Nintendo Switches It Up

After months of speculation and buildup, Nintendo on Thursday officially unveiled its new gaming system, the Nintendo Switch. Previously known only by the codename "NX," rumors about this latest video game console began last year with a hint from Satoru Iwata, the company's late president.

At the time Iwata suggested only that Nintendo was working on a new video game system, and few details have leaked since then.

The Switch is Nintendo's first home gaming system since it launched the Wii U in 2012. That system is widely regarded as a disappointment -- Nintendo has sold just under 62 million units worldwide. That compares to the sale of more than 101 million units of its predecessor, the Nintendo Wii, since its release in 2006.

The Switch is not Nintendo's first comeback effort, however. Wii sales were nearly five times greater than the number of Nintendo GameCube units sold since its release in 2001.

This time around the video game publisher/developer community already has thrown early support behind the new system. Nintendo has announced more than 40 third-party partners for the Switch, including notable publishers such as Activision, Bandai Namco, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive Software and Ubisoft.

The system is scheduled for a March release, but pricing has not been released.

The Nintendo Switch could sell 2.85 million units globally in 2017 if launched by the end of March, IHS has forecast.

Portable Gaming

Mobile gaming is a key feature for the Nintendo Switch, which isn't surprising, given that Pokémon Go was such a big hit this summer. Nintendo has reaped only a small portion of the rewards, however, due to the fact that it is a minority owner of The Pokémon Company and its properties.

Still, its success could represent writing on the wall in regard to the power of mobile gaming.

The Switch mobile gaming system actually rests in the Nintendo Switch Dock, which connects the unit to a TV for traditional living room-based gaming. When lifted from the dock, the Switch can transition to portable mode, allowing the user to enjoy all the same games on the tablet-like device.

The Switch features a bright high-definition display and unique Joy-Con controllers that split in half for placement on each side of the Switch. Two players can utilize the Switch Pro Controllers for traditional multiplayer gameplay on either the Switch's display or on a TV. Multiple Switch consoles can be linked together for local multiplayer competition.

"Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America.

"It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries," he added.

Going Mobile

Mobile does seem to be a crucial part of Nintendo's strategy with the Switch -- yet the company is still very much handling game sales via a business-as-usual strategy.

"Nintendo's hybrid Switch console strategy is an attempt to mitigate against smartphone and tablet gaming, which have severely disrupted its traditional business -- especially in the handheld gaming space," said Piers Harding-Rolls, director and head of games research at IHS Markit.

"It would appear that with the Switch announcement Nintendo has confirmed the conflation of its separate handheld and TV console offerings," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Evidently, tablet and smartphone-based gaming has disrupted Nintendo's overall model," observed Joost van Dreunen, principal analyst at Super Data Research.

"It now seeks to get in front of it by offering a combined experience that builds on the seamlessness of in-home gaming using a tablet, but still relies on the sale of cartridges," he added.

"The big question marks for the Switch are its battery life and online connectivity," van Dreunen told TechNewsWorld.

Going Younger

What is also notable is that Nintendo is targeting the Switch at the younger segment of the gaming audience, clearly moving even further away from the older hardcore gaming market.

"Interestingly, the Switch reveal trailer was squarely targeted at young adults, which suggests that Nintendo is refocusing its early marketing on more traditional console buyers, but those that also increasingly like gaming on the move," said IHS Markit's Harding-Rolls.

However, "to build success with these buyers, the offering must include third-party titles that are supported on other platforms," he emphasized.

The platform appears to be uniquely geared toward preteens and teenagers, noted van Dreunen.

"While the device seems much less like a toy than we're used to from Nintendo, its features -- like backseat multiplayer and the ability to have several people play using a single piece of the controller -- target Nintendo's traditional audience," he explained.

Nintendo Go

Pokémon Go proved that young and old alike now are willing -- at least with the right game -- to move away from the big screen display. The Switch could play into that rather well.

"The concept of an all-in-one home and mobile gaming device is now more realistic, due to the power available to device manufacturers from the likes of GPU company Nvidia -- but this has been tried before in the tablet space and with limited impact," said IHS Markit's Harding-Rolls.

"Crucially, Nintendo has access to a broad portfolio of compelling franchises, which gives it an immediate head start against a third-party trying the same strategy," he added. "However, the use cases and usability must be convincing, and that remains to be seen with the Switch."

The success of the Switch could be dependent not only on factors like unit cost and hardware usability, but also on the availability of compelling games to play.

"While Nintendo's first-party franchises are very strong," said Harding-Rolls, "it will need to secure strong third-party support to convince its target audience to buy into the platform."

