Microsoft's Future Now Conference discusses the implications of AI on business and society

“Today’s technologies can be used to amplify human ingenuity.”-Microsoft Canada’s VP of Marketing Emma Da SilvaBy Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing.  These were once all theoretical buzzwords bordering on science fiction and pertaining to the ideals of a far off future. These concepts, however, are very much in practice today and at an exponential rate which will not only change the way businesses operate, but will also transform society, jobs and the workplace as well as various industries.

Microsoft Canada took to the historic Carlu events venue to discuss the Future Now with various experts in applied sciences, AI and other related fields to shed clarity, insight and understanding in these emerging technologies.

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Microsoft and BlackBerry team up to offer smartphone security and productivity in enterprise

Microsoft and BlackBerry announced a strategic partnership to offer enterprises a solution that integrates BlackBerry’s expertise in mobility and security with Microsoft’s unmatched cloud and productivity products. Both companies have deep roots in enterprise as well as in mobile. While neither BlackBerry nor Microsoft currently have a dog in the fight for smartphones, they are combining strengths to bolster efforts on Android and iOS.

Through this partnership, the companies have collaborated on a first-of-its-kind solution: BlackBerry Enterprise BRIDGE. This technology provides a highly-secure way for their joint customers – the world’s largest banks, healthcare providers, law firms, and central governments – to seamlessly use native Microsoft mobile apps from within BlackBerry Dynamics.

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Animated Emoji wars heat up as Samsung partners with Disney on AR Emoji

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

In case you missed it, animating yourself as various AR (Augmented Reality) Emoji characters is now as important as the specs, camera functionality and design of today's flagship phones.

The gauntlet was thrown down by Apple last year when it made Animoji a key feature of the iPhone X. Being able to talk and match facial expressions with various emoji animals was the sexy feature for one hot minute and led to a short deluge of TV ads and Animoji Karaoke videos.

Apple's Animoji did resonate with many users, although I'm not sure if they were a defining feature for people to consider purchasing the iPhone X.

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Intuit's app helps self-employed workers invoice, manage expenses, and file taxes

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Self-employed workers are faced with a lot of pain points when tax time comes around. Not only do they need to carefully monitor expenses as well as send and follow up on invoices for jobs, getting all the necessary information to file taxes accurately and on time is a constant challenge. Intuit's QuickBooks Self-Employed mobile app eliminates the pain points associated with financial management and helps self-employed workers easily manage their operations from anywhere.

"We identified this new market, the independent contractor and we noticed that there wasn't a quick adoption of the traditional QuickBooks App.  We did a ton of research and identified what their unique needs were. Rather than needing a full financial picture of their business, the things that were important to them were being able to keep track of their expenses and getting ready for tax time," says Melika Hope, Senior Product Manager at Intuit.

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