Media
The Morning After: Wednesday, May 10th 2017
How's it gone so far? Microsoft's big annual conference kicks off today, and we've sniffed out what you can expect. We also get the full reveal of Amazon's Echo-with-a-screen. It's not pretty, but it does sound pretty smart. What to expect at Microsoft's Build 2017 conference While it's a mobile computing world, Microsoft has no shortage of projects we need to be updated on.
With new ways to listen and share, radio is making a comeback in Japan
With diversified ways to listen on the rise, radio is attracting renewed attention in Japan. Its popularity was also spurred by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and the April 2016 temblors in Kumamoto Prefecture, as its role in spreading key information during disasters came into view. Fans can listen to radio shows on personal computers and smartphones and share favorite programs online through social networking services. Some 12 million people a month listen through the Radiko internet radio service that makes programs from various broadcasters available. The service was developed by Fumio Miura, a professor at Kansai University and a fellow at operator Radiko Co. "I want to evolve radio into completely different new media by, for example, utilizing artificial intelligence," Miura said.
WWDC 2017 Keynote Date: What Will Apple Announce At Its Annual Event?
Apple confirmed its keynote address for its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by sending press invitations for the June event Tuesday, MacRumors reported. Apple will hold the keynote event on June 5 at 10 a.m. The WWDC 2017 will consist of get-togethers, sessions and labs for developers, plus a keynote address. Last year, Apple unveiled iOS 10, which revamped iMessage and the Photos and Maps apps, along with other features. This year could include big announcements on the Apple TV, iOS 11 and the rumored Siri speaker.
Unclear If Siri Speaker Will Have Display Screen Like Amazon's Echo Show
Amazon revealed the Echo Show Tuesday, and with coverage of the Alexa gadget came rumors about Apple's upcoming Siri speaker. Apple employees have been testing the Siri speaker in their homes for several months, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. So far, it's unknown whether Apple's upcoming Siri speaker will come with a built-in display, like Amazon's Echo Show. Marketing chief Phil Schiller said last week in an interview he thinks voice assistant devices are beneficial, but that doesn't mean you'd never want a screen. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said there's a more than 50 percent chance Apple could announce its Siri speaker at the Worldwide Developers Conference this June.
BootstrapLabs Hosts Artificial Intelligence Thought Leaders at Applied AI Conference 2017
BootstrapLabs, a leading Venture Capital firm focused on Applied AI, announces its annual Applied Artificial Intelligence Conference on May 11th in San Francisco. The Applied AI Conference 2016 was a great success, and this year, the BootstrapLabs community will gather again for one day of discovery, exchanging ideas, and networking with over 600 AI thought leaders, corporate executives, founders and investors. "The conference is a great opportunity to learn about practical applications and the commercialization of AI technologies across industries such as Transportation & Logistics, Internet of Things (IoT), Future of Work (FoW), Financial Technologies (FinTech), CyberSecurity, and Healthcare Technologies (HealthTech)," said Benjamin Levy, Co-Founder, BootstrapLabs. The world's leading AI investors and companies will be at this year's conference, including Intel, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Salesforce, Cylance, Ford, Visa, GE, Brighterion, Bloomberg, Capgemini, Intuit, Unity, Open.AI, UC Berkeley, Stanford, D-Wave Systems and many others. "We are at the epicenter of a new revolution, and for BootstrapLabs, working with the incredible community of Artificial Intelligence thought leaders and experts gives our portfolio companies an unfair advantage. The Venture Capital industry is evolving, with some of the most exciting opportunities emerging in the early stages. We created a way to effectively bring the value add of larger Venture Capital funds to early stage companies," said Nicolai Wadstrom, CEO and Founder of BootstrapLabs.
AI Is Already Entertaining You
In the fall of 2016, a pop song was released in Japan. "Daddy's Car," derivative of a Beatles tune, had a soothing beat and vaguely uplifting lyrics: "Good day sunshine in the backseat car / I wish that road could never stop." The ditty was distinctive for its authorship. Sony's Computer Science Laboratories in Paris produced the song, which was written by an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Flow Machines. The melody and harmony were composed by AI, and a human musician mixed the sound and wrote lyrics for the track. AI -- the new set of technologies that perform tasks that require human intelligence, such as speech recognition, decision making, and learning -- is rapidly working its way into business operations within many global industries. Some members of the entertainment and media (E&M) industry have downplayed its potential. After all, these are creative industries in which both the germ of the business and the value added to it stem from the contribution of human ingenuity and people exchanging ideas. The most successful E&M products and services rely on connecting creative content, brands, and experiences with audiences.
This Camera Free Motion Capture Smartsuit Pro Is Insanely Cool
Each time I move my arm, the frog on screen extends his. I drop into a low splits and the frog follows suit, even mirroring me when I transition into a handstand. Yes, his hands float a little over the ground, but that's because he's been calibrated as someone six inches taller than me. Finally, I take my headset off, and the frog reacts like I've decapitated it, head hanging backward, reminiscent of Shakespeare's Macbeth. But even in its death throes, it's still uncannily accurate, following my every move perfectly -- with zero cameras involved in this motion capture.
Drive smarter and safer with these Android Auto tips
Most of the infotainment systems that come with cars are terrible. Voice recognition feels like it's from the 1980s, and the navigation scheme would fail most usability tests. Android Auto was supposed to fix that. Problem is, automakers have been driving in the slow lane when it comes to actually building it into their cars. So Google opted to take matters into its own hands and update Android Auto to operate in a standalone mode that lets you run it on your phone.