ET deals: Save 35% on a Dell UltraSharp U2913WM ultra-wide monitor

Looking for an ultra-wide monitor for optimal multi-tasking? Today, Dell is offering up the 29-inch UltraSharp U2913WM 21:9 monitor at a 35% discount. Even better, Dell will throw in a $100 bonus gift card to sweeten the deal.

• Dell UltraSharp 29-inch ultra-wide 2560×1080 monitor for $292.49 with a $100 eGift Card (List price: $449.99 — Coupon code: SAVE35)

Like other UltraSharp monitors, the U2913WM uses IPS technology for extra-wide viewing angles and rich colors. It supports a wide color gamut to ensure top-notch color accuracy — supporting 99% of the sRGB color space. The stand allows for adjustable tilt, swivel, and height, but it won’t rotate due to the extra-wide aspect ratio. You can connect to a PC or other media device via DisplayPort, mini DisplayPort, and HDMI inputs. A USB 3.0 port is even built-in for easy peripheral connectivity — a nice bonus for laptop users.
Dell also backs up this monitor with a three-year warranty that includes advance exchange and bright pixel coverage. You’ll never have to pay for shipping, and Dell will send you a replacement straight away — easily one of the most convenient warranty options in the market.

While this model retails for $449.99, it’s being sold directly now for just $349.99. When you apply the coupon code “SAVE35” during the checkout process, you’ll end up saving an extra $57.50 on top of that. And if you’re willing to sign up for a free Dell Advantage rewards account, you’ll get two business-day shipping at no additional cost.
Our commerce group sources the best deals and products for the ET Deals posts. We operate independently of Editorial and Advertising and may earn a percentage of the sale, if you buy something via a link on the post. If you are interested in promoting your deals, please contact us at commerce@ziffdavis.com.
For more great deals on IPS, 4K, and ultra-wide displays, head over to TechBargains.

How Today's Top Tech Titans are Using Artificial Intelligience

Aritifical intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent topics in technology and today’s titans are not ignoring the trend. All of the major companies, it seems, are now investing in machine learning one way or another.

Who will win the AI arms race? Impossible to say this early, but consumers stand to benefit regardless. The permeation of AI through daily services and products will simply mean a superior experience for end users.

The AI market will grow from $8 billion this year to $47 billion by 2020, predicts research firm IDC. Here’s what some of the biggest tech firms are doing with AI today.

Google

Google is perhaps the biggest user of artificial intelligence in-house. That technology powers several of its products, from its search engine to its self-driving cars.

It also owns TensorFlow, an open source software library for machine learning that is well regarded by developers. And Google uses DeepMind to save money powering its data centers.

Apple

Right now, the only AI Apple is known for is Siri. As smarthomes become a thing, Siri may play a larger role in people’s lives.
We also feel Apple may have more in store for Siri-like technology, because it’s been buying up a lot of AI startups this year, including Tuplejump, Tury, and Perceptio. And the company recently hired Russ Salakhutdinov, a prominent AI researcher from Carnegie Mellon University. He’s now Apple’s director of AI research and is already seeking machine learning specialists to build out his team.
On top of that, we know Apple is working on an autonomous driving system, which would incorporate extensive machine learning.

Microsoft

Microsoft has Cortana, which it uses for both Windows and Xbox experiences. Cortana will soon get a major upgrade thanks to a breakthrough from Microsoft on speech recognition: calling the achievement “historic,” Microsoft’s chief speech scientist Xuedong Huang says the company has reached “human parity” with regards to digital speech recognition. The system’s word error rate is around 6%, roughly in line with professional transcribers.
Microsoft has also open-sourced deep learning technology to attract developers.

Amazon

The commerce and cloud computing giant has a lot of consumer insights to benefit from as it gains artificial intelligence capabilities. Product recommendations, for example, could become much smarter. And its expansive data centers could benefit from AI monitoring, similar to Google utilizing DeepMind.
Amazon is quiet about it, but the company is definitely pouring resources into AI.

Salesforce

The centerpiece at Dreamforce, the company’s massive annual conference in San Francisco, this year was Einstein—an artificial intelligence system integrated into every layer of Salesforce’s platform, designed to benefit all users.

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But Salesforce is not planning to rest on Einstein’s laurels. Jim Sinai, ‎VP of Marketing for SalesforceIQ, says “we are committed to understanding the next generation of AI technology.” The company has launched Salesforce Research, a new research group focused on the future of AI, under the leadership of Dr. Richard Socher, the company’s Chief Scientist—at least until Einstein takes over, that is.

