TransferWise's Facebook Messenger bot lets you transfer money internationally
Top messaging services have evolved past their basic role, as the major players in this market look to differentiate their offerings from the rest of the crowd. Facebook, for instance, added a bot platform to Messenger last year to make it more relevant to businesses and consumers.
Through bots, businesses provide better customer service while consumers can more easily get in touch with service providers. The platform has quickly gained traction, with the latest addition to the fold being international money transfer service TransferWise.
The top three barriers to digital transformation
To stay competitive in an increasingly digital world, companies are looking to transform their digital environment to improve collaboration and maintain their edge.
But a new study by Intralinks and the Cloud Security Alliance reveals that digital transformation strategies are being hindered by three main barriers.
Sapho integrates its app platform with IBM Domino
There's increasing demand from companies to build apps that integrate with their existing enterprise systems.
Specialist in consumer-like micro apps Sapho is announcing new integration with the IBM Domino social business platform, that will simplify developer access to information and workflows used by employees.
Apple appeals against $14 billion European tax bill with 14-point legal plea
Last year Apple was hit with $14 billion tax bill after the European Commission decided the company had enjoyed "illegal tax benefits" in Ireland. Apple said that it would appeal against the ruling which Tim Cook described as "maddening", but Europe is showing increased interest in cracking down on technology companies taking advantage of tax loopholes.
The appeal has now been placed, and Apple is asking the appeal court to either partly overturn the Commission's ruling and pay its legal fees, or completely overturn the ruling. The fact that Apple is setting forth two possible outcomes would indicate that it feels a full annulment of the original ruling is unlikely, but it has submitted a 14-point appeal.
Microsoft confirms another 2017 update after Windows 10 Creators Update
If you're not a Windows Insider, it has been a little while since your copy of Windows 10 received a major update -- but that is about to change. 2017 will see the release of not one, but two major updates to the operating system.
Windows 10 Creators Update is due to arrive in the spring, and at Microsoft Ignite in Australia, the company confirmed that a second major update is on the way later in the year. We don’t know a great deal about this update, but it's likely to incorporate Project NEON design elements.
Map Puzzle is a versatile Google and Bing map downloader
Map Puzzle is a portable freeware map downloader for Windows. This isn’t just another Google and Bing app. It can also grab data from Arcgis, MapQuest, OSM, ToolServer, various government and specialist sites, and with many variations: satellite images, regular maps (with or without labels), transport maps, artistic maps and more.
Download and launch the single tiny executable (<500KB) and you’re presented with a cluttered mass of boxes, buttons and lists. It looks intimidating, but don’t be put off -- basic operations are very simple.
Europe leads in business collaboration
The way people do business will drastically change in the next three to five years, and Europeans are leading the way. This is according to a new report by Samsung, which investigates key trends impacting the workplace culture.
This new business model we’re all about to embrace Samsung dubs the Open Economy. Basically, it revolves around high levels of collaboration between companies, contractors and partners, while retaining industry-standard security levels. The report calls upon WIPO’s Global Innovation Index, which claims European countries occupy eight out of the top ten slots.
Europe still has concerns about privacy in Windows 10
Privacy fears abound with Windows 10, with individuals and privacy groups continually questioning the company's motives in gathering user data. The threat of a court case in Switzerland resulted in Microsoft making changes to Windows -- in addition to the privacy changes it had already made.
But for European privacy watchdogs, the latest batch of changes are still not enough. The Article 29 Working Party voices concern about the settings that are in place by default, the lack of control users are given over data collection, and a general lack of transparency.
WhatsApp updates statuses with Snapchat-inspired functionality
Messaging apps are not just about chatting these days. Every player that counts wants to bring something extra to the table to keep users hooked and attract new ones in the process. WhatsApp is no different, as it is now rolling out an updated status feature that lets users share more than just basic messages.
"We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp's eight birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature", says WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum. The update gives users the option to also share photos and videos.
Popular Indian retailer Flipkart chooses Microsoft Azure as exclusive cloud platform
For Indian shoppers, Flipkart is a very well known online retailer. For smartphone buyers in particular, the internet shop is a great place to get quality Android devices at affordable prices.
Today, Flipkart announces something that should improve its shopping experience; the Indian retailer has selected Microsoft Azure for its cloud platform. While this won't be particularly visible to shoppers, Microsoft's platform should be a behind-the-scenes win for the overall customer experience.
You almost certainly need an SD card for your Nintendo Switch
If you've ordered yourself a Nintendo Switch you had better prepare to crack open your wallet and splash out on an SD card. Nintendo has shared details of the size of the console's digital games, and at least one of them simply won’t fit on the internal storage.
The company reveals that Dragon Quest Heroes I·II weighs in at a sizeable 32 GB -- exactly the same size as the Switch's built in storage, which is already home to the required system files. Other games are big enough to mean that even if you're not interested in Dragon Quest Heroes I·II, an SD card is going to be pretty much essential.
Consolidation in the unified communication industry will continue post Atlassian-Trello deal
Last month, Atlassian announced its $425 million acquisition of task management provider Trello, a move that signals increased consolidation in the unified communications and collaboration industry. As enterprise software providers continue buying asynchronous collaboration tools, we’ll see software giants like Atlassian expanding their portfolios to meet the needs of the evolving workforce.
Consolidation is actually a trend that’s here to stay in the collaboration space. Let's discuss the basics of this acquisition, what it means for the industry, the future of team-based communication and more:
Kim Dotcom can be extradited to the US
Kim Dotcom, the larger-than-life character behind file-sharing services Megaupload and Mega, can be extradited from New Zealand to the US. The German national has taken up permanent residency in New Zealand and has been fighting calls for him to face the US legal system.
The judgement came as part of an appeal to a previous ruling which was heard back in September. While the judge today, on the face of things, has ruled against Dotcom, the court case could yet go in favor of him due to various technicalities.
New certification to verify cyber threat detection skills
Cyber security is an increasingly essential skill set, but it can be hard for businesses to verify that they're employing people with the right abilities.
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is launching a new, vendor-neutral certification. CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CSA+) is the first of its kind to bring behavioral analytics to the forefront of assessing cyber threats.
Google and Microsoft agree to demote search results for pirated movies, music and streaming sport
Users of Google and Bing will find it more difficult to track down illegal content via the search engines after Google and Microsoft signed up to a voluntary code of practice. The deal means that pirate search results will be demoted in results in the UK, making it less likely that searchers will click on them.
The two technology companies have been in talks with the entertainment industry to find a way to stem the flow of illegal content that's available online. As well as protecting the rights of copyright holders, it is hoped that the new arrangement will help to protect users, as websites that deal in pirated material often pose a security risk.
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