BMW gets into the virtual assistant game with its ConnectedDrive app

BMW is one of the more tech-focused car companies out there, and today the company announced an expansion of its ConnectedDrive in-car systems at Microsoft Build. The new BMW Connected app for the iPhone is powered by Microsoft’s Azure platform and is BMW’s take on a always-on assistant, not unlike Cortana or Google Now. The unveiling on stage was quick, but generally speaking it looks like BMW Connected will start off by managing your appointments and giving you notifications about when you should leave, how traffic will change your route, whether you should get off the highway to avoid a traffic jam and so on.

All those features sounded similar to what Google Now and the iPhone do now, but the difference here is that BMW Connect will sync up with your car as well (assuming it’s a BMW running the ConnectedDrive platform). In addition to pulling in destinations and appointments from your calendar, the BMW Connected app will learn from your routines and places you search for commonly and give you travel times for those locations automatically. Frequent and recurring are stored and revealed to you when the app thinks you’ll want to return to them.

If you’re a BMW driver, the big benefit here will likely be the way the app integrates into your car — but lots of drivers would probably be just as happy using Android Auto or Carplay to tie their phones and vehicles together. That said, the new app ties right into your car, letting you unlock and lock the doors, flash the lights, kick up the AC before you’re in it and so forth. But if BMW Connected still isn’t compelling to you yet, BMW says it’ll keep updating the app with more features. We’re going to get a demo of the service today at Build and will update with any more details we learn.

Source: BMW

Microsoft’s mobile OS isn’t Windows — it’s Cortana

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella didn’t mention Windows Mobile once during the opening-day Build developer conference keynote yesterday, nor did any of the other executives who took the stage. But that doesn’t mean the company lacks a mobile strategy: The presentation offered a bold look at how Microsoft thinks we’ll soon be using our phones. Instead of digging through apps, we’ll just use natural language to tell our phones what we need to do — or, they’ll be smart enough to know what we want, when we want it.

We’ll have bots to thank for that, and Microsoft wants developers to embrace them, the same way hordes of developers embraced iOS apps back in 2008. “We want every developer to build experts for Cortana,” Nadella said onstage Wednesday. “We want all developers to build bots.” Because of the cross-platform nature of both Cortana and the many communication apps Nadella cited yesterday, Microsoft’s bot army will work on whatever device you want to use.

The company debuted a host of tools yesterday to make that happen, including the Microsoft Bot Framework, which will let developers build bots and deploy them across the various communication platforms we use. That framework solves an important problem for Microsoft — namely, making it easier for developers to hook their bot into a variety of different platforms without having to rebuild it every time. “We started with a technical problem,” engineer Lili Cheng told reporters in a press briefing Wednesday. “Can we make it really easy if you already have a bot to connect it to all the places people talk?”

Microsoft is also offering the computing power to make it easy for developers to build bots without worrying about how to make them smart enough to answer various queries and communicate with users. All of Microsoft’s years of experience with machine learning as well as voice and language recognition are at a developer’s disposal. “We don’t expect every company to have these tools,” said Bing VP Derrick Connell at the press briefing. “They can just focus on having a good back-end experience.”

That ease of development was one major tentpole of Microsoft’s strategy, but it doesn’t get at why the company is making a big bet on bots. As Cheng and Connell explained, it’s an extension of what Microsoft has been doing for years with Bing and Cortana. The company is getting better and better at understanding natural language and has a massive knowledge graph with Bing that few other companies (except Google) can rival.

From there, it’s a matter of taking the natural language capability of Cortana and giving it a wider variety of specialized data sources to tap into. That’s where the bots come in. “We’re building on 10 years of Bing, more than 10 years of speech and language modeling,” said Connell. “We think we have a lot of good assets, but we’re entering a new environment where we can put it all together.”

That means making conversation a new user interface, something Nadella alluded to throughout his keynote. “Humans have conversations all the time; all of those conversations can become more efficient,” Connell said. He then gave examples of the three types of conversations Microsoft envisions users having. For starters, there’s obviously human-to-human conversation, and Connell envisioned bots being able to augment that conversation by bringing up relevant info based on analyzing the text in the messages themselves.

