Tech Roundup: Nokia 3310 Return, Windows Patch Tuesday Delay & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
Alphabet/Google:
Alphabet/Google:
- Fixes one of Accelerated Mobile Pages' (AMP) biggest pains by adding option to view the actual URL behind the AMP URL.
- Collaborates with fashion retailer H&M to make a tailored dress based on your personal data.
- Releases Android Wear 2 for smartwatches with capabilities install watch apps straight on your phone (should be good in case you are pairing your Android wear smartwatch with an iPhone, but will people care?)
- Releases an offline-focused variant YouTube Go (that said can someone fix the YouTube app interface, and can someone tell me why is it so different from YouTube Music and Gaming apps? Inconsistency, thy name Google!).
- Adds capabilities to Google Home smart speaker to purchase stuff from Google Express just like Amazon Echo.
- Rolls out an enhanced experience to keep track of your favourite places on Google Maps.
- To reportedly roll out Google Assistant to non-Pixel smartphones.
- Planning to replace 30 second unskippable ads with 6 second unskippable bumper ads on YouTube starting next year for better user experience.
- Said to be working on turning its popular AI-based speaker product, likewise Amazon, into replacement for a home telephone, reports The Wall Street Journal (paywall).
Apple:
- Sold six million Apple Watches last quarter, accounting for 80% of total quarterly sales.
- Announces Worldwide Developers Conference from June 5-9 as iPhone hits its tenth anniversary.
- Says it doesn't have a "wonder machine" to scan billions of posts for racist or abusive language as it faces a sudden prospect of being fined millions in Germany for failing to remove malicious posts.
- Updates its ad policies to prevent race based ad targeting after ProPublica expose last October.
- Announces 200 million users for its lightweight flagship Android-only app Facebook Lite.
- Adds a full-fledged weather forecast tool into its app (how about adding messenger instead?).
- Takes on LinkedIn with job postings and search features.
Yahoo!:
- Telephone operator Verizon to go ahead with Yahoo! acquisition despite two large-scale data breaches; to lower offer by as much as US$ 350 million, reports Reuters.
- Begins warning users of a sophisticated cookie forging exploit (separate from the two hacks) that it reported last year.
- The next wireless standard is officially titled 5G; gets a new logo.
- Scientists trick living cells into thinking non-living cells are real, thus passing the Turing test.
- MIT develops an extremely power-efficient speech-recognition chip capable of distinguishing ambient noise from speech.
- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) creates world record by launching 104 satellites in one a single flight.
- Amazon takes on Skype and Google Hangouts with a new business-focused video conferencing tool called Chime.
- Twitter takes a new stand on online abuse; will hide abusive tweets and prevent known spammers from creating new accounts.
- Flipboard, under three way assault from Apple News, Google AMP and Facebook Instant Articles, redesigns itself around smart magazines and granular topics that aims to burst your filter bubble.
- Video streaming service Netflix planning Toys, merchandise based on hit TV shows, Bloomberg reports.
- Photo-sharing social network Pinterest introduces Lens, a new way that "lets you use the camera in your Pinterest app to discover ideas inspired by objects you see out in the real world."
- Read-it-later service Instapaper recovers fully after a outage sends it offline on February 9.
- Ephemeral mobile messaging application Snapchat to roll out reality TV shows as part of its foray into producing original video content.
- HMD, Finnish manufacturer with exclusive rights to release phones under Nokia brand, set to resurrect legendary Nokia 3310 handset at Mobile World Congress this month.
- Chinese electronics giant Huawei joins Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Samsung, HTC and others in developing its own voice assistant for smartphones.
- Microsoft delays Patch Tuesday until next month "due to a last minute issue."
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