Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Researchers create renewable catalyst from palladium and bacteria
 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Fuels that are produced from nonpetroleum-based biological sources may become greener and more affordable, thanks to research performed at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute that examines the use of a processing catalyst made from palladium metal and bacteria.

Biofuels are made from renewable materials such as plants or algae, and offer an alternative to petroleum-based sources. However, many biofuels are costly to produce because the precursor product, bio-oil, must be processed before it is sent to the refinery to be turned into liquid fuel. Illinois Sustainability Technology Center researcher B.K. Sharma and his co-authors have identified and tested a new processing method.

“Bio-oil forms from the same chemical reaction that forms petroleum,” Sharma said. “But what takes millions of years naturally in the ground takes only minutes in the lab using a process that is very similar to pressure cooking.”

Published in the journal Fuel, their findings point to a cheaper, more environmentally friendly and renewable catalyst for processing that uses common bacteria and the metal palladium, which can be recovered from waste sources such as discarded electronics, catalytic converters, street sweeper dust and processed sewage.

The bio-oil produced in the lab from algae contains impurities like nitrogen and oxygen, but treating it with palladium as a catalyst during processing helps remove those impurities to meet clean-air requirements, Sharma said.

For the palladium to do its job, the bio-oil needs to flow past it during processing. Previous studies have shown that allowing the oil flow through porous carbon particles infused with palladium is an effective method, but those carbon particles are not cheap, Sharma said.

“Instead of using commercially produced carbon particles, we can use bacteria cell masses as a sort of biologic scaffolding for the palladium to hold on to,” Sharma said. “The oil can flow through the palladium-decorated bacteria masses as it does through the carbon particles.”

To test the effectiveness of the new method, Sharma and his co-authors performed a variety of chemical and physical analyses to determine if their new processing treatment produced a liquid fuel that is comparable in quality to one made using the commercially produced catalyst.

“We found our product to be as good or even slightly better,” Sharma said. “We were able to remove the oxygen and nitrogen impurities at a comparable rate, and yielded the same volume of product using our cheaper, greener catalyst as is observed using the more expensive commercial catalyst.”

The more costly commercial catalyst has the added benefit that it can be used over and over without extensive processing, whereas the Sharma group’s palladium-on-bacteria catalyst will need to undergo processing to be reused.

“It is a minor caveat,” Sharma said. “The fact that we have shown the potential of making refinery-ready crude oil from algae bio-oil using a catalyst that can be prepared from low-grade recycled metals and green and economical bacterial biomass proves that this is a very promising advancement. In addition, this bio-catalyst would work equally well in petrochemical processing.”

The work was conducted in collaboration with professors Joe Wood and Lynne Macaskie from the University of Birmingham, funded through the Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement and Education program. The Natural Environment Research Council, UK also supported this research.

Output: Scientists in Illinois have developed a renewable fuels catalyst made from the metal palladium and common bacteria. The materials can be recovered from waste sources such as discarded electronics, catalytic converters and processed sewerage, and in tests the catalyst was used to refine bio-oil made from algae. The new method uses the bacteria as a 'biologic scaffolding' for the palladium catalyst in place of commercially-produced carbon particles, which are more expensive. The findings open the possibility of a cheaper and more sustainable process for refining renewable and other fuels.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
AI-powered chatbot developed for student satisfaction review
 Artificial Intelligence

AI Chatbot Hubert Talks to Students to Collect Course Feedback

A new AI-driven chatbot is looking to give educators deeper insights from course feedback by starting conversations with students.

Hubert uses machine learning to interpret student feedback on courses and instructors, and offer ready-categorized results to administrators, according to information from the Stockholm-based startup company.

Educators can create an account for free to use the chatbot in beta. Once logged in, they will be able to access a dashboard and launch a course evaluation that stays open for seven days. Hubert corresponds with students via e-mail throughout that time. The chatbot is capable of holding conversations with students that surround the following questions:

What could the teacher start doing that would improve the course?

Is there something that should stop because it’s not working well?

What is working well and should continue in the same way?

The core goal of Hubert is to reform traditional teacher-surveys and provide more qualitative feedback on a course without creating extra work for instructors. Each time an evaluation is completed, the instructor is notified and receives a unique evaluation link that can be shared with the student. Hubert sends students in the course automatic reminders and chats, compiling a report for the instructor. They can choose to read every response separately as well by downloading them in a detailed CSV-file.

In the future, Hubert will include more tailored conversations and clarifying questions. There will also be more comprehensive forms of questions.

Output: An AI-driven chatbot called “Hubert” has been developed by a Stockholm-based start-up that aims to give educators deeper insights into course feedback by starting conversations with students. Hubert uses machine learning to interpret student feedback and offer categorised results to administrators. The aim is to transform traditional teacher-surveys and provide more qualitative feedback without creating extra work for instructors.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Bitcoin Foundation resists increase in state regulation
 For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }}

Llew Claasen, Executive Director of The Bitcoin Foundation, has announced that the organisation has retained legal counsel to advise in its effort to fight against increasing federal and state regulation in the US. The foundation believes that increases in regulation are attempts to “control and stifle the adoption and use of so-called ‘virtual currencies’ such as Bitcoin.”

In a press release, Claasen claimed that the organisation’s first priority is to attempt to build a “more open and diverse dialogue with the US Congress”. The effort is a response to the planned introduction of a bill that aims to bring Bitcoin into the scope of US money-laundering enforcement agencies.

Bitcoin is a virtual currency or "cryptocurrency" that was created by an unknown programmer (or group of programmers) under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto in October 2008. Unlike traditional forms of currency, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies use encryption techniques to regulate the generation of currency and the transfer of funds. This means that the currency is decentralised – so no single institution controls the Bitcoin network. At the time of writing, one Bitcoin is approximately worth £3,365.27.

Recommended Bitcoin surges up as it targets people without internet access

Because of encryption, the use of Bitcoin can remain anonymous. Though receipts of transactions are stored in "blockchains", users of the currency do not have their names, address, or other forms of personal information attached to their Bitcoin profiles. While some high street shops and bars accept the currency, many people associate the use of Bitcoin with the buying and selling of illicit services on the dark web.

Just last month two of the dark web’s largest markets "Alphabay" and "Hansa" were seized in a joint effort from European police, Interpol, the FBI and the DEA. The website’s users bought and sold drugs and chemicals from one another using Bitcoin to protect their identities.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in response that, “This is likely one of the most important criminal investigations of the year.” He also claimed that “The dark net is not a place to hide. We will find you.”

The Bitcoin Foundation is, however, more optimistic about the future and use of the virtual currency. Their vision is to turn Bitcoin into a globally accepted method of exchanging and storing value which will operate without the need for third parties like banks.

In the release, Claasen said that, “the increased regulatory push by federal and state authorities, if it continues, is sure to threaten the existence of the fintech [financial technology] industry nationwide.”

Mr Claasen added: “Just as the fintech industry’s use of cryptocurrency was stifled in New York by the adoption of the so-called Bitlicence, it is highly likely that increased regulatory and legislative burdens [placed upon Bitcoin] will have a similar negative impact.”

The Bitcoin Foundation was founded as a non-profit in September 2012. The body's mission statement is to ensure that every human has the right to privacy in transactions that involve no harm to others and the right to economic participation without a bank account or credit history.

In their efforts to defend Bitcoin, The Bitcoin Foundation has retained the Ciric Law Firm, PLLC for counsel. The firm is currently challenging the US Department of Financial Services’ “Virtual Currency” regulation (Part 200 of Chapter 1 of Title 23 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations), which was promulgated in 2015 and is also known as the New York "Bitlicence".

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Claasen said, “state and federal legislation creates hurdles for innovation, well in advance of knowing what the impact of the technology is going to be – or what it enables.

“[The Bitcoin Foundation’s] view is that it is not yet clear what bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are. But by regulating the technology prematurely, you put it into a box it might not fit into later on. It’s not that we don’t believe there’s a time and place to regulate Bitcoin, we’re just saying that it’s too early and that regulation will just do harm to very innovative businesses and technologies.”

When questioned on Bitcoin’s potential to be used for fraud, money laundering and the buying and selling of illicit goods, Mr Claasen said, “Reports by the European commission in June specifically found that there is very little of that activity, particularly there is very little terrorist funding and money laundering.”

Claasen added: “Bitcoin is too hard for criminals to use at the moment. It’s easier for a criminal to use the United States dollar.”

Alongside being the foundation's Executive Director, Mr Claasen is a member of the international marketing advisory boards the CMO Council Advisory Board for Africa, the Customer Experience Board and The Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience. He is also the co-founder of Clicks2Customers, a digital marketing agency with annual billings of over £80 billion.

Claasen made it clear that Bitcoin Foundation, “doesn’t want to break the system, but it is concerned that the system is already broken.

“Bitcoin has the potential to be a store of value that’s outside the control of central banks. In the future, we would like to see more adoption of Bitcoin. It’s not going to be the only currency, and it won’t replace the current system, but among other options it’s a useful case for the future.”

The venture capitalist from Cape Town claims that Bitcoin is not currently at a stage where there are concerns that it will interfere with global monetary policy.

“It’s immature technology,” he claims. “There is a perception that it allows unlimited transfer of value, but it can only do three or four transfers a second. The network cannot handle larger transactions. “

A key reason Claasen opposes regulation is because, “it is not possible for governments to take the view they want to regulate Bitcoin. It’s important to understand that a decentralised currency means one which is not under control by anybody.”

