Bytes: What’s new in tech

Google’s new search engine

Google is revamping its flagship search engine, said Alistair Barr in USA Today. The company has rolled out a new algorithm, code-named “Hummingbird,” which “makes search results more relevant and useful, especially when users ask more complex questions.” Online searchers generally type in single words and simple phrases. But when they speak rather than type, people tend to “use more complex phrases.” And Google executives say voice-based search is becoming increasingly important, as more users rely on their smartphones to find information online. The revamp will affect 90 percent of Google’s search results, which is a big deal for “those in the Internet and advertising industries.”

iOS 7’s motion sickness problem

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In some people, even phones can cause nausea, said Jacob Kastrenakes in TheVerge.com. Apple’s new operating software for iPhones and iPads, iOS 7, “has had plenty of detractors” on aesthetic grounds, but some users “may have genuine cause for complaint.” It turns out “the zooming and parallax animations across the new operating system have been giving some users bad cases of motion sickness.” Users can eliminate the shifting parallax effect that makes the iPhone’s home screen look 3-D by turning on the “Reduce Motion” feature under accessibility settings. But Apple says there is no way to disable “the zooming effects that are now ubiquitous across iOS when opening and closing apps.” Some users have resorted to downgrading their devices’ software as a result.

FAA gadget policy taking off

Soon there may be no need for fliers to stow their smartphones, said Joan Lowy in the Associated Press. An advisory committee of the Federal Aviation Administration voted last week to change the agency’s rules on electronic devices and allow airline passengers to make limited use of their smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and other gadgets during takeoffs and landings. The recommendation will now go to the FAA itself, which will decide whether to adopt the policy and “ease current restrictions on the use of personal electronic devices on planes.” Under the new policy, travelers would still be required to keep their devices in airplane mode, which means they could access data already stored on the device, but “downloading data, surfing the Web, and talking on the phone would remain prohibited.”