The Morning After: The Kinect lives on

It's Tuesday, May 08, 2018. Hey, good morning! Good morning! So that’s Microsoft halfway through, and now Google is making a showing. Get your Google I/O liveblog right here at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern, but until then we’ve got a review of LG’s G7, a Fortnite-Avengers tie-up and, well, Microsoft’s Kinect ain’t going anywhere. Long live the Kinect.   Microsoft's AI future is rooted in its gaming past   Remember the Xbox’s motion camera? Remember how support slowed and it finally disappeared completely in October 2017 when Microsoft announced it would cease production of the Kinect? Well, the Kinect lives on today in some of Microsoft's most forward-looking products, including drones and in artificial intelligence applications. Kinect sensors are a crucial component in HoloLens, the company's augmented reality glasses, for example. And just today, Microsoft revealed Project Kinect for Azure, a tiny device with an advanced depth sensor, 360-degree mic array and accelerometer, all designed to help developers overlay AI systems on the real world. Members of the Windows Insider Program can try it first.   Windows' Your Phone puts mobile files and alerts within reach   Windows is soon getting something called Your Phone, a drag-and-drop experience that makes it easier for Windows users to access their phone's notifications and files from their desktop. Though this experience is at its best with Android phones, Microsoft is also providing some limited continuity for iOS devices in the form of shared browsing data. The catch? You need Microsoft's Edge browser installed on both your Windows machine and iPhone or iPad.   Fountain Digital’s virtual safari is about more than just ogling wildlife.   A VR quest to make you care about endangered species   Most of us don't think about rhinos, daily. When the last male white northern rhino died in March, the impact on most of us was minimal because the now-extinct two-ton mammal wasn't lumbering around our living rooms. But we're gravely concerned the moment Mr. Whiskers starts acting funky, though. That's because our smaller, flufflier pets are a part of our everyday environment, and, as such, we're emotionally attached to them. This theory is called environmental amnesia. Basically, it's the belief that we don't consider what's going on outside of our immediate surroundings. We think that whatever is happening around us is normal. It's something that Fountain Digital CEO Svetlana Dragayeva thinks virtual reality can help address, by showing us how wondrous this planet's creatures can be in an intimate setting -- our homes.   You can hide it... sort of.   LG G7 ThinQ review: a worthy S9 rival with a notch   LG’s G7 ThinQ not only has great looks and a gorgeous display, it also boasts unique features like a super-bright screen for outdoor use, a crazy-loud speaker, a dedicated Google Assistant button and a camera with AI-powered smarts. Sure, it’s not perfect -- that AI cam is hit-or-miss, the battery life is middling and that notch isn’t for everyone -- but overall, the G7 is not a bad choice for Android lovers. Especially if you’re seeking a Samsung alternative.   But wait, there's more... 1. What we're buying: A pair of Google Home Mini speakers 2. 'Fortnite' is bringing Thanos to its cartoony battle royale 3. 'Luke Cage' season two introduces a powerful new enemy 4. Google's IoT platform Android Things is open to all developers 5. Tesla patent application explains how its solar roof tiles work 6. NVIDIA kills its 'anticompetitive' GeForce Partner Program 7. Fitbit adds Quick Replies to its smartwatch platform The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe. Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note. Copyright © 2016 Aol Inc. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: AOL 770 Broadway #4 New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you opted in at engadget.com. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Editor's Pick: Solving Tech's Diversity Problem

Solving Tech's Diversity Problem

Rob Enderle May 7, 2018 5:00 AM PT

I recently attended Dell Technology World, which shone a light on one of Michael Dell's passions: addressing the lack of gender diversity in the tech industry. Some time back he asked the most powerful woman at Dell, CCO Karen Quintos, to spearhead an effort to fix the problem. One of the leading experts on the problem, Howard Ross of Cook Ross, indicated it was getting worse -- not better. [More...]

More Picks:

HubSpot Connects With Shopify, Workplace by Facebook HubSpot has rolled out platform integrations with Shopify and Workplace by Facebook, which are designed to support the marketing and sales efforts of SMBs. The Shopify integration lets e-commerce marketers sync specific merchant sales data from Shopify into HubSpot for use as a marketing signal; segment users based on products, deals and order history; and follow up on abandoned shopping carts. [More...]

Google Assistant Gains Momentum in Smart Home Race Google Assistant, the artificial intelligence software built into Android handsets and the Google Home smart speaker system, now can control more than 5,000 smart devices. That's up from just 1,500 products in January -- and the list of supported products includes everything from cameras and security systems to doorbells, locks and lights, to dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators. [More...]

Follow Us

This Editor's Pick alert is a premium service provided to ECT News Network newsletter subscribers. If you wish to make changes to your subscription settings, please click to manage your account.

Copyright 2018 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ECT News Network, Inc. 16133 Ventura Blvd., Suite 700, Encino, CA 91436

