Apple takes on Google & Microsoft with iWork real-time collaboration | TechCrunch

Free "for qualifying devices with initial activation on or after September 1, 2013" (see this Apple page for more iWork details)

"Announced at Apple’s event today, the company takes on Google Documents with real-time collaboration on iWork documents. The long-awaited feature makes it easier to cooperate and create documents on the fly.

With the newest generation iWork apps, Users can collaborate on images, text and everything else across the iWork suite, including on the Mac, iPad, iPhone and on the web. All the iWork apps – Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Aimed at students, professional setting and other collaborative efforts, it’s a long overdue addition to Apple’s productivity suite."

Apple takes on Google & Microsoft with iWork real-time collaboration | TechCrunch

Google is teaming up with cloud company Box to sell more Google apps for work - Recode

A busy week for the Box partnership and PR teams

"The search giant is partnering with Box, the cloud storage company, to deliver more of Google’s apps to paying business clients. The companies announced the tie-up at the BoxWorks event on Wednesday.

Box customers will get easier access to Google Docs and its other apps. That’s good news for Google amid its attempt to compete in this market with Microsoft and Salesforce, which recently bought Google Docs competitor Quip.

Google and Box will also, per a press release, “work together to develop and deliver next-generation intelligence to Box users searching for content on Google Springboard” — Google’s new search-like function for all its enterprise apps."

Google is teaming up with cloud company Box to sell more Google apps for work - Recode

Apple’s AirPods do use Bluetooth and they don’t require an iPhone 7 - Recode

Check this Apple page for more details

"It turns out Apple isn’t using some Bluetooth-like wireless technology, as rumors suggested, but rather Bluetooth itself.

The company has added some special software sauce to enable the earbuds to automatically pair with a phone and stay connected. It then takes things a step further and also registers the earbuds over iCloud with iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. (All need to be running the latest operating system.)

Apple has also crammed two microphones inside, as well as accelerometers to detect when the earphones are in. If both are in and you pull one out, the music or movie you are listening to pauses. Pop it back in and the audio resumes."

Apple’s AirPods do use Bluetooth and they don’t require an iPhone 7 - Recode

I played around with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus; here’s what it was like - The Washington Post

For another perspective on Apple's new products, see What’s Really Missing From the New iPhone: Dazzle (NYT); evidently 40% faster processing, 50% faster graphics performance, a 25% brighter display, a new 12MP camera, the best battery life of any iPhone, and more, all with no price increase, just doesn't cut it for some reviewers

"Overall, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, even at first blush, are wonderful phones. The upgrades here may not be exciting, but they are practical. Waterproofing, additional storage and small design changes fix long-held consumer gripes. Nothing really moves Apple any further away from its competition, but these designs do strengthen the weak points that have been raised about the iPhone in the past.

If you're coming to the phone from the iPhone 6 generation, this should feel like a pretty substantial upgrade — even if it is an iterative improvement on an iterative improvement.

So, at the end of the day, these seem like the best iPhones that Apple has introduced, as the company claimed. The question here will be whether the iPhone experience — even an excellent one — is still enough to draw customers in droves."

I played around with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus; here’s what it was like - The Washington Post

Dell Gets Bigger and Hewlett Packard Gets Smaller in Separate Deals - The New York Times

Cloudy days ahead for enterprise IT vendors; tangentially, see TPG to Buy Intel’s McAfee Security Unit in $4.2 Billion Deal (Bloomberg)

"On Wednesday, Mr. Dell, who 32 years ago started a personal computer business from his college dorm room, officially completed his giant $67 billion merger with EMC, a data storage company with interests in software and security. He also changed the name of his operation to Dell Technologies.

Later in the day, Ms. Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, announced a sale of most of her company’s software assets to a British outfit called Micro Focus for about $8.8 billion. H.P.E. also announced higher earnings in the company’s most recent quarter, but a decline in revenue from the same period a year ago."

Dell Gets Bigger and Hewlett Packard Gets Smaller in Separate Deals - The New York Times

HP Opens Pre-Orders for HP Elite x3 with Some Extra Perks - WinBuzzer

Boldly upstaging today's iPhone 7 launch...

