Amazon’s Echo speaker gives you US election updates

NBC News announced on Tuesday that it has developed and released a new skill for the Amazon Echo that, when activated, will have Alexa read you regular updates of the 2016 presidential elections. The service will deliver news on upcoming events, pertinent headlines and delegate totals — and that’s just to start. NBC News states that in the coming weeks, that selection will expand to also include “polling data, primary results and trivia about candidates.” There’s no word on whether you can tailor the news by party or particular candidate so get ready to be inundated with reports of whatever racist things come out of Trump’s mouth next.

Source: NBC News

Microsoft completes acquisition of SwiftKey

Microsoft has now officially completed its previously-announced acquisition of SwiftKey, which makes popular virtual keyboards for iOS and Android devices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The final closing of the deal was revealed via Twitter by Microsoft’s Harry Shum, the company’s Executive Vice President for Technology and Research:

Excited to report we’ve completed SwiftKey acquisition.Welcome to Microsoft @SwiftKey! Let’s do great things together for ourcustomers

— harryshum (@harryshum) March 1, 2016

Microsoft has already confirmed it plans to keep supporting the SwiftKey apps on iOS and Android, and it plans to integrate its features into the Word Flow keyboard for Windows 10 Mobile.

Source: Harry Shum (Twitter)

Qualcomm to pay $7.5 million to settle ethical violations claims by SEC

Qualcomm will pay a $7.5 million settlement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle an ethical violations case that the SEC made earlier. Qualcomm is making this settlement while at the same time not officially admitting or denying the claims made by the SEC.

Qualcomm stated:

The SEC order states that on certain occasions Qualcomm gave employees of state-owned entities or government agencies in China event tickets and gifts or paid for travel, and on certain occasions hired children or friends of employees of state-owned entities or ministries in China.

Qualcomm has always strived to comply with FCPA requirements. As a result of this experience, Qualcomm has taken additional steps to enhance its existing internal controls and procedures. For example, although like most organizations Qualcomm appreciates referrals of job candidates by those who know the candidates well, the Company now closely monitors to determine if a candidate has any relationship with an employee of a government agency or state-owned entity, and applies a stricter standard of scrutiny in an effort to avoid potential FCPA risks in the future.

The company added that that as part of its settlement agreement, it will make periodic reports to the SEC on how it will maintain its FCPA requirements.

Source: Qualcomm

Leaked Huawei P9 images and specs reveal dual rear cameras, Kirin 950 and more

It appears as though we’ve gotten our first look at the Huawei P9, the company’s supposed flagship device for 2016. The phone apparently sports a 5.2-inch 1080p display, along with a dual-rear camera setup. The images and specs first popped up on VentureBeat.

According to the leak, the P9 will be driven by an octa-core Kirin 950 processor and have 3GB of RAM. It is said to have 32GB of storage, with no information at this time as to whether there will be other storage capacity options. The phone reportedly has a fairly large 3,900mAh battery, as well as a USB-C connector.

As for the dual cameras on the rear of the phone, they are said to both feature 12-megapixel sensors. They are apparently one of the first results of the partnership between Huawei and Leica, which was first announced at MWC 2016.

As for release timeline, the Huawei P9 will reportedly make its debut in the first half of 2016.

Chrome is gaining security improvements, caching and better support for enterprise customers

Google has announced a number of changes that are making their way to Chrome that will bring a better overall experience to business users. Some of the features include enhanced security, better caching and 24×7 support. It is expected that Chrome’s enterprise usage can surge from 43 percent to 65 percent in 2016, so the company wants to make sure it is ready for the additional users needs. Google details the additions as:

• Security – Security is one of the founding principles of Chrome. Now, we’ve made the sandbox more secure by incorporating the broadest set of available protections. We’ve also introduced a new Security Panel in DevTools to make it easier for developers to troubleshoot issues with certificates and mixed content — meaning pages rendered with both HTTPS and HTTP elements — making it easier to develop and deploy secure Web applications. Finally, we’ve also made great progress in the fight against unwanted software, for instance, by warning users of a site’s potential risks.
• Caching – Companies rely on our automatic updates every six weeks to make the Chrome browser safer and faster over time. But for an organization with thousands of users and devices, trying to pull the latest Chrome update can strain the organization’s infrastructure. The new DownloadPreference lets proxies already used by businesses cache updates automatically, so virtually all downloads come from the company proxy and not the Internet, saving time and bandwidth.
• 24×7 Support – We recognize that for businesses that run on Chrome, it’s important to have the peace of mind that comes with 24×7 support from Google. We’ve been providing this for Google Apps customers, and today we’re expanding this to all customers — even those who aren’t using Google Apps. This new offering is called Chrome for Work Assist, and includes 24×7 phone and email support, with deployment assistance from Google. Chrome for Work Assist is now available in the US and Canada, with more regions launching soon. Contact us to learn more or get started.

