Category: Latest News

In a surprise announcement, Amazon has said CEO Jeff Bezos is stepping down and transitioning to the role of Executive Chair in Q3 ‘21. Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and has been inextricably linked with the company ever since. He’s guided it from an online bookstore to the e-commerce and cloud computing behemoth it currently is. In turn, the company has helped drive Bezos’ personal worth, making him one of the richest people in the world, only eclipsed by Tesla’s Elon Musk in January 2021. After nearly three…

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iMessage in iOS 14 has a major upgrade over previous versions, taking security to an all-new level. With more than 1 billion iPhones, Apple’s iMessage is one of the most popular messaging platforms on the market. As a result, it’s a popular target for hackers and bad actors looking for an attack vector. It appears Apple has taken a significant step toward protecting iMessage users in iOS 14, adding a behind-the-scenes feature called BlastDoor, first noticed by Samuel Groß, a security researcher with Google’s Project Zero, and reported on by ZDNet. BlastDoor…

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Apple is preparing updates to the MacBook Air and Pro that will bring back some of their most popular features. Apple’s MacBooks are its most popular computers, but the company was accused of letting them languish toward the end of the Intel era. In addition, some customers vehemently disagreed with some of Apple’s decisions that seemed to place more emphasis on form over function. This included removing popular features, such as the SD card slot and the MagSafe power adapter. According to Bloomberg, the company is looking to bring these features…

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Amazon warehouse workers are preparing to vote on whether to form the company’s first union. Amazon is famously opposed to its employees unionizing. The company has gone to extreme measures, even hiring Pinkerton detectives to monitor efforts. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accused Amazon of threatening, suspending and terminating employees for trying to organize. It appears Amazon’s efforts have not been successful, however, as employees at the company’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama are moving forward with plans to vote on unionization. The NLRB has scheduled the vote for February 8 through March 29, and will…

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Intel has introduced RealSense ID Facial Authentication in an effort to deliver private, secure facial recognition. Traditional authentication methods leave much to be desired, especially with rise of ransomware attacks, software supply chain attacks, identity theft and additional threats. Intel’s hope is that RealSense ID will provide a more secure alternative, paving the way to use facial recognition to unlock access controls, smart locks, ATMs, kiosks, POS systems and more. Intel touts the ease with which RealSense can be deployed and used. With an easy enrollment process and no network setup needed,…

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Amazon’s head scientist of Alexa is arguing that the Turing Test is obsolete as an AI test and should be replaced. Alan Turing published his famous paper 70 years ago, wherein he outlined the Turing Test as a way to evaluate artificial intelligence to see if it had achieved true intelligence. Since then, it has been the gold standard researchers have used in their efforts to advance AI. Writing in Fast Company, Rohit Prasad says the Turing Test is now obsolete. The Turing Test is fraught with limitations, some of which Turing himself…

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Huawei is preparing to open its first network equipment factory outside of China, as the company works to address security concerns. Once one of the dominant network equipment providers, Huawei has been under pressure as a result of its close ties to the Chinese government. The US has led a campaign to convince countries to ban the company from participating in their networks, with many doing just that. The company is taking great pains to prove it can be trusted. Its latest effort is plans to open a factory in…

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Microsoft has announced an expansion of its partnership with SAP to improve supply chain and Industry 4.0 solutions. SAP is one of the leading enterprise software providers, and the two companies are expanding their partnership “to help customers design and operate intelligent digital supply chain and Industry 4.0 solutions.” The two companies are also working together to promote interoperability in the industry. The partnership will allow customers to run SAP’s Digital Supply Chain solutions on Microsoft Azure. The solution will run as software-as-a-service (SaaS) on Azure, giving customers the ability to scale…

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Facebook has reached a deal to acquire Kustomer, the maker of a “customer service CRM platform built for today.” The deal, rumored to be worth at least $1 billion, would be a departure from Facebook’s traditional acquisitions. The company usually buys companies aligned with its consumer-oriented focus, whereas Kustomer’s software is aimed at businesses. The move demonstrates Facebook’s interest in monetizing some of its existing businesses, specifically WhatsApp. The company looked at integrating ads in the platform before abandoning the idea due to backlash. Instead, the company has focused on providing businesses with a way to communicate and…

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Don’t think of it as an enhanced version of Google Support. Google has beta-launched a program for small businesses (SMBs) to help them become better marketers on Google. Called Small Business Advisors (SBA), the program offers 50-minute individualized consulting sessions on a range of products from Google My Business to Ads and Analytics to YouTube. No enterprises or agencies. Google told me in an email that the program is “is open to small businesses in the United States with an active Google account.  Large businesses, marketing and SEO agencies are not eligible to…

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