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

Facebook Canada introduces AMBER Alert System

In line with International Missing Children’s Day, Facebook Canada, together with police authorities across the provinces in Canada, has introduced an AMBER Alert system. This tool will alert Facebook users in the area during the critical first hours when a child has been abducted. The AMBER Alerts will show available details about the child and the abductor on mobile News Feed. It will only show up for those within the designated search areas because they’ll be the ones who’ll be able to provide leads and even help. Of course, you can share the alerts to your friends and family as well.

Jony Ive takes on new post as Apple’s Chief Design Officer

Updated on Monday, May 25, 2015 at 11:54PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Photo by Gadjo C. Sevilla - Canadianreviewer.com

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design Jony Ive is taking on a new role and a new title for the company as its first Chief Design Officer. Aside from dealing with hardware, software, and packaging of products, he’ll now add the design of their retail stores to his responsibilities. He’ll even have a hand in picking the furniture and fittings of the new Apple Campus 2.

With an ever expanding line of Macs, iOS devices and various Watch models and iOS and OS X visual design and UI requirements under his jurisdiction, Ive has a lot on his plate, so the move makes sense so he can apply his razor focus on products.

Two of his lieutenants are also getting promoted, which will help Ive divest himself of the more administrative tasks. Richard Howarth will be heading Industrial Design and Alan Dye will be head of User Interface. Howarth has been a key member of the iPhone program since the beginning and Dye has done work with the Apple Watch’s UI. Both will report directly to Ive.

Source: SlashGear

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Twitter reportedly in talks to buy Flipboard

We’re not quite sure what Twitter might want with Flipboard but there are talks that they want to purchase it. According to Re/Code, Twitter wants to buy Flipboard in an all-stock deal that would put Flipboard’s value over US$1 billion. Talks have begun at the start of the year supposedly. And it’s headed by Twitter’s CFO Anthony Noto.

Perhaps Twitter aims for Flipboard’s curation tools or even the advertising the news curator does. If there’s any truth to the reports, then we’d have to wait for a bit to hear from either or both companies.

Source: Re/Code | Via: The Next Web