Toyota Wants to Make Smart Homes

Toyota wants to make smart homes with Panasonic

Like many carmakers, Toyota is trying to find new sources of revenue beyond making vehicles.

The company been branching out into robotics and now wants to push further into the growing market for homes that can connect with cars, appliances, and services via the internet.

It is teaming up with Panasonic — an existing partner in batteries for electric vehicles — to build smart houses and cities.

The companies said Thursday they will form a joint venture early next year that will combine Toyota's construction subsidiary Misawa Homes and its development unit Toyota Housing with Panasonic Homes.

Panasonic (PCRFF) and Toyota (TM) said that working together will boost their competitiveness in the Japanese housing market, where the country's shrinking population is reducing demand for new homes.

While its parent company is best known as a carmaker, Toyota Housing has sold over 100,000 homes over nearly four decades.

Toyota and other global automakers have been investing heavily in new technologies that connect vehicles to road infrastructure and devices including household products via an internet connection.

The joint venture with Panasonic, which specializes in connected home appliances and batteries, could yield tech breakthroughs that would help Toyota compete against Tesla (TSLA), Google (GOOGL) and Uber.

Toyota has in recent years been on the hunt for tech opportunities: It's making robots that assist with household jobs and health care while venturing into the ride-sharing business.

Other car makers have been forming similar partnerships and strategic alliances. Volkswagen has struck a deal with Microsoft (MSFT) to develop an "Automotive Cloud" that will integrate apps into cars.

The Renault (RNLSY)-Nissan (NSANF) alliance and Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) have both partnered with Google, while Volvo (VOLAF) is working with Uber on autonomous vehicles.

Source: CNN

Netflix to Publish Magazines?

Netflix to launch magazine to hype its content for awards season, report says

Netflix is reportedly launching a magazine with the working title Wide

For your consideration: a Netflix magazine.

Netflix is casting a wider net with an awards-style magazine meant to tout its productions, according to Bloomberg. The online streaming giant will reportedly launch the publication, with the working title Wide, just in time for Emmy Awards campaigning.

Netflix representatives did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. The company has not officially confirmed the news.

The print journal’s 100-plus-page inaugural issue will be published in June and will include interviews, essays, and features about and by people who work on Netflix series, according to emails reviewed by Bloomberg. It’s free, too, and will be distributed at various Netflix events.

The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company — which, you’ll recall, started as a movie-rental-by-mail company before making a groundbreaking shift to streaming in 2010 — has been operating a studio in Hollywood and has opened production facilities in New Mexico and Spain.

Last year, it hired veteran publicist Lisa Taback to oversee its awards operation and recently hired Vanity Fair editor Krista Smith to assist, Bloomberg said. It has previously operated its so-called “FYSee” campaign space on the Raleigh Studios lot ahead of and during Emmy nominations voting, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Netflix and its growing roster of A-list talent released some 700 programs last year, including films, TV series, documentaries, comedy specials and more. A print product is the latest heavy-hitting move from the young-but-mighty studio, which earlier this week was revealed to be in talks to buy Hollywood’s iconic Egyptian Theatre.

The prospective purchase has been widely regarded as an attempt to boost Netflix’s controversial Oscars changes, while simultaneously being shunned by traditional cineastes.

The streaming giant also has been spending big during awards campaigns and has already earned a slew of Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards with shows such as “The Crown,” “Stranger Things” and “Black Mirror.”

It came very close to winning a best-picture Oscar this year for “Roma,” setting off a bit of anti-Netflix sentiment from the likes of Steven Spielberg in the last few months.

Source: LaTimes

Google Announces Its Plan to Upend the $140 Billion Video Game Industry

The company showed off a new streaming service called Stadia that allows people to play high-end games without purchasing expensive consoles or computers.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Google keynote address at the Gaming Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 19, 2019.

Google on Tuesday announced its plans to spend the $140 billion gaming industry dominated by Sony and Microsoft with a new streaming service called Stadia that allows people to play high-end games without purchasing expensive consoles or computers. Google said this is a "game platform for everyone."

All of the legwork to render those games is done in Google's cloud.

Google explained a bit about how it will work. The company said that if someone is watching a video of a game on YouTube, they could hit a button that says "play now" and jump right into playing the game themselves in as fast as five seconds. Today, gamers have to buy physical games or wait, often hours, for the game to download before they can play. Even then, they also need special hardware to play those games.

Google says Stadia will run on "any screen type" but it will work on desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets and phones at launch. There's no box at all.

