Adobe and Microsoft join forces on cloud and marketing services

Two of the biggest software and services companies have teamed up to collaborate and share their strengths. One of the key announcements at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Atlanta today is that Adobe Systems Incorporated and Microsoft Corp. announced a strategic partnership to help enterprise companies embrace digital transformation and deliver compelling, personalized experiences through every phase of their customer relationships.

Together, the two companies will enable businesses to dramatically strengthen their brands through solutions with Microsoft Azure, Adobe Marketing Cloud and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

“Business leaders in every industry are focused on how to better engage their digital customers, wherever they are,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, Adobe and Microsoft are bringing the most advanced marketing capabilities on the most powerful and intelligent cloud to help companies digitally transform and engage customers in new ways.”

“Customers today expect a well-designed, personalized and consistent experience every time they engage with a brand,” said Shantanu Narayen, Adobe president and chief executive officer. “Adobe and Microsoft will bring together the cloud horsepower and end-to-end capabilities brands need to design and deliver great digital experiences.”

Click to read more ...

VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX is more than a toy

By Sonya Davidson

My 5 year old nephew has been eyeing my wearables. I've seen him admiring my smartwatch and fitness trackers with his big eyes. I love how curious he is as he asks so many questions about what these nifty gadgets can do. So, when I recently asked him if he would interested in showing me what the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX could do, he didn't hesitate. 

I was surprised to learn that he had already put a "smartwatch" on his birthday list. His mom had no problem with me asking for his help to review this device. She told me that in school, the teachers had already noticed how his interest in technology has a positive effect in his learning. His reading and math skills are advanced. I even noticed when he was reading instructions on the VYech he had no struggle with words.

Click to read more ...

Moto Mods Dev Kit lets you make the Mods you want

Motorola is opening up its modular Moto Z line to people who want to develop Mods for it. It has released a development kit for the Moto Mods, allowing anyone to build any accessory they can conceive. The dev kits come with a reference mod, which is a computer itself with its own processor, input and output ports (including a DisplayPort), perforated board with 364 solder points. The Lenovo-owned brand is also selling add-ons and sample mods separately to show off the capabilities of these mods. These include a HAT adapter which can be slapped onto any Raspberry Pi HAT and “Personality Cards” for audio, display, and sensors that can connect to the Reference Moto Mod.

The Dev Kit is currently available for US$125 in China, Europe, and South America. It will be coming to Canada on October 5. Those who plan to sell the Mods they create can join Motorola’s certification program.

Source: SlashGear

iTunes may soon read the news to you

A new feature coming to iTunes got leaked earlier (and has since been pulled) that will allow the service to read the news to you. Called Spoken Editions, this podcasts-branded feature has short programs reading written news items from select publications such as Wired, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Time. According to the descriptions of the audio files, this feature is powered by SpokenLayer, which is a service that creates and distributes audio versions of the written word. This feature when it officially launches will come in handy when you want to listen to the latest news from these publications while you’re off doing something else.

According to TechCrunch’s interview with SpokenLayer’s CEO Will Mayo, the company specializes in making each publication sound distinct—so Wired will sound like Wired. Also, SpokenLayer and the publications split whatever is made from the audio ads attached to the podcasts. There isn’t that long a wait for this new feature to come early next month.