Important announcements
Google buys eye-tracking VR tech
Eyefluence, a startup that focuses on using eye tracking for augmented reality and virtual reality applications has announced in a blogpost that it is joining Google. Google is continuing work on a standalone headset that blends virtual and augmented reality. The device will work completely standalone without any smartphone attached. Also the product will integrate eye-tracking technologies and algorithms “to map out the real-world space in front of a user.” The result is an experience that’s less closed off than current VR headsets and “blurs the line between virtual and augmented reality.” According to Engadget’s sources, AI company Movidius will supply the chips that will help in the motion tracking and position awareness. Movidius is currently being acquired by Intel.
You can read more here.
Microsoft makes its deep learning tools available to all
The open-source Cognitive Toolkit will let anyone train their own AI. Formerly known as the CNTK, Microsoft says the beta version of the Cognitive Toolkit is not only faster than previous incarnations, but it is also beats out competing deep learning toolkits, especially when crunching large datasets across multiple machines. On a more practical level for startups and hobbyists, Microsoft says the platform is flexible enough to run on a solo laptop, just in case you don’t have a server farm loaded with NVIDIA GPUs at your disposal. The public release also allows developers to bring their own Python or C++ code to the deep learning party.
More info can be found here.
New MacBook Pro can’t connect to your iPhone, iPad without a dongle or new cable
Apple finally made the new Macbook Pro official. It comes with Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C ports and one 3.5mm audio jack (phew), but no Lightning port to connect iPhone and iPad devices with the new MacBook Pro. This means that if iPhones and iPads need to be connected to the MacBook Pro, users will have to buy an additional adapter or cable for it. Same goes for SD cards as well. This ‘adapter for connectivity’ school of thought that Apple has been adopting this year is quite strange, as one would think that Apple would at least consider the convenience factor for its own ecosystem of products and make it easy for them to interconnect. That clearly is not the case this time, and even the Lightning EarPods released with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have nowhere to connect on the MacBook Pro.
You can read more here.
Top new products
Huawei Mate 9 Pro to sport a curved 5.9″ QHD display
Huawei is preparing to launch Mate 9 smartphone at an event in Germany on November 3, while new images leaked ahead of the launch reveals the smartphone to come in purple colour. Additionally, a leak image revealed Huawei will to launch a pro version of the handset dubbed as Mate 9 Pro which will sport curved display screen. Based on earlier rumours the Huawei Mate 9 will feature a 5.9-inch display with 1920×1080 resolutions, powered by its own Kirin 960 chipset and will offer users either 4GB or 6GB RAM and internal storage of up to 256GB. The Huawei Mate 9 will be running on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat with Huawei’s EMUI 5 on top. The dual-camera setup will include a 20MP rear camera and a 12MP front camera.
You can read more here.
Google Jamboard Digital Whiteboard unveiled at $6,000
Google has launched its answer to Microsoft’s Surface Hub: a cloud-connected touchscreen whiteboard device called Jamboard. It’s a large display and has a new software that enables collaboration with other Jamboards (across the building or across the country) and also on iOS or Android tablets or phones. The display can attach to a wall, but Google has also built a large stand with four legs and wheels for the device. It looks like a 60-inch HDTV. There’s a toolbar at the left side of the screen—calendar, web browser, maps. These features open in a panel at the left margin of the screen. You can easily capture grabs from maps or web pages and post them to the whiteboard.
More info here.
Microsoft unveils new Surface Studio desktop
The Surface Studio is a touchscreen desktop that Microsoft claims is the thinnest LCD monitor ever created at 12.5mm. It has a 28-inch screen with about 63 per cent more pixels than a 4K television, as well as what Microsoft describes as “true colour” technology. The Surface Studio is available to pre-order from today, with prices starting at $2,999. The origami-like design of the Surface Studio desktop computer means that it can be folded to lay flat on the desk and used in a similar way to a tablet. The hinges at the back of the computer mean that it can also be positioned at different angles. Surface Studio is compatible with the Surface Pen, and also has an in-built HD camera.
You can read more here.
Top interesting info
Adobe rushes out emergency patch for critical Flash Player vulnerability
Adobe is advising folks to update Flash Player as malware is right now exploiting a newly discovered hole in the internet’s screen door to hijack Windows PCs. The emergency patch addresses a single vulnerability, CVE-2016-7855. The use-after-free programming blunder allows an attacker to achieve remote code execution when the user views a specially crafted Flash media file. The vulnerability was discovered and reported to Adobe by Neel Mehta and Billy Leonard from the Google Threat Analysis Group, but a patch could not be released before attackers were able to get exploits working in the wild. Users and administrators of machines running Flash Player on Windows, macOS, and Linux are being advised to update their software as soon as possible to avoid further attacks.
You can read more here.
Microsoft Paint 3D preview app for Windows 10 now available to download
The new Paint 3D app will be available to users as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update that Microsoft claims will be available for free to 400 million Windows 10 users early next year. However it has now made the Paint 3D Preview app available to download from the Microsoft Store. Users will have to be part of the Windows Insider Program to use an early version of the Paint 3D app alongside installing the latest Windows Insiders build (Build 14800 or above) on their systems. With Microsoft’s latest Paint 3D Preview app, users will be able to interact the captured objects in 3D via a smartphone camera. The feature will be available soon on Windows 10 Mobile devices and it will be coming to iOS and Android.
More info about the software cand be found here.
WiGig devices coming next year to ease Wi-Fi congestion
WiGig, a superfast wireless network technology, has passed a milestone with the launch of a certification program at an industry consortium called the Wi-Fi Alliance, that could help propel it out of obscurity and into a starring role in VR headsets, laptops, TVs and phones. That, along with the fact airwaves for conventional Wi-Fi are getting more and more crowded, could mean WiGig will catch on this time. “The total WiGig-enabled product market will surpass 1 billion in 2020,” predicted Philip Solis, an analyst with ABI research. Those products will include 60 million home network devices, half a billion phones and 70 million laptops, he said.
You can read more here.