Bitcoin: Is the virtual currency the new gold standard? Show all 2 1 / 2 Bitcoin: Is the virtual currency the new gold standard? Bitcoin: Is the virtual currency the new gold standard? pg-38-bitcoin-1-alamy.jpg Alamy Bitcoin: Is the virtual currency the new gold standard? pg-38-bitcoin-2-getty.jpg Getty Images

“I understand that regulators need to protect the currency and people from risk. [In the future] regulators will probably regulate at the end points of the cryptocurrency network. I get that, it’s inevitable. Around the world the view is the same. But governments and financial services are already struggling, as in Venezuela, and people need an alternative way.”

Llew Claasen concluded that, “Aside from other things, [Bitcoin] is a positive technology. It is not one that seeks to destroy or disrupt. It’s a pity when regulators view it as something that is dangerous.”

Output: The Bitcoin Foundation has appointed lawyers to fight attempts at greater regulation of the cryptocurrency by US state and federal authorities. The move comes ahead of the expected introduction of a bill to the US Congress aimed at bringing bitcoin into the scope of American money-laundering enforcement agencies. Increased regulation will stifle the use of virtual currencies and create hurdles to innovation, said Executive Director Llew Claasen. He added that while some regulation could be appropriate in future, it is now 'too early', and that governments must understand the nature of a decentralised currency.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Botnet of 300 apps gave hackers access to 120,000 IP addresses
 The proliferation of smart devices being corralled to take down the Web now has some competition, in the shape of swarms of malicious apps installed on thousands of smartphones.

Over the past year, the humble botnet—a collection of devices hacked to work with one another to send debilitating surges of data known as DDoS attacks to servers—underwent a renaissance. The huge number of insecure devices, such as video cameras and printers, that now connect to the Internet provides a hacker’s paradise, and they’ve been increasingly commandeered to take down websites and services. We even made Botnets of Things one of our 10 breakthrough technologies of 2017.

But nefarious types pulled off a similar trick by spreading 300 malicious apps across the Google Play app store. Ars Technica reports that, once installed, those apps commandeered the device on which they sat to send huge quantities of spoof traffic to websites, ultimately forcing some services offline. According to security researchers at Cloudflare, who helped an industrywide effort to understand the botnet that’s now called WireX, the hackers were at one point able to control over 120,000 IP addresses in 100 countries.

The botnet, which the researchers call "one of the first, and certainly one of the biggest, Android-based DDoS botnets," has been disabled, and the offending apps removed from the Play Store. But the news does highlight how any large collection of Internet-connected devices can be used as a botnet if hackers have the wherewithal to make it happen.

Output: Hackers are exploiting the vast number of insecure web-connected devices to create botnets, spread by malicious apps, to attack websites and services. In one instance, 300 such apps were spread across the Google Play app store, to create a botnet called WireX. When installed, the apps took control of the linked devices to send enormous amounts of spoof traffic to websites, forcing some services offline. In the attack, hackers were at one point able to control over 120,000 IP addresses in 100 countries. It has now been disabled, and the apps removed from Google Play.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
DCCC Launches Health Care Facebook Ads in Targeted Districts
 The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a new Facebook ad campaign aimed at nearly all of its 80 GOP targets that highlights the Republican health care bill.

The ads are targeted at Republicans who voted for the bill — and even Republicans who voted against it. The committee is delaying launching the ads in the three Texas districts it is targeting in light of the Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. But they will eventually run in those districts.

The ads, provided first to Roll Call, highlight higher costs for seniors under the GOP plan, known as the American Health Care Act. They will run for one week. A DCCC spokesman declined to comment on how much the committee was spending on the Facebook ads.

The sponsored post on Facebook shows a picture of two seniors in a hospital room with the text, “The Republicans’ health care bill would add an age tax to older Americans, allowing them to be charged five times more than younger people. And [lawmaker’s name] supported it.”

The last sentence will not appear in districts where the GOP House member voted against the health care bill, or in districts with open seat races.

Output: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a new Facebook ad campaign aimed at nearly all of its 80 GOP targets that highlights the Republican health care bill.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Telehealth: A Priority For Advancing Quality Health Care
 By Michael Adelberg, Libby Baney, Julie Letwat, Steve Lokensgard and Matthew Rubin (August 29, 2017, 12:34 PM EDT) -- Even with the prospect of Obamacare repeal and replace on the back burner for now, the focus on health care is not yet over. Following August recess, Congress will have less than four weeks to work through must-pass legislation that would fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Currently, federal funding for the program — which covers nearly 8.5 million low- and moderate-income children — is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017....

Stay ahead of the curve

In the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.

Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)

Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.

Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!

TRY LAW360 FREE FOR SEVEN DAYS

Output: Even with the prospect of Obamacare repeal and replace on the back burner for now, the focus on health care is not yet over. Following August recess, Congress will have less than four weeks to work through must-pass legislation that would fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Currently, federal funding for the program — which covers nearly 8.5 million low- and moderate-income children — is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Should we be moving towards offering free telemedicine consults?
 Should telemedicine consultations be given away for free? After all, at $40 a visit, remotely diagnosing and treating patients using technology could drastically lower healthcare costs by replacing a $1,200 emergency room visit for routine care. The cost difference is a compelling argument for free telemedicine.

A 2014 analysis by Willis Towers Watson indicates that telemedicine could save U.S. employers $6 billion per year.

Would free telemedicine visits for health plan members flood the healthcare system with unnecessary consultations that would actually drive costs up? Would the convenience of a telemedicine visit when compared to driving to a physical location result in overuse by patients? Or would it fulfill its promise of saving money by drastically reducing the number of unnecessary visits to emergency rooms at $1,200, urgent care centers at $190, doctor’s offices at $125, and walk-in clinics at pharmacies at $85?

The fact is telemedicine can replace visits for a laundry list of ailments such as coughs, colds, fever, abdominal cramps, acid reflux, arthritis, joint pain, eye infections, respiratory infections such as laryngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, or skin problems triggering dermatology visits. It is also being used for psychiatry and other virtual behavioral health visits.

Unanswerable questions about use and misuse make offering and promoting telemedicine by plans and employers a balancing act.

Telemedicine is nearly ubiquitous, but consumer interest is low

Nevertheless, employers are adopting telemedicine in high numbers. Telemedicine will be offered by 96 percent of large employers by 2018, according to a survey by the National Business Group on Health. This is corroborated by the 22nd annual Willis Towers Watson Best Practices Survey showing that 94 percent of employers already offer their employees telemedicine or are planning to or considering it by 2019.

At the same time, consumers are showing little interest. Teladoc reported that employee utilization rates are at just 6.1 percent.

Pros and cons

Dr. Allan Khoury, a senior health management consultant with Willis Towers Watson, wrote that employers should consider giving away telemedicine for free. It could be a cost-effective catalyst to increase use.

Plus, telemedicine is becoming even more useful as apps and accessories for smartphones turn them into remote diagnostic tools. For example, companies such as CliniCloud are creating devices that make it possible to check vital signs, hear heart and lung sounds, and perform other routine diagnostic tests remotely and get results immediately.

The cautionary note that telemedicine could lead to overuse of telemedicine comes from Rand study in which researchers examined 300,000 claims from 2011 to 2013 for 300,000 beneficiaries of California pension fund and health benefits manager CalPERS. Focusing on acute care such as respiratory infections, the study examined the records of those who received care from telehealth providers, as well as those who received care from a physician’s office or a hospital emergency department.

The study’s findings revealed that telehealth services were about 50 percent lower in cost than a physician office visit, and less than 5 percent the cost of a visit to an emergency room. However, increased annual spending by $45 per telehealth user outweighed the savings from telemedicine instead of traditional care.

A press release announcing the Rand study noted, “While direct-toconsumer telemedicine services do increase patients’ access to convenient health care, researchers say new strategies such as higher co-pays or targeted marketing may be needed if telehealth is to fulfill its potential as a cost-saving strategy.”

It is noteworthy that Anthem just announced it will stop covering emergency room visits in Indiana in cases for which the insurer deems are non-emergencies. Expect that more plans will impose rules and incentives to better manage the use of acute care choices. As part of that effort, they may remind their members that telemedicine is an option.

Still, if we follow the Rand study implications, hypochondriacs could call telehealth professionals endlessly and drive up costs. On the other hand, judicious use by plan members could cut a lot of fat out of health care costs for mundane health care visits.

One thing is clear. Telemedicine is not yet fully integrated into our health care system. Consumers need incentives to try it. And, plan sponsors need the proper claims management to assure its use is necessary.

Welcome to the Ying and Yang of telemedicine.

Photo: Ian Hooton, Getty Images

Output: Should telemedicine consultations be given away for free? After all, at $40 a visit, remotely diagnosing and treating patients using technology could drastically lower healthcare costs by replacing a $1,200 emergency room visit for routine care. The cost difference is a compelling argument for free telemedicine.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Streamlined Tool Speeds Appraisal of Seniors' Postop Risks
 A pared-down, easily administered version of the Vulnerable Elders Surgical Pathways and Outcomes Assessment (VESPA) tool reliably estimates the risk for geriatric and surgical complications in elderly patients, according to a new study published online August 2 in JAMA Surgery.

