Tech News Today for September 14, 2016
Tech News for September 14, 2016
Today is the day that Twitter is rolling out its new app for TV viewing. The new apps are hitting Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Xbox and they don’t allow users to log in to do things like tweet, like, or browse their stream. Instead, anyone can use the app to stream content from partners including Bloomberg and the NBA, check out content from Periscope and Vine, and yes, livestream this Thursday’s NFL game, a deal we’ve been discussing on this show for months now. Read more at recode.net
Reviews of the Apple Watch are in from those who have been blessed with review units by Apple. Lauren Goode from The Verge says its a great fitness tracker, but not worth upgrading if you just want to use it to have iMessage and Uber on your wrist. TechCrunch says the screen is brighter. Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal says it works great for swimming, too. She even points out that when you take the watch swimming the screen is locked so it doesn't accidentally lock. Those of us who've been showering with our "non-waterproof" watches for a year and a half will tell you that water has the power to launch messages, set timers, and even sometimes accidentally make calls. Read more at theverge.com.
So Apple went to the drawing board and made the Apple Watch an excellent fitness tracker. What does the competition do? If we’re talking about LG, Huawei or Lenovo, apparently they decided not to release any smartwatches in time for the holiday sales season. All three companies confirmed to CNET they have no plans for a smartwatch release before the end of the year, which goes counter to last year’s push, and the shift seems to confirm to some degree that the wearable category might not be as hot as it was once expected to be. Read more at cnet.com.
Rumors of the death of the Echo Dot have been greatly exaggerated. The all new Echo Dot is cheaper, comes in two different colors and ships October 20th. They cost $50, but if you buy 5 of them, you get the 6th one free. And if you don't have enough rooms for 6 Dots, go in on them in a group. They're only $41.67. It's never too early to start your holiday shopping people. And what better gift than something that helps you buy more stuff. Plus, it plugs into the wall, so no lithium ion batteries! Read more at buzzfeed.com.
As we’ve discussed AI on this show many times, one topic that comes up repeatedly is the idea that AI and robots will ultimately take jobs away from humans. It’s not a matter of if, but rather when and at what pace. Forrester released a report last month that predicts 6 percent of jobs will be taken over by bots by 2021, a faster pace than many anticipated. Forresters says the jobs seeing the biggest impact include those in transportation, logistics, customer and consumer services. Read more at cnbc.com.
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