Author: azeeadmin

Amazon’s Fire tablets have been doing the Alexa thing for a while now, slowly improving the experience update by update. A new version of the Fire HD 8 tablet takes everything a step further with the addition of an always-on, fully hands-free assistant experience.

When the setting is enabled, you can summon Alexa, even with the tablet in standby mode. The new slate also, naturally, has the recently introduced Show Mode, which brings an Echo Show-like experience to the product when docked.

The company is further blurring the line between product categories — but that’s never really been an issue for Amazon. It clearly has little concern how people get Alexa, just so long as they’re using the product. The combination of hands-free Alexa and Show Mode is just another point of entry for the increasingly saturated smart home.

The new device also features a 10-hour battery, quad-core processor, 1280 x 800 display and 16GB/32GB of storage. Not exactly high-end specs here, but it’s an $80 device. Cheap is kind of the whole point of the Fire tablets, these days. There’s also a $130 Kids Edition of the tablet, featuring a drop-friendly bumper and the standard software subscription package.

The new tablets are up for pre-order today and start shipping October 4.

The U.S. government has issued sanctions against a North Korean individual and an entity over historical cyberattacks, which wreaked billions of dollars in damages.

In a statement, the U.S. Treasury named North Korean programmer Park Jin Jyok for working on behalf of Pyongyang in carrying out several cyberattacks against U.S. and global targets. The statement said Park was responsible for a hack on Sony Pictures in 2016, which U.S. authorities had long blamed on North Korea, citing little evidence. It was believed, though never confirmed, that the attack was in retaliation for Sony’s production of “The Interview,” a movie in which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was assassinated.

Park was also accused of carrying out the WannaCry ransomware outbreak in 2017, also blamed on North Korea, which encrypted the contents of tens of thousands of computers for ransom. The attack used stolen exploits developed by the National Security Agency to attack computers across the world, knocking offline hospitals and other businesses.

The government also said Park was sanctioned for his part in the transfer of $81 million from Bangladesh Bank in 2016.

Park is said to work for a venture operated by the North Korean government, which the Treasury is also sanctioning.

“North Korea has demonstrated a pattern of disruptive and harmful cyber activity that is inconsistent with the growing consensus on what constitutes responsible state behavior in cyberspace,” the Treasury statement read. “Our policy is to hold North Korea accountable and demonstrate to the regime that there is a cost to its provocative and irresponsible actions.”

In remarks, CrowdStrike called the North Korean attackers “some of the most active and disruptive threat groups today.”

The Justice Department was expected to indict a then-unnamed North Korean government operative, according to a report by ABC News on Thursday.

Amazon’s kid-friendly FreeTime service offering books, apps, videos, games, and more, is now available in Spanish, the company announced this morning alongside news of its new Fire HD 8 devices. The Spanish-language service will include access to over 1,000 age-appropriate books, videos, educational apps, games, and soon Audible books, the company says, all in Spanish language for no extra cost beyond the existing FreeTime Unlimited subscription.

The Spanish language offering is not separate from Amazon’s existing English-language service, but instead included with the bundle.

The English service is larger in scope, however, with over 20,000 kid-friendly books, apps, games, videos, Alexa content, and Audible books, also arriving soon.

Along with the launch, Amazon has given FreeTime an updated design, focused on making it easier for kids to use.

Explains the retailer, the updated design will now separate titles by content type, including by English or Spanish languages.

FreeTime will also continue to offer the same parental control features it’s known for, including the ability to manage the device remotely through the Parent Dashboard. What’s new is that parents can now choose to set Spanish-only or English-only content as the default, or they can opt for a combination of both.

“Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States and is taught as a foreign language in many elementary schools today,” said Kurt Beidler, Director of Kids & Family, Amazon, about the launch. “FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited in Spanish offer an immersive experience that reinforces what many kids are learning at home or in school,” he added.

The FreeTime app and subscription-based FreeTime Unlimited service, which is $2.99/month for Prime members or $2 more for non-members, will be available on compatible Fire tablets, and iOS devices via a software update arriving on October 4. It will hit Android soon after.

At TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018, BMW today premiered its digital personal assistant for its cars, the aptly named BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. But you won’t have to say “Hey, BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant” to wake it up. You can give it any name you want.

The announcement comes only a few weeks after BMW also launched its integration with Amazon’s Alexa, but it’s worth stressing that these are complementary technologies. BMW’s own assistant is all about your car, while its partnerships with Amazon and also Microsoft enables other functions that aren’t directly related to your driving experience.

“BMW’s Personal Assistant gets to know you over time with each of your voice commands and by using your car,” BMW’s senior vice president Digital Products and Services, Dieter May, said. “It gets better and better every single day.”

Sticking with the precedents of Microsoft’s, Google’s and Amazon’s assistants, the voice of BMW’s assistant is female (though BMW often uses male names and pronouns in its press materials). Over time, it’ll surely get more voices.

So what can the BMW assistant do? Once you are in a compatible car, you’ll be able to control all of the standard in-car features by voice. Think navigation and climate control (“Hey John, I’m cold”), or check the tire pressure, oil level and other engine settings.

You also can have some more casual conversations (“Hey Charlie, what’s the meaning of life?”), but what’s maybe more important is that the assistant will continuously learn more about you. Right now, the assistant can remember your preferred settings, but over time, it’ll learn more and even proactively suggest changes. “For example, driving outside the city at night, the personal assistant could suggest you the BMW High Beam Assist,” May noted.

In addition, you’ll also be able to use the assistant to learn more about your car’s features, something that’s getting increasingly hard as cars become computers on wheels with ever-increasing complexity.

BMW built the assistant on top of Microsoft’s Azure cloud and conversational technologies. Azure has long been BMW’s preferred public cloud and the two companies have had a close relationship for years now. BMW has, after all, also integrated some support for accessing Office 365 files and using Skype for Business in its cars, with support for Cortana likely coming soon, too.

That all sounds a bit confusing, though. Why have three assistants in the car, after all. All that “Hey Alexa,” “Hey Charlie,” “Hey Cortana” is going to get a bit confusing after all. But BMW argues that each one has a specialty. For Alexa that may be shopping while Cortana is all about getting work done and the BMW is all about your car. And if everything else fails, BMW’s existing concierge service is still there and lets you talk to a human.

The assistant feature will be available in a basic version with support for 23 languages and markets, starting March 2019. In the U.S., Germany, U.K., Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Brazil and Japan, the service will feature more features like support for weather search, point of interest search and access to music in March 2019. In those markets, the assistant will also feature a more natural voice. In China, this expanded version will go live a bit later and is currently scheduled for May 2019. In those markets, it’ll roll out to cars that support the BMW Operating System 7.0 as part of the company’s Live Cockpit Professional program.

If you order a BMW 3 Series, starting in November, the assistant will be available to you right away and included for the first three years of your ownership. For new X5, Z4 and 8 Series models, BMW Assistant support will arrive in the form of an over-the-air software upgrade starting in March 2019.

Yesterday was a blast, but there’s no reason to rest on our laurels. Disrupt SF 2018 Day 2 holds plenty in store for us.

We’ll hear from Priscilla Chan, Dara Khosrowshahi, Reid Hoffman, Doug Leone and many more.

First up, Dieter May from BMW with a global product announcement.

Then, this afternoon, we’ll check out the rest of the Startup Battlefield companies.

The full agenda is right here.

Enjoy!

You can now control the Xbox from Alexa and Cortana. Microsoft announced his morning it’s introducing a new way to interact with Xbox One using voice commands, by way of an Xbox Skill that works with both Alexa and Cortana, across platforms. The skill will allow users to launch games, adjust the volume, start and stop their broadcasts to Mixer, capture screenshots and more.

For example, players will be able to say to their Echo speaker, “Alexa, start Rocket League,” and the console would power on, sign them in, and launch the game.

To use the new feature with Alexa, players will first have to sign in with their Amazon account then link their Microsoft account to the skill. With Cortana, users will instead have to first sign into the Xbox they want to control, then sign in with their Microsoft account to link the skill on their Windows 10 PC.