"Though Microsoft pushed the Elite x3’s ship date back to September 23rd, the HP has begun accepting pre-orders for the device. The US store listing now displays a “Pre-order Now” message, and will start on September 7th.

The flagship phone will set users back $799, but includes a Desk dock and few other perks. US customers will get up to $40 off select Bose speakers, and the HP OfficeJet 4650 for $29.99.Other than that the listing doesn’t differ from the one on the Microsoft Store, but customers will likely want to get their hands on the device as early as possible."

HP Opens Pre-Orders for HP Elite x3 with Some Extra Perks - WinBuzzer

Google wants you to buy clothes straight from search results | The Verge

No longer just browsing...

"Google is launching a new advertising program called Shop the Look that will let you search for specific outfits and receive photos and purchase links right from the results page. The company is starting out by partnering with sites like Polyvore and LiketoKnow.it, which are Pinterest-like networks that help fashion bloggers make money off social media posts. That way, Google is able to pull in photos and affiliate links when people search for items like "summer dress." The program is part of Google’s overall shopping ad product, so down the line big-name retailers may be able to sell clothes using the tool as well.

Shop the Look is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to make its search engine more powerful and useful, in hopes users won’t spend their time in mobile apps instead. Because as more users access the internet via smartphones running apps, Google’s influence has been diluted alongside the mobile web’s. Why go fire up Google Chrome when you follow your favorite designers or clothing brands on Instagram, or have a curated list of popular Pinterest boards to choose from?"

Google wants you to buy clothes straight from search results | The Verge

Box Banks on New Product Built With IBM to Reach More Business Customers - Bloomberg

Later in the article: "'About 150 percent of our customers' have told Box they need this sort of software, Levie said."

"Called Box Relay, the product lets customers build processes and invite workers and outside partners to participate. They can review, edit, upload and reject needed documents and receive alerts to keep up to date on progress. It relies on workflow software from Box partner International Business Machines Corp. 
Currently companies use a variety of programs for this kind of collaborative effort, from older, complex products like Microsoft Corp.'s SharePoint and EMC Corp.'s Documentum to spreadsheets and e-mails that aren't meant for managing workflow. Box wants to create a more general-purpose tool that can handle processes that require lots of documents that are often stored in dozens of applications. The cloud file-sharing and synchronization company is trying to add paying customers to reach profitability after going public in January 2015."

Box Banks on New Product Built With IBM to Reach More Business Customers - Bloomberg

Exclusive: Microsoft working on Skype Teams, its own Slack competitor - MSPoweruser

Tbd who's sorrier to see this development -- Slack or the Microsoft Yammer team

"Skype Teams is going to be Microsoft’s take on messaging apps for teams. Skype Teams will include a lot of similar features which you’ll find on Slack. For example, Skype Teams will allow you to chat in different groups within a team, also known as “channels”. Additionally, users will be able to talk to each other via Direct Messages on Skype Teams.

Skype Teams will also feature Threaded Conversations, which is a major feature that’s lacking on Slack. With Threaded Conversations, you can simply reply to a message on a channel by clicking on the reply button and anyone else can join the thread whenever they want — just like Facebook Comments, or Disqus Comments."

Exclusive: Microsoft working on Skype Teams, its own Slack competitor - MSPoweruser

Apple Music for Android Surpasses 10 Million Downloads - Mac Rumors

tbd if/when other Apple apps will follow

"Apple Music expanded to Android in November 2015, around four months after the streaming music service debuted on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The app, which is no longer in beta as of August, has a similar design and features as its iOS counterpart, including the same three-month trial and prices.

Apple's streaming music service had 15 million paying subscribers as of WWDC 2016 in June. Industry leader Spotify, by comparison, had 30 million paying subscribers at around the same time period. On iOS 10, Apple has completely revamped the app with improved organization and a new design centered upon bold, large text."

Apple Music for Android Surpasses 10 Million Downloads - Mac Rumors

Will the New Apple iPhone Have a Headphone Jack? Rumormongers Say It Won’t - The New York Times

Only two days until the industry can shift its focus to iPhone 8 speculation...

