Microsoft is adding Cortana to Skype, but to make use of the intelligent assistant you’ll have to let her listen in on your conversations. Those who are happy to do so will get the benefit of her knowledge, as she offers up useful information related to what you and your contacts are talking about. Cortana is actually quite brilliant. She may be younger than Apple’s Siri, but she’s more intelligent and more capable. Which is why one of our authors almost fell in love with her. However, as nice, affable, and funny as Cortana is, we’re not sure we want...
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It’s hard to build something secret in LA or SF without anyone finding out. So Snap Inc is building a new R&D office in the remote location of Lehi, Utah — 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. The distance from Facebook and other tech companies could allow Snapchat to develop new app features or hardware devices beyond the prying eyes and ears of its competitors. Meanwhile, Snap… 
Twitter is today releasing a new feature called “Happening Now” aimed to make its service more accessible to newcomers by highlighting groups of tweets about a topic, beginning with sports, before expanding to other areas like entertainment and breaking news. If this sounds similar to Twitter’s existing Moments feature….well, it is. Moments, too, offers a way to learn… 
There you have it. Steve Jobs’ will + Dow Jones + Apple Park = Google’s buying Apple. I think we finally have algorithmic transparency. This morning Dow Jones shot some fake news out over the wires announcing that Google was acquiring Apple for $9 billion. For a brief second, the news sent Apple’s stock up about $2 to $158 per share. To the benefit of everyone’s… 
After raising upwards of $100,000 via a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, the team at Iconfactory has brought back one of the more popular third-party Twitter clients, Twitterrific for Mac. Effectively abandoned years ago when Iconfactory shifted its focus to mobile, the Kickstarter was meant to establish demand for a Mac app ahead of devoting developer resources to building it. Today… 
“So much of it is stranger than fiction. It’s a great story, I knew that if I didn’t write the book, someone else would and I’d regret it” says Billy Gallagher, author of “How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story”. The book, which starts pre-sales today and debuts on February 13th, follows CEO Evan Spiegel from the Stanford dorms where… 
Wells Fargo’s ATMs are getting an upgrade. The bank announced today that more than 40 percent – or over 5,000 of its ATMs – will now allow customers to perform transactions without having to pull out their bank card. Instead, users can take advantage of NFC – aka the “tap and pay” technology that powers mobile wallet systems like Apple Pay, Android Pay,… 
Snapchat is introducing a new feature that will transform the experience of using the apps at a fundamental level. They’re called ‘Context Cards,’ and they’re new ways to find out more info about any Snap shared by users, providing access to things like restaurant reviews, reservations, Uber and Lyft ride hailing, contact information and more. This is where Snapchat has… 