It’s great to see security and support continue to be a focus from the company as it hopes to grow its enterprise user base.

Moto G 2014 Marshmallow update is now rolling out

The Moto G 2014, also known as the second-gen Moto G, appears to now be receiving its Marshmallow update. Owners of the phone in select countries have already been able to download the update, but now it appears as though more users are able to install it on their phones. The Marshmallow update brings the new Doze feature, enhanced permission controls and more to the phone.

If you haven’t already received an update notification you can head into your Settings, About phone and check manually for the update. Once you’ve installed it, be sure to let us know how it works out for you.

Discuss the Moto G 2014 update in the forums

Thanks for the tip, Grant!

Quick comparison: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge versus Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung bumps this year’s ‘edge’ model up to a 5.5-inch display — so how does it compare to the larger of last year’s GS6 edge+?

Last year Samsung gave us the Galaxy S6 edge and S6 edge+ — two dramatically different sizes for the same curvy smartphone. However as we kick off a new generation of Galaxy phones, the Galaxy S7 edge mixes things up by coming between the two. It’s got a 5.5-inch display, making it bigger than the regular GS6 edge, but smaller than the GS6 edge+.

But size is just one of the areas of contrast between last year’s big-screened “edge” variant and this year’s. For as much as these two are alike, there are plenty of small changes that total more than the sum of their parts.

But first, the specs. Here’s how the Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy S7 edge — let’s just call them the GS6 and GS7 for simplicity’s sake — stack up on paper.

Unsurprisingly, a new generation of smartphone hardware brings with it improvements in performance, imaging and battery life. What’s interesting, however, is how Samsung has achieved these improvements. The GS7’s camera, for instance, takes a step down in resolution from the 16-megapixels of the GS6, but uses a brighter lens and larger pixels on the sensor for improved low-light pics.

Samsung has also placated fans by bringing back removable storage in the GS7 — though Android 6.0’s Adoptable Storage feature isn’t supported.

And although it’s got a smaller screen, this year’s model ups the battery capacity significantly — a 20 percent jump, in fact.

All this stuff has to go somewhere, which is why the GS7 edge is a good bit thicker than its predecessor. It’s also worth remembering that the new phone’s water resistance requires the use of internal gaskets, which can contribute to a device’s thickness too. Fortunately this thickness comes with one welcome side-effects: The GS7’s camera hump doesn’t stick out anywhere near as much as the GS6’s.

The rounder sides and curvier corners of the Galaxy S7 edge make it feel more organic, if a little tougher to hold onto.

The basic physical design of the phone hasn’t undergone any huge changes, but there are subtle differences worth pointing out. As well as having a rounded display, the back glass of the GS7 is also curved, in a similar style to the Galaxy Note 5. (And in contrast to the flat back of the GS6 edge+). This means the metal trim becomes incredibly thin around the sides, making the newer phone a little more slippery in the hand. Aside from that, the glass is now ever so slightly curved around the top and bottom, in addition to the sides, making for a more organic feel device overall.

Other visual differences include some subtle accent color changes — the black GS7 models, for instance, use darker accent colors around the home key and camera lens.

On the software side, the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz lives atop Marshmallow on the GS7 series, while the GS6 edge+ remains on Lollipop — Android 5.1.1 to be precise — at the time of writing. An update to Marshmallow should be imminent, as other GS6 family phones have already received the latest version of the OS. And with it, Samsung’s 2015 lineup will inherit many of the features and visual changes that come in the GS7.

These include a move away from the bright teal and green colors seen in last year’s UI, along with updated weather widgets and a significant overhaul for the Edge Screen. In Marshmallow, the software part of the “edge” experience becomes more useful and more customizable, with larger panels and a focus on information feeds as well as shortcut buttons; you’ll want to check out our hands-on video with the new Edge Screen features for more specifics.

