Tech Roundup: Apple 'rOS', Facebook Local & More
[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]
Alphabet/Google:
1. Embraces a new rounded design for mobile search (that mysteriously vanishes when you switch to News tab, Google and inconsistency!) and Google Assistant.
2. Updates Pixel 2 XL with new 'saturated' color display option and other bug fixes to address screen issues.
3. Releases a new light-weight Files Go app for Android (currently in beta) to organise and transfer files with other Android devices offline.
4. Brings Fast Pair to seamlessly connect Bluetooth headsets to Android smartphones a la Apple's AirPods.
5. Puts fully self-driving cars on roads without a safety driver in Arizona as part of its autonomous car development initiative Waymo.
Apple:
1. To address iPhone X screen unresponsiveness in cold weather with a software update, even as "a limited but increasing number of iPhone X owners" encounter a green line of death appearing on the smartphone's display.
2. Acquires imaging sensor startup InVisage Technologies with an aim to "improve imaging capabilities on space-constrained devices, like smartphones."
3. May launch an augmented reality headset with custom 'rOS' operating system by 2020, in addition to a new iPad with Face ID and no home button for release next year, reports Bloomberg.
4. Makes seven new Dynamic and six new Live wallpapers exclusive to the iPhone X on iOS 11 beta 2. (Wait, what? Are wallpapers now an exclusive feature?)
5. Raises potential privacy concerns after it rolls out new guidelines that allows third-party app developers to access face mapping data from the iPhone X (not the True Depth facial info that actually houses the biometrics); restricts them from using the data for advertising or marketing and selling it to analytics companies or data brokers.
Facebook:
1. Responds to criticism that it requires users upload explicit photos or videos of themselves and tag them as non-consensual explicit media to tackle revenge porn; says "we want to test an emergency option for people to provide a photo proactively to Facebook, so it never gets shared in the first place."
2. Gets bashed by co-founder Sean Parker; reveals Facebook was built to exploit human vulnerability.
3. Reportedly plans to let users follow hashtags on Instagram; makes it possible to view bookmarked posts on the photo-focussed social media platform's web version.
4. Relaunches Events as Facebook Local for Android and iOS to take on Yelp and Foursquare; announces Messenger plugin for business-focussed websites to allow direct interaction with customers.
Microsoft:
1. Integrates LinkedIn into Microsoft Word for a resume building assistant to easily import information about work experience and others for an improved resume writing experience.
2. Unveils Near Share feature to share files, URLs and more between PCs in its latest Windows 10 test build.
3. Unveils plans to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to find a cure for cancer as part of its Healthcare NExT initiative.
In other news:
1. Russian antivirus service provider Kaspersky denies being used by Russian intelligence agencies to steal U.S. government secrets; says "it flagged the archived NSA files as suspicious and sent them back to headquarters for analysis" after it found the NSA contractor's home PC to be running a cracked version of Microsoft Word that was infected with malware.
2. Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com celebrate Singles' Day shopping bonanza, logging US$ 25.3 billion and US$ 19.14 billion in sales within 24 hours.
3. Chinese social media giant Toutiao buys Musical.ly, the lip-syncing app popular with teens and young people, for US$ 800 million.
4. Chinese handset maker Xiaomi forays into European market with Mi Mix 2 (€499) and Mi A1 smartphones (€299).
5. Shenzen-based digital conglomerate Tencent acquires 12% stake in Snap Inc., as the ephemeral social media platform admits to a US$ 40 million write-down on failed Spectacles experiment and unveils plans to completely redesign Snapchat ground up for making it easy to use by older people after a brutal quarter.
6. Twitter officially increases tweet character limit from 140 to 280; also makes it possible to have a 50-character long username.
7. Ride-hailing startup Uber loses appeal against employment tribunal ruling in the U.K. last year that mandated the company to classify Uber drivers as workers, rather than self-employed contractors, making them entitled to benefits likes holiday pay and National Minimum Wage.
8. Tokyo becomes the world's first city to grant a residence for Shibuya Mirai, an AI-based chatbot that exists within Line messaging service.