IBM

When someone says “IBM” today, the first word that probably comes to mind is “Watson.” The company was among the first to push AI publicly on a major scale with the launch of Watson, which gained pop culture fame for beating top players on game show Jeopardy in 2011.
But Watson had been in the works for several years prior, and today it’s IBM’s bread and butter. Since 2014 Watson has been its own business unit for IBM, which the company has poured billions of dollars into, and could generate up to $500 million in revenue this year. IBM is taking Watson seriously, and you should too—it is, as Jeopardy loser Ken Jennings said back in 2011, “our new computer overlord.”

Intel

Intel is also investing heavily in machine learning technologies. This year the company acquired chipmaker Movidius, which specializes in computer vision processors used primarily in drones and virtual reality hardware. Intel also bought Nervana Systems, a deep learning startup, for $400 million. “We’ll look back in 10 years and see this time as the inflection point of when computer architectures became neural,” said Nervana CEO Naveen Rao at the time of the transaction.
Artificial intelligence has reached an exciting point in history, and knowing that it is still infancy makes it that much more thrilling to keep an eye on.

Hootsuite Reaches 15 Million Users, Sees Success With Online Conference

Hootsuite, a platform for managing social media, says it has surpassed 15 million global users. The milestone came just weeks after hosting Connect via Hootsuite, an online social media conference attracting 22,000 registrants from 136 countries.

Since the company was founded in 2008, Hootsuite has become the industry standard for helping businesses manage social media. More than 2,500 enterprise organizations like Monster, Sony Music Entertainment and Virgin use Hootsuite to connect with customers on social.

“What was once the focus of a small number of enthusiasts inside an organization today social media is at the heart of the digital strategy of the largest and most successful businesses,” said Penny Wilson, chief marketing officer at Hootsuite. “Hootsuite makes social media approachable for all businesses, including those in regulated industries, government or higher education. Every day, we see companies use our platform in unique, innovative ways to engage with their customers.”

The conference brought together brands, vendors, innovators and thought leaders to discuss industry trends and best practices in social strategies. The virtual event also included sessions focused on increasing engagement and brand awareness and protection, driving leads and closing sales and increasing productivity using social.

Hootsuite was founded by Ryan Holmes, who also heads The Next Big Thing, an entrepreneur-led charitable foundation empowering young entrepreneurs. Founded in 2013, the eight-month accelerator offers Fellows access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and hands-on learning.

These 12 Youths Founded Startups Aim To Be The Next Big Thing

The Next Big Thing, an entrepreneur-led charitable foundation empowering young entrepreneurs, this week announced 12 ventures, comprised of 24 founders, that will represent the 2016 TNBT cohort.

Founded in 2013 by Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes and entrepreneur Meredith Powell, the eight-month accelerator offers Fellows access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and hands-on learning.

“We received a record number of submissions this year which made the selection process really exciting and equally difficult,” said Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber, Managing Director of TNBT. “From social media platforms to fashion products, the level of creativity and ingenuity in this year’s cohort is remarkable.”

The TNBT curriculum is designed to provide access to businesses and education resource, and facilitate introductions to a network of industry leaders for mentorship opportunities. It will operate out of Hootsuite’s headquarters in Vancouver.

Notable Fellows include Chase Ando and Valerie Song, co-creators of AVA, a smart technology for precise garden growing, and 21-year old co-founders Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee, the visionaries behind Coastline Market, a platform that connects commercial fisheries to retail buyers of seafood.
The official TNBT 2016 cohort is:

• AVA – Chase Ando and Valerie Song

• Dau Academy – Kavita Dau

• Coastline Market – Robert Kirstiuk and Joseph Lee

• Culitech – Madeleine Liu and Angela Wang

• Mohini – Sonia Sidhu

• ElleBox – Jessica Bilmer, Taran Ghatora and Bunny Ghatora

• Internuncio – Kevin Ho, Bijan Mawji and Nolan Tait

• Juniper – Joel Wegner and Ryan Wong

• Kanekta – Priyanka Vasudev, Fran Aquila and Sheen Sagalongos

• Spocket – Saba Mohebpour

• The Good Stuff – Tonner Jackson, Graeme Taylor and Michael Steele

• Tiiip – Bryan Chiang

Internet struck by waves of outages as massive DDoS attack affects major services

Rolling outages and intermittent connectivity problems hit the Internet today, thanks to a massive DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack launched at DNS provider Dyn. A DDoS attack can knock out a single website or service provider by overloading their servers with garbage data and overwhelming their ability to process new connections. Affected sites include GitHub, LinkedIn, Reddit, Spotify, and Twitter. Only Facebook, which appears to have been unaffected, has kept American productivity from skyrocketing today. A wider range of sites are still accessible, but running slowly.

