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Microsoft to buy SwiftKey Smart keyboard for $250 million: Report

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Swiftkey is the most innovative and interesting predictive keyboard maker in the business, and Microsoft is a software giant that’s trying to push its artificial intelligence cred a little higher. According to a report in the Financial Times, it’s a match made in heaven, to the tune of $250 million.

Swiftkey is best known for its iOS and Android keyboards. Users (by which I mean me) also love the user interface, which can pull from your Gmail account to learn your writing style, and allows for the tweakiest of changes to the keyboard layout.

It’s a purchase that would make total sense for Microsoft—Swiftkey’s natural-language AI is a perfect fit with Cortana, and Microsoft also has this slightly bizarre habit of making free, useful utility apps for iOS and Android. The price is also in line with previous purchases of AI startups, although low for such a popular smartphone app.

Swiftkey declined to comment for this piece, meaning we’re left with an unconfirmed rumor for the time being. But maybe go download Swiftkey’s apps right the hell now, just to be on the safe side.

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the purchase, explaining that it will “continue to develop SwiftKey’s market-leading keyboard apps for Android and iOS as well as explore scenarios for the integration of the core technology across the breadth of [its] product and services portfolio.”

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AMD Ryzen release date, news and features: Full review 2017

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Ryzen has risen – sorry not sorry – in the end. AMD’s newest multi-core desktop processors have been revealed lately throughout an event in San Francisco, and the primary of many will quickly be obtainable to buy.

The brand new chips promise to deliver AMD into the high-performance sphere with Intel in a method that’s extra reasonably priced and is a marked enchancment by itself earlier technology of silicon.

With out additional ado, right here is all the things it’s good to learn about AMD Ryzen earlier than the upcoming launch later this week.

Lower to the chase

  • What’s it? The newest in AMD’s highest-end desktop CPUs
  • When’s it out? The primary of many release on March 2
  • What’s going to it value? Ryzen 7 collection begins at $329 (about £260, AU$430)

AMD RyzenAMD CEO Lisa Su exhibiting off the brand new Ryzen 7 processor

AMD Ryzen release date

The primary of what is going to doubtless be many Ryzen processors is on the market now for pre-order and will release on March 2. The chip is available in three varieties ranging in worth and functionality.

Nonetheless, AMD hasn’t but revealed another variations of the Ryzen processor apart from the 7 collection, designed to solely compete with Intel’s Core i7 collection. If AMD desires to compete with Intel’s total vary, we’ll certainly see extra variations of the chip quickly sufficient.

AMD RyzenA render of what the Ryzen 7 packing containers will appear like

AMD Ryzen worth

The Purple Crew, if you’ll, is once more positioning the Ryzen 7 collection towards Intel’s Core i7 chips, however for much higher costs. The Ryzen 7 1800x chip, as an example, will likely be obtainable for $499 (about £400, AU$650). That’s lower than half as a lot as Intel desires for its Core i7-6900Okay.

The Ryzen 7 1700x is marketed as AMD’s mid-range chip inside this collection, priced at $399 (about £320, AU$520), whereas the Ryzen 7 1700 (no “x”) will likely be obtainable for $329 (about £260, AU$430).

As you’ll be able to see, these are the top-end of AMD’s new chips, geared toward skilled and critical fanatic PC avid gamers.

AMD RyzenAn AMD Ryzen 7 CPU onerous at work

AMD Ryzen specs

Ryzen was designed by AMD to carry out nicely at excessive hundreds and be appropriate with the most recent in PC gaming. To that finish, the agency needed to develop a brand new chipset for the processors, the X370 and X300, and a brand new socket, the AM4.

Sure, meaning you’ll want a brand new motherboard (and a newer OS than Windows 7) to your Ryzen CPU. Fortunately, AMD Ryzen motherboards are already within the works for this very event. Right here’s an inventory of the applied sciences that these motherboards will help:

  • Twin-channel DDR4 reminiscence
  • NVMe
  • M.2 SATA gadgets
  • USB three.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2
  • PCIe three.zero functionality

Now, for the Ryzen processor structure itself. AMD says that its objectives with Ryzen have been “maximum data throughput and instruction execution plus high bandwidth, low latency cache-memory support for optimal compute efficiency.” So, know that each one Ryzen processors will take pleasure in these similar traits:

  • Two threads per core
  • 8MB shared L3 cache
  • ​Massive, unified L2 cache
  • Micro-op cache
  • Two AES models for safety
  • Excessive effectivity FinFET transistors

Primarily, the Ryzen chips will likely be higher at hyper threading throughout their eight (up to now) cores, enabling extra actions per clock than earlier than. For extra info on how the primary Ryzen 7 chips carry out, take a look at our initial news article.

Plus, we already witnessed an AMD Ryzen chip break a world record in benchmarks – albeit below excessive cooling. (Possibly that is why Intel’s regarded as engaged on a 12-core beast of a chip.)

Excessive-level capabilities apart, listed below are the highlights for every of the three new Ryzen 7 chips:

  • AMD Ryzen 7 1800x – three.6GHz (as much as 4GHz); octa-core; Prolonged Frequency Vary (XFR) with higher cooling; 95 Watt TDP
  • AMD Ryzen 7 1700x – three.4GHz (as much as three.8GHz); octa-core; XFR; 95 Watt TDP
  • AMD Ryzen 7 1700 – 3GHz (as much as three.7GHz); octa-core; AMD Wraith Spire cooler; 65 Watt TDP

Keep tuned to this web page for extra of the most recent Ryzen info because the launch approaches and goes down on March 2 and past.

