Qualcomm executives called the new Asus Lyra Voice a model for routers going forward: partly a speaker, partly a router, and powered by Amazon's Alexa assistant. The company said it's trying to convince ISPs like Cox and Comcast to move in that direction. Unlike AMD and Intel, you can't buy Qualcomm chips to build your own smartphones and routers. But when company executives take the stage at CES to describe how future products should look, it's worth paying attention. Qualcomm announced three versions of its Smart Audio Platform--complete with a quad-core ARM A53 processor, audio DSP, 802.11ac

Britbots, the organisation dedicated to promoting U.K.-based robotics companies, and Sapphire Capital Partners, a specialist manager of tax-efficient funds, today announces the launch of the second British Robotics Seed Fund. The new fund follows the success of the first fund, which has now been fully invested, leading the seed rounds of six high-potential robotics and AI (artificial intelligence) related ventures. The new fund will be predominantly focused on SEIS-qualifying investment opportunities thereby delivering the most significant tax benefits to investors, nonetheless there will be scope for the fund to make a number of investments under the EIS scheme when there are scale-up opportunities for existing portfolio companies. Further information is available at www.britbots.com/fund There has been rapid increase in the number of robotics-related start-ups and the fund looks to partner with entrepreneurs and academic robotics teams to deliver high-value businesses that can deliver superior returns for investors.

Sony has revealed several new products designed to take your entertainment experience to the next level. At a press conference in Las Vegas ahead of CES, the firm teased a look at new smartphones that aim to capture the best selfies, a prototype 8K display featuring its X1 Ultimate picture processor, and its new wireless noise-cancelling earbuds. And, Sony unveiled its jaw-dropping $30,000 Ultra Short Throw Projector. During the event, Sony also brought back the latest iteration of a nostalgic companion, the Aibo robot – but, the cheeky bot decided not to acknowledge its owner on stage. Sony invited the new Aibo robot to the stage, which launched in Japan this past fall.

As part of a series of news announced today by Google, wireless headphones made to work especially with Google Assistant are on the way from brands like JBL, Sony, and LG. Up until today, some of the only headphones optimized for Google Assistant were the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Pixel Buds, Google's first-ever wireless headphones. Also announced today: Google Assistant is coming to a series of new smart speakers -- including some with visual touchscreen displays -- and Google Assistant will become the assistant for Android Auto. Google Assistant can be accessed through any pair of wired or wireless headphones connected to an Android device, but headphones with this kind of integration allow access the AI assistant without the need to open your phone. With the touch of a button on the side of the headphones, you can speak directly with Google Assistant to do things like create calendar events, make phone calls, and receive auditory push notifications.

Google is at CES in a big way this year -- no, seriously -- and it's mostly centered around one product: Google Assistant. The search giant is incorporating its personal assistant AI into more devices than ever. They run the gamut from smart speakers (some of which have displays), smart earbuds and yes, even cars. If CES 2017 was the Alexa show, then CES 2018 just might very well be the Google show. "We think Assistant is more useful if it's available across all devices and contexts," said Scott Huffman, Google's VP of Engineering in charge of Google Assistant. "It's not just phones or speakers or laptops; it's all kinds of things."

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) – owner and producer of CES - today announced a new CES 2018 SuperSession featuring IBM executives Bridget Karlin, Chief Technology Officer & Vice President, GTS Technology, Innovation & Automation, Donna N. Dillenberger, IBM Fellow, Enterprise Solutions, and Beth Smith, General Manager, IBM Watson. The session – Turning AI into New Ways of Doing Business on Jan. 10, 2-3 PM, Tech East, LVCC, North Hall, N257 – will discuss how professionals are putting the technology to work to better serve customers through increased engagement and accelerated research and the future of AI. "AI has the power to change the world, and companies such as IBM are using the CES platform to share their latest breakthroughs and insights," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy, CTA. "I am proud and excited to add these leaders to our long list of exemplary speakers using the CES stage to share their vision. This panel will provide great insights into how companies across all industries around the world are putting IBM Watson to work, managing workflows, data sets and insights all through AI." CES 2018 will feature a new Marketplace and conference track on the future of AI, a key ingredient technology over the next decade that is being folded into consumer tech applications across all industries including automotive, health, home, robotics and agriculture. And CES 2018 will showcase AI innovations with an increased focus on user value and that has the power to improve the world.

Nvidia has partnered with Uber, Volkswagen and China's Baidu in driverless cars, as the chipmaker looks to expand its presence in the autonomous driving space. Ride-hailing service Uber will use Nvidia's chips for its artificial intelligence (AI) computing system in its fleet of self-driving cars, the companies said at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Sunday. Nvidia makes graphics computing chips which are key components of the autonomous cars setup. Its stock was up s percent in morning trading. Uber began working with self-driving technology in 2015 and has since launched trials in Pittsburgh, PA, and Phoenix, Arizona.

Uber and Volkswagen have signed a deal to use microchip-maker Nvidia's AI technology in their self-driving fleets. The chips help autonomous vehicles read their surroundings and make split-second decisions. Uber says its driverless cars have now completed more than 50,000 passenger trips across trials in Pittsburgh, PA, and Phoenix, Arizona. VW has previously said autonomous driving and artificial intelligence will become'new core competencies' for the company. Uber and Volkswagen have signed a deal to use microchip-maker Nvidia's AI technology in their self-driving fleets.

SkySpark automatically analyzes building, energy and equipment data to identify issues, faults and opportunities for improved performance and operational savings. The new Machine Learning Tools provide support for supervised learning for prediction and forecasting through regression-based approaches, and classification using Support Vector Machine (SVM) techniques. "We have been working with select customers for almost a year as they tested our new machine learning tools. Their feedback helped us optimize the tools to make application as easy as possible. The results have been excellent and we are excited to announce their availability to the entire market. These tools further extend the capabilities of SkySpark and the range of solutions our partners are delivering to customers around the globe," said John Petze, Principal at SkyFoundry.

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