Kano Teaming Up With Disney for New Star Wars-Themed Coding Products

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Kano, the company known for its range of products designed to teach coding to kids and adults like through innovative coding projects, today announced a new two-year partnership with Disney.

Under the terms of the partnership, Kano plans to developed a Star Wars themed experience and product system, which is set to launch during the second half of 2019. Additional details will be forthcoming.

"Our goal at Kano is to take you on a journey, unlocking powers in yourself and others, through the medium of technology – from wands that really work, to computers you make yourself, and more" said Alex Klein, co-founder, and CEO of Kano, "Collaborating with Disney is a blessing. We can combine connected, creative technologies with some of the most memorable stories ever told."

Kano is also planning to incorporate additional Disney intellectual properties into its products during the length of the partnership, so we could be seeing additional Disney-themed coding projects.

Kano is known for devices like the Harry Potter Kano Coding Wand, which uses the Harry Potter universe to teach coding techniques. With the Harry Potter kit, kids and adults build their own wand and then use it within the Kano coding app to create magic.

Kano customers who are interested in the upcoming Star Wars products can visit the Kano website for additional details.


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Pandora Launches Voice Assistant in iOS App

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Following in the footsteps of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, Pandora today launched its own voice assistant available within its iOS and Android apps. When the app is opened, users can turn on "voice mode" and say "Hey Pandora," asking the assistant to play their music, podcasts, radio stations and more connected to the streaming music service.


Similar to Siri, Pandora will also be able to respond to more vague commands to play music, like asking to "play something new," "play more like this," "play music I like," and more. According to Pandora chief product officer Chris Phillips, voice searches will be personalized for each user and informed by their listening habits on the service.

“Pandora is the leader in personalized audio entertainment, and millions of our listeners are already loving the experience we’ve created on smart speakers and other voice-enabled connected devices,” said Chris Phillips, Chief Product Officer, Pandora.

“With Voice Mode, we are introducing an even more natural and conversational way for listeners to discover new music and enhance their experience directly in the Pandora mobile app, like getting recommendations from a friend who really knows you.”

This means that when users ask to "play something new," each person will see different results, and the assistant will showcase these recommendations in various forms. Some listeners might see a playlist, while others will get an album, singular new song, or a radio station.

All voice mode features can be found in the Pandora app's search bar next to the magnifying glass.

Types of requests include:

Control requests to change stations, control volume, skip or pause music, and other basic navigation commands.
Thematic requests delivering personalized music based on each user’s unique tastes, moods, and favorite activities like “play something for my workout” or “play music for relaxing.”
Open-ended requests like “play something different,” “play something I like” or “play more like this.”
Basic requests for a specific artist, song, station, podcast or playlist like “play new music by…” or “play my happy jams playlist.”
Interactive requests like “what song is this?” or directional requests like “add this song to my party playlist” or “I like this” to give a thumbs-up.

Voice mode will be available for all Pandora users, both those on its free tier and those paying for Pandora Premium. The feature is launching today for some users on the Pandora iOS and Android apps, and it will continue to roll out for more users over the next few months.

Tag: Pandora

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Nike Debuts $350 iPhone-Controlled Self-Adjusting Basketball Shoes

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Nike today introduced new iPhone-controlled self-adjusting basketball shoes based on its latest FitAdapt technology.


The new Nike Adapt BB shoes feature an advanced power-lacing system with a custom motor that senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to ensure a snug fit. Using buttons on the shoe or the Nike Adapt app for smartphones, basketball players can adjust the fit on the fly during a game.

For example, during a timeout, a player can loosen the shoe before tightening it up as they re-enter the game. In a forthcoming feature, Nike says players will also be able to prescribe a different tightness setting for warm-ups.

The shoes can be wirelessly charged with a provided mat, based on one of the photos shown. Cue the AirPower jokes.


Nike says its new Adapt BB shoes are an evolution of its HyperAdapt 1.0 shoes from 2016, the athletic wear company's first multipurpose performance shoe to feature power lacing. The Adapt BB shoes will also be Nike's first continually updated performance product, as they will receive opt-in firmware updates.

The shoes are priced at $350 in the United States and will begin shipping on February 16, according to Nike's online store.

Tag: Nike+

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Huawei Mate 20 Pro Review: Check “Mate”, Samsung

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German Court Throws Out Latest Qualcomm Patent Case Against Apple

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A German court on Tuesday threw out a patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm, which the U.S. company claimed was violated by the use of its chips in Apple's iPhones (via Reuters).

The regional court in the city of Mannheim dismissed the Qualcomm suit as groundless in an initial verbal decision, saying the patent in question was not violated by the installation of its chips in Apple's smartphones.

Qualcomm is locked in a worldwide patent battle with Apple. The chipmaker said it would appeal the latest decision, after winning a separate case before a German court in December that enabled it to enforce a ban on the sale of older iPhones in the country.

"Apple has a history of infringing our patents," said Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's executive vice president and general counsel.

"While we disagree with the Mannheim court's decision and will appeal, we will continue to enforce our (intellectual property) rights against Apple worldwide."

Apple declined to comment on the Mannheim decision and instead referred to a statement issued in response to the December ruling.

Apple is appealing the preliminary injunction which blocks the import and sale of infringing iPhone models in Germany, but it has already been forced to pull the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus from sale in the country.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm has put aside €1.34 billion in security bonds in order to enforce the preliminary injunction. The bonds will be put towards the cost of the lost sales if Apple successfully appeals the verdict.

Tags: Qualcomm, Germany

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Samsung Prioritizes India With Launch of Galaxy M Series With Infinity-V Display

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Later this month, Samsung will launch its new mid-range Galaxy M series. These are the first smartphones to feature the company's Infinity-V display, so-called due to its centered teardrop-shaped notch housing the front-facing camera.

Samsung has teased the Galaxy M Series launch on Amazon India
In another first for Samsung, the devices will be launching exclusively in India on January 28 ahead of a global release, in an attempt to regain ground lost to Chinese rivals like Xiaomi in the world's second biggest smartphone market.

The popularity of Xiaomi's budget Redmi smartphones among younger consumers is believed to be a factor in declining sales of Samsung devices in the country. According to data from Counterpoint, Xiaomi overtook Samsung's share of the Indian market in Q4 2017, and maintained a five point lead over the company as recently as Q3 2018.

The Galaxy M series is being seen as a direct counter to Xiaomi Redmi, and the Korean company has indicated as much. "The M series has been built around and incepted around Indian millennial consumers," said Samsung India's senior vice president Asim Warsi, speaking to Reuters.


The line-up is thought to include three models, the M10, M20, and M30, which feature one, two, and three rear-facing cameras, respectively, a USB-C port, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a headphone jack. The M-series phones, which Samsung plans to sell only through its website and Amazon India, also promise fast charging, long battery life, and high performance, all for a price of between $140 and $280.

With smartphone sales flattening in saturated markets like the United States, Apple is said to have turned to India for new growth, but with little success so far, according to a report published late last year.

Just one in four Indians are said to own a smartphone, providing Apple with an opportunity to sell iPhones to millions of new customers in the country. According to the report, Apple's problem is that India is a very price-sensitive market, with more than 75 percent of the smartphones sold in the country costing less than $250.


However, so far Apple has been reluctant to change its traditional business model for selling iPhones, which prioritizes a limited number of coveted products sold at high prices. In that sense, by offering a range of handsets with affordable high-end options, Samsung appears to be attempting a level of regional flexibility that Apple has yet to chance.

Tags: Samsung, India

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Vodafone, BSNL Yearly Prepaid Plans with Unlimited Calling, Data Benefits Launched to Take on Jio

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