The prospective study drew on a cohort of 770 patients (384 women) with a mean age of 77.7 years, all of whom were scheduled to undergo elective surgery in the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, between July 2008 and January 2011. The most common surgery categories were otolaryngology/oral maxillofacial, plastic, and gastrointestinal.

The standard VESPA tool includes 14 items. For the current study, the team used an abbreviated version for preoperative assessment of functional status across the five activities of daily living proposed by the American College of Surgeons and the American Geriatrics Society: bathing, transferring, dressing, shopping, and meals. They also inquired about history of falling or gait impairment, as well as depressive symptoms, using the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire-2. In addition, they administered a 3-minute cognitive examination (Mini-Cog) plus a gait/balance assessment (Timed Up and Go test).

A total of 736 patients underwent a preoperative assessment via the abbreviated VESPA, which was administered by physician assistants in 10 minutes or less.

Adding a novel question on self-care, the researchers also asked participants whether they thought they could manage for themselves on their own after discharge. "To our knowledge, this is the first study incorporating patients' self-assessed inability to manage themselves after an operation," write Lillian Min, MD, MSHS, from the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.

During evaluation, 105 patients (14.3%) had reported having at least one difficulty with the five activities of daily living, while 270 (38.2%) of 707 patients had self-assessed as being unable to manage postdischarge self-care alone.

After surgery, 187 of 740 patients (25.3%) turned out to have either geriatric or surgical complications, with 131 (17.7%) having geriatric complications and 114 (15.4%) having surgical complications. Men were almost twice as likely as women to have geriatric complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 - 2.8) in an unadjusted analysis.

"Without screening, we would have missed one-fourth of patients with a preoperative functional deficit and 38% with a novel risk factor: those who judged themselves as not being able to manage themselves alone after discharge," the investigators write. These two variables both correlated significantly with postoperative complications, a finding that parallels other research on the effect of frailty on surgical outcomes and highlights the advisability of system-wide screening efforts.

The study combined variables into three composite outcomes: any postsurgical occurrence, including acute renal failure, pneumonia, surgical site infection, unplanned intubation, sepsis, or urinary tract infection; death, or unplanned readmission within 30 days; any geriatric complication such as delirium, pressure ulcer, fall, or malnutrition; and any complication, whether surgical or geriatric.

On multivariable analysis, the number of reported difficulties with daily activities (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0 - 1.6), predicted difficulty with postoperative self-care (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0 - 2.2). Apart from male sex, other independent predictors of postoperative complications were a Charlson Comorbidity score of 2 or more (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0 - 2.3) and highly complex primary surgery (OR, 7.4; 95% CI, 4.6 - 11.9).

Using a cutoff score of 9 or higher, the investigators found the shorter VESPA scale had an acceptable specificity for postoperative complications of 76% and a sensitivity of 68%. The evaluation rate, however, steadily declined, from 42.3% of eligible patients during the first 6 months to 10.9% by the end of the study.

The 10-minute VESPA is in the process of being implemented in the University of Michigan's preoperative clinics. "We believe it will ease screening and be as effective [as the longer version]," coauthor Kathy M. Diehl, MD, from the Department of Surgery, told Medscape Medical News. "Thus far, the reaction from clinicians has been favorable."

"We expect that this more efficient version of the VESPA tool will facilitate sustainability of assessment rates in the future," the authors write, adding that further validation is warranted.

This research was supported by a grant from the University of Michigan Older Americans Independence Act Claude D. Pepper Center. Dr Min also received support from a Pepper Center Research Career Development Core grant and the Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence. The funding sources had no role in any aspect of the study. One author reports holding shares in Ooney Inc. The remaining authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

JAMA Surg. Published online August 2, 2017. Abstract

For more news, join us on Facebook and Twitter

Output: A pared-down, easily administered version of the Vulnerable Elders Surgical Pathways and Outcomes Assessment (VESPA) tool reliably estimates the risk for geriatric and surgical complications in elderly patients, according to a new study published online August 2 in JAMA Surgery.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Spambot server with data on 711 million email accounts detected
 (Image: file photo)

A huge spambot ensnaring 711 million email accounts has been uncovered.

A Paris-based security researcher, who goes by the pseudonymous handle Benkow, discovered an open and accessible web server hosted in the Netherlands, which stores dozens of text files containing a huge batch of email addresses, passwords, and email servers used to send spam.

Those credentials are crucial for the spammer's large-scale malware operation to bypass spam filters by sending email through legitimate email servers.

The spambot, dubbed "Onliner," is used to deliver the Ursnif banking malware into inboxes all over the world. To date, it's resulted in more than 100,000 unique infections across the world, Benkow told ZDNet.

Troy Hunt, who runs breach notification site Have I Been Pwned, said it was a "mind-boggling amount of data."

Hunt, who analyzed the data and details his findings in a blog post, called it the "largest" batch of data to enter the breach notification site in its history.

Benkow, who also wrote up his findings in a blog post, has spent months digging into the Ursnif malware, a data-stealing trojan used to grab personal information such as login details, passwords, and credit card data, researchers have said. Typically, a spammer would send a "dropper" file as a normal-looking email attachment. When the attachment is opened, the malware downloads from a server and infects the machine.

But while spamming is still an effective malware delivery method, email filters are getting smarter and many domains found to have sent spam have been blacklisted.

The spammer's Onliner campaign, however, uses a sophisticated setup to bypass those spam filters.

"To send spam, the attacker needs a huge list of SMTP credentials," said Benkow in his blog post. Those credentials authenticate the spammer in order to send what appears to be legitimate email.

"The more SMTP servers he can find, the more he can distribute the campaign," he said.

Those credentials, he explained, have been scraped and collated from other data breaches, such as the LinkedIn hack and the Badoo hack, as well also other unknown sources. The list has about 80 million accounts, he said, with each line containing the email address and password, along with the SMTP server and the port used to send the email. The spammer tests each entry by connecting to the server to ensure that the credentials are valid and that spam can be sent. The accounts that don't work are ignored.

These 80 million email servers are then used to send the remaining 630 million targets emails, designed to scope out the victim, or so-called "fingerprinting" emails.

These emails appear innocuous enough, but they contain a hidden pixel-sized image. When the email is open, the pixel image sends back the IP address and user-agent information, used to identify the type of computer, operating system, and other device information. That helps the attacker know who to target with the Ursnif malware, by specifically targeting Windows computers, rather than sending malicious files to iPhone or Android users, which aren't affected by the malware.

Benkow said that narrowing down of would-be victims is key to ensuring the success of the malware campaign.

"There is a risk that the campaign can become too noisy, like Dridex, for example," he told ZDNet. "If your campaign is too noisy, law enforcement will look for you."

Benkow explained that the attacker can send out a million "fingerprinting" spam emails and get a fraction of emails back, but still have enough responses to send out a second batch of a few thousand targeted emails with malware.

Those emails often come days or even weeks later, masquerading as invoices from delivery services, hotels, or insurance companies, with a malicious JavaScript file attached.

"It's pretty smart," Benkow admitted.

According to Hunt, who processed the data, 27 percent of email addresses in the data are already in Have I Been Pwned. But he noted a caveat: Because the data has been scraped from the web, some of the data is malformed. He said that while the 711 million figure is "technically accurate," the number of humans involved will be somewhat less.

Hunt has made the data now searchable in Have I Been Pwned.

Output: A giant spambot that contained 711 million email accounts has been discovered in the Netherlands, thanks to a Paris-based security researcher, known as Benkow. The spambot, which is called "Onliner", is used to send the Ursnif banking malware into inboxes and has infected more than 100,000 computers all over the world. The Ursnif malware steals personal data such as credit card information, passwords and login details. The sophisticated software is able to narrow down its attacks to only those accounts that are vulnerable and sends spam through legitimate servers, making it harder to stop.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Natural gas power plant promises to capture carbon at no cost
 Eight Rivers was cofounded by a pair of MIT alumni: Bill Brown, who was previously a managing director at Morgan Stanley, and Miles Palmer, who worked in aerospace technology at SAIC, a massive defense contractor. As Wall Street banks stood on the verge of collapse in 2008, Brown pitched Palmer on setting up 8 Rivers, saying by his recollection: "Why don't we get together and do good for a change?"

They initially focused on developing clean coal technologies, hoping to tap into some of the energy funds in the 2009 federal stimulus package. But they found companies simply wouldn't buy anything that added costs to the process. They were eventually introduced to Allam, who had been thinking about the potential of using supercritical CO₂ to integrate carbon capture into a power plant. He was eventually hired by 8 Rivers and, with other members of its team, he set to work developing the technology necessary to make the process compete with standard, combined cycle natural gas plants.

To truly do so, the company will have to get pretty close to the capital expenditure construction costs of such plants, which stood at $1,056 per kilowatt of capacity in 2014, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The company expects its first commercial plant to cost around $1,600 per kilowatt, in part due to higher capital expenses, warranties, and other costs associated with a first project of its kind. But they believe they can get costs down to around $1,000 by the time they’ve built five to seven full-scale plants.

Eventually, Net Power expects to produce electricity for around $42 per megawatt-hour, on par with combined cycle natural gas without carbon capture. But on top of all that, the company can also sell several by-products to the market, including carbon dioxide. Taken together, those could effectively push energy production costs down to around $20 per megawatt-hour (theoretically even as low as $9 per megawatt-hour).

