Facebook rolls out creepy Discover People feature on mobile, suggesting you make friends with strangers
If you're using the Facebook app on your phone, you might notice the appearance of a new Discover People section. As you would probably guess this is a feature designed to connect you with people on the social network, but there's something of a creepy twist.
Unlike the current "People you may know" section which suggests that you might like to become friends with people because you have a common acquaintance, the experimental Discover People adopts a different approach. It suggests that you become friends with complete strangers.
Facebook ordered to pay $500 million to ZeniMax in Oculus Rift lawsuit
Facebook-owned Oculus must pay half a billion dollars to game company ZeniMax after a Texas jury deliberated in a case about the Oculus Rift headset. The jury found that Oculus co-founder, Palmer Luckey, failed to comply with a non-disclosure agreement.
Although now facing a $500 million bill, not everything in the case went against Facebook. Oculus was found not to have stolen trade secrets from ZeniMax, and the company plans to appeal against the charges for which it was found guilty.
Let me tell you about Apple Fiscal Q1 2017
The measure of Apple fiscal first quarter 2017 isn't record revenues ($78.35 billion) but comparison to major competitors: More than three times Google ($26.06 billion) or Microsoft ($24.1 billion). Amazon announces tomorrow, Groundhog Day. Will the retailer's CEO, Jeff Bezos, see his shadow? The 3x multiplier nearly applies to net income: $17.89 billion, versus $6.64 billion and $5.2 billion, respectively, for the two rivals. Looked at differently, compared to Apple's same quarter in fiscal 2010, seven years later, profits exceed total revenues ($15.68 billion). That's an astounding comparison.
The results defy pundits' prognostications, including my own, about gravity pulling the company back to Earth. iPhone, as major source of revenue, can only stay up for so long, before slowing smartphone sales wreck havoc. That said, credit where it's due: CEO Tim Cook is, as I've asserted before, a logistics and manufacturing genius. He is a strategist, but not an innovation leader like predecessor Steve Jobs. Cook masterfully manages his inheritance, but he, nor Apple observers, should get lost in the quarter's glow: iPhone remains boon and bane.
Barnes and Noble recalls 147,000 NOOK Tablet 7 power adapters due to electric shock risk
Want to know something shocking? Like, literally shocking? Barnes and Noble is recalling 147,000 faulty NOOK Tablet 7 power adapters due to shock risk. In other words, owners of this tablet could face an electricity related injury when charging it.
If you own this tablet, it is important that you stop using the charger immediately. While there is no guarantee that you will be injured, it is not worth the risk. Barnes and Noble will replace the power adapter at no charge. To make up for the inconvenience, the company will also give you a free gift.
Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15025 for PC arrives on the Fast ring -- but you may not be able to run it
New feature-packed builds have been coming thick and fast as Microsoft works to get the forthcoming Windows 10 Creators Update ready in time for its planned launch in April.
There’s a lot of changes in the big update, and of course that means a lot of bugs to try and squash before it rolls out. Build 15025 is the version that Microsoft wants Insiders to use for the second Creators Update Bug Bash which starts on Friday, but ironically the new build comes with a major bug that means some users won’t even be able to install it.
Artificial intelligence in retail: It's the right move
Technology has long since advanced to the point where it can make decisions better than people can, and yet grocery managers are still happy to use their own experience to drive decision-making, sacrificing speed, efficiency and savings.
By optimizing key strategic areas of pricing and replenishment, and automating decisions using machine learning, retailers can combine the speed of their decisions with their KPIs (margins, volumes, mark downs). Yet still retailers are not currently marrying the two in a responsive and effective way.
AOC unveils 27-inch Quad HD Ultra Slim Frameless IPS Monitor (Q2781PQ)
4K and 5K displays are all the rage nowadays, but as far as I am concerned, they aren't always worth the money. With the exception of macOS, these expensive high-resolution displays don't perform well with scaling on Windows 10 and Linux. With that said, 1080p is too low in 2017. It is for this reason that I tend to prefer 2560 x 1440 resolution -- it is usable on Windows, Fedora, and macOS without breaking the bank. The sweet spot.
Today, AOC unveils a new monitor with that resolution. This company is known for budget offerings, but its newest model aims more for elegance. The 27-inch Q2781PQ is what the company calls "frameless," which is really just marketing-speak for very thin bezels on all four sides.