Attacking a DNS (Domain Name System) provider is a good way to knock out large swaths of the Internet. A website’s DNS address functions much like your home address. Just as your home address contains specific information to help the Post Office zero in and deliver mail to your exact location, the DNS system ensures that web traffic is routed to the appropriate location using user-friendly domain names rather than long strings of IP addresses (this is basically why you don’t need to remember the exact IP addresses of the various sites you use). The DNS system does other things — one important service it provides is translating your IP address and connecting you with a proximal server near you, which helps ensure that not all traffic has to be routed through a single point of failure. But for our purposes, the phone book analogy holds up reasonably well.

The massive DDoS launched against Dyn basically blocks the ability of other sites to read the phone book, as it were. As a result, service to the Internet has been spotty, particularly on the East Coast, as seen below (image from Down Detector, via Daily Dot).

We’ve seen a troubling new trend in DDoS attacks recently, thanks to the widespread use of malware inside IoT (Internet of Things) devices. The additional bandwidth these products provides has allowed black hats to drastically step up the size of their attacks. Security researcher Brian Krebs was taken offline several weeks ago by one such flood of traffic, and the attacks against Dyn today may have been perpetrated by the same group of people. In that case, attackers leveraged roughly 1.2 million devices against Krebs and may be doing so again, this time against the larger Internet. Dyn has been struggling to restore service, but the attacks have come in two waves, one early this AM and one that began about 12:10 PM.

“Starting at 11:10 UTC on October 21th-Friday 2016 we began monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure,” Dyn confirmed in a statement to Gizmodo. “Some customers may experience increased DNS query latency and delayed zone propagation during this time. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.”

There’s no word on when the problem is expected to resolve, and investigation into who was behind the attacks could take several days. Depending on where you are, the Internet may or may not be working flawlessly — I’ve had problems reaching sites today that others on-staff can access with no problem.

How to install the Android 7.1 developer preview on your device

Google did something unusual with the announcement of the new Pixel phones. It also announced a new version of Android without even speaking about it directly. These phones run Android 7.1 Nougat, and now the first wave of Nexus owners are getting a look at the new software. Google has continued its Android beta program, so getting up and running on Android 7.1 is a snap, if you’ve got the right device.

Android 7.1 marks the first time Nexus owners aren’t getting the full suite of upgrades from Google. The Pixel phones have some exclusive features, including built-in Google Assistant, the new Pixel Launcher, and fingerprint sensor gestures. However, not all of this is an arbitrary decision to add value to the Pixel. In the case of some features (e.g. fingerprint sensor gestures), there are hardware limitations in existing devices that prevent the feature from working. So, it’s not technically a Pixel-exclusive; there just aren’t any other phones that support it right now.
As for what you can expect in the developer preview, there will be a handful of noticeable changes. For one, touch display responsiveness had been boosted. There’s also a new storage manager that helps you clear old files from your device to get more space for new stuff. Android’s launcher shortcuts, which were previously demoed in the 7.0 preview, are coming back. Although, now they are called “app shortcuts,” which might be the least descriptive name ever. They’re long-press shortcuts that app icons can produce to specific functionality in an app. For example, the camera icon includes links to take a video and take a selfie.

To install the developer preview, you need to have a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, or Pixel C. Other Nexus devices like the Nexus 9 and (maybe) Nexus 6 will be added next month. The easiest way to to go to the beta site and sign in with your Google account. There, you’ll be shown eligible devices. Once you choose to enroll one, an OTA update to the developer preview will be pushed down in a few minutes. Doing this will not erase your data, but it’s a preview. Things could go wrong, so back everything up to be safe.
If you want to handle the process manually, there are full system images available for download. This doesn’t require joining the beta, and you can install them even if you’re running a third-party ROM. You will need the Android SDK working on your computer, and your device’s bootloader needs to be unlocked. This will delete everything on your device, by the way.
While this is technically for developers, plenty of enthusiasts are installing the beta too. It’s a pretty smooth process, and you can get a look at Android 7.1 before almost everyone else. Google is planning to have a final version of Android 7.1 available on Nexus devices by late this year or early next.

How to install the Android N developer preview on your device right now

Today marks the third time Google has offered up a developer preview of an upcoming version of Android. The first was Android L (later called Lollipop) in 2014, then Android M (later Marshmallow) last year. Those both happened at Google I/O, but this year we’ve got the developer preview early — Android N is ready for download if you’ve got a recent Nexus device, and it’s even easier to install this year. Here’s how to do it.