Alphabet/Google:
1. Embraces a new rounded design for mobile search (that mysteriously vanishes when you switch to News tab, Google and inconsistency!) and Google Assistant.
2. Updates Pixel 2 XL with new 'saturated' color display option and other bug fixes to address screen issues.
3. Releases a new light-weight Files Go app for Android (currently in beta) to organise and transfer files with other Android devices offline.
4. Brings Fast Pair to seamlessly connect Bluetooth headsets to Android smartphones a la Apple's AirPods.
5. Puts fully self-driving cars on roads without a safety driver in Arizona as part of its autonomous car development initiative Waymo.
1. To address iPhone X screen unresponsiveness in cold weather with a software update, even as "a limited but increasing number of iPhone X owners" encounter a green line of death appearing on the smartphone's display.
2. Acquires imaging sensor startup InVisage Technologies with an aim to "improve imaging capabilities on space-constrained devices, like smartphones."
3. May launch an augmented reality headset with custom 'rOS' operating system by 2020, in addition to a new iPad with Face ID and no home button for release next year, reports Bloomberg.
4. Makes seven new Dynamic and six new Live wallpapers exclusive to the iPhone X on iOS 11 beta 2. (Wait, what? Are wallpapers now an exclusive feature?)
5. Raises potential privacy concerns after it rolls out new guidelines that allows third-party app developers to access face mapping data from the iPhone X (not the True Depth facial info that actually houses the biometrics); restricts them from using the data for advertising or marketing and selling it to analytics companies or data brokers.
Facebook:
1. Responds to criticism that it requires users upload explicit photos or videos of themselves and tag them as non-consensual explicit media to tackle revenge porn; says "we want to test an emergency option for people to provide a photo proactively to Facebook, so it never gets shared in the first place."
2. Gets bashed by co-founder Sean Parker; reveals Facebook was built to exploit human vulnerability.
3. Reportedly plans to let users follow hashtags on Instagram; makes it possible to view bookmarked posts on the photo-focussed social media platform's web version.
4. Relaunches Events as Facebook Local for Android and iOS to take on Yelp and Foursquare; announces Messenger plugin for business-focussed websites to allow direct interaction with customers.
Microsoft:
1. Integrates LinkedIn into Microsoft Word for a resume building assistant to easily import information about work experience and others for an improved resume writing experience.
2. Unveils Near Share feature to share files, URLs and more between PCs in its latest Windows 10 test build.
3. Unveils plans to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to find a cure for cancer as part of its Healthcare NExT initiative.
In other news:
1. Russian antivirus service provider Kaspersky denies being used by Russian intelligence agencies to steal U.S. government secrets; says "it flagged the archived NSA files as suspicious and sent them back to headquarters for analysis" after it found the NSA contractor's home PC to be running a cracked version of Microsoft Word that was infected with malware.
2. Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com celebrate Singles' Day shopping bonanza, logging US$ 25.3 billion and US$ 19.14 billion in sales within 24 hours.
3. Chinese social media giant Toutiao buys Musical.ly, the lip-syncing app popular with teens and young people, for US$ 800 million.
4. Chinese handset maker Xiaomi forays into European market with Mi Mix 2 (€499) and Mi A1 smartphones (€299).
5. Shenzen-based digital conglomerate Tencent acquires 12% stake in Snap Inc., as the ephemeral social media platform admits to a US$ 40 million write-down on failed Spectacles experiment and unveils plans to completely redesign Snapchat ground up for making it easy to use by older people after a brutal quarter.
6. Twitter officially increases tweet character limit from 140 to 280; also makes it possible to have a 50-character long username.
7. Ride-hailing startup Uber loses appeal against employment tribunal ruling in the U.K. last year that mandated the company to classify Uber drivers as workers, rather than self-employed contractors, making them entitled to benefits likes holiday pay and National Minimum Wage.
8. Tokyo becomes the world's first city to grant a residence for Shibuya Mirai, an AI-based chatbot that exists within Line messaging service.
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