Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant headed to Android and iOS late June

Microosft has announced that it will make its Bing-powered Cortana voice assistant available as standalone apps for rival Android and iOS devices. Cortana is one of the hallmark features of Windows 8.1 for Phones and will be a key component of Windows 10 on the desktop.

Microsoft expects to make all the queries and features of Cortana on Windows available to Android and iOS devices when the apps launch late June. This means that rival phones will have the ability to enjoy a key feature of Windows 10 for Phones before the new OS comes to market. For iOS users, this means they now have a choice of three voice assistants on the platform with Siri, Google Now and Cortana available on their devices.

Source:  Microsoft Blog via The Verge

The Apple Beat: Refocusing Jony Ive's role and how it impacts Apple

(left to right) Alan Dye, Jony Ive, and Richard Howarth (Photo: Gabriela Hasbun for The Telegraph)

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The big news was Jony Ive moving to the newly created Chief Design Officer position while his senior team members Richard Horwarth and Alan Dye take on VP positions for Industrial Design and User Interface respectively. The news broke through an exclusive by Stephen Fry for The Telegraph, of all places.

Fry, who has been an avowed Apple watcher for over 30 years, was invited to spend time with Jony Ive as well as Tim Cook to get to meet Ive's successors in the VP positions he vacates on July 1st as he moves to cover more new projects (as well as to collaborate with Norman Foster Architects on Apple Campus 2 as well as on Apple Retail Store design).

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Facebook Canada introduces AMBER Alert System

In line with International Missing Children’s Day, Facebook Canada, together with police authorities across the provinces in Canada, has introduced an AMBER Alert system. This tool will alert Facebook users in the area during the critical first hours when a child has been abducted. The AMBER Alerts will show available details about the child and the abductor on mobile News Feed. It will only show up for those within the designated search areas because they’ll be the ones who’ll be able to provide leads and even help. Of course, you can share the alerts to your friends and family as well.

Jony Ive takes on new post as Apple’s Chief Design Officer

Updated on Monday, May 25, 2015 at 11:54PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Photo by Gadjo C. Sevilla - Canadianreviewer.com

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design Jony Ive is taking on a new role and a new title for the company as its first Chief Design Officer. Aside from dealing with hardware, software, and packaging of products, he’ll now add the design of their retail stores to his responsibilities. He’ll even have a hand in picking the furniture and fittings of the new Apple Campus 2.

With an ever expanding line of Macs, iOS devices and various Watch models and iOS and OS X visual design and UI requirements under his jurisdiction, Ive has a lot on his plate, so the move makes sense so he can apply his razor focus on products.

Two of his lieutenants are also getting promoted, which will help Ive divest himself of the more administrative tasks. Richard Howarth will be heading Industrial Design and Alan Dye will be head of User Interface. Howarth has been a key member of the iPhone program since the beginning and Dye has done work with the Apple Watch’s UI. Both will report directly to Ive.

Source: SlashGear

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