Google may be looking to ensure its control of the world's search market by building a gesture-based smartphone and tablet keyboard designed to work with Apple's iPhone and iPad, which has integrated search functionality, according to sources speaking to the Verge. According to the report, Google employees have been testing the new keyboard for several months already though the search giant has yet to decide when or if it will release the keyboard to Apple's App Store. With the introduction of iOS 8 in 2014, Apple finally opened up its software to allow users install third-party keyboards to replace the stock iOS version. Google's keyboard, like the stock Android keyboard, allows for gesture typing, a feature that allows users to swipe their finger from one letter to the next allowing Google to then guess what word you want based on the shape of the gesture you have made. As well as this gesture feature, Google is said to be integrating GIFs and images directly into the keyboard which would be powered by Google's own image search.

Nearly a decade after the iPhone broke the mould, is the evolution of the smartphone finally come to an end? Industry experts believe innovation is giving way to phone functions popping up as software or services in devices from cars to fridges and to watches and jewellery. Even Apple now treats older, smaller 4-inch screens as something new. And analysts and product designers said fresh breakthroughs are running up against the practical limits of what's possible in current hardware in terms of screen size and battery life. Industry experts believe innovation is giving way to phone functions popping up as software or services in devices from cars to fridges and to watches and jewellery.

Apple customers looking to recycle iPhones will be awarded with a gift of thanks at retail stores, but don't expect to get credit to buy more stuff. As a part of a greater effort to help the environment and give old iPhones a second chance at life, the company will be directing those who donate devices through its new Renew program to Apple.com/Thanks, See also: Inside Liam, Apple's super-secret, 29-armed robot that tears down your iPhone While the URL will be given to customers when they return their phones for recycling, anyone can access the wallpapers by visiting the site. Store credit is typically awarded to those who trade-in old phones for new ones, but Apple wanted to reward those who are recycling with a virtual gift that won't take more up more resources. The colorful wallpapers were designed by graphic artist Anthony Burrill and inspired by nature.

Some of Japan's banks and insurance companies have started using artificial intelligence to handle customers' inquiries more efficiently over the phone and online. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ's smartphone app features MAI, a virtual bank teller, who can respond to customers by understanding the nature of their queries. For instance, if a customer says, "I lost my ATM card," MAI will recognize the situation and tell the customer what to do. The Android version of the app has already been released. The iPhone version is expected to become available by the end of this month.

Your Fitbit (or whatever it is the activity-enlightened wear these days) can make a pretty good guess at how many calories you're burning through. And it can do it without any input from you. But if you want to keep track of how many you're putting in, you'll still need to do some work yourself, even if it's only choosing from a menu on an app. Inspired by that asymmetry, State University of New York at Buffalo computer scientist Wenyao Xu and colleagues at Northeastern University in China developed Autodietary, a necklace-like gadget that attempts to tell what you're eating. The device senses sounds from your neck to categorize your meal.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Nearly a decade after the iPhone broke the mould for mobile phones the question is now being asked whether the evolution of the smartphone has finally come to an end as even Apple now treats older, smaller 4-inch screens as something new. Industry experts believe innovation in smartphones is giving way to phone functions popping up as software or services in all manner of new devices from cars to fridges to watches and jewellery rather than remaining with handheld devices. And analysts and product designers said fresh breakthroughs are running up against the practical limits of what's possible in current smartphone hardware in terms of screen size, battery life and network capacity. "Everything in the phone industry now is incremental: slightly faster, slightly bigger, slightly more storage or better resolution," said Christian Lindholm, inventor of the easy text-messaging keyboards in old Nokia phones that made them the best-selling mobile devices of all time. The financial stakes are high as the futures of Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the world's three biggest listed companies at the end of last year, may turn on who gets the jump on making handsets redundant.

The ability to access and use financial services is critical to managing day-to-day life, weathering unexpected events, and capturing opportunities. Yet, some 46 percent of working-age adults in developing countries remain excluded from the formal financial system. That doesn't mean they don't use finance. It means they use the age-old informal mechanisms such as the moneylender, the pawnbroker, or the rotating savings club that can be unreliable and very expensive. In developed countries, working families are more likely to be under- or badly served rather than outright excluded.

Every day new travel sites and apps are launched that promise to make trip planning easier. Some do and some don't. Here are two free tools optimized for smartphones that I tested and really liked: Lonely Planet's free Guides app for iOS and Android, and Destinations on Google, which makes it easy to aggregate information for your next travel adventure. The app includes more than 35 free importable guides to international and U.S. destinations, from Bangkok to London and Boston to San Francisco. I tested New York, Kyoto and Vancouver.

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Apple has revealed a 29 armed robot that can rip apart an iPhone in 11 seconds for recycling. It is hoped the machine will help recycle silver, tungsten and other metals from the handsets. The system started to operate at full capacity last month and can take apart one iPhone 6 every 11 seconds to recover aluminum, copper, tin, tungsten, cobalt, gold and silver parts, according to Apple. The system started to operate at full capacity last month and can take apart one iPhone 6 every 11 seconds to recover aluminum, copper, tin, tungsten, cobalt, gold and silver parts, according to Apple. It has already been installed near Apple's HQ in Cupertino, and it plans to build a second in Europe.