Flashing a developer preview comes with risks, but Nexus devices are robust and you get to play with all sorts of neat new features. Android N (name and version to be revealed later) includes a few particularly great things that you might want to try. There’s multi-window mode for true multitasking, a revamped bundled notification UI, and vastly improved app switching — and that’s just scratching the surface.

There are two ways to install the developer preview this year, but you first need to have a compatible device. For phones, the preview is available on the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P. On the tablet front, you can use the Nexus 9 or Pixel C (for all intents and purposes, it’s a Nexus device). The Nexus Player Android TV box is capable of running the preview as well.

If you’ve made changes to your device’s core software or have installed a custom ROM, the best way to get the developer preview is the old-fashioned way — flashing a system image. Google makes these available via the developer site. This method is more involved and requires the use of a computer. You will need to install the Android SDK on your computer, then enable OEM unlock on your phone (the developer options menu). Reboot it into the bootloader and plug into your PC. Using a command prompt or terminal from the SDK directory, you can trigger an OEM unlock using either fastboot oem unlock or fastboot flashing unlock depending on the device you have.

After you’ve unlocked, simply download the system image and unpack it in the SDK’s platform tools directory on your computer. Launch the “flash all” batch or shell file with the phone connected and still in the bootloader. The installation will take about ten minutes.
For anyone with a stock Nexus device, this year there’s a much more civilized option. Head over to the new Android beta site and sign in with your Google account. It will show you the devices on your account that are eligible for the beta. Press the enroll button, and that device will be added to the Android N beta. That means within a few minutes you should have an OTA update notification on that device. The Android N preview OTA is over a gigabyte in size, so find some Wi-Fi to download it.

This approach means you don’t need to unlock your bootloader, and you’ll get regular updates throughout the beta. Google hasn’t specified if you’ll get an OTA to the final build this summer, but it saves you a bit of trouble right now. The beta program is definitely the easiest way to experience the latest and greats of Android, but remember this is a preview, not a stable Android version. Proceed with caution.

Microsoft Surface Might Just Dethrone Apple's iPad

As Apple prepares to reveal its Q4 earnings on Tuesday, Microsoft’s Surface sales have surged 38% in the first quarter.
The tech giant reported $926 million in revenue during the quarter, up from $672 million a year ago thanks to impressive sales of its Surface Book and Surface Pro 4.
Although Microsoft did not reveal total unit sales, the increase comes as Apple attempts to reverse their declining iPad sales. Apple reported iPad’s 10th straight down quarter in July as unit sales dropped 9% to 9.59 million. Tuesday’s announcement is expected to see sales of 9.1 million iPads during the last quarter.
Apple’s consumer-focused iPad still casts a massive shadow in the tablet game, but Microsoft may be able to change that with their long-term enterprise relationships. Following several updates to the Surface, it is finally seeing adoption from IT managers. This was confirmed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella claiming orders of ‘500 or more’ Surface devices were up by 70% in the last quarter.

Microsoft reported revenue of $22.33 billion, beating a Wall Street estimate of $21.71 billion. It’s stock rose 5.5 percent in after-hours trading and is holding around $60/share this morning.

How To Install Video Security Devices

As a home owner, knowing that your home is physically secure from harm will bring you peace of mind. Aside from the basic security measures installed on your home like locks, motion sensors and fire alarms, it will be a great help to have a video security system installed as well.

You can be free to do other things while checking on your baby or seeing who is on your front door through security monitors. You can even monitor your home while you are away on a trip by accessing your video home security system from the Internet

To have a video home security system installed, first, you need to decide on the areas of your home that you would like to monitor. The logical spots are the front and back doors, as well as any area in your house that is unnoticeable, where intruders are likely to go.

When deciding where to install the cameras, also consider the rooms within the house. Install one on the rooms of your youngest children. If you have elder or disabled people in the house, you can also monitor their rooms.

When considering the equipments for the video security system that you want to install, here are some tips to remember: Choose a weatherproof camera with specialized lens that you can use at night. You can install this at areas outside the house, and it is very important that they can be used at night and during any weather. There are cameras that you can remotely control. You can use this to monitor a larger area outside the house. It is important that they can be tilted to view any angle. Images transmitted from these cameras may be viewed using the monitor or your choice. You can also link them with your television set to make it easier to access.

With the advancement in technology, you can look for every feature imaginable so that they can be included with the installation of your home video security system.