They could then say something like “Hey Cortana, tell Xbox to open Netflix.”

 

Microsoft says the skill will work across a range of voice-powered devices, including Windows 10 PC, Amazon Echo devices, Harman Kardon Invoke, Sonos One, or the Cortana and Alexa apps for iOS and Android.

A full list of its commands will be posted to the Xbox Insiders Reddit. 

The Xbox Skill, at launch, will be rolling out gradually to U.S. Xbox Insider rings (Alpha Skip Ahead, Alpha, Beta) as the company takes in feedback from its early adopters. To see if you have the option available, you’ll need to look in Settings –> Devices on your console to see if the “Digital Assistant” setting is visible.

In a move aimed at upping standards across biometric user verification systems, the industry consortium, Fido Alliance, has launched a certification program for biometrics systems.

“The goal of the Biometric Certification Component Program is to provide a framework for the certification of biometric subsystems that can in turn be integrated into FIDO Certified authenticators,” it writes on its website.

While biometric verification systems such as fingerprint readers have been pretty widely adopted in the mobile space already — with Apple introducing its fingerprint biometric, Touch ID, to the iPhone a full five years ago; followed, last fall, by a facial recognition biometric (Face ID) for its high end iPhone X — the Alliance says that, up to now, there hasn’t been a standardized way to validate the accuracy and reliability of biometric recognition systems in the commercial marketplace. Which is where it’s intending the new certification program to come in.

While few would doubt the robustness of Apple’s biometrics components (and testing regime), the sprawlingly diverse Android marketplace hosts all sorts of OEM players — which inevitably raises the risk of some lesser quality components (and/or processes) slipping in.

And in recent years there have been plenty of examples of poorly implemented biometrics, especially in the mobile space — with hackers easily able to crack into various Android devices that were using facial or iris recognition technology in trivially bypassable ways.

In 2017, for example, Chaos Computer Club members used a print out of an eye combined with a contact lens to fox iris scanners on the Samsung Galaxy S8. And that was one of the most sophisticated biometric hacks. Others have just required a selfie of the person to be held up in front of a ‘face unlock’ system to get an easy open sesame.

Where the not-for-profit Alliance comes in — an industry group whose board includes security exec reps from the likes of Amazon, Google and Microsoft, among others — is it’s on a mission to reduce reliance on passwords for digital security because they inject friction into the online experience.

And biometrics do tend to be convenient, given they are attached to each person. Which is why they have been increasingly finding their way into smartphones and all sorts of other consumer electronics — from wearables to car tech, helped by component costs shrinking as biometrics adoption grows.

But it’s no good trying to speed up ID verification if the alternatives being reached for are badly implemented — and end up actively damaging security.

It certainly doesn’t have to be that way.

Apple’s biometrics are not so easily mocked. And while Touch ID is vulnerable to spoofing, like pretty much any fingerprint reader, its depth-mapping Face ID tech is by far the most sophisticated biometric implementation in the consumer electronics space to date. And hasn’t been meaningfully hacked (well, barring attacks by identical twins/strikingly similar looking family members).

So there’s clearly a world of difference (and, well, cost) between a well architected biometric recognition system which puts security considerations front and center, vs the awful sloppy stuff we’ve seen in recent years — where OEMs were just rushing to compete.

Biometrics has certainly often been treated more as a convenience gimmick for device marketing purposes, rather than viewed as a route to evolve (and even potentially enhance) device security.

The Alliance’s certification program is using accredited independent labs to test that biometric subcomponents meet what it dubs “globally recognized performance standards for biometric recognition performance and Presentation Attack Detection (PAD)” — and thus that they are “fit for commercial use”.

PAD refers to various methods that can be used to try to attack and circumvent biometric systems, such as using silicon or gelatine fingerprints, or deploying harvested facial or video imagery of the device owner.

So it looks like the Alliance’s hope for the program is to ‘upskill’ biometric implementations — or at least weed out the really stupid stuff.

“For customers, such as regulated online service providers, OEMs and enterprises, it provides a standardized way to trust that the biometric systems they are relying upon for fingerprint, iris, face and/or voice recognition can reliably identify users and detect presentation attacks,” it writes.

