The folks behind some of the technology in Siri, the iPhone’s virtual personal assistant, are bringing their voice recognotion technology to customer service applications, including bank, cable and credit card smartphone apps. Nuance Communications (NUAN) last week announced the creation of “Nina,” a natural human language input software that is designed to understand customers’ questions about their… Read more »
Monthly Archives: September 2018
NBA League Pass: Fans to be able to buy access to live fourth quarter action
A last-minute Champions League-winning goal, or a Ryder Cup-winning putt – how much would you pay to watch those sporting climaxes? If you’re an NBA fan, it will cost you very little. Starting this season, fans will be able to watch just the last quarter of a game “in real-time” for $1.99 Source: BBC Sports Date: September… Read more »
The cameras that know if you’re happy – or a threat
Facial recognition tech is becoming more sophisticated, with some firms claiming it can even read our emotions and detect suspicious behaviour. But what implications does this have for privacy and civil liberties? Facial recognition tech has been around for decades, but it has been progressing in leaps and bounds in recent years due to advances… Read more »
The New Apple Watch Heart Monitoring Only Works in the U.S.
When Apple said its new Apple Watch heart monitoring capabilities were FDA cleared, they meant only FDA cleared, it seems. The new Apple Watch touts a fancy new ECG, or electrocardiogram, monitor. It’s the type of device that is medically advanced enough to need clearance before public consumer use. Apple actually only got FDA clearance a day before its big event… Read more »
Hologram phone calls – sci-fi or serious possibility?
High-speed 5G networks could lead to big changes in how we use our mobile phones, allowing us to enjoy virtual reality on-the-go, interactive live broadcasts, and even project holograms from our handsets. But will connection “not-spots” and high costs stop many of us reaping the benefits? Source: BBC Analysis Date: September 20th, 2018 Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45009458 Discussion 1) What practical… Read more »
London Fashion Week 2018: Robots take over the runway
A catwalk show at London Fashion Week has divided opinions about the future of fashion. Source: BBC Trends Date: September 20, 2018 Link to video: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-45548805/london-fashion-week-2018-robots-take-over-the-runway Discussion 1) Whether or not this is just a gimmick, why does it matter that robots are featured in fashion? 2) The robots in this “fashion” show are no where near realistic. … Read more »
Why Russian trolls may be more excited that the NFL is back than you are
Millions of Americans are looking forward to the return of Sunday NFL football this weekend. And somewhere in St. Petersburg, a group of Russian trolls likely is too. The same Kremlin-linked group that posed as Americans on social media during the 2016 US presidential election has repeatedly exploited the controversy surrounding the NFL and players… Read more »
Google defends Trump election reaction
Google has defended the way its bosses greeted the election of Donald Trump, after criticism by right-wing media. A video published on Wednesday by the Breitbart website shows senior executives commenting the morning after the 2016 election. During the 60-minute presentation, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said he found the election “deeply offensive”. Breitbart said the… Read more »
The world’s most prolific writer is an algorithm
“Inflatable duck baby pool with canopy.” “Hot selling colourful temporary full arm tattoo for men.” “Splendid reusable dog pee pad (minimum order: 500).” Load up the homepage for e-commerce giant, Alibaba – a wholesale shopping site that’s more or less China’s answer to eBay – and you’ll find images and descriptions of anything you could wish to… Read more »
Who has your data? Researchers scrutinize apps for undisclosed ties to advertisers, analytics companies
A study looked at hundreds of apps’ privacy policies — then compared them to the data actually collected. Of the 757 apps analyzed, the researchers found nearly 60 per cent of apps collected more information than stated in their privacy policies. Source: CBC News Date: September 7th, 2018 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/app-privacy-policy-apptrans-uoft-third-parties-ads-code-1.4791834 Discussion 1) Why does it matter that apps collect… Read more »
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