Maria Deutscher
Latest from Maria Deutscher
Joining Google, Microsoft unveils its own cloud-based game streaming service
Microsoft Corp. today previewed Project xCloud, an upcoming service intended to make video games that currently require a personal computer or a gaming console playable on mobile devices. The announcement comes a week after Google LLC revealed plans to launch a game streaming service of its own. If they live up to their promise, the offerings could give the tech giants a valuable ...
Facebook launches Portal, an Alexa-powered video calling device with AI features
Following more than a year of rumors that Facebook Inc. could enter the smart home market, the company today officially debuted Portal, a voice-controlled video calling device powered by Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa assistant. The system’s specifications are more or less in line with the details that were leaked ahead of the launch. It comes in two models, ...
Salesforce picks up interactive email startup Rebel
Rebelmail Inc., a venture-backed marketing technology startup that does business as Rebel, today announced that it has been acquired five years after launching. The company on the other end of the transaction is Salesforce.com Inc., which will use the startup’s software to bolster its Marketing Cloud. Rebel has developed a set of services that enable ...
Microsoft open-sources Infer.NET, an AI engine that helps power Azure cloud services
Microsoft Corp. today open-sourced Infer.NET, an internally developed machine learning engine that it uses to power parts of Azure, Office 365 and the Xbox video game platform. The company has made the code for the tool available on GitHub under the permissive MIT license, which allows free commercial use. The move to open up Infer.NET ...
Brandwatch and Crimson Hexagon to merge into $100M social intelligence provider
Brandwatch and Crimson Hexagon Inc., two of the biggest players in the social media intelligence market, today revealed plans to merge into a single entity with annual recurring revenues of $100 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. The combined company will launch under the Brandwatch name with an initial ...
DevOps startup JFrog reels in $165M round, now valued above $1B
JFrog Ltd.’s development tools are used by more than 4,500 companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Google LLC, Facebook Inc. and 70 percent of the Fortune 100. The startup’s investors are betting that it can continue growing this installed base. JFrog today announced that it has secured $165 million in new late-stage funding at a valuation exceeding ...
Bloomberg claims China planted spy chips in servers used by Apple and Amazon, but both refute story
Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. are said to have been targeted in a Chinese spying campaign that reportedly saw malicious chips enter their data centers as part of compromised server motherboards. That’s the claim put forth in a bombshell Bloomberg report published today. Apple and Amazon have outright rejected the allegations, while Super Micro Computer ...
Google Assistant gets new visual interfaces, developer tooling in major redesign
Google LLC today rolled out a redesign of its popular voice assistant that brings a more visual way to interact with applications and devices, as well as new tools for developers. Manuel Bronstein, vice president of product for Google Assistant, wrote in a blog post that the changes are designed to accommodate users’ preferences better. ...
Amazon debuts compact new Fire TV device and Alexa-powered remote
Hot on the heels of unveiling more than a dozen voice-controlled devices at an event in Seattle, Amazon.com Inc. has followed up with two more. The company today introduced a compact new addition to its Fire TV line of video streaming systems and an accompanying remote with a built-in microphone. Both are designed to work with Amazon’s Alexa ...
GM’s Cruise self-driving car unit strikes $2.75B partnership with Honda
GM Cruise LLC, the high-profile unit within General Motors Co. working on autonomous driving technology, is joining forces with another automaker to speed up its efforts. The group today announced a $2.75 billion partnership with Honda Motor Co. Ltd. to develop a brand-new vehicle designed from scratch for autonomous driving. The sum includes $750 million ...