Microsoft rumoured to be taking cues from Google Assistant for Cortana redesign

Microsoft’s Cortana might be getting a new look in the future and the company is supposedly looking at its rivals to get this done. Microsoft is supposedly aiming to make the voice assistant’s user interface to look more conversational (think Google Assistant) and instead of just relying on your voice, it’ll let you type out your queries. One other thing that is rumoured to be coming is Microsoft is thinking of movie Cortana to the system tray on the right to make it more difficult for you to hide it (or at least to encourage you to use it). If Microsoft does push through with these plans, will you try it out?

Source: Windows Central + Thurrott

Samsung outs new ultra-wide curved monitor for gamers

Samsung is hoping to change the curved monitor with its new line of ultra-wide screen displays. The flagship of the three new monitors is a massive 49-inch wide HDR display, which is the company’s largest widescreen monitor. The CHG90 has a 3,840 x 1,080 Ultra HD resolution, which is almost the same as putting together two 1080p HD screens side-by-side. It comes with HDMI and Mini DisplayPort inputs but will need an adapter to work with the new MacBook Pro machines as there is no USB Type-C.

According to the South Korean tech company, the monitors (there a 27- and 32-inch models with Quad HD resolutions) cover 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space, which could interest photographers and videographers. However, Samsung is targeting gamers with these models. They have 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time as well as four-channel scanning, which Samsung claims reduces motion blur. The company also claims the QLED tech gives these monitors brighter displays than OLED models. The CHG90 is available for pre-order on Amazon already for US$1,499. Shipping is expected to start on June 30^th. If you’re interested in the smaller models, the 27-inch version goes for US$599 and the 32-inch goes for US$699.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple takes on Facebook Messenger for Business with Business Chat

Apple is bringing the fight to the likes of Facebook Messenger for Business with its new Business Chat tool. It allows companies and customers to communicate with each other without the need of a social media presence. If you want to get in touch with a business, all you need to do is search for them on Spotlight, Siri, or Maps. Business Chat will let you do everything from simple inquiries, get customer support, schedule appointments or deliveries, or make transactions right from your Apple device (using Apple Pay, of course).

While setting up appointments using the tool will pull up your own calendar to see if you can make it, other more complex shopping or scheduling requests can also be fulfilled within Business Chat. Similar to how Facebook is encouraging companies to make apps and bots within Messenger, a company can create a custom-built app for iMessage. The likes of LivePerson, Salesforce, Genesys, and Nuance have already integrated Business Chat into their customer service platform.

Source: ZDNet

Taylor Swift brings back her catalog to music streaming services

Eva Rinaldi/Flickr

After pulling out her back catalog from music streaming services, Taylor Swift is getting back together with the likes of Spotify, Google Play, and Amazon Music. Her management made the announcement on Twitter saying this was to celebrate the sale of over 10 million copies worldwide of her latest album, 1989. Swift pulled out of streaming services like Spotify because she said they didn’t compensate artists fairly. She had particular trouble with Spotify’s free tier. But now it seems all of that is behind her and her catalog should start showing up at your music streaming service of choice.

Source: The Verge