There’s also human-to-agent, which is what happens already when we talk to Cortana or Siri or Google. Lastly, emerging human-to-bot conversations, will let Cortana become even more useful. “Today we can bridge to websites on mobile or PC, but as bots come in that [interaction] can become much richer,” Connell said.

Cheng was quick to note that just because Microsoft showed off lots of chat bots today, the goal isn’t to flood users with a bunch of computers to converse with. “We want to make software more conversational without meaning it has to be the example we showed up on stage [today],” she said. She went on to add that most software products have a conversation with their users. “They just don’t visibly converse back all the time,” she said.

Pulling all these threads together and it comes clear that Microsoft has fully accepted that it won’t be the third mobile platform in a traditional sense — something that’s been fairly clear since Nadella took over in 2014 and immediately started moving Microsoft in a more cross-platform direction. However, it’s getting on the bot train early, and if the company’s vision of conversational computing becomes more prevalent in the coming years, Microsoft could be well-positioned to capitalize on the trend. There are a lot of challenges that could stop Cortana from being our steward into a future where helpful bots get things done for us. But if nothing else, the company isn’t late to the party like it was to the world of smartphone apps.

Verizon Introducing $20 Fee to Upgrade Your Smartphone

Verizon customers planning on upgrading to the iPhone SE or another new smartphone should do so sooner rather than later, as the U.S.’s largest carrier has outlined plans to introduce a new $20 upgrade fee starting next week.

Beginning next Monday, April 4, a new $20 flat rate charge will be applied to smartphones purchased on a Device Payment financing plan, or at full retail price, according to a leaked internal memo obtained by MacRumors.

The same $20 premium will also apply to customers taking advantage of Apple’s new iPhone Upgrade Program. Verizon cites “increasing support costs associated with customers switching their devices” as a reason for the new fees.

The new upgrade fees will impact all consumer accounts, as well as business accounts without an ECPD profile. Verizon’s existing $40 upgrade fee for customers renewing a two-year contract with a new device remains in place.

The new $20 upgrade fee will be charged at the point of sale through direct Verizon sales channels, while the fee will be added to the customer’s next bill when the smartphone is purchased through an indirect reseller.

AT&T similarly charges $15 per smartphone added or upgraded with AT&T Next, and “bring your own” devices. Sprint also charges an upgrade or activation fee up to $36 per device. T-Mobile does not have upgrade fees.

Tags: Verizon, iPhone Upgrade Program
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Releases iOS 9.3.1 With Fix for Web Link Crashing Bug

Apple today released iOS 9.3.1 to the public, marking the first update to iOS 9 since iOS 9.3 launched on March 21. iOS 9.3.1 comes just over a week after the launch of iOS 9.3 and likely brings a fix for a significant web link crashing issue that has been affecting many iOS users.

Today’s iOS 9.3.1 release is available as an over-the-air update for all iOS 9 users and it can also be downloaded through iTunes. iOS 9.2.1 is the seventh update to iOS 9, following iOS 9.0.1, iOS 9.0.2, iOS 9.1, iOS 9.2, iOS 9.2.1, and iOS 9.3.

Shortly after iOS 9.3 was released, a number of iPhone and iPad users found Safari, Mail, Messages, Notes, Chrome and some other pre-installed and third-party apps would crash or freeze after tapping or long pressing on a web link. While most users affected were on iOS 9.3, some customers on earlier versions of iOS also complained of crashing problems.

The exact underlying cause of the problem has not been discovered, but there is speculation that it is related to Universal Links and the Shared Web Credentials daemon, which allows apps and websites to share login credentials. No quick fix has been available, but shortly after the bug was publicized, Apple said it was working on a fix and has made good on that promise in the iOS 9.3.1 update.

Any other changes found in the iOS 9.3.1 update will be listed below.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Discuss this article in our forums

The complete guide to Android Pay – CNET

Android Pay lets you make purchases by tapping your phone on a credit card terminal. Not all phones can run the app, however, and not all banks are supporting it. This FAQ will help you find out which devices and banks can use Android Pay, explain how it works, and offer you some guidance on the extra settings within the app.