The relationship between big banks and financial technology startups has evolved in recent years. First the banks were standoffish to fintech, looking at the industry as a lightweight in a heavyweight ring they’ve dominated for decades. Then the banks started to see fintech as a threat, as the number of users of their online platforms grew. Today banks and fintechs are striking partnerships and/or investment deals to build fintech solutions together.

The relationship continues to mature, but how cozy the two sides will become remains unclear, say some fintech startups. It depends on how they work together, and consumers, over the longer term.
“I think the relationship will be more like frenemies. We need each other,” Chantel Chapman, a financial fitness coach at Vancouver-based fintech Mogo told a crowd at the VanFUNDING 2016 conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, put on by the National Crowdfunding Association of Canada.
“There’s a lot of talk about banks being disrupted, but disruption doesn’t mean destruction. There are just going to serve a different purpose,” she added.

Chapman points to companies like hers and Koho, which offer a no-fee alternative to a traditional bank account, which sit on top of the regulated deposit-taking institutions.

“The fintech company benefits because they don’t have to handle the regulation side of things for those deposits,” she says, “but the bank or the credit union still gets to do what they want to do, which is collect the deposit so they can lend out money and make more money.”
“It’s a win-win situation,” Chapman says, pointing to examples like Apple, which works with telecom companies to offer its iPhone products.

The problem banks have is that they still lag when it comes to offering cheaper services to consumers, says Casto Pastoll, CEO and cofounder of peer-to-peer player Lending Loop.

“The one thing, unfortunately, they’re still missing out on, unfortunately, is delivering some kind of cost efficiency to the consumer,” Pastoll says. “They’re still missing the point about making it better for the consumer.”

Until banks “get their heads around how the industry is going to change as a whole,” he says companies like his are wary of striking partnerships.
Trust is also an issue, especially among Millennials who studies have shown are wary of big banks.
Chapman says fintechs have an opportunity to come in “with a clean reputation” and ability to speak to Millennials in a way that can reinforce trust. That includes building a social contract with customers by offering a product or service in return for taking and using their data. At Mogo, in exchange for data, Chapman says they offer a free credit-score monitoring product for users that open an account. They see it as offering consumers, which provides customers with education on their finances.

“It’s a focus on what are you giving of value to the customer,” Chapman says.
Daniel Eberhard, cofounder and CEO of Koho, says consumers trust banks to hold their money, but where the trust often ends is when they sell them products they don’t need or understand.
“There is this trust of ‘yes you are going to hold my money, but do I trust you back to have my best interest at heart and to communicate openly and honestly.’”

This is where have an opportunity to lure consumers, and where banks will need to catch up.
That said, fintechs are resting on their early-stage laurels.

“The tipping for Canada hasn’t even begun,” says Tabitha Creighton, who is CEO of InvestNextDoor, a Crowdlending marketplace for small business.
“On the topic of where banks and fintechs play, it will be interesting to see how the banks do being part of fintech, as opposed to seeing themselves outside of that engagement.”
She notes that banks often plan five-to-10 years in advance.

“Be sure that whatever we’re doing, they are already trying to figure out where that lead them.”

Parts And Types of The Headphone System

Headphones are great to use to listen to music, while watching television or viewing a movie, and when using your personal computer. There are thousands of applications where you can use headphones. There are a lot of brands and types that you can choose from nowadays, depending on the application.

Basically, a headphone has three parts: the driver, the earpiece and the attachment system. The driver is the ‘sound producer’. It is a transducer which converts electrical signal to the audio sound that you hear once you place the headphones on your ears. The earpiece is the physical part which you put to your ears.

There are a lot of types of earpiece that you can choose from. Finally, the attachment system is the part which holds everything together. This can either be the headbands - for types which have one - or the wires which hold two ear buds together. The job of the attachment system if to make the earpiece somehow fit your ears.

Headphones can be attached to any music player, to mobile phones or to a personal computer. If you want to get rid of the outside noise and you just want to concentrate on the sound, there are noise-canceling variants that you can choose from.  The open-type headphones generally have better sound quality than the noise canceling type.

When it comes to the design of the headphones, then you can choose one that will best suit your application. Clip-on headphones do not have headbands, the earpiece can easily be attached to your ears. There are also wireless headphones that are available. Ear buds are made up of earpieces that can fit the inner part of your ear. Headsets combine the functionality of a microphone and an earphone. Street style headphones are best used for music-listening purposes.

Ear pads have two flat pads as earpieces. With all the designs and brands available in the market now, you will surely find the type of headphones that will best suit your need and lifestyle

Best Buy To House Exploratory Google Shops Where Customers Can Test Products

Canadian shoppers are getting a new way to shop for the latest Google technology. Best Buy Canada announced this week a new collaboration with Google Canada—the first of its kind in North America.

