Apple’s
homePod speaker just received FCC approval and is close to official launch.
After the release was pushed back from last December, this Siri-powered speaker
will finally ready to make a claim in the smart speaker market that has been
predominantly Amazon and Google’s turf in recent years.
Amazon Go
store opens to public on Jan 22
Amazon
confirmed the Amazon Go store, the check-out free store attached to the
company’s new Seattle headquarters, will start business to non-employees on Jan
22. The launch is delayed by more than a year. Customers will need to scan a
smartphone app to sign in before a computer vision AI system let them take
items off the shelf and walk outside the shop check-out free.
Grab add
bike-sharing to its app
Grab,
Uber’s main competitor in Southeast Asia, is rumored to add bike-sharing to the
existing ride-hailing services. The news leaked as a curious Singaporean
resident spotted Grab-Cycle bikes being loaded onto a lorry and later shared
the pictures on the Internet. Grab has declined to comment on the news.
Selfie App
Snow scooped $50 million new investment
According
to Techcrunch, Snow that was once an Asian Snapchat, raised $50 million from
Softbank and Sequoia China. The app stripped from its previous resemblance to
Snapchat and evolved into a selfie app that focused on localized filters,
stickers and features. The new investment will be used to develop AR features
and facial recognition technologies.