Local, state, or federal clean-energy policies—such as carbon taxes, cap and trade systems, and emissions standards—could all improve the economics even further.

Net Power initially intends to act as a licensing company, rather than a developer or operator, selling the technology to utilities, oil and gas companies, and others. The company has already begun conversations and explored potential sites for its first commercial plant, which it hopes will come online as early as 2021.

“There’s always gremlins and you figure them out as you move along,” says Brock Forrest, senior research and development engineer at 8 Rivers. “But from an engineering and technical perspective, we are confident we will be able to show that supercritical CO₂ will be able to generate electricity.”

There are a few additional caveats to consider: the main market for the captured carbon dioxide would be for use in enhanced oil recovery, where energy companies inject it into aging wells to help free up remaining oil. That suggests the captured gas would continue to contribute at least indirectly to the collection and burning of fossil fuels. Crucially, the extraction of natural gas itself carries environmental consequences as well, including leakage of greenhouse gases, contamination of water tables, and earthquakes triggered by subsequent wastewater disposal.

But to the degree that Net Power technology could reduce the use of coal, and prevent the release of untold tons of carbon dioxide from natural gas, it very likely adds up to a net environmental benefit — at least compared to other fossil-fuel power plants.

This story was updated to correct estimated construction costs.

Output: Net Power, a new power station in La Porte, Texas, aims to capture the CO2 it produces at no extra cost. The $140m plant uses the so-called Allam Cycle, which instead of heating water to create steam and power the turbines, feeds pure oxygen, carbon dioxide, and natural gas into a combustor, which ignites the gas. The supercritical CO2 created in the process drives the adjacent turbine then goes through a series of compressors, pumps and heat exchangers to recuperate as much of the heat as possible and return the carbon dioxide to the beginning of the cycle. Net Power, due to start operation by December is a collaboration between North Carolina-based technology investor 8 Rivers Capital, plant operator Exelon Generation and energy construction firm CB&I.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Mind Music Labs dreams of making instruments 'smart'
 “What we’re working on is not just the performance. What we believe is that the next revolution is to have every instrument smart and connected…”

Michele Benincaso is the CEO of Mind Music Labs, the Sweden-based startup behind the Sensus Smart Guitar.

You may know it from the guitar’s unveiling at the Web Summit conference in November 2015; from its success in the Midemlab and Sonar+D startup contests in 2016; or from the instrument’s first stage performance at the Slush conference that November.

Having raised $220k of seed funding in January this year – following a previous round for the same amount – Mind Music Labs is one of a number of companies trying to bring tech smarts to the guitar and other music instruments. See also: Jammy, Magic Instruments, Jamstik+ and FretX.

That said, Benincaso hopes his company stands out, partly because the Sensus is a proper standalone guitar – “it’s not just a controller for your computer!” – and partly because Mind Music Labs has wider ambitions.

“The smart guitar is the first instrument that is using our technology. But what we have actually developed is a system that can make every music instrument smart. It’s a full embedded system designed for ultra low-latency audio performance,” says Benincaso.

That provides potential for Mind Music Labs’ technology to be used for a range of instruments and electronic-music devices: not just guitar, and not just instruments made by the company. For now, the company is keeping any plans on this front close to its chest.

Benincaso is happy to talk about the potential that connected instruments have for music education, however.

“Music education is a huge market. The last figures we saw were that it’s $9bn in the US alone, although that includes a lot of music lessons. But people are wanting to learn in a completely new way too,” he says.

A lot of this comes down to data, he continues, noting that a human teacher giving a lesson in-person can watch a student play, and then give them real-time feedback on what they are doing wrong, and how to fix it.

“But when it comes to digital learning, you don’t have much data. Apps like Yousician and Uberchord – which I think are doing great work – use the microphone of the phone to get the audio coming from the guitar, it’s true, but the app doesn’t know where I am putting my fingers, and if I am holding the guitar right or wrong,” he says.

This is where Mind Music Labs believes that connected instruments can help music learners: their sensors and connectivity could provide music-learning apps and services with more (and more-useful) data on how they’re being played, rather than just the sound that they’re making.

“It will open up a completely new world when it comes to education. The instrument will be able to send over wirelessly not only the audio, but all the data that an app like Yousician needs to give the user feedback and a much more complete experience,” says Benincaso.

“That’s the biggest challenge today when it comes to music education: we don’t have enough data on how people play. If we have a connected instrument, we can have access to that data.”

He also sees the potential for smart instruments to be used together with other devices. For example, smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo and its Alexa voice assistant.

“Think about your Amazon Echo, and Alexa telling you that you need to move the guitar another way and move that finger. That’s very complex to do today,” says Benincaso.

“The only way to get information from the instrument is via the microphone and the audio coming from the instrument. But so much other data is lost. When we change that, music education technology will have a big jump.”

For now, Mind Music Labs is continuing to work on the Sensus and the platform that underpins it, while considering what kind of partnerships could take the latter forward. Benincaso is confident about the potential.

“In 10-15 years from now, every new musical instrument will have its own system and be connected to each other. And it will be like the mobile app world, with SDKs and APIs for people to write all kinds of applications on top of these systems, and will give access to the musicians to interact with all the newest technology like VR, wearable devices and the whole Internet of Things world,” he says.

That could fuel everything from educational apps to games and virtual-reality experiences, where the audio and associated data from smart instruments is available to developers.

Benincaso draws a parallel with a previous shift in instruments, when acoustic guitars went electric, with amps and other technologies.

“When you went from the acoustic to the electric guitar, you went from 30 people in the room to thousands of people. Or even Woodstock, where you had just a bunch of guitar players on stage and 400,000 people getting crazy!” he says.

“Musicians’ needs are a new way of expression using sound, and also the need to engage people and to reach more people. And today, if you want to reach more people, you can’t just get a bigger amplifier. You need to be connected.”

Output: Mind Music Labs, the Swedish start-up that created a guitar that connects to the internet, has developed an internet of things system that can make any musical instrument "smart", said CEO Michele Benincaso. The company's Sensus Smart Guitar allows users to add modulations and effects to their music without accessories, computers or speakers. Connected instruments can provide music learners with data on how they play instruments, rather than just the sound produced, Benincaso said.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Arc-net and PwC fight food fraud with 'breakthrough solution'
 A Northern Ireland tech company specialising in food traceability is to work with PwC in the Netherlands on a new project.

Arc-net, which was founded by former butcher Kieran Kelly, said the venture would create "a new model for food integrity, supply chain security and compliance".

The firm uses blockchain technology to monitor stages in the food production process and guard against food fraud.

Business advisors PwC have claimed that food fraud costs the global economy over $40bn every year.

Scandals affecting the food chain have ranged from the horsemeat controversy of 2013, to the use of slaughterhouse waste in oil in China in 2014.

Mr Kelly, chief executive of arc-net, said collaborating with PwC in the Netherlands would help food brand owners deliver on product and brand security.

He added: "PwC has a rich track record in providing leading edge expertise and insights to manage change, navigate complexity and unlock value for their customers.

"We are extremely confident that this partnership will allow both the arc-net platform and PwC to deliver on our joint commitment to enhance the security and integrity of the food we eat."

Hans Schoolderman, PwC partner in sustainability and food integrity, said: "Where many start-ups and others discuss and research the power of new technologies, the arc-net platform offers a proven solution based on the power of blockchain that gives ultimate transparency on safety, quality and integrity of food.

"The partnership allows us to bring arc-net's breakthrough solution to our clients helping them solve the important challenge of bringing high quality, safe and transparent products to the market and improve the trust we have in the food we eat."

Mr Kelly has said blockchain technology lends itself well to food traceability. "It creates trust among ecosystem members, who can validate the information and assets as they transfer," he said.

Output: Irish tech firm Arc-net will work with PwC on a blockchain-based technology solution for battling food fraud in the Netherlands. The project will improve food traceability by using blockchain to trace food products’ passage through the production and supply ecosystem, with information verified frequently to avoid fraudulent activity. PwC has said that food fraud costs the global economy $40bn annually.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
German alliances challenge Facebook-Google duopoly
 The hottest trend in German media: cross-industry alliances that prioritize consumer data privacy and aim to compete with the Facebook-Google duopoly.

Axel Springer, owner of titles like national newspapers Bild and Die Welt, is part of one of Germany’s two high-profile alliances, which also includes auto manufacturer Daimler, insurance juggernaut Allianz and Deutsche Bank. German airline Lufthansa, telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom and IT security company Bundesdruckerei signed on this week, bringing the total number of members to nine.

The alliance’s goal: to provide a single login for customers across all partner sites that complies with the new data privacy regulations (General Data Protection Regulation), which will be enforced starting next May. Once users have created personal accounts, they can use the same security settings and passwords across member sites. The partners are calling the login the “master key,” which is what the login will be referred to when it is marketed to consumers.

The sign-in platform will be marketed to consumers as “Verimi” — a mix of the English words “verify” and “me.” A dedicated website explaining the service and how to use it is starting to familiarize people with the initiative before the product’s launch.

Verimi’s prime purpose is to remove lengthy online account management across numerous sites — a process that will become more complex after the rollout of the GDPR and ePrivacy directive. People can manage the data that businesses have on them this way. Once people register, they’re asked to give “express consent” to data being passed on to the alliance’s partner companies, as well as what data they’re OK with passing on. That information will also help ensure any personalized ad targeting that member companies run is GDPR-compliant — useful insight for media companies and advertisers that want to make sure they don’t target advertising to people who’ve stated they don’t want it.