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Netflix’s CEO is willing to stream movies to smart contact lens

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A complete new technique to binge watch with out anybody realizing

Your future Netflix binge classes may very well be beamed on to your eye through a sensible contact lens, and the co-founder of the corporate is all about it if it occurs.

“If digital actuality takes off, we’ll adapt to that. If it turns into contact lenses which have superb powers, we’ll adapt to that,” mentioned Netflix CEO Reed Hastings at MWC 2017.

Netflix-capable contact lenses are theoretical at present and never prepared for prime time. We haven’t seen good contact lens prototypes exterior of dozens of sci-fi motion pictures – a lot of that are on Netflix itself.

Netflix smart contact lens

Nevertheless, the considered projecting video onto a contact lens is an concept that’s been talked about earlier than, when trade leaders have speculated about the way forward for cell. It’s a recurring matter.

We’ve additionally seen Google Smart Contacts tied to medical use. They’re not for leisure – at the very least not but – however everybody’s thoughts went there as quickly as they have been introduced.

Stream Black Mirror whilst you’re dwelling Black Mirror

What’s necessary is that Netflix has the willingness to comply with new high technology traits, in line with the keynote feedback by Hastings, who naturally cited Black Mirror in his feedback.

“Charlie Brooker is a UK film maker who has done Black Mirror for us,” he mentioned. “In Black Mirror, he tells many strange and wonderful speculations on technology.”

 Netflix smart contact lensThis contains “wearing contact lenses that have all of the world’s information,” Hastings mentioned in a spoiler-free overview of the hit British tv collection.

“What’s amazing about technology is it’s very hard to predict. If you started ten, 20 or 30 years ago, very few people would be able to predict what’s happening today,” he mentioned.

“What we do is try to learn and adapt, rather than just try to commit to view of what’s going to happen. We’re very flexible and we learn as we go.”

MWC (Cell World Congress) is the world’s largest exhibition for the cell trade, stuffed stuffed with the latest telephones, tablets, wearables and extra. Techallnews is reporting reside from Barcelona all week to convey you the very newest from the present flooring. Head to our devoted MWC 2017 hub to see all the brand new releases, together with Techallnews’s world-class evaluation and shopping for recommendation about your subsequent cellphone.

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Roborace unveils Robocar, the world’s first AI-powered, self-driving electric racer

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Robocar can attain speeds of 199mph and is managed by synthetic intelligence utilizing Nvidia’s Drive PX2 ‘mind’

2017 is ready to be the 12 months of driverless know-how, with auto giants akin to Ford and Audi making large monetary commitments within the area of motoring AI. However whereas each corporations shall be hoping to take the ‘automobile of the long run’ title, that seemingly belongs to this beast of a automobile from Roborace.

Known as Robocar, the racer was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, by Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Roborace and Cost, and Daniel Simon, the automobile’s designer. Sverdlov emphasised that the event of autonomous racing automobiles was a option to create “an emotional connection to driverless automobiles and produce people and robots nearer collectively to outline our future.”

Robocar was developed in a bit of underneath a 12 months however has an array of spectacular technological options that benefit from the Nvidia’s Drive PX2 mind – the open AI automobile computing platform able to 24 trillion AI operations per second. The automobile is powered by 5 LiDAR sensors; 18 ultrasonic sensors; six AI cameras and GNSS positioning, and it reaches speeds of 199mph (320kph). This complete system makes use of deep studying for 360-degree situational consciousness across the automobile, working to find out exactly the place the automobile is and to create its trajectory.

The futuristic design isn’t any shock, on condition that Daniel Simon usually creates automobiles for Hollywood sci-fi motion pictures. When you’ve seen Tron Legacy or Oblivion, you have already skilled a small a part of Simon’s imaginative and prescient for Robocar’s autonomy. From the low centre of gravity typical of F1 automobiles to a physique made predominantly from carbon fibre, the Robocar is claimed to be “a racing automobile with a technological edge.”

“We take particular pleasure in revealing a useful machine that stays true to the preliminary idea shared,” Simon admits, “a rarity in automotive design and a testomony of our willpower. It is an ideal feeling to set this free.”

Roborace

Sverdlov stated on the time that the truck shall be constructed this 12 months and may be constructed in 4 hours by only one individual which means 10 males, over two shifts a day, might assemble 10,000 vans a 12 months.

Cost

The earlier mission from Roborace, ‘Devbots‘, was a stark instance of the highs and lows of the automation know-how utilised by the Robocar.

In a latest Formulation E electrical automobile race in Buenos Aires, one among Roborace’s Devbots crashed out of the competition after apparently misjudging a nook whereas travelling at excessive pace. Whereas the opposite Devbot efficiently navigated the monitor at speeds of 116mph, the occasion emphasised that driverless know-how remains to be a creating area – one that might battle to compete with the high-speeds of Formulation One.

Two Robocars are taking to the monitor later this 12 months and the automotive trade might be confronted with new challenges or prospects for driverless know-how, relying on the result. Both go for the brakes or propel additional ahead right into a world pushed by synthetic intelligence.

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