Tech Roundup: Google I/O 2017, Uber Freight & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
- Google announces improvements to Google Assistant with Google Goggles-like visual search feature called Google Lens ad third-party integrations called Actions, brings Assistant to iPhone, releases Android O beta (along with a stripped down version called Android Go targeting budget devices) and calling features to Google Home (a week after Amazon's Echo Show), among others; Google Assistant to also gain support for money transfer.
- Google Hangouts for Android to drop support for SMS today, leaving users with no clear alternative to an iMessage-like solution.
- Google rebrands Android Device Manager as Find My Device.
- YouTube, Snap, Musical.ly and Facebook all target television with original programming in collaboration with TV channels, pop stars and TV hosts.
- Windows 7 (and not XP) emerges the reason for contagious spread of WannaCry ransomware with most affected machines not patched with a critical security patch that was issued by Microsoft in March; North Korea dismisses allegations as "ridiculous" after security researchers uncover similarities in digital signature used by hacking group Lazarus Group, who have been previously linked to Sony Pictures hack in 2014 and a series of bank heists in 2016.
- Apple begins assembling iPhones in India; begins selling indigenously manufactured iPhone SE in the country.
- Facebook's content moderation policy leaks, fueling further questions on how the social network polices content.
Google Assistant widget for iOS (left) and new search results page (right) |
- Facebook simplifies Messenger chat application for Android and iOS with a better design to fix its bloated layout. (Protip: If you are craving for the app that Messenger used to be, sans all the Instant Games, Messenger Day and other features, sideload Messenger Lite for Android, or use mbasic.facebook.com from your browser or visit m.facebook.com from Bing or Google search apps for iOS to access Messenger from within the website.)
- Facebook-owned Instagram copies last of Snapchat's unique features; brings face filters in latest update.
- Facebook adds options to order food from with its website and apps; food ordering service GrubHub's (which also owns Seamless) shares dip on announcement.
- Popular chat app Telegram adds support for chatbot payments to order pizza, pay for items, hire a cab, or refill your subway pass etc.); also adds short video messages and new design options for Instant View reading mode.
- Restaurant guide service Zomato gets hacked, resulting in 17 million user credentials leaked on the dark web for sale; data removed after it agrees to introduce a bug bounty program.
- Twitter-owned Vine, which was shut down at the start of this year, alerts users of a bug that exposed user email addresses and phone numbers to third-parties for a brief period of time; says the data wasn't misused.
- Ride hailing startup Uber launches a new Freight service to match carriers (aka trucks) and companies who need their cargo shipped across the country.
Comments
Post a Comment