Speed is another goal too, as it says prior to this certification program due diligence was carried out by enterprise customers (or at least by those “who had the capacity to conduct such reviews”) — which required biometric vendors to repeatedly prove performance for each customer.

Whereas going forward vendors can use the program to test and certify just once to validate their system’s performance and re-use that third-party validation across the market — gaining what the Alliance bills as” substantial time and cost savings”.

Commenting in a statement, Brett McDowell, executive director of the Alliance, said: “While border control and law enforcement markets have mature assessment programs for their biometric systems, we were surprised that no such program existed for this rapidly growing consumer market.”

“With biometrics being a popular option for mobile and web applications implementing Fido Authentication, there is a growing need for those service providers to appropriately assess the risk of fraud from lost or stolen devices,” he added.

Currently only one lab has been accredited to perform components testing for the program.

The lab, iBeta, is located in the U.S. but a spokeswoman for the Fido Alliance told us: “The Alliance is actively working to bring in additional labs.”

She added that the Alliance will update this list as more are added.

Microsoft wants to make life easier for enterprise customers. Starting today, it is committing to fix any custom applications that may break as a result of updates to Windows 10 or the Office 365 product suite.

Most large companies have a series of custom applications that play a crucial role inside their organizations. When you update Windows and Office 365, Murphy’s Law of updates says one or more of those applications is going to break.

Up until this announcement when that inevitably happened, it was entirely the problem of the customer. Microsoft has taken a huge step today by promising to help companies understand which applications will likely break when you install updates, and working to help fix them if it ultimately happens anyway.

One of the reasons the company can afford to be so generous is they have data that suggests the vast majority of applications won’t break when customers move from Windows 7 to Windows 10. “Using millions of data points from customer diagnostic data and the Windows Insider validation process, we’ve found that 99 percent of apps are compatible with new Windows updates,” Microsoft’s Jared Spataro wrote in a blog post announcing these programs.

To that end, they have a new tool called Desktop Deployment Analytics, which creates a map of your applications and predicts using artificial intelligence which of them are most likely to have problems with the update.

“You now have the ability with the cloud to have intelligence in how you manage these end points and get smart recommendations around how you deploy Windows,” Spataro, who is corporate vice president of Microsoft 365, told TechCrunch.

Even with that kind of intelligence-driven preventive approach, things still break, and that’s where the next program, Desktop App Assure, comes into play. It’s a service designed to address any application compatibility issues with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus. In fact, Microsoft has promised to assign an engineer to a company to fix anything that breaks, even if it’s unique to a particular organization.

That’s quite a commitment, and Spataro recognizes that there will be plenty of skeptics where this program in particular is concerned. He says that it’s up to Microsoft to deliver what it’s promised.

Over the years, organizations have spent countless resources getting applications to work after Windows updates, sometimes leaving older versions in place for years to avoid incompatibility problems. These programs theoretically completely remove that pain point from the equation, placing the burden to fix the applications squarely on Microsoft.

“We will look to make changes in Windows or Office before we ask you to make changes in your custom application,” Spataro says, but if that doesn’t solve it, they have committed to helping you fix it.

Finally, the company heard a lot of complaints from customers when they announced they were ending extended support for Windows 7 in 2020. Spataro said Microsoft listened to its customers, and has now extended paid support until 2024, letting companies change at their own pace. Theoretically, however, if they can assure customers that updating won’t break things, and they will commit to fixing them if that happens, it should help move customers to Windows 10, which appears to be the company’s goal here.

They also made changes to the standard support and update cadence for Windows 10 and Office 365:

All of these programs appear to be a major shift in how Microsoft has traditionally done business, showing a much stronger commitment to servicing the requirements of enterprise customers, while shifting the cost of fixing custom applications from the customer to Microsoft when updates to its core products cause issues. But they have done so knowing that they can help prevent a lot of those incompatibility problems before they happen, making it easier to commit to this type of program.