"With Stadia, the data center is your platform," Google said. A gamer can start on one platform and then pick up where they left off on another device, which means you might game on your computer and then continue on your phone when you leave the house.

People will be able to play with a keyboard and mouse or a special Stadia controller that Google will sell. It has a capture button that lets people share their games right to YouTube so that other people can watch. It also has a Google Assistant button, which gives access to the microphone for speaking to in-game features that developers will be able to build into their games.

Google said it will support 4K games at 60fps with HDR but that, in the future, will support games up to 8K resolution. Most people don't yet own 8K TVs and only the most recent gaming consoles from Microsoft and Sony currently support 4K HDR gaming.

AMD helps Google power Stadia's graphics rendering in the cloud. AMD shares were up about 7 percent on news that it was partnering with Google on Stadia.

Google needs game studios to build titles for Stadia. It says developers can build on its cloud or in their own studios. id Software is already building "Doom Eternal" for Stadia and demoed it on stage. Another developer, Tequila Studios, showed its game "Rime" running on the platform.

But beyond that, there weren't many major game titles announced for the system. Google's biggest challenge will be to convince publishers to bring blockbuster games to the platform.

One expert who spoke to CNBC said Microsoft is better poised to offer a streaming video game service since it already has relationships with publishers in place and a strong fan base of gamers who buy its consoles. Microsoft's upcoming competitor is called xCloud.

"I'd favor Microsoft's chances given it too has the scale and technology but has been successfully engaged in the gaming industry via Windows and Xbox for over 30 years," Patrick Moorhead, president, and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy told CNBC ahead of Google's event.

Amazon is also reportedly building a cloud gaming service that could eventually run games like "New World," which is developed by its in-house studio but currently only works on PCs.

Source:  NBC

WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model

WhatsApp Scraps Fee Model










WhatsApp on Monday announced that it would drop the annual subscription fee and allow people to use the service for free.

Company founder Jan Koum announced the move at the DLD Conference in Munich.

While more than 900 million people worldwide use WhatsApp to stay in touch with family and friends, the US$1-a-year subscription fee could be a barrier to further growth, he said.

The service was free for the first year, then $1 per year after that.

That business model wasn't working because many WhatsApp users don't have a debit or credit card and had expressed concerns about losing access to contacts after the first year of free service, the company said.

WhatsApp -- which utilizes its platform to send messages, images and video via the Internet on mobile devices -- launched six years ago and quickly saw its user base skyrocket, becoming among the most popular messaging apps in the world.

Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.

WhatsApp will begin phasing out the subscription fee immediately.
Free to the People

Moving to a free model could allow the service to expand in the developing world.

"As Facebook-owned WhatsApp expands further in the world and into lower-income segments globally, the $1 a year might become a barrier to expand even further as quickly as it has in the past," said Roger Entner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics.

"In the Western market, this really isn't a lot of money for the average user, but in the developing countries it continues to be an issue," noted Greg Sterling, vice president of strategy and insight at the Local Search Association.

"Clearly, they're trying to expand it further with this move," he told the E-Commerce Times.

Given its sizable audience, dropping the subscription model could leave money on the table.

"This is a move to make it the dominant chat application on mobile devices around the world, but at the same time it is a ton of money to give up, so ultimately they may see advertising as a way to monetize the base," said Sterling.
Ad Model

The question becomes where the service can create a new revenue stream.

For now, WhatsApp will steer clear of third-party apps and will test tools that will allow users to communicate with businesses through the messaging service, it said.

Given that Facebook spent in excess of $19 billion to buy WhatsApp, it likely will further integrate the service into its fold, as it has done with other services it purchased, notably Instagram.

"As WhatsApp becomes more integrated with Facebook, it also adopts its monetization methodology," Recon Analytics' Entner told the E-Commerce Times.

"More importantly, Facebook bought WhatsApp to make Facebook more sticky, so the direct revenue pressure is somewhere between less to none compared to before," he added.
Free to Use

Facebook has made a number of purchases in recent years to ensure that it would remain as dominant on mobile devices as it has been on desktops.

"This is a repeat of what happened with Instagram. Perhaps they won't try to monetize it, but I find it hard to believe that is something a publicly traded company could pull off," noted the Local Search Association's Sterling.

"This play could be a way for Facebook to get in markets where they aren't as strong, and it is clear that WhatsApp has a huge global pace," he added. "This fits in the fold with Facebook Messaging and Instagram as another mobile channel."

