Speaking a foreign language often comes with a fear of performance. What if you pronounce words wrong? What if your mind freezes? Undoubtedly, confidence in speaking a language other than your native one takes time to build, but the first step to getting there is actually simple: practice.
In the world of language apps, Babbel is launching two speech-based tools to help its users exercise their oral skills, overcome that fear, and feel comfortable while speaking.
The first new feature uses AI-powered speech recognition to provide users with support during vocabulary-based lessons and help them with pronunciation.
To evaluate the speaker’s pronunciation, Babbel’s AI model was trained on millions of data points from the company’s audio bank, using both correct and incorrect pronunciations, different voice ranges, and diverse accents and dialects — for example, Spanish from Argentina, Columbia, and Spain.
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With the AI speech recognition tool, users can check their pronunciation. Credit: Babbel
When activating the feature, users are asked to speak directly into their device when prompted. The AI tool analyses the recording and compares it to thousands of samples of phonemes (distinct sounds that make up a langugae) to assess the accuracy of the pronunciation. It then provides users with tailored, visual feedback.
“[It] works by comparing one attempt with several possible positive outcomes, with a preciseness that can be fine-tuned according to the learner’s level (we can be stricter with more advanced learners for example),” Amin Abbasi, a backend engineer at Babbel, told TNW.
The feature also offers pronunciation tips. Credit: Babbel
The app’s second new speech-based tool is Everyday Conversations, which is designed to help learners independently practice dialogues with the goal to reduce speaking anxiety.
“Part of the difficulty [in learning a language] comes down to confidence when speaking,” Molly Thompson Zeugner, VP of Product at Babbel, told TNW.
“The problem is that everyone wants to understand and be understood by who they are talking to, but it takes practice to feel comfortable enough to do so. This is a bit of a catch 22 and is why we have launched the Everyday Conversations feature.”
Everyday Conversations simulates short dialogues between speakers in different real-life scenarios, such as “introducing yourself,” “ordering food,” or “talking to friends after work.”
Example of an Everyday Conversations dialogue. Credit: Babbel
Users first listen to the conversation to get acquainted with it and then they can mimic it independently. According to the company, this creates a safe practicing space, where learners can feel comfortable to speak and enhance their verbal skills.
Both features can be used individually or as additional support for learners who attend Babbel’s live classes, in line with the company’s holistic approach to language learning.
The AI speech recognition is currently available on the web app in five languages: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), with plans to reach a wider audience in the coming months. It will be soon rolled out on iOS too.
Meanwhile, Everyday Conversations is available on Android and iOS for learners of English and Spanish (Castilian and Latin American). French will be added later in November — in case you’ve always dreamt of ordering a croissant like a pro.
The reasons you’ll want to stay connected while traveling are pretty obvious: unless you’re planning an Into the Wild style off the grid experience, you’ll probably want to be able to use your data to find your way around, buy tickets, upload photos onto social media, fire up that local dating app, or whatever you like to do while abroad.
But, international data and calling rates can place a hefty burden on your travel budget, not to mention roaming fees which vary with every border you cross. That’s why buying physical SIM cards has been the option of choice for many travellers, until now.
Today, we’re finally entering the age of electronic SIM cards, better known as eSIMs, that store your phone’s data in the cloud and can be installed and switched virtually. Basically an eSIM is a SIM card that’s embedded directly into your device and can connect to any operator offering eSIM services. For travellers, this is good news because it means you can also buy prepaid cards for any country or region you plan to visit online before your trip. And there are now a number of options available such as Holafly eSIM.
We’ve compiled this handy guide with everything travellersneed to know about eSIMs in 2023:
The pros of eSIMs vs physical SIM cards
1. Convenience
First and foremost, the biggest benefit to eSIMs is that you don’t have to go to a physical store or even be in the country to purchase your data. Instead, you can shop online, choose a provider, and install it directly onto your phone (more on that later). This means that the moment you hit the ground you’ll be connected, making it easier to order an Uber, find your way through a complex tube system, or just find the nearest bar with a happy hour.