LibreOffice 5.3 is one of the biggest updates to the office suite yet
The Document Foundation has unveiled LibreOffice 5.3 64-bit and LibreOffice 5.3 32-bit. Despite the point update, LibreOffice 5.3 is billed as "one of the most feature-rich releases in the history of the office suite", and is packed full of major changes affecting all parts of the application.
Highlights include a new experimental (and optional) ribbon-based UI, plus a new cross-platform text layout engine. It’s also accompanied by the first source release of LibreOffice Online, for basic collaborative document editing in a browser.
Why you should embrace AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) will destroy jobs, robots will replace humans… We are no stranger to these talks about the evolution of AI and the rise of robots. Some go as far as predicting that one in three jobs will be replaced by robots in the next 20 years (including clerical jobs), while others preach that sophisticated software in tiny gadgets that will end up affecting our self-worthy and identity.
In the meantime, studies show otherwise, and all this automation anxiety is simply overblown. The only thing professionals should be afraid of is becoming obsolete by missing the chance of turning this technology to their advantage.
Nintendo unveils Switch Super Bowl LI commercial featuring Zelda -- watch it now
The Nintendo Switch is a game console that is haunting me. My brain tells me that it could be a failure, but my heart keeps me intrigued. I considered canceling my pre-order, but have since decided to keep it. Heck, I have even ordered a launch title -- Super Bomberman R.
In anticipation of the console's March 3rd launch, Nintendo will be running its first-ever Super Bowl ad. This 30-second Switch commercial will feature the much-anticipated game "Zelda Breath of the Wild." While Super Bowl LI does not happen until this Sunday February 5th, you can watch the ad immediately online. Nintendo even has a special 90-second extended cut version.
#DeleteUber campaign forces Uber to automate and speed up account removal process
After failing to participate in a taxi ban around John F Kennedy airport while protests against President Trump's travel ban went on, Uber found itself on the receiving end of a good deal of flak. The hashtag #DeleteUber spent a lengthy period trending on Twitter as people voiced their disapproval of what they see as a Trump-supporting company.
Irked Uber users who did not like the idea of the company seeming to profit from the refugee and immigration ban were not just flashing the #DeleteUber hashtag around, they were acting on it. But attempts to delete accounts led to frustration, with some people suggesting that Uber was blocking them from killing their account; this was not the case, and the company is speeding up the deletion process.
IT teams fall behind in automation
While businesses are focused on digital transformation to deliver greater efficiency and higher profits, IT teams themselves are falling behind the curve according to a new report.
The survey from IT services and solutions provider Dimension Data shows that IT staff only spend 14.5 percent of their time on innovation and new projects. Automation is seen as a key enabler for optimized IT operations, but only 20 percent of surveyed companies say their IT operations are fully automated.
New database release enables data-driven decisions in real time
Many organizations rely on databases to support their decision making processes, but the process of importing, analyzing and then acting on the data can inhibit fast action.
In-memory SQL database specialist, VoltDB is releasing version 7.0 of its to offer increased scalability for managing transactions and generating analytics while ensuring high availability and strict data consistency.
Exploit acquisition program aims to patch mobile vulnerabilities faster
Even after new mobile threats have been identified the number of devices in use means it can take time for patches to be rolled out to all users.
Mobile threat defense company Zimperium is hoping to tackle this problem with the launch of a $1.5 million bounty program to purchase N-day exploits which have been identified but are still usable on unpatched devices.
The iPhone is mightier than the Galaxy -- Apple overtakes Samsung in smartphone shipments
Apple edged Samsung to take the top spot in the smartphone market in the final quarter of 2016, thanks to very strong iPhone shipments. The Cupertino, Calif.-based vendor moved 78.3 million units, having a share of 17.8 percent, while its South Korean rival only managed to ship 77.5 million smartphones, which equates to a market share of 17.7 percent. Total shipments for the quarter were 438.7 million units, according to a Strategy Analytics report.
This is not the first time that Apple beats Samsung, but it is rare for it to happen. Samsung usually has a comfortable lead over its rivals, including Apple, but thanks to the Galaxy Note7 recall it failed to repeat that performance last quarter. You can follow the saga here, but the gist of it is that the company had to pull millions of devices as a result of its mistakes, and that had a serious effect on its showing in the last part of 2016.
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