Smart robots could soon steal your job

Robots are taking over China's factory floors

Think you are too smart to be replaced by a robot in your job? Think again.

Experts are warning that skilled jobs will soon start disappearing because of the rise of artificial intelligence.So far, robots have mainly been replacing manual labor, performing routine and intensive tasks. But smarter machines are putting more skilled professions at risk.

Robots are likely to be performing 45% of manufacturing tasks by 2025, versus just 10% today, according to a study by Bank of America. And the rise of artificial intelligence will only accelerate that process as the number of devices connected to the Internet doubles to 50 billion by 2020.

By the same year, nearly half of all U.S. jobs will be at high risk of being lost to computers, according to experts at Oxford University, with an additional 20% facing medium risk. Jobs previously thought of as secure and now considered at risk include data analysts and bankers.

The prices of robots and computers are falling, making them even more attractive to employers. Costs have declined by 27% over the past decade and are expected to drop by another 22% in the next decade, the Bank of America report stated.

And as robots become easier to use, with features like machine learning, and voice and facial recognition, they're becoming a more viable alternative in jobs where people deal with customers.

Countries that can adopt new technology early will get a big boost from lower labor costs and higher productivity.

Japan is leading the way. There are already 1,520 robots per 10,000 employees in Japan's car plants, compared to only 66 per 10,000 worldwide.

China is eager too -- the country has been the biggest buyer of robots for the last two years, and now accounts for 25% of global demand.

The coming revolution could dramatically transform the global economy, and increase inequality. That's because most of the jobs set to disappear are lower paid, with medium skills, economists have warned.

Of course, this is not the first time that technology has radically transformed the workforce. During the Industrial Revolution, many manual laborers were forced to "skill up" and move into more sophisticated jobs. But the report warns this time could be different.

Workers in skilled positions may be forced to take jobs they are overqualified to do but which can't easily be performed by a machine.

Could you lose your job to robots?

Here are some examples of jobs most at risk: Administrative staff, manual workers, data processing jobs.

Bank of America estimated that there's a 90% risk or more of the following being replaced: Tour guides, bakers, butchers, pharmacy technicians, insurance sales agents, retail salespersons, tax collectors, telemarketers, accountants and clerks.

At the other end of the spectrum are professions such as physicians, psychologists and clergy. Jobs that require empathy, intuition and lots of social interaction are least likely to be threatened by technology. They include mental healthcare workers, social workers, police and detectives, teachers and artists.

SOURCE; CNN

US plans $4bn for Self-Driving Rules

US plans $4bn for self-driving rules




Google has been testing pod-like cars, without steering wheels, on private roads




A 10-year, $4bn (£2.8bn) proposal to bring self-driving cars to roads across the US has been announced by the Department of Transportation.

The plan's stated aim is to implement consistent laws across all states and eventually to eliminate human error.

"That is a possibility worth pursuing," said DoT head Anthony Foxx at the Detroit Motor Show on Thursday.

The plans are backed by carmakers and technology companies including Google, Tesla, Ford, General Motors and Volvo.

The move by the Obama administration comes after several firms complained that differing rules across the US were creating unnecessary headaches for those developing autonomous technology.
'Perplexing'

In October, Volvo said: "The absence of one set of rules means car makers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 US states.



Ford's chief executive Mark Fields discusses its self-driving car tech ambitions

And after California issued its own rules stating that self-driving cars must still be driven by fully-qualified drivers, Google said the restriction was "perplexing".

"This maintains the same old status quo and falls short on allowing this technology to reach its full potential, while excluding those who need to get around but cannot drive," the company said.

Mr Foxx said his team was to spend the next six months developing the rules all states should adopt.
Liability

As well as safety concerns, there are a number of intricacies that will be debated, such as who is liable when a self-driving car crashes - the driver or the software maker?

While the long-term aim is for fully autonomous driving, discussions will also look at features already being pushed to vehicles on sale today.



Rory Cellan-Jones speaks to Tesla chief Elon Musk




For example, drivers in the US are currently unable to use the BMW 7 series' self-parking feature - although this is expected to change soon.

Another major player, Tesla, recently announced a feature by which a person can summon their car out of a parking spot. Tesla chief Elon Musk told the BBC this week that he envisions a time when one day, a Tesla will drive itself from Los Angeles to New York to pick up a passenger.

The Department of Transport's proposals, which update guidelines set out in 2013, will soon be put to Congress for approval.




SOURCE: BBC