Amazon donates $525,000 to Canada Learning Code to modernize K-12 computer science curriculum

Amazon donates $525,000 to help Canada Learning Code and its computer science education initiatives in the country. Canada Learning Code is the leading national charity that champions digital literacy education. This donation will help support the development of a Canadian kindergarten-to-grade-12 computer science education framework. It will also help with other coding education programs, which includes a traveling mobile classroom and Canada Learning Code Week. This donation helps the charity create 275,000 “learner” experiences over three years.

As Melissa Sariffodeen, CEO of Canada Learning Code, said, this donation will help kids learn the skills they need for the future. “This donation by Amazon will have a transformative effect on Canadian skills development needed to prosper in the digital economy,” she said. At the moment, only three out of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories offer formal opportunities in the curriculum to learn these skills. Updating the curriculum will help accelerate the entry of women and those from less advantaged backgrounds into more in-demand roles.

Google Clock app gets Spotify integration to create customized alarms

Want to wake up to your favourite song? Google and Spotify have teamed up to make this happen. Both free and Premium Spotify users can set their soundtrack of choice to help kick off their days. Premium users can select any track, artist, or playlist to use as an alarm. Just head to the Alarms tab in the Google Clock app. There will also playlist recommendations there based on recently played music or curated Spotify morning playlists. Free users get the feature but the playlists will be in shuffle mode. Once you turned off the alarm, there will also be an option to continue playing the playlist. If you don’t have the Google Clock app, you can download it right from the Play Store. This new feature will be rolling out over the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled for it. According to 9to5Google, YouTube Music will be getting a similar integration soon.

Huawei surpasses Apple in global smartphone market share for Q2 2018

Power Trio: The Huawei P20 Pro Review

Huawei had a great second quarter for 2018. Data coming from IDC and Canalys show the Chinese tech company surpassing Apple and taking second place when it comes to the number of smartphones shipped worldwide. Huawei has shipped over 54 million handsets for Q2 2018 compared to the 41.3 million iPhones from Apple. Samsung is at number one with 73 million units shipped. According to the press release from IDC, “The arrival of Huawei in the second position marks the first quarter since 2Q10 where Apple has not been the number one or two smartphone company in terms of market share.”

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Logitech will buy Blue Microphones for US$117 million

Logitech is securing its place in the high-end audio recording market with its latest acquisition. The company just announced that it is buying Blue Microphones for US$117 million. It’ll be an all-cash transaction. Blue, which is known for creating USB condenser mics like the Snowball and Yeti, will be joining Logitech’s other brands like Astro Gaming, Jaybird, and Ultimate Ears.

In a blog post announcing the deal, Logitech wrote, “For Logitech, this is a new space. But, at the same time, it’s not at all. Gamers are already using our Logitech G webcams to stream. People are video calling with friends and family thanks to Logitech every day. And in business, our audio and video know-how is apparent every time a video meeting takes place at the office. Joining up with Blue and their microphone lines is a logical adjacent opportunity with great synergies.”