By teaming with non-media companies, Axel Springer has taken a different route than a typical media alliance. This way, it can skirt any disagreements that can arise between competitors and stunt progress, which has hindered other media alliances. But Verimi is open-standard, so although Axel Springer is currently the only media group involved, others can join. The goal is to expand the service to other European markets, starting with those in which the founding partners are already present.

The pledge is to have a working product in market by year-end or the beginning of 2018 at the latest — just over six months since the initial announcement about it in May. Verimi will run as an independent unit, staffed by 30 people with backgrounds ranging from social media and marketing to data privacy. The companies have hired the team from the open market, rather than sharing existing resources.

The alliance’s purpose is similar to the other major cross-industry universal login alliance, which German broadcasters RTL Group and ProSiebenSat.1 and internet services provider United Internet lead. Although both alliances have formed to provide a European alternative to the U.S. tech platforms like Google, Facebook and Amazon, attaining mass reach will be the objective for both groups. That will naturally pit them against each other. But the universal login will be the first of many products the Verimi alliance plans to release, though future product details are scant.

“Digitalization is based on simplicity and trust,” said Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom. “Our aim with Verimi is to offer a practical and ultra-safe online master key. We will ensure that our clients’ digital identities remain within EU jurisdiction and enjoy the security afforded by German data protection rules.”

Output: German media entities are forming cross-industry alliances to safeguard consumer data and challenge the Facebook-Google duopoly on news. One consortium includes financier Deutsche Bank, automotive firm Daimler, insurance giant Allianz, airline Lufthansa, newspaper owner Axel Springer, telecoms agency Deutsche Telekom and IT security firm Bundesdruckerei. The companies aim to provide a single "master key" login across all sites to ensure compliance with the new General Data Protection Regulation from May 2018. The Verimi system is designed to provide a European alternative to sign-in options through Google and Facebook.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Specialist insurer Beazley unveils environmental product in Canada
 New York, July 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beazley, a leading provider of specialist environmental liability insurance, has launched its local environmental coverage in Canada.

Nick Bidwell, an experienced underwriter of environmental risks, has joined Beazley to develop business in Canada, focusing on fixed site and operational liability risks. Prior to joining Beazley, Mr Bidwell was the Canadian national underwriting lead for site liability at Zurich. Before that, he held environmental consulting positions at Conestoga-Rovers & Associates/GHD in Canada and WSP Environmental in the UK. He is based in Beazley’s Toronto office.

Beazley covers a wide range of environmental risks including operational coverage for businesses that may face claims for polluting the premises of third parties; professional liability coverage for environmental consultants; protection for ongoing fixed site operations; contractors’ pollution liability; and brownfield site remediation. Key target industries are the manufacturing, industrial, real estate, hospital and educational sectors.

Jayne Cunningham, Beazley’s environmental focus group leader, said: “We’re excited to expand Beazley’s specialist environmental coverage to the Canadian market and look forward to developing creative solutions for local clients. Nick is extremely knowledgeable about the environmental risks faced by local organizations and will help Beazley build local distribution for risks that don’t typically reach the London market.”

BZPR_7_12_17

Note to editors:

Beazley plc (BEZ) is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations

in Europe, the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Beazley manages six Lloyd’s syndicates and, in 2016, underwrote gross premiums worldwide of $2,195.6 million. All Lloyd’s syndicates are rated A by A.M. Best.

Beazley’s underwriters in the United States focus on writing a range of specialist insurance products. In the admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Company, Inc., an A.M. Best A rated carrier licensed in all 50 states. In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyd’s.

Beazley is a market leader in many of its chosen lines, which include professional indemnity, property, marine, reinsurance, accident and life, and political risks and contingency business.

For more information please go to: www.beazley.com

Output: Specialist environmental liability insurer Beazley has taken on a new underwriter to develop the company's environmental services in Canada. Nick Bidwell, who previously worked for Zurich and held a number of environmental consulting roles, will be based in Beazley's Toronto office. The company provides coverage for a range of environmental risks including polluting of third party premises, protection for ongoing fixed site operations and brownfield site remediation. They target services at manufacturing, industrial, real estate, health and education sectors and have specialist subsidiaries across the world.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
US on-demand life insurance start-up Bestow raises $2.5m
 Bestow, a Dallas, TX-based developer of an on-demand life insurance platform, raised $2.5m in seed funding.

The round was led by New Enterprise Associates with participation from Core Innovation Capital, Morpheus Ventures and 8VC.

The company, which has raised $3.1m in venture capital, intends to use the funds to finalize the platform for launch this fall.

Founded by entrepreneurs Melbourne O’Banion and Jonathan Abelmann, Bestow is advancing a consumer-first life insurance solution, which, driven by analytics and technology, enables users to learn, apply, buy and manage coverage needs on-demand by removing the need for face-to-face interaction, including agent and medical exam requirements.

FinSMEs

29/08/2017

Output: Dallas-based Bestow has raised $2.5m in seed funding to finalise its on-demand life insurance platform before its launch in the autumn. Bestow's life insurance policies use analytics to allow users to buy and manage coverage as they need it. This removes the need for meetings with agents and medical exams. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates, with participation from Core Innovation Capital, Morpheus Ventures and 8VC.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
TicHome Mini to make Google Assistant 'take anywhere'
 TicHome Mini: SMART SPEAKER. MEET WIRELESS FREEDOM.

The compact and highly portable disk-like design appears to integrate relatively well into any home decor and just about any setting. Battery-powered and capable of functioning without being plugged in, the TicHome Mini also comes with an interchangeable strap that makes for easy carrying or hanging around the house. Plus, it boasts a splash-proof rating of IPX6, which means that you can use the Mini in your bathroom or by the pool. While you will have to act fast, it won’t necessarily be the end of days if the device gets a little rainwater.

Recommended Videos

Like Google Home, you can activate this smart home device by saying “OK Google” and you will be able to ask about the weather, set alarms, or, if you are in the mood, ask the Mini to tell a joke. If you are looking for more practical applications, Google Assistant can help you schedule events on Google Calendar, manage your to-do list, and more.

As Google adds more functionality to its A.I. assistant, so too will the TicHome Mini. You can already access a number of third-party content providers, including Spotify, iHeartRadio, Nest, and If This Then That, and the list is only expected to continue growing.

“The partnership between Google and Mobvoi has opened up opportunities to combine Google’s industry-leading Google Assistant with Mobvoi’s vision for a portable home assistant form factor,” Zhifei Li, CEO and founder of Mobvoi, said in a statement. “With TicHome Mini we aim to push the boundaries of how and where A.I. impacts our daily lives.”

After making its debut at this year’s IFA, the TicHome Mini is now available for pre-sale. Prices begin at $79, or 20 percent off the retail price of $99. The Mini is available in a wide range of colors, including black, white, red, and green.

“We are excited to make TicHome Mini available to ship for the holidays, so that you can enjoy the best of a portable speaker and the Google Assistant at home while bonding with your family,” Li added. “Through the TicHome Mini, we bring to you a portable A.I. device which seamlessly integrates into your life.”

Update: The TicHome Mini is now available for pre-sale.

Editors' Recommendations

Output: The portable TicHome Mini from Chinese AI firm Mobvoi is expected to make Google Assistant a take anywhere smart home device when it rolls out this winter. The battery-powered device, which is set to retail for under $100, was designed to be an inexpensive way to introduce AI into daily life; it is activated the same way as Google Home and supports third party services such as Nest and Spotify, with the listed expected to grow as Google adds functionality to its assistant.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Amazon Echo rolls out new multi-room music feature
 Amazon has this week announced the roll-out of a new multi-room music feature to its Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show devices. Enabling users to now synchronise their music playback across multiple Echo devices.

Streaming music from Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Pandora, with support for Spotify and SiriusXM available shortly says Amazon. Using the Amazon Alexa App simply create groups of Echo devices and then simply ask Alexa to play on those devices.

For instance if you create a group of Echoes called “downstairs” you can then ask Alexa play your favourite playlist “downstairs”. Amazon is also rolling out new tools to enable AVS device makers to integrate with Amazon Alexa Multi-Room Music, which are expected to be available early next year. Amazon explains more :

These new tools enable device makers with connected audio systems to control music playback using Alexa. A customer can then use any Alexa-enabled device – for example an Echo Dot – to play music throughout their home on their connected audio systems. Amazon is excited to be working with leading brands on this offering, including Sonos, Bose, Sound United, and Samsung. “Alexa set the standard for voice in smart homes, so working with Amazon to bring voice control to Sonos for the first time was an obvious choice,” said Antoine Leblond, VP of Software, Sonos. “This has been a close collaboration from the beginning as we’ve worked together to combine the magic of Alexa with the seamless multi-room audio capabilities that Sonos pioneered. We’re proud of the work we’ve done together as Amazon’s first multi-room partner – all you’ll need is an Alexa-enabled device and playing music out loud on Sonos will be as easy as saying ‘Alexa, play music in the living room.’” “Sound United is constantly striving to provide consumers with the best possible user experience. With AI voice services simplifying how we control our home environments and products, we’re excited Denon, Marantz, and HEOS customers will be some of the first to experience Alexa multi-room audio compatibility and the power of voice control,” said Kevin Duffy, CEO and president, Sound United. “Soon, users will be able to play their favorite song, alter the volume, or change an input in any room where our connected products are placed, simply by asking Alexa to do so.”