Find out if your phone supports Android Pay

Android Pay works with most Android 4.4 KitKat (or newer) devices that have near field communication (NFC) and host card emulation (HCE) capabilities. To find out if your device supports NFC — most new phones do — head to the connections settings and look for the option to enable it.

Finding out if your device supports HCE is a bit trickier. The best way to find out is to try and download the Android Pay app, which will give you a warning if your device isn’t compatible. Incompatible devices include the Evo 4G LTE, Nexus 7 (2012), Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Light.

Which banks support Android Pay?

If you want to use Android Pay, your bank needs to support it. In the US, banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, PNC and Regions all support Android Pay. Support for several banks in the UK is coming in the spring or summer of 2016. For the most complete and updated list of banks that support Android Pay, visit this link.

Where can you use Android Pay?

The greatest difference between the many mobile payments options is where you can use them. For instance, Android Pay only works in stores that have the new NFC-ready credit card terminals.

Its rival Samsung Pay uses magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology, which lets you make mobile payments on terminals that don’t have NFC — just old-school magnetic card readers. Ultimately, that means Samsung Pay works at many more retailers.

Although Samsung’s MST is handy, Google is currently working on a way to completely skip the need to take your phone out when paying.

How to set up and use Android Pay

Before you can start using Android Pay, you’ll need to set up the app and add your credit cards, debit cards and a security option.

• Open the Android Pay app and, if prompted, login to your Google account and set up an advanced security option for unlocking your phone (if you don’t already have one). If you haven’t already, choose fingerprint security to ensure no one but you can spend your money.
• Press the floating Add button to enter a new card on your account. If you have a credit card linked with your Google account, you’ll need to verify a few details before you can add it. Otherwise, add the debit and credit cards you’d like to use with Android Pay.
• When you’re ready to pay, unlock your device and tap the phone against the Android or NFC-compatible logo on the terminal. When the check mark appears above your card, the transaction is complete.

Security and more

Using mobile payments means that your credit card number isn’t being shared at every business you frequent. Instead, a virtual number — also known as a token — is generated for each card and expires after every purchase. You can read more about Android Pay security in this explainer. Because of tokenization, you may also need to provide the last few (real) digits when completing an exchange or return. To get these, just tap on the card to open the full details.

Android Pay also supports loyalty cards for your favorite places, but may test the limits of your sanity by sending you alerts about them when you’re nearby. You can easily fix this by toggling which cards you’ll get alerts for in the settings.

Make your smart lights flash when your package is on the way – CNET

I obsess over tracking packages.

As soon as my Amazon purchases have a tracking number for shipment, I add the number to the ParcelTrack app on my phone and incessantly refresh until it has arrived.

There is a better way of going about things, however, and if you don’t want to be glued to your smartphone for shipping updates, you can use your smart lights to notify you anytime your packages shipping status changes.

What you’ll need

To make your lights flash when a package is on the way, you need an IFTTT account, smart lights (like LIFX or Hue) and an account with Slice.

Slice is an automated package tracking service. It scans your inboxes for shipment info and automatically tracks packages. For it to work, you will also need to link any email addresses you use for purchasing items online.

Set up the automation

For this setup, you’ll set up just one IFTTT recipe.

First, add the channels:

• Head to IFTTT in your browser and login or create an account. Click Channels in the upper right portion of the site and search for the Slice channel.
• Click Connect and authorize the connection.Finally, from ifttt.com, click Channels in the upper right corner once more and connect the channel for your smart lights of choice.

Make the recipe

• To create a new recipe, go to ifttt.com and hover over your profile name. Click Create in the dropdown menu.
• Click This to select the Trigger Channel. Search for Slice and click on the channel icon in the results.
• For the Trigger, select Shipment status changes. Click Create Trigger to continue to the next step.
• Click That to proceed and search for the brand of your smart bulb and click on the channel icon. For this example, I’m using LIFX, so the options from this point forward may vary slightly.
• For the Action, select Breathe lights.
• Select which lights you want to breathe, whether they should turn on first, how many times the lights should breathe, which color and the brightness.
• Click Create Action to continue and Create Recipe to finish.