Walmart announced on Wednesday a new last-mile delivery pilot program, called Spark Delivery, which focuses on fulfilling customers’ online grocery orders. The retailer is working with delivery logistics platform Bringg, a company that offers an Uber-like or Amazon-like level of visibility to retailers’ delivery operations.

Also similar to Uber, Walmart’s Spark delivery program relies on a crowdsourced workforce. That is, drivers will sign up for windows of time when they’re available to deliver groceries, and will then be provided with the order details and navigational assistance during their shift.

Bringg, fresh off its $12 million Series B earlier this year, tells TechCrunch it’s helping Walmart by offering the retailer the ability to optimize driver schedules, automatically dispatch orders, and allow drivers to communicate their availability. It will also send drivers smart alerts to ensure they don’t miss deliveries.

“By automating key parts of Spark’s dispatcher, driver and customer components, Bringg helps the service operate at optimal efficiency by enabling it to manage the fleet at scale, quickly on-board drivers, offer real-time visibility to everyone involved, and create seamless customer delivery experiences,” a company spokesperson noted.

Walmart is also working with Delivery Drivers, Inc. (DDI) to handle the administration of driver management, which includes the recruiting process, screening and background checks, payments, accounting, and other services.

The retailer didn’t say how much drivers would be paid, but noted it was “by the delivery.”

Customers pay $9.95 per delivery and must order a minimum of $30. But unlike with Amazon Prime/Prime Now, there’s no annual subscription required. Unlike Instacart, there aren’t price markups.

Grocery delivery is already available at Walmart in 50 markets, through other third-party partnerships like those with Postmates, Deliv and DoorDash (though no longer Uber and Lyft). That includes cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami and Seattle. The company in July had said grocery delivery was then live in 30 markets, and was on track to reach 100 metros by year-end.

Spark Delivery won’t impact those other relationships at this time, Walmart now says, noting its work with third-party delivery providers “continues to be a leading part of delivery strategy and important to the future.”

Instead, Spark Delivery will help Walmart reach its goal of 100 markets this year – which covers 40% of U.S. households, it says.

Walmart’s new Spark Delivery is currently being piloted in Nashville and New Orleans, before rolling out to other cities this year.

“Our customers love Grocery Pickup and Delivery – it offers convenience paired with the everyday low prices customers expect from us,” said Tom Ward, vice president, Digital Operations, Walmart U.S., in a statement. “We’re always looking for the best ways to serve them, so we’re exploring a number of different options for getting groceries from our stores to the customer’s front door – some in-house, some third-party.”

Crowdsourced delivery isn’t unique to Walmart. Many retailers and online grocery delivery services rely on contractor workforces, including Shipt, Postmates, Instacart, and Amazon’s Flex – the latter, which is focused on parcel delivery, not food.

However, Amazon does offer grocery delivery via Prime Now as well as AmazonFresh. It’s also one year into its acquisition of Whole Foods, which has seen it revamp stores with big coolers to house customers’ orders, roll out savings to Prime members, and even stock its hardware devices in some locations. But on the flip side, Amazon has been criticized for contributing to the declining quality of some Whole Foods items, like produce, and Whole Foods’ out-of-stock issues.

Amazon also last month launched grocery pickup service at select Whole Foods, with plans to expand it to more stores in the months ahead. The move was a direct response to Walmart, which has been steadily rolling out grocery pickup for years, and expects to offer it at over 2,000 stores by year-end. (In August, Walmart said grocery pick would reach 2,200 stores this year, but in this week’s announcement, that number was adjusted to 2,100.)

 

 

Over the past 20 years, China has now grown into one of the largest consumer technology markets, with thousands of startups and funding rivaling Silicon Valley.

In 2018, Chinese entrepreneurs are seeking to expand their businesses beyond borders, establish international operations, and become global companies by listing on exchanges including the NASDAQ and NYSE.

More than ever Chinese entrepreneurs are confident in their ability to create a unicorn thanks to China’s digital transformation and its leading innovations in international markets.

Digital transformation through new native apps and services make scaling easier

Despite the talent war between China and the U.S. and large growing domestic markets, Chinese chief executives dream of successfully entering the U.S. Market. There is now global competition to attract Chinese startups to list on exchanges around the world. With a growing number of unicorns, entrepreneurs have an opportunity to go abroad and become global businesses by listing on foreign stock exchanges.