Source: Amazon

Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals

Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy

Output: Amazon Echo users can now synchronise music playback across multiple devices, in multiple rooms, thanks to the roll-out of its multi-room music feature. Users can now stream music from Amazon Music, TuneIn, Pandora and iHeartRadio across different devices by grouping them together on the Alexa app. Support for Spotify and SiriusXM will be available shortly, according to the company. “Soon, users will be able to play their favorite song, alter the volume, or change an input in any room where our connected products are placed, simply by asking Alexa to do so”, said Kevin Duffy, CEO and president at Sound United.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Treebo Hotels secures $34m in series C funding
 Treebo Hotels, a Bangalore-based online budget hotel aggregator has raised $34 Million (Rs 220 crore) in its Series C funding round led by Hong Kong-based investment firms Ward Ferry Management and Karst Peak Capital. Existing investors, SAIF Partners, Matrix Partners India, and Bertelsmann India Investments also participated in the round. Treebo said in a statement that it will invest the fresh funds into enhancing customer experience, building a stronger brand, strengthening its technology team, and expanding its footprint in existing and new cities. The platform currently has close to 300 franchisees operating under its brand across in about 50 cities. Treebo’s previous funding With this round the company has raised a total of $57M in three rounds from multiple investors: Series B: -In July last year, Treebo secured funding of Rs 112 crore (~$16.7M) and said that it will use the funding for expand to more than 60 cities and increasing its inventory 12,000 rooms. It said that it plans to launch a product extension including mid scale and leisure rooms, expanding from its current portfolio of budget rooms. Series A: In June 2015, Treebo raised around $6 million in funding from SAIF and Matrix. The company was started in the same year by former Myntra executives Siddharth Gupta and Rahul Chaudhary, along with Kadam Jeet Jain. Competition Treebo competes with numerous place in budget hotel space, which include OYO Rooms, FabHotels, MakeMyTrip-GoIbibo, Paytm, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Yatra, Airbnb- to name a few. Last month, Gurgaon-based online budget hotel aggregator FabHotels…

Please subscribe login to read the full story.

Output: India's Treebo Hotels has raised $34m in series C funding for its online budget hotel aggregator. The Bangalore-based firm, which has about 300 franchisees using its brand in about 50 cities, will use the funding to improve customer experience, boost its technology team and expand its business. The investment round was led by Hong Kong-based investment firms Ward Ferry Management and Karst Peak Capital. Existing investors also participated.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Toyota teams with ride-hail company Grab in southeast Asia
 Toyota has joined forces with ride-hailing company Grab to provide its services throughout Southeast Asia and expand its Toyota Mobility Service Platform (MSPF).

Toyota Motor Corporation partners with Grab to expand its Mobility Service Platform

Shigeki Tomoyama, senior managing officer of Toyota and president of the Connected Company said: "Through this collaboration with Grab, we would like to explore new ways of delivering secure, convenient and attractive mobility services to our fleet customers in Southeast Asia."

Output: Toyota has joined up with ride-hailing firm Grab to extend its Toyota Mobility Service Platform (MSPF) across southeast Asia. MSPF provides services such as leasing, telematics insurance, vehicle data analysis and fleet management. Grab will offer MSPF services to its drivers.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Successful MTI pilot brings blockchain to maritime logistics
 A successful pilot programme delivered by logistics technology company Marine Transport International (MTI) demonstrates that the logistics industry will see improved connectivity, efficiency and security thanks to blockchain.

MTI, in conjunction with Agility Sciences, have today released a whitepaper detailing the deployment of their Container Streams system in a supply chain environment. The results of the pilot have been verified by scientists at the University of Copenhagen and maritime technology leads at Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration (BLOC).

The project, which has connected supplier, shipper, load point, customs and terminal on a shared blockchain ledger, has far reaching consequences for the logistics industry as it seeks new ways to improve security and profitability. All parties involved in the supply chain benefit from automated data flows as the system allows complete interoperability of data sources, even including legacy systems.

Jody Cleworth, CEO of Marine Transport International, said: “The results of this successful pilot demonstrate the strengths of blockchain technology when deployed to link the various actors in the supply chain. We are confident that firms throughout the logistics industry will see a broad spectrum of benefits stemming from blockchain deployment.

“The blockchain has proven to be an excellent way of connecting the different parties involved in any supply chain environment due to the transparency and security-by-design of the technology. In recent months the shipping industry has fallen victim to industrial-scale cyber-attacks which have left large shipping lines, such as Maersk, completely paralyzed and unable to serve clients.

“A blockchain-enabled supply chain is highly resilient to cyber-attack – a copy of the essential shipping data is stored on each node on a decentralised network, meaning that even if one node is compromised, the data is safe nevertheless.

“The business case for connecting supply chains using blockchain is very strong. As the interface is easily adaptable to existing systems there is a very low barrier to entry. Any type of supply chain business, be it marine-, air-, or land-based, can take advantage of such a system – the cost savings that we envisage are as high as 90%, as a result of substantially streamlined processes.”

Karim Jabbar, from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, added: “This pilot demonstrates the great potential for distributed ledger technologies to be used in improving supply chain processes. The Container Streams system is unique in the fact that it does not require the complete replacement of existing systems – instead, MTI’s solution allows complete interoperability with existing legacy infrastructure. The logistics industry as a whole can expect better visibility, connectivity and cost savings as a result of distributed ledger adoption.”

Deanna MacDonald, CEO of Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration said: “We have documented the first phase of this use case, its implications for the maritime industry and the resulting development of a turn-key application ecosystem for global supply chain logistics. However, the future potential of this ecosystem platform will rest upon collaboration from the different actors in these supply chains in order to clearly identify the problems and co-create applications that solve for the collective challenges they are facing today.”

Output: Marine Transport International (MTI) has successfully tested a blockchain-based logistics programme that could improve security and efficiency. Working alongside IT infrastructure provider Agility Sciences, MTI has used the Container Streams system to streamline a supply chain, connecting shippers, customs, suppliers, terminals and loading point on a shared ledger. The system enables total interoperability of data from all sources, even from legacy systems.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Chinese farmland to be used to build homes for rent
 China is opening up rural land for residential property development in 13 cities that will provide rental housing to ease the pressure on urban accommodation brought about millions of workers that move to the cities. Photo: Justin Jin

Output: A pilot scheme has been announced by the ministry of land and resources and the ministry of housing and urban-rural development in China that will allow collectively owned agricultural land to be developed into residential properties for lease. The scheme will be introduced to 13 large Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, and aims to stabilise property prices, boost the rental market and ease the pressure on infrastructure and accommodation caused by massive populations of migrant workers living in inner city slums. China has estimated 100 million migrant workers will move to the cities to take up jobs by 2020.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Proptech Cozy enters rental insurance space with Assurant tie-up
 The renters insurance market has been a hard nut to crack for the industry, but an insurance carrier and online rental service platform hope their partnership may be the secret to breaking through.

Cozy, an online property management site for landlords, property managers and renters, has partnered with insurance carrier Assurant to offer renter’s insurance through Cozy’s online property management platform.

“We started looking at how many people in our market — the smaller, independent rental owners — have tenants who carry renters insurance and based on our evidence, it is abysmally low,” said Gino Zahnd, CEO and founder of Portland, Ore.-based Cozy. “We saw an opportunity to come into the market and educate people why it is important.”

The Cozy online property management platform handles the entire rental process for landlords — from online listings, to tenant applications and screenings, to receiving rental payments. And now, it sells renters insurance, too.

The company was founded in 2012 and currently has 500,000 people signed up for properties through its site in more than 15,000 zip codes across the U.S., according to Zahnd. Cozy’s “bread and butter,” Zahnd said, are individuals who manage or own 20 or less properties, but it does have customers with up to 200-250 units as well.

With the new partnership with Assurant, tenants of landlords that require renters insurance can obtain Cozy Renters Insurance. Through Cozy’s platform, landlords who want to require renters insurance on a lease check a box in the Cozy system and renters will be offered the Cozy product during their rental agreement transaction. The landlord will be notified when coverage is obtained and sent proof of insurance.

When coverage is not required, renters can still opt to see an insurance quote and purchase coverage through Cozy. Renters can pay for their coverage every month when making their rental payment.

Cozy Renters Insurance is a baseline policy that covers renters from the unexpected loss of property in case of theft or other damage. The coverage also protects against a renter accidentally damaging the rental or someone else’s property, and covers the cost of repairing damages or replacing belongings.

It includes $100,000 in liability coverage and $15,000 in personal property, with a $250 deductible. The cost of policies varies from state to state, but averages around $10 to $20 a month. Additional coverage options are available for renters by working directly with Assurant.

Zahnd said until now, it has been difficult for landlords and tenants to navigate the renters insurance market and know where to go to get coverage. He says Cozy is at a big advantage because it has a captive audience right there on its platform.

“No matter how cool or amazing a standalone renters product is — it’s still not solving the fundamental product for renters and landlords — the process is still so fragmented,” he said. “Neither party with Cozy has to go out and look for something else.”

According to Brian Ellin, vice president of Product for Cozy, the company wanted a simple policy for its rental and landlord users. And because Cozy already has facilitated the relationship between the landlord and the tenant and verified a person’s identity, the basic underwriting information needed to quote and offer a policy is readily available.