Now, any time something you have ordered is coming your way, your lights will “breathe” the a specified color and number of times. This will let you know it’s time to check the tracking, rather than checking the status of your packages randomly throughout the day.

Huawei teases ‘exciting new innovation’ next week with #OO campaign in the UK

Huawei has kicked off a global marketing campaign in the UK to tease next week’s announcement. The company will be rolling out on a global scale across print, digital and social channels with things commencing in the UK. Huawei promises an “exciting new innovation” will be unveiled in a week’s time on April 6, which we expect to be the already leaked P9.

The global campaign represents the company looking to expand and grow in key European markets and this special event will take place at the Battersea Evolution in central London. Be sure to follow the #OO hashtag on Twitter and remain tuned to Android Central for more from Huawei.

An April update will bring Marshmallow and camera improvements to Nextbit Robin

Nextbit, the people who brought us the Robin and some pretty fancy methods to manage your storage space, announced some news about a pending update today on their community forums.

The update, coming sometime in April, will bring Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to the Robin, along with some much needed improvements to the camera software. As mentioned in our review of the Robin, the camera app took a bit longer than expected to actually take a picture once you tapped the button, especially in HDR mode. This, as well as small improvements to the user interface in both the camera app itself and the gallery have been addressed, and Nextbit says the picture taking is now “at least twice as fast.” They also demonstrated this on Twitter.

Thanks for tuning into our #RobinUpdate! Here’s a comparison of the new updated camera speed. #RobinCam pic.twitter.com/zrKLR4V7W7

— Nextbit (@nextbitsys) March 30, 2016

the April update also was designed to improve battery life by further optimizing the “thermal tuning” for the processor. This should also improve overall performance. In addition, audio improvements should make the speakerphone more clear sounding to both parties, and playback for the Robin’s two front facing speakers has been further tuned. One final issue addressed is the viewability of the screen in bright sunlight, which should improve with the April update.

A smaller update is also pushing now, and it addresses “trouble with certain apps like Uber crashing.” Expect the big update, and Marshmallow, sometime next month.

Nintendo’s Miitomo is now rolling out in select markets

Miitomo is now rolling out in select markets, namely those in Europe as well as the U.S. While the process has kicked off, it may take the store sometime to propagate and make the app available for your device. It’s a big deal though since this is Nintendo’s first smartphone app. And note that we call it an app, because this is a messaging client utilizing Nintendo Mii characters.

“Once their Mii is ready, users can add friends who already have the app in person, or by linking the app with their existing Facebook or Twitter accounts. After that step is complete, it’s time to answer some questions! Miitomo creates conversations and turns discussions into a form of play by prompting users to answer all kinds of fun questions.”

It’s an interesting take on the messaging category of apps. The app itself is available for free though there are in-app purchases for additional avatar customization. There’s a bunch of neat little features so do give it a download and see what all the fuss is about.

Amazon Prime now available to Sprint customers for $11 a month

If you wanted to try out Amazon Prime but don’t have the $99 on hands for its normal annual fee, you might want to switch over to Sprint. The carrier has announced that new or current customers have the option to access Amazon Prime as an option on their bills for $10.99 a month.

This is the first time that Amazon Prime has been available on a month-to-month basis. Sprint says:

“Amazon Prime is another example of the innovative options that Sprint delivers every day to its customers,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “With this monthly add-on, Sprint customers will have great flexibility and will have the opportunity to easily access Amazon’s full entertainment package on America’s fastest LTE network.”

If Sprint customers stick with their Amazon Prime option for 12 months, they will pay more than the regular user of the service as the yearly cost will be about $132. On the other hand, Sprint customers could also check it out for a few months to access Amazon Prime Video’s exclusive shows like Transparent and The Man in the High Castle and then remove the option from their bill and not have to pay the $99 annual fee.