The Morning After: Weekend edition

It's Monday, May 07, 2018. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. It’s a busy week coming up. Microsoft’s Build conference kicks off today, then, with no time for a break, it’s Google I/O. What to expect from Microsoft? This. What does Google have planned? Something like this. Oh, and then there’s all the things from the weekend.  To celebrate the MMO's anniversary, a tale from its past.   'Eve Online' turned 15, and its history is epic   Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the legendarily fascinating virtual world EVE Online, a massively multiplayer spaceship game that has become famous for the incredible stories that sometimes emerge from the community about heists and wars between thousands of players. EVE is so interesting that it even has its own historian, Andrew Groen, a video game writer formerly of Wired who studies the politics and sociology at work in EVE's virtual community over its 15-year run. Take a glimpse into its complicated, fascinating history. Its effects can be felt on computers to this day.   Apple's influential, iconic iMac turns 20   There are few individual computer models that have left a lasting mark on the industry, but you can definitely put the iMac on that list. Apple introduced its signature all-in-one desktop at a special event on May 6th, 1998, and while it makes me shudder to realize that was 20 years ago, the iMac (and personal computing as a whole) has come a very long way.   It's the first state where the renewable energy is mandatory.   California to require solar panels on most new homes   Solar power is increasingly mainstream, but California is about to give it a giant boost. The state's Energy Commission is expected to approve new energy standards that would require solar panels on the roofs of nearly all new homes, condos and apartment buildings from 2020 onward.    But why?   Elon Musk's next project might be a candy company   The man behind Tesla and SpaceX might be going full Willy Wonka.   But wait, there's more... 1. BMW M550i review: Equal parts luxury and power 2. MIT's self-driving car can navigate unmapped country roads 3. YouTube pulls hundreds of videos over essay cheating ads 4. After Math: Robot revolutionaries The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe. Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note. Copyright © 2016 Aol Inc. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: AOL 770 Broadway #4 New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you opted in at engadget.com. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Tech News Flash

---

Tech News Flash: Saturday -- May 5, 2018

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
http://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Google Assistant Gains Momentum in Smart Home Race
Facebook's Clear History Privacy Option: Boon or Sop?
Ubuntu Budgie Whistles Up a Better Remix
Fitbit's Health Alliance With Google Could Be a Risky Experiment
Could BlackBerry Displace Apple?
Shuttleworth on Ubuntu 18.04: Multicloud Is the New Normal

Message From Our Sponsor
Attention Content Marketers
Publish Your: Blog | Videos | Webinars | Events
Content Marketing on ALL EC is an affordable and effective way to
enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your website
and attract more prospective customers. Sign up for Free and
Save 25 percent on publishing plans by using this link:
http://www.ectnews.com/adsys/link/?crid=10063/ALL_EC_SAVE25

Today's Story Highlights

Google Assistant Gains Momentum in Smart Home Race
Google Assistant, the artificial intelligence software built into
Android handsets and the Google Home smart speaker system, now can
control more than 5,000 smart devices. That's up from just 1,500
products in January -- and the list of supported products includes
everything from cameras and security systems to doorbells, locks and
lights, to dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85322.html

Facebook's Clear History Privacy Option: Boon or Sop?
Facebook plans to offer members a tool that to prevent tracking of their
online activity outside the network. The Clear History feature will
allow users to see which websites and applications send Facebook
information when they use them, delete the data and prevent Facebook
from collecting and storing it in the future. It will take a few months
to build the tool, Facebook said.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85320.html

Ubuntu Budgie Whistles Up a Better Remix
If you have yet to try the Budgie desktop, the latest release of Ubuntu
Budgie is a perfect opportunity to experience a classy and user-friendly
computing platform. Budgie is one of the first home-grown Linux distros
to release its latest version based on Ubuntu 18.04. The independent
developer announced Ubuntu Budgie 18.04 last week, coinciding with
Canonical's release of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85318.html

Fitbit's Health Alliance With Google Could Be a Risky Experiment
Fitbit and Google on Monday announced a new partnership on healthcare.
Fitbit will develop consumer and enterprise health solutions that will
use Google's new Cloud Healthcare application programming interface.
Fitbit also will move to the Google Cloud Platform to innovate and
advance its products and services. Fitbit will leverage Google Cloud's
infrastructure and security features.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85317.html

Could BlackBerry Displace Apple?
I spent a day with BlackBerry last week and it brought back memories of
how Apple displaced the company around a decade ago. I, like a lot of
folks, thought what Apple was attempting was impossible. However, after
the fact, it didn't even look difficult. BlackBerry largely has
completed its pivot to software and services, but a wave of new phones
from its partners suggests new possibilities.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85308.html

Shuttleworth on Ubuntu 18.04: Multicloud Is the New Normal
Canonical has released the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS platform for desktop,
server, cloud and Internet of Things use. Its debut followed a two-year
development phase that led to innovations in cloud solutions for
enterprises, as well as smoother integrations with private and public
cloud services, and new tools for container and virtual machine
operations.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/85313.html

News Alerts From ECT News Network
Get the day's top business and technology news delivered
to your inbox as stories break. Sign up today -- it's free!
http://www.ectnews.com/adsys/link/?crid=2202/News_Alerts

INSTA-LEADS From ECT News Network
Access 30 million B2B purchasing decision makers. Learn more:
http://www.ectnews.com/adsys/link/?crid=8734/INSTA-LEADS

How to Advertise in This Newsletter
To advertise in this newsletter or elsewhere on ECT News Network,
please call our sales department toll-free at (877) 328-5500, or view
our online media kit at
http://www.ectnews.com/advertising/

Subscribing and Unsubscribing
You are receiving the Tech News Flash in response to your request
on the TechNewsWorld Web site for our daily newsletter. If you wish
to make changes to your newsletter subscription, or if you wish to
receive other free newsletters from the ECT News Network, please click
here: Newsletter Management Wizard

If this e-mail was forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe to
this FREE newsletter, please use our newsletter sign-up wizard:
http://www.ectnews.com/perl/newsletter_registration.pl/

Feedback
We welcome your feedback. Contact us online at
http://www.ectnews.com/perl/contact_form.pl?to=editorial

Follow Us

Copyright 2018 ECT News Network, Inc.
16133 Ventura Blvd., Suite 700, Encino, CA 91436
All Rights Reserved.