Where have all the tablets gone?
Google’s reported decision to abandon tablets came as no surprise to those in the industry, reports Venture Beat. “Tablets are dying a slow death anyway,” they write. “Tablets did not end up delivering as promised. The form factor never took off like smartphones, and it never replaced computers. In fact, the tablet market peaked at the end of 2014 and has been shrinking ever since. And yes, the PC market has also been declining, but it’s much, much larger. The tablet as we know it is going to disappear. The market won’t keep shrinking into oblivion, but the slate form factor will get squeezed out. It’s already happening. Smartphone screens have grown to make 7-inch tablets obsolete while laptops have gained touchscreens and removable screens. [Note: Google’s decision does not affect its Pixel phones or Pixel computers, such as the Pixelbook.]
PowerPoint critiques your PowerPoint
Microsoft has launched a number of updates and new features to help you improve your PowerPoint presentations, reports TechCrunch. In fact, PowerPoint will even critique your presentation. Presenter Coach for PowerPoint is a new AI tool that offers feedback while you’re practicing your presentation in front of your computer. It’ll tell you about your pacing, whether you are using inclusive language, and how many filler words you use. It also makes sure you’re not just reading your slides. After your rehearsal session, PowerPoint will show you a dashboard with a summary of your performance and what to focus on to improve your skills. This feature will first come to PowerPoint on the web and then later to the Office 365 desktop version. As for the visual design, Microsoft has added new features like Designer theme ideas, which automatically recommends photos, styles and colors as you write your presentation.
iPhone repairs at Best Buy
Apple Inc. and Best Buy Co. announced this summer that they have extended a partnership that will allow the Minneapolis-based retailer’s technicians to fix iPhones at any Best Buy store in the United States, reports Reuters. The deal will cover all 992 U.S. Best Buy stores, up from about 225 stores previously. In addition, 7,600 of Best Buy’s so-called Geek Squad technicians are now certified to carry out the repairs using parts directly from Apple. Apple says that it now has 1,800 third-party repair providers in its U.S. network – three times as many as three years ago and enough to put eight out of 10 of its customers in the United States within a 20-minute drive of an authorized repair center.
Are you ready for some Folding?
At press time, Samsung Electronics was rumored to be ready to launch the Galaxy Fold, its foldable smartphone whose introduction was delayed earlier in the year, reports The Investor. Reviewers had complained about flickering screens and creases in the middle of the screen after repeated folds. “Most of the display problems have been ironed out, and the Galaxy Fold is ready to hit the market,” Samsung Display Vice President Kim Seong-cheol was quoted as saying this summer. Made from bonded layers of polymer material, the 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display is engineered to be 50% thinner than other Galaxy displays, according to Samsung.
Navigate your way out of danger
Google is adding tools to Google Maps and search to help you survive natural disasters, which we seem to be experiencing more frequently these days, reports USA Today. After all, when a hurricane, flood or earthquake affects your area, you may want to get of town quick. Google is launching a new navigation warning system as part of Google Maps to keep you informed and safe during such a crisis. Google is not in the weather business, so it is tapping into such sources as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Japan Meteorological Agency (for hurricanes) and the U.S. Geological Survey (for earthquakes). Hurricane forecast cones and earthquake shake maps will begin rolling out on iOS. Flood forecast visualizations are reportedly coming soon.
Smartphone updates
Updates in iOS 13 and Android Q will change your smartphone, reports Brian X. Chen in The New York Times. Some changes to look for: 1) Many of Apple’s iPhones will become faster with iOS 13, and apps will open up to two times faster; 2) Apple phones and Android devices will both get dark modes, to make screen-gazing a little easier on the eyes; 3) both offer privacy enhancements, such as Apple’s new “Sign In With Apple,” a button for using an Apple ID to sign in to iOS apps and websites.
Alexa’s in the home phone
The Alexa-enabled, Motorola-branded home phone is now available, reports Dealerscope. The idea behind the Motorola AX Series is to merge two revolutionary technologies –albeit from different eras – into one singular product: the home telephone and voice control. The phone itself has a dedicated Alexa button that the user can press to access all kinds of phone-related features, including asking Alexa to call certain contacts, to call connected Echo devices, and more. Users can control all of their connected home devices through the service, just like they would with any Echo or Alexa-enabled device. “The idea of bringing Alexa to the home phone seems almost logical at this point, but at the same time it’s also a unique move,” according to the publication. “A consumer may not want to place an Echo speaker in every room in their home because, if anything else, they may just not want to own that many speakers. By putting Alexa in a home phone, they’re able to extend their access to the service through a product that does typically reside in multiple rooms.”