It’s too early to come to any firm conclusions about the Galaxy S7 edge, but at a glance it seems like a solid improvement upon an already fantastic phone — assuming a slightly smaller display is a deal-breaker for you.

Galaxy S6 edge+ owners, are you considering trading up and buying a GS7 edge? Shout out in the comments!

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Use your Amazon Echo to solve the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents

Amazon has teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring a new Batman v Superman promotion to the Amazon Echo. Called The Wayne Investigation, the promotion takes the form of a voice-powered choose-your-own-adventure game, which tasks you with solving the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents.

The Wayne Investigation features several characters that you can question in order to solve the crime. As you progress, you’ll find clues and receive guidance from your Amazon Echo. From Variety:

Altogether, users are given up to 37 decisions throughout the game, which can take anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes, depending on the decisions of the player. And of course, all of this is done as a pure audio game, thanks to the Echo’s voice recognition and speech synthesis. To launch the game, users simply have to say: “Alexa, open the Wayne Investigation.”

The game was written by writers from DC Comics, along with people from Cruel & Unusual Films, the production company of Batman v Superman director Zach Snyder. The Wayne Investigation is available as one of Alexa’s skills, which can be found in the Amazon Alexa app.

Source: Variety

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Android Pay still hasn’t replaced my wallet

Mobile payments in the U.S. are just as confusing as ever.

I’ve been on board with mobile payments for a long time now. I stared in excitement as Google handed folks Nexus S phones loaded with Google Wallet and showed them how easy it would be to pay for things in the not-so-distant future. A few weeks later a cab driver chased me down the street for what he thought was me trying to rip him off, and that still wasn’t enough to deter me from the hope that everyone would one day get on this train. With Apple tossing their hat in the ring and Google re-branding and resurrecting Wallet as Android Pay, that excitement climbed all the way back to the top.

And then the kid behind the counter at Best Buy told me I had to use chip-and-signature for the card I was using, and that Android Pay wouldn’t work for that particular card at that particular terminal. I almost wished I was back in that cab with the guy who thought I was a hacker.

Here’s the thing: no one is doing enough to spread mobile payments in the U.S. right now. Apple’s initial push was massive, but not enough. Google’s initial response was cool, but somehow after years of experience doing this was less than Apple’s efforts. Samsung is getting folks excited by leveraging current technology and making the whole idea more accessible, but there’s no growth path from where they are right now. That magnetic-strip emulation system isn’t going to start working at new places — in fact, as chip-and-PIN/signature becomes the norm it will be less useful — and when it comes to NFC-based transactions Samsung is even further behind Apple. We had a nice surge in attention for this system last year, but it was too little, and way too late.

The change from magnetic swipe to chip and signature here in the U.S. is causing both growth and failure at the same time. Lots of companies are starting the slow overhaul of their POS systems to include chip readers, and many of those chip reader terminals also support NFC transactions. It’s still not a complete thought at every establishment, as I discovered at Best Buy when I had to use the chip in the card no matter what, and neither the cashier nor the card company is educating users on this. The phone fails, the card works, and everyone just sort of shrugs their shoulders and moves on. If the phone isn’t reliable, it doesn’t get used, and that’s all that matters from the user’s perspective.

To Google’s credit, there are a lot of things Android Pay does incredibly well. I love that I never have to carry a membership card ever again. My loyalty cards pop up as soon as I get near one of these establishments, and all I need to do is hold the phone up to be scanned. When the payment system works with the loyalty system, it’s an incredibly smooth setup. The way the app has everything ready when you’re using a phone with a fingerprint scanner, no need to load anything up or punch in a code, is fantastic.

All we need now is for the rest of the system to work as smoothly, and unfortunately I think it’s going to be a while before that happens in as many places as it probably should.

Android Wear 1.4 rolling out to Huawei Watch today

Owners of the Huawei Watch should keep their eye out for an update today. The company has confirmed it will be pushing out an over-the-air update for the Android Wear-based smartwatch to version 1.4 sometime later today. The new version of Android Wear is based on Marshmallow 6.0.

According to a post on Huawei’s community forums:

“The Huawei Watch update will be version 6.0, release MEC23L. This will be an OTA due for release beginning today.”

Android Wear 1.4 adds a number of new features, including more gesture navigation support, speaker support and more.

Source: Huawei

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