Roku unveils 5 new players in Canada

Roku has unveiled a brand new lineup of players coming the the Canadian market this October with pricing ranging from $39.99 for the diminuitive Roku Express to $139.99 for the 4K capable Roku Ultra flagship.

Roku, Inc. today announced a new lineup of streaming players with features, prices and performance for every kind of streamer. Setting a new milestone, Roku® launched its tiniest streaming player yet – the new Roku Express offers a fast and complete experience with 1080p HD streaming for $39.99 MSRP. Roku Express and Roku Express+ are a great solution for consumers who want a low-cost way to start streaming or for those who wish to extend TV streaming throughout their home inexpensively.

For those who seek incredible performance through a quad-core processor and the capability to stream 4K up to 60 frames per second (fps), Roku Premiere and Roku Premiere+ offer an amazing value. The Roku Premiere+ also supports HDR for vibrant picture quality and includes a point-anywhere remote with a headphone jack for private listening. Rounding out the line is the fully loaded Roku Ultra for an ultimate streaming experience which also includes support for HDR, Dolby Digital Plus, voice search and lost remote finder. These five new streaming players complement the very popular Roku Streaming Stick introduced in April, and offer consumers the most complete streaming player lineup.

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Adobe and Microsoft join forces on cloud and marketing services

Two of the biggest software and services companies have teamed up to collaborate and share their strengths. One of the key announcements at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Atlanta today is that Adobe Systems Incorporated and Microsoft Corp. announced a strategic partnership to help enterprise companies embrace digital transformation and deliver compelling, personalized experiences through every phase of their customer relationships.

Together, the two companies will enable businesses to dramatically strengthen their brands through solutions with Microsoft Azure, Adobe Marketing Cloud and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

“Business leaders in every industry are focused on how to better engage their digital customers, wherever they are,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, Adobe and Microsoft are bringing the most advanced marketing capabilities on the most powerful and intelligent cloud to help companies digitally transform and engage customers in new ways.”

“Customers today expect a well-designed, personalized and consistent experience every time they engage with a brand,” said Shantanu Narayen, Adobe president and chief executive officer. “Adobe and Microsoft will bring together the cloud horsepower and end-to-end capabilities brands need to design and deliver great digital experiences.”

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VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX is more than a toy

By Sonya Davidson

My 5 year old nephew has been eyeing my wearables. I've seen him admiring my smartwatch and fitness trackers with his big eyes. I love how curious he is as he asks so many questions about what these nifty gadgets can do. So, when I recently asked him if he would interested in showing me what the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX could do, he didn't hesitate. 

I was surprised to learn that he had already put a "smartwatch" on his birthday list. His mom had no problem with me asking for his help to review this device. She told me that in school, the teachers had already noticed how his interest in technology has a positive effect in his learning. His reading and math skills are advanced. I even noticed when he was reading instructions on the VYech he had no struggle with words.

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Moto Mods Dev Kit lets you make the Mods you want

Motorola is opening up its modular Moto Z line to people who want to develop Mods for it. It has released a development kit for the Moto Mods, allowing anyone to build any accessory they can conceive. The dev kits come with a reference mod, which is a computer itself with its own processor, input and output ports (including a DisplayPort), perforated board with 364 solder points. The Lenovo-owned brand is also selling add-ons and sample mods separately to show off the capabilities of these mods. These include a HAT adapter which can be slapped onto any Raspberry Pi HAT and “Personality Cards” for audio, display, and sensors that can connect to the Reference Moto Mod.

The Dev Kit is currently available for US$125 in China, Europe, and South America. It will be coming to Canada on October 5. Those who plan to sell the Mods they create can join Motorola’s certification program.

Source: SlashGear