Then, once you’re back home, you can just switch back to your local eSIM in a few clicks (don’t worry, we’ll share tips on that too).
2. You can use multiple eSIMs
This is also a convenient option if you travel between countries often. iPhones that support eSIM allow you to have multiple cards and even use Dual SIMs, meaning you can have two activated at the same time.
For example, if you’re crossing borders back and forth on a regular basis, having Dual SIMs activated would allow you to automatically use whichever SIM is locally connected, without having to change your settings. You can also buy an eSIM for an entire region, for example, buying an eSIM for Europe will cover a number of different countries.
3. A future without SIM trays?
iPhone 14 is planning to axe its SIM tray in the US, meaning iPhones now and in the future won’t be able to carry physical SIMs.
Although, of course, Apple isn’t the only brand for devices, it won’t be surprising if others follow suit and slim down future smartphone models even more. So, cutting SIM trays could become a wider market trend.
4. Don’t lose your data
With an eSIM, there is no physical SIM card that can be lost or damaged. So if your phone does get stolen, lost, or broken while on vacation, you can still access your data via the cloud and transfer it to your new phone.
5. Sustainability
Finally, if you’re looking to cut down on plastics as much as possible, why bother with physical SIM cards?
And yes, SIM cards are super tiny, but it’s like quitting the use of plastic straws: every bit counts.
The cons of eSIMs vs physical SIM cards
Of course it’s not all sunshine and daisies in eSIM land. There are some drawbacks to consider before going for this option:
1. Compatibility
Although eSIMs are a growing trend, not all devices or cellular carriers are up to speed yet. While most carriers have adopted eSIM, some still haven’t or don’t support all devices yet.
For example, if you’re headed to Spain, keep in mind that Yoigo doesn’t support eSIMs for Apple Watch. However, as mentioned before, it seems the general trend is moving towards eSIMs so we’ll see more carriers introduce plans to adopt this technology in the near future.
2. Location tracking
As eSIMs are installed virtually onto your phone, you can’t remove them from your device like a physical SIM. This means you also can’t avoid the possibility of being tracked by mobile carriers/governments. If this is a concern for you in the country you’re traveling to, then you might want to avoid this option.
How to check your phone’s compatibility with eSIM
Before making any decisions, you first need to check if your phone is compatible with eSIM. Follow these steps:
Check the phone’s specifications or manual to see if it supports eSIM.
Check if your phone has an eSIM tray or if it has an embedded eSIM chip.
Check if your phone’s operating system supports eSIM technology. For example, iPhones running iOS 12.1 or later support eSIM.
Confirm with your carrier if they offer eSIM service and if your phone is compatible.
Or simply check out this eSIM supported phones list which is regularly updated with all eSIM compatible phones and devices.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that, just like with physical SIM cards, your phone also has to be unlocked to use an eSIM. If you’ve bought your device directly from the producer, it’s likely it’ll be unlocked. But, if you bought it from a carrier, it might not be.
If you have an iOS 14 or later, here’s how you can check if its unlocked:
1. Going to Settings
2. Click “General”
3. Go to the “About” section
4. Scroll to “Carrier Lock” or “Network Provider Lock.” If you see “No SIM restrictions,” your iPhone is unlocked. If not, then it most likely means your phone is tied to a specific carrier.
If you don’t have an iPhone, try putting a SIM card in and seeing if it works. This will tell you if your phone is locked. Last but not least, give your provider a ring and they can tell you whether your phone is locked.
Ok, if you’re still reading, it seems you’re sold on getting an eSIM. The question now is, just how easy is it to set it up on your phone?
The first thing you’ll need to do is add the new data plan by going to:
Settings > Mobile Data > Add data plan (steps may be different depending on your device)
Most eSIM providers will send you a QR code which will guide you through a number of steps. Here are some guides to setting up an eSIM on the most popular devices:
Note: If you buy a temporary eSIM plan for your travels, it’s best to set it up just before you leave as your plan will start on the day you activate it.