Today, China’s landscape is fueled by ideas, aspirations, and a desire to succeed at all costs. With slowing growth, many startups have begun to look abroad for growth and opportunities.

Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have a front seat to the local market as it has evolved over the past 20 years. As host to many Chinese entrepreneurs as friends and partners, I have noticed a single trend — Chinese entrepreneurs are infatuated with the US market, despite being a smaller market with more competition.

To succeed, Chinese entrepreneurs are seeking to list in International markets rather than the local stock market. In the second quarter of this year Chinese startups have attracted 47% of all global venture capital. To win highly competitive deals, China’s newly formed talent networks, a willingness to invest and expand, and eagerness to learn are the key to success for cross-border entrepreneurs who are looking for attention on the global stage.

In 2010, I was fortunate to be part of a room of Chinese entrepreneurs who visited the United States. They were all incredibly appreciative of the opportunities their companies had provided for them and dreamed of an IPO or raising capital in the United States. These companies were humble, hungry, and had products that had reached global scale with hundreds of users.

Global Aspirations

The Silicon Valley dream rings true for entrepreneurs around the world. Over the past 20 years, Silicon Valley has been a special place where startups were born. But in 2004, I took the first trip to meet with entrepreneurs in China and was fascinated by their technical ability, their focus to solve everyday problems, and ability to build teams and execute. The entrepreneurial dream continues to bring them here to the United States. Their ambitions are out of respect and a desire to play a part on the global stage and participate in the global conversation.

As they do there are a few advantages that Chinese entrepreneurs have in the current market.

1 – Mobile Internet adoption

Mobile Internet adoption in China is now at 48%, and is amongst the highest in the world. With 750 million active users and increasing time spent on the mobile screen, the mobile phone is a lifeline that is now as essential as bank accounts. Thanks to this digital transformation, it does not feel like digital wallets are hurting for adoption in China’s major cities where all workers are used to mobile payments with complete strangers for everything from short taxi rides, bike rides, or food from the local street food vendor.

2 – Large Local Market

China’s local Internet market is anchored by local investment that helps companies grow and scale. With competitive rounds, and a growing number of entrepreneurs from around the world, Chinese startups raised $25 billion last year. Many of these startups raise the capital locally since many of their operations and revenues come from the local market. With an increasing concern over regulation over things like capital controls, many entrepreneurs look to international financing options to grow and scale their businesses to other Internet users around the world.

3 – Digital Economy

China’s digital economy is more complex and mature than other parts of the world. More than 75% of China’s smartphone users are active users of mobile payments. The phone has become the center of China’s netizens. Their behavior is changing the way people market, discover, purchase, and deliver products and services. Whether it be classes on the phone to learn English, or buying a In the world of consumer and mobile startups, China is building the infrastructure as we speak. But with existing channels, and supply chains, entrepreneurs are able to build products and services that can scale beyond their borders. In China, there are now over 100billion mobile transactions happening on the phone.

Where does this leave things?

China is pulling ahead. With the mobile phone now home to 100 apps that people use to connect, communicate, eat, and share, Chinese companies are reaching profit and scale and looking to explore international markets.

Chinese entrepreneurs are just beginning to explore international markets. In the past, entrepreneurs came here to establish small teams to build partnerships. In the past decade, Chinese companies have been some of the leading acquirers of technology companies. Before its IPO, Alibaba acquired 95 startups in Silicon Valley and around the world.

We see Chinese technology startups looking to be global. From publishing world-class research, they are seeking connections to the global market, serving the overseas Chinese population around the world in the US, Europe, and Latin America, and looking for partners who can help them achieve the entrepreneur’s dream of a global IPO.

China’s large consumer market, rapid digital transformation, and its creativity are helping these entrepreneurs become the icons of a new generation in China and the United States. Investors should see their jobs as super-connectors, providing these entrepreneurs with capital, connections, and experience that helps their companies continue to grow and scale beyond China’s borders.