"Anyone who cares enough about the iPhone to know that a new model is being released this month already knows what it is supposed to be like: a little thinner, a little faster and equipped with superior cameras on the Plus model.

By far the most controversial feature, however, is the one that will be missing: a headphone jack. A standard element of technology that can be traced back to 1878 and the invention of the manual telephone exchange, the jack is apparently going the way of the floppy disk and the folding map. The future will be wireless."

Will the New Apple iPhone Have a Headphone Jack? Rumormongers Say It Won’t - The New York Times

How Spy Tech Firms Let Governments See Everything on a Smartphone - The New York Times

Reminder for Apple customers: now would be a good time to update your iOS/Mac OS devices, if you haven't done so this week

"The company is one of dozens of digital spying outfits that track everything a target does on a smartphone. They aggressively market their services to governments and law enforcement agencies around the world. The industry argues that this spying is necessary to track terrorists, kidnappers and drug lords. The NSO Group’s corporate mission statement is “Make the world a safe place.”

Ten people familiar with the company’s sales, who refused to be identified, said that the NSO Group has a strict internal vetting process to determine who it will sell to. An ethics committee made up of employees and external counsel vets potential customers based on human rights rankings set by the World Bank and other global bodies. And to date, these people all said, NSO has yet to be denied an export license.

But critics note that the company’s spyware has also been used to track journalists and human rights activists."

How Spy Tech Firms Let Governments See Everything on a Smartphone - The New York Times

Exclusive: HP Enterprise in talks to sell software unit to Thoma Bravo - sources | Reuters

Expected to fetch between $8B and $10B

"HPE's software unit generated $3.6 billion in net revenue in 2015, down from $3.9 billion in 2014. The company has said revenue growth in its software unit has been challenged by a market shift toward cloud subscription offerings.

HPE acquired part of its software portfolio as a result of its ill-fated $10.3 billion acquisition of Autonomy Corp in 2011 and the $4.5 billion acquisition of Mercury Interactive in 2006.

The software assets also include Vertica, a big data analytics platform, ArcSight, a cyber security firm as well as products for IT operations management."

Exclusive: HP Enterprise in talks to sell software unit to Thoma Bravo - sources | Reuters

Samsung is recalling all Galaxy Note 7 phablets globally after identifying battery flaw - Recode

Also see Samsung to Recall 2.5 Million Smartphones Over Battery Issue (NYT)

"Samsung said Friday that it will replace all of the Galaxy Note 7 phablets it has sold amid reports some batteries on the phones have exploded.

In what could be the most major smartphone recall ever, Samsung said it will replace all devices in the coming weeks. The company said it has confirmed an issue with the battery cells used in the phone and has halted sales globally.

“Because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7,” Samsung said in a statement to Recode. “For customers who already have Galaxy Note 7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.”"

Samsung is recalling all Galaxy Note 7 phablets globally after identifying battery flaw - Recode

Alphabet Ends Effort to Create Modular Smartphone - The New York Times

In other Google phone speculation, see Google's Nexus phone successors may be called Pixel and Pixel XL (The Verge); tangentially, see Motorola’s modular phone concept just got even more fun, but remains a tough sell (Recode)

"The idea of a customizable phone generated a lot of excitement, because it offered the promise of extending a product’s life with replaceable parts such as a new screen or battery. But it proved difficult to execute and move beyond prototypes. Google had planned to begin offering the phone in a test program in Puerto Rico last year, but it canceled the rollout.

The project also suffered from some organizational upheaval. It was part of Google Advanced Technology and Projects, known internally as ATAP, a group headed by Regina Dugan, the former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Ms. Dugan left Google to spearhead a similar group at Facebook."

Alphabet Ends Effort to Create Modular Smartphone - The New York Times

Elon Musk and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good $779 Million Day - Bloomberg

Not a great September for Elon Musk thus far

"Elon Musk has a lot riding on his plan to merge Tesla Motors Inc. with SolarCity Corp. -- including a big chunk of his $8.3 billion fortune.
He may be better off just giving up on the debt-ridden solar-panel installer and focusing on turning Tesla into a profitable enterprise. But Musk has a long history of throwing his money after his grand visions, like weaning the world off fossil fuels and colonizing Mars, sometimes running very low on cash and coming close, by his own admission, to personal bankruptcy."

