Microsoft’s big annual developer conference, known as “Microsoft Build 2017,” kicks off today in Seattle, and we’ve got boots on the puddle-soaked ground to bring you the latest. Things just kicked off at the two-day event, which will feature Microsoft showing off their latest tech that they hope developers will then run with in creating new apps, new hardware and so on. CEO Satya Nadella says Windows 10 is now on 500 million PCs.
What’s on deck at Build 2017? We’re looking forward to an expansion of Cortana’s duties and abilities, more fun with “mixed reality” and the Hololens system, and updates on Redmond’s Azure cloud computing system. Of course, there will more news around Windows 10, including the upcoming Redstone 3 release and some details on the new “S” version of the OS. We’ve got all the latest details at this link, and go here to watch the conference live online.
How well do they sleep in Finland?
How’d you sleep last night? Not sure? Maybe you’ll know better after that third cup of coffee? Join the club. But hey, it looks like Apple is going to at least try and get you some better data on your crappy sleep habits with some sleep tracking tech from Beddit, a little tech outfit in Finland they just bought. The Beddit Sleep Monitor app has been available for the Apple Watch, but now, it looks like it could end up as Apple’s house-brand sleep tracker.
It’s just one more piece of the puzzle Apple needs to create a well-rounded fitness and lifestyle tracker for the Watch, which already does a good job of tracking your exercise output (or lack thereof) and features the stress-busting Breathe feature. Along with the new Bedtime feature in the native Clock app, a sleep tracker will hopefully convince us to stop looking at our iPhones until the moment we actually drift off to sleep.
Keep on Snappin’ up those shares…
It’s report card time for the now publicly traded Snap Inc., following their big IPO earlier this year. Snap started trading at $24 a share on March 2nd and now sells for about $22 a share, so it’s holding its own even though the company hasn’t turned a profit as of yet. However, Snap has introduced new features including things like the magic eraser and infinity view, and they seem to be holding up against tough competition from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.
Snap will release their quarterly earnings later today and expectations are that while revenue is up, its’ going to be a while still before profits and rising share prices get into the picture.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