The collaboration will bring 14 Google shops to Best Buy’s newly renovated “Experience Stores” by the end of 2016.

“We are thrilled that Google Canada chose Best Buy as their retailer of choice to launch these innovative retail spaces,” says Ron Wilson, COO of Best Buy Canada. “We are committed to providing our customers with the best service and the most exciting experience, and this is a prime example of that.”

Google shops are “exploratory spaces” that bring Google’s family of hardware to life and provide “immersive experiences.” Customers will be able to touch and try Google products, like Pixel, Daydream View and Chromecast Ultra.

“Google shops offer users hands on experiences with our latest devices, while product-trained Google guides explain how customers can get the most out of their tech to make life easier and more fun,” says Janell Fischer, head of global retail design at Google. “With Google shops, we’re thrilled to offer shoppers a comprehensive first look at our family of hardware as soon as it becomes available.”
This week, 10 small Google shops will begin opening in Best Buy locations across Canada, to be followed by four larger and more interactive shops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Mississauga later this year.

Nintendo Blurs Line Between Mobile and Home Gaming with Latest Console, "switch"

Nintendo has finally unveiled its next-gen console. The code-named “NX” platform is in fact called Switch.

Switch is both a mobile and at-home console: you can dock it at home and play with traditional console controllers or you can bring the tablet on the go and play from anywhere.

“In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose,” Nintendo says. “The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles.”


Nintendo doesn’t offer much detail in its three-minute teaser video, instead just pushing the idea of seamless transitions between gaming at home and on the move. It’s a novel concept, in any case.
The Nintendo Switch is slated to launch in March 2017.

Royal Bank Invests in Machine Learning Through University Partnerships

RBC this week announced two initiatives in collaboration with the University of Toronto. The initiatives are designed to maintain Canada as a leading center of development in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

RBC Research in Machine Learning will be a state-of-the-art research practice working to push the boundaries of the science around machine learning. RBC is also partnering with the Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, becoming a Founding Partner of the Lab’s Machine Learning Initiative focused on artificial intelligence-enabled companies.

“RBC Research in Machine Learning is part of our commitment to the advancement of machine learning and artificial intelligence in Canada,” says Gabriel Woo, vice-president of innovation at RBC. “We are not only building our own capabilities, we’re also big believers in creating jobs in this space to retain the amazing talent we have in Canada. We’re working with leading universities across Canada like the University of Toronto to partner with the best, brightest and boldest minds in the country.”

RBC Research in Machine Learning will be housed at the Banting Institute at the University of Toronto, and will be headed up by inventor and entrepreneur Dr. Foteini Agrafioti, who is the cofounder of Nymi, a first wearable device that authenticates users using the biometric technology HeartID.

“This has really never been done before in Canada,” says Dr. Agrafioti, who was named “Inventor of the Year” in 2012 by the University of Toronto for inventing HeartID. “We’ve lost so much talent in this country to other companies and institutions, but RBC has both the scale and commitment to ensure Canada remains a centre of excellence in machine learning.”

The RBC Research in Machine Learning team will collaborate with academics from the University of Toronto and other institutions, publishing new research in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

RBC also extends its close collaboration with the University of Toronto through a new partnership with the Creative Destruction Lab, a seed-stage program for massively scalable, science-based companies. The Lab employs an objectives-based mentoring process led by highly accomplished entrepreneurs and angel investors with the goal of maximizing the equity value creation of its ventures. As part of the agreement, RBC is contributing to the Creative Destructions Lab’s programming fund and will assume a role on the Lab’s Advisory board.#

“We’re thrilled to partner with RBC on this initiative,” says Rachel Harris, director of The Creative Destruction Lab. “With their support we are able to scale our program. We are now home to 50 AI companies. To our knowledge, this is the greatest concentration of AI companies in any program on Earth.”

“RBC is part of a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers and market visionaries,” says Gabriel Woo. “We share a strong commitment to the study and advancement of artificial intelligence with the University of Toronto, one of the world’s leading institutions in this space. Our partnership with the university and the Creative Destruction Lab is an extension of our ongoing support of the Canadian digital ecosystem.”

Startup Bursts out of stealth with $9.5million Round to "Solve Communications Overload"

Notion AI, a communications intelligence startup, this week launched from stealth with $9.5 million of funding to “solve communications overload once and for all.”
Drive Capital and Accel led the Series A round with participation from Hyde Park Venture Partners and Silicon Valley Bank.