Elon Musk and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good $779 Million Day - Bloomberg

Visio updates—advanced design collaboration, data-linked diagrams and cross-platform coverage - Office Blogs

See the full post for more details including early releases of Visio Online and Visio on iPad

"The Visio team is committed to empowering individuals to create anything visually, teams to collaborate throughout the processes, and organizations to effectively communicate one version of the truth. The three scenarios in today’s Microsoft Mechanics demo highlight Visio’s enhancements as a collaboration platform.

For example, with the improved AutoCAD import, architects, engineers and the operations team can now work together on advanced design originating from AutoCAD 2013 files. Teams can also use Office 365 collaboration features and tools, such as inking and Skype for Business. With one-step data linking, end users and IT professionals can quickly bring their diagrams to life. This helps make sure data-linked diagrams are always up-to-date. You can also surface operational insights on top of real-world processes and plans—enabling your organization to get insights in more intuitive ways. You will be able to leverage these capabilities through the Visio Pro for Office 365 subscription. Give us your feedback and vote for upcoming features in UserVoice."

Visio updates—advanced design collaboration, data-linked diagrams and cross-platform coverage - Office Blogs

Lenovo’s new Yoga Book is a 360 degree laptop without the keyboard | Ars Technica

Likely to draw attention; also see Rewriting the Tablet (The Verge) and Lenovo's press release

"Microsoft's Courier was supposed to be an electronic journal or diary, a piece of hardware purpose-built for applications like OneNote. Two screens with a hinge between them, it opened and closed like a book, supporting both touch and stylus input on both its screens. Lenovo's new Yoga Book looks like a riff on the Courier combined with the company's successful range of 360 degree hinge Yoga-branded laptops.

Like a Yoga machine, it's a more or less clamshell form factor that can be opened right up to turn it into a tablet of sorts. Like Courier, it's got book-like styling with both halves approximately the same size for a symmetrical look. And like the Courier, it's designed for mixed touch and pen input. But it has a twist. A normal laptop has a screen and a keyboard. Courier has a screen and another screen. The Yoga Book does neither of these things; it has a conventional touch screen paired with a special touch input surface designed for a stylus, dubbed the Create Pad."

Lenovo’s new Yoga Book is a 360 degree laptop without the keyboard | Ars Technica

Mossberg: The post-Jobs Apple has soared financially, but lacks a breakthrough product - Recode

Also see After Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO, he was still working on an Apple TV set (Recode)

"With iPhone and company sales falling in recent quarters, and likely to do so again, Apple needs the all-new product breakthrough that has eluded Cook — sooner rather than later. The company is seriously working on augmented reality, though I don’t know details. Like everyone else, it’s toiling away on artificial intelligence and machine learning, though it’s focused more on building smarts into individual devices rather than in the cloud, like most of its competition. And it continues to work on automotive technology, though it isn’t clear whether that means an entire car.

But all of those potential payoffs are a ways off. Right now, Apple just needs an exciting new iPhone. After I saw Samsung’s gorgeous new Galaxy S7 in March, I wrote a column calling for the next iPhone to be “spectacular.” Based on rumors, that much oomph may not be in the offing until 2017."

Mossberg: The post-Jobs Apple has soared financially, but lacks a breakthrough product - Recode

How Tech Giants Are Devising Real Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - The New York Times

Collaborating to avoid business-unfavorable AI regulation, among other concerns; tangentially, also see New Center for Human-Compatible AI (Future of Life Institute news)

"For years, science-fiction moviemakers have been making us fear the bad things that artificially intelligent machines might do to their human creators. But for the next decade or two, our biggest concern is more likely to be that robots will take away our jobs or bump into us on the highway.

Now five of the world’s largest tech companies are trying to create a standard of ethics around the creation of artificial intelligence. While science fiction has focused on the existential threat of A.I. to humans, researchers at Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and those from Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft have been meeting to discuss more tangible issues, such as the impact of A.I. on jobs, transportation and even warfare."

How Tech Giants Are Devising Real Ethics for Artificial Intelligence - The New York Times