Last week, Volvo announced a partnership with Microsoft which will see Skype for Business being integrated into the Swedish automaker’s 90 Series cars. As part of those efforts, the two firms are also exploring the possibility of building Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, into Volvo vehicles in the future.
It now looks like a further collaboration is just down the road involving Cortana and another automotive giant. Japanese manufacturer Nissan tweeted a tantalizing video in which Microsoft’s assistant played a starring role.
In the video, Cortana responds to an enquiry from a user asking what’s in his calendar for January 5, to which the assistant replies: «You’re all set for C-E-S [sic] in Las Vegas, might be some exciting announcements. » Cortana then lists a series of events that the user will be attending on that day, which includes the Nissan Keynote speech, scheduled for 4pm.
The user then asks Cortana to set a reminder for the speech, after which there’s a brief flash of the Microsoft logo, with #microsoft, #cortana, and #microsoftai hashtags. It’s pretty clear that the two companies are cooking something up together — as opposed to just being some random ‘product placement’ for Cortana, versus Apple’s Siri or Google Now/Assistant.
We’ll have to wait and see exactly what the results of this new partnership will be — but we do know that Microsoft has been working to further expand availability of Cortana in recent months. A few weeks ago, it announced the Cortana Skills Kit and Devices SDK , which will greatly expand the capabilities of the assistant, as well as enabling third-party manufacturers to integrate Cortana into their own products.
Source: @NissanMotor via SlashGear

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Samsung has unveiled an expanded range of smart fridges at CES 2017 in an ‘anniversary update’ ( no relation ) to the range. The devices, which now form a range of ten differing models in addition to those previously launched , come with Family Hub 2.0 — an updated version of last year’s software.
Displayed on a 21.5-inch screen on the front of the device, Family Hub 2.0 is designed to revolve around family life, allowing individuals to create a profile, connect it to their smartphone and upload things like photos, memos and handwritten messages in real time, including when they’re not at home.
Family Hub 2.0 also features collaborations with app partners such as Grubhub, Nomiku, Glympse, Ring, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. There are new local grocery partners joining the platform too, such as supermarket giant Lidl in Europe.
Competing with LG, which utilizes Windows 10 and Cortana on its smart refrigerator, users can interact with Samsung’s fridges using voice commands as well as through the built-in touchscreen. Tasks like ordering groceries or adding items to lists and memos are intended to be easy using Samsung’s voice technology, with more apps now supported than ever before.
Whether you need a smart refrigerator is one thing, but it’s hard to deny that being able to update your shopping list when your hands are covered in breadcrumbs, or leaving notes on the fridge after you’ve already left home, are quite cool features nonetheless. And yes, pun intended.
Source: Samsung

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According to a filing sent to the German cartel office this Tuesday, Intel wants approval to buy a 15% stake of HERE, the former Nokia owned mapping company. The amount to be paid by Intel wasn’t disclosed.
The two firms have also signed an agreement in a move to take on the automated driving trend. The goal is to cooperate on the development of new technologies for real-time updates of high definition maps aimed for use on fully-automated driving.
In the announcement , Intel described the companies’ vision for their collaboration:
Intel will also work with Audi, BMW, and Daimler to test out the planned architecture with the view to make it more widely available across the automotive market. Of particular benefit for vehicle manufacturers will be decreased development and delivery timeframes.
Furthermore, the agreement also aims to explore opportunities in IoT and machine learning.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.
Source: Intel via Reuters

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Wireless routers have come a long way in recent years when it comes to transfer speeds, but not in terms of lag, which remains a concern — for gamers, in particular. To enjoy playing a game online, low latency is needed and over a wireless connection that can sometimes be a problem. It is why some routers include workarounds for users to turn to when they run into issues.
Linksys has come up with a different approach for its new WRT32X AC3200 router, which is meant for «serious online gamers». Its software includes a number of features, part of Rivet Networks’ Killer Prioritization Engine, that should help reduce latency and lag when playing games, listening to music, or watching videos online.
«We looked at the router options available to gamers in the market and realized that ‘gaming’ routers were just standard routers with flashy industrial design or packaging provided as ‘gamer bait’, but offered no real technical substance or innovation», says Linksys WRT series product manager Vince La Duca. «We knew we already had the best and top of the line hardware for gaming on the market with the WRT series; we just needed the right solution to give gamers the competitive advantage in regards to network optimization. That’s when we started talking with Rivet Networks, makers of Killer networking products».
The Killer Prioritization Engine is said to deliver a «fast» and «smooth» gaming experience under high network loads and ensure that game downloads and patches do not affect other devices connected to the router. It is advertised to work with Killer-enabled devices.
Linksys says that Killer Networking is supported on gaming devices from the likes of Alienware, MSI and Razer, so it remains to be seen what sort of effect — if any — it has on standard devices, like your self-built gaming desktop or laptop from a different brand.
The Killer Prioritization Engine is basically like the Quality of Service functionality that is available on just about any router, except that it should be usable from the get-go. On other home routers, the feature may not be enabled out of the box, and when it is you are the one who has to configure everything for it to have any effect on your apps’ network performance. Another difference is that there is a way to control the router from the Killer Control Center, software which is offered on the client side.
«Internet traffic from the Killer PC is managed to ensure game play is top priority with audio and video from the Killer PC as second and third priority while bulk download, such as large game patches are set to a lower priority so they don’t negatively impact other devices in the home who may be surfing the web or enjoying a blazing-fast Netflix video stream», adds Linksys.
Now, let’s talk a bit about the router itself. It’s got a 1.8GHz dual-core ARM processor, 256MB of flash and 512MB of RAM. There is a built-in 802.11ac Wave 2 Dual-brand 3×3 with Tri-Stream 160 technology radio, and all the five Ethernet ports are Gigabit. There are four antennas as well, which should make it plenty fast for home use and ensure that it offers good wireless coverage. The AC3200 speed is a mix of N600 and AC2600.
Other features worth noting are the eSATA, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports and support for OpenWRT and DD-WRT. The open-source support is nice to have, because it lets you install much more powerful firmwares, that offer access to advanced features.
The WRT32X will be available this spring for $299.99.

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