Stories by Blair Hanley Frank

OK Google, let's get personal

A hotly anticipated upgrade to Google Home will let users train the company’s virtual assistant to recognize different voices and provide personalized responses to each person.

Here's everything announced at Wednesday's AWS Summit

AWS unveiled a smorgasbord of new functionality, including new billing for software-as-a-service applications, a new continuous integration tool, and enhancements to the company’s database services. Here’s the rundown of what got announced.

SnapLogic's AI simplifies enterprise software connections

SnapLogic wants to make it easier for users of its enterprise software integration platform to connect components of their business systems. The company unveiled a new feature on Tuesday that uses machine learning to suggest what users may want to do.

Facebook wants you to hang out with your friends in VR

Facebook is making it possible to hang out with your friends in virtual reality using Spaces , a new app the company launched Tuesday for the Oculus Rift. The app will allow people to join a shared, immersive video call, represented by a personalized avatar.

Facebook aims to crush Snapchat with augmented reality

Facebook's efforts to embed camera functionality in all the apps it runs isn’t just a push to crush Snapchat. The company will be using those cameras as a way to create a developer platform for augmented reality, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed Tuesday.

Uber offers new dispatch service for businesses

Uber wants businesses to do away with shuttle buses for customers, and has launched a new service aimed at making it easier for companies to hail cars on other people’s behalf. Called Uber Central, the software lets users request cars even for people who don’t have accounts with the ride-hailing company.

Microsoft's new software tool helps enterprises evaluate cloud move

IT professionals who want help getting a handle on a potential cloud migration have a new tool from Microsoft. The company released a new Cloud Migration Assessment on Wednesday, which walks customers through understanding what resources they currently use, and determine what a move to the cloud would cost.

Dropbox Paper's mobile apps now work offline, support new languages

Dropbox Paper users will now be able to edit their documents offline while using mobile devices, thanks to an update released Tuesday. The change means that people can work on the documents they have stored in the service while on a plane and riding a subway, for example.

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