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Cortana outsmarts Siri in Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8.1 ad

Jul28
by on July 28, 2014 at 7:49 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Cortana, the personal assistant for Windows Phone that Microsoft developed to rival Apple’s Siri and Google Now, gets the limelight in a new ad that’s far from being subtle (spotted first by The Verge). The commercial for Windows Phone 8.1 pits Cortana on a Lumia 635 against Siri on an iPhone 5s, with Cortana winning hands-down as Siri just says it cannot carry out the instructions. Well, that’s something you would expect considering it’s a Microsoft ad. Microsoft is going on the offense as it picks such a battle showcased on this ad, but it’s also a complement to Apple that Microsoft…

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A leaked document reportedly suggests Amazon is preparing to launch a mobile credit card reader

Jul28
by on July 28, 2014 at 5:23 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

Amazon is preparing its own mobile credit card reader that could go on sale next month at Staples, 9to5Mac reports, citing internal Staples documents that it has obtained. The “Amazon Card Reader” is said to cost $9.99 and will probably connect to smartphones to carry out payments. The Staples documents show that the company has asked its stores to wait until August 12 to put up new signage related to the card reader. News of this card reader comes a few days after Amazon quietly released a new Android and Fire Phone app, Amazon Wallet, that lets you store and organize your gift,…

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JD.com starts taking pre-orders for Microsoft’s Xbox One in China via WeChat

Jul28
by on July 28, 2014 at 2:19 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, Product Updates, xbox one

US-ENTERTAINMENT-IT-INTERNET-VIDEOGAMES-MICROSOFT-XBOX
Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com, although still arguably very much overshadowed by its larger rival Alibaba, is starting to pick up steam through its alliance with Tencent, which gives it access to vastly popular social networking channels in China. JD announced today that it will be exclusively accepting pre-orders for Microsoft’s Xbox One game console in China from today till Wednesday through its mobile QQ and Weixin official accounts. Interested buyers need to place a deposit of CNY499 ($80) to reserve a console, though the full pricing of the Xbox One is still unclear. The latest move taps on JD’s partnership with Tencent…

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