BlackBerry cuts back its smartphone workforce

Things aren’t getting any easier for smartphone maker BlackBerry as they lay off people from their smartphone business. The Canadian company won’t say how many or where the job losses are going to be coming from but that it would affect “a number of employees around the world.” According to BlackBerry, the job cuts are a result of moves to consolidate its device software, application, and hardware business. It isn’t a secret that the company is struggling to keep up in the big smartphone market. BlackBerry could look into entering new opportunities like in the Internet of Things market or bolster the software side of their business.

Source: SlashGear

Periscope comes to Android

If you're runing an Android device with KitKat 4.4 or later and wish to subject or regale your Twitter followers to livestreaming, you can do so using the Periscope app that's just been rolled out for Android. Check it out here. Periscope broke ground on iOS a few months ago and became the alternative to Meerkat, the Android app features some Material Design touches as well as Android specific controls.

SanDisk's new SSD's for mobile computing and embedded applications

As SSD storage becomes more affordable, it also makes more sense for mobile computing and embedded applications.

The new SanDisk Z400s SSD is a cost effective solid-state drive (SSD) designed to replace hard-disk drives (HDDs) computing platforms and embedded applications. PCs and embedded systems need consistent, reliable access to storage in order to meet business demands. Hit jump for more information on the new SSDs.

Click to read more ...

Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant headed to Android and iOS late June

Microosft has announced that it will make its Bing-powered Cortana voice assistant available as standalone apps for rival Android and iOS devices. Cortana is one of the hallmark features of Windows 8.1 for Phones and will be a key component of Windows 10 on the desktop.

Microsoft expects to make all the queries and features of Cortana on Windows available to Android and iOS devices when the apps launch late June. This means that rival phones will have the ability to enjoy a key feature of Windows 10 for Phones before the new OS comes to market. For iOS users, this means they now have a choice of three voice assistants on the platform with Siri, Google Now and Cortana available on their devices.

Source:  Microsoft Blog via The Verge