Apple, Microsoft, Facebook Rumble Over Game Streaming Apps
Apple's "Walled Garden" was built to protect consumers from malicious applications, but it can also protect the company from competition, as Microsoft and Facebook discovered recently.
Anatomy of Failure: Why It's Problematic That Zuckerberg Is the Least Trusted Big Tech CEO
Last week we ran a survey asking people which of the CEOs that were questioned by Congress last month is the most trustworthy. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg took the dubious prize for last place.
Amazon has cleared a major regulatory hurdle in its quest to deliver Internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the earth. The FCC has approved, with some conditions, Amazon's Kuiper Project, a $10 billion low-orbit constellation made up of more than 3,000 satellites.
Once upon a time, it seemed no organization had its finger on the pulse of technology more than research consulting firm Gartner. Global corporations, tech companies, and the investment community have trusted Gartner for insights and analysis across a range of market sectors. But today, that leading position has eroded.
Google's Nest line of smart home products will be combined with ADT's security services in a partnership announced last week. As part of the agreement, Google will invest $450 million into ADT to acquire a 6.6 percent interest in the security and smart home solutions provider. The deal gives Google access to an important channel for its smart home products.
New Open Source Initiative Consolidates Security Goals
The Linux Foundation has announced the formation of the Open Source Security Foundation as the latest initiative to improve software security. This cross-industry collaboration brings together industry leaders to improve the security of open-source software by building a broader community with targeted initiatives and best practices.
When WWII broke out on Sept. 1, 1939 with Germany's invasion of Poland, few could have expected the technological leaps that would occur over the next six years.
IBM is chasing two of the three technology areas that I think will change the world as we know it over the next two decades. The three technology changes that I'm watching are robotics, AI computing, and quantum computing.
Verifying Global Identities at Scale: August 25 Webinar
With so much identity data flying around online these days, fraudsters can easily impersonate your customers or create fake identities to exploit your business. Learn how Ekata helps organizations with their fraud risk assessments.
Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys
Successful women in the tech trenches share their insights and tackle subjects ranging from how to search out a strong mentor to how to be one -- from how to advance in a large company to how to start your own firm.
This book is an excellent guide for students considering STEM courses, graduates pondering job choices, and career changers at any stage in life. It's also a useful tool for school and career counselors, recruiters, and HR pros eager to diversify their workplaces.
Get the day's top e-business and technology news from ECT News Network delivered to your inbox as stories break. Sign up today.
Feedback
We welcome your feedback. To share your thoughts or ideas, please use our online form.
Manage Subscriptions
This newsletter was sent in response to your request on an ECT News Network website. To update your settings, or to receive other newsletters from ECT News Network: Manage My Subscriptions.
BUSINESS SERVICES
How to Advertise
To advertise in this newsletter or elsewhere on ECT News Network, please call our sales department (818) 461-9700 or follow these links:
If you wanted a Microsoft Hololens but thought that headset was just too big, then maybe the Nreal Light glasses are for you. They advertise mixed reality tech in a much smaller package, and mostly deliver on it. They're more stylish than Google Glass and weigh far less than virtual reality headsets.
Nreal
Using them is more like seeing video projected on glass than the kind of interaction Microsoft's tech provided. It's still a fairly slick and futuristic implementation, and if you live in Korea, then you can get a pair as an accessory with new phones like the Galaxy Note 20. We'll let you know when, or if, these ever cross over to the US.
— Richard
NVIDIA is teasing something big for August 31st
It's probably a new GPU.
NVIDIA
A mysterious tweet from NVIDIA is counting down to something, and the date marked just happens to also be the 21st anniversary of its first GeForce GPU. The reason to believe there's more in store than just a birthday celebration is a slew of rumors about 3000 series graphics cards that could take performance to a whole new level. Continue reading.
'Fall Guys' racks up two million players on Steam after just five days
And we're all buying lots of games.
Mediatonic
The next battle royale hit doesn't involve guns. In fact, it all boils down to steering a jelly bean blob around courses, playing with a giant soccer ball and a few other things. It's almost like Mario Party: Battle Royale, except no plumbers or mushrooms.
And apparently, we're getting into it. On top of selling two million copies on Steam, Fall Guys is free for PlayStation Plus subscribers this month, which is likely adding to the total player base. It's a good example of a bigger trend as the world contorts to the coronavirus pandemic — more games. Analysts at the NPD Group say people spent more on video games in the US in the second quarter than ever before. Total spending of $11.6 billion marked a 30 percent year-over-year increase — and the next-gen consoles haven't even got here yet. Continue reading.
A quick read that you'll finish before your first cup of coffee.
Apple has released the first public beta for watchOS 7
Just like iOS and macOS.
Apple
For the first time, Apple is letting the public test out the incoming OS update to its Apple Watch series. As usual with these public betas, there are a few hoops to jump through. To start, you'll need to download and install iOS 14 on the iPhone you have paired with your Watch. Apple also warns your data may not be backward compatible, and some features, such as VoiceOver, currently don't work in watchOS 7.
If you're willing, you'll get some new features to check out. WatchOS 7's most notable enhancement over watchOS 6 is the addition of sleep tracking. This includes an app that will show you how long you slept the night before — though it doesn't include a breakdown of sleep cycles just yet. Continue reading.
Google Maps is finally back on Apple Watch
And Maps is getting some new features on CarPlay.
Google
Over the next couple of weeks, Google says it will start rolling out a new version of Maps to Apple's wearable. The app gives walking, cycling and driving directions from your current location to your home, workplace and other destinations you've saved. It also works with public transit. It's updating Maps to support CarPlay's split-screen functionality, too, so you can use media and other apps while you have Maps open. Continue reading.
