A number of new features are coming to Microsoft Teams: a new Teams Premium option will be available to IT managers to sign on to, while ordinary users will have a number of new UI elements and apps to choose from -- yes, even which music to listen to while working. Microsoft unveiled the new features for Teams as well as other business applications at its Microsoft Ignite conference. Not only will Teams try and pluck the most useful bits of information from the meeting itself (known as meeting recap) but will automatically generate AI-authored to-do tasks to follow up upon. In fact, you'll see AI used liberally throughout. AI will transcribe it, translate it, highlight the parts it thinks you'll be interested, call out important speakers, and even note down when and where your name was mentioned, just to make sure you didn't miss anything.

Bowers & Wilkins might be a name many associate with high-end home audio gear, but the company has been steadily chugging along with headphones too. Its latest model, the Px7 S2 ($399), is a completely overhauled version of the PX that debuted in 2019. At every turn, this new model is a worthy upgrade over its predecessor, and you won't have to pay more for the improvements either. For the Px7 S2, Bowers & Wilkins borrowed elements of both the original PX and the Px7 that contribute to the refined look. The company also slimmed down the overall shape and opted for more cushion in the earpads – all while trimming the overall weight.

You are in your bed, with a book and a cup of coffee in hand. It's raining, and you are savouring the sound of rain droplets buffeting your window panes while your favourite songs play in the background. And most likely, the song you are listening to is recommended by your music app. Music apps -- that leverages the latest AI, ML technologies -- have become an essential part of our daily routines. The app has over 50 million songs and collects a lot of information about music tastes, search habits, playlists, geographical location, and most-used devices.

After years of being forced to use Apple services on the iPhone by default, those restrictions are finally easing up a bit. As noticed by MacRumors earlier today, the iOS 14.5 beta appears to let you set third-party music services as default with Siri. This means you can ask Siri to play a particular song or album and it'll go straight to Spotify or YouTube Music. Currently, Siri only searches and plays things from whatever music you have in the Apple Music app, be it your own collection of songs or the Apple Music subscription catalog. It sounds like after iOS 14.5 is installed, Siri will ask you what music service you want to use when you ask it to play a song.

There are countless ways to add machine learning into your app development. As listed in the case study, machine learning can predict conversion KPIs, churn, in-app purchases, build personas, and prevent affiliate fraud. That's only the tip of the ML iceberg (I've been wanting to use that saying). This post will be building off that case study and show you where and how you can insert ML into your app growth. Besides branding, ideation is your the most creative step in developing your app.

From checking the latest football stats to figuring out what to pack your kid for lunch, there's a lot you can ask of your Echo. But, one of the most versatile features of the smart speakers' digital assistant, Alexa, is the ability to create a playlist. Ready to rock out in your kitchen while you prepare your next meal? Or maybe you want to lay your head down on your pillow and drift off into slumber listening to soothing bedtime tunes. Whether you're using our favorite Echo device, the Echo second-generation, or the ever-popular Echo Dot, Alexa can help you create a playlist for any time of the day.

Smart speakers have become one of the hottest markets in consumer tech. Amazon Echos and Google Homes were among the most popular gifts this past holiday season, and that sales bump solidified Amazon as the leader in the space. Apple has since struggled to catch up, with its recently launched HomePod, but other hardware makers have rushed to get in on the hype, integrating Alexa and Google Assistant into their own headphones, wearables, and speakers. Each of the three big smart-speaker platforms includes its own integrated music player--Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music, and Apple Music. But for 159 million music lovers, another app is their player of choice: Spotify.

In fact, it's been a while since the song-identifying software squeezed its way into the iOS App Store's top 10. So, why has Apple confirmed it is "combining" its business with that of the smaller London company? It has not revealed the price it is paying, but the sum is rumoured to be as much as $400m (£300m), which would make it one of Apple's most expensive takeovers to date. The US technology giant also hasn't disclosed its motivations beyond saying that it has "exciting plans in store". But there are several reasons the deal may have appealed.

If Alexa can make it a cinch to find songs on Amazon's screen-less Echo speakers, then it can also work its magic on the retail giant's Music app. The tech titan has finally integrated its famous voice assistant into the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, perhaps as a way to entice more people to sign up. You don't need to say "OK, Alexa" anymore when you want to summon the assistant through the apps: just tap the new push-to-talk button marked "Alexa" on the applications' updated interface and voice out your command. What's great about finding songs with the assistant's help is that you don't have to browse the app for a title or an artist, which you might not always know. You could, say, ask Alexa to "play that new single by" a particular artist or play that song with so-and-so lyrics.

Apple is expected to release iOS 11 this fall alongside the iPhone 8; however, the company could give the world a preview of features that could be included in the update during the Worldwide Developers Conference next week. The update for iPhones and iPads could come with features for Siri and Apple Music. Here's a roundup of expected iOS 11 features and other rumors: For iOS 11, Apple is rumored to be revamping Siri with contextual learning abilities and deep integration with iMessage and iCloud, Israeli site the Verifier reported in March. The virtual assistant is expected to get an improved level of artificial intelligence. Siri reportedly will be able to follow through with voice commands, have the ability to learn a user's habits and offer action options based on context of content, somewhat resembling Samsung's voice assistant Bixby.