August Tech News Overview

Traditionally, we are going on with our tech news overview rubric. This time, something rather ‘bizarre’ and unexpected, innovative and updated in combination with highly technological and critically needed by the population. Intrigued? Maybe surprised? The information below will definitely be of interest to you and will satisfy your curiosity. Let us look deeper into the news August 2020 prepared for us.

Have you already heard that Walmart has announced its intention to buy TikTok? Not on its own but in partnership with Microsoft? You may wonder what a well-known retail chain could have in common with a fast-growing media app like TikTok. It does seem to be strange at first. However, on second thought, it does not. Walmart is looking for a new generation of shoppers (a so-called Z-generation TikTok bases on), who does not watch TV but is obsessed with digital ads and the world of media on their mobiles.

In its turn, Google does not stop updating its Google Assistant to make the app even more functional, practical and useful. The company has ‘rebuilt’ its 2-year old Snapshot characteristics for both Android and iOS. The Google Assistant has become highly personalized with the tasks, recommendations, suggestions and more added to it.

On opening the app, you will most likely get recommendations on what to wear, where to go, what to eat, how to dress up, etc., as well as push notifications for BDs. All the proposals are based on the latest searchers of a user via a mobile platform, thus becoming really personalized and, consequently, useful. P.S. Event updates, upcoming invoices and date reminders are available as well.

Another Google –related information concerns Canon cameras images and Google photos transfer platform automation. Now, it is much easier to import/export images. The users of the recent model of canon cameras can wirelessly upload their photos to the media platform mentioned. The newly added feature perfectly works with both iOS and Android mobile versions.

The main steps to be made to get the new feature activated:

1. make sure your camera is compatible; 

2. install the image.canon app update; 

3. activate the new feature in the Canon application (the link is sent automatically). 

Any quality loss concerns? No worries, all the images delivered are synchronized at their original quality.

Last but not least, a free trial is available (one month, 100GB of storage). Afterward, the feature costs $2 monthly.

Another newsfeed from the world of media will be about MS Teams and overall Microsoft 365 updates to enhance and optimize remote working model (or a hybrid working environment) we still have today. In August, MS Teams presented new features to automate workflow, making digital whiteboard software easier, etc. Mainly:

• New Task App: a unified view of the tasks from Outlook, Planner and MS To Do with a possibility to edit them at once; 
• Power Automate updates; 
• Whiteboards in Teams new features adding: quick sticky notes, reorder and move objects easily, fast app performance; 
• MS Edge updates: to improve the overall readability; 
• User and app deployments streamlining: user access to the apps automating, quick and efficient new tools deployment, simplified safety policy for Windows 10 PCs, and others. 

Share with us your feedback in case you tried the updates: we will appreciate.

WFH (working from home) mode mentioned, cannot but is associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. Logically, the next piece of news will concern the issue. It is a hackathon dedicated to finding the best Covid-19 tech solutions. Experienced developers from all the corners of the world gathered to work out the universal solution how to defeat the virus and to handle the crisis. The motto of the ‘tech competition’ could be: immense talents + best minds = considerable contribution in defeating the global pandemic.

The event is supported by the leading scientists, well-known academics, healthcare companies, innovative technology, etc. on the agenda, there is coverage of several stages of the issue including:

1. technological solutions development; 

2. diagnostics and treatment of the infection; 

3. recovery;  

4. future crises efficient solutions finding. 

The hackathon welcomes a wide variety of thinkers from different spheres of life and has 7,500 registration forms filled in so far. Let us just wish all the competitors good luck and hope for better.

On such an optimistic note, we will finish this August monthly overview. Nevertheless, new technological marathons, platform/feature updates, scientific breakthroughs and technical know-how are still ahead. Do not miss out on our September tech news release. It promises to be quite interesting and well worth your attention.

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