NewsBytes Tech Briefing: Zoom's video-conference device, unified Gmail, and more
Along with the massive hack of high profile Twitter accounts, a lot has happened in the world of technology in the last 24 hours. Zoom, for one, announced the plan to double down on its video-conferencing ambitions by expanding into hardware. It has launched a $599 'Zoom for Home' device with a 27-inch touchscreen, three webcams, and eight noise-canceling microphones. Here are other developments.
Unified Gmail to take on Slack
Google's primary email service, Gmail, is getting a big makeover and is set to integrate with work-focused products - Chat, Meet, Rooms - later this year. The changes, which will go into early preview this week, are aimed primarily at G suite customers, not those using the consumer version of Gmail - which, to recall, has already received the Meet integration.
Apple launched digital car key; Outlook suffered from crashes
As Google unveiled Gmail's redesign, Apple launched digital car keys for iOS, giving iPhone users the ability to lock/unlock/start select cars, including several BMW models, remotely through their devices. Along with this, Microsoft made headlines (for wrong reasons) after its Outlook email app began crashing for users around the world. The Redmond giant has now released a fix for the annoying glitch.
Amazon approves remote work until 2021; Facebook's diversity report
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, Amazon extended the work from home option given to its employees till January 8, 2021. Meanwhile, Facebook has shared its diversity report, revealing that 45.3% of the employees in its workforce come from an underrepresented background, up from 43% last year. The number of black employees has also increased, but the growth has been less in technical roles.
Other major developments
Among other things, Apple removed over 2,500 games from its Chinese App Store after they failed to submit a content license from the Xi Jinping-led government. Then, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft were sued by the US state of Massachusetts for misclassifying their drivers as 'contractors' instead of employees, while Google faced a lawsuit for tracking user activity in apps, even after they opt-out.
Finally, some COVID-19-related news
In the fight against COVID-19, Moderna has announced the plan to begin final trials on July 27, while Oxford University, another front-runner in the vaccine race, is expected to announce some positive news on the initial trials of its experimental shot on July 16. Meanwhile, biopharma company Medicago has started the Phase-1 clinical human trial of its plant-derived vaccine candidate.