Notion’s mission to improve communications and the Michigan company says email is the natural place to start. In 2015, people sent and received more than 205 billion emails each day. A quarter of the average worker’s day is spent on email, making it the second most time consuming activity in their jobs2. What’s more, 92% of people become stressed every time they receive an email, Notion says.

Notion’s cloud intelligence analyzes the relationships behind communications and is able to predict what’s important to you. It delivers tailored insights and improves behavior to positively impact relationships.

Notion’s public debut of its cloud intelligence technology is the Notion mobile email app, now available in the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android. The app works with existing email services.

Subscribers to Notion also get access to insights about their relationships with the people behind every single email. In this way, Notion uncovers the largest social network you already have, which, until now, has been buried inside your email history.

Soon subscribers can link Notion to Amazon’s personal assistant device, Alexa, for a smart voice-activated experience that lets users talk to their email. Through the integration, Alexa can read the important emails, emails waiting for replies, relationship details and even archive, snooze or send messages, all through voice communication.

“Today’s communication tools offer little in the way of improving the way we communicate or the underlying relationships behind our conversations,” said Guy Suter, cofounder of Notion. “Artificial intelligence will improve how people communicate by focusing our time and encouraging behaviors that build stronger relationships.”

Notion says it prioritizes the highest standards for user security and privacy in its operations and policies.

Notion was founded in 2013 by Suter and technical cofounders Lindsay Snider and Ian Berry. The trio cofounded data backup company BitLeap, which was acquired by Barracuda Networks in 2008.
“Notion is built on cutting-edge AI technology, applied in ways we’ve dreamed of and are only now able to realize,” said Mark Kvamme, partner at Drive Capital. “The Notion team has a vision that extends beyond email. They have goals, and the means and expertise, to use AI to impact the way we all communicate. In this age of social media, texting, and email reliance, Notion wants to put people back at the center of communication.”

Google Acquires FameBit, WhichConnects Marketers with Digital Influencers

Google is seeking new branded content opportunities for it’s YouTube stars with its acquisition of FameBit. Announced yesterday, Google picked up the self-service marketplace where brands and social media influencers collaborate for product or service endorsements.

Google bought the startup from Science Inc., whose portfolio has included Dollar Shave Club (which Unilever bought in July) and HelloSociety (which theNew York Timesacquired in March).“We believe that Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community,” said Google vice president of product management Ariel Bardin in a blog post.The Toronto-born startupwas founded in January 2014 by Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski, who built it to meet their own small business influencer marketing needs.

The company last year moved to Silicon Valley, where it caught the interest of Google.“After helping influencers make money — and sometimes even a full-time living — through YouTube and other platforms, it only makes sense that we would bring those capabilities to Google itself,”said Michael Jones, CEO of Science.

In their own blog post today, FameBit cofounders Kozera and David Kierzkowski remarked, “With Google’s relationship with brands large and small, and YouTube’s partnership with creators around the globe, we hope to connect even more brands to creators, engage more audiences, and make brand marketing more creative and authentic than ever.”Details of the transaction were not revealed.

Google is Making a Big Change to its Search Engine Later This Year

Google plans to create a separate mobile index for its search engine, the company announced this week. And it plans to make that index its primary one.Gary Illyes, a webmaster trends analyst with Google, made the announcement in a keynote addressat Pubcon, a digital marketing conference in Las Vegas. However, Illyes was short on details. We don’t know if the mobile index will include only mobile-friendly content or what will happen to the desktop index once it becomes secondary.

Google says the change could happen by the end of the year. Mobile searches overtook desktop queries a long time ago but the search engine still sees substantial volume from desktops given how popular Google is overall. Illyes says the change is necessary based on howdifferent mobile sites operate and handle content from a search perspective.

Etusalat data plans now increases

Its not that new about etisalat increasing their data plans as we are already used to it, but this one is quite shocking as they just increased it not quite long after...ts not that new about etisalat increasing their data plans as we are already used to it, but this one is quite shocking as they just increased it not quite long after...

Earlier Etisalat data plan as seen below
*.
1.5GB for N1000,dial *229*2*7#
*.
3.5GB for N2,000dial *229*2*8#
*.
5GB for N6,500   dial *229*2*3#
*.
8GB for N8000    dial *229*2*5#
*.
10GB for N10,000 dial*229*2*5#
But now,EtisalatMonthly databundle prices as seen below:
*.1GB for N1000
*.1.5GB for N1200
*.1GB + 500MB night plan for N1000
*.2.5GB for N2000
*.3.5GB for N2500
*.2GB + 1.5GB night plan N2000
So what do you think about this new changes from Etisalat?.. Are we still save in this bad recession Era?..