“A lot of the questions have already been answered and the renter can get an instant quote,” Ellin said.

Zahnd said the idea for Cozy to offer renter insurance came early in the formation of the company, but Cozy only began actively working on bringing that idea to life about 18 months ago when it began approaching insurance carriers.

Zahnd said they were met with an openness by the industry, “generally speaking,” but that they did have to do a good bit of convincing on why it was a good idea.

“Explaining how this could work to companies that have been around for 100 years or more was a bit of a challenge, but most carriers have a fairly robust technology group,” Zahnd said.

Simplicity and speed on the insurance side were essential to Cozy, so part of its carrier vetting was to understand how quickly the product could be built and how flexible the carrier would be in meeting Cozy’s experience requirements.

“By no means was it easy,” Zahnd said. “When you bite something off like this you have to be stubborn.”

Ellin said they found insurance companies were excited by the idea of gaining access to a market that has been traditionally difficult for the insurance industry to tap into once they understood how the product could work.

“The way that Cozy has taken ownership of that part of the market gives them access that they didn’t have before,” he said.

In March, Cozy began its partnership with Assurant, which was also looking to further develop its digital capabilities and serve a market segment that has been ignored, said Steven Hein, senior vice president for Assurant, and oversees the company’s Multi-family Housing business.

“We have been looking in that space for someone to emerge that has the capability and focus,” Hein said. “It felt like a natural fit between our two organizations.”

Assurant currently offers 1.5 million renter policies nationwide, but Hein said it is a segment that hasn’t had a lot of access or been marketed to. He added only a small minority of residents purchase coverage at all, and that leaves property owners or landlords exposed.

“Our goal is to bring affordable access to coverage and to serve the client’s needs, which is ultimately the landlord,” he said.

He said the hallmark of the product is the speed with which the coverage can be purchased and that ensures users are not disrupted. “Offering the policy in minutes is something that is essential to the transaction,” Hein said.

Zahnd and Ellin said the company’s main priority is to offer a simple policy to get renters covered and ease the burden and exposure for landlords. For now, Cozy doesn’t have any plans to offer additional coverages or expand into other markets, but, Zahnd says, “never say never.”

Topics Carriers Trends Market Property

Output: Online property management company Cozy has teamed up with insurance carrier Assurant to offer insurance for renters. Cozy CEO Gino Zahnd said the goal is to educate people on why rental insurance is so important, citing traditionally "abysmally low" take-up rates. Cozy was founded in 2012 and currently has half a million people signed up through its site from across the US.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Samsung expands range of consumer IoT devices
 [THE INVESTOR] Aiming to continue leading in technological prowess, Samsung Electronics said on Aug. 30 that its presentation theme at Europe’s largest tradeshow for home appliances will be lifestyles with enhanced connectivity and convenience.

Two days before the IFA 2017 kicks off Friday, Samsung Electronics unveiled new flagship consumer electronic products and services for the second half of the year at a series of press conferences.

An outdoor advertisement shows Samsung’s proposal for lifestyles with enhanced connectivity and convenience at City Cube Berlin, a venue for the IFA 2017 that kicks off on Aug. 30. Samsung Electronics.

Calling it the “new normal,” David Lowes, chief marking officer of Samsung’s Europe business, said, “To become meaningful, technological innovation should naturally meld into the daily lives of consumers and be able to change their lives.”

“Samsung is making best efforts to introduce innovative products and services that are going to become a new normal for the lives of consumers around the world.”

The Korean tech titan debuted its 43-inch art frame-like TV The Frame for Europe, the first market where it is being launched. The model will be introduced later to Russian and US markets.

The release follows the successful launch of bigger Frame TVs -- 55 inch and 65 inch -- in the region in May.

The Samsung Frame TV has also become a new platform for the distribution of artworks, providing consumers with content related to the arts through partnerships with renowned art galleries including Prado in Spain.

Samsung plans to secure up to 1,000 pieces of artwork for its Art Store platform, through which users can purchase art pieces via their TVs by the end of the year.

As for technological partnerships, Samsung announced a new alliance for its High Dynamic Range 10 Plus, the company’s visual display technology, with Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox and Japan’s Panasonic to expand application of the technology for visual content on different devices.

Another first for the company is the new artificial intelligence-powered washing machine QuickDrive, which cuts washing time by half. Its exclusive Q-Drum consists of a large main drum and a plate in the back that rotates independently.

Unlike conventional washers that move clothes repeatedly up and down over the course of a cycle, the latest washer moves clothes from top to bottom in the drum, while the plate in the back of the drum introduces a back and forth movement, the company said.

QuickDrive’s smart AI feature, dubbed “Q-rator,” has a function called Laundry Planner through which the washer recommends an appropriate course when users set a finish time. Another function, Laundry Recipe, recommends the best course according to the amount of clothes. An automatic detergent refill function allows users to order more detergent through Amazon when it runs out.

“QuickDrive will make significant changes to lives by returning the time spent on household chores back to consumers as spare time,” said Daniel Harvie, head of marketing of household appliances in Europe.

Samsung also introduced its first cordless stand-type vacuum machine Power Stick with 150-watt vacuuming power, the industry’s most powerful. It has a handle that folds in at up to 50 degrees when reaching under beds or the top surfaces of closets.

In addition, the world’s biggest handset manufacturer showed the new wearable devices Gear Sport and Gear Fit2 Pro with enhanced functions for sports, and the cord-free ear set Gear IconX 2018.

The smart watch Gear Sport and sports band Gear Fit2 Pro both won the 5ATM water resistance grade. They can be worn while swimming.

The Gear IconX 2018 not only enables music streaming, but also provides fitness coaching and health data. If a user owns a Bixby-based Samsung smartphone, the ear set can be linked to the device’s voice-activated AI program, allowing the user to operate the smartphone by issuing verbal commands via the ear set.

At the core of Samsung’s new normal for home appliances lies “clever connectivity,” which aims to connect all kinds of devices and appliances, “championing impossibility,” the company highlighted.

“Samsung and about 390 other companies around the world are working to set standards for Internet of Things technologies to connect a countless number of devices in order to maximize user experience,” said Matthew Perry, head of the Open Connectivity Foundation, a global organization for IoT.

By Song Su-hyun/The Korea Herald (song@heraldcorp.com)

Output: Samsung hopes the internet of things (IoT) will become “the new normal” as it increases the range of home appliances it offers with enhanced connectivity. The South Korean tech company has launched a 43-inch TV that is shaped like a frame around a work of art and called The Frame For Europe, which can display classic works of art and other related content. The company has also launched an AI-powered washing machine, QuickDrive, that can recommend washing plans and automatically reorder detergent. Samsung also offers a range of sport-orientated wearables.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
South Korean robo-advisers lag far behind benchmark Kospi index

Robot brokers aren’t very good

Last March, the Financial Services Commission said it would allow local financial companies to offer their clients investment advice from artificial intelligence programs - instantly dubbed robot advisers. Investors expected a breakthrough in fund management. Higher returns seemed inevitable as artificially intelligent advisers were expected to be using big data analysis and advanced algorithms, the same way that Google’s AlphGo managed to defeat human Go master Lee Se-dol.Months later, the robots don’t seem to be giving their human counterparts much competition. In fact, the returns on their portfolios weren’t even able to keep pace with the recent rise of Korea’s benchmark Kospi index.Currently, there are 30 funds managed by robot advisers at nine asset management companies in Korea, according to KG Zeroin, a fund analysis service, and KB Asset Management. 15 funds have been operating over three months but their average rate of return stood at a measly 1.61 percent. During the same period, the Kospi rose by 2.77 percent.Only three funds out of 15 managed to match or outpace the increase in the index.The gap between the performances gets even wider over the last six months. The average rate of return for 12 funds that have been operating for longer than half a year stood at 4.41 percent. During that period, the Kospi rose by 13.49 percent.Robot-managed funds managed to beat funds managed by mere mortals in only one category, and not by very much.Robot-advisers’ average return over the past six months in investments in local stocks was 14.23 percent while the market average was 13.34 percent. For fund investing in international stocks, robot managers’ six-month average return was 5.61 percent while the market average was nearly double at 11.4 percent.“Although launched as robot-adviser funds, most of the funds are not that much different from regular algorithm-based trading,” said Jung Kyu-bong, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities. “Only a few firms have the technology to pick and choose certain securities to invest in based on an analysis of various type of big data.”According to Kim Il-soo, the chief executive of Wizdomain, which has a robot consulting service called Wizbot that analyzes patents held by companies to decide the level of their technology and ultimately their values, most of the funds managed by robot advisers in Korea allocate assets based on similar algorithms. “Most robot advisers do ‘passive management’ [a type of investment strategy in which managers do not invest aggressively to beat the market index] and focus more on risk management than high returns,” explained Kim. When the Kospi plummeted nearly 4 percent this month due to the tensions between the United States and North Korea, funds by robot-advisers fell by less than one percent, a clear sign of their concentration on risk management.“Two Sigma [an American asset management firm] utilizes technology in which robot managers select securities to invest in by analyzing big data such as satellite photos or product lists on online shopping malls,” explained Hong Yoong-ki, who is in charge of multi-asset solutions at KB Asset Management. “Consumers [in Korea] expected this type of robot-managed funds but the reality in Korea was that we need some improvement in the technology.”Some analysts say that robot fund managers should be approached as a means to save costs in asset management.“The forte of robot managers is that customers can receive detailed services such as portfolio management and notifications on external variables at costs cheaper than if [human] fund managers were doing the work,” said Kim Sang Won, director of the smart finance at Daishin Securities. “Customers interested in [services] by robot advisers should consider this cost-saving element rather than actual returns.”BY CHO HYUN-SOOK [choi.hyungjo@joongang.co.kr]

Output: Robot adviser-managed funds have underperformed South Korea's benchmark Kospi index. The country's Financial Services Commission permitted local finance firms to offer their clients advice from artificial intelligence (AI) programmes earlier this year. Fifteen AI-managed funds have been operating over three months with an average rate of return of 1.61%, compared with Kospi's rise of 2.77%. Just three of the 15 managed to outpace the index. When the robo-advisers are measured over the past six months their returns are even further behind.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
YouTube announce new features as well as a new logo

We’ve also introduced apps and services that give you new ways to watch and get even closer to the content and creators you love. Music fans, gamers, and TV lovers each have unique experiences specifically tailored for their favorite content with

To put it simply, YouTube’s evolved … a lot. And we’re not even close to done. Over the last few months we've started releasing updates and will continue to throughout the rest of the year. When all is said and done, we'll bring a new level of functionality and a more consistent look across our desktop and mobile experiences.

