Tuesday
Aug182020

Microsoft's Panos Panay joins Sonos' board of directors

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Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, has recently been appointed to Sonos' board of directors. Chairman Mike Volpi announced Panay's appointment as part of the premium audio hardware maker's board. He said in a press release, "Panay's comprehensive background in developing tightly-integrated hardware and software platforms, coupled with a track record of innovation in product design and development, makes him an exciting addition to the Sonos board."

As The Verge points out, the optics might be a bit weird from Panay's perspective. Microsoft seems to be in good standing with Google recently, with the company close to releasing a Microsoft-branded, Android 10-powered smartphone in the Surface Duo. Meanwhile, Google and Sonos are still in the midst of a legal battle over accusations that Google stole its smart speaker tech. Those issues aside, Panay will be bringing years of expertise when it comes to hardware to Sonos.

Tuesday
Aug182020

How to Find the Best Coding Camp for Your Kids

An early education in STEM is invaluable for kids growing up today. The recent announcement that Ontario schools will begin teaching students coding as early as the first grade is a recognition that programming is as essential to a child’s education today as algebra and spelling. Coding is going to become an essential skill.

But public school boards will struggle with the same issues they’ve always faced: a potentially limited curriculum and large class sizes. If you want your child to really excel at coding, the best advantage you can give them is signing them up for coding camp for kids.

When you’re looking for either a coding summer camp or weekly coding classes for the school year, these are the qualities you want to find.

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Monday
Aug172020

Epic Games says Apple plans to revoke its developer account

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In the ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple, the developer said that Apple has threatened to cut it out of the App Store entirely by revoking its developer account. The move will mean Epic can no longer make apps for Apple, which means it will lose access to iOS users. According to the developer, Apple has given Epic until August 28 before it removes its developer accounts, which also means they can't publish updates to current apps on the store. 

On top of that, Epic makes the Unreal Engine software that many iPhone and Android games use to add realistic graphics and physics to their titles. The company seeks an injunction to "preserve the status quo" and allow Epic to continue to sell apps, including Fortnite, on the Apple App Store. Epic claims Apple's move to revoke its accounts represents an "existential threat" to Unreal Engine, and that the company is "attacking Epic's entire business in unrelated areas."

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Monday
Aug172020

Telegram introduces one-on-one video calls on mobile

Telegram is busting into the video call space at a time when there's "the need for face-to-face communication." The secure messaging app releases an alpha version of one-on-one video calls for its Android and iOS apps. The company announced the new feature in a post celebrating its seventh anniversary. Similar to its audio calls and texting features, video calls have end-to-end encryption on the app. 

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