurity protocol, all your DNS communications will automatically get encrypted to deliver a safer online experience. Always remember that installing and setting up DNS protocol will ensure that all your DNS requests get authenticated and approved before they reach your PC. It is a must download utility for people using VPN services as they won’t encrypt your incoming/outgoing traffic and may give rise to severe online attacks. If you are really concerned about your online security and privacy, then encrypt DNS traffic in Ubuntu using DNSCrypt to avoid man-in-the-middle attacks and DNS hijacking!