Let’s start with the YouTube mobile app, which is getting a bunch of new features: When YouTube launched 12 years ago, it was a single website that supported one video format, 320x240 at 4:3 aspect ratio. Fast forward to today, and YouTube lets you watch any combination of SD, HD, 4K, 360, 3-D, and live video on nearly every device with an internet connection – from desktops to phones, tablets to TVs, game consoles, and even VR headsets.We’ve also introduced apps and services that give you new ways to watch and get even closer to the content and creators you love. Music fans, gamers, and TV lovers each have unique experiences specifically tailored for their favorite content with YouTube Music YouTube Gaming and YouTube TV . For families looking for the best way to watch together, we launched the YouTube Kids app. And for fans who want an uninterrupted, ad-free experience, and exclusive original content from creators, there’s the YouTube Red membership.To put it simply, YouTube’s evolved … a lot. And we’re not even close to done. Over the last few months we've started releasing updates and will continue to throughout the rest of the year. When all is said and done, we'll bring a new level of functionality and a more consistent look across our desktop and mobile experiences.Let’s start with the YouTube mobile app, which is getting a bunch of new features:

Clean new design : We’ve made the header white to let content take the lead and moved the navigation tabs to the bottom of the app so they’re closer to your thumbs. We also added new Library and Account tabs that give you easy access to what you’re looking for.

: We’ve made the header white to let content take the lead and moved the navigation tabs to the bottom of the app so they’re closer to your thumbs. We also added new Library and Account tabs that give you easy access to what you’re looking for. Videos that move with you : One of the things we’re working on is bringing gestures to YouTube. Earlier this year, we introduced a gesture that allows you to double tap on the left or right side of a video to fast forward or rewind 10 seconds. Give it a try! We already see billions of double taps per day. And I wanted to give you a sneak peek at another gesture I am really excited about. In the coming months, we'll experiment with a feature that lets you jump between videos with a simple swipe of your hand: just swipe left to watch a previous video or swipe right to watch the next one.

: One of the things we’re working on is bringing gestures to YouTube. Earlier this year, we introduced a gesture that allows you to double tap on the left or right side of a video to fast forward or rewind 10 seconds. Give it a try! We already see billions of double taps per day. And I wanted to give you a sneak peek at another gesture I am really excited about. In the coming months, we'll experiment with a feature that lets you jump between videos with a simple swipe of your hand: just swipe left to watch a previous video or swipe right to watch the next one. Watch at your own pace : Users love that they are able to speed up and slow down the playback of a video on desktop, and we're excited to bring this feature to the mobile app today, so you can enjoy videos at whatever speed you prefer.

: Users love that they are able to speed up and slow down the playback of a video on desktop, and we're excited to bring this feature to the mobile app today, so you can enjoy videos at whatever speed you prefer. Adapt to any video, beautifully : We've also been experimenting with new ways to display all videos in the best possible way. Soon, the YouTube player will seamlessly change shape to match the video format you’re watching, such as vertical, square or horizontal. That means you’ll always get the best viewing experience automatically – including vertical videos with no black bars on the sides!

: We've also been experimenting with new ways to display all videos in the best possible way. Soon, the YouTube player will seamlessly change shape to match the video format you’re watching, such as vertical, square or horizontal. That means you’ll always get the best viewing experience automatically – including vertical videos with no black bars on the sides! Browse and discover while you watch: We recently added a feature that lets you view a row of suggested videos while you’re watching in full screen. We're also working on transforming the area below the player so you can browse videos in totally new ways.

Looking beyond the YouTube app, we’ve also been

Looking beyond the YouTube app, we’ve also been working on a new desktop design. And thanks to all the positive feedback, we're now excited to make it available to all our users around the globe starting today! Our new look applies Material Design to YouTube and delivers a fresh, simple and intuitive user experience that lets content shine – because there's nothing more important than the creators and videos we all love to watch. My favorite feature of this new desktop design is Dark Theme, which turns the background dark while you watch for a more cinematic look.

The bright red cherry on top of this update sundae is a refreshed

The bright red cherry on top of this update sundae is a refreshed YouTube Logo and YouTube Icon . Designed for our multi-screen world, the updated Logo combines a cleaned up version of the YouTube wordmark and Icon, creating a more flexible design that works better across a variety of devices, even on the tiniest screens. Why’s it more flexible? When room is limited (say on a smartphone) you can use the brightened up Icon as an abbreviated Logo, which will be seen more easily and read more clearly. You’ll see the new Logo and Icon roll out across mobile and desktop today, and across all our other apps and services soon.

Output: YouTube has announced a range of new features across its platforms and apps, along with a refreshed logo. On its mobile app, users will be able to swipe left and right to move between videos, change the speed of playback, and browse suggested videos whilst watching in full screen mode. Meanwhile, it has unveiled a new desktop design incorporating a dark background theme and a refreshed YouTube logo and icon that is intended to work better across a variety of devices. Most of the changes have been introduced this week, or will be rolled out soon.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Alexa and Cortana join forces to improve integration
 Alexa and Cortana buddy up in Microsoft / Amazon partnership

Amazon and Microsoft are getting together in order to improve integration between their Alexa and Cortana digital assistants.

According to The New York Times, Alexa users will be able to access Cortana, and vice versa, on a range of devices.

The report does state that this integration will be a little bit awkward initially, however.

When using an Alexa device you will have to say “Alexa, open Cortana” to get access to Microsoft’s own digital assistant. If you’re using Cortana you will have to say “Cortana, open Alexa.”

From this alone it looks a lot like all these companies have done is created skills on each others platforms to enable the basic integration.

Why should I care?

The benefit for users is that it will allow Alexa users to get access to some of the more unique aspects of Cortana. Microsoft has built its digital assistant to access Office products.

Microsoft has built its digital assistant to access Office products. This means that Alexa will get that functionality by tapping into Cortana.

Furthermore, while Microsoft is still tempting developers to create their own Cortana skills, existing Cortana users will be able to call up Alexa to get access to the ones that Cortana is missing.

Tech party

This news has certainly come as a surprise to us at GadgetyNews. Especially as Microsoft is preparing to launch a Cortana speaker with Harman Kardon – the Invoke. Not only that, it’s preparing to push its digital assistant into cars, thermostats, and more devices.

Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google have all built rival digital assistants. As far as users and developers are concerned there, up until now, have all had strict borders. This partnership signals a move to make them work better together.

The New York Times reports that Microsoft and Amazon partnered in May last year. Word is that Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, raised the idea with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, at Microsoft’s CEO summit.

Makes sense

This Amazon / Microsoft lovefest actually makes perfect sense. Firstly, Microsoft already helps power Alexa queries through its Bing search engine. Secondly, ganging up will certainly pose strong competition against Google’s own assistant.

However, after saying that, Bezos is more than happy to welcome Apple and Google and offers similar integration.

Microsoft and Amazon are planning to fully detail their partnership later today.

Why not grab an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot right now and get familiar with Alexa?

UPDATE – official statement from Amazon

I have just been contacted by Amazon who have confirmed the above.

Their statement says:

Alexa customers will be able to access Cortana’s unique features like booking a meeting or accessing work calendars, reminding you to pick up flowers on your way home, or reading your work email – all using just your voice. Similarly, Cortana customers can ask Alexa to control their smart home devices, shop on Amazon.com, interact with many of the more than 20,000 skills built by third-party developers, and much more.

Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft says

Ensuring Cortana is available for our customers everywhere and across any device is a key priority for us. Bringing Cortana’s knowledge, Office 365 integration, commitments, and reminders to Alexa is a great step toward that goal.”

Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon added

Output: Amazon and Microsoft are teaming up to enhance integration between their digital assistants, Alexa and Cortana, on a range of devices. The benefit for Alexa users will be able that they can now access some unique aspects of Cortana, such as Microsoft Office products. Meanwhile, Cortana users will be able to use Alexa to access exclusives that Microsoft is unable to offer. "Together, their strengths will complement each other and provide customers with a richer and even more helpful experience", said Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.