Important announcements
Alphabet’s Google and OpenAI both announced that they are open-sourcing their AI programs
For OpenAI, the open-source code being released is its Universe software platform, which it says “lets us train a single [AI] agent on any task a human can complete with a computer.” By releasing Universe as open-source software, OpenAI will benefit from having a much larger group of researchers testing and training the intelligent software agents that make up its AI. Everything from Flash games, browser tasks, and more elaborate games such as Grand Theft Auto V can be used to present new environments and tasks for the intelligent agents to work on.
Google DeepMind research is focused on building better AI for more demanding cognitive tasks, and building superior environments that can train these advanced AI better. DeepMind has opened sourced its research platform, DeepMind Lab, for broader use by the research community. A GitHub repository for Google DeepMind Lab is expected to go live later this week
You can read more here.
AirDroid, a remote control app for Android, is vulnerable to attack
You may have heard of AirDroid, a souped-up remote control app that lets you wirelessly connect to an Android phone or tablet. It’s impressively robust: you can respond to text messages directly from your PC, dismiss or answer an incoming call, silence notifications from certain apps, and even transfer files and photos simply by clicking and dragging. But it’s also frighteningly vulnerable to hacks: according to research firm Zimperium, a nasty security hole has left “tens of millions” of AirDroid’s users susceptible to data-stealing attackers. At fault is the app’s weak method of encryption. Zimperium reported that AirDroid’s key — a digital passcode made up of a combination of numbers, letters, and characters — that it uses to obfuscate sensitive updates and data is both “static” and “easily detectable.” And while AirDroid uses the industry-standard HTTPS security protocol to handle most files, the app transfers crucial bits over unencrypted HTTP.
More info are available here.
European Commission gives its approval for Microsoft acquisition of LinkedIn
Microsoft is about to close the books on its $26.2 billion deal to purchase the professional social networking service LinkedIn. The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, granted its approval on the condition that Microsoft allows rival professional networking sites to integrate its Office applications and cloud-computing services for the next five years. PC makers in the EU will also have the option of not installing LinkedIn’s app, Microsoft said. The European Commission wants Microsoft to provide access to “Microsoft Graph” to competing Professional Social Networking service providers. Developers can use data available through this gateway to drive user adoption. After a six-month process, now Microsoft can move forward and wrap up a deal that has seen LinkedIn become entangled in a tug-of-war as Salesforce sought to be the preferred suitor.
You can read more here.
Top new products
Lenovo Phab2 Pro ‘Tango’ smartphone goes on sale
Specs-wise, the Phab2 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 652 SoC and sports a huge 6.4-inch QHD display. Memory configuration is 4GB/64GB, while on the camera front, the device features a 16MP/8MP combo. A large, 4,050mAh battery is there to keep the lights on. As for the price, a quick look reveals that Lenovo’s online stores in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have the device in stock and are selling it for €499, or around $530.
You can read more here.
Galaxy S8 is not going to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S series flagship smartphone – the Galaxy S8 – won’t feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, according to a new report. There’ll be a USB Type-C port instead, meaning you’ll have to use a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter to make the phone compatible with your existing headphones. Samsung is going to officially unveil the Galaxy S8 in February next year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It’s not going to confirm anything about the device before the event so it’s likely that the company might still have some surprises for fans up its sleeve.
More info here.
Alcatel launches the IDOL 4 with a VR headset
The highlight of the IDOL 4 is a bundled VR headset that offers an immersive 360-degree multimedia and gaming experience. The smartphone packs in dual-speakers that offer a total audio output of 7.2 watts with Waves MaxxAudio technology, and there’s a pair of JBL stereo headset in the box. One of the unique features of the IDOL 4 is the Boom Key that that gives you access to a wide range of functions and apps with the press of a single button. The Alcatel Idol 4 has a 5.2-inch screen having Full HD resolution. The display is LTPS type, similar to what iPhones carry. The phone runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core chipset with 3GB RAM and graphics are handled by Adreno 405 GPU.
You can read more here.
Top interesting info
Privacy groups urge investigation of ‘internet of toys’
Smart toys can certainly inject some life into playtime, but they raise big privacy concerns when an internet connection is involved… and if you believe some critics, at least a few toys have crossed the line. Complaints to regulators say that some toys collect the voices of children without permission. Reportedly, i-Que and My Friend Cayla not only capture kids’ voices without adequate notice or permission, but send it to Nuance with few safeguards over how that information is handled. It could be used in databases that Nuance sells to police and intelligence agencies, the groups say. The organizations also accuse Genesis of failing to prevent unauthorized Bluetooth devices from connecting to the toys. Someone could eavesdrop on conversations, according to the complaint, raising the threat of “predatory stalking and physical danger.”
You can read more here.
VR headset manufacturers launch the Global Virtual Reality Association
The founding members of the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA) include Acer Starbreeze, Google, HTC VIVE, Facebook’s Oculus, Samsung and Sony Interactive Entertainment. “The goal of the Global Virtual Reality Association is to promote responsible development and adoption of VR globally,” the group said in a release. “The association’s members will develop and share best practices, conduct research, and bring the international VR community together as the technology progresses.” This year, the market for VR and AR (augmented reality) has been valued at $5.2 billion.
More info can be found here.
Machine learning will scale personalized customer interactions
Flamingo, an ASX-listed artificial intelligence company that develops conversational commerce agents for financial organisations, will be ramping up its expansion efforts with a newfound focus on the Asia-Pacific market, as well as new industry verticals such as healthcare. Flamingo is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that provides an “intelligent guided selling platform” to help financial services firms address the problem of low online sales conversion rates. By combining web chat, web forms, and artificial intelligence, Flamingo guides customers through their purchasing decisions, coupled with a data science capability. The company claims its edge is a conversational commerce agent called Rosie that is more sophisticated than a chatbot.
You can read more here.
