Hands on with the new ecobee Switch+ Alexa powered smart light switch

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

with the ecobee Switch+ you can make any home or apartment a truly smart home by integrating Amazon's Alexa and all its connected features on a structural level.

Smart speakers are the hottest consumer technology devices in Canada this year. We already have an ongoing turf war between Google Home, which has a year's head start in Canada (and was also partly developed in Waterloo, ON) and Amazon Echo, whose Alexa smart assistant leads the market in the US and which is available on a range of speakers, PCs and other devices.

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Fitbit releases Fitbit Versa, Female Health Tracking and Fitbit Ace for kids

Fitbit just released a trifecta of products, each expanding the health tracking services and devices to new markets. The first one is a more affordable smartwatch in the Fitbit Versa. This rounded and more fashion-focused Fitbit that recalls some design touches from Pebble. Fitbit absorbed Pebble two years ago. The Fitbit Versa comes on April 2018 and will sell for $249 CAD.

Fitbit also unveiled Female Health Tracking for logging menstrual cycles, recording symptoms and allowing these to be a part of their Fitbit health and fitness analytics. This is the first time that female health has been integrated in a fitness tracker. Fitbit Ace is the first fitness tracker designed for kids and will sell for $129.95 when it ships in the spring. This feedsinto a secure Fitbit Family account and allows parents to safeguards their kids' information. Find out more on  Fitbit Versa, female health tracking and  Fitbit Ace.

Vancouver entrepreneurs launch Artificial Intelligence start-up

CareCru Inc., an AI-driven platform for dentists and dental groups, announces today they have raised a seed round investment.

The round was led by Peter McCullagh of TenX Ventures with participation from Manny Padda of New Avenue Capital and several other high-profile tech investors. This round of funding will be used to accelerate development of their platform and expand sales and marketing efforts.

The CareCru team has developed an automation platform, powered by artificial intelligence, that grows and manages dental practices with minimal human intervention. Built from the ground up to be completely self-driving, the CareCru platform also generates real-time analytics, providing managers with the tools to run a successful dental practice.

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Apple to buy digital magazine service Texture

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Long considered the 'netflix of Magazines,' Texture is a service co-owned by Rogers Media that gives subscribers access to 200 print magazines through one app. Ideal for the iPad and similar tablet-sized devices, Texture saves paper, allows users to browse by magazine, topic or even by article and also exposes subscribers to various publications they may not try out.

Apple has announced it signed an agreement to acquire Texture, the digital magazine subscription service by Next Issue Media LLC.

“We’re excited Texture will join Apple, along with an impressive catalog of magazines from many of the world’s leading publishers,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users.” 

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