Often referred to as the Amazon of China, JD.com started in 1998 as a brick-and-mortar store in Beijing, but it has aspirations to be the world's leading e-commerce retailer. Based on its tremendous growth, it might not take long for the company to get there. Richard Liu, the company's founder, CEO, and chairman, has even gone so far to predict his company won't need humans and said, "I hope my company would be 100% automation someday…no human beings anymore, 100% operated by AI and robots." JD.com and its competitors such as Amazon, Alphabet, Tencent, Alibaba and more are not only racing to be the world's largest e-commerce business but to create the operating system for retail in the future. JD.com is driving business with artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics while building the retail infrastructure for the 4th industrial revolution.

The U.S. installed base of smart speakers has hit 50 million, according to a new report released today by research group CIRP. Amazon invented this market in 2015 and still has a majority market share: 70%, according to the study. Google, however, which has seen sales leadership in some quarters, has 24% market share. And Apple, which launched HomePod earlier this year, now has 6% of the market, according to CIRP. One caveat: the CIRP study is small, only 500 households.

Prudential Asia, a business unit of British insurer Prudential plc., has signed a licensing deal with digital health startup Babylon Health to exclusively use its AI-powered software for its own apps across 12 countries in Asia. Prudential is paying approximately $100 million over the course of several years, according to sources close to the deal, to access proprietary software that includes an inference engine, simulation software and a medical-knowledge graph that over time aims to replicate and automate consultations with human doctors. Babylon declined to comment on the deal pricing, and spokespeople for Prudential Asia could not be reached for comment on pricing. Babylon Health is best known for providing a virtual-doctor service in the U.K., where more than 26,000 NHS patients in London can get appointments with doctors via video calls and thousands more use its private service for $80 a year. Babylon won't provide remote doctors to Prudential; it'll instead provide the software that powers the medical chatbot on its app.

Anyone who uses a smartphone can attest to the incredible power of real-time, in-the-moment discovery that leads to decisions and outcomes. But, now in an age of voice-assisted devices, we are further empowered to command information or purchase on-demand. "OK Google, Alexa, Hey Siri, what are the best bluetooth headphones for me?" Or, "Please reorder groceries from last week for delivery tomorrow afternoon." Like mobile shopping, voice-assisted behavior is also becoming second-nature. Brands must now reimagine the customer journey and design for always-on, continuous and assistive engagement...dedicated for voice and mobile screens.

Digital manufacturing is rapidly changing the fundamentals of how products are developed, scaled and manufactured. By digitizing traditional manufacturing methods, including injection molding and CNC machining, and leveraging newer technologies, like 3D printing, the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), companies are optimizing their supply chains, reducing development cycles, increasing efficiencies, and driving down costs. The Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to gain traction and is completely changing the economics of manufacturing, for those willing to embrace the change that is. Digital manufacturing breaks down barriers from traditional methods and reduces risk in product development, enabling manufacturers to bring products to market faster, and more effectively than ever before.Protolabs Empowered by connectivity and social networks, consumers are demanding more personalization than ever before. A Deloitte report noted half of consumers are interested in customized products and would be willing to pay more and wait longer if they could have an active role in design. The move from mass production to mass customization has historically had high cost implications, but the balance is beginning to tilt.

The next iPad Pro is eagerly anticipated. There are now plenty of suggestions of what it might look like and how it might work. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that it will have Face ID. A leak suggested it may remove the headphone jack. A not-quite-persuasive render suggested that the Smart Connector might move to the back of the device.

This is a deep discount on some of our favorite earbuds. The Marshall Mode are the top pick in our guide on earbuds that cost less than $100. We wrote, "the Mode have a balanced sound profile that can handle any style of music you throw at them. The bass is slightly boosted, but it's very well represented; there is no bloat or blurriness, even on already bass-forward songs." The lowest price we've seen on our top smart plug.

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. While we've seen this model new for $100 as recently as last week, this is a new low, admittedly in refurbished condition, on the Echo Spot in black or white. We think we're going to see regular drops on this item, and for some it may be advisable to wait on the next sale for the new one or deeper refurb discounts, but if you need one now this is a solid option. The Amazon Echo Spot is our clock radio pick in our guide to Amazon's line of Alexa-enabled speakers.

Here's where to search between a soccer pitch, gas station and stunt mountain in Fortnite: Battle Royale.Credit: Epic / Erik Kain Fortnite's Season 5, Week 4 challenges are live. Once again, players are tasked with searching between three points---this time in the northwest section of the map just south of Pleasant Park and to the west of Loot Lake. For this week's challenge we'll need to search between a gas station, a soccer pitch and a stunt mountain. There are a number of soccer fields around the map, but one of the most prominent is located in the southern end of Pleasant Park. This is the soccer pitch you're looking for.

En route to a recent conference on how procurement networks are reshaping the aviation industry, I realized how amazing it was to be arriving in the historic city of Athens, the cradle of Western civilization. My enthusiasm owes not only to the city's timeless beauty, though that's reason enough to visit. Athens, it turns out, is ideally suited for such a gathering because it holds a unique place in the imagination for all of us who've ever wanted to fly. When you're fortunate enough to have as many Greek family members as I do, you learn about the ancient legends. So the fable of Icarus is well known to me.