Google expands Duplex AI assistant support to Canada, two other countries

Without fanfare, Google updates the support page for Duplex to signal limited capacity availability in Canada, Australia, and the UK. Duplex is a human-like, artificial intelligence-powered chat agent that lets users schedule appointments and gather information over the phone. The support page now shows the phone numbers of the three additional countries that Duplex will use to call businesses in each country. Previously, it only showed numbers for the US and New Zealand.

In early March, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company is using Duplex to confirm closures and adjusted hours to make sure Google Search and Google Maps show accurate information. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting business hours of a lot of businesses, it seems apt for Google to expand its reach now. 

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Steve Carell's 'Space Force' comedy to premiere on Netflix on May 29

Space Force (Credit: Netflix)

Maybe you've missed The Office and that little The Office reunion with Steve Carell on John Kransinki's YouTube show, Some Good News, wasn't enough for you. Then you will appreciate this update. Carell stars and co-created with The Office's Greg Daniels a new Netflix show called Space Force. It's a parody of the real-life Space Force military branch created by US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Netflix treated us to some stills from the show dropping on May 29. It stars some heavyweights of the comedy world, including Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, and John Malkovich.

Logitech to report exploitative webcam resellers who are price gouging

Webcams are in high demand and in short reply. If you don't already own a standalone webcam, chances are you are not going to be able to find one selling at a reasonable price. The coronavirus pandemic has locked down various countries and businesses and workers have taken to online conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts to stay connected and productive.

Logitech, who makes a range of HD webcams is putting its foot down and reporting resellers that are taking advantage of this shortage. “With a dramatic shift in remote work, distance learning and telemedicine over the past few weeks, many Logitech products are in high demand across the globe,” A Logitech spokesperson told The Verge by email. Still, Logitech can only control official sales channels, people are selling these webcams on services like Craigslist and adding a $60 to $70 premium on top. Have you had issues finding a webcam, let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft reportedly pushes back Windows 10X, Surface Neo releases to 2021

Microsoft Surface Neo

It hasn't been confirmed yet, but rumour has it Microsoft plans to push back the release of Windows 10X and the hardware that supports this new platform to 2021. Windows 10X is designed to work on machines with dual displays, like the Surface Neo it was planning to ship with the Windows 10X onboard. Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, reportedly told his team that the new platform and the dual-screened Surface Neo wouldn't come out this year. And that third-party manufacturers won't be allowed to launch devices running on the operating system either. We have no word yet on what will happen with the Surface Duo.

The likely cause of the delay is the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, reports claim Microsoft also wanted to prioritize getting Windows 10X running on single-screen devices like 2-in-1s first before introducing it to the public. But Microsoft wants to launch some of the platform's features before it becomes available. So, we might see some Windows 10X features crop up in a future Windows 10 update. 

Source: Engadget