Google turns emoji into a verbal language
Many pundits decry the use of emoji as contributing to the decline of advanced communications. While I understand that view, the criticism is quite overblown. Actually, one of the biggest pain points of text-based communication is a lack of context and emotion. In other words, emails and text messages can often be misinterpreted, potentially leading to arguments and misunderstandings. Emoji can remedy that, by improving upon modern language. How? Well, for example, a wink ? can help show when a person is joking.
Today, Google introduces a new way to insert emoji using its Gboard keyboard -- with voice dictation. While it's cool to have another way to insert emoji, this voice method might be tedious. After all, there are so many emoji nowadays, that it would probably be easier to just use your hands and scroll through them rather than trying to remember every voice command. For someone with a handicap that must rely on voice, however, this could be something amazing.
Leaked memo shows high return rate for Surface devices, and Microsoft's image-improvement plans
When Consumer Reports announced that it was dropping its "recommended" status from Surface devices, Microsoft was quick to defend itself. While the software giant disagreed with the move, saying it doesn't believe the "findings accurately reflect Surface owners' true experiences or capture the performance and reliability improvements made with every Surface generation," a leaked internal memo shows high return rates for Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.
While it's certainly true that return rates have dropped over time, the information contained in the memo goes some way to explaining the decision taken by Consumer Reports. The memo also shows that Microsoft is ready to communicate with the ratings group and encourage it to "reverse [its] findings." The company is prepared to go on the offensive to defend its reputation.
New platform looks to plug gaps in enterprise security
When enterprises have a range of different IT systems and integrated supply chains it can lead to gaps in security coverage which are easily overlooked.
Fortress Information Security is launching a new Emerging Security Risk Management platform to provide an enterprise-wide visualization capability allowing organizations to spot and address gaps.
Google is testing Material Design in Google Calendar for the desktop
Despite the age of its Material Design, Google is being surprisingly slow in rolling out the look to its products. While the UI is found pretty much universally in Android apps, the appearance on the desktop is happening at a rather more leisurely pace.
Chrome 59 sees the appearance of Material Design, and now Google is testing the look in the desktop version of Google Calendar. The design is undergoing testing through Google's Trusted Tester program, but images have leaked out giving us a glimpse of what's to come.
Fear of missing out is driving cloud investments
Businesses are increasingly keen to move ahead with cloud strategies and, according to a new survey, one of the reasons may be simply that they don’t want to miss out.
The study from backup and archiving company Commvault with CITO Research finds that 81 percent of C-level and other IT leaders are either extremely concerned or very concerned about missing out on cloud advancements.
Opera kills off its free data-saving app, Opera Max
Opera Max -- the free data-saving and VPN-like tool from the team behind the Opera web browser -- is being killed off.
The app has been removed from Google Play with immediate effect, and there will be no more updates. Opera is not really giving a reason for the sudden decision other that the fact that Opera Max had "a substantially different value proposition than our browser products."
Google buys health monitoring startup Senosis Health
Google's latest acquisition is Senosis Health, a Seattle-based startup focused on monitoring and diagnosing health conditions via mobile phones. This is not Google's first venture into the world of health, but it could signify its next big step.
Senosis Health, founded by Shwetak Patel, has transformed regular smartphones into medical devices that can be used to monitor everything from jaundice in babies to chronic respiratory diseases. The aim is to do as much as possible without the need for extra, specialist equipment.
Four tips to make bots successful at customer support
Bots are at a tipping point in customer care, and many large bands, including RBS and Vodafone, are already bringing AI and bots to life for millions of their customers. But the hype around bots has also introduced many misconceptions. If implemented poorly, bots could have a disastrous effect on the customer experience.
From our work with many of the world’s leading bot-makers and largest brands over the last few years, we have learned there are four "secrets" to making bots successful in customer care, without which bot projects are more likely fail.
McAfee launches virtual security platform for AWS
Workloads on AWS can be vulnerable to a number of different threats including cross-site scripting, SQL injection and botnets, and if one virtual server is compromised malware has potential to move to a customer's other machines.
To secure this McAfee is launching its Virtual Network Security Platform for AWS to provide advanced security in the public cloud.
Hackers leak more HBO episodes -- but Game of Thrones is left in the cold this time
HBO continues to feel the fallout from the recent hack it suffered. We have seen leaks of episodes and scripts from Game of Thrones, and the network allegedly tried to offer the hackers a "bug bounty" to stop the leaks.
The offer did not work, and the leaks continue. Episode five of Game of Thrones season seven may have aired last night (meaning today will undoubtedly see a flurry of downloads from torrent sites), but the hit show has been let off the hook in the latest batch. This time, it is episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and other shows that have been leaked.
Bitcoin breaks $4,000
The price of Bitcoin continues to rise, with the cryptocurrency now trading at over $4,000. It's only a matter of days since the price set at record when it passed $3,500, but this has now been broken already.
The surge has been driven by Japanese interest in the currency, and trading currently stands at just under $4,200. After something of a wobbly period, the rise in Bitcoin has been fuelled by investors seeing it as a quick way to make a healthy return.
Privacy warning: Android apps infected with SonicSpy spyware can record audio
Security researchers from Lookout are warning about raft of spyware-infected apps that have been found in Google Play. Seemingly connected to Iraq, more than a thousand apps hve been found to include SonicSpy spyware.
The spyware is embedded in a variety of legitimate-looking apps, such as messaging tools based on Telegram. One such example is an app called Soniac which was found to be capable of not only recording audio and retrieving contacts, but also taking photos and gathering phone logs. Lookout warns that SonicSpy is sneaky, and tries to hide from users to avoid detection.
Twitch Desktop app for Windows 10 and macOS now available for download
Twitch used to just be a platform for people to stream themselves playing video games. While it still is used for that, it has evolved to be much more, such as vlogging and general interactions. The Amazon-owned company is wise to expand, as it betters its competition abilities with the monster that is YouTube. Google's service is insanely popular, but as more and more content creators grow tired of YouTube's heavy-handed antics, they will look for somewhere else to go. That somewhere is Twitch for many.
YouTube is largely a web browser affair on the desktop, while on Android and iOS, Google produces solid mobile apps. Twitch has decided to take the app approach on the desktop too, as there are now apps for both Windows 10 and macOS.
No more major updates to OnePlus 3 and 3T after Android O
Following on from the launch of the OnePlus 5, owners of previous generation handsets from the Chinese company may well have been wondering how much more support they can expect. In an interview published on the OnePlus forums, the company's head of product has revealed all.
Oliver Z says that OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T owners will not see any more major updates after Android O is released. If you were hoping to see Android P, you're out of luck. This is going to be hard for some OnePlus fans to take; while it means the handsets will have been treated to two major OS updates, in terms of the length of time for which major upgrades are being provided, there is certainly room for disappointment.
Chuwi's super-thin LapBook Air is ready to take on MacBook Air and Surface laptops
Chuwi is not a particularly well-known brand at the moment, but the company is starting to carve out something of a name for itself. We've already seen a handful of low-cost tablets and laptops from the Chinese brand, but its upcoming LapBook Air looks especially interesting.
That the name blends elements from the MacBook Air and Surface Book is no mistake -- this is a laptop designed to compete with both. Chuwi claims the full-metal chassis is "just like touching the real MacBook," but it's the incredibly thinness that's the real head-turner here.
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