Want an even easier option for your upcoming trips? The European provider Holafly eSIM recently launched an eSIM app that allows you to install, activate, and verify data consumption in more than 130 countries around the world. Unfortunately, the installation app is only available for iOS at the moment, but non-Apple users can still use Holafly’s eSIM services.
The company offers regular data plans in over 130 countries and unlimited data plans in over 45 destinations for less than $1,50 per day including region-wide plans for Europe. They also have 24/7 support in more than 5 languages.
How to switch between eSIMs and share data
Remember, if you’re traveling around the world, you can use multiple eSIMs but you can only have one or two (for iOS) activated at a time. To switch between eSIMs when entering a new country, use the following steps:
1. Go to: Settings > Cellular/Mobile Data
2. Select the eSIM you want to use (under “Cellular Plans”)
3. Click “Turn on this line”
Wanna share data between different devices or with your travel companions? Just go to:
Settings > Mobile data/Cellular
Then select: Personal Hotspot
Selecting local providers and unlimited data options
Most of the major carriers now offer eSIMs, so you’ll likely have plenty of options to choose from, however, local carriers often charge high roaming fees while you’re abroad. To avoid that, another option is to choose a prepaid international eSIM which may offer more affordable prices.
If you take that route, you’ll need to consider how many GB you’ll need to last you the length of your stay. Of course, this totally depends on how much you’ll be using your data. If you just plan to use it for Google Maps and the occasional search for local restaurants, you may not need as much as a newbie travel influencer looking to upload videos and stream content everyday.
Here’s a handy table by Holafly with some calculations on average data usage to help you out:
The good news is, there are also some unlimited data options, particularly if you’re traveling to the US. Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to share or transfer data with others on this type of plan.
So if you’re ready to take off on your next trip, getting an eSIM can be a hassle-free option to keep you connected, whether you’re going on a multi-country adventure or a simple business trip abroad.
Application development has a long history of quick evolution and transformation, perhaps faster than any other industry. The tools we use to create and host our applications are constantly changing.
The fast developments in programming tools provide plenty of opportunities to create software for companies of different sizes, industries, and budgets. However, the added flexibility and diversity of tools — as well as the constantly changing landscape — also introduce their own set of challenges.
Developers must be able to create their apps in ways that can adapt to the scale and changes that their organization, customers, and infrastructure undergo. Fortunately, with the shift toward graph-based programming, companies will be much better equipped to maintain their agility as they continuously grow and adapt to the needs of their customers.
The challenges of modern application development
One of the blessings — and curses — of modern application development is the many options you have.
You can choose between running your application on your own servers, in the cloud, or in a hybrid model. You can use a serverless model, where a cloud provider manages your server in the background and you focus on functionality, or choose a containerized model, where your application is packaged into a docker file. You can choose between different models of data hosting and storage, including data warehouses and data lakes. And you can make these and many other choices for each component of your application.
The benefit of this powerful variety of computing and storage platforms is that you can adjust your application according to the needs of your customers and your organization. However, the downside is the added complexity that comes with communicating with the many different service APIs that support your application.
GraphQL helps developers communicate with APIs through flexible and structured data queries.
“Many applications must communicate with dozens, even hundreds of services during runtime. In some cases, every application update (mobile, web, etc.) requires hundreds of API calls to different services,” says Peggy Rayzis, Sr. Director of Developer Experience at Apollo Graph, Inc. “This requires a huge and complicated effort by developers, who must ensure all these different services are compatible and can interoperate.”
The added complexity also makes it difficult to iterate, add or modify features, or change the underlying infrastructure. In each case, redundant implementations and inconsistencies between services force developers to go through intensive changes in their code to connect all the old and new services.
