The year 2016 was filled with stories about or involving personal technology. New products and services kept us wondering what technology will be like in the future and how it might affect our lives. 2016 was a time of change worldwide. High-tech inventions, changes to existing services, and even product failures combined to make this a year to remember. Digital assistants rose in popularity with the launch of Google Assistant in the Pixelphone and the Google Home smart speaker. Google Assistant can give you a list of activities, answer search questions and tell you when it is time to leave for your next meeting. It is similar to digital assistants Siri, from Apple, and Alexa, from the American company Amazon. In 2016, Alexa expanded its reach into two new Amazon products, Dot and Tap. The service was made available to other businesses last year. So this year, it began appearing on products not made by Amazon. Each Friday in 2016, Amazon sent subscribers an email with new skills for Alexa. The company also created a page for users to discover Alexa's skills. This year, Apple gave Siri the ability to connect to software programs known as third-party apps. As a result, you can use Siri to order a car with the Uber ride service or find a business with the Yelp mobile app. This year, Facebook made a number of changes, including adding Reactions. Now you can do more than Like a post on the website. You can express Reactions such as Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry. Facebook now offers Live Video, so you can share live stream videos with your friends and watch videos from those you follow. Facebook also added GIFs in Messenger and more ways to share photographs.
Title: Top Technology Stories of 2016
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/2016_tech_stories.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Top Technology Stories of 2016' data-article-id='2111'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='9500'>The year 2016 was filled with stories about or involving personal technology.</span> <span data-start-time='9500' data-end-time='21396'>New products and services kept us wondering what technology will be like in the future and how it might affect our lives.</span> <span data-start-time='21396' data-end-time='27000'>2016 was a time of change worldwide.</span> <span data-start-time='27000' data-end-time='40188'>High-tech inventions, changes to existing services, and even product failures combined to make this a year to remember.</span> <span data-start-time='40188' data-end-time='54063'>Digital assistants rose in popularity with the launch of Google Assistant in the Pixelphone and the Google Home smart speaker.</span> <span data-start-time='54063' data-end-time='67958'>Google Assistant can give you a list of activities, answer search questions and tell you when it is time to leave for your next meeting.</span> <span data-start-time='67958' data-end-time='78771'>It is similar to digital assistants Siri, from Apple, and Alexa, from the American company Amazon.</span> <span data-start-time='78771' data-end-time='89500'>In 2016, Alexa expanded its reach into two new Amazon products, Dot and Tap.</span> <span data-start-time='89500' data-end-time='95083'>The service was made available to other businesses last year.</span> <span data-start-time='95083' data-end-time='101938'>So this year, it began appearing on products not made by Amazon.</span> <span data-start-time='101938' data-end-time='112125'>Each Friday in 2016, Amazon sent subscribers an email with new skills for Alexa.</span> <span data-start-time='112125' data-end-time='120042'>The company also created a page for users to discover Alexa's skills.</span> <span data-start-time='120042' data-end-time='130896'>This year, Apple gave Siri the ability to connect to software programs known as third-party apps.</span> <span data-start-time='130896' data-end-time='143521'>As a result, you can use Siri to order a car with the Uber ride service or find a business with the Yelp mobile app.</span> <span data-start-time='143521' data-end-time='152875'>This year, Facebook made a number of changes, including adding Reactions.</span> <span data-start-time='152875' data-end-time='159354'>Now you can do more than Like a post on the website.</span> <span data-start-time='159354' data-end-time='172188'>You can express Reactions such as Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry.</span> <span data-start-time='172188' data-end-time='186667'>Facebook now offers Live Video, so you can share live stream videos with your friends and watch videos from those you follow.</span> <span data-start-time='186667' data-end-time='195854'>Facebook also added GIFs in Messenger and more ways to share photographs.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/2016_tech_stories.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=7842 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/what_does_technology_mean.m4a'>What does technology mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='applying scientific knowledge for practical purposes'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/leaving_for_a_meeting.m4a'><span>leaving for a meeting</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/ordering_a_car_service.m4a'><span>ordering a car service</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/answering_search_questions.m4a'><span>answering search questions</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/applying_scientific_knowledge_for_practical_purposes.m4a'><span>applying scientific knowledge for practical purposes</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=7843 data-hint-location='40188' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/how_can_new_technology_help_people.m4a'>How can new technology help people?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='using a digital assistant'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/using_a_digital_assistant.m4a'><span>using a digital assistant</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/making_a_video.m4a'><span>making a video</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/subscribing_to_an_email.m4a'><span>subscribing to an email</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/appearing_on_products.m4a'><span>appearing on products</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=7844 data-hint-location='143521' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/facebook_added__blank__to_their_website.m4a'>Facebook added <span class='blank'>reactions</span> to their website.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='reactions'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/car_services.m4a'><span>car services</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/new_stories.m4a'><span>new stories</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/reactions.m4a'><span>reactions</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1594/photographs.m4a'><span>photographs</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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