Focuses

Jagat, a social network that is designed to get you out more with your friends instead of mindlessly scrolling on your phone, has surpassed 10 million users globally. The location-based social network, which launched earlier this year in March, wants to help people focus on real-life connections and make friends. The app, available on both iOS and Android, is essentially a social map for your friends and activities near you. Jagat features an interactive map interface that allows you to keep up…

While a number of companies and nonprofits are experimenting with AI-powered tutors, Merlyn Mind is rolling out an AI-enabled assistant for teachers to use in the classroom.The new tool can be installed on a teacher’s laptop, where it awaits voice commands to answer in-class questions, pull up lessons on platforms like PowerPoint, or send assignments and other materials to students. Merlyn Mind cofounder and CEO Satya Nitta, who previously worked on AI tools for learning at IBM Research, says the company purposely focused…

Amazon/ZDNETAnyone who uses Amazon's Alexa app to manage their Smart Home devices may appreciate the latest changes to the app. The newest update offers more convenient access to your Echo devices and all your smart plugs, lights, cameras, thermostats, and other gadgets. In a news briefTo start, the Home screen displays a new Shortcuts bar with icons for your smart home devices and Alexa-created tasks such as shopping lists and routines. On the bar, you can see the status of your devices and turn each one on or off…

When Canadian producer Jordan Young started playing around with AI voice-cloning technology — ultimately creating a fake Kanye West song that sounded, well, just like Kanye West — it immediately prompted him to think about the ethical implications of the technology. "As soon as I made it, I started to think ... if anybody can make music with anyone's voice, what does this mean for artists? What does this mean for music?" said Young, who has worked with Beyoncé, BTS and Dua Lipa.He and his company Hooky recently developed…

NEW YORK — “Get Ready with Me” — to go on a date, go to work or … get fired? “Get Ready with Me” videos are everywhere these days, and they’re as straightforward as the name suggests. Social media users, often influencers, invite viewers to watch them get ready to do something or go somewhere. And embedded in the storyline are the skin care, the makeup, the hairdo and all the glam that goes into looking hot — and, of course, the personal stories about life or love that arrest your attention. GRWM videos, as they’re also…

California education officials on Wednesday approved a long-studied overhaul of the state’s math teaching guide, with sweeping changes designed to make the subject more relevant and accessible, stirring debate over whether it will improve poor student achievement or harm learning for 5.8 million public school students.The 1,000-page teaching framework before the state Board of Education was approved unanimously, culminating a process that has taken more than four years and three versions. The guide emphasizes replacing…

Audi's original E-Tron was really just an electric Q8. Now that it uses the E-Tron moniker as a label for all of its EVs, the carmaker has rebadged the updated E-Tron as the Q8 E-Tron. Yet this is more than just a facelift. Instead, Audi took the opportunity to make the vehicle better based on what it's learned over the past few years as an EV builder. The biggest difference from the offset is the increased range. The previous E-Tron had a range of 204 miles at launch. This new Q8 E-Tron manages a more impressive 285…

Niantic is making some major organizational changes, including layoffs, game shutdowns, and the closure of its Los Angeles studio, according to an email from Niantic CEO John Hanke shared on the company’s website. The changes are designed to narrow the company’s focus, especially on developing and maintaining its cash cow, Pokémon Go.Alongside this round of layoffs, which will affect about 230 employees, Niantic will be “sunsetting” its NBA game, NBA All World, Hanke said, and will stop production on its Marvel game,…

The espionage thriller series `Secret Invasion` shows a newer version of former S.H.I.E.L.D director `Nick Fury`, who has finally gotten his own show. However, it is not all pleasant because as the show explores more of Nick Fury’s character, his growing age is something that is heavily focused upon as characters, including his closest allies have not shied away from calling him out on his dustiness. Speaking about the character, Samuel L. Jackson said, “He’s older and he’s tired. He’s not…

Halo Infinite's fourth multiplayer season is here, but going forward seasons will be missing story cutscenes that have up to this point accompanied each new season, developer 343 Industries has announced.The news comes via community director Brian Jarrard, who announced the change on Twitter. Stating that the developer had "refined top priorities and shifted resources internally," the decision was made to cut seasonal narrative cutscenes in favor of having the team focus on bringing "highly requested…