Graph-based programming to the rescue
One of the trends helping developers tackle the complexity of the application ecosystem is graph-based programming. Graph-based programming enables developers to add a data schema layer between their application and the API services that run behind the scenes. This layer of abstraction decouples these parts and enables them to evolve without causing major disruptions in each other.
“Basically, the idea is that you add an intermediate layer that enables your application to interact with your data entities by querying a graph,” Rayzis says. “The graph layer is uniform and flexible, regardless of what kind of infrastructure is working behind the scenes, whether it’s an on-prem server, a cloud VM, a REST API, a data warehouse, or a serverless function such as AWS Lambda.”
Graph-based programming was popularized by GraphQL, a data-query language introduced by Facebook in 2015. GraphQL helps developers communicate with APIs through flexible and structured data queries. This makes it easier for the developer to focus on the data schema and logic of the application and also maintain the stability of the application as the APIs evolve and change.
We’re seeing 30% of fortune 500 companies building their apps on the supergraph.
Companies and applications of different sizes can benefit from graph-based programming. Rayzis says:
Regardless of size and structure, every application can benefit from graph-based development. As your app grows or your data infrastructure changes, your graph remains consistent and remains tied to the logic of your app.
For example, Walmart used GraphQL to create a federated schema of different entities used across their different applications and services offered on web and mobile. With GraphQL, they could remove a lot of the code being replicated across their APIs, unify their applications, and become much more agile in rolling out features and improving the user experience.
The next generation of graph-based tools
“What we found over our six-plus years working with developers implementing GraphQL at scale is that its flexibility is its greatest strength, but it can also lead to some negative consequences if it isn’t implemented in a principled way,” Rayzis says.
These limitations led to the idea of the supergraph, Apollo’s special implementation of GraphQL. The supergraph goes beyond the basic benefits of GraphQL, which are to replace data-fetching and backend for frontend (BFF) code with schema and queries. It brings together a company’s data, microservices, and digital capabilities, creating a unified composition layer for the whole organization. The supergraph architecture is built on Apollo’s open technology, Apollo Federation. Apollo also provides GraphOS, a cloud-based platform of tools with an edge runtime and schema delivery pipeline for the supergraph. According to Rayzis:
The supergraph allows you to distribute the graph schema across different teams and different services, but then unify it together into one interface for the client. It’s about solving real customer problems. It’s based on our years of experience, helping customers implement GraphQL. And really, the main principles are that it’s one unified layer, built-in modules that you can evolve over time.
One of the companies that have benefited from the supergraph is Booking.com, one of the world’s largest online travel agencies. Booking.com has been around since 1996 and is thus running a lot of legacy code and infrastructure. This makes it very challenging to change the software architecture, especially as the company employs thousands of engineers and needs to make sure they can collaborate safely.
Thanks to the flexibility and versatility of the supergraph, Booking.com was able to make a phased transition to GraphQL without breaking any of their services. As they gradually rolled out the supergraph across the organization, the engineers and managers realized its benefits and helped accelerate the transition. The full adoption of the supergraph has enabled Booking.com to ship 40% faster, sometimes doubling the speed at which they’re releasing features. At the same time, they’ve managed to considerably reduce mistakes and breaking changes.
“We’re seeing 30% of fortune 500 companies building their apps on the supergraph. And I think that number is only going to increase in the years to come,” Rayzis says.
It’s going to dramatically lower the barrier for app development and make it so that more developers can create apps. It’s going to continue to reduce the time needed to create those apps. And so by making it more approachable, and reducing that time, you’re going to see even more innovation.
App downloads are at an all-time high, but a growing number of innovators believe that a world beyond them is the next frontier for technology. We’re constantly shuffling back and forth from one app to another to carry out daily tasks. But this can be cumbersome, a drain on devices, and time-consuming. It’s not unusual for people to use a combination of apps simultaneously to carry out one task. Just think about all those times when you had to switch to your email, while using another app, because you needed to verify something in your inbox. With people averaging four…
