OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fired, CTO Mira Murati named interim CEO

TechCrunch

On Friday, OpenAI’s board of directors announced a surprise shakeup of its top leadership. CEO Sam Altman was fired and will leave the company and the board immediately. Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati will take over as interim CEO.

The board said that Altman’s dismissal was the result of an internal review process that found he had not been honest and transparent in his communications with the board, compromising its ability to oversee the company. Therefore, the board lost trust in his leadership and let him go.

Click to read more ...

Apple plans to adopt RCS for the iPhone in 2024

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a texting standard that offers more features than SMS or MMS, such as typing indicators, high-quality media sharing and in-line reactions. It is available on Android phones using the Google Messages app, the default texting app on most Android devices. Apple said in a statement to 9to5Mac on Thursday that it will support RCS Universal Profile, the standard published by the GSM Association, on the iPhone next year. The company said RCS will work alongside iMessage, which it says will remain the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users. Apple did not give an exact time frame for the implementation.

Click to read more ...

Microsoft’s new Windows App lets you stream Windows from the cloud

Microsoft

Microsoft has launched a new Windows App that lets you stream Windows from various sources, including a remote PC, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, and Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services. The app is available for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, and web browsers. And you can consider it an upgraded version of the previous Windows 365 app.

The Windows App supports multiple monitors, custom display resolutions and scaling, and device redirection for peripherals like webcams, storage devices, and printers. However, the app is not yet available for Android devices and is currently limited to Microsoft’s business accounts.

The Windows App is a sign of Microsoft’s ambition to move Windows fully to the cloud, something the company has been working on for a long time. Microsoft created a new team dedicated to building AI-powered web services for Windows, such as the dynamic search interface, the widgets system, and the Copilot integration in Windows 11.

Microsoft also revealed its plans to offer Windows as a cloud service during the FTC v. Microsoft hearing. The Windows App could be the first step towards enabling consumers to access cloud PCs and Windows apps on any device, regardless of the operating system.

Source

'Percy Jackson and the Olympians': The official trailer is here!

Disney+ has unveiled the official trailer for its upcoming original series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on the bestselling novels by Rick Riordan. The trailer reveals exciting glimpses of the adventures of Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), who embark on a quest to restore the balance of Mount Olympus and save the world from a looming threat. Fans of the books were treated to easter eggs and hints on the official social media accounts (@PercySeries) in the week before the trailer’s release, sparking anticipation and speculation among the loyal fandom.

The epic series will premiere with two episodes on Wednesday, December 20, on Disney+, and will continue with new episodes every week. The series is created by Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg, who also serve as executive producers along with Dan Shotz, Rebecca Riordan, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, and Jet Wilkinson.

Source