A new iOS update may be quietly patching up a software flaw that sent some of Apple's smart speakers spiraling out of commission. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has introduced yet another update to its iOS - the third update since it was release in September. Notably, however, the only change appears to be relating to software for the its Homepod, the company's only smart speaker. Apple hasn't said outright that this new software will correct the issue, but as noted by The Verge, it's unlikely the company would roll out any updates without correcting flaws in previous software. Apple's Homepod encountered an update issue that rendered the device unusable.

Commerce moved beyond brick-and-mortar stores, seized the online space, and is steadily crippling into mobile. Modern online shopping offers unparalleled flexibility of access and selection of available interfaces. You can shop away while on a bus. You can buy your next favorite gadget while relaxing on a lawn on a beautiful sunny day. That's why mobile commerce is such a fast-growing niche that caters specifically to smartphone users and their respective app ecosystems.

Homes and cars are two major everyday spaces undergoing digital disruption. Smart home digital platforms will soon be a standard feature of most houses. Major advancements in the internet of things make it not just possible but affordable to control security, heating, cooking and lighting remotely. The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo also answer questions and order products, all operated easily by voice. Cars are becoming just as easy to control with smart devices.

Protesters and activists from UltraViolet stormed the NBC headquarters in New York City demanding Comcast and NBC executives take action and responsibility for allegations made in Ronan Farrow's book'Catch and Kill.' NBC News Digital employees have formed a union, accusing management of mishandling "serious incidents of sexual misconduct" that have created an onslaught of negative attention for the Peacock Network. "We love working at NBC News Digital. But no organization is perfect, and there are serious issues that keep the company from being as great as it can be," the NBC News Digital employees said in a statement Wednesday announcing their partnering with the NewsGuild of New York. But the digital employees aren't solely fed up with management botching sexual misconduct scandals. "A company with such incredible resources can and should do more to close gender and race wage gaps, address chronic understaffing, meaningfully prioritize diversity, promote transparency, and offer job protections," the statement continued.

In 2018 smart speaker ownership has doubled in the UK. The most popular voice assistant is Amazon Alexa which is part of the Alexa Echo device, followed by Google Assistant which powers Google Home and Google Home Mini, Apple's Home Pod and Sonos One. At the moment people mainly use voice assistants to play music, answer questions, set alarm and reminders. Is there an opportunity there for marketers? Alexa provides a set of built-in capabilities, called skills.

How close have we really come to the world in the movie Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, replicants and off-world colonies? Incessant rain deluges LA, creating mirrored surfaces on every street and decaying building. CRISPR technology has now entered human trial phase and could begin to re-code and improve human DNA in 2019. Flying cars: Several designs have entered production Police in Dubai started trials in 2018. Autonomous vehicles: Tesla is probably the best known example of US-based vehicles.

Artificial intelligence has been heralded as a revolutionary technology. The finance, healthcare, HR, and marketing industries are the first ones that will be disrupted by AI. Artificial intelligence and its accompanying technologies, such as machine learning and deep learning, have ushered in an era of intelligent automation and human-level recognition. Long-standing fields, such as finance, healthcare, human resources (HR), and marketing have begun to feel the disruptive effect of AI. Artificial intelligence has taken up the mantle of the most used buzzword in modern solutions, being billed as a revolutionary method of providing labor. These technologies have enabled a new level of low-cost and accurate labor for companies all over the world. In addition to this, they are also able to create new value opportunities for enterprises through analytics.

A few months ago, while lying in bed one night, a thought flashed through my head -- "If voice is the future of computing interfaces, what about those who cannot hear or speak?". I don't know what exactly triggered this thought, I myself can speak and hear and have no one close to me who is either deaf or mute, nor do I own a voice assistant. Perhaps it was the countless articles popping up on the proliferance of voice assistants, or the competition between large companies to become your voice activated home assistant of choice, or simply seeing these devices more frequently on the counter tops of friends' homes. As the question refused to fade from memory, I knew it was an itch I needed to scratch. It eventually led to this project, a proof of concept where I got an Amazon Echo to respond to sign language -- American Sign Language (ASL) to be more precise, since similar to spoken language there are a variety of sign languages as well.

Picture this – you have an interview tomorrow for a machine learning role you have been aspiring to for a long time. Everything needs to go as per schedule otherwise plans might get messed up. You didn't need to move or spend time typing all of this. All you did was speak to your virtual assistant and the machine learning algorithms powering that system went to work! This isn't some futuristic scenario where machines have a human-level psyche – this is now! We are living in the midst of a truly global revolution thanks to advancements in computational power and thus machine learning applications. So, let's look at the most common use cases of machine learning we deal with in our day-to-day lives (sometimes without even realizing it's machine learning at play). Did you know that machine learning powers most of the features on your smartphone? From the voice assistant that sets your alarm and find you the best restaurants to the simple use case of unlocking your phone via facial recognition – machine learning is truly embedded in our favorite devices.

Apple customers can now opt out of having their conversations with Siri listened to by human "graders" and delete any clips that have already been uploaded, three months after the Guardian revealed the practice based on a whistleblower report. In the latest software updates for Apple's products, including iOS 13.2 and macOS 10.15.1, users have the option to disable the grading feature while still using Siri as normal. The preferences are not particularly prominent. To opt out of future grading on iOS, in the settings app, under the heading privacy, users can tap on "Analytics & Improvements" then disable the preference to "improve Siri dictation". To delete their uploaded clips, they go to Siri & Search in the settings app, tap on Siri & Dictation History, and then hit a red button marked "Delete Siri & Dictation History".